Any female 18 years or older can participate. There will be three well-marked hiking options. The easiest will be a 2-mile loop within the Sugar Bowl resort area. The intermediate and the long hikes are both loops that have beautiful views including Donner peak. Attendees also have the option of not hiking at all – just enjoy the lodge: good food, massages, raffle prizes, a silent auction, the bar, and more. The Moms store will also be stocked with lots of fun gear to wear hiking, or just around town.

Online registration is now available, see www.MomsOnTheMountains.com for more information.

Well-known Nevada City musical artist Mikail Graham has been selected as the 2010 recipient of the prestigious Col. Bill Lambert Award.

The Lambert Award award is presented annually by the Famous Marching Presidents of Nevada City to recognize outstanding contributions to Nevada City and the Nevada City way of life. The award is named in honor of the late Col. William H. Lambert, founder of Nevada City’s annual Constitution Day Parade.

The Marching Presidents announce the award each year on the eve of the annual parade, in which they participate. This year’s 44th Annual Constitution Day Parade rolls through the downtown historic district beginning at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12.

The Lambert Award will be presented by Marching Presidents founder David Parker at the group’s annual post-parade awards banquet at Miners Foundry.

“If it has to do with music in Nevada City, Mikail is probably involved,” said Parker.

“Mikail has been a strong voice in the Nevada City music world and has been one of the leaders in making our community radio station, KVMR-89.5 FM, one of the best in the business. I know he travels a lot and is always a great ambassador for Nevada City.

“Importantly,” Parker continued, “Mikail is a very active member of the community and continues to be involved in numerous fund-raising events for local organizations and needed causes.”

“What a great honor; I’m thrilled and I’ll be there,” said Graham, a Nevada City native whose family roots here go back to 1849. A performer, producer and promoter of music, Graham has composed more than 40 original scores and is a member of the Nevada County Composers Cooperative.

He is host and executive producer of “The Other Side,” the eclectic radio program heard from 8-10 p.m. Tuesdays on KVMR. He has played and produced music with many of the area’s leading musicians, including The Humperheads, who have entertained at past Marching Presidents banquets.

Past recipients of the prestigious Lambert Award are retired city manager Beryl P. Robinson Jr., former mayor and city clerk Cathy Wilcox-Barnes, parade organizers George and Pat Harper, city councilman and former mayor Pat Dyer, the late real estate broker Jim Mackey, writer Dave Carter, Chamber of Commerce executive manager Cathy Whittlesey, former city councilman and mayor Steve Cottrell, businessman Bob Buhlis, retired Nevada County general services director Dennis Cassella, John Christensen, leader of community efforts to establish the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum; cartoonist R.L. “Crabman” Crabb, business owners Lee and Susan Thurston, Nevada City public works director Verne Taylor, historian Edwin Tyson, the late folksinger/activist U. Utah Phillips, city engineer Bill Falconi, Marching Presidents organizer Patti Foster and retired school administrator Karen Chizek. Marching Presidents founder David Parker was presented the award in 2007 to mark the group’s 20th anniversary.

The Marching Presidents is a fun-loving and educational group that portrays all 44 U.S. Presidents with reverence, good humor and varying degrees of historical accuracy. For reliable information on U.S. Presidents, see www.americanpresident.org.

The Kings Dance Team is among the most talented, athletic and beautiful dance teams anywhere. The team is readying for the 2010/11 basketball season, which kicks off Oct. 5 with pre-season games. The Sacramento Kings regular season begins Oct. 27.

Dance Team Manager Jennifer Santich said at least six members of her squad, maybe more, will be in town for the parade. The Kings dancers have been given the No. 3 slot in the parade lineup and will dance down Broad Street to the tunes of the Ophir Prison Marching Band which will be close behind.

Santich said that following their parade appearance, the dancers would set up a table where they will meet and greet the crowd and autograph photos. The table will be set up in front of the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce office at 132 Main Street.

To learn more about the Sacramento Kings Dance Team, see www.nba.com/Kings/Dance.

The dance team was invited by the Nevada City Constitution Day Commission which is seeking to broaden the appeal of the annual parade, especially to a younger audience.

