Kid’s Night Out at the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center are Fridays from 6:30–10pm.
Cost is $25 and includes pizza dinner, swimming, games, and a movie (G or PG).
Call to register — (530) 542.6056.
The Summer Keynote Speaker Series at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center begins the first week of July and continues every Thursday evening through August at the Lake of the Sky Amphitheater.
The series kicks off July 5 with “Wild Things” featuring Sierra Nevada native animals live on stage at 7pm.
Programs in July include “An Evening with Mark Twain” on July 12 at 7pm, “Winged flight at Night” on July 19 at 8:30pm and “Climate Change, Forests and Fire” on July 26 at 8:30pm.
The visitor center also offers an assortment of visitor and kids programs daily as well as “Wild Outdoor Movie Night” Saturday nights through August. Upcoming films include “Bears: an IMAX movie featuring bears of the world” on July 7 at 8:30pm, “Beaver: an IMAX movie featuring beaver behavior and more” on July 14 at 8:30pm, “Keeper of the Flame: fire behavior and how to be better prepared” on July 21 at 8:30pm and “Frogs: the Think Green Line” on July 28 at 8:30pm.
These programs are sponsored by the Forest Service and the Tahoe Heritage Foundation. The Tahoe Heritage Foundation is a non-profit organization that works with the Forest Service to conduct interpretive and environmental education programs in the Tahoe. Donations to the Tahoe Heritage Foundation are welcome.
The Taylor Creek Visitor Center is located approximately three miles north of South Lake Tahoe on the lake side of Highway 89.
For more information, call (530) 543.2674 or go online.
Bring a blanket, a picnic, and the family for an hour of music on the lawn outside the South Lake Tahoe branch library on Wednesdays in July.
The free 6-7pm events are sponsored by Friends of the Library.
July 11: Seán Cummings, bagpiper for more 25 years.
July 18: Slim and Minnie, American heritage music.
July 25: Dream Spirit Baroque Band.
South Lake Tahoe library is at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd.
By Kathryn Reed
Having South Lake Tahoe be absorbed by El Dorado County, and turning the ice rink into a private enterprise are the two issues the El Dorado County Grand Jury wrote reports on involving the city.
While South Tahoe Public Utility District was a target of an investigation, grand jury foreman Ted Long said no report was made.
The entire grand jury report is expected to be available within a matter of days.
Lake Tahoe News has received advance copies of some of the reports.
Long said he is the one who initiated the query into consolidating the city into the county.
“What is the city doing that is so earth shattering?” Long said to Lake Tahoe News. “I think it would be better to get rid of the city.”
The report says, “This grand jury is suggesting that a dialog should begin to reinvent the meaning of local government. What are our priorities and how can they best be paid for? Have we outgrown the traditional notions? Are we using technology to its maximum benefit?”
If South Lake Tahoe wanted the county to take over, first it would have to dissolve, as in no longer being an incorporated city. This requires LAFCo (Local Agency Formation Commission) to be involved.
Long should know all of this because when he was on the South Lake Tahoe City Council he was the city’s rep to LAFCo.
With the voters in the mid-1960s agreeing to incorporate, it takes the voters of South Lake Tahoe to unincorporate. Only two cities in California have done so. That was in the 1970s – one did so because it was broke, the other because of rampant corruption.
The grand jury report says money would be saved by consolidating city and county resources and getting rid of the city. Long said this would happen by not having duplicate top administrators.
But consolidation isn’t that easy because of labor agreements, debt the city has and assets it owns.
City Manager Nancy Kerry said if dissolution was so easy cities like Stockton would be looking at doing so instead of filing for bankruptcy. Plus, the difficulty in actually dissolving redevelopment agencies in California proves the process is convoluted.
“I think we should look at the broader picture. Should we leverage resources? Sure. We are talking to the school district and everyone,” Kerry told Lake Tahoe News.
This week the city met again with Lake Valley fire officials to discuss creating a partnership. While no decisions have been made, the city is looking at ways to save money and get rid of duplicate resources.
While the civil grand jury wants the city to save money, having a private company operate the taxpayer built ice rink is not a good thing, according to the second report. This, despite the fact the city is saving in excess of $100,000 by not operating the rink. That figure does not include the profit margin the operators are to pay the city.
The grand jury issued five recommendations regarding the ice rink. The main one is to go back to the voters to see if they are OK with the rink being operated by a private company. The other recommendations are things like mandating the council respond to grand jury emails. But protocol would be to have the city attorney respond to legal matters.
“Private-public partnerships have been legal for a long time,” Kerry said in regards to the flap involving the piece of ice.
She said when the city receives a copy of the report City Attorney Patrick Enright will review any legal issues that are brought up and the findings will be in the city’s response to the grand jury.
When the grand jury report is officially out, it will be accessible online. This June 25 LTN article is about the Pioneer Fire Protection District hiring a political consultant with taxpayer dollars and the ties El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Steven Bailey has to the consultant.
The Sugar Pine Foundation is organizing guided hikes and tree climbing demonstrations at Van Sickle Bi-State Park this summer.
Join an expert naturalist to hike to the waterfall (about 2 miles) and learn about the king of pines.
