Prevaricator's dream: A lyin' contest in Lyon County

Karen Woodmansee
Appeal Staff Writer, kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com
January 15, 2006



There's going to be some lyin' in Lyon at the First Occasional Lyon County Liar's Contest in Yerington this spring.

If you are the master of the cock-and-bull, you can win bragging rights and cash prizes in the contest, organized by Ray Johnson of Silver Springs, who is being aided and abetted by Tom Blomquist and John Chiappone both of Silver Springs, and Mike Cline of Stagecoach.

"This being Lyon County, it kind of fit," Johnson said.

The fib-a-thon will benefit the Silver Springs Spay and Neuter Project and will take place on, appropriately enough, April 1 at the Jeanne Dini Yerington Cultural Center.

Johnson said the effort is picking up where Old West fibbers in Austin, Lander County, left off. The Sazerac Lying Club held meetings there in a saloon on Main Street in the 1870s.

Stories at the club meetings were said to be so ludicrous that members didn't bother trying to make them even remotely probable.

Johnson has decided to bring the tradition back and, keeping with the spirit of things, holds the organizational meetings at Honest John's Used Auto Sales on Highway 95A in Silver Springs.

He said the judges for the event will be fairly notable people from Lyon County and Carson City, and they will be open to bribery.

"The thing to remember is this is a fundraiser," he said. "All bribes go to the spay and neuter center."

Johnson, who serves on the Lyon County Planning Commission, said he and his fellow organizers are having a great time putting the event together.

"This is probably the one thing I have been involved in that we're just having a ball with," he said. "Most projects you work on, it's work, but this one is fun."

Johnson said the goal is to raise $10,000 for the spay and neuter project.

"They expend a lot of money and it's hard to collect that kind of money from the little boxes sitting on the counters," he said.

The event will feature tall tales, prizes, food and drinks. A liar's kit, offering the right to lie straight-faced to everyone in attendance, a T-shirt and dinner may be purchased by those wanting to sponsor their favorite fibber. Contestant applications and ticket information will be forthcoming soon. Really.

A no-host bar will open at 5:30 p.m., and the dinner will be at 6 p.m. with the contest to follow, said Johnson

Tickets will be $45, which includes dinner and the right to be deceived. Liar's kits are $125 and may be purchased by the liar or sponsored by someone who appreciates a good yarn. And you don't have to be from Lyon to take part in the lyin'.



-- Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111 ext. 351.



If you go

WHAT: Liar's Committee meeting

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Jan. 23

WHERE: Honest John's Used Auto Sales, Highway 95A, Silver Springs

Terrier found in Dayton with broken leg now on the mend

Karen Woodmansee
Appeal Staff Writer, kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com
February 12, 2006

Friday the 13th turned out to be a lucky day for Captain Jack.

The 12-pound Jack Russell terrier is getting a leg up on a new chance at life, thanks to the efforts of the Silver Springs Spay and Neuter Project.

The dog was found on Jan. 13 off Enterprise Road in Dayton, hobbling around on a broken femur.

Picked up by the Lyon County Animal Services officer, Captain Jack was kept for the required five days to give a potential owner a chance to reclaim him, said Ted Bolzle, Animal Services supervisor.

"It's a younger dog, and it's a very nice dog," he said, adding that although the dog was injured, it didn't appear to be in any distress.

Bolzle explained that the county didn't have the resources to provide medical attention for the dog, so they contacted Lee Blomquist at the Spay and Neuter Project.

"It needed internal and external pins, surgery on the leg," he said. "They had to pin it in place. One option was to amputate the leg, but the vet decided against it."

He was treated by Dr. Gary Ailes of Sierra Veterinary Hospital in Carson City. Blomquist said the veterinarian treated Captain Jack on a reduced fee.

Blomquist took over, even paying for much of the cost herself, and now the tri-colored male pooch is recuperating nicely.

She said there was no way to be sure how the dog's leg got broken.

