Community

Freshly fallen snow will add to the holiday ambiance of events in South Lake Tahoe this weekend!

The Lake Tahoe Historical Society invites everyone to their annual Holiday in History Open House on Saturday and Sunday, December 7-8. On Saturday from 11 to 7 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm, visitors can tour the 1930s log cabin, view a Victorian holiday scene, enjoy free cider and cookies and children can even call the North Pole from a special antique phone! The event is free.

Many know Hall of Fame Steelers Quarterback Terry Bradshaw as just that, a superstar football player. Others know Bradshaw for his entertaining commentary on football games from his commentator seat. While yet another group will know him from his acting in such movies as Cannonball Run and Hooper, television shows Las Vegas and Malcolm in the Middle and from singing with his daughter, country singer Rachel Bradshaw.

The Barton Foundation has been a cornerstone for The Barton Health Group for more than 20 years by providing excellent healthcare service to customers and also have been big players during the holiday season. This year’s Barton Festival of Trees and Lights will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Barton Health and Coldwell Banker Select will be contributing to the event in a major way. The franchise will be donating a gorgeous “sports themed” Christmas tree to the event, which will be auctioned off at the black tie gala event on December 7th.

Stephen Ditchkus has been named the new General Manager of South Lake Tahoe's MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa. “Our plan is to combine the spectacular attractions of Lake Tahoe with the amenities of the property, with a focus on the gaming experience,” said Ditchkus. “It’s a great time to be back in Tahoe with the destination moving forward with all its improvements for visitors and locals, alike.”

Know where all of the decorated houses are? We want to share the spirit of the holidays with everyone else in the South Lake Tahoe community. If you see a home or business that has gone all out or are at a local holiday event, take a photo and send it to us. Or email us and we'll go out to take the shot!

Here is K-Tahoe's own Charlee Simons who found a nicely decorated house half-way up Kingsbury Grade/ Thank you for sharing this with us Charlee!

Send your photos or addresses of decorated homes to paula@southtahoenow.com.

Happy Holidays!

The 2nd Annual Santa Run will be bringing out runners in all of their holiday costume as they run from Blue Angel Cafe on Ski Run, up the hill to the end at Himmel Haus. It will be held on Sunday, December 1 at 4:30 pm.

You'll see Santas, elves, presents and whatever other costumes the runners can come up with as they run the mile long course. At the end of the run there will be door prizes, a buffet and prizes awarded to the top three finishers in costume and best costume.

A visioning round table in South Lake Tahoe will discuss the role that outdoor recreation plays in enhancing tourism and community livability in South Lake Tahoe. All residents are invited to either workshop to share their insights about parks, recreation, trails, events and programs so that recreation opportunities can improve on the South Shore.

The County of El Dorado and the Judges of the Superior Court of California, County of El Dorado, are pleased to announce that Brian Richart has accepted appointment as El Dorado County’s new Chief Probation Officer. A unique position under California law, the Chief Probation Officer is appointed by the judges of the Superior Court, with the Board of Supervisors setting the salary and benefit levels. Due to the importance of this position, the Superior Court worked collaboratively with the Sheriff’s Department and county officials to select the best possible candidate.

Thanks to a new, streamlined transfer program developed by the California Community Colleges and California State University systems, students at Lake Tahoe Community College now have access to more degrees for transfer in a wider variety of disciplines, making it easier for them to transfer to CSU schools and earn their bachelor’s degrees within two years. So far, LTCC is offering eight new transfer degrees, with another five slated to be launched in June 2014.

I was invited down to the Electric Mushroom Nightclub in Stateline to film a DJ session by Gardnerville-based dubstep/EDM collective Spyncycle featuring Reggae Ambassadors. It was a great night of DJ music with the best light show in town.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Snow on the ground, a decorated Grand Hall which is home to the 18th Annual Holiday Bazaar at Valhalla Friday through Sunday. Local artists and vendors will have a variety of hand crafted and other special items for purchase.

On Saturday and Sunday there will also be performances by the local school choirs and other musical groups, Santa will stop by to spread holiday cheer and an assortment of hot cider, hot mulled wine and holiday cookies will be available for purchase.

