The early photo is from Dave Borges, while the current photo is from me.

Here is Bijou, on Highway 50 as it appeared circa 1956 (parked blue car at far right appears to be a 1955 Dodge Coronet; the oncoming blue Ford = 1956?).

Bijou is French meaning “jewel” which described its deep white beach before the Tahoe City dam of 1913 raised the lake level, narrowing the beach. The California post office addresses of Bijou, Stateline, Al Tahoe, and Tahoe Valley all became incorporated into the city of South Lake Tahoe in November 1965.

The profile at left of Nay’s Bijou Center 1956 and the CVS of 2013 seems unchanged. Also, the 1956 strip building at right which included Shelley’s Rexall Drugs and Mile High Sporting Goods remains today, now housing Jazz Kat Cafe, Sato’s, Auntie Q’s, and Salon. Just beyond them in 1956 was a parking lot and Nel’s Tahoe Supply, the building now housing Tep’s Villa Roma and Lou Pierini’s Pawn & Gold.

Notice the 1956 overhead power lines, no center lane, no traffic lights, and there was parallel parking on Highway 50.

— Bill Kingman

In June, several Lake Tahoe agencies are kicking off a volunteer effort called “Eyes on the Lake” in which water recreationists of all types will be identifying and reporting on the locations of aquatic invasive plant species that threaten Lake Tahoe.

This effort will be led by the League to Save Lake Tahoe, in partnership with the Tahoe Resource Conservation District and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, as well as other organizations that make up the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Program.

Eyes on the Lake’s two main targets will be Eurasian watermilfoil and curlyleaf pondweed, which are already established in several locations throughout the lake, and are difficult and expensive to control.

The Lake Tahoe AIS Program occasionally contracts with aquatic ecologists to conduct surveys in areas around Lake Tahoe that support suitable habitat for aquatic plants. Volunteer reporting will help enhance information about these infestations as well as potential new ones that may not be currently identified.

Eyes on the Lake will offer formal instruction in both classroom and field sessions scheduled for mid to late June to educate water recreationists on how to identify these aquatic invasive plants. When dates have been finalized, they will be posted at www.keeptahoeblue.org. Identification training materials will also be available online but formal trainings are highly recommended to provide the most accurate and useful data.

For more information about joining Eyes on the Lake, contact the League at protect@keeptahoeblue.org.

Alva Barton and Fay Ledbetter brought the South Lake Tahoe community together to build a hospital. Barton Memorial is named after their parents, Bill and Ouida Barton. Photo/Provided

Barton Memorial Hospital will celebrate 50 years of being in South Lake Tahoe on June 29 from 11am-3pm.

The party is open to the public. It is free and will be in the back corridor of the hospital grounds at 2170 South Ave.

History of the medical facility will be highlighted. Guest may take part in tours led by Borges Family Carriage Rides. Music from the ’60s will set the mood. There will be a vintage car show, free face painting and children’s activities, barbecue, and 50-cent drinks.

This Lake Tahoe News story has more about Barton’s history.

• Raley’s, Bel-Air and Nob Hill stores will offer discounted tickets from June 1-July 21 to the 24th annual American Century Championship, the celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, July 16-21.

• Incline High School’s Jordan Jones will receive UNR’s most prestigious scholarship – the National Merit Scholarship. She will be studying biology starting in the fall.

• Royal Gorge is offering tours of the property so people can find out more about the land. More info is online.

• The slope side condominium suites at the Village at Squaw are receiving $1.2 million in renovations this summer.

• Lake Tahoe came in second in a poll of 14,560 members of MissTravel.com, the travel dating website. Lake Michigan was No. 1 and Lake Havasu No. 3.

The “most unpredictable two minutes in Tahoe,” the 10th annual Truckee Duckee Derbee, is set for June 9 at the River Ranch Lodge near Alpine Meadows.

The rubber duck races benefit the Humane Society of Truckee Tahoe. The afternoon’s festivities include live music provided by Angele and the Wildwood Band on the outdoor patio, a barbecue, drink and food specials, raffle, Dogz in Dudz canine costume contest, and the “Cool Catz in Hatz” contest open to all attendees. Festivities run from 1-4pm, with the Dogz in Dudz starting at 2pm.

This year’s TDD is dedicated to the memory of fallen Alpine Meadows patrolman Bill Foster who was a key member of the resort’s Avalanche Rescue Dog program.

Cost to sponsor a duck is $10 and the top three ducks win cash.

For more information,  call (530) 581.0181 or purchase a duck online.

