This November and December “The Christmas Card,” the Hallmark Channel’s highest-rated original film of all time, will be aired on the following dates (Pacific Time):

*** be sure to check your local cable guide for the exact times***

Remaining 2011 Showtimes:
• December 24, 10:00am
• December 24, 8:00pm

For more information visit Hallmark Channel’s Website.

Experience the magic of Nevada City first hand at Victorian Christmas. This annual, family tradition takes place in December and features holiday activities for all ages: childrens’ pony rides, carriage rides, live entertainment, savory yuletide treats and libations, and of course, Father Christmas! The event is held in December, three Wednesday nights, and two Sunday afternoons. There is no admission charge.

Visitors can explore the magic of Victorian Christmas and walk the streets of Nevada City in a journey of self selected discovery. Or with a quick click of your mouse you can fly to Grass Valley or Truckee to explore everything Nevada County has to offer. To explore our virtual world go to http://www.nevadacitychamber.com/

Considered the largest film festival of its kind, this year’s films combine stellar filmmaking, beautiful cinematography and first-rate storytelling to inform, inspire and ignite solutions and possibilities.  Festival-goers can expect to see award-winning films about nature, community activism, adventure, conservation, water, energy and climate change, wildlife, environmental justice, agriculture, Native American and indigenous cultures.  In total, Wild & Scenic will show 110 films, 62 of which are premieres, in 7 locations in downtown Nevada City and host over 100 filmmakers and activists.

This year’s selections will not only take audiences to some of the most remote and beautiful places on the planet, but introduce them to the magnificent animals that inhabit these places and the courageous individuals who are working to protect and preserve both for future generations.

This year’s special guests include Yvon Chouinard – the famed rock climber, environmentalist, and founder of the outdoor apparel and equipment company Patagonia .  Patagonia, has been a long time supporter of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival and it’s touring festival and we are extremely excited to share the Wild & Scenic home festival with Chouinard as this is his first time attending.  Chouinard will be at the festival supporting the film 180° South: Conquerors of the Useless.  Directed by Chris Malloy, 180° South: Conquerors of the Useless follows writer and photographer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia. Along the way he gets shipwrecked off Easter Island, surfs the longest wave of his life – and prepares himself for a rare ascent of Cerro Corcovado. Jeff’s life turns when he meets up in a rainy hut with Chouinard and Tompkins who, once driven purely by a love of climbing and surfing, now value above all the experience of raw nature – and have come to Patagonia to protect it.  The film strikes so deeply into the heart of Patagonia’s wilderness we come to feel at home there.

Other special guests includes Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Gary Snyder.  Frequently described as the “poet laureate of Deep Ecology”, Snyder is a founding intellect, essayist and leader of the new environmental awareness that supports legislation and preservation without losing sight of direct wild experience – local people, animals, plants, watersheds and food sources.  Practice of the Wild, a film about Snyder that features vintage footage and a current and in depth conversation between he and fellow poet and novelist Jim Harrison, will be one of this year’s festival features.  Following the film, Snyder along with Randy Hayes, founder of the Rainforest Action Network, will lead a conversation on environmental activism and take questions from the audience.

Also attending this year is filmmakers, professional kayakers, and National Geographic Young Explorer grantees Andy Maser and Trip Jennings who will premiere their film Spoil and Maser will also share The Greatest Migration.  Returning to the film festival is award-winning journalist, author, filmmaker and National Geographic adventurer Jon Bowermaster and Global Exchange and the Green Festival’s co-founder Kevin Danaher.

Festival-goers can also enjoy children’s Saturday morning cartoons, art shows, wine strolls, VIP parties, live music and more at this year’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival.

For tickets and more information go to www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org

“The Christmas Card”; filmed in Nevada City, tells the story of a soldier, Cody Cullen, with no family who, while serving in Afghanistan, receives an anonymous holiday card that touches him deeply. While on leave back home, he travels to Nevada City, California, the picturesque town from which the card was sent. Once there, Cody meets and falls in love with beautiful Faith Spelman, who sent the card, and quickly becomes a cherished member of the Spelman family. Yet romance for Cody and Faith seems out of the question, because she has a boyfriend and is about to become engaged.

