Week of July 5, 2023

From the editor’s desk

The Reno Philharmonic, the largest-performing-arts organization in Northern Nevada, is about to kick off its 55th season. Matt Bieker takes a look at the evolution of the orchestra, which has found new ways to adapt to the area’s population and cultural changes, as it serves its longtime patrons while also attracting the next generation of music lovers.

Jason Sarna reports on a Reno couple’s efforts to open a kava tea bar in Reno—and how Washoe County health officials won’t let them serve it in the way it is done in the South Pacific, where kava is used in religious rituals and is said to reduce stress and anxiety.

Non-alcoholic beverages also are featured in Michael Moberly’s Liquid Conversations column, which describes a host of delicious and fun non-boozy drinks, just in time for a sober summer.

July’s night skies offer opportunities to follow the swirling choreography of the wandering planets, writes Robert Victor. Our resident star-gazer also reports that the Milky Way will soon be ideal for observation in a dark, moonless sky. Unlike many areas of the country, Northern Nevada still has places where light pollution doesn’t blot out the stars, says guest opinion writer Darcy Shepard. She urges Nevadans to support efforts to preserve the state’s endangered “black holes” before they are snuffed out by development.

Indiana Jones (and 80-year-old Harrison Ford) deserved a better final chapter than Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, says Bob Grimm. The film, with its tired chase sequences and questionable casting, is a letdown for audiences, Grimm writes.

Matt King’s Lucky 13 spotlights Chris Fox, guitarist and vocalist of Boss’ Daughter, scheduled to perform at the Reno Punk Rock Flea market on July 15-16.

My Editor’s Note (related to drag queen story hour) comments on the attempts of some folks to impose their religious beliefs on public policy and secular issues—a reminder that in this country, freedom from religion goes hand-in-hand with freedom of religion.

Publisher Jimmy Boegle, meanwhile, reports on the sudden arrival of his 30th Wooster High School reunion, a benchmark that was decades in the making, but that came all too soon.

Most of these stories, and many others, are featured in the RN&R’s July print issue, now stacked on newsstands across Northern Nevada.

Be sure to vote in the final round of this year’s Best of Northern Nevada competition for your favorite people, places and events. The poll is available online.

I’ll see you in the funny papers.

Take care,

—Frank X. Mullen, Editor