thanksgiving

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There are some promising signs that the COVID-19 surge is over in El Dorado County. If current data continues in the direction it has been headed, El Dorado County is likely near the peak of the post holidays COVID-19 surge.

The surge of cases and hospitalizations began two weeks after Halloween, then continued through the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years holidays.

The El Dorado County Public Health Director Dr. Nancy Williams says we won't reliably know until another week or two has passed if the surge has hit its peak.

As we prepare to bid the year of 2020 a fond farewell, we are celebrating Christmas as best we can during these unprecedented and uncertain times.

I could start with all the normal holiday greetings like Merry Christmas, May your holidays sparkle with joy and laughter, or I hope the magic of Christmas fills every corner of your heart and home with joy — now and always, but this year seems like so much more is needed.

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.

Bread & Broth’s holiday Thanksgiving meal giveaway on November 23 was a tremendous success thanks to the kindness of many generous community supporters. In addition to the regular bags filled with fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, eggs, butter, bread and pastries, 170 holiday meal “fixings” bags were handed out in the foyer of St. Theresa Grace Hall. The Thanksgiving meals went to 549 very grateful individuals and family members.

If those who attended the first Thanksgiving in 1621 happened to time travel and visit the 2020 version, what would they think of our version of the holiday?

That first celebration wasn't called Thanksgiving, they didn't have potatoes or pumpkin pie, but they did have a feeling of gratitude and thankfulness over the three-day celebration after a successful harvest.

Thanksgiving is based on the idea that we should all take time to count our blessings at least once a year and to celebrate it with family and friends.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The volunteers at Bread & Broth packed bags of food for the community Monday, bags full of food for not only a Thanksgiving meal, but for meals through the week.

From 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on November 23, almost 200 people picked up bags for their families containing a turkey breast, yams, green beans, rolls, stuffing, pumpkin pie, sparkling apple cider, fruit, vegetables, eggs, milk and much more. Those bags of food went to feed 549 individuals in the South Lake Tahoe community.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of the long term and short term projects the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has scheduled for the week around Lake Tahoe, in the Sierra and El Dorado County. At this time there is no work scheduled for the South Lake Tahoe area.

Most traffic-interfering work will be restricted from 6 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25 until 10 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Due to the rise in COVID-19 cases, California has issued a limited Stay at Home Order. All non-essential work and gatherings must stop from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. in counties in the purple tier, including El Dorado County.

This will take effect at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 21, 2020 and remain in place for one month until 5:00 a.m. December 21.

The curfew comes after 40 counties moved into the more restrictive purple tier after experiencing a rise in hospitalizations and positive cases of COVID-19.

With a rising number of COVID-19 cases across the nation, The three West Coast state have issued travel advisories recommending 14-day quarantines for inter-state and international travel. California, Oregon and Washington are also asking residents to stay local to slow the spread of the virus.

In the days before television, the internet, cell phones and video games, families would gather around the radio each evening and listen to Sorry Wrong Number, Moon Over Morocco, Dragnet, The Adventures of the Thin Man, The Shadow, Flash Gordon, and War of the Worlds.

With no visual component, radio drama depended on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and the story. Each episode would leave listeners wanting more and the level of anticipation grew as the next airing date grew closer.

Bread & Broth is seeking donations for a Thanksgiving Meal Giveaway that will be distributed on Monday, November 23, 2020 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at St. Theresa Grace Hall in South Lake Tahoe.

During past Thanksgiving holidays, Bread & Broth has sponsored a hot Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the trimmings, once that guests could enjoy with the fellowship of others in the community. During those dinners over 250 individuals joined in the special holiday meal.

This year will have to be different due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

For over 30 years, Bread & Broth has been providing meals at St. Theresa Church’s Grace Hall to all who come to our door. Over the years, the number of meals served weekly has changed, but currently, Bread & Broth (B&B) serves two meals, Monday Meal and Second Serving on Fridays, every week of the year. As an all-volunteer, non-profit organization, B&B relies on the generosity of time and monetary support from our local community to provide the wonderful and nutritious meals that are enjoyed by our dinner guests.

