The 24th annual Santa Paws Benefit in South Lake Tahoe is Dec. 4 from 11am to 4pm

All pets must be on a leash or in carrier.

The event is at Lakeview Plaza (3300 Lake Tahoe Blvd. — where Freshies is).

Pets and family pose alone or together. You receive a CD for color prints or holiday cards. Bows and antlers provided.

Cost is $20. Cash or checks accepted. All proceeds benefit local animals.

For more information, call (530) 542.2857.

Truckee artist and designer Sara Zimmerman will be celebrating her newest artworks at the opening of her “Fall to Winter” exhibit on Dec. 16 from 4:30 to 6pm at Dragonfly Restaurant in downtown Truckee.

The public is welcome to join in the festivities, where appetizers will be served and a free drawing will take place for a Sara Zimmerman print.

These unique landscapes will be on display now through March 2011.

Zimmerman’s newest works in her “Fall to Winter” exhibit depict the late seasonal change in the Sierra from a unique perspective.

For more information, call (530) 587.7492 or email sara@sarazimmerman.net.

Nevada State Parks invites the public to Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park for “Home Ranch for the Holidays,” a special exhibit of historic toys, games and Christmas decorations from the 1860s through the 1940s.

Highlights of the exhibit include an aluminum Christmas tree complete with a color wheel, the family’s Christmas stockings hung on the mantel, and other Dangberg family holiday decorations.

The exhibit also includes board and card games from the 1870s and 1880s that were played with by Fred Dangberg Jr., and his siblings, as well as numerous toys enjoyed by Fred’s five children and grandson from the 1910s through the 1940s. These include a fully furnished, homemade dollhouse, a small wood-burning cook stove, a child’s drop-front desk and a miniature tea cart. A variety of dolls, handmade doll clothing and doll accessories will be shown. The creative side of children’s play will be explored with a display of puzzles, building toys, paint sets, crayons and coloring books dating from 1900 to 1945.

The exhibit is Dec. 3-5 from noon to 4pm.

The park is located at 1450 Highway 88, one-half mile south of the Carson Valley Swim Center. A map and further information may be found at parks.nv.gov/hr.htm or by calling (775) 783.9417.

The cost is $3 for adults and free for children under 13.

Due to continued public demand, a third screening of the hard-hitting education documentary “Race To Nowhere” is scheduled for Dec. 15 at the Truckee High School theatre from 6:30-9pm.

Sponsored by Sierra Nevada College, Lake Tahoe in partnership with Parents for Public Schools of Truckee-North Tahoe and the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District, this film has already drawn local educators, administrators, parents, and college students from around the Lake Tahoe Basin together for important discussions about the current state of the American school system. Members of SNC’s Department of Teacher Education, Excellence in Education, and the Tahoe Truckee Education Association will facilitate a panel discussion immediately following the film.

“Race to Nowhere” focuses on the saturation point many students, teachers, and parents have reached in the high-stakes, high pressure culture of the current educational system. It highlights the mounting pressures and stresses children experience — from elementary school through high school — in an effort to gain admission to top colleges.

The film is rated PG-13 and runs 1 hour, 25 minutes.

For more information on the event, contact Katrina Midgley at (775) 831.1314, ext. 7517, kmidgley@sierranevada.edu, or Leisa Peterson at (530) 448.1558, ntt.parentadvocacy@yahoo.com.

The Truckee Tahoe Community Chorus concert “Sounds of the Season” is Dec. 11 at 7pm and Dec. 12 at 2pm at the Resort at Squaw Creek.

The program has something for everybody, from light Christmas pops, Hanukkah selections, contemporary religious musical settings, to arias and choruses from Handel’s Messiah.

All children will be admitted free of charge and are invited to join the chorus on stage for our traditional sing along at the conclusion of the concert. For tickets or more information, go to www.singttcc.org. General admission is $12 and preferred seating is $20.

An inaugural family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration in the Heavenly Village will ring in the New Year starting at 2pm with a rail jam near the gondola, followed by a slate of activities from 6–9pm. Events include a snowboard simulator; ice sled motion simulator; adventure films; Reno funk band Jelly Bread; ice skating; and roaming performers.

The evening climaxes at 9pm (midnight East Coast time) when an illuminated gondola car is “dropped” from the top of Heavenly’s East Peak, and a fireworks show will end the night as the grand finale.

South Lake Tahoe is offering a $5 flat fee to park in the Heavenly Village garage from 3-10:30pm Dec. 31.

Lodge to Lodge Kayak Adventure from June 9-12.

The expedition starts on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe and is professionally guided, using stable, closed deck, double sea kayaks designed for kayak touring. In addition to thorough instruction, guides will inform you about natural and human history topics such as: wildlife, geology, ecology, and native peoples.

Kayaking is at a leisurely pace, allowing time to see the sites and enjoy the crystal clear water. Each day’s paddle starts after breakfast, finishes in the afternoon, and is suitable for beginners.

Evenings are enjoyed with meals at local restaurants.

Pricing starts at $520. Call (530) 913.9212 for more details. Distance is 7-10 miles a day.

Astronomy Snowshoe Adventures with Tony Berendsen are Nov. 27, Dec. 22, Dec. 29, Jan. 22 and Feb. 26.

Astronomy Trips include guided snowshoe tour followed by a program by professional astronomer Tony Berendsen, complete with high powered telescopes and iPad for close-up viewing.

Astronomy tours start in either Tahoe Vista or Truckee. Tours are between 2 and 4 miles and appropriate for all ages and abilities. Call for exact start time and location.

Day tours are throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin and Truckee areas. Several snowshoeing adventures are available through the Tahoe Adventure Company.

For more information is online or call 866.830.6125 or (530) 913.9212.

Soroptimist International Tahoe Sierra’s Elegant Evening is April 2 from 6-11pm at Harrah’s.

Tickets are $50 each.

Click here for more info.

River Ranch Restaurant will donate 30 percent of diners’ total food bill to the Truckee Donner Land Trust on Dec. 9 from 6-9pm.

Make reservations (530.583.4264) at least a day in advance, and be sure to tell the person you are dining for the Truckee Donner Land Trust.

The River Ranch is on Highway 89 at Alpine Meadows Road.