Screenwriter Joany Kane had never even heard of Nevada City when she wrote the screenplay for “The Christmas Card.” The story was originally set in a mill town in Vermont. Budget constraints led the production team to look for sites in California, and one of the producers, Lincoln Lageson, suggested Nevada City. He was familiar with the town because his parents grew up in Nevada City. Alice Evans (who portrayed Faith in the movie) talks about Nevada City:

Faith Spelman (Alice Evans) and Cody Cullen (John Newton) seem to be hitting it off as they work at her father’s Christmas tree stand. Unbeknownst to her, he is the recipient of a Christmas card she sent to “a member of the U.S. Army.”

“But there is one that looks even better; so perfectly preserved and warm and welcoming that you have to pinch yourself the first time you take that walk up the hill towards the church, just to make sure it’s real.

“Well, this town turned out not only to be the perfect town, but to have the perfect inhabitants, who were delighted not only to welcome “The Christmas Card” to their town, but also to loan out their diner, hotel, church and of course their people, who served as the most brilliant supporting artists all through the film.”

“It was a match made in heaven,” Kane said. “The city really is a character in the movie.”

This December “The Christmas Card,” the Hallmark Channel’s highest-rated original film of all time, will be aired on the following dates (Pacific Time):

*** be sure to check your local cable guide for the exact times***

December 10th at 6 p.m.,
December 11th at 10 a.m.
December 25 at 8 p.m.
December 26th at 10 a.m.
December 31st at 4 p.m. and 12 a.m.

For more information visit Hallmark Channel’s Website.

Experience the magic of Nevada City first hand at Victorian Christmas. This annual, family tradition takes place in December and features holiday activities for all ages: childrens’ pony rides, carriage rides, live entertainment, savory yuletide treats and libations, and of course, Father Christmas! This year the event will be held Wednesday nights, Dec. 1, 8, and 15, from 5-9 p.m., and on two Sunday afternoons, Dec. 12 and Dec. 19, from 1:30-6 p.m. There is no admission charge.

Lodging: Overnight visitors are encouraged to book local accommodations early. A dozen historic and charming bed & breakfast inns and several comfortable hotels and motels are located within walking distance of downtown Nevada City, or a short drive from nearby Grass Valley.

For more information contact the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce at (530) 265-2692 or toll-free (800) 655-NJOY, online at http://www.nevadacitychamber.com.

“The Christmas Card,” filmed in Nevada City, stars Asner, John Newton, Alice Evans, Peter Jason and Lois Nettleton. It tells the story of a soldier (Newton) with no family who, while serving in Afghanistan, receives an anonymous holiday card that touches him deeply. Upon returning to the United States, he seeks out the person who sent him the card (Evans), only to fall in love with her and be accepted by her family, including her former-soldier father Luke (Asner). more info

2010 Showtimes on the Hallmark Channel:

This December “The Christmas Card” will be aired on the Hallmark Channel on the following dates:

*** be sure to check your local cable guide for the exact times ***

December 10th at 6 p.m.,
December 11th at 10 a.m.
December 25 at 8 p.m.
December 26th at 10 a.m.
December 31st at 4 p.m. and 12 a.m.

Wilfried Wietstock, Professional Photographer • wilfriedwietstockphotographer@wildblue.net

Nevada City’s 95959google event on March 14th was a huge success. Over 200 locals participated in an effort to convince Google that Nevada City would be the best candidate for its Fiber for Communities project. If selected, the test city will receive super high speed Internet access in exchange for helping Google test its technology.

This Googlebits for 95959 video explains why Nevada City is the best candidate for the high speed Internet project:

Watch it here:  http://video.foxnews.com/12604585/holiday-boost