2025 Summer Festival kicks off at Dangberg Historic Park
MINDEN, Nev. – Historical characters, speakers and authors, and lively bands return to Dangberg Historic Park beginning in June. Favorite presenters, bands, and Chautauquans will be joined by new ones as well.
The 2025 Summer Festival will feature four concerts. Old West Trio, a returning favorite, will kick off these concerts by performing traditional western music and songs of the cowboy. Also returning is Carolyn Dolan & Big RED with their blend of blues and R&B. Back after a long absence is Hick’ry Switch playing bluegrass and Americana music. A special treat this season will be Moni’s 30s & 40s Bebop Revival with music to make you get up and swing. Ticketed entry will apply.
“Theodore Roosevelt once proclaimed that Chautauqua was the most American thing in America, and I agree. So, we have a fantastic line-up of talented presenters once again,” said Kim Harris, the park’s events and education manager.
For the 151st year of Chautauqua, new and favorite Chautauquans can be found throughout the Summer Festival performing national characters during this season’s Wednesday evening theme “Women Who Changed Their World”:
Grace O’Malley, ship’s captain and pirate queen, as performed by Mary Ann Jung; Anna May Wong, first Chinese American film star, as performed by Bowen Lee; Kasturba Gandhi, civil rights activist, as performed by Roopa Mohan; are featured along with several others on select Wednesday evenings. Ticketed entry will apply.
On select Friday mornings the theme is “They Did it Their Way” with more characters in history making an appearance free to the public.
These will include William Mulholland, engineer of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, as portrayed by David Woodruff; Anne Henrietta Martin, suffragist and author from Nevada, as portrayed by Cora Johnson; Abe Curry, founding father of Carson City, Nevada, as portrayed by Dave Pierson, William Sharon, notorious and infamous Comstock millionaire, as portrayed by Ross Mortensen; and are joined by several others throughout the festival.
On Friday, June 6, at 10:00 am, historian Debbe Nye will present the “History of Chautauqua” followed by the Young Chautauquans of Carson City’s Hope Academy portraying members of the Dangberg family. This is free for all to attend, as well.
A special Chautauqua Showcase will be presented on July 25th and 26th with Master of Ceremonies Mark Twain, as performed by McAvoy Layne presenting “The Famous and the Infamous”.
The showcase begins with The Young Chautauquans of Douglas County Historical Society portraying an array of historical characters and is free for all to attend. In addition, Al Capone, American gangster, as portrayed by Doug Mishler; Calamity Jane, American frontierswoman, as portrayed by Kim Harris; and Lucille Ball, American actress, as portrayed by Leslie Goddard, will all make an appearance. Ticketed entry will apply.
Both new and favorite speakers and authors return this season, sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm. Historian and author Mark McLaughlin will speak on “True Tales From Tahoe”, Dr. Michael Fischer will speak on “Nevada’s Notorious Mobsters”, David and Gayle Woodruff will speak on “Memories of Bonanza”, and historian and author Gregory Crouch will speak on “William Sharon: Comstock Millionaire.”
New to the park this season will be historian Larry Schmidt who will speak on “Mark Twain at Lake Tahoe”, and Susan Clemons of the Glenbrook Historical Society who will speak on “Glenbrook: From Timber to Tourism”. These and several other favorite speakers will be featured on select Saturday mornings and will be free for all to attend.
Please bring your own seating. During all events, no pets are allowed – certified service animals only. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Guests are welcome to bring snacks and beverages, as no food or beverages will be sold at these events. All events are held outdoors. For more information on these events, or on visiting Dangberg Historic Park, please visit Dangberg.org.
The Dangberg Summer Festival is sponsored by the generous support of Douglas County, Carson Valley Health, Cora J., Robert E. Schilling Charitable Fund, Central Sierra Construction, Christensen Automotive of Gardnerville, Douglas Disposal & Recycling Service, Edward Jones Investments—Tim Cleveland, Horse Tales, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Snowshoe Thompson Chapter 1827 E Clampus Vitus, and Frances C. and William P. Smallwood Foundation.
The Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park preserves the home of Heinrich F. and Margaret Dangberg and their descendants. The Dangbergs were a prominent ranching family in Carson Valley and founded Minden in 1905. The park includes eight historic structures built between 1857 and 1917 and an original collection of 43,000 artifacts, documents and photographs. The park is located at 1450 Hwy 88 and is operated by Friends of Dangberg Home Ranch, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, in cooperation with Douglas County. For more information, visit Dangberg.org.
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