On a Summer day that mimicked Fall, we could not resist a road trip to Virginia City.

"The International Camel and Ostrich Races returns to the track for its 66th year of good-old fashioned Virginia City fun! Get up-close to camels, ostriches, zebras, emus, and more as professional and amateur jockeys gallop, swerve, and falter their way to the finish line. The family-favorite event features quirky races, entertainment, surprises, fan contests, food trucks serving up carnival-style treats, craft and artist vendors, a wide variety of beverages at the event bars, official Camel Races merch, and camel rides for that must-have photo-op. This Nevada tradition is one of the must-see events in the West and the shows sell out quickly. Get your tickets and guarantee your seat now!"
So why camel races?  One of Nevada’s most iconic events started because of a prank war between Virginia City’s Territorial Enterprise and the San Francisco Chronicle. In 1959, the editor of the Enterprise wrote a fake story about camels racing in Virginia City. The Chronicle didn’t realize it was a hoax and printed it. Upon discovering the prank, the Chronicle was amused (and perhaps a bit embarrassed) and challenged the Territorial Enterprise to hold a real camel race to make the story true. The race was held the following year using camels borrowed from the San Francisco Zoo. In 1962, they added ostriches.  I'm not quite sure when the zebras got involved. What an incredibly fun tradition and what a perfect day to be in Virginia City.
After a very patriotic National Anthem, they paraded the various competing animals.
Turns out ostriches are a feisty bunch and their antics were a highlight of the show.







The Zebras were a delight.



Emu wrangling was a riot.

The true stars of the show were the Camels!





This rider was from South Lake Tahoe. What fun!
The back of the employees' shirts read, "What did we just watch?" Hysterical! We all agreed that we had the best afternoon of small town fun. We're excited for next year.