Three Grants, Three Ways to Shape Virginia City Together

This month, we’re pleased to share some good news for Virginia City and the broader Comstock community. The Virginia City Main Street Program has been awarded three grants through the Governor’s Office of Economic Development Nevada Main Street Program, each one focused on caring for our historic place while inviting community participation in meaningful, hands-on ways.

Together, these projects reflect a shared belief that preservation, storytelling, and
economic vitality work best when they are shaped by the people who live and work
here.

Façade Improvement Grant
The Façade Improvement Grant launches Virginia City’s first Main Street Façade
Improvement Program, offering matching grants to property owners and businesses along the Main Street corridor. The program will support historically appropriate exterior improvements—such as paint, windows, doors, signage, and architectural details—while reinforcing the long-term vitality of local businesses.

Designed to work in coordination with the Comstock Historic District Commission, this program is intended to grow over time into a sustainable, community-centered preservation tool. It focuses on visible change, shared stewardship, and reinvestment in the buildings that define Virginia City’s streetscape.

Virginia City Street Scene Grant — “Then & Now” Exhibit
The Street Scene Grant brings history directly into public space through a new “Then & Now” Street Scene Exhibit. Large, translucent panels will be installed at locations where historic photographs were originally taken, allowing past and present to align in real time.

These installations are designed to be outdoor, walkable, and accessible—placing
history back into the streets rather than behind walls. Community members will play a role in shaping image selection, locations, stories, and interpretation, turning Main Street into a living, open-air experience that highlights everyday Comstock life and shared memory.

Sazerac Lying Club Grant — Comstock Tall Tales
The Sazerac Lying Club Grant supports the launch of the Sazerac Lying Club:
Comstock Tall Tales Competition, an annual storytelling event rooted in a real Virginia City tradition. Inspired by the historic Sazerac Saloon and Nevada’s long-standing tall- tale culture, the project celebrates humor, exaggeration, and storytelling passed down across generations—without reinterpreting history.

The event will be open to locals, merchants, students, and visitors, with multiple
divisions and an emphasis on creativity, delivery, and connection to Storey County. At its heart, the project is about keeping a living tradition active, shared, and community- driven.


These three grants reflect the steady leadership of the Main Street / Chamber Board, along with the growing support of local businesses, volunteers, and partners who helped shape these projects and are prepared to support their success.

Most importantly, these projects are not meant to happen for the community—they are meant to happen with it. Residents, business owners, artists, storytellers, historians, students, and neighbors are invited to participate, contribute ideas, help guide decisions, support installations, and bring these efforts to life.

More details and opportunities to get involved will be shared in the weeks ahead.
Information will also be posted at storeycountychamberofcommerce.com, where
community members can follow progress and learn how to participate.
These grants represent more than funding—they are an invitation to shape Virginia City’s next chapter together.