Dayton History Comes Alive for Students on Old Town Tour

One of my favorite times of the year is the Spring season, when Dayton Elementary Schools' Fourth Graders learn Nevada history firsthand by participating in a walking tour around Old Town and inside many of our historic buildings. They also get to learn how the local criminal justice system maintains law and order in their community. 

According to Vicki Kinney, the main organizer of the program, the 2026 fourth grade tour went well with the three elementary schools – Dayton, Sutro and Riverview – with around 180 students learning about the golden history of their hometown.

"All the classes were well behaved, attentive, and interested," Kinney said. "The tours were one school per day, three days in all. The students were accompanied by their teacher and a few parents. The time of the tours were limited so the number of stops were also shorter than in the past ... We have great volunteers that make our school tours [successful]."

Tour guides included Mel and Dave Cooper, Margy Sidener, Jim Wetzel, Jim Davis, and Vicky Kinney; plus volunteers Dave Schmidt at the Firehouse/Jail, Carol Wiseman at the Camel Barn, and Judge Camille Vecchiarelli at the Justice Court; along with Larry Tuttle, Julie Workman, Becca Krach, Katrina Hedlesky, and Cheri McEntee at the Museum. Glenn Sidener helped with the sound system and setup at the community center. Lucky me, I enjoyed participating in the activities and sharing details about our community center as part of Old Dayton history. This is where I attended old Dayton High School and graduated in 1955.

Thanks to Dayton Justice Court Justice of the Peace Camille Vecchiarelli, each fourth grade class learned about what happens in the courtroom. They experienced a real life case when Judge Camille established the fact that a crime had been committed.

Believe it or not, one of the students has “stolen cookies” and the judge is bound to find the guilty person.

But before the trial began, the judge appointed a staff from the students who needed to create a fair trial for the cookie thief being charged. Students were assigned roles – bailiff to keep the peace, attorneys for the accused thief and the victim, court reporters to document the testimonies, and the all-important jury.

At last, the trial ended and the thief was sentenced. This was an amazing experience for students and the teachers who accompanied them on the town tour and in the courtroom – they enjoyed the lessons their students received that morning. 

Additional highlights of the students’ lessons that day was a scavenger hunt at the Dayton Museum, a tour of the former St. Ann's Church site and building on Pike Street (soon to be a museum). The 1875 firehouse and jail always fascinates students; Curator Dave Schmidt provided an intriguing history lesson, plus the old jail cells still contain heavy metal bars they could touch and slide inside too! The  students were also excited to see Granny, the Central Lyon County 1935 fire engine that is at home in the historical fire station.

Thanks to Judge Vecchiarelli, Historical Society of Dayton Valley’s Nevada history tour organizer Vicki Kinney, local town volunteers as well as the local schoolteachers and principals, the students learned history about their hometown in a fun and memorable manner.