Celebration of Writers around the lake is Sept. 17 at 7pm in the Grand Hall at Valhalla on the South Shore.
Tahoe Writers Works hosts talent from the lake and beyond in a smart, funny, and inspirational night of prose.
The $10 fee includes wine reception and reading.
Microbe Planet: Life on Earth, Extreme Environments and Astrobiology will presented by Alison Murray of the Desert Research Institute on Sept. 9.
What kinds of life inhabit extreme environments? What strategies do they use to survive? What significance does this research have for the history of life on Earth and future studies on other planets?
As an overview of Murray’s current research, this program will provide a better understanding of the unseen life forms that dominate this planet and connect the study of life on earth and studies elsewhere in the Universe.
The discovery of a Martian meteorite in the Antarctic with evidence of microbial life resulted in a new field of science called astrobiology. This field has grown rapidly in the last 10 years as evidence of water on Mars and the moon of Jupiter and other bodies in the solar system have been discovered.
Murray’s research in aquatic and ice-laden environments utilizes new approaches for exploring the diversity and complexity of microbial life in order to understand how life functions and adapts to its surroundings here on earth. The implications of this work have far-reaching significance for understanding the history of life on Earth.
Murray has led a research program at the Desert Research Institute since 2001 focused on studying free-living and symbiotic aquatic microorganisms and their ecology to understand their capabilities for survival in often extreme environments. Murray’s research utilizes molecular tools to examine diversity, activity, community composition and genomic structure. Her work is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing upon oceanography, geosciences, computational biology, and chemistry. She has also worked in Lake Tahoe to characterize the diversity of organisms throughout the water column.
The program is presented by Squaw Valley Institute and UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center. For additional information, visit www.squawvalleyinstitute.org or terc.ucdavis.edu.
Time: 6:30pm no-host bar; 7pm program
Cost: $10
Location: Assembly Rooms 139 and 141 Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, 291 Country Club Drive, Incline Village, on the campus of Sierra Nevada College.
A public hearing, hosted by the El Dorado County Mental Health Commission, will be on Sept. 7 from noon-1pm to receive input on the El Dorado County 2010-11 Mental Health Services Act Plan Update.
The hearing will be conducted via teleconference at two locations:
El Dorado County EMS Agency, 415 Placerville Drive, Ste. K, Placerville and El Dorado County Public Health, 1360 Johnson Blvd, No. 103, South Lake Tahoe.
The draft plans include updated information on proposed MHSA program activities and budgets for this year. Plans under review include: Community Services and Supports, Workforce Education and Training, and Prevention and Early Intervention. The draft plans are posted on the El Dorado County Health Services Department, Mental Health Division’s website at www.edcgov.us/mentalhealth/mhsa.html.
Copies may be obtained by contacting Stephanie Carlson at (530) 621.6315. Comments may be emailed to mhsa@edcgov.us.
Buona Sera Ristorante & Bar in Minden is having a cooking class with the chef on Aug. 30 from 5-7pm. This is a practical course for a group, followed by a tasting dinner with the chef.
Individual fee is $25, plus materials and ingredients fee not to exceed $22.
Bring your apron and knives.
Call (530) 632.9516 to signup.
Last year, more than 3,000 volunteers around the Sierra came together to remove more than 100 tons of trash. More than 100 communities, across 22 counties and stretching across 500 river miles pull appliances, cigarette butts, beverage cans, baby diapers, tires, furniture, and more from the rivers and streams that supply California with 65 percent of its water.
This year’s cleanup day is Sept. 25 from 9am-noon. If you aren’t part of an assigned group, drop by El Dorado Beach to be assigned a location.
This event is in partnership with California Coastal Cleanup Day, an acclaimed statewide event that brings together tens of thousands of volunteers to clean up debris from our state’s beaches, lakes and waterways.
This year, six Tahoe area organizations have joined together to put on this event in South Lake Tahoe. Choose one of our 13 clean up sites to take part in this epic event. Click here to sign up.
Bring your own bag for the debris, plus gloves and water. Buckets could be used instead of individual bags.
All volunteers are invited to a cleanup celebration afterward. Enjoy food and drinks, local music and raffle prizes.
Call Ellen Nunes at Clean Tahoe for more information — (530) 544.4210.
The 3rd Annual John Reichert Memorial Classic Car Show is Sept. 11 from noon-2pm at the Kings Beach State Recreation Area. This event is open to the public; both spectators and those who wish to show their cars.
John Reichert was a member of the North Tahoe Public Utility District Recreation and Parks Commission who passed away in 2008 and was involved in the development of the Friends of the Park Fund. This fund goes to support capital projects in the North Tahoe Regional Park. Current fundraising is focused on raising money for a new children’s playground.
A barbecue benefiting the North Tahoe Public Utility District Friends of the Park Fund will be available during the show.
Anyone wishing to show their car should contact Dave Shelton to RSVP at (530) 583.3787 or tahoed@gmail.com There is no cost to participate, but a count of cars is important to determine the car layout in the parking lot.
