Photos: Fernley Lantern Fest, Sept. 24

Joseph Maino, The Fernley Reporter

It’s much more than just lanterns. It’s an impromptu wedding proposal. It’s remembering a family member who died too young. It’s about music and family and friends.

The Fall Fernley Lantern Festival, held at the 95A Speedway, had more than 8,000 participants who enjoyed an afternoon of music and food while they decorated their lanterns. Shortly after dusk, the revelers sent aloft thousands of lanterns into the night sky.

Perhaps carried away with the lantern Fest celebrations, Bobby Ly decided to propose to his girlfriend, Sunyee Yang. Ly grabbed Yang and climbed onto the stage to propose marriage. The Lantern Fest crowd cheered with delight when Yang said “Yes.”

Live music was a big part of the event. One entertainer, Alexi Blue, is an emerging artist from Los Angeles. This was her first time in Nevada.

Blue says, “The Lantern fest was on my bucket list for a while. It’s beautiful.”

Around the world, the release of lanterns at dusk is used to request good fortune, remember a loved one or simply to celebrate life.