The parade through the heart of downtown Nevada City is expected to feature about 80 entries, including floats, antique autos, equestrians, clowns, politicians and perennial crowd favorites such as the Famous Marching Presidents of Nevada City.

A local tradition since 1967, the parade begins at 2 p.m. at the top of Broad Street and moves down through the historic district. It caps a weekend of special events in Nevada City.

For more information and a complete weekend schedule of events, contact the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce, 132 Main Street, Nevada City, CA 95959. Call the chamber at (530) 265-2692 or (800) 655-NJOY or see www.nevadacitychamber.com.

The five living U.S. Presidents, pictured in Nevada City last year, will return along with the 39 late U.S. Presidents to march in the 44th Annual Nevada City Constitution Day Parade.

All 44 presidents in the history of the United States, from George Washington to Barack Obama, will gather in the picturesque Sierra foothills village of Nevada City, California on Sunday, Sept. 12, to march together in the town’s 44th Annual Constitution Day Parade.

This is believed to be the singular time and place on the planet where all American Presidents gather together, partisan politics aside, to celebrate the U.S. Constitution and American way of life.

Accompanied by their First Ladies and cadres of trench-coated secret service agents, the Marching Presidents are made up of citizens from all walks of life. They have been entertaining crowds at the Nevada City parade for 23 years. It is their only annual appearance, although they have received several requests to march in other parades.

The 44th Annual Nevada City Constitution Day Parade moves a down a flag and bunting-draped Broad Street through historic downtown Nevada City at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12. The Marching Presidents are among more than 80 entries.

The Marching Presidents is a fun-loving and educational group that portrays all 44 U.S. Presidents with reverence, good humor and varying degrees of historical accuracy. To learn more about the group, see www.marchingpresidents.org. For reliable information on U.S. Presidents, see www.americanpresident.org.

The grand marshals were announced Tuesday (Aug. 24) by Nevada City Constitution Day Commission Chairman Dennis Cassella.

The Harpers have been members of the Nevada City Constitution Day Commission since it was formed in 1987 and have coordinated the annual Constitution Day Parade since 1989.  They have also conducted Nevada City’s Fourth of July parades for several years.

On Sunday, Sept. 12, as always on parade days, the longtime Nevada City couple will be at the top of Broad Street, making sure the parade runs in an orderly fashion.

They will take a few minutes off to ride down Broad Street in a horsedrawn carriage as this year’s grand marshals.  They will then resume their duties at the staging area.

After 20 years, the couple still rejoices in Nevada City’s parades.

“It’s just fun, we love it,” says George Harper.  “We know what we’re doing and they keep asking us to do it.

“Nevada City is the best little city in the world and it’s my hometown,” he said.  “We just want to do our part.”

Harper, a Nevada City native, is retired from a 30-year career with the Nevada County Dept. of Public Works.  Pat Harper retired from the Nevada County Superior Court.

George Harper is a 24-year member and past master of the Nevada City Masonic Lodge (Nevada Lodge No. 13), the group that founded and continues to sponsor the annual Constitution Day Parade.  The Harpers are also active in Evangeline Chapter No. 9, Order of the Eastern Star.

They are enthusiastic volunteers for the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce, where George volunteers every Monday morning.  Both donate blood on a regular basis and are among Nevada County’s leading blood donors.

Due to his extraordinary community acitivities, George Harper was selected in 1996 to carry the Olympic Torch as it passed through nearby Marysville.

The rural Nevada City residents have three daughters and three grandsons.

The annual Nevada City Constitution Day Parade, a local tradition since 1967, is expected to include about 80 entries this year, including at least seven marching bands.  The traditional community parade rolls down Broad Street at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12.

The Constitution Day celebration is sponsored by Nevada Lodge No. 13, F.&A.M. in Nevada City, the 49er Breakfast Rotary Club of Nevada City and the Nevada City Constitution Day Commission.

The all-volunteer Nevada City Constitution Day Commission has recognized the groups, citizens and businesses who have made financial contributions to this year’s celebration.

