Weekend events: Giving back in Carson City

Carson City’s busy summer continues this weekend with plenty of chances for those in the community to give back.

HopeFest

Carson Tahoe Health will hold its seventh annual HopeFest from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. All proceeds — including food and drinks — benefit local cancer patients undergoing lifesaving medical treatments, and no-cost lodging at Merriner Cottages by the Carson Tahoe Health Foundation.

For the first time, HopeFest is holding a contest for the Most HopeFULL group, based on creativity of signs and costumes determined by local judges. The prize is a five-foot trophy.

Participating groups will be judged by Artsy Fartsy Gallery Chairman Jeffery Pace, along with local artists; and Kirk Caraway of CarsonNow.org, for best theme of support.

Winners will be determined Monday, estimated at 11 a.m. through Carson Tahoe social media outlets.

Winners of the Passport to Hope also will be announced on that Monday. The public drawing gives participants a chance to win a trip to Las Vegas, a resort at Lake Tahoe, or a $500 Amazon gift card. There’s also a grand raffle giving locals a chance to win $10,000, or a new Toyota or Ford sponsored by Dick Campagni Auto Group.

Performing at this year’s Hopefest is Tyrone Wells, a singer-songwriter in the folk-pop genre from Spokane, Wash. As for food and beverages, Q’s BBQ will be on-site along with Shoe Tree Brewing Company.

CARL HOWELL MUSIC FESTIVAL

Celebrities from all over the world will gather in Carson City for the Carl Howell Memorial Music Festival all day and night Saturday.

The event is being held to honor Carson City Sheriff’s Office Deputy Carl Howell, who was killed in the line of duty Aug. 15, 2015.

In addition to music, there will be a kids zone with bounce houses, face painting and a video game area; food trucks; alcohol; raffles and a silent auction.

Actor Patrick Kilpatrick will be the master of ceremonies. Rednex, known for their hit “Cotton-Eye Joe,” will make their first appearance in the United States at the festival since their founding more than two decades ago. For the festival, the band even reproduced and shot a music video for one of their hits “Wish You Were Here” for Howell.

In addition to the festival, the organizers also are hosting a Celebrity Dinner on Friday the night before the event where guests have the chance to mingle with the celebrities coming.

Anyone who wishes to volunteer for the event can still do so and can attend a meeting at 5 p.m. today at Battle Born Harley-Davidson. The festival will be Saturday from 9 a.m. to midnight at Battle Born Harley-Davidson. The Celebrity Dinner will be Friday from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Empire Ranch Golf Course.

Tickets for the festival are $20 and can be purchased at http://rememberdeputyhowell.com or at the event. Tickets for the Celebrity Dinner are $100 and can be purchased by calling Don Alexander at 775-400-0126.

Proceeds from the festival are being put into a trust for Howell’s children.

WOOFS, WINE AND WHISKERS

CASI is holding its fifth annual event, a wine tasting, to benefit animals in need in Carson City from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Governor’s Mansion. Tickets are still available for $40 which can be purchased online at friendsofcasi.org or by calling Lisa Schuette at 775-671-2413.

ECLIPSE

Carson City residents will have the chance to extend a long weekend into Monday morning by watching history. While we won’t be able to see the total eclipse here, we will be able to see a partial eclipse in which 82 percent of the sun is blocked by the moon. The peak time is 10:20 a.m.

Carson City library is offering a special eclipse program from 9-11 a.m. as part of its NASA@MyLibrary initiative. Sign up soon through the calendar on the library’s website as eclipse glasses are limited. It will also have viewing through a filtered telescope. The Jack C. Davis Observatory at Western Nevada College is also hosting a morning of eclipse viewing beginning at 8:30 a.m. and will provide live viewing of the total eclipse on big screens as well as filtered telescopes to view the local version.