Community

The Leadership Lake Tahoe class of 2014 graduated from the ten-month program produced by TahoeChamber this week. On June 12, 2014, twenty-two participants, as well as family and friends, celebrated at Aston Lakeland Village with a commencement ceremony and reception to honor the hard work and dedication these individuals displayed throughout the year. Members of the Leadership Lake Tahoe Task Force, Leadership Alumni and TahoeChamber board members congratulated the class on its diligent efforts, as well as its success at the Leadership Lake Tahoe Summit “Elevate Your View” this past March.

The Theatre Arts Department at Lake Tahoe Community College is presenting the classic Broadway musical Man of La Mancha in the Duke Theatre from June 13 through June 22. This Tony Award-winning musical, directed by Susan Boulanger, with musical direction by Mark D. Williams and choreography by Angela Smith, is presented as part of the celebration marking the 40th anniversary of LTCC.

The 2014 Valhalla Art, Music and Theatre Festival begins On Wednesday, June 25th with a concert featuring award winning songwriter and guitar player Ray Bonneville with very special guest Lance Canales and the Flood opening the show.

Lovers of all genres of music will appreciate these renowned American Roots and Blues artists. The Boathouse Theatre’s rear doors will be open to the lake view for this special evening! Advance tickets are $20 and $22 at the door. Information and tickets are on line at www.valhallatahoe.com or by calling 530-541-4975.

Artemis Mediterranean Grill has expanded its business to include a second restaurant, Artemis Lakefront Café, in the Ski Run Marina. Owners Angela and Brian Luke will celebrate the opening of this new location with a grand opening party and ribbon cutting officiated by TahoeChamber on June 17.

The Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe would like to thank the One Medical Group for donating 15 bikes to the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe. We were lucky enough to receive 8 girls’ bikes and 7 boys’ single speed Huggy bikes with matching helmets.

We plan to utilize these during our summer program to teach the members bike safety and how to properly ride a bike as well as integrating them into our programs.

The Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation honored the seven school district employees who are retiring this year during a reception held at the school district board meeting Tuesday night.

Three were in attendance and they received an award and gift certificate to Sprouts: Steve Simmons, teacher at Mt. Tallac and employee for 25 years; Bonnie Oliver, preschool aide at Al Tahoe and employee for 16 years; and Judy Ward, bus driver for 9 years.

Thomas "Chad" Houck was named the new Principal of South Tahoe High School during Tuesday's School Board meeting.

Houck, his wife Kelly and their four children will be relocating to South Lake Tahoe during the summer (he starts his home search on Wednesday with Realtor Adele Lucas). His first day on the job will be August 1st.

Author Mary Jo Sonntag will share "Write, If You Live to Get There Tracing Westward Expansion Through 120 Years of Family Letters" which tells the story of the Phillips family’s westward migration from Vermont to northern California told through a collection of letters that paint a rich and detailed portrait of American life in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

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Join the Crazy Club authors Christie Higman Rassuchine and Robyn Lindner,  two gals who grew up in Tahoe and wrote books based on their own Crazy Club in elementary school, for a morning of fun at the library on August 2nd at 10:30 p.m.

They will read a portion of their newest book, Larry’s Lucky Charm. Many of The Crazy Club members are looking forward to showing off their talent, but will stage fright get the best of Larry Lightyear?

Location

The fourth session of the City of South Lake Tahoe’s Citizens Academy graduated during Tuesday’s city council meeting.

The Spring 2014 academy was held from April 9-May 21, 2014 and consisted of 13 attendees including: Douglas Bolton, Tom Burkart, Ian Caruth, Tobias Devor, Janill Gilbert, Misty Johansen, Jen Menzel, Jo Mutz, Lannette Rangel, Jonathan Schank, Leslie Schultz, Brandon Swartz, and Judy Weber.

This year, Lake Tahoe Community College is marking 40 years of providing excellence in education to the Tahoe Basin. As the college prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary with a gala this weekend, we wanted to take a moment to express our deepest thanks to our community—for its support, energy, time, donations and commitment to helping us provide access to quality college education for all members of our community.

Thanks to Tahoe Maritime Museum and a generous grant from the Lana Vento Charitable Trust, there is an exciting opportunity at the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe this summer. During the first weeks of summer a selected group of teen members will work together with Tahoe Maritime Museum volunteers to build Kaholo Stand Up Paddleboards from Chesapeake Light Craft.

The Board of Directors of California’s South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce and myself want to thank South Shore residents for voting in the June 3rd primary. Voting is the opportunity for government to be brought into alignment with the wishes of its citizens. Voting is that precious American right to elect candidates to public office who will govern and shape the future of the community.

