Tag: minden

Back in April I wrote about rumors that a sandwich shop would be sharing space with the new Starbuck's in Minden, in the back half of the old Wendy's building. A couple of weeks ago the signs finally went up for Port of Subs, and it looks like the place will be open soon. (Update: It's open now!)

I've got plenty of memories from that old Wendy's. The front door to Port of Subs is right where the mop closet used to be. Just think of that when you're getting a 6 inch turkey sub.

This isn't going to be the first Port of Subs in the area, not by a long shot. There's already one in Gardnerville, and another in North Douglas by Target. But I don't doubt that the valley has grown enough to support all three of them. We'll just have to see if it can do better business than Wendy's did.

And, not related but in the same shopping center, who in this day and age thinks it's a good idea to open a new video store?

Blockbuster and Hollywood video are already in trouble from Netflix, so what chance does a little local store like "Video Library" have? Hoping to cash in on the tiny niche that doesn't want to get movies online, maybe?

It's good to see someone trying to make a go of a new venture, but I don't expect it to be around long.

The Summer Concert Series is coming back to Minden Park this year, after a pretty successful run last year. This summer there are five concerts planned, all of them happening at the gazebo in Minden Park.

• May 26th: The Rip Tides
• June 30th: Mumbo Gumbo
• July 14th: Deja Blues
• July 28th: Stork Raving Mad
• August 25th: Jeff Jones Band

I'm especially excited about the Mumbo Gumbo concert. When I was younger I used to follow Mumbo Gumbo like some people follow the Dead. Well, I didn't have a van, but you get the idea. All the concerts start at 6:30pm, except on August 25 when it starts at 6:00. Bring a blanket, some lawn chairs, and a picnic basket, and settle in on the lawn for an evening of music.

The heavy equipment has been brought in and sagebrush has been cleared away. I don't know what they're going to build, but I know that work has started, and it's covering several acres.

This piece of land is located at the corner of Hwy 395 and 88 in Minden, across the street from Douglas High. The photo is looking east from Hwy 88, and you can see the new Arby's being built in the background. For years and years there was a sign on this lot saying that a Safeway surpermarket was coming; the Safeway was obviously never built. But now work has finally started, and I don't see any signs saying what it's going to be. So we'll have to keep an eye on this one.

NDOT is going to be hosting a public meeting in Minden on March 29, about their idea to put a roundabout at County Road and Hwy 88. The state seems to be on this big roundabout kick the last couple of years. There is the one they installed on Fifth Street in Carson City, and the Arrowhead Drive exits on the new freeway are roundabouts. And now they’re trying to push Minden to have one, even though they’re meeting with resistance on every level. So they’re having this public forum, where they’ll try to convince Minden residents that they really do want a roundabout, and that once they have one they’ll come to love it. Residents, on the other hand, want a traffic signal at the corner.

I think that NDOT’s big issue is that they have a problem with traffic lights. They fought the idea of putting a stoplight at the intersection of Mottsville Lane and Hwy 88 in the Carson Valley for years, thinking that larger stop signs and flashing lights would reduce the number of accidents at the corner. They didn’t, and the State finally caved and put in a light. This is the route everyone takes to get to and from Lake Tahoe, even though NDOT would rather have you drive up Muller Lane to Foothill and then along there. Nobody does, unless they’re in the mood for a scenic drive.

Then NDOT fought hard against putting a stoplight at Stephanie Way and Hwy 395. There was even a death at the intersection, a death that would have been prevented by a light, and still they resisted. It wasn’t until the public outcry grew too big and attracted too much media attention that they relented, and now there’s a stoplight planned for sometime in the unknown future.

Now it’s County Road. This intersection, right by the Carson Valley Swim Center, in my mind is right on the border of needing some kind of control. Unless you’re there at just the wrong time of day, there are usually huge gaps in the Hwy 88 traffic that make turning easy. But with the population of the valley growing all the time, and County Road being the only side street to avoid Hwy 395 traffic, I can see where the intersection might be reaching the danger level.

So maybe that’s why NDOT wants to put a roundabout there, because there isn’t enough traffic on County Road to justify a signal, but we need something. But the agency has said they’ll respect the wishes of the community, whatever they may be, so you can expect this meeting next week to be mainly focused on convincing residents that they really do want a roundabout, they just don’t know it yet.

The meeting is Wednesday, March 29th at 7:00pm. at the C.V.I.C. Hall in downtown Minden. If you live in the Carson Valley, and you’ve got an opinion on the issue, on way or the other, you should show up.

Tonight we moseyed on down to Minden Park to catch the first of the Concerts in the Park summer series that the Carson Valley Inn is putting on. The music this time was provided by the John Jorgenson Quintet, a rolicking good “hot jazz” combo that reminded me a lot of the Squirrel Nut Zippers. Three guitars, an upright bass, and a fiddle, playing swinging music that sounded like it came right out of the 30’s.

Minden Park, with a full crowd clustered around the gazebo.

They also played a couple of jazz standards, and a few French jazz songs. Luckily there were no words on those.

The John Jorgenson Quintet on stage. They even took the railing off to make the gazebo into a better venue.

In all they played two sets, about 45 minutes each. I overheard a couple of teenage girls talking about how good the music was, so for a bunch of old fogies playing a 70-year old set list, that’s the real seal of approval. Definitely a band to check out!

A lot of people turned out on a Friday night for the concert.

Folks brought their dogs...

...and more dogs...

...and even a talking bird!

The program for tonight’s presentation. Inside was one page about the band, and 14 pages of ads.

This Concerts in the Park series continues all summer, with four more shows to go:

• June 24th - Playa Papaya
• July 8th - Crazy Texas Gypsies
• July 29th - an old favorite of mine, Mumbo Gumbo!
• August 26th - Michael Powers Group

All shows are at 6:30pm. So if you ever find yourself in Minden on a Friday night, you know what to do!