"Who knows," she said. "He might have been hit by a car. That's the most likely possibility. It was an extremely clean break, so we don't think he got in a fight with a coyote or another dog."

In addition to care for his broken leg, Captain Jack, estimated at 1 or 2 years of age, was neutered, Blomquist said.

"He's very friendly," she said. "He spends the entire lunch hour sitting in my lap."



-- Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111 ext. 351.



You can help

• To adopt Captain Jack, call the Yerington Veterinary Hospital at (775) 463-3521.



• To donate to Captain Jack's care, send donations to the Silver Springs Spay and Neuter Project, P.O. Box 403, Silver Springs, NV 89429.

Convincing liars encouraged to enter contest in YeringtonTim Anderson (TANDERSON@RGJ.COM)
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
March 3, 2006

The art of lying will be on display April 1 in Yerington.

No fooling.

Organizers said anyone skilled at telling bald-faced lies with a straight and serious delivery is invited to enter the First Occasional Lyon County Liars Contest.

It's an unbelievable event, said Ray Johnson of Silver Springs. After all, that's the point of the exercise. But it's also for a good cause. Proceeds benefit the Silver Springs Spay & Neuter Project.

Those serious enough to become purveyors of preposterous prevarication face a steep price: a $150 entry fee. Johnson, contest committee chairman for the animal assistance program, said the fee is also no joke.

"It's designed to bring out the most serious competitors," Johnson said.

He said the first 10 paid applications will be accepted for the contest and noted competitors might want to line up sponsors to help share the entry fee. Prizes will be awarded to the top three liars.

A limited number of tickets are available for those eager to attend the event and to see how far liars will go to tell their stories, Johnson said.

Dinner will be followed by the liars' competition and "other tidbits of questionable entertainment," Johnson said.

Organizers said arrangements have been made for a distinguished panel of judges to assess the tall tales. And for good measure, contestants will get the judges' rules ahead of time.

"The winner will enjoy a great meal, walk away with $400, a commemorative T-shirt, winner's certificate and bragging rights," Johnson said.

Organizers of the event said they were inspired by the work of those who held forth at the Sazerac Lying Club in the 1870s in the central Nevada community of Austin. On their Web site, the Silver Springs organization pointed out that stories told at the Austin club were "outrageously devoid of all semblance of truth or even the appearance of probability."

Searching for a few good liars

Ever wanted to walk in humorist Mark Twain’s boots, spin a tall Paul Bunyan tale or watch your nose grow? If so, you are in luck - organizers of the First Occasional Lyon County Liar’s Contest are looking for a few good liars. They’ve got a gig planned to raise money to assist in the spay and neuter of household pets, are providing a classy stage, dinner, judges, and time to sling the bull. Some say Lyon County is infamous when it comes to bull slingers, but this time it’s all in fun, with much tongue-in- cheek action planned for April Fool’s Day, Saturday, April 1, at the Jeanne Dini Cultural Events Center in Yerington, beginning at 5:30 p.m. with a no host bar with dinner served at 6 p.m. The live entertainment, if you can belief what you read, features liars’ fabrications and more.

Committee Chairman Ray Johnson suggests, amateur or polished liars who want to compete, find a business, friend or politician to sponsor the $150 entry fee. He urges prospective candidates: “Buy a ‘bonafide liar’s kit, which includes, the right to lie straight-faced to every believer, a T-shirt to commemorate the occasion and dinner.” What more could you ask?

Proceeds from this unique event benefit the Silver Springs Spay and Neuter Project, a federally-approved nonprofit organization supporting spay and neuter of household pets throughout western Nevada. “There will be jubilation among organizers of this ‘dog-gone-good’ fundraiser,” says Johnson.

Trusting competing liars to the fullest, credit cards are accepted. Dinner tickets cost $45.00 per person. A limited number of tickets are available. Tickets may be purchased or reserved on line at http://truckeesrest.tripod.com or via mail, checks payable to the Silver Springs Spay & Neuter Project, PO Box 403, Silver Springs, NV, 89429. No handling fees.

