It's been a tough few months for Virginia City, a place that relies on tourists coming up, to step back in time.
"April was one of the first times I walked out of my office and was in shock," said Katie Demuth with the Virginia City Tourism Commission. "There were zero people on the boardwalk, zero cars on the streets, it was kind of an eerie feeling."
It's a place that's usually bustling in the summer, and as visitor numbers slowly start to increase, the Tourism Commission wants everyone to feel welcome with a new campaign called "Everyone is a Local."
"All you have to do to participate is go to the Visitor's Center, buy a ticket to one of the many attractions - a train ticket, a mine tour - and you'll get a sticker that says 'Everyone is a Local,'" Demuth said. "And as you're perusing town, you'll see businesses with sticker decals that say, 'We Believe Everyone is a Local,' and those are our participating businesses."
Those businesses are offering special deals right now. And everyone is working together to make sure locals and visitors alike are staying safe up there.
"Our county has mandated hand sanitizing stations across the boardwalk. We're following all mandates as directed, so all stores and restaurants are operating at 50% capacity," Demuth said. "We've definitely seen an increase in visitors in the community as we've entered each phase of recovery."
The annual Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry - the unofficial start to the event season - was canceled just days before it was slated to start the summer festivities. Other events followed. But organizers are optimistic about Fall on the Comstock.
"We're keeping our fingers crossed that we won't have to cancel some of these major events. We have the Camel Races in September, the Outhouse Races in October, the Chili Cookoff was moved to the fall," Demuth said. "So we're really hoping some of these shifts, and maybe the ability to take a look at how we've done them in the past, to re-evaluate and see if there are ways to fit them in to what's happening now."
Some of those famous Virginia City parades were able to continue this summer as car cruises for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.
"Both of those were a smashing success, we saw more vehicles in the cruise, less people on the boardwalk. It was amazing," Demuth said. "It was kind of hopeful to see the amount of people up here and know they were enjoying it. Maybe you couldn't see their smiles because they had masks on, but you could hear laughter and people enjoying themselves. It was a nice relief compared to the months before."
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