holiday season

The Tahoe Chamber’s GO Local & Win Holiday Contest rewarded residents for spending locally during the holiday season in a time when small businesses needed it most. Kicking off in late November for Small Business Saturday, the holiday contest recorded $39,134 in spending at local restaurants and retailers through January 1st, a 291 percent increase from the 2019 contest.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After a few days of being above the benchmark of 15 percent, hospitals in the Sacramento Region have fallen below that number of available ICU beds. South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County are part of the Sacramento Region which fell under Governor Newsom's Stay-at-Home Order on December 10, 2020.

As of December 31, the Sacramento Region ICU availability was 14.4 percent.

STATELINE, Nev. - Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District (TDFPD) and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) took the first step in rolling out their campaign aimed at keeping drunk drivers off the roads by providing server intervention training to employees at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Lucky Beaver, Dotty’s, and Lake Tahoe AleWorX.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Paying it forward has spread quickly through the South Lake Tahoe community this holiday season, and now the City is joining in to help those in need while at the same time helping out small locally-owned restaurants.

The “Pay It Forward” initiative involves community members and organizations contributing money to open tabs at local restaurants. It’s a program that helps those in need and helps support the restaurants when they need it the most.

As you deck the halls this holiday season, be fire smart. A small fire that spreads to a Christmas tree can grow large very quickly. Many of the Christmas Trees in homes have now been there for a week or two, and precautions can be taken to prevent a fire that would ruin the holidays.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The local group tasked with improving and promoting tourism, the South Lake Tahoe Tourism Improvement District (SLTTID), is donating $10,000 to an Essential Food Bag Program for South Shore locals in need during these challenging times.

This follows their program this spring where $10,000 was donated to help support community members, especially those in the tourism industry and families of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District. People who were impacted with the stay-at-home order shutdowns received approximately 500 grocery bags.

As we prepare to say goodbye (and maybe even good riddance) to 2020, the end of the year brings several holidays. Whether celebrating Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Boxing Day, Kwanza, and of course, New Year’s Eve, remember that indoor holiday gatherings with others not in your immediate household can put you, your community, and those you care about at risk. As challenging as it is, staying home for the holidays is your best way to protect yourself and loved ones, and help slow the spread of COVID-19 in a time when healthcare and essential workers critically need that support.

We cannot turn on the news, surf the web or walk down the street without constant reminders that we, along with the rest of the world, are battling a virus that has already taken a huge toll on our lives. No one has been immune to the impacts of this virus.

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. - Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, in partnership with Great Lakes Theater and Idaho Shakespeare Festival, will present The Snow Must Go On – A Virtual Holiday Cabaret Fundraiser on Sunday, December 20, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. A merry ensemble of artists will share festive songs and stories that will bring comfort and joy straight to patron’s homes this holiday season.

Blue Water Day Spa is located at 4118 Lake Tahoe Boulevard, Suite 6, South Lake Tahoe. Their highly educated, professional staff are some of the best Massage Therapists and Estheticians in the Tahoe Basin. Every custom crafted treatment works to restore, replenish, and relax aching muscles, heal acne and address those skin care concerns that come with aging.

Treat your loved one to a spa gift certificate this holiday season!

Visit www.bluewaterdayspatahoe.com for more information.

Ring in the holiday season with the Meyers Community Foundation and enjoy their virtual tree lighting celebration on Friday, December 4 at 6:00 p.m.

To comply with COVID-19 safety precautions they moved the annual tradition to Facebook. It can be watched live here - www.facebook.com/MeyersCommunity/live.

The Virtual Meyers Community Tree Lighting Celebration will feature comedian and radio show host Howie Nave doing the annual countdown to light the very special tree. Lake Valley Fire District will join in and illuminate the holiday spirit.

Farwell 2020! We will always remember this year, but for most of us, we are also ready to kiss it goodbye with a swift kick to the curb. Our community, like all communities has been hard hit with lost income, closed businesses, stay at home orders, COVID and virtually learning at home. We have missed socializing, travelling, entertaining and being entertained, enjoying our extended family and cannot even see a friend’s smile behind their mask. We missed so much of 2020 and it has hurt, to be honest.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) will once again roll its decorated fire engine this holiday season! They announced earlier this week the long standing tradition of the truck going through neighborhoods with Santa on board would not happen due to safety concerns of the pandemic.