South Lake Tahoe will have a March Against Monsanto event on May 25 to coincide with the worldwide demonstration.

Mike Herron is organizing the protest.

It will start at 11am at the Raley’s near Stateline.

“It may not be huge like some events will be, but it will help to raise awareness to further progress our cause,” Herron told Lake Tahoe News. “Consumption of GMO foods, corn syrups, or any major food brands for that matter during the march will be highly frowned upon, so if you want to march, bring healthy snacks and water.”

Barton Health has partnered with the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center, a service of Tahoe Forest Health System in Truckee and an affiliate of the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, to expand its oncology services for cancer patients who reside in the South Lake Tahoe area.

Using advanced technology through Barton’s Telehealth for Tahoe Program, cancer patients undergoing treatment at Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center can meet with their physicians via “real-time” videoconferencing.

For cancer patients who are in-between chemo doses the program can help minimizes stress and travel expenses.

For more information about the Gene Upshaw Tahoe Forest Cancer Center, call (530) 582.6450.

Do you love Lake Tahoe and have an interest in learning more about the lake? Do you enjoy science, learning new information, and sharing your knowledge?

Residents who would like to help people learn about the region’s environmental assets and challenges are needed to serve as volunteer docents at the Tahoe Science Center (also known as the Thomas J. Long Foundation Education Center) and the UC Davis Eriksson Education Center. The former is located in Incline Village and the latter in Tahoe City.

Visitors to the centers include school groups from the greater Lake Tahoe-Truckee region as well as local residents and visitors to the basin.

The training courses and a copy of the UC Davis Docent Training Manual will provide new docents all the information they will need to discuss the scientific research at Lake Tahoe, local environmental issues, and natural history of the region. No prior experience is necessary, and all are welcome.

The first two docent training classes will be held June 7 (2–5pm) and June 8 (9am–noon) at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, on the Sierra Nevada College campus in Incline Village. The third training will take place July 9, starting with a boat ride aboard the UC Davis Research Vessel John LeConte and finishing at the UC Davis Tahoe City Field Station. Space aboard the boat is limited and will be available on a first-come basis. Attendance at all three training sessions is strongly recommended.

To RSVP for the training, contact docent program manager Alison Toy at (775) 881.7566 or email antoy@ucdavis.edu.

Soroptimist International South Lake Tahoe on May 22 gave out several scholarships to South Tahoe and Whittell high school students, and to Lake Tahoe Community College students.

In the photo back from left are: Deanne Balardino (LTCC), Chad Laurence (LTCC), Emily Barnett (STHS), Heather Dominguez (STHS), Tyler Myers (STHS), Brenda Yan (STHS), Amanda Harris (Whittell), Emily Harris (Whittel.), Anders Chaplin (Whittell); and front from left, Bailey David (STHS) and Joshua Johnson (STHS).

Receiving awards but not attendance are: Jack Coolbaugh, Cody Higgins and Thomas Smith (all STHS), and Eunice Romero and Christopher Sidell (LTCC).

Keith Cooney of South Lake Tahoe and a friend are going to the El Dorado County Fair next month compliments of Lake Tahoe News and the fair board.

He correctly answered the question about when the fair began.

Here is a little more history about the fair from the organization’s website:

The first recorded Fair in El Dorado County was held in 1859 in Coloma. Until 1939, the Fair was held at various locations including Coloma, Diamond Springs, and downtown Placerville.

The Fairs of 1859, 1860, and 1864 were held in Coloma. Two other towns where the Fair was held in the early years were Placerville and Diamond Springs. The downtown areas of these small towns were transformed into the fairgrounds each time the County Fair was held.

With no permanent facilities to call its own until 1939, the County Fair annually used whatever facilities it could glean to hold the event. In those early days, the entire town where the Fair was held became the Fairgrounds. When in Placerville, some venues included the Confidence Hall, Sigwart’s Opera House, the Central House Hotel and Ballroom, and the Stockyards.

The first County Fair at the current site on Placerville Dr. (old Hwy 50) was held in 1939 conducted by the American Legion under a contract with El Dorado County. The American Legion conducted the County Fairs until 1952 when the current Fair Association was formed. World War II caused the Fair to become dormant from 1942 until 1947 when the American Legion reactivated the event.

Lake Tahoe News has three more pairs of tickets to give-away for the June 13-16 fair in Placerville.

Winner must agree to have their full name published. Winners must be part of LTN‘s NEWS Team or a paid subscriber. Here is a paid subscriber form for those who need one.