The Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts

There are polished dining experiences, and then there are nights that feel like a backstage pass. This particular night at Marcolino’s Italia was a little bit of both.  The room was packed; the energy was high, and somewhere between the clatter of plates and the low hum of anticipation.

If you’re familiar with Northern Nevada’s food scene, you may have seen us cooking at events, on TV, or even behind the scenes at a concert. What a lot of people don’t realize is that our story doesn’t just start in the kitchen, it starts in the music.

In this column, I’ll sit down with people leading our community in interesting and often very human ways—artists, entrepreneurs, journalists, performers, and community builders. My goal with this column is simple: to pull back the curtain a little and explore the everyday leadership lessons behind the work people are doing.

In a city that has spent the past decade growing into itself, the best success stories often start quietly. No grand opening spectacle. No loud influencers. No splashy marketing campaign. Just long hours, steady risk, and the kind of persistence that turns a job into a life.

Rock On spoke with Stephen George about the project, as well as with co-stars (and real-life married couple) Arianne Zucker and Shawn Christian, both known for many credits including their longtime roles on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives. Because it’s a thriller, the story details of An Anniversary are being kept under wraps. But there was still plenty to talk about.

Reclaiming Class in Reno: 

Marcolino’s and the Return of the Grown-Up Dining Room. When you step inside the old Rapscallion building, you feel it immediately. Memories from another era linger in the walls. A warm hush settles around the brick, the polished wood, and the fireplace that once hosted decades of celebrations. Old Reno lived here.

Drawing on his long history of personal use, master grower Ed Alexander launched SoL Cannabis in Washoe Valley with a goal of bringing eco-friendly, sustainable and farm-to-table philosophies and practices to cannabis cultivation and sales. Alexander spoke with Rock On about his business, and what sets his product apart.

The first thing you notice when you walk into The Grill is not what you see, it is what you feel. The warmth, the hum of conversation, and the aroma of shallots and roasted garlic create an instant sense of comfort. It is exactly what Brandi hopes guests experience, a place to slow down, share a meal, and feel genuinely cared for.

Launched in 1982, the Great Reno Balloon Race is a free, annual event that brings together some of the nation’s best balloon pilots, nearly 100 dazzlingly-colored balloons and tens of thousands of spectators for a three fun-filled days at Reno’s Rancho San Rafael Park. Billed as the world’s largest free hot-air ballooning event, this year’s race happens September 5-7. 

Reno’s OffBeat Music Festival celebrates its 10th year this October. With a wide array of artists gracing multiple stages in a concentrated, walkable area, the festival presents local, regional and national artists ranging from brand-new to up-and-coming to right-on-the-edge-of-breaking-big. Staged in the lively Brewery District, OffBeat presents something for most every musical taste.

Fun is the foundation of the inaugural Tahoe Wine + Feast event, a four-day extravaganza happening September 18-21. The event will showcase some of the best wines from America’s West Coast and beyond, inventive and delectable food prepared by the region’s best chefs, and a curated experience at Tahoe Blue Event Center featuring sommeliers, educators, brand experts and more.

There’s a lot of history in this Silver State of ours, though it’s not always honored the way it should be. In bigger cities, progress often means spectacle: tearing down the old to make way for the flashy and new. But along parts of Reno’s 4th Street corridor, especially in the Brewery District, the past is getting a second chance.