IHOP’s Scary Face Pancake Giveaway returns to participating IHOP restaurants nationwide Oct. 28.

Kids 12 and under may design and dine on their own Free Scary Face Pancake creations from 7am to 10pm.

The pre-Halloween giveaway launched last year as a playful take on IHOP’s popular Funny Face Pancake. The Scary Face Pancake is an oversized signature buttermilk pancake with a whipped topping mouth and strawberry nose, and two mini Oreo cookies and candy corn on the side to allow kids to create their Halloween hotcake.

The Scary Face Pancake will also be available for purchase throughout October.

By Kathryn Reed

Unable to compromise, Tom Davis and Bruce Grego voted against the latest version of South Lake Tahoe’s sign ordinance.

Still, it passed with a 3-2 vote. This was the first reading, with the second likely to be at the Oct. 18 meeting. Then it becomes the law 30 days later.

Tom Davis wants a broad sign ordinance -- a change from seven years ago. Photo/LTN

One of Davis’ issues is wanting any color of decorative lights, not just white or blue as had been proposed. To this, his colleagues agreed.

What the majority would not agree to were allowing sandwich board signs to be used anytime and for the council to hear appeals instead of planning commissioners. Those were sticking points for Davis and Grego.

Davis hasn’t always had this free spirit about signs.

In April 2004 when he was on the City Council he said, “I’m trying to strike a balance, but we don’t want it to look like little Tijuana.”

On Oct. 4 he said, “I believe in free enterprise all the way. I want to give businesses as many advantages as possible.”

While much of the discussion this year during the laborious sign discussions has been about how difficult the economy is now and that businesses should be allowed to do what they can to attract customers, this same argument has been made for years.

In April 2004 when the economy was humming on the South Shore, Hal Cole made that same desperate argument. At a meeting seven plus years ago he said, “I want to visually upgrade our corridor. But on the other hand, I know how tough proprietors have it to make a living in this town.”

With the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency having sign regulations on the books since 1998, the city and five counties in the basin must abide by it or create stricter rules. South Tahoe has been going back and forth, with each council coming up with its own version and enforcement never existing.

While staff says enforcement is coming – that’s always been said.

This is not the first time Grego has been on his soapbox about the council needing to have the last word. Councilwomen Claire Fortier and Angela Swanson along with Cole said the planning commissioners are more than capable of ruling on whether a business is complying with the sign ordinance.

Grego tried to do a bit of horse-trading with his colleagues to get what he wanted, but the three stuck by their convictions. Grego said he really wanted a 5-0 vote. The majority said they were good with the motion as presented that eventually passed.

In other action:

• Grego asked for an item to be put on a future agenda to discuss taxing Heavenly Mountain Resort. Cole said he’d agree to a broader discussion about the cost analysis of having Heavenly and other businesses pay for their share of fire costs and wear-and-tear to roads. Eventually, it was decided to have the Fiscal Sustainability Committee, which has yet to be tasked with any homework, to look into the issue. This group next meets in three weeks.

Armed with gloves, shovels, sugar pine seedlings and the knowledge of proper planting techniques, volunteers planted 1,000 seedlings across 10 acres on Oct. 1 at Van Sickle Bi-state Park.

For more than three hours 114 Heavenly Mountain Resort volunteers gathered at the Stateline area park to help restore the Gondola Fire scar area as part of Vail Resorts Echo Day.

“I am proud of the Heavenly staff for their continued dedication to preserving the local environment and their willingness to give back to their local community on Echo Day and throughout the year,” Pete Sonntag, vice president and general manager of Heavenly Mountain Resort, said in a statement. “We all love and appreciate the Lake Tahoe Basin and want it to be as beautiful 100 years from now as it is today. We certainly hope to see these newly planted sugar pine seedlings thriving 100 years from now.”

The Sugar Pine Foundation is dedicated to saving Tahoe’s sugar pine trees. Since 2008, the foundation has planted more than 500 acres with more than 30,000 sugar pines and other native trees to maintain Tahoe’s legacy of beautiful, healthy forests.

“We are excited to partner with Heavenly and grateful for their efforts to restore some of the fire scar in the area,” Maria Mircheva, Sugar Pine Foundation’s executive director, said in press release. “Through the support of Vail Resorts Echo, we are able to kick off a series of tree planting days that will improve forest health in the area.”

In total, the Sugar Pine Foundation plans to plant 10,000 seedlings this fall.

The seedlings planted Saturday, supplied by the Sugar Pine Foundation, are resistant to the invasive fungal pathogen blister rust. By planting seedlings that are resistant to the fungus, Heavenly is helping to restore the Sugar Pine species in the Lake Tahoe Basin and work toward eradicating the devastating pathogen.

As part of its Chamber EDucation program, the North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Sierra Economic Development Corporation is hosting a “Thinking of Selling Your Business” workshop Oct. 12 from noon-1:30pm at Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort, 6834 North Lake Tahoe Blvd., Tahoe Vista.

