See the eclipse in Reno

An annular solar eclipse will be seen over Reno late in the afternoon of May 20, 2012. There will be a free viewing event, Fleischmann Planetarium and others, in south Reno on Sunday afternoon from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the MacLean Observatory on the Redfield Campus of the University of Nevada. Learn more about this event and watching solar eclipses from “Annular Solar Eclipse Watching in Reno.”

Also on Sunday, May 20, the Reno Kite Festival will be a fun family event at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park. Following this free festival from noon to 5 p.m., you are invited to stick around and watch the eclipse. Part of the festivities include kite flying demonstrations, free kites, and free eclipse viewing glasses.

Another free Sunday event is the Reno Turkish Festival at Wingfield Park, downtown by the Truckee River. The festival of everything Turkish is from noon to 6 p.m. and will include folk dancing, food, drink, and Turkish arts and crafts.

Reno events need volunteers

A couple of Reno’s big events are seeking volunteers to help run the show in 2012.

The Reno River Festival is now seeking volunteers for its ninth annual event on June 15 to 17, 2012. Duties range from helping keep costume contestants under control to water gun snipers and obstacle enforcers out on the Run Amuck course. In addition, animal lovers are also wanted for assistance during the Splash Dog and Dog Jog events, as well as people to assist with athlete registration. Shifts range from three to six hours Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

This summer, lend a helping hand to one of the region’s largest special events, the PGA Tour’s Reno-Tahoe Open at Montrêux, July 30 – August 5, 2012. The Reno-Tahoe Open relies on hundreds of volunteers, known as “Forecaddies,” to help produce its annual event. Opportunities include player and caddie transportation, score keeping, and assisting the Golf Channel crew. Registration is now available by visiting the Reno-Tahoe Open volunteers page or calling the tournament office at (775) 322-3900.

Cinco de Mayo Celebrations in Reno

Cinco de Mayo is obviously on May 5, but in 2012 the date happens to fall on a Saturday. That means there is a whole weekend available for those in the Cinco de Mayo fiesta mood.

The biggest Cinco de Mayo festival in northern Nevada takes place outside at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno. There will be two days of fun featuring several Latino bands, amateur boxing, Mexican dancing horse performances, several vendors with food, arts and crafts, and a children’s playground. This is a family-friendly fiesta that runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, and Sunday, May 6.

An adult-oriented Cinco de Mayo weekend fiesta will be going on at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks. To learn about these activities and more, check out Cinco de Mayo Celebrations in Reno.