visitors authority

Featuring some of the biggest names in skiing and snowboarding, the inaugural Tahoe Backcountry Awareness Week will culminate with the Athlete Summit on Thursday, December 17. The free virtual event, designed to encourage those planning to venture into the backcountry to educate themselves before doing so, will take place from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with a live Q&A period with Michelle Parker, Jeremy Jones, Elyse Saugstad, Cody Townsend and Amie Engerbretson.

The community is invited to attend the Tahoe Chamber’s 13th Annual Blue Ribbon Awards to honor South Shore businesses and individuals that have impacted the community for the better. In place of the annual awards dinner, winners will be announced in an awards show that is pre-filmed and broadcast on Lake Tahoe Television on November 19 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Those wishing to attend the free event can register in advance on TahoeChamber.org to get direct access to the awards ceremony.

Carson Valley and South Lake Tahoe collaboratively are welcoming visitors to the region with a travel safely, adventure greatly message. Under the cooperative marketing umbrella of the #SierraSafely campaign, the goal of the program is focused on tourism recovery for Douglas County while restoring confidence among visitors and locals in the region.

On October 31, 2016 I wrote an editorial "Use the election to create a community of collaboration and teamwork" due to a growing vibe of discourse and anger across the country as well as in South Lake Tahoe.

Since we are once again in the midst of a contentious national election I saw a need to once again look at the definition of community as we focus on our local situation in El Dorado County and Douglas County.

com·mu·ni·ty:

The Tahoe Chamber collected 190 nominations from the community for the 13th annual Blue Ribbon Award to celebrate the businesses, non-profits and individuals that make the South Shore of Lake Tahoe so unique. Local businesses have been a resilient backbone of the community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and honoring their contributions, achievements and milestones is more important than ever before.

STATELINE, Nev. - While the crowds weren't there in 2020 for the 31st annual American Century Championship in July due to COVID-19 safety concerns, its impacts will be felt for years to come by the community. The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority (LTVA) will distribute a record $250,000 to local non-profits after the players in the popular celebrity tournament gave up the $600,000 in prize money. It is all being donated to Covid-19 relief organizations, equal justice initiatives and South Tahoe-based non-profits.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The popular farm-to-fork festival, Sample the Sierra, is moving to a digital format this year due to the current pandemic.

The 11st annual event will still include a variety of food-related entertainment typically found at Sample the Sierra, including cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, musical performances, giveaways, and shopping. Instead of only having these things during the day of the traditional in-person event, this year's will be spread out throughout August and September (a more detailed schedule is coming later).

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The City of South Lake Tahoe, the Tahoe Chamber, Barton Health, and Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority came together to produce a Public Safety Announcement (PSA) asking folks to socially distance and wear a mask as people return to Tahoe.

Over the last four months, we have learned a lot about COVID-19 transmission, most notably that people who are infected but are asymptomatic or presymptomatic play an important part in community spread. The use of face coverings by everyone can limit the release of infected droplets when talking, coughing, and/or sneezing,

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The messaging from the state, county, and city has been consistent throughout the coronavirus pandemic: This is not the time to travel to South Lake Tahoe. Nevada has also sent out the same message as a ban on nonessential travel that was created to prevent the spread of COVID-19 between communities.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - With formal events being canceled due to COVID-19 health concerns, there are two major summer events in Lake Tahoe that are still officially on the calendar. The holding of the American Century Championship (Celebrity Golf) and 4th of July Fireworks for this summer is expected to be determined mid-May.

Incline Village/Crystal Bay leaders announced their fireworks were going to be canceled earlier this month, but the Tahoe Douglas Visitors Authority (TDVA) board will be voting at their May meeting on the 2020 South Shore display.