What is special about the Liar’s Contest is that it is historical, its roots dating back to the days when the Sazerac Lying Club held meetings at a saloon on Austin, Nevada’s Main Street in the 1870s. Their tall tales were said to be “outrageously devoid of all semblance of truth or even the appearance of probability.”

“We welcome artful liars from all aspects of life, be it commercial, political, educational, legal and just simply, bald-faced liars,” he emphasizes. Winners receive $400 in cash while 2nd place gains $200 and 3rd, $100 - sponsors will be recognized.

Johnson reminds: “The ability to spin a yarn dealing with every day life and the happenings around you is truly an art, ongoing with our American heritage.” Therefore, Johnson’s committee, just to be on the straight and narrow, holds meetings at “Honest John’s Used Car Sales.”

For an application to join this historical event, call 577-2069, 577-4055, 577-3518 or 629-0801.

With the United States immigration issue being a hot topic, I must comment on the subject. Well-written editorials appearing in last Sunday’s Nevada Appeal echo my sentiments.

I understand, in 1986, when illegal immigration numbers reached over 3 million people, Congress passed an immigration law expected to remedy the growing problem - obviously, the measure was not enforced - there are now more than 12 million illegal immigrants roaming American communities.

In their zeal to please voters, the 2006 Congress plans to pass more immigration legislation, the new bill containing laws similar to the bill passed in 1986; however, Congressional representatives contend the new law is tougher. Is it?

Says Nevada Appeal columnist Kirk Caraway: “What you are hearing is a bunch of blowhard politicians acting tough in an election year. They have done nothing to address this problem in the past, so now they want to crack down to sway voters.

“The truth is, the government doesn’t enforce laws already on the books, so why should we expect these new measures to be any different.”

Caraway notes the truth: “It is illegal for businesses to hire undocumented workers. Yet they are everywhere in this area. Businesses openly flaunt the law and get away with it.”

He points out, like Congressional delegates opposed to new legislation, “The key to our immigration problem is jobs...businesses get away with it because those who enforce the laws let them.” He’s right. If immigration officials wanted to enforce existing laws, it would be fairly easy, but they play dumb, pretending they don’t understand how the illegal immigration situation got out of hand.

“Business interests in this country are like the black market pool that exists now. They cut costs by hiring illegals and their mere presence drives wages down for everyone. That’s why both Republican and Democrat officials have to resort to the current deception that feeds this black market of labor. And now they are forced to walk a fine line between doing the bidding of voters who want higher wages, and their campaign contributors who don’t,” writes Caraway.

Meanwhile, on the countryside, it’s true, illegal immigrants are caught in the middle. “Their home country is corrupt and significant change isn’t likely. They work hard to create a better life for themselves and their families, just like our ancestors. I admire their sacrifices for living here, and the gifts they have brought,” Caraway says. But, he emphasizes: “There are limits. All countries must be able to secure their borders if they are to remain functioning nations. This is why we have immigration laws, the same laws many new immigrants are violating.”

Noting there might be solutions to the problem with reform, Caraway indicates, when all is said and done: “We can’t abandon the law. Immigrants need to obey the law, and we need to hold our government accountable to enforcing it. That’s how you get tough on immigration...We can’t pass new laws until we enforce the old ones. Period.”

Adding words of wisdom to the illegal immigration issue, Appeal Publisher John DiMambro added his two cents Sunday, emphasizing it in his editorial headline, “‘Illegal’ means just that: Illegal immigrants are trespassing on U.S. Soil.” DiMambro minces few words, comparing the phrase “no trespassing” to the current immigration law, stressing, the key word is “illegal.”

“...Is our president’s stand on illegal immigration absurd? Yes! Extreme and incredible? Yes again. Why? Because it’s ‘illegal.’ For God’s sake, it’s ‘illegal.’”

Often, folks supporting today’s immigration policies and the proposed federal amnesty legislation remind us that America is the land of immigrants, hoping to make people feel guilty for disagreeing.