When: June 30, July 20, July 27 and Aug. 4.
Time: 10am-noon.
Where: Nevada parking lot at Van Sickle Bi-State Park.
For the Saturday hikes, RSVP to Maria@SugarPineFoundation.org. More information is on the flyer.
For the Friday family hikes sign up on the Tahoe Rim Trail Association website.
In an effort to encourage families to attend this year’s Lake Tahoe Reggae Festival, tickets for kids 12 and under are $10, and all children 6 and younger are free. These special kids’ tickets can be picked up at the box office only. Kids must be present with adult ticketholders.
June 30 is the inaugural Lake Tahoe Reggae Festival at the MontBleu outdoor. The all-day festival will feature reggae-dub-rock band Pepper, along with New Zealand’s Katchafire, Hawaiian Reggae sensation, J Boog, Hot Rain, Keyser Soze, The Mark Sexton Band, UpRising, and Squarefield Massive from Sacramento.
General admission tickets are $39 – (775) 588.3515.
Doors open at 1:30pm, first band starts at 2pm.
El Dorado County offers plenty of things to do and places to go with your dog.
Travelers can turn to the new “El Dorado County Visitors’ Guide” featuring listings with paw prints to indicate pet-friendly attractions and lodging in the area. Along Main Street in Placerville, look for paw prints in windows to identify pet-friendly stores, shops and cafes.
There are hundreds of miles of scenic hiking trails where dogs are allowed on leashes or under direct voice control. Choices abound in the Eldorado National Forest and Desolation Wilderness.
On the West Shore, stay at Meeks Bay, where you’ll find a campground, resort and marina that are dog-friendly.
On the South Shore, Fallen Leaf and Tahoe Valley RV campgrounds welcome dogs.
Most El Dorado County farms and ranches welcome well-behaved dogs on leashes.
Many of the family owned wineries welcome well-mannered, leashed dogs, and several have winery dogs and cats on the property. Before visiting, contact destinations to verify that they are dog-friendly.
By Dina Kupfer, KRNV-TV
SPARKS — Call it ironic that Bruce Osgood would have the word “good” in his last name.
Four times a week, this retired 72 year old can be seen doing a good deed – picking up trash along Pyramid Highway.
“My goal right now is to keep the Pyramid Lake Highway clean for the six-mile stretch between Queens Way and Eagle Canyon Drive,” explains Osgood.
Osgood began hiking Pyramid Highway to train for bigger feats, like hiking Mt. Whitney and the Tahoe Rim Trail, but after suffering from two strokes over the last few years, this 12-mile round trip journey now serves as Osgood’s pathway to a healthy life.
By Kathryn Reed
Summer always seems like sandwich season to me. But that doesn’t mean it has to be a cold sandwich.
One of my favorite hot sandwiches is grilled cheese. While we don’t have a panini maker, we do have an indoor grill of sorts that Sue uses for grilled cheese when she isn’t making them on the barbecue.
The thing that can make them different is trying various cheeses, add a layer of pesto, fresh basil, tomatoes, avocado slices – the possibilities are endless.
Truckee River Winery just started offering food this year. Tasting wine with a panini equals perfection. Chef Willy Carroll, who usually works at the Tahoe Mountain Club, helps out at the winery on bocce night. We happened to be there on such a Monday night.
Plenty of sandwich shops abound. Where do you recommend going or what do you make at home?
I just tried something new for me, but it’s an oldie.
On occasion I can tell I have not had enough protein. Last week was one of those occasions. Instead of my usual veggie burger or scrambled eggs I decided to make an egg salad sandwich.
At my age, I probably should have made one of these before. Well, I hadn’t – so I winged it. And what came out was pretty darn good.
I just remember loving the egg salad sandwiches my mom would make for my school lunches. So often they were served on homemade hamburger buns. I am still a bit fearful of making breads, but maybe when mom comes up this summer I will get another lesson. She is the expert.
Of course the mixture could just be a salad and not made into a sandwich. Skipping the bread would make it healthier. And adding more horseradish would give it more kick.
Sierra Egg Salad
5 hard boiled eggs
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp horseradish
4 T light mayonnaise
1 small tomato, chopped
Chop the eggs and place into a bowl big enough to mix all ingredients. Add the next three ingredients. Taste; adjust until the flavor is to your liking. Add tomato.
Serve on toasted multigrain bread.
This makes two-plus sandwiches – depends how hungry you are.
The audiences will likely be dancing in their seats at Sierra Tahoe Children’s Theater’s performances of the “The Rockin’ Tale of Snow White” on Friday.
This doo wop, be bop, hip hop rendition of the fairytale features a cast of 39 local children who have participated in the annual theater workshop for the last two weeks. Snow White is portrayed by Kristen Harnett, Prince Charming by Nick Husiak and the blues singing Evil Queen is Aurora Gooch.
There are salsa dancing dwarves, back up dancers who hip hop for Tyler Martin the rapping mirror, along with a cast of other fun characters in the show.
The performances are at noon and 6pm June 29 in the multipurpose room at Tahoe Valley Elementary School.
Admission is free.