Barton Foundation’s annual Signature Cocktail Contest is Sept. 8 from 5:30-8pm at Riva Grill in South Lake Tahoe. Must be at least 21 to attend.

The contest is the kick off to the Festival of Trees and Lights which is the first weekend in December at MontBleu in Stateline. Both events benefit the expansion and renovation of Barton’s Community Clinic.

Taste specialty cocktails by local mixologists, heavy appetizers, music from Cool Black Kettle. Watch our local “celebrities” ham it up while they vote for “Best Cocktail,” and then cast your ballot for “Most Congenial Bartender.”

Tickets are $25 through Sept. 7 and $30 at the door. Purchase them online or call (530) 543.5614.

Author Janet Kaidantzis will sign her book “Fallen Leaf, A Lake and its People: at the Lake Tahoe Museum on Aug. 19 form 3-6pm.

The cover says, “From the Washoe to the pioneering families of Nathan Gilmore, Lucky Baldwin and William Price to the artists, academics and craftsmen of the early community, Fallen Leaf Lake drew people to its natural beauty who left a legacy in stories, legends and land.” Kaidantzis and Bill Craven will answer questions about the past at Fallen Leaf Lake.

The museum is at 3058 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

The Village at Squaw Valley is paying tribute to man – and woman’s – best friend with the 2nd Annual Peaks and Paws Festival on Aug. 27-28.

Dogs and their owners can enjoy bluegrass music, wine and an array of events and demonstrations specifically designed for furry friends. A line-up of some of the region’s most popular bluegrass acts will play in the village each day from 2-8pm, with outdoor events kicking off earlier in the day. All of the proceeds from the festival will benefit the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe.

The Dead Winter Carpenters will headline the festival along with a lineup of hit bluegrass acts including Montana Slim String Band and Brothers Comatose. The music compliments the perfect setting for sipping wine, sampling craft beers and enjoying the mountain views.

The Peaks and Paws Festival hosts an evening wine tasting in The Village at Squaw Valley from 5-8pm both days. The wine tasting costs $25 per day, with all proceeds benefiting the Humane Society. Lagunitas beer is also available for $4 from 2-8pm.

The festival’s pet-partner events will kick off on Saturday with the Mutt Strut – a 3K run for dog owners and pets. The run will start and finish in front of Squaw Dogs in The Village. The Mutt Strut costs $5 to enter, with all proceeds benefiting the Humane Society. People without pets are also welcome.

Peaks and Paws welcomes two pet-friendly hikes this year. On Aug. 27, people and pets can join a guided hike around High Camp, exploring the wildflowers and wildlife that live at 8.200 feet. On Aug. 28, there will be a guided hike through the cascading waterfalls of Shirley Canyon. Both hikes start at 1pm and are free of charge, though a Cable Car ticket is needed to access Saturday’s hike.

For more information and details about all the events for that weekend, go online.

Lake Tahoe’s All-Women Sports Camp is hosting a weekend of mountain biking, road cycling, triathlon training and running for women of all abilities on Aug. 20-21 at Northstar-at-Tahoe.

The weekend will include endurance clinics, group bike rides, group runs, yoga on the beach, and stand-up paddleboard.

The All-Women Sports Camp will be led by mountain biker Marla Streb; professional triathlete Jessi Stensland; and former U.S. cycling team member Julie Young.

For more information, go online or call (530) 563.889.

On Aug. 10, the South Lake Tahoe AAUW will host a summer get-together between 4:30 and 6pm at the Rotary

Gazebo at Bijou Community Park, 1201 Al Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

AAUW is a national organization which supports equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. Potential members are welcome and information about the local branch, including monthly speakers, interest groups and sponsorship of scholarships and camperships will be available.

Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact kmhende@charter.net or (530) 544.5150.

TAMBA’s Aug. 20 trail day will be work on the Christmas Valley trail. Work will include rounding turns, enhancing flow, bashing down square edge rocks, and fixing drainage problems.

Lunch and post work barbecue with drinks will be provided to all volunteers — plus some goodies to give away.

Meet at 9am at the lower parking lot on South Upper Truckee in Meyers.

A special performance by Tahoe Youth Ballet at Sugar Pine Point State Park is designed to raise money for the ballet and Sierra State Parks Foundation.

The Aug. 17 event begins at 6pm. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 that day. Call 800.838.3006 for tickets.

Bring a chair, picnic dinner or buy food-wine at the event.

Saturday Mornings, the award-winning morning discussion and lecture series collaboration of Sierra Nevada College and Incline Village Parks & Recreation Senior Programs continue this fall.

College faculty and other knowledgeable locals present bite-size offerings of intellectually stimulating material to pique people’s interest and challenge their sensibilities.

An optional continental breakfast will be provided for $3.

Sierra Nevada College Professor Katie Zanto has been nominated as one of L.L. Bean’s top 10 Outdoor Heroes based on her work founding the Adventure Risk Challenge Program—a place-based program that integrates wilderness challenges with a rigorous literacy and leadership curriculum. Zanto is an educator, who, fueled by a great dedication to the environment, has created a variety of unusual unique opportunities for youth to discover their own passion and love for the outdoors. It is Katie’s broad interpretation of environment that is unique, which she blends into all areas of her work.

She speaks Nov. 12 from 10am-noon at Sierra Nevada College, Prim Library, Room 213, 999 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village.

For details, contact Debi Noonan at (775) 831.1314, ext. 7420, dnoonan@sierranevada.edu.

Saturday Mornings, the award-winning morning discussion and lecture series collaboration of Sierra Nevada College and Incline Village Parks & Recreation Senior Programs continue this fall.

College faculty and other knowledgeable locals present bite-size offerings of intellectually stimulating material to pique people’s interest and challenge their sensibilities.

An optional continental breakfast will be provided for $3.

Rick Parsons, Sierra Nevada College professor of fine arts, has served as Sculpture Program Coordinator at Anderson Ranch Arts Center and has taught at the University of Dallas,and Colorado Mountain College. He has been a visiting artist at Colorado College, San Jose State University, University of Miami, and Arizona State University. His sculpture has been exhibited throughout the country, been featured in solo shows, and in 2007 Rick’s sculpture was the focus of an article in Sculpture magazine. He was recently published in the book Confrontational Ceramics: The Artist as Social Critic and was featured in the documentary film “Questions of Art.”

He he speaks Oct. 15 from 10am-noon at Sierra Nevada College, Prim Library, Room 213, 999 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village.

For details, contact Debi Noonan at (775) 831.1314, ext. 7420, dnoonan@sierranevada.edu.

Saturday Mornings, the award-winning morning discussion and lecture series collaboration of Sierra Nevada College and Incline Village Parks & Recreation Senior Programs, continue this fall.

College faculty and other knowledgeable locals present bite-size offerings of intellectually stimulating material to pique people’s interest and challenge their sensibilities.

An optional continental breakfast will be provided for $3.

Ann Ronald is an emerita professor at UNR. She has published nine books and countless articles about sense of place in fiction and literary nonfiction and was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame in 2006. As part of Nevada Reads she will be presenting her latest work Friendly Fallout 1953 exploring the history of atomic testing in Nevada’s desert and the impact on the people who participated and the civilian “downwinders.”

She speaks Sept. 16 from 10am-noon at Sierra Nevada College, Prim Library, Room 213, 999 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village.

The event is free.

For details, contact Debi Noonan at (775) 831.1314, ext. 7420, dnoonan@sierranevada.edu.