Explains DiMambro: “The turn of the century’s open immigration cannot be compared to illegal immigration. All four of my grandparents crossed the Atlantic from Italy to Ellis Island just after World War I. They had passports. I know they did because I have them. The passports were their rights to passage to a free world; their legal tickets to the real theater of a new world. Their legal ticket. Their new world. Not illegal.”

And bringing his view home, DiMambro’s comment is strong: “Illegal immigration should be treated like any other crime. The punishment that matches the crime, in this case, is to be sent back to their country of origin. Apply for citizenship like others have and then come back to enjoy the land of the free and home of the brave. ‘Illegal’ means illegal. In this case, ‘No trespassing.”

Yes, President Bush should support enforcement of laws on the books.

For sure, if legal or illegal immigrants wish to promote public sympathy in America, they should place the flag of their country beneath the American flag, the flag that symbolizes the nation offering opportunities they are seeking, mainly a chance to obtain health, wealth and prosperity. If flags being waved represent another country, denoting an immigrant’s allegiance, then he or she must return to that native land. Most Americans don’t intend to live under another nation’s sovereignty in the future.

To hear illegal immigrants decry Congress, noting this body doesn’t have the authority to pass laws pertaining to immigrants’ status in America, my blood boils - each and every legal American tries daily to obey laws Congress has passed that affect their lives, either good or bad.

America’s leaders over the last 20 years are responsible for creating the current illegal immigration upheaval; consequently, they want to wine and dine voters with new laws. For goodness sake, insist the old ones be enforced; then, solve today’s problem as compassionately as possible.

Fabricator contest flops

Did you hear the latest? Unfortunately for organizers who worked so hard, the Lyon Lying County Liar’s Contest held in Yerington on Saturday, April Fool’s Day, didn’t bring an audience. Don’t people care that the nonprofit Silver Springs Spay & Neuter Project run by Lee and Tom Blomquist constantly assists abandoned and stray dogs? It brings tears to my eyes.

Being a judge, it was embarrassing for the six contestants when no one showed up for the scrumptious buffet dinner. Can you imagine there was a bartender in Lyon County (Bob Williams, Dayton, with the Chamber and John Jantos Menus) without an imbiber? Mark Twain must be turning in his grave.

Local judges, Dayton Justice of the Peace Bill Rogers, Lyon County Commissioner Chet Hillyard, Eric Johnson, Carson City attorney, and Suzette, Mound House, Moonlight Bunny Ranch Madame, and me, a lowly journalist, heard every word the liars, excuse me, I mean the fabricating contestants, said because one could hear a pin drop in the Jeanne Dini Cultural Center in Yerington Saturday night. It was a dirty shame.

While shy emcee Ted Bolzle, Lyon Animal Control Director, tried his best, he played to an empty-seated theater. I felt sorry for longtime Silver Springs’ resident Ray Johnson who aptly coordinated the event. While he wiped sweat off of his brow, and goose bumps from Bloomquist’s bare legs, the contestants carried on, fibbing and fibbing, but only the just judges listened. Although Judge Rogers told a few clean jokes, vacant chairs paid no heed.

It’s hats off to contestants, Charlie Duke, Dayton, Lyon County Sheriff’s candidate, first place, for his ability to fabricate with ingenuity and costume; Judy Remington, a local Paul Bunyan tale teller, Reno Gazette Journal columnist, 2nd place; Mary Harris, Virginia City ghastly, I mean, ghostly liar, 3rd place, and other brave souls, Charlie Lawson, Leader-Courier columnist, Lyon County Commission candidate, emphasizing he never distorts the truth; Hale Bennett, Silver Springs entrepreneur, offering a black-eyed story, and Kathy Givons, a city-gal gone country, who revealed a tail (tale) of animal rescue efforts. Although there was no one seated on the plush seats at the Dini theater, the liars came on strong, never missing a cue to fib to their best ability.