Deadline to register is Oct. 7.

This workshop is designed for those thinking of taking the leap and selling their business or perhaps have received an offer they can’t refuse. Attendees will learn about the planning, preparation, communications and execution when selling their business that will lead to a positive, profitable life transition.

The presenter is David Frazier, a partner at B2B CFO, the largest financial consulting firm in the country with 184 partners in 39 states. Prior to B2B CFO, Frazier spent more than 25 years in various executive positions in finance and operations at large publicly traded companies.

The cost is $55/person, and participants need to bring their own lunch. To register, call the Sierra Economic Development Corporation at (530) 823.4703 or email info@sedcorp.biz.

By Kathryn Reed

Instead of having a special budget meeting, the South Lake Tahoe City Council is set to vote on the 2011-12 financial document Oct. 18 at 2pm.

This is the same day as the next regular council meeting that will start at 9am at Lake Tahoe Airport. The budget discussion is time certain.

Negotiations are ongoing with the various employee groups. The council discussed the matter in closed session Oct. 4 with no reportable action.

However, the proposed budget as last made public did not have the three fire division chiefs in it. Their severance, according to Lake Tahoe News sources, is still being negotiated.

The fire union, which is everyone below the rank of division chief, could have a signed deal this week.

One reason the budget hearing was pushed back a week is the General-Public Works group and city staff are having a pre-mediation meeting Thursday. That means mediation could not have happened in time to accommodate the previously scheduled Oct. 11 budget hearing.

The non-represented management and non-represented confidential employees’ agreement was pulled from the Oct. 4 consent agenda by Councilwoman Angela Swanson.

“I’m not comfortable putting something like this on consent,” Swanson said.

This is the first group of employees to pay their full contribution to PERS. Their furlough days have been eliminated, no raises are part of the deal, and the city manager does not get any bonus for this deal or any forthcoming budget agreements.

In other action:

• City Manager Tony O’Rourke’s evaluation was pushed back to November. After Tuesday’s meeting he told Lake Tahoe News because there is no raise forthcoming and there are other pressing matters for the council to deal with, he is fine with the delay. He also said he is content with his original three-year contract and does not want to change it.

• The property on Stateline Avenue that was on closed session was about the possibility of the city acquiring it for a park. The city doesn’t have the $4.1 million to purchase the lakefront land, plus it is already in escrow, according to officials. But the city would like more property for parks if the right opportunity presents itself. This property was at one time owned by Falcon Capital — Randy Lane’s company.

Tahoe Best Friends is hosting a Dog Howl’oween Party and Parade on Oct. 29 at 2:30pm at 2197 Ruth Ave. (off Third Street) in South Lake Tahoe. Dogs and humans should come in costume.

In order to service all remaining requests for defensible space evaluations and chipping in a timely manner and prior to potential inclement weather approaching, the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District has set Oct. 14 as the last day to request these services.

This will allow the district time to complete the last requests for the 2011 season.

Call (775) 831.0351, ext. 8118 and leave your name, service requested, address and phone number.

To date, the district has completed approximately 164 defensible space requests and 174 chipping requests for the 2011 season.

Aberrations await and spirits will linger throughout the historic district of Carson City during the 19th annual Classic Ghost Walk on Oct. 22.

Madame Curry, one of the city’s founding ladies, joins a bevy of costumed actors and psychics who provide stories of mystery and intrigue accompany the highly popular theatrical walking tours through Victorian-era historic Carson City. During the guided tour guests will have the opportunity to explore inside various homes from the 1800s.

Tour guides will tell stories about the buildings and their owners of the 1800s Victorian-style homes while walking along the historic 2.5 mile Kit Carson Trail.

Tours begin near the Firkin & Fox Pub on 3rd and Curry streets and depart every half hour from 10am-2pm, rain or shine.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door with children 4 and younger free. Tickets are available at the visitors center, 1900 South Carson St. or call (775) 687.7410.

As part of its Chamber EDucation program, the North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Sierra Economic Development Corporation is hosting a “Thinking of Selling Your Business” workshop Oct. 12 from noon-1:30pm at Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort, 6834 North Lake Tahoe Blvd., Tahoe Vista.

Deadline to register is Oct. 7.

This workshop is designed for those thinking of taking the leap and selling their business or perhaps have received an offer they can’t refuse. Attendees will learn about the planning, preparation, communications and execution when selling their business that will lead to a positive, profitable life transition.

The presenter is David Frazier, a partner at B2B CFO, the largest financial consulting firm in the country with 184 partners in 39 states. Prior to B2B CFO, Frazier spent more than 25 years in various executive positions in finance and operations at large publicly traded companies.

The cost is $55/person), and participants need to bring their own lunch. To register, call the Sierra Economic Development Corporation at (530) 823.4703 or email info@sedcorp.biz.