Things to do

Fire Fest 2018 - Saturday, September 29, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the rear parking lot of the Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe. Admission is free and it's a great opportunity for families to have fun while learning about fire safety and conservation. There will be a Fire Chiefs dunk tank to raise funds for the Wildland Firefighters Foundation. More info: http://southtahoenow.com/story/09/15/2018/firefest-returns-south-lake-tahoe

With the cancellation of the 19-year long tradition of fireworks over Labor Day in South Lake Tahoe due to budget constraints, the Tahoe Douglas Visitors Authority and other local businesses have pulled together to present a full menu of things to do on the South Shore from a laser light show to concerts and a carnival.

A holiday favorite, the Santa Train, is heading to the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City for two special weekends, December 10-11 and December 17-18.

Santa will join the museum crew on historic steam trains from the Virginia & Truckee Railway for 20 minutes trips where children can visit with Santa, write him a letter at a special table and receive candy canes.

The rides run every half hour from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each weekend.

Location

With summer officially here I thought it would be fun to talk about a very popular All-American sport; fishing. Which, before you start to open that mouth of yours, is most definitely is a sport. Any activity that requires you to go to a store and drop a thousand dollar on equipment is a sport. In this case soccer is not a sport, sorry Europe.

There was once a time when having a beautiful lake, spectacular scenery and non-stop action and gambling was enough for the tourist to visit South Lake Tahoe and the South Shore.

This is no longer the case and the community needs to become future ready.

Carl Ribaudo, owner of Strategic Marketing Group, spoke at the Future Ready Tourism Forum at Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel on April 26, 2016.

While change is always tough Ribaudo said, South Lake Tahoe needs to be prepared as the tourist shifts from making a transaction when coming to Tahoe to wanting an experience.

One of the state’s greatest athletic challenges returns for a sixth year September 11-13 in a competition that’s as tough as granite.

The Graniteman Challenge, sponsored by the High Sierra Triathlon Club, is a unique three-day combination of the Granite to Granite Swim, a 2.4-mile swim in June Lake on Friday, September 11, the Mammoth Gran Fondo, a 102-mile bike ride on Saturday, September 12 and the Tioga Pass Run, a 12.4-mile run up Tioga Pass on Sunday, September 13.

Dan Rix, affectionately known as “Papa Dan” to his family, passed away peacefully at his home in South Lake Tahoe on February 11, 2015 at the age of 73 after a brave and courageous battle with a long illness. Dan was born December 30, 1941 in Pueblo, CO to Dorothy Mae and George Robert Rix and spent his childhood growing up in Daly City (CA). He eventually moved to Tulare (CA) with his family where he graduated from Tulare Union HS in 1959.

What would you do if you were losing your eyesight? This question wasn't a hard one to answer for Monroe, Louisiana resident Leslie Hestle. Her answer? Go to Lake Tahoe!

Suffering from gyrate atrophy since birth, Hestle knew that her eyesight was going away. People with the disease are usually totally blind between the ages of 40-60. One year ago she had cataracts surgery, giving her eyesight for awhile longer but without peripheral vision.

Editor's Note: The story below is about my friend and colleague Taylor Flynn's search for his missing mother Deanna Brooks. Taylor wrote about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and the long and painful searches for her in the September issue of the Tahoe Mountain News. Go here for his column. The Flynn family wishes to express their gratitude to the South Lake Tahoe community for the outpouring of prayers, thoughts and support. A Facebook page has been established as part of the search, www.facebook.com/find.deanna
On a personal level, it has been painful to see my friend Taylor going through this very difficult time with his family. It serves as a reminder about the importance for family members and friends to check in with one another often as they travel and to provide travel plans including departure and expected arrival times as well as the highways and roadways to be taken. A brief phone call or text message while filling up the gas tank or stopping for a break is always a safe practice when driving long distances. The same can be applied to those going on backcountry trips where an itinerary to family and friends — including departure and expected arrival — should be considered mandatory for hikers and campers. — Jeff Munson

SANTA CRUZ - After three weeks of searches on the sides of Highway 101 and surrounding roads in five counties, Taylor Flynn has not given up hope of finding his mother.
Flynn, the 49-year-old publisher of the Tahoe Mountain News in South Lake Tahoe, was one of the last people to see 70-year-old Deanna Brooks before her disappearance Aug. 24.

Spent some time skiing at Heavenly Mountain Resort the other day and the snow was fine, though pretty hard at 9 a.m. but softening as the sun at Lake Tahoe came into play. Couldn't help noticing how many skiers are still using the old rotary shoulder turn yet skiing on modern, shaped skis. That's a waste of energy.
On shaped skis keep the body facing down the fall line, letting the edges do the turn. That's what today's skis are all about. The deep sidecut makes the skis turn when you put the edges in. Gotta keep the hands out front, which incidentally is crucial in avoiding ACL injury.