Legendary R&B singer Marvin Gaye said it. So did retired Nevada boxing official and twice elected Washoe County Judge Mills Lane.

With Nevada Day finally here, it’s time to shout: Let’sGet it On.

Beginning this weekend, the Silver State celebrates and toasts its admission to the Union. The Nevada party first got its start in 1864 and has been chugging along for 147 years. While everything that goes on in Las Vegas, is supposed to stay in Las Vegas, as the saying goes, Nevadans want everyone to know that whatever goes on in Carson City during the weekend celebration, will probably wind up on video tape.

Beer poured by the kegs, chili served by the buckets and enough sausage and hamburgers to feed hungry cowboys and cowgirls from Laughlin to Gerlach, Nevada Day weekend promises to dish out plenty of Wild West revelry.

With diversity that runs north to south and all places in between, where cowboys and miners mix it up with card sharks and climbers, the Nevada statehood four-day celebration is like no other. Nevadans turn their attention to Carson City each October to celebrate life in the Silver State, with a parade that runs three hours long and stretches four miles. Eclectic activities highlight Nevada’s character and those who have brought the state to larger-than-life proportions.

Pulling out all the stops, Nevada Day organizers make sure there’s plenty to do during before, during and after the parade, including free music and arts shows, a carnival packed with thrill-seeking rides, a flap-jack pancake breakfast, walk, trot and running events, a World Championship Rock Drilling Contest, a must-see beard and whisker contest and a chili feed that would make even the most staid politician sweat. Here’s the game plan:

Friday 

• RSVP Carnival will provide carnival rides for adults and children at Mills Park in Carson City. The RSVP Carnival will open
  at 4 p.m.  Friday, Oct. 28, and noon to midnight on Oct. 29 – Oct. 30.

Saturday

• The 73rd Annual Nevada Day Parade features magnificent floats, high-stepping equestrian units, and spirited marching bands from throughout the state on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The traditional 10 a.m. flyover of F-18 Hornets, F-16 Falcon, from the Fallon Naval Air Station and C-130 Hercules from the Nevada Air Guard will kick-off the
  parade.
• 22st Annual Carson Nugget Nevada Day Classic Run/Walk will feature hundreds of runners and walkers in Carson City’s historical downtown district. The event includes an 8K run, two-mile walk and two-mile fun run.
• Got whiskers? Check out the annual Nevada Day Beard Contest at the Capital Amphitheater immediately following the parade. Winners awarded in the following categories: longest; fullest; reddest; whitest; blackest; best salt and pepper; best groomed; scruffiest; and most bearded community – which has been a Virginia City claim to fame the past six years.
• What’s a Silver State celebration without a mining and drilling competition? The 34th Annual World Championship Single Jack Drilling Contest will be at the Carson Nugget parking lot. Contestants competing for a $2,000 grand prize have 10 minutes to drill holes in Sierra White Granite using pound hammers and bits of graduated steel.
• An Old West flap-jack breakfast hosted by the Carson City Republican Women’s Club at the Governor’s Mansion. Chew the fat with those who dare say they’re politicians and those who aren’t. Proceeds benefit scholarships to Carson High School and Dayton High School students.
• RE/MAX Realty affiliates will host with the Nevada Day Balloon Launch on Carson. Starting with a mass launch, Team RE/MAX will fly its signature hot air balloon along with 15-20 other hot air balloons, to help commemorate the day in 1864 when Nevada became the 36th state in the union.
• Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki will host the 29th Annual Chili Feed at the Carson Nugget’s Banquet Center. This event is an
  opportunity to meet and mingle with state and local leaders.
• From turn of the century to present day, Nevada has a rich pugilist history. The Annual Silver State Rumble features live
  amateur boxing hosted by Bruno’s Boxing Club.
• The Nevada State Railroad Museum  is commemorating the last run of its historic McKeen Motor Car, No. 22 on the V&T line, Nevada Day, 1945. This transport will take any rider back to the days where rails ruled and the squeaky wheels were those made of steel and iron that turned on the miles of track.  The historic car resembles a yacht on tracks with round porthole windows for viewing, mahogany interior and rich elegant exterior.

 Sunday

• The Capital City Community Band will open its 33rd concert season with a free “old-fashioned band concert” at the Nevada State Railroad Museum.