Most of the tours for the Feb. 22-24 Eagles & Agriculture event are fully booked, but seats are available for the Friday Night Welcome Dinner in Carson Valley.

Honorary event chairman state Sen. James Settelmeyer will open the evening with remarks on ranching in 201. His brief talk will be followed by the recognition of this year’s Eagle award winners, Robin Wilson and Andy Aldax. Wilson is the former Nevada director of Bird Conservation for the Audubon Society. Aldax is well known in the Carson Valley for his work on the watershed and agriculture and among the many accomplishments on his list.

The program then will present Tom and Cheryl Milham, the founders and operators of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.

The Welcome Dinner has featured falconers and their birds for a number of years and this year is no exception.

The cost $35 per person. Reserve a spot by calling (775) 782.8144. More info is online.

The El Dorado County Office of Education’s board of trustees appointed Jeremy Meyers superintendent effective July 1.

He is currently deputy superintendent.

Jeremy Meyers

Meyers will fill the unexpired term left by the retirement of Vicki Barber. The position will be on the June 2014 primary ballot.

Expressing ones love to another is a celebrated custom on Valentine’s Day; whereby sweethearts and family members present gifts to one another, such as cards, candy, flowers and other symbols of affection.

Opinions differ as to who was the original Valentine, but the most popular theory is that he was a clergyman who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome. In A.D. 496, Pope Gelasius I declared Feb. 14 as Valentine Day. Esther Howland, a native of Massachusetts, is given credit for selling the first mass-produced valentine cards in the 1840s. The spirit continues today with even young children exchanging Valentine’s cards with their fellow classmates.

Those looking for love might want to try one of the 393 dating service establishments nationwide as of 2007. These establishments, which include Internet dating services, employed 3,125 people and pulled in $928 million in revenue, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Lots of locations in the U.S. have something romantic about their name – from Loveland, Colo., to Romeo, Mich., to Lovelock, Nev., to Valentine, Texas.

The El Dorado County website and county information technology mainframe applications may be unavailable on Feb. 16, possibly extending to Feb. 17.

PG&E will shut off power to Building B at the county Government Center for approximately 12 hours so the county can test its main electrical switchboard. County facilities staff plan to bring in a temporary generator to power the information technologies systems, according to Russ Fackrell, county facilities manager.

“If there is even a remote chance of electricity back-feeding into the electrical hub during the test, we will have to shut down the generator and with it the website and other electronic systems,” said Fackrell.

There will be no disruption to critical emergency service functions which has its own backup power supply.

If testing exceeds the holiday weekend and the website is down, the county will utilize its Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/ElDoradoCountyNews as an alternative website. In addition, email subscribers to the county’s main website will also be notified.

Alpine Smith Inc. of South Lake Tahoe will participate with snowplow and landscape professionals from across the country by donating services and time to ease the burden on military families seeking help on the home front.

SnowCare for Troops is a national program underwritten by The Boss.

Alpine Smith urges interested military families to register in the SnowCare for Troops program by calling them at (530) 541.0250 or email info@alpinesmith.com. Along with the participation of Alpine Smith, Inc., there are many opportunities for the community to get involved, including loaning snow removal equipment to volunteers or groups, and donating money, transportation or gas cards to offset snow removal and maintenance costs.

• Barton Auxiliary’s blood drives collected 699 pints of blood in 2012.

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

• Margie Maxhimer has joined the South Lake Tahoe Cabinet of the El Dorado Community Foundation.

• Alison Elder was recently recognized as 2012 Realtor of the Year by her peers at Chase International Real Estate.

• Barton Women’s Health has hired Kenneth Spielvogel, obstetrician and gynecologist.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will conduct prescribed fire operations on Regency Way in Kings Beach beginning Feb. 12, and continuing as conditions allow.

Crews expect to burn approximately 2 acres.

Residents and visitors can expect to see smoke from this prescribed fire project area. The Forest Service strives to minimize the impacts of smoke on local communities. Smoke-sensitive residents should consider staying indoors and keeping doors, windows and outside vents closed.

To directly receive prescribed fire updates, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us.

The 45th annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration hosted by the Rotary Club of Tahoe Douglas is March 15.

This event includes a traditional Irish buffet, wine tasting, entertainment and one of the biggest silent auctions

Harrah’s Lake Tahoe will be the scene of the festivities from 6-10pm.

All proceeds go right back into the community through grants, scholarships, donations and work projects. Event chairperson, Todd Poth, has set the lofty goal of raising more than $50,000. He will dye his beard green if the goal is met.

Tickets are $60. Each ticket also includes one entry for a trip to Hawaii. Additional raffle tickets are available for $5 each and one need not be present to win. Raffle tickets may be purchased throughout South Lake Tahoe from agencies and groups that the Rotary club supports. Contact club members, Boys and Girls Club, Tahoe Youth & Family Services, Lake Tahoe Shining Stars, Tahoe Regional Young Professionals as well as many other groups.

The silent auction is also available for people not attending the March 15 event. All items are posted on an auction site. Bidders may bid on items through March 10.

Harrah’s is also offering a room rate of $79 for all ticket holders.

For more information on tickets or donations email spdc@tdrotary.com or call 800.576.8372.

Hops and local beer will return to the annual Nevada Small Farm Conference with a pre-conference workshop on Feb. 21 from 10am-4pm at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks.

The conference is Feb. 22-23.

Featured speaker Ron Godin of Colorado State University brings expertise from 10 years of hops research and production with western-state producers. Jay Davison of the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, will highlight new hops production in Northern Nevada. New processing techniques, producer challenges and market development are also on the agenda.

Local brewery owner and conference sponsor Tom Young of Great Basin Brewing Company will host a brewery tour and beer tasting at his Sparks restaurant at the conclusion of the workshop.

For details and registration information, contact Ann Louhela, (775) 351.2551 or ann.louhela@wnc.edu.

Meek’s Lumber is having a fundraiser March 1 for two coworkers’ whose 3-year-old daughter was recently diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Misty and Tim Eckman learned last month that their daughter, McKenzie, has this cancer.

The 6pm event will be at the American Legion Hall in South Lake Tahoe. The bands Red Neck Quartet and Deep Fried Mojo will perform, along with McKenzie’s dance class from Ms. Marcia’s.

There will be appetizers, door prizes, and a silent auction. The cost is $5 and includes a ticket for one of the many door prizes.

To contribute a prize or cash, call Brian Jeffery at (530) 307.8503 or Tuesday-Saturday at (530) 544.6335.