Artist Avery Palmer will be at Lake Tahoe Community College on Friday, June 20 in the school's room F101. Palmer will present a lecture on his artwork, including a slide show, as well as participate in a demonstration and discussion of his ceramic techniques.

The school's Art Club is hosting the free event which is open to the public.

Palmer is an emerging artist from San Jose, CA. who specializes in drawing and painting as well as ceramics.

You may have seen the trucks full of carnival games, rides and food arrive in South Lake Tahoe this week. Over the last several days, the parking lot at MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa has been transformed into a young person's paradise.

The carnival will be in town June 5 through June 8.

Unlimited ride daily wristbands are available for $25 per person.

Opening night on June 5 will be Buddy night where two-for-one wristbands are available.

Hours of operations
Thursday, June 5 - 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday June 6/7 - Noon to Midnight
Sunday June 8 - Noon to 6 p.m.

Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe has announced their 2014 contest to find the artwork for their 2014 wine tasting poster.

They are accepting all original artwork or photography that is 11" x 17" and fits the theme "Tahoe and Wine Tasting." The winning artist will win $500 as well as the recognition that comes with it.

Drop off submissions to Re/Max Realty Today at 2568 Lake Tahoe Blvd or email a high resolution photo to sisltwinetickets@gmail.com.

The winning artwork will be the poster of the 2014 Wine Tasting Event and will be used on all tickets and promotions.

The Draft Tahoe Valley Area Plan and accompanying documents were released Wednesday, paving the way for finalization after agency and public review and upcoming comment periods. After community meetings and months of review and planning, the "Town Center" concept has been adopted along with "Greenbelt" portions.

The plan reflects the City of South Lake Tahoe's effort to rekindle the economic vitality and spirit of the Tahoe Valley Community. The plan outlines the community's strategy for resurrection.

Updated at 12:05 a.m. Wednesday morning: 100% of the precinct's results are in.

County Supervisor District 5
The top 2 will face off in November.

Kevin Brown – 788 votes, 19.06%
Kenny Curtzwiler – 731, 17.68%
Gerri Grego – 499, 12.07%
Sue Novasel – 1135, 27.46%
Teresa Piper – 235, 5.68%
Angela Swanson – 737, 17.83%

Measure P

Yes - 1271, 68.41%
No – 587, 31.59%

Measure L
Yes - 2552, 78.52%
No – 698, 21.48%

Protecting the environment is all about commitment and followup. In November 2013 I was part of the first Bonsai Rock graffiti removal project; now I'm back with Dylan Eichenberg, Martin Gollery, and People-of-Tahoe to check out the progress of the cleanup of this famous beach and finish removing some of the graffiti we couldn't get to the first time.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) announced the launch of a new online tree removal permit application and credit card payment system that can be accessed through their website at trpa.org.

“The new online service is more customer friendly and is in line with the Agency’s core values of improving operational efficiency while providing a high-level of customer service,” said TRPA Executive Director, Joanne S. Marchetta.

There are several choices for South Lake Tahoe voters in Tuesday's primary election.

Local Issues and Offices
El Dorado County Supervisor: Kevin Brown, Kenny Curtzwiler, Gerri Grego, Sue Novasel, Teresa Piper, Angela Swanson

Assessor - Karl Weiland

Auditor/Controller - Michael Owens, Joe Horn

District Attorney - Judson Henry, Vern Pierson

Recorder Clerk/Registrar of Voters - Chris Amaral, Bill Schultz

Sheriff - John D'Agostini

Surveyor - Rich Briner

Treasurer/Tax Collector - Ron Briggs, C.L. Raffety

Measure L is the Library Special Tax on the ballot this year. Twenty years ago the South Lake Tahoe voters passed a library tax where those who owned parcels in the area would be charged $20/parcel per year for the next 20 years to fund the library.

Well, that time period is up so the tax is on the ballot once again. This is not a new tax, just a request for taxpayers to continue paying the same.

The U.S. Forest Service has released details of the final BMP project for the Tallac Historic Site. The project will reconfigure the three entrances to the site in order to reduce confusion of travelers and create a more efficient use of paved surfaces. There will also be an internal road created to serve as a connector between Tallac, Kiva and the Visitor Center so vehicles will not have to exit to Hwy 89 to move about.

This project was first proposed in January of 2011. Work may begin in Spring of 2015 and is expected to take 10 years to complete.

Be transformed back to the 14th century this weekend in South Lake Tahoe as the 22nd Renaissance Faire makes Camp Richardson their home for two weekends.

Have you ever seen lance splitting jousting? Shot a quiver of arrows? Seen sword fighting? If you head over to the faire you'll see all that, and more, including a thousand actors dressed in period clothing walking around, taking to the stage or singing and juggling.

If you've never been, this is a fun and "must do" event on the south shore. It runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Sundays.