NHS Artown Talks – On The GO! at Nevada Sunset Winery, Sat. July 11

NHS Artown Talks – On The GO!

Program Schedule
Saturday, July 11, 2026

Discover this year’s NHS Artown – On the GO! talks.

The Nevada Historical Society’s building may be closed for an exciting remodel, but you can still enjoy these fascinating lectures at the Nevada Sunset Winery during the closure.

NHS Artown Talks – On The GO! Series is their Artown summer program that delves into Nevada and Reno history. Make sure to visit Nevada Sunset Winery every Saturday in July to spark your interest in the captivating past of Reno and Nevada with eight engaging programs that are geared towards audiences of all ages. A FREE Artown event!

Gaming Casinos, downtown Reno

1-2 PM: 
From Rick’s Resort to a $120 Billion Entertainment Industry…And How Reno Got Left Behind

Presented by Buddy Frank, gaming historian

Buddy Frank, gaming historian

Learn about the history of gambling in Nevada and how Reno got left behind with guest speaker Buddy Frank, gaming consultant and historian.

A historical and humorous look at the worldwide history of gambling from the very beginning to tomorrow’s new forms of wagering.

Buddy Frank has a 40+year career in casino management and was inducted into the Slot Operations Hall of Fame in 2023. After graduating from UNR, he spent a decade as a local television reporter in Reno on KTVN Channel Two. Today, he has an active consulting business and teaches classes on gaming topics for the University of Nevada, Reno.

Nevada State Pavillion in California

2:30 – 3:30 PM:
Nevada’s Participation in Expositions and World’s Fairs

Presented by Jean-Guy Tanner Dubé, SHPO Historic Preservation Specialist, author and historian

Nevada has a long tradition of presenting itself on the world stage. Before statehood, territorial leaders and the mining industry recognized the value of international expositions, participating in 1862’s International Exposition in London, showcase our region’s mineral wealth.

Nevada’s presence continued at major world’s fairs, including the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where visitors experienced George Ferris’s iconic wheel and Elko saddle and harness maker G. S. Garcia earned international recognition with gold medals. This success was repeated at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, which also featured Nevada’s growing architectural and industrial ambitions.

The state’s participation grew with construction of prominent pavilion buildings, most notably the refined neoclassical Nevada State Pavilion by architect Frederic DeLongchamps for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, one for the San Diego exposition, and for Reno’s 1927 Transcontinental Highway Exposition.

By 1940, Nevada’s focus had shifted from promoting raw resources to attracting visitors and investment, with the Golden Gate International Exposition marking the state’s final participation in a world’s fair. Together, these events reflect how Nevada confidently presented its identity, ambition, and style to the world as the “Great Silver State.”

Jean-Guy T. Dubé, historian

Jean-Guy T. Dubé works for the State Historic Preservation Office of Nevada as the National and State Register of Historic Places Coordinator. He is a member of the Friends of the Nevada State Railroad Museum, Southern Pacific Historic & Technical Society, and the Virginia & Truckee Railroad Historical Society, in addition to many others. Dubé received the national Leicester B. Holland Prize in 2017 from the Library of Congress and National Park Service. He is an author, architectural draftsman and historian. He has studied Southern Pacific depots since 1983 and is the author of Railroad Depots: A Southern Pacific Collection.

We would like to thank our community partner, Nevada Sunset Winery for hosting our lecture series. Nevada Sunset Winery is located at 415 East 4th Street, Unit B, Reno, NV 89512.