We've been sponsoring our community events for several years now, and such "parties" as the Southwind St. Patrick's Day celebration held Saturday, March 16 are definitely the place to be in Elko. It was 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm (or maybe…8:30 if the band forgots to step down), and you can always plan on a great time, with a happy crowd wearin' the Green and a bit of the ol' Irish sing-along, and more.
The unique Celtic, Americana and Folk sound of Southwind brings a breath of "fresh aire" to the Pioneer Saloon every 3rd Wednesday night with a family friendly concert - - as long as a cool event such as St. Patrick's Day or Halloween doesn't prompt a date change to allow for proper celebrations in pure Southwind style, and we'll always note the new date in our event calendar.
Photo by Mary Hayward.
They're well known for bringing in local Elko musicians/singers/songwriters to share a set as well. This versatile band has hosted Matt Downs, Marinna Mori, Nick Palacio, Troy Eden, Mercedes Mendive, Ken Grandjean, Rick Palagi and more. We like to say, toe-tapping required, and libations and space for dancing are always available. Follow Southwind —Carolyn Steninger, Susan Lawrence and Ken Harriman—on Facebook, and join us every 3rd Wednesday of the month, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.
An evening with Southwind, photographer unknown.
Jam On! gives new life to our original Bunkhouse Fridays jam sessions ~ once a month in Elko, musicians of all types of instruments get together from 6:00pm to 8:00 pm in the historic Pioneer Saloon to tune up and share a musical interlude. The old room has heard everything from accordion to washtub base, although a typical Jam will always feature a nice array of guitars.
Jam On! at the Pioneer, photographer unknown.
Musicians of all experience levels and cross-genre are welcome, too: whether if you're into perfecting a Jerry Garcia or a John Prine tune, or know a tune so well you can't wait to bring it forth for everyone else to play, we invite you to grab your instrument and share it with the group. The evening is informal and fun, coordinated by local group Southwind. 6pm, 2nd Wednesdays of the month – spectators welcome and the bar is open.
More music at the Pioneer, photographer unknown.
Let's Dance! And speaking of dancing, this Western Folklife Center-sponsored event is a proven winner! The Elko Let's Dance group does a magnificent job scheduling of dance lessons in all kinds of dance styles, often looking ahead to various Elko events and matching the lesson, from the annual National Basque Festival (lessons in Basque dancing), California Trail Days (Old-time dances), to the Silver State Stampede and our own National Cowboy Poetry Gathering (Two-step, Rodeo Swing) and much more. We try to keep up with the scheduled lesson on our website events calendar, but you can also find more on Elko Let’s Dance Facebook.
Basque dancing lessons at Let’s Dance!, photo by Amber Adeline.
Let's Dance! evenings are every 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month in the G Three Bar Theater. They always begin at 6:00pm with an hour-long dance lesson, $5 per person. For some folks, it's a date night, but you won't need to bring a partner – and often during the lesson the dancers (if they're willing) are switched around so you can get comfortable dancing with different partners. And after the lesson? It's open dancing to recorded music and the Pioneer Saloon is open to serve you.
Salsa lessons at Let’s Dance!, photographer unknown.
Note: We’d love information on our unknown photographers, please let us know.
