Run Amuck will once again send relay teams through its infamous mud pit during the 2011 Reno River Festival (May 6-8, 2011). Teams can register now and be sure to get a starting spot in this increasingly popular event. If you've seen or participated in Run Amuck before, you know it's serious fun for everyone. If not, here's the story - Run Amuck is a two-person relay race along the Truckee River, starting at the Whitewater Park in downtown Reno, but saying that doesn't really begin to describe what goes on. To get the idea, think costumed runners negotiating a variety of obstacles, including the signature 60 foot mud pit in Idlewild Park. Two-person mucker teams can include co-workers, parents and children, and a variety of other couples. Outrageous costumes are heartily encouraged. The more outrageous the better, since a costume contest is part of the deal.

Registration for the 4rd Annual Run Amuck is now open on the Reno River Festival website. The race will be on Saturday, May 7, beginning with a costume contest at 1 p.m. The race will start at 2 p.m. Registration is $35 per person and closes on May 5. For more information, call (775) 788-2131 x115.

The 8th Annual Reno River Festival will be May 6-8, 2011. You can get lots of information from my story about the 2010 Reno River Festival, which will be updated soon with new stuff about this year's event. If you have never attended this fun weekend, see what it's like with my Reno River Festival picture gallery.

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The scenario I wrote about in a previous post concerning looming layoffs of Reno city workers has come to pass. At its meeting on February 10, the Reno City Council authorized another 100 layoffs to bridge the ever widening gap between income and expenditures. The city needs to trim $6.3 million to balance the budget through the end of this fiscal year on June 30. All together, the city will lose about 146 jobs when you add in vacant positions and those of retiring employees that won't be filled.

The City Council and Mayor Bob Cashell are trying to gain concessions from city employee unions as a way to lower the number of layoffs. Union representatives at the meeting said they are willing to discuss the matter. Three-man engine crews instead of four is one concession Cashell wants from firefighters. This would avoid closing several fire stations, according to Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez. Other possible consequences of all the layoffs include permanently closing some of Reno's public swimming pools and fewer police officers on the streets. The list goes on. Unfortunately, however it plays out right now will only be a temporary patch. The new reality is fewer city employees providing fewer services to residents.

For fiscal year 2011-2012, starting on July 1, the forecast calls for an additional $20 - $25 million in cuts to balance the budget. The question is how the City Council will spread the cuts across city departments. How would you deal with this shrinking pie? In this poll, you can select more than one response.

Sources: City of Reno, Reno Gazette-Journal.

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Nevada's state fair, held in Reno since 1874, is in danger of become another relic of the past. In 2010, fair organizers changed the name to Nevada Territory Wild West Fair and added new attractions like the Great American Wild West Show. That didn't keep the fair from significant attendance and income declines last year, in part related to bad weather.

According to fair executive director Rich Crombie, there won't be a Nevada Territory Wild West Fair in 2011 unless organizers can raise around $284,000 by March 1. The deadline is necessary so participants and the Reno Sparks Livestock Events Center will know in time whether or not to prepare. The money is to pay the fair's current debt of $204,000 and provide the $80,000 required to put on this year's event. So far, local businesses and individuals have come up with $23,000. The fair is a non-profit organization that does not receive any government funding, so the rest of it is going to have to come from similar places.

"It can be really, really easy, or it can be really hard if no one cares," said Crombie as quoted in the Reno Gazette-Journal. "It could be as easy as every Reno resident throwing in $1. We're being optimistic that we will keep it." The 2011 fair is scheduled for August 24 - 28.

There are three ways to make tax-deductible donations...

• Care for the Fair by donating online through the fair website.
• Mail your donation to Nevada State Fair, 1350 N. Wells Ave., Reno, NV 89512.
• Text the word "Nevada" to 50555 to donate $10 as an added charge on your phone bill.

If the fair ends up being cancelled, donations will be refunded. So what have we got to lose, except one of Reno's signature events. If we all chip in just a little to support our state fair, we'll have the satisfaction of keeping an event that's important to Reno and all of Nevada.

Sources: Nevada Territory Wild West Fair, Reno Gazette-Journal.

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The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), a learning-in-retirement organization in Reno, is offering an extensive lineup of courses this spring. Through May, members can attend classes featuring timely topics and serious learning, or many that are just for fun. A short sampling of titles include Watercolor Painting, Plein Air Painters of OLLI, Computer File Management, Home Means Nevada: Conservation of the Places We Love, Spring in Death Valley, The Nuts and Bolts of Genealogy, and many more. Courses have limited enrollment and some require pre-registration.

OLLI is sponsored by Extended Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. Annual membership is $45 for classes held from September 1 through August 31. Enrollment is open and you can join at any time. Financial assistance is available. Most classes are in the Warren Nelson Building, 401 W. Second St., downtown Reno, and some are at UNR's Redfield Campus, 18600 Wedge Parkway, just off the Mt. Rose Highway in south Reno.

For more information, call the OLLI office at (775) 784-8053, or Extended Studies at UNR, (775) 784-4046.

Source: OLLI and Extend Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno.

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