Dear Readers:

Thank you very much for being a reader of South Tahoe Now. This has been a whirlwind of a year, and ending with another whirlwind of activity as we all prepare to celebrate the holidays with our family, friends, and loved ones. It seems like just yesterday that we finished our Thanksgiving turkeys and started thinking about shopping for gifts.

NORTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The family of actress Anna Faris had a brush with danger in North Lake Tahoe during the Thanksgiving holiday. The group of 13 rented a vacation home in the 100 block of Tahoma Drive in Tahoe City. Two of them felt ill and went to the hospital where it was determined they were suffering from Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning.

Now that the Thanksgiving holiday is over, as is Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday is here, time can shift to nonshopping activities like volunteering and charity donations.

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world on December 3, 2019, and every day. There are several South Lake Tahoe nonprofits participating in GivingTuesday this year.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Thanks to recent snowfall and with the Thanksgiving holiday in mind, Sierra-at-Tahoe will be running lifts a day early, on Friday, November 29, 2019, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for a pre-Opening Day event.

Lift tickets will be available for purchase at ticket windows for just $10, with half of all proceeds to be donated to the Food Bank of El Dorado County.

Operations will be limited, with Easy Rider Express and Rock Garden scheduled to spin, conditions permitting.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With a Winter Weather Warning in place for Lake Tahoe until 4:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving, another new alert has been issued for the weekend. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Lake Tahoe from Saturday at 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. Heavy snow with significant travel delays possible Saturday afternoon through early Monday morning.

The Phoenix Food Pantry and Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church have received forty Thanksgiving turkeys from the generous folks at Heavenly Village.

“So pleased we could include Phoenix Food Pantry and the Presbyterian Church as part of our Holiday Turkey Drive," said Gary Casteel, Jr of the Shops at Heavenly Village. "We are well over a hundred turkeys donated now and so proud of the tenants of the Shops at Heavenly Village. Happy Holidays to all.”

Most traffic-interfering work will be restricted from 6 a.m. Wednesday, November 27 until 10 p.m. Monday, December 2 due to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

U.S. Highway 50 (El Dorado County): Work continues on a $5.2 million project to upgrade metal beam guardrail and construct concrete barriers at 89 locations from the Red Hawk Undercrossing to 1.9 miles west of the junction with State Route 89 in Meyers. Completion is expected this fall or spring 2020.

It was an eventful week for students and staff at South Tahoe High School. With unfortunate news, fundraisers, and the end to successful “fall sports” seasons. STHS is getting ready for Thanksgiving break.

On Campus

Thursday morning, woodshop teacher, Nathan Crnich was arrested at the STHS campus on sexual misconduct charges. While news was shocking to many, students said they feel safer.

The 30th annual community Bread & Broth Thanksgiving Dinner will be held on Monday, November 25 inside Grace Hall at St. Theresa Catholic Church from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The meal is open to all members of the community just as it has been every Monday at Grace Hall since 1989.

During the Thanksgiving Dinner, 300 pounds of turkey, 100 pounds of stuffing, 50 pies, 50 pounds of carrots, 90 pounds of green beans and bags of sweet potatoes are cooked for about 300 members of the community.

It’s happening, already. You have probably seen them.....in every store....Christmas decorations! Every year it happens: Halloween and Thanksgiving are way-sided by Christmas displays. Here are a few suggestions for how to overcome the anxiety resulting from the displays that are distracting our attention.

No One Can Make You Do Anything

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The annual joint board meeting of the Board of Trustees for the Lake Tahoe Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) and Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) will be held on Tuesday, March 26, starting at 5:00 p.m. in the LTCC Board Room L104.

The agenda will include updates on items that affect both groups:

As the holidays get closer, life naturally gets busier and healthy habits can get thrown out the window. Holiday parties, Thanksgiving leftovers, and Christmas eggnog take the place of health for a lot of us, and any nutrition goals can be a struggle.

Instead of trying to focus on weight or diet this season, why not use this time to start a healthy cooking habit? You may be busy this time of year, but there will also be several occasions where a home cooked dish is welcomed or expected. If you don’t cook at home regularly, here are some tips to get you started.