All right, no more “tomfoolery. I’m writing this in the wake of April Fool’s Day and a liar’s contest, I hope no one believes much of the above, except names of organizers, participant’s, and winners. As usual, in journalism, the truth prevails, like it or not, the event was so successful that the tuxedoed gentleman in shorts noted: “There’s talk of a 2nd Annual Occasional Liar’s Contest.”

Johnson says a plate count indicates 94 people participated, most of them driving 60-90 miles to attend.

To event organizers: It’s tough reaping success at first-time events, particularly in Lying County, so thanks for the laughter and tongue-in-cheek entertainment.

—Laura Tennant is a Dayton historian and the Leader-Courier’s former editor. Comments are welcome. Call 775-246-3256, e-mail, L10ant@powernet.net or write, P.O. Box 143, Dayton, NV 89403.

Lyin' winners can really shovel it (and that's no bull)

Staff reports
April 9, 2006

Six contestants vied for the title of best liar in Lyon last weekend and, believe it or not, a candidate for sheriff took first place.

Charlie Duke, playing a character called Jeremiah B. Lyon who was more than 180 years old and remembers fondly the saloons of Pizen Switch, won the first prize of $400 and a Moonlite Bunnyranch bathrobe, which one assumes he won't wear on the campaign trail. Duke was decked out in head-to-toe costume with long hair and a long white beard for the First Occasional Lyon County Liar's Contest.

Judy Remington of Reno, who told of the Yerington willowswitch rat, whose bodily functions she said cause the sulfur smell from the town's vents, won the $200 second prize.

Third place and $100 went to Mary Harris of Virginia City, who spun a yarn about a tuxedo that spent several generations in her husband's family.

The other candidates were Kathy Givens of Silver Springs, who told a wild tale about teaching herding dogs to swim; Charlie Lawson of Stagecoach, who claimed no politician ever lies; and Hale Bennett, who told a story about a friend named Phred who ended up with two black eyes courtesy of a church woman.

Judges for the event came from the most respected walks of life possible: a journalist, a lawyer, a judge, a politician and a madame. They were Laura Tennant, Eric Johnson, Bill Rogers, Chet Hillyard and Madame Suzette from the Moonlite Bunnyranch.

The emcee was Ted Bolzle of Lyon County Animal Services and the proceeds will benefit the Lyon County Spay and Neuter Clinic.

Organizer Tom Blomquist said Nevada State Historian Guy Rocha and actor McAvoy Lane were essential in offering research and assistance for the project and the emblem featuring a bull and a shovel, taken from the original Lyon County emblem.

The idea for the contest came from the Sazarac Lying Club, a group of Old West fibbers in Austin, Lander County which told their tales in a saloon on Main Street in the 1870s.

Telling truth from fiction in Lyon County

Barry Ginter
Nevada Appeal Editor
April 7, 2006

I could tell you that the life Tom and Lee Blomquist have chosen - living with 37 animals in a double-wide mobile home - is one of unconditional love from purring cats and well-behaved dogs.

But that would be a lie.

It may have been the perfect thing to say on Saturday night at the 1st Occasional Lyon County Liar's Contest in Yerington, a benefit for the nonprofit Silver Springs Spay & Neuter Project run by the Blomquists.

The reality of the couple's lives is work, however, and plenty of it. Cleaning cat boxes and dinner bowls. Lugging around buckets of water. Grooming dogs and cats. More cleaning.

"We go through an incredible amount of bleach," he said.

Sometimes, they get bitten for their trouble.

Their animals are rejects, head cases, victims of abuse or disease. Only a few of them are adoptable, meaning they have the ability to function in a normal household. There's a hound named Raven, who takes barbiturates to control his seizures and visions of imaginary friends. The pit bull in the front yard will quiver and cower if you raise your hand to scratch your ear, he's been beaten that much.

Backyard Fred is part coyote. He jumped the fence one day to join the pack. If he were human, Tom says, he'd be the type who rolled his own cigarettes and drank your beer when you weren't looking.

"He's a real jerk. I love him," Tom confessed.

