·       Food Network star, Reno native and culinary storyteller Clint Jolly will be the featured guest chef at Sample the Sierra’s pop-up dinner on Sept. 16. Tickets are available online for the 6-9pm event at Park Prime inside the Hard Rock at Stateline.

·       Tickets for the Virginia & Truckee Railroad’s holiday adventure to the North Pole go on sale Aug. 19 at 6am online.

·       Liberty Utilities gave Lake Tahoe Unified School District an energy efficiency rebate of $5,054.10. With the installation of new technology LED lighting equipment, LTUSD will realize an estimated savings of $3,706 per year as well as reduce its annual energy use by 33,694 kWh.

·       University of Nevada Cooperative Extension water resources specialist John Cobourn received the national Joint Council of Extension professionals award for creative excellence for his innovative approaches in programs addressing flash floods, environmentally friendly landscaping, Lake Tahoe’s water quality, and other water issues in Northern Nevada.

·       Children’s Environmental Science Day is Aug. 20 from 1-4pm at Commons Beach in Tahoe City. The free community event is for children ages 4 and up and their families. The carnival-style festival includes hands-on activities designed to create an awareness of the unique ecology of Lake Tahoe and provide an opportunity to learn about science and the environment.

·       Truckee’s Mousehole pedestrian tunnel is open.

·       Jobe Sports will be in Incline Village at Hidden Beach with free standup paddleboard demos from noon-2pm on Aug. 12.

·       Tahoe Rim Trail Association is offering an introductory backpacking course Aug. 20-21. Hike 5 miles from Carson Pass to Showers Lake, spend the night, and learn hands-on backpacking techniques. Cost is $65 for members, $85 for others. Email maggieb@tahoerimtrail.org for more info.

·       Live Violence Free’s Sunset Gala is Oct. 23 from 5-8pm at Edgewood in Stateline. Tickets are available online.

·       Jenna Prescott is now director of mountain operations at Sugar Bowl.

Roger Rosenberger, wildflower photographer extraordinaire, returns to share the current season of wildflowers in vivid photographs and impart advise on how to take breathtaking images.

Joining Rosenberger will be Julie Carville, launching her newest book, “Tahoe’s Spectacular Wildflower Trails”. This book will guide people along Tahoe’s trails and deeply into the wonders and stories of Sierra plants. Clear trail descriptions and natural history are included.

The free talk is Aug. 16 at 6pm at the South Lake Tahoe Library, 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd.

The South Lake Tahoe Library will host Bohart Museum of Entomology on Aug. 12.

The free outdoor show starts at 2pm at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd.. in South Lake Tahoe.

UC Davis’ Bohart Museum of Entomology will be showing various insect specimens, as well as live animals.

·       South Lake Tahoe has introduced the rate of $5 after 5pm at the Heavenly Village parking garage.

·       Tech Insider compiled a list of the most beautiful libraries in each state. The Prim Library at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village was singled out for the Silver State.

·       The 19th annual Tahoe Forest Stewardship Day is Sept. 10 from 8:30am-2pm. It will be in the Angora burn area. Volunteers of all ages and skill levels are invited to this hands-on restoration day. Participants will be conducting plant treatment and trail restoration to protect the Lake Tahoe watershed in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. For more info, email marilee@keeptahoeblue.org.

·       The League to Save Lake Tahoe is having a beach cleanup day Sept. 5 from 8:30am-2pm at Nevada Beach. For questions or more information, email events@keeptahoeblue.org or call 530.541.5388.

·       The inaugural Coyote Classic Golf Tournament is Sept. 7. This supports the men and women’s soccer programs. Tee time is 2pm at Lake Tahoe Golf Course in Meyers. For more info, go online.

·       The 31st annual Great Gatsby Tea and Fashion Show is Aug. 14 from 2-4pm on the Valhalla Grand Lawn. Tickets are available online.

·       The 50th Live at Lakeview concert in South Lake Tahoe is Aug. 18. It will feature Diego’s Umbrella (San Francisco’s ambassadors of gypsy rock). The free music goes from 4:30-8:30pm.

·       The 9th annual Landscape Conservation Workshop is Aug. 14. Discover the many approaches to Tahoe friendly landscaping and how to achieve conservation success. The free event is from noon-3:30pm at the Evans Family Garden, 1383 Mount Olympia Circle – in the Angora burn area.

·       Kit Knight is the artist in residence at Valhalla on the South Shore. She will be painting Aug. 12-28 from 11am-4pm.

·       The Rita Hosking trio will be at the Boathouse Theater on the South Shore on Aug. 17 at 7:30pm. Tickets are available online.

First Baptist Church of South Lake Tahoe will host international speaker David Courson on Aug. 14.

Courson is director of the Island Bible Institute in Hawaii, has directed Christian educational and assistance projects in war zones, refugee camps, and developing nations since 1974 in more than 60 countries. Current speaking topics emphasize the struggle for religious freedom all over the world.

He is a decorated U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam veteran.

The free talk starts at 11am. The church is at 1053 Wildwood Ave., South Lake Tahoe.

Call 530.544.2743 for more information.

The Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe will be hosting a farmers market with the help of the UC Cooperative Extension on Aug. 17 from 10 am-4pm.

UCCE started a nutrition program at the club. Each week a different grade learns about the healthy fruits and vegetables that are easily accessible in South Lake Tahoe.

There will be a fruit stand and vegetable stand where kids will learn the importance of incorporating these food groups in their diet through interactive games and tastings. One stand will be dedicated to the master food preservers where kids will learn different ways to preserve food and get a change to taste food that has been preserved. A station will have a smoothie bike where kids get to make a fruit and vegetable smoothie on a blending bike as well as being able to exercise at the same time.

·       Labor Day fireworks on the South shore will be shot off Sept. 4 at 8:30pm.

·       First 5 El Dorado’s Executive Director Kathleen Guerrero and El Dorado County Child Care and Education Planning Council’s Coordinator Elizabeth Blakemore were recognized by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson for their work with the Race to the Top—Early Learning Challenge Grant.

·       TRYP is having a mixer Aug. 10 from 6-9pm at the Coachman Hotel in South Lake Tahoe and Aug. 16 from 5:30-8pm at Jack Rabbit Moon in Incline Village. TRYP members are free and non-members are $10.

·       Douglas County commissioners extended Larry Werner’s contract as interim county manager through December. The contract will remain the same at a fixed cost of $14,333 per month with a $700 per month car allowance.

·       It’s free to visit a national park from Aug. 25-28.

·       Tahoe Transportation District is considering ending BlueGo route 21x and making changes to routes 19x and 20x based on funding from Nevada. If approved, the changes would be effective Oct. 1.

·       East West Partners is raising the minimum wage for its workers in Lake Tahoe and Vail to $15/hour.

·       Bush will be at Harrah’s South Shore Room on Nov. 3.

·       Tahoe Hockey Academy selected US Performance Academy for its online education component at the Meyers facility.

·       Here is the Caltrans Sierra roadwork schedule for the week.