Baroque Brassy is Classy is the program being brought to St. Theresa Catholic Church in South Lake Tahoe by TOCCATA on Aug. 23 at 7:30pm.
Mark Lord, Robert Nagel, William van Meter and Joe Savage on the trumpets will perform Baroque Concerti for 1,2, and 3 trumpets and strings. Also included in the program will be the Handel Organ Concerto OP 4 No. 2 and the Bach Cantata. Also featured are Toni Healy, flute; Marianne Maytan, oboe; Darrell Moore clarinet; Ben Benson, bassoon; and Bruce Kanzelmayer, French horn.
For more information, visit www.ToccataTahoe.com.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 seniors age 62 and up, and $5 for students.
Dale and Donna Rise, long-time locals and owners of Aloha Ice Cream, are having a fund-raising event to honor the memory of Kaleb James Martin Curtzwiler, who passed away recently.
Curtzwiler was a U.S. Navy veteran who served in Afghanistan, a South Tahoe native, and son of Ken and Pam Curtzwiler.
Donna Rise observed, “Kaleb was a true American hero and will remain in the hearts of our community forever.This event will help the Curtzwiler family in their time of need.”
The fund-raising benefit will be Aug. 25 from 5-10pm at Aloha Ice Cream located in the Lakeview Building at 3330 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.
Community members are urged to stop by, purchase an ice cream treat, and enjoy the lake view in the company of other local families. In addition, there will be a silent auction and opportunities to donate to the cause. All proceeds will benefit the Curtzwiler family.
For additional information or to donate silent auction items, contact Dale or Donna Rise at (775) 781.4777 or (775) 781.2777.
Determine your fitness level on a 23-mile challenge hike with the TRTA. Join experienced volunteer guides for a day of hiking on the longest segment of the Tahoe Rim Trail.
The trail from Kingsbury Grade south to Big Meadow maintains a 10 percent or less grade, however there are some steep rocky sections around Monument Pass. Much of this route is exposed and above 9,000 feet.
Meet at Big Meadow trailhead at 6am Aug. 27, where the appropriate number of cars will be selected to shuttle the Kingsbury South trailhead. After the hike, a couple volunteers will be needed to bring shuttle drivers back to their cars.
Meeting Place: Big Meadow Trailhead
Time: 6am
Distance: 23.1 Miles
Expected Length: 10 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Bring: Lunch, snacks, and at least two liters of water. Water is available to filter at Star Lake. If you have a filter, bring it on this hike. Bring raincoat, sun protection (hat, sunglasses, and lotion).
Fitness Level/Special Skills: Please note that this hike is designed for experienced hikers who are in good physical condition. This is a long hike. Hikers should be comfortable hiking all day. Although there will be periodic breaks, a steady pace needs to be maintained in order to finish the hike at a reasonable time of day.
Pre-registration is required for all hikes. For more information or to sign-up for these hikes call the TRTA office at (775) 298.0012 or email jaimes@tahoerimtrail.org
Toast the end of the summer season during the 22nd Annual Alpen Wine Festival at The Village at Squaw Valley on Sept. 5. Wine aficionados will sip fine vintages while taking in the mountain scenery and listening to live music, all to help raise money for Can Do Multiple Sclerosis.
The Village at Squaw teams up with Uncorked Wine Bar to host an event where the aroma of the wines is accompanied by the perfume of the pines. For a $40 donation to Can Do Multiple Sclerosis, guests will sip vintages served in a crystal souvenir wine glass from 2 to 5pm.
Event attendees can enjoy a variety of flavors from more than 40 wineries such as Napa Valley winemaking pioneers Venge Vineyards, Canihan Family Cellars, known for their award-winning Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc crafted on their certified organic estate vineyards in the heart of the Sonoma Valley, and Flowers, which grows and produces cool-climate wines that authentically express the unique character of the coolest areas of the rugged Sonoma Coast. The Alpen Wine Festival also will feature wines from Hall, Three Families, Vinum Cellars, Pine Ridge, Dierberg, Twisted Rivers, Merriam Winery, Praxis Cellars and many more.
Tickets will be available starting at 1pm on Sunday in The Village. The majority of wines served at the event also can be purchased at Uncorked.
The Alpen Wine Festival also will feature a silent auction room and raffle, which will help provide additional support for Can Do Multiple Sclerosis, formerly known as The Heuga Center. Festival attendees can bid on more than 50 items, including artwork, dinners at restaurants, magnums signed by winemakers, mixed cases of wine and more.
Can Do MS, formerly The Heuga Center for Multiple Sclerosis, is an innovative provider of lifestyle empowerment programs for people with MS and their support partners. A national nonprofit organization, they empower people to move beyond their MS by giving them the knowledge, skills, tools and confidence to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors, actively co-manage their disease and live their best lives.
For more information, visit www.Squaw.com or call (530) 584.6266.