September 2021 - Horsetales Nevada

January 25, 1935 – May 8th 2021

The Corley family lost one of its own, Chuck Corley 89, beloved brother of Jon Corley. As most of us know, the Corley family is a well-known Carson Valley Ranch Family. Jon and Paula are known for their charitable activities in our communiy. They are also the founders of the great Harvest Festival Pumpkin Patch held every October here in Gardnerville. The Corley Ranch is now operated by family members Johnny Raper and Jonie Corley Raper.

Chuck was the older brother of the family and a real cowboy from Laramie, Wyoming, but every year he would travel to the Corley Ranch and put on his scary Wolfman costume and delight all the children with his wonderful antics. He loved children and they loved him. He helped with most of the festival activities and made the visit to the ranch a memorable one for each and every youngster.

The 2021 festival will be wonerful again this year like it is every year but Chuck’s family and all of those little children he entertained will miss this great mascot Wolfman, his smiles and his joyful attitude cannot be replaced but his memory will linger there with all of those who come to enjoy the Harvest Festival. As was noted, Chuck Corley loved young people and was a real working cowboy. He loved sharing his knowledge with young people interested in all things rodeo and cowboy. He would spend hours giving roping lessons to any youngster trying to perfect their roping skills.

Chuck was generous with his time, and it brought him great joy when he could help young people, especially those pursuing rodeo sports. Chuck passed away after a day of roping and branding at the Ranch he resided at in Laramie. He is survived by his grandchildren, Tatem (John), Stephanie, Joe, Suzie and Kate; and his brother Jon Corley (Paula) and all the extended Corley family members.

The Rotary Club of Smith Valley recently celebrated its 75th anniversary of being chartered in 1946. That’s a lot of history for a club that typically averages 30 – 35 members at any given time.
And while it started out as a men’s club, since 1987 women have been joining Rotary in ever greater numbers. It is generally accepted that people join Rotary for fellowship and to provide service to their communities and the world. Over the years, many of the club’s projects and events have become staples of community life here in the Valley. One of the most recent events is the ever popular Fun Days on the first weekend in October. It was first held in 1968, ostensibly as a day for family’s to gather and have fun.

It is returning to the Valley at Dressler Park this year after a hiatus last year due to COVID. It is now a 2 day event with entertainment for all ages and remains, in every way, a family event. In addition to a car show, trap shoot, tractor pull, and many other activities, there are over 40 vendor booths for crafters and entrepreneurs featuring homemade and commercial items on Sunday. Each booth is 10×10, and an allowance for vendors to purchase more than one booth to share their wares. Booths are $40, but a price of $25 is offered for nonprofits. Contact information can be found in our ad in this issue.

The proceeds of Rotary’s efforts, including a raffle and silent auction, benefit a long list of youth projects including Rotary leadership camps for 8th graders and Juniors in High School and scholarships. One of the club’s special gifts is the ability to host social events as fundraisers that bring the community together and simultaneously provide funds for community and youth projects (e.g., annual Lamb Feed and Spring Steak Dinner and Dance (formerly Spring Brunch). Every year, the annual Easter Egg Hunt and annual 1st grade Christmas party entertain young people. For the past several years, the Club has leveraged matching grants with our District (5190 – 59 clubs in No. NV & CA) to support much needed community projects.

Some of these include: installing handicapped parking spaces and a ramp at the community hall, improvements at the Heyday Inn, and partnering with the historical society on a gazebo at the historical park in Wellington. On the international stage, eradicating Polio is a high priority for the 1.2 million members of Rotary worldwide and our club has contributed to the fact that there are only 2 countries in the world where Polio exists. We are very excited that soon Polio will be only a distant memory.

We meet every week, currently at 7 p.m. at the Heyday Inn on Thursdays. Membership is by invitation and every Rotary member would love to bring in new members. Rotary is a special opportunity to forge new friendships and make a difference in the world.

Archives for September 2021