The 28th annual Carson City Rendezvous, the area’s largest special event, returns June 10–12 to celebrate the Wild West and Civil War era history.

The 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s presidential inauguration is one of many new events for the free three-day Civil War-era living history set at Mills Park.

The opening ceremony will be a special re-enactment of the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, the nation’s 16th president, at Mills Park that Saturday at 10am.

To commemorate the Lincoln presidency, Rendezvous participants and encampments will join in a pageant of costume and theater, followed by a special swearing in of U.S. citizens by the U.S. Naturalization and Immigration Department. The opening ceremony will feature a special re-enactment of the inauguration Abraham Lincoln.

The Rendezvous is noted for portraying the lifestyle of early Nevada settlers, complete with gun skirmishes, mountain man encampments and trapping demonstrations. Organizers this year have moved the famous Civil War-era gun battles from afternoon to dusk, to capture the backdrop of live-fire, flash-bang rounds exploded from muskets.

The event is where the authentic and re-enactment collide, whether it’s the lingering smell of gunpowder after musket battle demonstrations, the boom of Civil War-era cannons or the taste of beans and bacon cooked in cast-iron dutch ovens over an open fire.

The all-ages event runs Friday from noon-9pm, Saturday from 10am-9pm and Sunday, 10am-5pm.

For more information, go online or call (775) 687.7410.

Docks are in and the store is about to open at Fallen Leaf Lake.

At the meeting this weekend for the community services district, the board unanimously approved the five-year concessionaire contract with Tahoe Recreation, a division of California Land Management.

“We devoutly wish for some continuity here,” board President Tom Bacchetti told Lake Tahoe News.

The private company is in the process of stocking the store’s shelves and readying everything for operation at the South Shore lake. It’s expected the store will be open the second weekend of June.

The marina was open on the chilly, snowy Memorial Day weekend for boats to launch. The docks, however, went in afterward.

Also at the May 28 meeting, the board made Fire Chief Gary Gerren permanent general manager. His contracts as fire chief and general manager are for five years.

— Kathryn Reed

An open house regarding the South Tahoe Greenway bike trail is scheduled for June 15 from 6-8pm at the Forest Service office, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe.

• Rep. Eliot Engle, D-N.Y., will be the commencement speaker June 24 at Lake Tahoe Community College.

• Edible Communities and its 70 magazines, including Edible Reno-Tahoe, won the first James Beard Foundation Publication of the Year Award.

• Lake Tahoe Unified School District board give Superintendent Jim Tarwater a glowing review this month. But finances such as they are, it comes with a gold star, not cash – and a one-year extension.

• “Question of the Week” has replaced “Tahoe Facts” on Lake Tahoe News. Chime in with our opinion and send question ideas to info@LakeTahoeNews.net.

• Walsworth Publishing representative Natasha McGlinn presented a Gallery of Excellence Award to South Tahoe High School yearbook students Torrie Zaccor, Sarah Benedict, Zaida Landeros, Jan Wirtz, and Kailey Killeen for their consistency and dedication in producing a yearbook that will be used as an example nationwide.

The Grouse Ridge Restoration volunteers are planning several events to continue the restoration of the lookout in the Tahoe National Forest and fundraising efforts this year, however, heavy snow may limit access until mid-summer.

According to Larry Gruver, volunteer project coordinator, several work weekends will be hosted this season at the lookout and in the local area.

“One work day is planned locally to paint all the siding and trim. And before work on the actual lookout can be done by public volunteers, some preliminary work will be done by the Forest Service and licensed volunteer contractors to complete the hazard mitigation on the lower part of the lookout, reconstruct the outhouse, and concrete work. Later in the summer, four or five work days will be scheduled at the lookout once the pre-work is completed. The big unknown right now is when snow melt will allow access,” stated Gruver.

