May is a shoulder month between seasons. A time of year you can pretty much do anything. The mountain biking season is rolling along in the lower elevations while the mountains of the Sierra provide skiers and snowboarders one last hurrah via some of the best spring skiing on the planet. It’s even a great time to go birdwatching. The question isn’t should you go but how soon can you go. To help coax you on planning your next getaway, here’s some of the things to do in May in Nevada County this year.
Celtic Festival
May 3rd – 5th
Another decades old tradition featuring world‑class musicians, jams, dance, pageantry, living history, falconry, athletics, storytelling, and shopping. It includes eleven performance areas – five musical and six demonstration stages. For this year, it will be a smaller-scale Celtic production but just as fun. As they say, “Come for the music ~ stay for the Magic.”
Hoot/Pioneer/Dascombe MTB Race
May 4th & 5th
For those who love to ride bikes, the 6th annual California Dirt MTB series hosted by Youth Bicyclists of Nevada County kicks off on the 1st weekend in May. Day one starts at the Gold Country Equestrian trailhead with a 1.7 mile XC course. The route is a fast and fun rolling single track spiced up with a few climbs as well as bridges and water crossings. On Sunday, it’s a 5.6 mile showcase of the Parliament trail system. A true masterpiece of trail engineering. Expect twisty banked g-outs, tabletop kickers, and such perfect flow it’s unreal.
The Cushing Crossing
May 4th
This isn’t just another pond skim, but a time-honored tradition that other ski areas attempt to imitate but never duplicate. From Tahoe’s own iconic showgirl Debbie Dutton as the event’s “Vanna White” to the flippers, skippers, and snowboarders that spray the celebrity judges, there is no other way to finish off a season. It’s something that you must see in person.
Grass Valley Old West Show
May 10th & 11th
Have you ever seen Antiques Roadshow? This is your chance to see museum quality pieces from the Old West Era at one of the finest shows of its kind, the Grass Valley Old West Show at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. Look in awe at Tiffany Lamps. Find rare silver, coins, and folk art to purchase. Rare books and political signs. Advertisements from the Central Pacific Railroad and books about Buffalo Bill Cody. So much and more that it’s impossible to list everything.
Penn Valley Rodeo
May 17th & 18th
Dust off your hat and grab your boots for the 65th Annual Penn Valley Rodeo. Hosted by Penn Valley Community Rodeo Association (PVCRA), across the weekend as many as 5,000 rodeo enthusiasts descend upon the fairgrounds. The event features a vast set of disciplines including saddle bronc riding, bare back riding, bull dogging, team roping, barrel racing, and the highlight of any rodeo – bull riding. Whatever you do, don’t miss the next generation of cowboys and cowgirls when they do some mutton bustin’ and calf scramble each night.
