During the winter of 1960 athletes from around the world came to Lake Tahoe to participate in the Winter Olympic Games. The biathlon and cross country (XC) events of the V111 Winter Olympics were held in what is now Ed Z’Berg Sugar Pine Point State Park. A portion of the marked XC trails takes you on a loop through the heart of the men’s events where you travel with the spirit of the games on the trails of the biathlon and men’s events. This historic venue will come alive with the Olympic spirit as the public is invited to join us for a week of special events celebrating the Olympic Heritage.

Jan. 7 at 11am the Olympic Snow Trails open.

The 13K blue, red and green ski trail systems located at Sugar Pine Point State Park will be professionally groomed for the duration of our Olympic Heritage Celebration week thanks to the generous donation of grooming equipment from Kasshohrer All Terrain Vehicles. The marked trail system will open to cross country skiers today and be maintained though Jan. 15. There are trails available for all skill levels and the surrounding scenery is breathtaking. A series of interpretive signage will guide you though the historic Olympic trails contained in the park. Free trail maps are available at the park entrance station and there is no fee for trail use.

Parking fees $8.

Snowshoe Cocktail Race at the Beacon Restaurant on the South Shore are billed as: You’ve never had this much fun on the snow!

Race around the course with snowshoes and a cocktail on a tray and don’t spill a drop. Or just come cheer.

Races starts at 7pm on Jan. 21, Feb. 18 and March 10.

The inaugural Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce Breakfast is Jan. 26 from 8-9:30 at Inn by the Lake in South Lake Tahoe.

Learn what the chamber has been up to for the past five years and what’s in store for the future.

Guest speakers include chamber President B Gorman as well as board members and staff.

Tickets are $5 for members and $10 for non-members.

For more information, contact Emily Abernathy t Emily@tahoechamber.org or (775) 588.1728, ext. 303.

Unity at the Lake’s New Year’s Burning Bowl Ceremony is Dec. 31 from 7-8pm at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, 3050 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

Come experience a powerful and healing Burning Bowl ceremony. A wonderful opportunity to release all that no longer serves our highest selves and choose what we want to bring into the new year.

For more info, call (530) 544.2266.

Unity at the Lake’s Christmas Eve Candle Lighting Service is at 6:30pm at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, 3050 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

From 7-8pm is 12 Powers Candle Lighting Service. Explore the 12 “Gifts of God” in this sacred Unity at the Lake tradition.

For more info, call (530) 544.2266.

Manzarek-Rogers Band plays at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe on Jan. 14 at 7:30pm.

Cost is $20. For tickets, call 800.786.8208.

“Tartuffe: Born Again,” a contemporary adaptation of Moliere’s classic French comedy, translated and adapted by Freyda Thomas, will be performed at the Duke Theatre at Lake Tahoe Community College in South Lake Tahoe.

Moliere’s legendary comedic characters are delightfully at home in this modern day version that played at New York’s Circle in the Square. Tartuffe is now a shamed televangelist who uses his telegenic charms to scam the wealthy Orgon into financing his new television show. Written in modern verse, this fast-paced and hilarious play shines a light on religious hypocrisy and those who manipulate the media to enhance their own image and exploit the unsuspecting for personal advantage.

Performances:

March 9 8pm

March 10 8pm

March 11 2pm

March 15 8pm

March 16 8pm

March 17 8pm

March 18 2pm.

Celebrate winter at the free Family Science Day on Jan. 5 from 2-5pm at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Science.

There will be hands-on winter-themed science activities for kids ages 8 and older. Families are invited to explore the mysteries of snow and ice, conduct scientific experiments to discover what snowflakes look like under microscopes, what wind chill actually is, and why some animals hibernate, among many other activities.

For details, contact Andrea Wilkins at alwilkins@ucdavis.edu or (775) 881.7560, ext. 7474.

The center is at 291 Country Club Drive, Incline Village.

Tahoe Center for Orthopedics’ and U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team physicians Terrence Orr and Jonathan Finnoff will give a lecture focusing on ski and snowboard injury prevention and treatment options on Jan. 5 from 6-7pm at Lake Tahoe Community College (One College Avenue, South Lake Tahoe).

The event is free.

In addition to ski and snowboard injury awareness, surgical and non-surgical approaches to injury treatment will be addressed.

Orr and Finnoff bring years of winter injury experience, serving Lake Tahoe and beyond. From the beginner snowboarder to the advanced skier, this talk will address a multitude of accident scenarios and prevention techniques.

This lecture is part of Barton Health’s 2012 wellness lectures. Attendees will receive an attendance “punch card” and automatically be entered to win a 2012-13 season pass to a Lake Tahoe ski resort, in addition to other prizes.

For more information, call (530) 543.5656.

The Tahoe Science Consortium and Sierra Nevada College will host the 2012 Tahoe Science Conference May 22-24 on at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village.

The theme of the conference will be “Environmental Restoration in a Changing Climate”. Lake Tahoe and many other high alpine lakes around the world are being increasingly stressed by climatic changes and urban development. Compounding these factors are economic stresses on government agencies, local communities, the environmental community, and the public.

The 2012 Tahoe Science Conference is designed to encourage creative dialogue among scientists, artists, environmental managers, public officials, and the general public about how to protect high alpine ecosystems under changing environmental and social climates.

The registration fee covers all program activities beginning Tuesday afternoon and extending through Thursday evening. Register online.

For more information, contact Tina Triplett at (775) 473.5473 or creativerno@charter.net.