Three Decembers ago, the Record-Courier described carolers finishing their songs at the Genoa Town Church, walking down to Main Street and lighting a blue spruce named for Hope "Hopie" Falcke. The same story reported that Falcke was active in the restoration of the Genoa Town Church. So the walk starts at the building she helped save and ends at the tree that honors her.
This year that walk carries more meaning. Since 2023 the church at 182 Nixon Street has been the focus of a run of repair projects, and Genoa's own neighbors paid for much of the work. The town scheduled the church's rededication for November 14 at 10 a.m. Twenty days later, on Friday, December 4, the town gathers there again at 5:30 p.m. to carol before heading to Hope's Tree at about 6:15 for the lighting and refreshments.
A Building Genoa Has Rebuilt Before
The town's history of the church shows that each version of it has been a community job:
- 1857: Genoa's original church is built.
- 1910: That church burns in the town fire. Local residents donate materials and volunteer labor to build the present church.
- 1979 to 1980: A bell tower, porch, roof, doors and natural-gas heating are added.
- 1991 to 1992: An expansion adds dressing rooms, restrooms and an accessibility ramp.
Today the church is non-denominational and seats 80. The Genoa Town Advisory Board holds the deed and governs how the building is used. Sunday services, weddings, baptisms, funerals and meetings all happen there, and it's available to rent. The newest round of work picks up where those earlier volunteers left off, starting underneath the floor.
What Was Holding the Church Up
The 2023 structural plan described a chapel resting on timber posts set on stone footings. The job was to replace them with concrete footings and a concrete-block stem wall and to level the original chapel floor with the later addition. The plan also called for site grading and a retaining wall to cut down on runoff coming off Corday Street.
The town's bid notice estimated the foundation at $75,000. The one bid that came in was $85,000 from Genoa Co., and the board approved it. The Record-Courier reported that an inspection by owner Roger Falcke and board member Brian Crowe found less water damage than expected. According to the same report, here's how the money came together:
| Source | Amount | What it covered |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas County ARPA award | $45,500 | Originally for engineering, then moved to construction |
| Eric and Maigorzata Nichol | Engineering services | Offered Moffatt & Nichol's engineering, which freed up the county money |
| Friends of Genoa | $28,000 | Donation toward the foundation |
| Town of Genoa | The balance | Paid from the town's construction fund |
Measured against the $85,000 bid, the county grant and the Friends of Genoa gift covered most of the cost before the town spent anything from its own construction fund. The donated engineering is what let the county's $45,500 go into concrete.
Then the Outside, the Sign and the Heat
The foundation came first, and the rest followed. In November 2023 the board voted to paint the church's exterior with ARPA funds from Douglas County. Painters had until January 5, 2024 to submit quotes. When the board reviewed them in February 2024, the figures ran from $10,900 to $16,800, and the town had $10,000 in ARPA money set aside for the job. A later state grant application listed the painting as a project under $17,000, paid for with ARPA funds and a Friends of Genoa donation.
Some of the work was done by hand. The town's November 2024 report noted a new sign post bought and installed by Roger Falcke, with signs made by Lee Hanson and hand-painted by Debrine Smedley. That same month the board approved replacing the church heater and adding air conditioning, with Friends of Genoa covering the cost. For a building that seats 80 and hosts caroling in December, heat is a practical item on the list.
Friends of Genoa is a nonprofit that raises money for town projects and recruits volunteers. Its list of past projects includes the church foundation, the exterior painting, the Lillian Virgin Finnegan statue, and the town's kiosks and welcome signs. Many of the things a visitor sees walking down Main Street carry its fingerprints.
Where the Carolers End Up
The walk from the church ends at Hope's Tree. The Record-Courier reports that the blue spruce was dedicated to Hope Falcke on April 17, 1994, and that the maple next to it was dedicated to Robert Giovacchini in the same ceremony. Along with her work on the church, Falcke was a key participant in Candy Dance. Her sister-in-law summed her up for the Record-Courier back in 1988:
"She lived a life of service."
The town lists the tree at the corner of Genoa and Main, and refreshments are served there after the lights go on. Thirty-two years after its dedication, the spruce still lights up a few minutes' walk from the church Falcke worked to restore, and the town set that church's rededication for this November.
Saturday Morning Moves to a Town Hall With New Floors
The weekend's second event takes place in another building that just got attention. Breakfast with Santa runs Saturday, December 5, at Genoa Town Hall. Seatings are at 8:30, 9:40 and 10:50 a.m., and the menu is pancakes with syrup, sausage and breakfast drinks. Tickets are $7.50, and children 3 and younger eat free. The town said tickets would go on sale in November through the Town Office at 775-782-8696.
In 2023, according to the Record-Courier, both seatings sold out with 320 paying customers. Since little kids were free, the actual crowd was bigger. This year's schedule lists three seatings.
Santa's guests will also find a Town Hall in better shape. A Nevada State Historic Preservation grant paid for new plumbing and new floors in the bathroom and bar area. Once the walls were opened, the restroom pipes needed replacing too. The town took the lower of two quotes, from Blue Owl, and Friends of Genoa covered it. The town's November report lists the repairs as complete. Crews also repaired the roof over the side-door alcove and installed rain deflectors over the hall's windows. Friends of Genoa has a history with this building as well. It paid a $3,983.50 invoice for Town Hall porch repairs in late 2023.
The town's November report says Breakfast with Santa is being planned with Visit Carson Valley as part of the Carson Valley Christmas initiative.
Building the Rest of the Weekend Around Genoa
Carson Valley Christmas links the kickoff events in Gardnerville, Minden and Genoa with holiday shopping events, so Genoa's two days fall in the middle of a busy valley week.
- Saturday, November 28: The Carson Valley Chamber's Small Business Saturday passport. Collect marks at participating businesses and turn in at least 10 by December 7 for a prize drawing.
- Thursday, December 3: Gardnerville's 21st Christmas Kickoff at Heritage Park, 5 to 7 p.m., with carriage rides, caroling, dancers, fireworks and Santa.
- Friday, December 4: Caroling at the Genoa Town Church at 5:30 p.m., then the lighting at Hope's Tree at about 6:15.
- Saturday, December 5: Breakfast with Santa at Genoa Town Hall in the morning. That evening, the 30th Annual Parade of Lights leaves Heritage Park at 5 p.m. and ends at Minden Town Park.
If you'd like to stay in Genoa before or after the lighting, a few places are close by. Genoa Bar & Saloon at 2282 Main Street opens daily at 10 a.m. Daniel's at 2291 Main Street serves dinner from 5 to 9 p.m., and its website is the place to check which nights it's open. For Saturday morning, a KNPR feature this summer mentioned Flutter & Buzz serving early risers.
For history between events, the museum at Mormon Station State Historic Park is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. from October through April. It's closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so it's open both Friday and Saturday of Christmas weekend. Admission is $1, and children 12 and under get in free. The Genoa Courthouse Museum is open April through October, so it's closed for the season by December.
I'm a fifth-generation Carson Valley local, and this is one of my favorite December traditions, partly because of how much neighbor effort sits behind it. If you're new to the valley, or thinking about a move and want to know what Genoa's holidays feel like, I'd love to talk about it, or maybe see you at the church on the 4th. Reach out to Kaycee Summers anytime. Let's Connect.