SLTFR announced Thursday they wanted to clarify the statement given to South Tahoe Now.

Douglas County has recently seen an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases in an extremely short period of time. This is part of a regional and statewide trend in rapidly increasing confirmed COVID-19 infections and they are experiencing strain to their healthcare system and first responders.

The Tahoe Chamber’s annual GO Local & Win holiday contest will launch on Small Business Saturday, November 28, and continue through January 1 to reward the community with cash prizes for shopping and dining at local businesses for the holidays.

This campaign comes at a critical time for businesses facing continued restrictions, and it is essential that the community band together and spend locally to save small businesses.

Santa is going to be very busy this season in South Lake Tahoe, not only preparing his gift list for children and keeping the elves busy, but by answering each and every letter left for him in a special mail box.

2020 has been a difficult year for many, and who couldn't use some extra cheer with a letter from the jolly guy in the red suit? He will be responding to each child with a message about kindness and hope during challenging times along with a special personalized certificate of kindness!

The holidays are upon us, bringing a time to celebrate and gather. Gatherings during the upcoming holidays can be an opportunity to reconnect with family and friends, however, even small in-person gatherings are a contributor to the rise in COVID-19 cases we are seeing across the nation and in our own community. This holiday season, consider how your holiday plans can be modified to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to keep your friends, family, and community healthy and safe.

UPDATE 11/16/20: Lake Tahoe Unified School District has issued a correction to their statement from Sunday. At Sierra House Elementary no students or staff have tested positive. One family member of a student tested positive so the student is currently quarantined.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) sent out a notice to staff and families Sunday night to inform them of two new positive cases of COVID-19 in the district.

On December 23, Andy and Ellen Dauscher, and their daughters Ali and Carleigh, shared the blessings of the holiday season with the dinner guests attending Bread & Broth’s Monday Meal dinner. Thanks to their Adopt A Day of Nourishment (AAD) sponsorship, the Dauscher Family funded B&B’s meal, and as a family, volunteered at the dinner to spread the holiday spirit and share the blessing of a holiday meal.

“What a wonderful way to start Christmas week,” shared Ellen. “We love helping our community members who are hungry. Thank you, Bread & Broth for letting us join you.”

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - A Volvo SUV was stolen in Minden, Nevada on December 7 and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office was able to recover it within 45 minutes. Arrested was 19-year-old Shane Dollar, a convicted felon for previous auto theft.

This car was recovered quickly which isn't always the case. Law enforcement is reminding the public to please lock and secure your vehicles at all times and never leave your keys in the ignition. This time of year it can be tempting to turn on the car and go back inside the house as it warms up.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A great start to the holiday season will be this weekend when the Tahoe Community Choir holds their annual Christmas Concert on Friday, December 6 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 8 at 3:00 p.m.

"Songs of Comfort and Joy" will be at St. Theresa Catholic Church and the public is invited to attend.

Tickets are available from choir members or at the door. General admission is $15, seniors and students are $12 and children 12 and under are free.

The church is located at 1041 Lyons Avenue, South Lake Tahoe.

Do you know what Giving Tuesday is? Giving Tuesday is a global giving movement being celebrated in more than 190 countries across the globe, and 100 local community campaigns in the US by raising money in our digital world by giving online through websites, Facebook and other online media platforms.

Giving Tuesday this year is December 3rd. Tahoe Youth & Family Services is on the front line, building stronger, healthier, smarter communities by providing Mental Health services in the South Lake Tahoe and Douglas County communities.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It started with a chat a few weeks ago between Tom Davis of the Christmas Cheer Board and Dreu Murin of the Heavenly Village. Tom had told Dreu there was a need for turkeys this holiday season in the South Lake Tahoe community.

Dreu then spoke with Gary Casteel Jr., owner of the Heavenly Village, and a plan for a Village Turkey Drive formed.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - When the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) revised their Forest Plan over 10 years ago, many wanted them to include changes to snowmobile and other winter travel access to public lands at the same time. With the amount of public comment and the recognized need to have its own plan, they separated the two.

In 2011, LTBMU started a collaborative group to develop a proposed action plan for Winter Recreation and Over Snow Vehicle (OSV) use in the Lake Tahoe Basin.