After the holidays, it’s easy to feel like hibernating, but then you’d miss all the January things to do in Reno and Sparks. From film festivals to craft brew tastings to theatrical performances, there are many January events in Reno/Sparks that make it worth getting out of the house. Here are nine we recommend attending.
January things to do in Reno/Sparks
Shootin’ from the Hip with Michael Mikel
- When: Friday, Jan. 10, 2020
- Where: Nevada Museum of Art, 160 W. Liberty St., Reno
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Historian, futurist and co-founder of Burning Man, Michael Mikel brings his unique counter-culture ideologies and personal investigations on a series of guided tours through Decorative Arms: Treasures from the Robert M. Lee Collection. Known on the Playa as “Danger Ranger” Mikel draws on his Texas roots and love of the West as he presents a personalized introduction to decorative arms.
36th Annual Bobby Dolan Baseball Dinner
- When: Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020
- Where: Silver Legacy Resort Casino, 407 N. Virginia St., Reno
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The Bobby Dolan Baseball Dinner, the annual fundraising event for Nevada baseball, features top keynote speakers such as Pete Rose, Reggie Jackson, and Tommy John. This year’s speaker will be Anthony Nomar Garciaparra, a retired Major League Baseball player, and current SportsNet LA analyst. The event is named after former Nevada baseball and MLB player Bobby Dolan.
PBR: Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour
- When: Monday, Jan. 20–Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020
- Where: Reno Events Center, 400 N. Center St., Reno
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The Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour brings the excitement and top-levels of cowboy and bovine talent that fans have come to expect from the sport’s leader to cities across the U.S. The tour is entirely produced and operated by PBR. It began in 2014 as the premier expansion tour for the PBR and is now the sport’s fastest-growing tour. If you like the rodeo, then this event should definitely be on your list of January things to do in Reno.
And With Him Came The West: A Film About Wyatt Earp
- When: Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020
- Where: Nevada Museum of Art, 160 W. Liberty St., Reno
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After the moment of the gunfight at the OK Corral in late 1881, Wyatt Earp became famous in his own time. He was already known within the western territories as a tough lawman. The gunfight represented the epitome of what the wild west stood for: good guys against bad guys in a thrilling duel. The real event was thirty seconds long. The motivations behind it have intricate details. But Wyatt wanted us to forget all that. He was never shot in a gunfight and lived into old age. By chance, at a championship boxing match at the turn of the century—which became the first feature-length movie—Earp saw the power of cinema in action. He decided he could rewrite history through the magic of movies, hanging out in Hollywood in the 1920s to try to get a film made about his life. And it actually worked. Following the film screening, screenwriter and producer Tim Kirk will make some remarks.
Hollywood and the Wild West
- When: Friday, Jan. 24, 2020
- Where: Nevada Museum of Art, 160 W. Liberty St., Reno
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The mythos of the Wild West has long inspired the nation. During the ‘30s and ‘40s, America’s appetite for films about the West seemed insatiable. In answer, the big studios created a steady stream of big-budget Western movies with established stars. Meanwhile, on the back lots of mini studios like Republic and ranches in the Simi Valley, a sub-genre was putting out hundreds of smaller films a year. These were the B Westerns, and they would launch the careers of cowboy stars like Hopalong Cassidy, Tim McCoy, Hoot Gibson, and The Durango Kid himself, Charles Starrett. This genre of Western film, vastly popular in its time, is nearly forgotten now. Screenwriter, producer, and film buff, Tim Kirk, will discuss the careers of Hollywood’s gunslingers and the changing attitudes towards the West.
The Play That Goes Wrong
- When: Friday, Jan. 24–Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020
- Where: Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 S. Virginia St., Reno
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What would happen if Sherlock Holmes and Monty Python had an illegitimate Broadway baby? You’d get “The Play That Goes Wrong,” Broadway & London’s award-winning smash comedy. Called “a gut-busting hit” by The New York Times and “the funniest play Broadway has ever seen” by the Huffington Post, this classic murder mystery is chock-full of mishaps and madcap mania delivering “a riotous explosion of comedy” according to The Daily Beast. Welcome to the opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. With an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines), “comic gold,” according to Variety Magazine.
Hawks of Northern Nevada with Alan Gubanich
- When: Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020
- Where: Galena Creek Visitor Center, 18250 Mount Rose Hwy, Reno
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People new to birding, and even some long-time birders, often have difficulty identifying hawks in the field. Join long-time LAS member Alan Gubanich for a workshop on how to identify these species. The Galena Creek Visitor Center has a vast collection of hawk specimens on loan from the local Lahontan Audubon Society. Alan will use many of these specimens, along with Powerpoint photos, to guide you through the process of separating one species from another. Bring your field guides if you have any.
Brew HaHa
- When: Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020
- Where: Nugget Casino Resort, 1100 Nugget Avenue, Sparks
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Benefitting the Sierra Arts Foundation, Brew HaHa features a massive selection of micro and macro Beer tastings., plus live entertainment featuring The Garage Boys. There will be more than 100 beers featured. Admissions packages include an entry with appetizers, gourmet beer from local brewers, and food pairing as well as a chance to bid in silent auction prizes. If you want to support a local nonprofit and have a good time, then put this on your list of January things to do in Reno/Sparks.
Wild & Scenic Film Festival
- When: Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020
- Where: Whitney Peak Hotel Cargo Concert Hall, 255 N. Virginia St., Reno
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The Wild & Scenic Festival on Tour returns to Reno, bringing an evening of awe-inspiring and thought-provoking films. Organized and produced by the South Yuba River Citizens League, The Wild & Scenic Film Festival inspires environmental activism and a love for nature–through film. Wild & Scenic shares an urgent call to action, encouraging festival-goers to learn more about what they can do to save our threatened planet.
