July 19, 2021
Saturday, July 24 will be Reno's annual Northern Nevada Community Pride Parade and Festival. In this week's episode, Conor is joined by YeVonne Allen from Northern Nevada Pride and Our Center, Reno's LGBTQIA+ community gathering place.
Conor and YeVonne talk all things Pride, from Reno's LGBTQ history, the origins of Northern Nevada Pride, what to expect at the events this year, how the pride parade and festival raise funds for Our Center, other events and promotions happening this week, the importance of in-person spaces for the LGBTQ community, and so much more!
Learn more about this Saturday's event at http://www.northernnevadapride.org
Go visit Our Center in person, and on social media (Facebook and Instagram)
I will have a Renoites booth at the festival on Saturday, 7/24 selling Renoites pride merch! Please come say hi and pick up some Renoites gear!
Thank you so much for listening!
July 13, 2021
The Sierra Arts Foundation has been one of the major drivers of Reno as an arts-friendly city for over 50 years. Tia Flores is the Program Director and works to create programming, artist services, gallery spaces and much more.
Conor and Tia discuss arts in Reno generally, and Sierra Arts Foundation's work in the region. Topics include arts education in the Washoe County School District, creating spaces for local artists to show and sell their work, saving the historic Riverside building that now houses their offices and artist lofts, launching docent-led art walks in Sparks, and so much more!
Thanks for listening, and check out Sierra Arts Foundation at http://www.sierraarts.org
![Tucker Rash on KWNK 97.7 and Community Radio]()
July 6, 2021
Tucker Rash is the program director for Reno's community radio station, KWNK 97.7. With an army of volunteer DJs, the station runs 24/7 powered by regular people with the desire to put something of themselves out onto the airwaves. Tucker began volunteering as a teenager before the station even began broadcasting, and will now be guiding and developing KWNK's programming.
On this week's episode, Tucker and Conor discuss the mission of community radio, what type of programming you might expect when you tune the dial to 97.7, his experience in music and radio from a young age, adapting to the pandemic and back again, determining what content listeners want to hear, the anti-community effects of music streaming service algorithms, and so much more!
Thank you for listening, and please also listen to and actively support KWNK! It's on the radio at 97.7 and also streaming at http://www.kwnkradio.org
You can donate or become a sustaining member here: https://kwnkradio.org/donate/
Follow KWNK on all your favorite social media, too!
June 29, 2021
Summer in Reno means events, and some of the most consistent and well-attended events in town are food truck nights at local parks. This week, Conor is joined by Melissa Williams, the owner of Feed the Camel, a Wednesday night food truck event at the McKinley Arts Center currently operating in their 8th year.
Melissa and Conor talk about the early days of Reno's food truck scene and the origins of our food truck events, what makes a food truck succeed or fail, the teamwork and cooperation required for food truck events, the differences in running food trucks vs. brick and mortar restaurants, the challenges of adapting from a pandemic year to a busy year, and so much more!
Feed the Camel is held every Wednesday at the McKinley Arts Center starting at 5:00. Follow them on social media for the weekly lineup of food trucks!
https://www.instagram.com/feedthecamel/
https://www.facebook.com/feedthecamel/
https://twitter.com/feedthecamel
Thank you for listening!
June 22, 2021
This week's guest is Reno's City Councilman At-Large Devon Reese! Devon was appointed to the city council when a vacancy opened in 2019 and went on to run for the seat and be elected to the position for a full term in 2020.
Conor and Devon enjoy a wide-ranging discussion about what the city council is responsible for in Reno (and what it isn't), how Devon communicates with constituents, the challenges of campaigning during covid, campaign finance reform to allow more candidates access to the ballot, his lifelong connection with the art of debate and why it's important for how we communicate, Pride in Reno and the importance of LGBTQ+ representation, rainbow capitalism and pink-washing, the importance and validity of protests, the goals and next steps for the Nevada Cares Campus, and so much more!
Thank you for listening!
![Renoites Q&A! Conor answers Listener Questions]()
June 15, 2021
This week's special episode of Renoites is our first audience Q&A! Renoites has been on the air for about 4 months, and this time Conor takes a week off from interviewing guests to instead answer questions from listeners about himself, the podcast, Reno, and much more.
