Week of May 15, 2024

From the editor’s desk

Voting in our annual Best of Northern Nevada readers’ poll has started! Head to vote.renonr.com to make your selections in our nomination round between now and Friday, June 7. The top vote-getters in each category will then advance to the final round! Be sure to vote in at least 10 categories for your ballot to count!

Since 2013, Bass Camp, the outdoor summer DJ festival featuring huge names and local talents, has gained enough of a following that organizers are hosting a pre-festival festival. The Biggest Little Block Party in the World will take place at the Reno Arch and Locomotion Plaza this Saturday, May 18. Music scribe Matt King dove into the event’s history—and why people love it.

Mark your calendar for the Reno Dance Festival, coming up at the J Resort’s Glow Plaza on West Fourth Street Saturday, June 1. Erica Wilson, the event’s co-founder, gave photo editor David Robert the scoop on how it’s a hub for local dancers and dance enthusiasts to connect in a few different ways.

There’s a new dog training outfit in town, and this one offers training for therapy dogs and service dogs, in addition to the usual obedience training. Chris Bergman started a virtual branch of the Dog Training Elite franchise and hopes to go brick-and-mortar as soon as possible. Meanwhile, his official grand-opening celebration will take place at the Reno River Festival, June 7-9. The Malinois Foundation, a national group that places service dogs with veterans and others who need them, will be there, too.

“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has the dubious distinction of being the weakest of the four newer Apes movies that began with James Franco and Rise of the Planet of the Apes back in 2011,” writes Bob Grimm, resident film and TV guy. “On the plus side, it’s still pretty good.” It’s now playing in theaters around the region.

How could an alien/monster movie starring Nicolas Cage possibly be a letdown? In Arcadian, now streaming, there just wasn’t nearly enough of him. With Cage’s knack for good horror, he seemed like a perfect fit, but his screen time was disappointingly limited. Coupled with a lack of exposition, it feels like lazy storytelling, wrote Grimm.

Wildlife photographer Heather Nicole moved from Florida to Tahoe, then Reno, in 2019. She talked with Delaney Uronen about racing to prepare for a photo trip to the Arctic and how contending with multiple sclerosis makes it feel urgent to get work done now. ⁠

Wine—it’s meant different things to different people at different times, whether religious, symbolic or just plain fun. Wine scribe Steve Noel’s May column is half ode to this enduring beverage, and half perspectives from locals enjoying a glass of grape at Midtown Spirits Wine and Bites.

Ever downloaded an app, and then proceeded to keep that app long after you had any need for it? Here are some of the ones cluttering up people’s phones—plus a few that would be hard to part with, according to the Reno locals featured in this month’s Streetalk column.

Take care,

—Kris Vagner, managing editor