Second Annual BMWCCA Sierra Chapter Family Picnic!
NOTE: Club Events are for Sierra Chapter Members Only
An electronic invitation will be sent out to all chapter members for all events,
PLEASE RSVP by accepting the invitation or email us
WHEN: Sunday, July 12th, 2015, the fun begins at 11:00 am (we have park until 9:00 pm), Bowers Mansion, Washoe Pagoda (shaded)
Please join the Sierra Chapter for a fun filled afternoon in the company of other BMW fans in a beautiful, historic park with plenty of lawn space. A gorgeous drive South of town with tours available through the historic Bowers Mansion (small fee), and a public pool (fee required).
There will be games for both children & adults alike.
Food (burgers, hot dogs, buns, and water) provided. Please bring your choice of beverage in a cooler (as no refrigeration provided), and a dish to share. Once you accept an e-vite will be sent to sign up for the dish.
BYOB Alcoholic beverages are welcome, but please be responsible.
GAMES: Horse shoes, 3- legged races, Assassin, and more!
Bowers Mansion Park is on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. Expansive sunny lawn areas and lots of tall shade trees make this a perfect spot for picnics. We have reserved the Washoe Pagoda.
The pool will be open from noon to 5:00 pm for public swim, (weather permitting). For more information about the pool, swimming lessons or renting the pool for an event, please call 849-0644
The recently restored Bowers Mansion is located in the center of the park and offers a rare glimpse into Nevadan life of the 1860’s. L.S. “Sandy” Bowers and his psychic wife, Eilley Oram, earned a fortune in their silver mine near Gold Hill, Nevada. They were Nevada’s first Comstock Lode millionaires. With their wealth they built a mansion in 1864 and then traveled the world to furnish it. It is now one of the most impressive restored homes in Nevada. Tours are available on weekends during the summer. Adults: $8/person and Child & Seniors $5/person.
The Visitors Center is located directly behind the Mansion. The mansion is open for guided tours. Call (775) 849-0201 to schedule a tour.
Park Ranger: (775) 849-1825
I WANT TO GO! Club Members can accept the emailed invitation as we will be sending the an “E-VITE” with all the picnic details to those that will be attending! Or email us
For additional information, please contact Pat McGoff or Sharon Andrade Goodrich
About Bowers Mansion
The Bowers Mansion was built in 1863 by Lemuel “Sandy” Bowers and his wife, Eilley, and is the finest example of the homes built in Nevada by the new millionaires of the Comstock mining boom. The land originally was purchased in 1856 by Eilley and her first husband Alex Cowan, who returned to Utah a year later with other Mormon settlers. Eilley secured a divorce and moved to Gold Canyon where she ran a boarding house and later acquired the mining claim which, together with that belonging to her second husband Sandy, became the source of their fortune. The mansion was the fulfillment of Eilley’s dreams of prestige and respectability. The mansion, designed by J. Neeley Johnson, a builder and ex-governor of California, combined Georgian and Italianate architectural styles. It was modeled after a design conceived by Eilley based on her recollection of elegant buildings in her native Scotland. Indeed, the Bowers employed stonecutters from Scotland for the construction of their new home, which eventually cost $400,000 to build, an exorbitant sum in the 1860s. Eilley and Sandy toured Europe from 1861 to 1863, purchasing furniture, statuary, painting and other adornments for their home.
Following the death of Sandy Bowers in 1868, Eilley fell on hard financial times and finally lost her precious home to foreclosure. The mansion was abandoned by the time Henry Riter acquired it and operated it as a resort until 1946. The building is currently owned and operated by the Washoe County Parks Department. Some 500 Nevada families have donated period furniture housed in the mansion. The park blends the historical site with recreational facilities such as a spring-fed swimming pool, picnic areas, and a playground. Tours of the mansion are given in summer and autumn.
Information about Bowers Mansion was taken from http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/nevada/bow.htm
