GOP State Party Dignitaries Come To Virginia City

The Storey County Republican Committee held it’s annual Lincoln Day fundraiser in Virginia City yesterday. The event celebrates Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, the Republican Party’s first elected President.  The Delta Saloon hosted the event for the past several years, but the party wanted to change things up this year.

“We wanted to showcase a different part of Virginia City this year. The Virginia & Truckee Train is as authentic as it gets up here and is the perfect venue to show off our town,” said Jim Hindle,  Storey County Republican Committee Chairman. “We wanted to do something different this year and the V&T was perfect for that,” he explained.

Attendees packed into the 1867 Train Depot spilling out into the chilly winter morning. Storey County Justice of the Peace Eileen Herrington and her husband John served coffee and cocktails to the early morning crowd. The Canvas Cafe prepared muffins, cookies and the morning breakfast on the train. Once all the dignitaries arrived, they boarded the train and took the short trip to Gold Hill. Thankfully, the conductor and staff stoked the wood-fired stoves on each of the passenger cars to fight the cold and snow.

Fundraiser Deemed A Success

The train ride to Gold Hill and back took just over an hour. At the terminus in Gold Hill, Senator James Settelmeyer held an auction for items donated to the fundraising effort. While the wood stoves heated the cars, the bidding was just as hot. Nearly $1000 was raised for the County Party auctioning off two items. The crowd returned to the Depot to a silent auction raising even more funds for the GOP.

Along with Senator Settelmeyer, Assembly Minority Whip Jim Wheeler and Secretary of State Barbara Segavesky, Party Chairman Michael McDonald and State Delegate Chairwoman Michelle Fiorie made the trip up as well.

Virginia City’s event wrapped up a week of other Lincoln Day Events across the State. While the event was upbeat, the specter of the state turning blue and the trouncing of Laxalt was evident in November. The Republicans have much to do in order to regain their footing in Nevada.  With the money raised at yesterday’s event, Storey County is on it’s way to a comeback. Time will tell how effective they are.