The North Lake Tahoe Resort Association has $55,000 to distribute for special event grant funding.

It is available for events taking place in the North Lake Tahoe region of Placer County. Most individual grants will fall within the $500 to $2,500 range.

All grant money is slated for marketing and public relations efforts needed to promote events in the region. Preference will be given to events that encourage overnight stays.

All groups interested in receiving funds must fill out the application by Sept. 18 at 5pm. After initial review, select applicants will be asked to give the Grant Funding Task Force a five-minute presentation on Sept. 30. The grant recommendations are then presented to the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association Marketing Committee and then presented to the board of directors for approval Nov. 4.

For a copy of the application and more information contact Judy Laverty at 530.581.8702 or Judy@GoTahoeNorth.com.

·      On Aug. 14, the California Highway Patrol will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint in El Dorado County starting at about 8pm. The location has not been disclosed.

·       The Kings Beach Commercial Core Improvement Project has been named the 2015 Project of the Year by the Sacramento chapter of the American Public Works Association.

·      Tahoe Art League is hosting a demonstration by Clark Mitchell in the use of soft (dry) pastels. The demo is Aug 12 at 6pm at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center.

·       Regional semi-professional comedians will be at the The Living Room at Casey’s on Aug. 21 at 7pm. Casey’s is next to Safeway at Round Hill.

·       Visits to Nevada continue to climb, increasing by 2.6 percent in 2014 over the previous year. In 2014, Nevada saw 53.4 million visitors to the state.

·       The Village at Squaw Valley hosts the sixth annual Peaks and Paws, benefiting the ​Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe, on Aug. 22. For more info, go online.

·       Nando Parrado, who survived Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 when it crashed in the remote Andes Mountains on Oct. 13, 1972, will share his story on Aug. 10 at Sand Harbor State Park as part of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival’s Monday Night Showcase. He wrote “Miracle in the Andes.”

·      The Food Bank of El Dorado County is in need of 10 volunteers on Aug. 26 from 9:30-11:30am to help with the mobile food pantry. For more info, call 530.621.9950 or email volunteer@foodbankedc.org.

·       The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking comments on 31 petitions to reclassify species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 by Aug. 31. For more info, go online.

·       Former El Dorado County CAO Terri Daly is now administrative services manager for Yuba County Water Agency.

·       Josh Welch, a chiropractor in Meyers, is going to San Quentin State Prison this month to adjust inmates during the 11th annual San Quentin TRUST Health Fair. TRUST stands for Teaching Responsibility Utilizing Sociological Training.

·       Basecamp Hotel in South Lake Tahoe has completed an expansion of the existing property by adding guest rooms, multiple indoor and outdoor meeting and event spaces, as well as a beer garden. Owners renovated the adjacent building, formerly the Capri Hotel, which added 24 guest rooms that retain the adventurous design aesthetic of the original 50-room Basecamp Hotel.

·       Here are the El Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra roadwork schedules from Caltrans for this week.

·       Truckee installed a work zone webcam near the Highway 89 Mousehole construction project to provide pictures and time-lapse video. The webcam may be viewed .

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The Park Tahoe had issues at the beginning. Photo/Bill Kingman collection

The Park Tahoe casino opened in the summer of 1978, built by Park Cattle Company, but was closed within a month due to issues with fire safety regulations.

Caesars World in 2005. Photo/Bill Kingman

Caesars World took over and reopened the facility as Caesars Tahoe Palace the following year.

The brief name change lives on in film. Photo/Bill Kingman

For a few days in October 2005, Caesars appeared as the fictional “Nomad” during filming of the movie “Smokin’ Aces”.

Ownership changes bring name changes. Photo/Bill Kingman

Caesars was sold in 2006. With the new name, MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa, in May 2006 came a new marquee.

MontBleu as it looks today. Photo/Bill Kingman

A sign of the times. Photo/Bill Kingman

–Bill Kingman

·       The Lake Tahoe Craft Beer Festival is Aug. 8 at MontBleu in Stateline. More info is online.

·       Jimmy LaFave & the Night Tribe will be at the Boathouse Theatre on the South Shore on Aug. 12 at 7:30pm. For more info, go online.

·       Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe’s annual wine shindig is Oct. 16 from 6:30-9pm at MontBleu. For more info, go online.

·       Tahoe City is celebrating its 152 birthday all day Aug. 8. For more info, go online.

·      James Beard award winning author Hank Shaw of Honest-Food.net will be cooking a multi-course meal that celebrates the natural bounty of Northern California and his passion for Italian cuisine. The dinner is at Stella in Truckee on Aug. 26-27. For more info and to buy tickets, go online.

The seniors at Kelly Ridge Senior Affordable Housing Community in South Lake Tahoe are having a fundraiser at Primo’s Italian restaurant on Sept. 9 from 4:30 to 8:30pm.

The proceeds will benefit the seniors by providing them with a benevolent fund to access when there is a special need.

The residents at Kelly Ridge are low income and live on limited budgets.

Tickets are $11, which includes one pasta dish with a choice of one of three sauces. For tickets, call Gia Richards at 530.541.2812.

·       The 19th annual Reno Gay Pride Festival is Aug. 15 from 11am-6pm. For more info, go online. The free Opening Night Party will be at the Sapphire Lounge located inside Harrah’s Reno on Aug. 14.

·       Nancy Harrison has been hired as executive director of the Lake Tahoe Community College Education Foundation.

·       Dementia Training – Effective Communication Strategies is the title of a class on Aug. 26 from 1-2:30pm at the Placerville Senior Center, 937 Spring St., Placerville. This seminar is presented by El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency Family Caregiver Support Program and the Alzheimer’s Association. To register, email ptardio@alz.org.

·       A VIP AYSO soccer program is starting in South Lake Tahoe for children with special needs. Even if a child is unable to be active on the field, organizers we will find a way to make sure there is a spot for everyone. If interested or any questions about the program, contact Jessie Cooksey at 530.600.0219 or jessc.hernandez@gmail.com.

·     South Lake Tahoe mountain bike pioneer Gary Bell is sponsoring a History of Lake Tahoe Mountain Biking Exhibit at the Meyers Mountain Bike Festival on Aug. 9. For more info, go online.

·       Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe is increasing its minimum wage to $11 an hour. The change represents a 33 percent increase over the $8.25 an hour mandated minimum wage in Nevada.

·       Clem Shute, who serves on the Governing Board of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, received a lifetime achievement award from the Environmental Section of the California Bar Association.

·      The League to Save Lake Tahoe is putting on a Truckee River and beach cleanup on Aug. 25 from4:30-7:30pm. Meet at the Tahoe City Transit Center.

·       Shari Chase and Jennie Fairchild of Chase International made the Wall Street Journal’s list of top agents and sales teams in the U.S.

Gene Abshier on Aug. 12 will share the history of late 1950s proposed highway improvements that included plans to build a bridge across Emerald Bay.

This is the final segment of fireside chats put on the Lake Tahoe Historical Society and South Lake Tahoe as part of the city’s 50th anniversary celebration.

The 7pm event is free to society members, $3 for others. It will be at the council chambers at Lake Tahoe Airport.