The Friends of the SLT Library invite you to a Story time/ Pajama Party. Christie Rassuchine (Higman) and Robyn Lindner, two authors who grew up in Tahoe, will be reading from their newest book in their Crazy Club series, The Crazy Club’s First Slumber Party, a story dealing with being away for the first time and friends who help you overcome being homesick.

Location

The City of South Lake Tahoe's vision to recreate a community that encourages revitalizing commercial and residential areas got one step closer today with the TRPA's adoption of the South Lake Tahoe Tourist Core Area Plan. The area involved is the Highway 50 corridor from Fairway Ave at Bijou, up and down Ski Run Boulevard, and up to the Stateline.

Outdated development and pollution in the core of South Lake Tahoe could be on their way out with the adoption today of the City of South Lake Tahoe Tourist Core Area Plan by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board.

In order to prepare for the 2nd Annual Light Up South Lake Tahoe on December 7, local businesses are encouraged to show their holiday spirit by decorating their storefronts with lights and other decor. The City of South Lake Tahoe is helping defray the cost of lights by offering 2 long strands for the price of 1 strand, which is just $12.

Bob and Tammy Hassett, current operators of Camp Richardson and Meeks Bay Resort have been selected to run the concession at Round Hill Pines Resort according to Cheva Heck of the U.S. Forest Service. The current lease is held by the Forvilly family and is set to expire on December 31, 2013. Frank Forvilly has operated Round Hill Pines since 1971 and just found out yesterday that they weren't awarded the new contract.

The Missoula Children's Theater visits South Lake Tahoe with a local children's production of Robinson Crusoe on Saturday, November 23. Performances are at 2 pm and 6 pm in the multi-purpose room of South Tahoe Middle School.

Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children.

Gather together and celebrate the memory of loved ones. Barton Health’s Hospice will host their annual “Light up a Life” interfaith memorial ceremony to honor those we have loved and lost. The event is free and all attendees will receive a free personalized ornament.

If you would like to honor someone during the ceremony, please contact Barton Health’s Hospice staff. Unable to attend, but would like to share your honorees? Hospice staff members will graciously read out loud any honorees’ names provided ahead of time.

Sheriff John D’Agostini is pleased to announce that the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a two year $250,000.00 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program Grant. The award from the US Department of Justice will be used to assist the Sheriff’s “Crisis Intervention Team” (CIT).

Dubbed the "All Star Panel," a group of long time local residents shared stories of a South Lake Tahoe most of us never experienced. The seven panelists have lived in Lake Tahoe a combined 600 plus years and shared some great stories with the overflowing crowd at Camp Richardson Lodge on Tuesday evening. In fact, the number of long time locals in the audience was very evident since their combined years of living in Lake Tahoe was over 1880!

Dave Wakeman, South Lake Tahoe resident since 1947

The real estate market in South Lake Tahoe continues to show strong numbers, no matter which set of figures you look at. What was especially high in October was the median price of homes sold.

Median Sales Price Continues to Rise

Listen to a holiday story. Sing along to live Christmas Carols provided by the Blue Ribbon Choir. Fun holiday crafts to make and take home with you. Free picture of children with Santa. Refreshments provided by Mont Bleu Resort.

Free event but it is requested that you bring non-perishable food items for donation to Christmas Cheer.

Humor and distinctive footwear shone through in a contest to find a spokeswoman for the Carson Valley. In September, the Carson Valley Visitors Authority announced its nationwide search for a “storyteller on horseback.” Fifteen women answered the call and in video submissions, which ranged from a poetic ode to the Carson Valley to a distinctive pair of pink stilettos, made their case to be the area’s spokeswoman.

South Lake Tahoe Councilwoman Angela Swanson has declared her candidacy for El Dorado County Supervisor District 5. "There is no better time to jump in," said Swanson of her announcement. "I am in the final year of my council term and will leave office having accomplished many of my goals and with an in-depth knowledge of the key issues affecting the district." Swanson cites economic redevelopment, smart growth and community investment as her top priorities along with building cohesiveness within the newly expanded district.

Called one of America's favorite Christmas stories, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a funny, memorable, and outrageous family play. In this Christmas tale, Mrs. Bradley, struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant, is faced with casting the Herdman kids- probably the most inventively awful kids in history. You won't believe the mayhem- and the fun- when the Herdmans collide with the Christmas story head on! A cast of over 20 local kids ages 7 to 13 help bring the show to life.