Fundraisers

Two fund-raising efforts are under way to raise the last $4,000 needed to complete the purchase of supplies/materials. A raffle will be held with prizes including: stays at the lookout; a sailing trip on San Francisco Bay; a bench made from a ski chairlift from Sugar Bowl; a Ride with a Ranger; and many other prizes of local wine, food and services. Tickets are available for $5 per ticket or $20 for five. For more information on the raffle, to donate prizes, or to obtain tickets, contact Rich at (530) 272-7109.

In addition, a benefit dinner will be hosted by Jerry Cirino at Cirino’s At Main Street in Grass Valley on July 27. The theme of this dinner will be to celebrate the Grouse Ridge Lookout and its history. A special menu with “rustic fare” will be served. Reservations can be made at (530) 477.6000. The winning raffle tickets will be drawn at the dinner.

Grouse history

The lookout was constructed in 1923 and has not been used since 1970s. Intense summer sun, winter storms, and vandals have taken their toll on the building. The interior was gutted, windows broken, and cabinets damaged. The exterior has suffered as well. Monetary donations will be used to buy supplies/materials for the restoration with the labor being donated by the restoration team. Once restored, the lookout will be a rental facility in the Tahoe National Forest.

The restoration effort is a part of the Forest Fire Lookout Association, a not for profit organization so that all donations are tax deductible.

Additional information is available online.

Grouse Ridge Lookout is located north of Interstate 80, about half way between Nevada City and Truckee, overlooking the popular Grouse Lakes/Bowman Reservoir area.

The California Highway Patrol and the South Lake Tahoe Police Department worked together to put two suspected armed robbers behind bars late Monday evening.

At about 10:30pm May 30, an 18-year-old South Lake Tahoe resident was walking alone in a residential neighborhood to visit a friend. A vehicle pulled up beside her. As it did, a man jumped from the front passenger seat of the vehicle and demanded she give him her purse. When the victim hesitated, the suspect brandished a knife and the victim surrendered her purse.

The thief then got back into the vehicle and a female driver sped away.

Officers Travis Cabral and Ric Martinez broadcast a suspect and vehicle description to other officers and agencies in the area. A CHP officer heard the description. He had just issued a citation to a female for running a stop sign in the same area as the robbery.

He was able to provide a name, description, address and vehicle information, including the license plate number to the South Tahoe officers.

Kathryn Mundt of Rocklin admitted to the robbery and told officers she and Michael Barnett, also of Rocklin, had committed the robbery to obtain gas money. Barnett did not admit to the theft, but was positively identified by the victim as the man who took her purse at knifepoint.

The knife was recovered in the suspect vehicle.

Barnett and Mundt were booked into the El Dorado County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

El Dorado County residents who reside on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe who have electronics, furniture, mattresses, appliances, tires and other large trash items to throw away may dump them for $5 per truckload June 4 from 8am-4pm.

Nevada residents may dump their junk for $10 a truckload.

This Clean Tahoe’s annual Community Clean Up Day.

Free secure document shredding and free e-waste disposal will also be available.

Bring the junk to the South Tahoe Refuse Transfer Station at 2140 Ruth Ave., South Lake Tahoe.

Clean Tahoe’s mission is to keep El Dorado County clean and beautiful. In partnership with Vail Resort’s Echo charitable giving program, Clean Tahoe Program is opening up the gates to South Tahoe Refuse Transfer Station so local residents can throw unwanted items away at a minimal cost.

The annual Ren Faire at Camp Richardson is June 4-5 and June 11-12 from 10am-6pm.

Go online for more information.

Dog training for your best friend. Positive reinforcement training.

Puppy classes begin June 8 and are from 6:15-7:15pm; adult class start the same day and are from 7:30-8:30pm. Classes are every Wednesday for six weeks.

Classes are at Tahoe Best Friends, 2197 Ruth Ave., South Lake Tahoe.

Call (530) 542.2336 for a reservation.

Sierra Watershed Education Partnerships is having its annual sunset cruise benefit on June 9 from 5-7:30pm.

Read the flyer for more information.