montbleu

Casinos on the South Shore are once again on the positive end of the monthly income report from the Nevada Gaming Board (NGB) released Tuesday.

For the first half of the fiscal year, a combination of Harrah's, Harvey's, MontBleu, Hard Rock and Lakeside Inn have had positive gains in income with a 7.65 percent increase over the same time period in 2015.

NGB reports that casinos in the area had a "win" of $18,724,329, a gain of 4.31 percent over December 2015. South Shore casinos have a net "win" of $122,510,544 to date this fiscal year.

What does a member of the Blue Man Group, a Los Angeles musician and music teacher, and an actor and YouTube video star have in common?

They are all graduates of South Tahoe High School (STHS) and returning for a week of variety shows at local schools culminating with a special Friday night performance at MontBleu on February 3. 2017.

Brothers Nick and Chris Smith will make the way back to South Lake Tahoe from Hollywood with Sean Pawling as part of the Tahoe Arts Project's Tahoe Boys Variety Show.

It was a winning year for Nevada casinos as they turned a $661.7 million loss in 2015 into a $978.9 million gain in net income during Fiscal year 2016 (FY16).

There are 273 casinos in Nevada that have gross receipts of $1 million or more, and together they had $25 billion in total revenue during the year. Total revenue is the money spent by patrons on gaming, rooms, food, beverage, and other attractions.

Net income/loss is the money retained by casinos after expenses have been paid but prior to deducting federal income taxes and prior to accounting for extraordinary expenses.

“Bread & Broth’s Monday Meal event is always heartwarming and we are very happy to be able to participate in the Adopt A Day of Nourishment program,” commented Michelle Bergstrom, Montbleu Resort Casino’s director of Administration. As the Adopt a Day sponsor for the December 19th dinner held at St. Theresa Church, Montbleu donated $250 to provide the funds to cover the meal costs to provide over 100 meals served to the evening’s dinner guests.

While many locals have probably never used the pool at MontBleu, guests of the South Shore casino hotel are being treated to the first major renovation at the pool in over 30 years.

The pool's signature rock waterfall is gone, something that was deteriorating after then of thousands of timed falling water displays, In its place is a small lazy river, popular with the younger set due to its four-foot depth.

There is always something to do in South Lake Tahoe and all around the South Shore and this weekend is no different. Here is a list of things to do for families and adults:

For families -

Annual Christmas Bird Count - The 2016-2017 South Lake Tahoe Christmas Bird Count has been scheduled for Saturday, December 17. Barring a significant winter storm, we will hold the count on that date. December 17 @ 8:00 a - (775) 298-0066 - Meet at Alpina Coffee Cafe, 822 Emerald Bay Rd

What's going on this weekend in South Lake Tahoe:

Join Sierra Strings of Tahoe for a morning of music, ushering in winter and the holiday season on December 3, 2016 at 11:00 a.m This locally celebrated group will enchant you with a variety of songs. Free and open to all ages, light refreshments provided. At the South Lake Tahoe library.

Zawadisha's annual Holiday Bazaar returns this holiday season on Saturday, December 3 at the Blue Angel Cafe in South Lake Tahoe from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The community is invited to attend the 22nd annual Holiday Extravaganza in the MontBleu Showroom on Wednesday, December 14 and Thursday, December 15, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. each evening.

Since 1995, Lake Tahoe Unified School District choirs from the 3rd through 12th grades have performed on the stage for their holiday concert. They will once again be joined by the Faculty/Parent choir, Blue Ribbon Classical Choir, all who sing together for the big finale.

South Lake Tahoe, CA: The South Lake Tahoe Wedding & Honeymoon Association will be holding their annual Something Blue Wedding Expo on Sunday, March 12 at Montbleu from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Attendees will be able to interact with Lake Tahoe’s top local wedding vendors including florists, DJ’s, planners, venues and many more. There will be food and drinks to sample, raffle prizes, a fashion show, and brides/grooms will receive a keepsake gift bag with special offers from vendors.

Win four-1 day Park Hopper passes to Disneyland and California Adventure in the latest Tahoe Arts Project fundraiser. The winner of the passes, valued at $620, will be announced during the Tahoe Boys Variety Show at MontBleu on February 3, 2017.

The raffle tickets are available for $20 each and can be purchased online or by calling their office at 530.542.3632. Need not be present to win.

To purchase online: http://tahoeartsproject.org/disneyland/

The Park Hopper passes need to be used by October 14, 2018.

Nearly 300 community members attended the Tahoe Chamber's 9th annual Blue Ribbon Awards Thursday night at the Hard Rock Lake Tahoe and joined in the celebration of seven awards that honor exceptional South Shore businesses for their excellence in service, entrepreneurship, tourism and experience.

