50 years ago, Reno hosted the first gay rodeo, an opportunity for LGBTQ participants and fans to enjoy the rodeo in a more inclusive and accepting environment. Since then, the International Gay Rodeo Association has helped put on gay rodeo events across the county. Reno hasn't hosted the event for almost 2 decades but this coming weekend, October 9-12, the rodeo will return to the Livestock Events Center for the 50th year since the event's founding.

On this episode, I spoke with Brian Helander and Roger Bergmann, the current and former presidents of the IGRA respectively, about the history of the organization and the gay rodeo, what attendees can expect that's different from the "regular" rodeo, special events unique to the gay rodeo, creating a more inclusive rodeo culture, how gay rodeos connect with other gay sports organizations, the challenging history of the event (in the 1980s the rodeo was cancelled in Fallon with the sheriffs department blocking the entrance with shotgun in hand), sexy gay cowboys, dances and other events taking place through the weekend, and much more!

You can get tickets AT THE DOOR so just head on down to the Silver Legacy any night around 6:30 for the evening events, or the Livestock Events center starting at 10am on Saturday or Sunday. Learn more about the event at http://www.igra.com

Thanks for listening and sharing!

Spooky Season has arrived and one of the best ways for scare enthusiasts to get the most out of it is to spend some time getting chased by monsters and zombies and horrors of all kinds (without ever being in real danger.) And of course the best place to do that is at a haunted house. Northern Nevada's premiere haunted house, Dark Corner, is moving this year from the National Bowling Stadium into the decommissioned state penitentiary in Carson City and becoming Dark Prison.

On this episode of Renoites, we're joined by Matthew Hawkins, makeup director for the company and creator of characters and props appearing in the 30,000+ square foot haunted houses (there are 3 separate areas within the prison). We talked about what goes into creating new characters for the haunt, the importance of storytelling and building on previous years, the difference between working in beauty makeup and effects makeup, doing makeup for a cast of dozens, the huge impact of horror movie culture, why it feels good to get scared, and much more!

You can buy tickets to Dark Prison at http://www.darkprison.com and find them on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/darkprisonhaunt

You can follow Matthew at http://www.instagram.com/matthew_hawkins_artistry

And of course follow Renoites at http://www.instagram.com/renoites and learn more about the show at http://linktr.ee/renoites

Send feedback and guest suggestions to Conor at conor@renoites.com

Thanks for listening!

As the media landscape changes and we deal with new ways to get news and information, broadcast television still plays an important role. The national 24-hour cable networks aren't equipped to report on issues that are specific to Northern Nevada, and even as more news moves online, local news shows play an indispensable part.

Not all that news needs to be heavy or serious or focused on things like crime and disasters. There's also room for lifestyle content that highlights nonprofits and events and change makers in the community. That's where Katey Roshetko and her morning show "Morning Break" on KOLO channel 8 come in. Morning Break airs 5 days a week at 9:00 am and features a wide variety of local guests.

On this episode of Renoites, Conor and Katey talked about her journey into local broadcasting from early dreams of being a Disney star, overcoming anxiety in a highly visible profession, the difference between video and audio formats for news and talk, strategies for making interview guests feel at ease, how local news stations can remain relevant in the digital media era, the effects of large corporation ownership of local television stations, and much more!

You can watch Morning Break on KOLO Channel 8 weekday mornings at 9am and follow the show on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kolo8morningbreak

Be sure to follow Renoites on Instagram as well at http://instagram.com/renoites and learn more about the show at http://linktr.ee/renoites

You can always email feedback and guest suggestions to Conor at conor@renoites.com

Thank you for listening!