They're troubled animals, sometimes due to the troubled humans who once owned them. They once rescued kittens from a boy who was throwing them against a wall, and from his father, who saw nothing wrong with his son's activities.

"This is not an easy thing to do, but it's something we have to do," said Tom, 55. "We're not going to stop. It's become what our life is."

That's not to say they don't get their share of affection from the dogs and cats.

"The joke is only eight of them sleep on the bed," he said.

Their rescue shelter has a good relationship with Lyon County's shelter, which sometimes has to euthanize animals that cannot be adopted.

Tom accepts that. He'd like to save them, but "there's so damn many of them."

Spaying and neutering is the answer, he says.

Tom is somewhat of a reverse Johnny Appleseed, doing whatever he can to convince people to get their dogs fixed so they don't plant more seeds. Sometimes, he says, his tactics border on extortion, when he offers bags of dog food to people buying pets in exchange for a spay or neuter promise.

Most of the Blomquists' animals will be with them until the end, and anyone seeking to adopt one of them ought to prepare for a thorough background check.

"The animals are content here," he said.

The Blomquists never intended to run an animal rescue center.

After their marriage, they intended to make a living selling rare books on the Internet, when they settled in Lyon County in 1995, while Tom dealt craps at a nearby casino.

But then the animal thing began, and it became all-consuming. Along the way, he's become known as an eccentric, and outspoken on animal issues.

Once, in protest of the county commission's refusal to widely advertise for a new Animal Services coordinator, he wore shorts and a tuxedo and set out to hitchhike from Mound House to the Yerington City Hall.

The seeds of the liar's festival were sown long ago when he noticed the Lyon County emblem also included a bull and a shovel. He saw an opportunity to tweak county officials he'd been sparring with, and the event went off without a hitch on Saturday. Six liars stepped up to the podium and did their best to avoid honest statements.

Blomquist said they'll probably hold the event again next year.

If you're interested in learning more about the Blomquists' efforts to rescue animals, visit the Web site http://truckeesrest.tripod.com. It hasn't been updated in a while, he said, but it does contain a lot of information about their history and some of the animals they've owned.



• Barry Ginter is editor for the Nevada Appeal. Contact him at bginter@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1221.

Letter to the editor

April 19, 2006

Healthcare Foundation honors nonprofits

On Tuesday, March 28, Carson Tahoe Regional Healthcare Foundation President Barbara D'Anneo and I attended the "Making a Difference" appreciation luncheon at Thunder Canyon Golf and Country Club. It was hosted by the Coldwell Banker Best Sellers team, led by Jenny Lopiccolo.

The purpose of the lunch, attended by approximately 75 guests, was to honor a number of nonprofit organizations in our area for the work they do, and to award them with a donation. Ten organizations were present in addition to Carson Tahoe Regional Healthcare Foundation: CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates); Carson City and Dayton senior citizen Meals on Wheels; Carson High and Dayton High Safegrad programs; Advocates to End Domestic Violence; GROW (Gardeners Reclaiming Our Waysides); Silver Springs Spay and Neuter Project; and the Wildlife Infirmary of Washoe Valley. In my work as a fundraising professional, I am honored to see people at their very best: caring, generous, dedicated and philanthropic. As I see it, fundraising is among the most noble and rewarding professions in our country. To play a role in uniting gift dollars with good causes is a wonderful thing.

When a donor makes a gift to a local cause, he or she supports its particular mission and also enhances the quality of the community at large. The folks at Coldwell Best Sellers are to be commended for their long-standing spirit of support. This group of Realtors and staff raises thousands of dollars each year at the Boot Scootin' BBQ, which requires hours and hours planning and preparing. They began their efforts in 1995 with a cookie sale that netted $100, and each year hence raised more than the previous year. The 2005 Boot Scootin' BBQ raised $30,000, their best year ever!

Coldwell Banker Best Seller is an amazing group of people who walk the walk on "giving back." Our hats are off to them. It is they who deserve recognition for "Making a Difference."

Pam Graber

Carson City