Topics include the behind the scenes of how to make a podcast, the best way to spend time outdoors, meeting people in the post-pandemic world, using the Couchsurfing app to travel and meet cool people, living in a Prius for a year, local arts and artists, what goes into selecting and researching guests, weighing in on the "does kink belong at Pride" debate, and so much more!
A huge thank you to everyone who submitted questions! Sorry I wasn't able to answer all of them in this short episode but forever grateful for everyone who listens and especially those who interact! I love to hear from listeners. Email me anytime at conor@renoites.com
Thanks for listening!
Relevant links from this episode:
http://www.couchsurfing.org
https://www.yarngurl.life
https://wanderingwyld.com
https://www.facebook.com/feedthecamel/
https://www.facebook.com/RenoStreetFood
https://artspotreno.org
https://northernnevadapride.org
![Mike Van Houten on Housing and Developments]()
June 8, 2021
Downtown Makeover is one of the longest running blogs in Reno, reporting largely on development projects in and around Downtown Reno. Mike Van Houten has been closely tracking developers and their projects for 15 years, publishing everything from permits to concept drawings to photos of new housing developments as they grow.
Conor and Mike discuss the benefits of an urban lifestyle and downtown Reno's growth towards urban living, how he uses his site to break the reputation of Downtown Reno as full of shuttered casinos, ideas for controlling the ever-increasing rents in town, the false narrative of evil developers vs. inflexible NIMBYs, how construction costs shape what is built, and much more!
Mike also gives some background and his views on several of the most significant (and sometimes controversial) developments currently in the works in Reno, including the Reno Experience District in Midtown, a brand new residential project in the ballpark area, the Jacob's Entertainment "Neon Line" in the NW Quadrant, and the hotly debated 34-unit building currently under construction on Riverside Drive in the heart of the Powning Historic District.
Thank you for listening!
Check out Downtown Makeover at http://www.downtownmakeover.com
![Grant Denton on Addiction, Karma Box, and Safe Camps]()
June 1, 2021
Rising homelessness has become a major topic in Reno in recent years, with a massive increase during the pandemic. A large new shelter, the NV Cares campus, is opening in phases and will include a safe camping area, there's conflict around the disbandment of existing encampments, and the conversation continues over the best ways to help bring people from homelessness to stability and growth.
In this episode, Conor is joined by Grant Denton, founder of the Karma Box project, a "little free library" mutual aid model that helps the community directly provide food and essential items for those in need in their neighborhood. Grant shares his own personal story of overcoming addiction and homelessness, and what drives him to give back to the community now.
Conor and Grant also discuss the importance of providing harm reduction resources alongside support and programs to help people stabilize and thrive, the role of safe camps in solving some of the problems of existing encampments, the psychology of drive and purpose and their place in helping people have a sense of control over their own lives, and so much more.
Thank you so much for listening, and I encourage you to support local organizations that are providing services of any kind to feed, clothe, and house the people who live in our city. I would like to use my social media to highlight organizations that are doing good work so please share with me at conor@renoites.com or leave a comment on the Renoites Facebook page!
https://www.karmaboxproject.org/about
https://ccsnn.org
http://www.renoinitiative.org
Reno Burrito Project
May 25, 2021
This week on the show, Conor is joined by Ky Plaskon, President of the Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance. Ky has been riding bikes his entire life and is now leading TMBA in advocating for better bike and multi-modal infrastructure in Reno.
Conor and Ky talk about the near future of e-bike and scooter sharing in Reno, a major bike infrastructure project along Center Street that needs your help, why most people's bikes never leave the garage and how to fix that, what to do with the flood of broken bikes from burning man every year, dealing with bike theft, and so much more!
Thanks as always for listening and sharing!
Be sure to follow TMBA to stay up to date!
https://bikewashoe.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BikeWashoe
Also mentioned in this episode:
https://renobikeproject.org
https://www.kiwanisbikes.org
May 18, 2021
This week on the podcast, Conor welcomes Michael Moberly, a spirits educator, bar consultant, writer, event planner and all-around bar industry expert who has been working in Reno's bar and spirits world since he was 19.
Conor and Michael talk about the history of Reno's bar scene and why bars have continued to be an important part of our city's culture, the economic challenges facing both bars and their employees, what makes a good bar, locals vs. tourists, summer events, and so much more!
Thank you so much for listening! If you enjoy the episode, please share!
Follow Michael on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/mcmoberly/
