Truckee River Winery is calling artists to turn retired barrels into works of art.

We painted barrels will be auctioned off at the end of the summer, with the proceeds going to local charities. Artists interested in the Cask as Canvas project have until July 4 to fill out an application.

Registration is free and each contestant will be provided with a 55 gallon oak barrel. Artists are encouraged to paint the barrel on site. Barrels must not be modified from their original shape. Each artist will have an unveiling reception at the tasting room; the barrel and additional works by the artist will be on display for one week. Barrels will remain at the tasting room.

All contestants will receive a $400 gift certificate good for any item on sale at Truckee River Winery.

• Rocky and Teri Rothschild have made a $10,000 donation for the Joy Rothschild Scholarship that helps students at Mt. Tallac School. Rothschild started the scholarship before she died two years ago. Rocky is her father and Teri her sister.

• The Smiling Tree Symposium is the topic of the free July 14, 5:30pm UCCE Master Gardener Green Thumb Series class at Lake Tahoe Community College’s demonstration garden.

• Truckee Fire Protection District’s 16th annual pancake breakfast is July 4 from 7-10am at Station 92. Adults are $7 and children are $5.

• Kimball Chatfield, a medicinal plants expert, will lead a walk starting at Sorensen’s in Hope Valley on July 6 from 10am-1pm. Cost is $35. For more info, call 800.423.9949.

• El Dorado County’s Charter Review Committee meets June 25, at 5pm in Conference Room A, 330 Fair Lane, Placerville.

• North Lake Tahoe’s Peter Joseph Burtt and the Kingtide will kick off the third season of Live at Lakeview in South Lake Tahoe on June 26. Liquid Kactus opens the free event at 4:30pm.

• Beginning July 1, Harrah’s Lake Tahoe will present Tuesday Night Tributes, a summerlong series featuring tribute bands recreating the sights and sounds of America’s favorite rock and pop superstars.

• Beautiful Bunch Grasses is the topic of the free July 7, 5:30pm UCCE Master Gardener Green Thumb Series class at Lake Tahoe Community College.

• The Tahoe beaches app is available on Apple and Android phones and is available for free in their respective app stores.

There will be more than 150 positions available on various local city councils, school boards, parks, fire, water, and utility districts in Placer County in November.

Placer County Office of Elections will put on five free candidate workshops throughout Placer County to take the mystery out of running for office. The workshops will explain many of the details involved in running for public office, including campaign financial disclosure filing, campaigning techniques and working with the media.

The Tahoe workshop is July 11 at 6pm, Customs House Building, 775 North Lake Blvd., Tahoe City.

For more info, call 530. 886.5650.

• Don’t be surprised to see South Lake Tahoe police officers on bicycles this summer. They will be joining the motorcycle cops in targeted enforcement to educate the public about pedestrian and bicycle safety laws.

• Philip Hartley will be Lake Tahoe Community College’s interim vice president of Instruction for the 2014-15 school year.

• Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra swarmed El Dorado Beach on June 19 wielding litter picker-uppers and trash bags. More than 10 pounds of trash was collected – ranging from a pair of men’s underwear to cigarette butts.

• Jody Jones is retiring as Caltrans District 3 director, which includes Lake Tahoe. She will be a councilmember in Paradise, which is north of Chico.

• Here are the Caltrans El Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra roadwork schedules for the week.

Placer County Library is part of a drive to create an online exhibit of tattoo art displayed by California veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan.

War Ink is a proposed multimedia exhibit that will feature 30 veterans from throughout the state. The stories surrounding their tattoos will be recorded by the StoryCorps Military Voices Initiative, a nationally acclaimed platform for veterans, service members and military families to share their stories. The project seeks to honor the voices of veterans, amplify their experiences and let them know the nation is listening.

Veterans interested in the project should contact Jason Deitch, the project’s curator and scholar, at jasonadeitch@gmail.com or 510.593.8423. Deitch, a former combat medic and sociologist, created the project along with Chris Brown of the Contra Costa County Library.

The initiative is an opportunity for veterans to tell how their tattoo art serves as reminders of experiences they and the people they served with had in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Placer County Library will display War Ink online beginning on Veterans Day.

Reservations are being taken for the 21st annual Sierra Nevada Alliance conference, Sept. 6-8.

Tim Palmer, award winning author of 24 books, conservationist and landscape photographer, will be the keynote speaker.

The conference is at the North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach.

For more info and to register, go online.

Truckee Tahoe Airport District is seeking public input on the draft 2014 Master Plan.

The purpose of the document is to create a blueprint for facility and infrastructure planning for the next 10 to 15 years. The ultimate goal of the updated plan is to recommend development options and policies that best fit the needs of the airport and community while protecting those living nearby.

The primary focus areas of the plan are:

• Maintaining a high quality aviation facility
• Exploring options to enhance annoyance mitigation programs
• Managing and planning for growth of aviation facilities and resources
• Enhancing community-related benefits and functions.

The public comment period ends July 14. To view the draft plan, go online.

The original Lake Valley schoolhouse. Photo/Lake Tahoe Historical Society

The Lake Valley schoolhouse was at the Y in South Lake Tahoe until the 1950s when Safeway opened a new supermarket on that site in the building now occupied by TJ Maxx.

Today the building is used by the carpenters union. Photo/Bill Kingman

The old bell is at Tahoe Valley Elementary. Photo/Bill Kingman

The schoolhouse building was picked up and moved to the corner of Young Street and William Avenue behind Ahern Rentals and Chapel of the Bells. It has served as the Carpenters Local 1789 Hall for decades.

The original bell from the Lake Valley schoolhouse belfry is on display in the hallway at Tahoe Valley Elementary School.

— Bill Kingman

Pine Lodge, also known as the Ehrman Mansion, at Sugar Pine Point State Park is having a living history day July 26 from 11am-4pm.

It will include tours, a children’s activity zone, antique car show, the Eagle Wing Dancers, live music and historic wooden boat display. Refreshments will be available for purchase. All events are free, though there is a $10 parking fee.

Volunteers are needed to serve as greeters, parking attendants, facilities assistants, boathouse docents, crafters and raffle assistants. There is a mandatory volunteer orientation July 21 at 5:30pm at the Sugar Pine Point State Park Nature Center. Call 530.583.9911 or email volunteer@sierrastateparks.org for additional information.