Carson Valley comedy melodrama set in Genoa

The Douglas County Historical Society will present “The Curse of the Hanging Tree,” a four-act comedy melodrama based on events in the Carson Valley, at 6:30, 7 and 7:30 p.m. July 19-20.

The production will begin at the Millerville Saloon, set at the Courthouse Museum in Genoa, with the shooting of Hans Anderson by Adam Uber. Act Two will bring spectators to the Genoa Church to attend Anderson’s funeral. Attendees are encouraged to dress in mourning. After the service, the audience will make its way to the jail and courthouse to visit Uber in the cell in which he was jailed in 1897. The district attorney and defense attorney will argue the case and call several witnesses. The play will end with Uber being dragged from his cell and hung from a tree, uttering the curse upon those who hung him.

Each performance offers improvisation. The show involves residents, some current or former elected officials, who volunteer to help the Douglas County Historical Society raise money to support its two local museums.

Tickets are $15 per person, with beer, wine, soda and water available for purchase. Ticket-holders receive a 10 percent food discount at the Tombstone Tap & Grill in Genoa.

Tickets can be purchased at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center, 1477 U.S. Highway 395 in Gardnerville, or by calling 775-782-2555.