Candy Dance sweetens town's coffers
by Nathaniel Motshabi, Outpost staff
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A spirt of self-reliance helps Genoa, an unincorporated town in Douglas County, beat the odds and function beyond an annual budget of $32,000 from the state and county.
Ann-Marie Evans, the town's manager, said that Genoa is able to generate an average of $90,000 every year through its annual candy dance fund-raising activity. Funds are used for community projects like roads, buildings and park maintenance, as well as to address the drainage problem that arises from snow and storm water.
"We have always been self-supporting," she said. "We want to keep our small-town spirit. Everybody has to participate to keep it up."
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Genoa, Nevada's oldest settlement, maintains its small-town charm.Photo by Joe Gosen |
Evans said the 78th fundraising bash, which was expected to sell 4,500 pounds of candy this year, had other items such as tee-shirts, crafts and food for sale.
She said she expected the town to raise $90,000 from the event. The candy dance raised $100,000 and $98,000 in 1996 and last year respectively. She said the money augments $20,000 from the county and $12,000 from the state's tax revenue.
Evans said the money is still not enough because the town spent $50,000 repairing a street and plans to spend another $90,000 on one of the roads. The town picked 350 applicants from 1,000 people who wanted to participated at the fundraising venture.The candy dance brings hundreds, if not thousands of people to Genoa, a small town of 220 people who spend nine months preparing for the event.
International Students Visit the Candy Dance
Among this year's visitors were 12 international students from the University of Nevada Reno who expressed mixed feelings about the event.
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It's common to see deer roaming Genoa neighborhoods.Photo by Joe Gosen |
Swagata Banerjee, from India, said he liked Genoa's small town spirit of self-reliance. "There were lots of collectibles," he said.
"The town is in a nice setting, surrounded by mountains," Banerjee said. He also said he would advise anybody to visit Genoa during a candy dance.
However, the international students expressed disappointment that the rain marred their visit to Genoa.
Posted October 7, 1998
Copyright 1998 Nevada Outpost