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The Nevada City Carriage Company makes its way down Broad Street during September's Constitution Day parade.
The Nevada City Carriage Company will stop providing horse-drawn carriage rides in the historic downtown at the end of the month, ending a tradition that has lasted nearly three decades, its head said Monday.
Except for the occasional wedding or funeral, the company will offer its last ride in the downtown on New Year's Eve, chief executive and president Dave Vertin told The Union. The downtown carriage tours, costing $40, have helped create the city's ambiance and have been a fixture during the annual Victorian Christmas celebration.
"I've been shoveling manure for 53 years," joked Vertin, referring to his career with horses, including the horse-drawn carriages as well as horses that pull logs that are cut in the forest. "You need to change and do something different."
Many people were saddened to hear that Vertin was ending the rides.
"It's a tragedy for our town and its historical value," said Joan Saksa, bartender at the National Hotel, where the carriages often were parked out in front. "We will miss Dave. I hope somebody will step up and carry on the tradition."
Except for the occasional wedding or funeral, the company will offer its last ride in the downtown on New Year's Eve, chief executive and president Dave Vertin told The Union. The downtown carriage tours, costing $40, have helped create the city's ambiance and have been a fixture during the annual Victorian Christmas celebration.
"I've been shoveling manure for 53 years," joked Vertin, referring to his career with horses, including the horse-drawn carriages as well as horses that pull logs that are cut in the forest. "You need to change and do something different."
Many people were saddened to hear that Vertin was ending the rides.
"It's a tragedy for our town and its historical value," said Joan Saksa, bartender at the National Hotel, where the carriages often were parked out in front. "We will miss Dave. I hope somebody will step up and carry on the tradition."
Rather than being a highly profitable business, Nevada City Carriage was more of an "art project," Vertin said. He called it a "break even" enterprise.
Vertin also blamed some City Council members, city administrators and residents for not being supportive enough through the years.
He cited instances when people complained about horse manure in the streets and recalled one instance where a local lawyer stood up at a City Council meeting and claimed Vertin was "no different than Microsoft" when another horse-drawn carriage company wanted to come to the city.
For the record, Vertin said he bagged his horses' manure, and he welcomed any competition. He found the comparison to Microsoft preposterous.
"We took a lot of c*** from politicians and city managers" at times, he said.
Vertin also blamed some City Council members, city administrators and residents for not being supportive enough through the years.
He cited instances when people complained about horse manure in the streets and recalled one instance where a local lawyer stood up at a City Council meeting and claimed Vertin was "no different than Microsoft" when another horse-drawn carriage company wanted to come to the city.
For the record, Vertin said he bagged his horses' manure, and he welcomed any competition. He found the comparison to Microsoft preposterous.
"We took a lot of c*** from politicians and city managers" at times, he said.
Vertin, 59, also cited rising business costs, such as workers' compensation insurance.
He said he tried to sell the horse-drawn carriage business for $100,000 throughout last year, but no buyers surfaced.
"I guess the population doesn't want to shovel manure," Vertin said. He called the business "a huge amount of work," citing long hours during Victorian Christmas.
The operation, started in 1979, grew to 20 horses and four carriages. The handful of horses that drew carriages in Nevada City were kept at a barn on Uren Street, he said. The rest were kept northeast of Nevada City.
"After awhile, the Louvre gets tired of holding up the Mona Lisa," Vertin said, returning again to the art metaphor for his business.
He said he tried to sell the horse-drawn carriage business for $100,000 throughout last year, but no buyers surfaced.
"I guess the population doesn't want to shovel manure," Vertin said. He called the business "a huge amount of work," citing long hours during Victorian Christmas.
The operation, started in 1979, grew to 20 horses and four carriages. The handful of horses that drew carriages in Nevada City were kept at a barn on Uren Street, he said. The rest were kept northeast of Nevada City.
"After awhile, the Louvre gets tired of holding up the Mona Lisa," Vertin said, returning again to the art metaphor for his business.
Nevada City Carriage's Web site proudly states its mission: "Take a romantic ride into history and see Nevada City by Horse Drawn Carriage."
It adds: "Our exquisite white or royal blue wedding carriages are drawn by our grand Percheron draft horses and driven by coachmen with top hat and tails."
Nevada City Carriage is part of Cedar Creek Horse Logging and Milling Inc., a logging business that Vertin heads and said he will close at the end of the month. He said he is the major stockholder.
He'll sell about 10 of the horses and keep the rest for logging on his 60-acre farm.
The horses were used to haul the logs, once a common practice. "Cedar Creek Horse Logging practices environmentally sensitive logging," the site reads.
It adds: "Our exquisite white or royal blue wedding carriages are drawn by our grand Percheron draft horses and driven by coachmen with top hat and tails."
Nevada City Carriage is part of Cedar Creek Horse Logging and Milling Inc., a logging business that Vertin heads and said he will close at the end of the month. He said he is the major stockholder.
He'll sell about 10 of the horses and keep the rest for logging on his 60-acre farm.
The horses were used to haul the logs, once a common practice. "Cedar Creek Horse Logging practices environmentally sensitive logging," the site reads.