With coronavirus impacts being our community's major priority, we hope you're staying safe and encourage everyone to stay at home and follow directions from health organizations so we can return to our jobs, schools, and normal lives safely, and as soon as possible. While health wellbeing is the leading concern, the reality of long-term economic impacts from this terrible virus makes the need to plan for a secure future a priority now more than ever.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - In response to COVID-19, Douglas County officials continue to work closely with Carson City Health and Human Services and a regional Emergency Operations Center (EOC) that has been set up in Carson City to ensure compliance with the Governor’s directive while working in partnership to keep Douglas County residents safe.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – The "Take Care Bear" spent the recent holiday weekend helping spread the message of keeping Lake Tahoe sled hills clear of trash and sled debris.

While hundred of visitors snapped selfies with the bear, others mingled with him as he reminded all to throw away their broken sleds, rather than leaving them littered on the snow.

To coincide with the bear visits, a new billboard went up in Folsom, California with the same message.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. – Providing a much-needed service in the community, the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe (HSTT) has been filling a void with special pet therapy training, wellness clinics, spay and neuter programs.

Since opening in December 2019, HSTT has provided over 100 spay and neuters to the community for free or at a reduced rate. They have also trained 60 new volunteers.

Some of the other programs that are helping pets and owners in the area:

The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority would like to thank the community for their generous donations of toys, food and $900 in cash that was collected for Christmas Cheer All Year at the LTVA’s Nevada Visitors Center during December.

Thank you also to the South Lake Tahoe Lodging Association for their $500 donation.

Many local individuals and businesses stepped in to make the holidays a little brighter for those in need, and for that we are grateful.

Anne Sutterfield
Online & Operations Manager
Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority

The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority will be a drop-off point this month for the annual Christmas Cheer toy, food, and cash drive.

Until December 17 they will be receiving items at their Stateline, Nevada Visitor Center location across the highway from Lakeside Inn at 169 US50. They are open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Kind Traveler and the Lake Tahoe Visitor's Authority (LTVA) have teamed up to empower travelers to make a positive community and environmental impacts when they stay in hotels and motels on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe.

Close to 70 nominees will be celebrated at the 12th annual Blue Ribbon Awards on Thursday, Nov. 14 at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Hotel and Casino. Join the Tahoe Chamber in celebrating the businesses and individuals that make the South Shore a great community to live, work and play. Admission to this event is $65 for Tahoe Chamber members and $85 for non-members. Tickets include champagne, wine and full 3-course dinner prepared by Harrah’s executive culinary team. Table sponsorships are also available for purchase.

STATELINE, Nev. - The 30th annual American Century Championship has gone into the record books as one of the biggest and best golf events in Lake Tahoe history. There was an attendance record of 60,550, an economic impact estimated at $30 million for the Lake Tahoe Basin, and now an additional $100,000 will be given away to South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Township non-profits.

Carol Chaplin, the executive director of the Lake Tahoe Visitor's Authority since 2008, has been named the new chairperson of the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority. The nine-member board oversees both the Reno-Tahoe International and Reno-Stead Airports.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe City Council voted Tuesday to give SnowGlobe a new five-year contract with the criteria that organizers must be working on locating a new location for the event at the end of two years.

If they do not have a good plan in place after those first two years the City could terminate the contract.

STATELINE, Nev. - The Douglas County Redevelopment Area No. 2 (RDA#2) is gaining increased interest and is the focus of an upcoming commissioner meeting so the County has created a webpage to provide the public with history, materials, information and answers to frequently asked questions.

The next phase of the Highway 50 South Shore Community Revitalization Project (SSCRP) begins with an open house on its Main Street Management Plan on Wednesday, May 29 at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) office from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The public is welcome to drop in any time.

SSCRP, commonly referred to as the Loop Road Project, will include seven more key components to be completed by the TRPA and Tahoe Transportation District (TTD). The first of those components is the Main Street Management Plan.

STATELINE, Nevada – The Sustainable Destinations Top 100 program recognized Lake Tahoe as a global sustainable destination at a tourism trade show in Berlin, Germany this spring.