The 7th annual Truckee Pink Party Fundraiser coined “The Best Pre-Halloween Costume Party” in town is hosted by Tahoe Forest Health System Foundation to raise money for local breast cancer patients.

Festivities start at 6:30pm Oct. 21 at Bar of America, Pacific Crest in Old Town Truckee.

Through the years a major highlight of the Truckee Pink Party is the outrageously wild pink costumes guests sport in honor of their support for local breast cancer patients and programs. Costume creativity is judged. Prizes are given to the best male and female contestants, assuming judges can tell them apart.

Tickets for the Pink Party cost $25 per person in advance and $35 at the door. To purchase a ticket in advance, go online or call (530) 582.6277. Cost includes one free drink (beer or wine), light appetizers and live music by Truckee’s Emily Tessmer Band. The evening also includes live and silent auctions.

UC Davis Native Demonstration Garden organizers are looking for people to help weed, clean, and plant in the native demonstration garden.

The event is Oct. 4 from 9am-2pm at the UC Davis Tahoe City Field Station, 2400 Lake Forest Road, Tahoe City.

Bring work gloves, hat, lunch, sunscreen and water.

For additional information, contact Katie Merrill at klmerrill@ucdavis.edu or (775) 881.7560, ext. 7483.

Unity at the Lake hosts contemporary eclectic-Celtic-classical-pop-world music singer-songwriter and composer Chris Waltz as guest speaker to share an inspiring talk and music during the Oct. 9 celebration service at 10am.

Using voice, nylon and steel string guitars, mandolin, Irish flutes and whistles, Waltz brings to life the melodic language of each tradition. With his powerful yet gentle voice, each song is finely crafted so the audience can experience the passion and emotion behind each turn of the melody.

The event is at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, 3050 Lake Tahoe Blvd. For more information, call (530) 544.2266.

The 33rd annual Freakers Ball at the Opal Ultra Lounge, Blu Nightclub, and MontBleu Convention Center in Stateline is Oct. 29 at 8pm.

Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 that day; plus tax and fees.

Lake Tahoe Community Pumpkin Festival is a free nonprofit event.

Local businesses will have booths, they’ve donated prizes and materials, there will be children’s games, contests and activities as well as a raffle and food.

The event is Oct. 14 from 5:30-8:30pm at 143 Michelle Drive, Stateline.

For more information, click on festival.

The Al Tahoe neighborhood in South Lake Tahoe is having a clean-up day on Oct. 15 from noon-3pm.

This clean-up day event is the result of feedback from a neighborhood service team meeting this summer. The clean-up event is focusing on collecting trash, not large scale items such as furniture.

Trash bags are being provided courtesy of the Caltrans Adopt-a-Highway program.

Participants should put out their filled trash bags in front of their homes for regular trash collection.

The flyer has more information.

Bob Dog Pizza at Meyers Station is hosting a fundraiser for Tahoe Valley Elementary School PTA annual Walk-A-Thon on Sept. 29 from 11am-9pm.

Mention Tahoe Valley when ordering for 25 percent of the profits to be donated back to TV PTA to fund field trips.

Bob Dog Pizza is located at 3141 Highway 50 in Meyers.

Call (530) 577.2364 to info, to order for pick up or for delivery.

What are the top environmental challenges for our region? Who is working to address these challenges? How can museums be involved? These are some of the questions to be posed on Oct. 14 by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center to discuss how museums can inform their communities about environmental challenges and inspire action.

The 9:30-10:30am event is free and can also be viewed via webcast.

The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center and six other cultural organizations, all representing distinct bioregions across California, will engage museum, environmental, and community leaders in roundtable discussions as part of a statewide initiative, titled Ignite! Museums as Catalysts for Sustainability.

The goals are to explore the fundamental ecological issues facing each region and to seek ways in which museums can be partners in finding solutions to these challenges. The seven concurrent discussions will be connected virtually and environmentalist, entrepreneur, and author Paul Hawken will give the keynote address.

Ignite! Museums as Catalysts for Sustainability is spearheaded by the Green Museums Initiative, a program supported by the California Association of Museums. The regional roundtables will take place concurrently at seven host institutions: the Annenberg Center at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage; San Diego Zoo; Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach; UC Merced Library; California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco; UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center; and Gateway Science Museum in Chico. Each site is convening museum leaders, scientists, environmentalists, community stakeholders, and artists to discuss how to preserve ecosystems and promote healthy communities in their region. Artists participating in the regional roundtable discussions will create artworks for a statewide traveling exhibition by Exhibit Envoy.

South Lake Tahoe Optimist Club’s semi-annual pancake breakfast is Oct. 1 at the senior center.

Breakfast will be served from 8:30-11:30am.

The $5 tickets are available from various youth clubs raising money or can be purchased at the event. All money is donated back to the youth of the community.

Contact Sandy Herback for more information — (530) 544.6500.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit invites residents and visitors to attend the Kokanee Salmon Festival, which celebrates the annual fall migration of kokanee salmon at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center.

The event is Oct. 1-2 from 10am-4pm. The visitor center is located three miles north of South Lake Tahoe on Highway 89.

Participants can learn about the natural wonders of Taylor Creek and take part in many activities, including a salmon barbecue, kokanee trail runs, children’s activities, educational and streamside programs, and much more.

On Sunday at 2pm, Wild Thing, Inc. will present a live wildlife program at the Lake of the Sky Amphitheater. This free program features live animals, which may include a bald eagle, barn owl, turkey vulture, a beaver, and snakes. Because of the live animals on stage, attendees should leave pets at home.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will bring a 40-foot inflatable fish for children to explore, and the festival’s two new mascots, Sandy and Rocky Salmon, will make appearances each day. There will even be a special appearance by Smokey Bear.

The Kokanee Salmon Festival and Oktoberfest at Historic Camp Richardson Resort, occur the same weekend, so the parking lot at the visitor center fills quickly. Visitors are encouraged to ride a bike or walk along the bike path between Camp Richardson and the visitor center, or take public transportation from South Lake Tahoe. BlueGo and the Nifty Fifty trolley will provide special service for these events. Contact them at (530) 541.7149.

All proceeds from T-shirt sales, festival pin sales, and the trail runs benefit the U.S. Forest Service environmental education programs in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

For more information and a complete schedule of activities, call (530) 543.2674.