The following are the 2016 Blue Ribbon Awards winners:

Geotourism Award - Sponsored by Bike the West
Winner: Taylor Creek Visitors Center, United Sates Forest Service
Honorable Mention: Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition

Tourism Award - Sponsored by Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority

The 38th Annual Freaker's Ball, Lake Tahoe’s largest, oldest and most extravagant Halloween party, brings the wild with a four-ring costume circus in the Convention Center, Opal Ultra Lounge and Blu Nightclub venues at MontBleu on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, at 8:00 p.m. Cost is $35 prior to Saturday, then $40 at the door if tickets are available. Costume contest with prizes.

On Friday, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino holds the 2nd Annual Rockin’ Dead Halloween Bash inside Vinyl starting at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $25. Costume contest with prizes.

Pedestrian and bicycle transportation and safety will be among the topics at the 14th annual Nevada Bicycle and Pedestrian Summit, scheduled for Nov. 9 and 10 at the MontBleu Resort Casino in Lake Tahoe.

Developed to augment statewide bicycle and pedestrian resources, the summit will provide the latest information on bicycle tourism, facility planning and design, safety, enforcement and education initiatives, as well as Safe Routes to School and complete streets program information and more.

“Helping at Montbleu’s Adopt A Day dinner was truly amazing,” said Emmy Rowe, a sponsor volunteer form Montbleu Casino Resort & Spa. “Everybody was so nice, from the Bread & Broth volunteers to those in the community that came in to dine.” On August 22, Emmy and Rachel Kallas volunteered their time to work alongside the dedicated B&B crew members and help serve up a hot and nutritious meal to those attending Montbleu’s AAD sponsorship dinner on Monday evening at St. Theresa Grace Hall.

For those that were on the South Shore on August 27, 1980, they'll be able to tell you exactly where they were, or what they were doing when law enforcement detonated a bomb that had been left inside Harvey's Resort casino in Lake Tahoe.

Three men planted a bomb containing 1,000 pounds of dynamite inside a machine they delivered to the second floor. Successful landscaper, John Birges from Clovis, Calif., the mastermind behind the bomb, was attempting to extort $3 million from the casino, claiming he had lost $750,000 gambling there.

Each year, Live Violence Free brings together members and leaders of the community to strengthen their capacity to uphold their mission of promoting a violence free community through education and advocacy to address domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse, and basic needs. With the support of our donors and community members, they host their annual Sunset Gala to build resiliency and resources for clients and families. This year is the agency's 17th Annual Sunset Gala, held at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course on Sunday, October 23 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Location

He's been played in the movies by Ben Kingsley, Richard Dreyfuss, Patrick Dempsey, Dustin Hoffman, Anatol Yusef and Robert De Niro. In real life, he was the "Mob's Accountant" and a major organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States. He developed a gambling empire that stretched across the world from Las Vegas to London and spent 50 years in the organized crime. Jay Z and Lil Kim have mentioned him in songs.

Who was he?

Meyer Lansky.

The weather is starting to clear and temperatures are warming up, just in time for the Memorial Day weekend. Don't forget, when you are coming or going from the Lake Tahoe Basin, check out the Caltrans message board at http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/. Click on "Options" and "message boards." This handy tool shows you the exact time it takes to get from town over the mountain so you can stay longer and avoid the traffic!

Here is a list of some of the things to do on the South side:

Lake Tahoe Summer Kick Off Car and Bike Show at the Heavenly Village

The Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) Board today unanimously approved a set of principles to clarify and guide the final design and implementation of the US Highway 50 South Shore Community Revitalization Project, also known as the Loop Road Project.

This plan that will answer some community member's concerns about the project by addressing right-of-way, housing, road construction, assistance and support for affected businesses, and continued community involvement.

A packed house at MontBleu Resort Saturday night witnessed ten local celebrity couples dancing for the ultimate prize, the mirror ball trophy, during Tahoe Art's Project annual Dancing With the Tahoe Stars fundraiser.

After a few weeks of practicing with their trained professional partner, the celebrities put on an entertaining show that brought out the cheers and applause, and lots of money for the non-profit.

Mountain Resort Television reporter Ashley Lindner fills viewers in on the 4th annual Dancing with the Tahoe Stars Fundraiser, taking place this Saturday, March 5th at MontBleu.

Just in the time for the biggest sports betting weekend of the year, MontBleu Resort on the South Shore has a new William Hill sportsbook. They had a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday to welcome customers and celebrate the new operation.

MontBleu became the latest location to offer a sportsbook operated by the international company which is based in England. There are 104 other locations in Nevada including the operations at Hard Rock Lake Tahoe.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board released their figures for the month of December, 2015 and they show Stateline casinos bringing in $17,950,675 which is 12.56 percent up from the same period in 2014.

For the fiscal year, the South Shore is still below the previous year by 8.30 percent.

When reviewing the whole state of Nevada, Stateline casinos led all others with gains for the month. The biggest percentage loss was experienced in small, non-Reno, Sparks, North Lake Tahoe casinos in Washoe County which saw income from gaming down 15.74 percent.

Today's video news segment by reporter Ashley Lindner who visits MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa to learn about their 25 million dollar renovation.