Commission Chairman Dennis Cassella said this year’s supporters include Nevada Lodge No. 13, F.&A.M., the 49er Breakfast Rotary Club of Nevada City, Baker/Tintle Nevada City Properties, Order of the Eastern Star, SPD Markets, Bonanza Market, The Fur Traders, Las Katarinas Mexican Restaurant, Terry Armstrong, Pine Creek Veterinary Hospital, Sierra Gold Insurance, Shaw’s Antiques, Round Table Pizza, McSweeney & Associates, Coldwell Banker Grass Roots Realty, Nevada City United Methodist Church, Conner & Conner Construction, Nevada City city engineer Bill Falconi and retired Nevada County librarian Madelyn Helling.

The 44th Annual Constitution Day Celebration includes a full weekend of fun on Sept. 11-12, culminating with the 44th Annual Constitution Day Parade at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12.

For more information and a complete weekend schedule of events, contact the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce, 132 Main Street, Nevada City, CA 95959. Call the chamber at (530) 265-2692 or see www.nevadacitychamber.com.

Nevada City’s Constitution Day Parade has been a local tradition since 1967 and is reported to be the oldest and largest Constitution observance in western America.

The 2 p.m. Sunday parade features about 100 entries and caps a number of other activities including Civil War reenactments in Pioneer Park , the Gold Country Duck Race on the rapids of Deer Creek and a free outdoor big band concert featuring the Nevada County Concert Band in the downtown historic district.

The parade through the heart of downtown Nevada City includes floats, antique autos, equestrians, politicians and perennial crowd favorites such as the Ophir Prison Marching Kazoo Band and the Famous Marching Presidents of Nevada City. At least seven marching bands will participate in this year’s event.

Nevada City is known for its classic small town spirit and unique events. With an official population of just 3,001, Nevada City swells to thousands more on Constitution Day.

Celebrants should plan to arrive about an hour before parade time to get a good vantage point along the parade route. Out-of-town visitors should book local accommodations early.

Sunday parade-goers may park for free at the Nevada County Government Center on Highway 49 and ride an event shuttle to the downtown parade. All-day fares (10am-6pm) are $3 per individual or family, and free to those in historical costume and youth 12 and under.

Weekend Events

SATURDAY, Sept. 11

Pancake Breakfast: Seaman’s Lodge, Pioneer Park, 7-10:30am, $6

Gold Country Duck Race “The KenDucky Derby”: Deer Creek, Downtown Nevada City, 11am-3pm

Civil War Reenactments: Pioneer Park, 1pm and 4pm

Nevada County Concert Band, Free Concert: Pine Street, 5:30-7pm

Classic Cars & Hot Rod Cruise-In: Broad Street, 5:30-8pm

SUNDAY, Sept. 12

Pancake Breakfast: Seaman’s Lodge, Pioneer Park 7-10:30am, $6

Civil War Reenactment: Pioneer Park, 11am

44th Annual Constitution Day Parade: Broad Street, 2pm

Nevada City is located on the forested western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains midway between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. From Sacramento, take eastbound Interstate 80 to Auburn and Highway 49 north to Nevada City. From Reno, take westbound I-80 and westbound State Route 20.

For more information and a complete weekend schedule of events, contact the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce, 132 Main Street, Nevada City, CA 95959.  Or, call the chamber at (530) 265-2692 or (800) 655-NJOY.

Elected by unanimous vote of the commission on Aug. 4, Metroka takes over leadership of the group beginning in 2011. He succeeds 20-year commission member Dennis Cassella who is stepping down as chairman following this year’s event.

Metroka and his wife Margaret reside in Nevada City and are the parents of three children. He works as court executive officer for the Superior Court of Nevada County.

He is currently president of the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation, chair of the advisory council of North Star DeMolay, a board member of the Nevada Union HS Football Boosters Club, and a member of Nevada Lodge No. 13, F.&A.M., and the 49er Rotary Breakfast Club of Nevada City.

Metroka is retired from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves where he attained the rank of colonel during a 32-year career in reserve and active duty.

This year’s Constitution Day Celebration includes a full weekend of activities on Sept. 11-12, culminating with the 44th Annual Constitution Day Parade at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12.

For more information and a complete weekend schedule of events, contact the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce, 132 Main Street, Nevada City, CA 95959, or call the chamber at (530) 265-2692 .