Nevada’s inaugural Tribute to Fallen Soldiers Motorcycle Ride and Gold Star event is Aug. 3-5.

The ride will start and end at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno.

The ride will be escorted by law enforcement and make a stop at Bijou Community Park in South Lake Tahoe on Aug. 4 at 1pm. The riders will be treated to a barbecue lunch, while 10 families of fallen soldiers from the Tahoe-Reno area will be presented certificates of honor by South Lake Tahoe Councilman Tom Davis.

Gold Bug Quilters of El Dorado County is having its biannual quilt show Sept. 7-8 in Placerville.

Money raised goes for scholarships, education and the making quilts for local needy organizations.

The show is at the Church of the Foothills, 2380 Merrychase Drive, Cameron Park. The show is 10am to 5pm on that Friday and until 4pm that Saturday.

Admission is $7, and for men it’s free.

Melnikov Construction of Carmichael will begin Aug. 6 to build the restrooms at the El Dorado Beach Boat Ramp Parking lot.

Parking and access for the boat ramp and the Lakeview Commons site will be impacted. The ramp will be open for launches, as the construction will only take a portion of the access. The parking lot however, will have portions fenced off.

Any questions related to the project should be directed to Jim Marino (530) 542.6027.

Comments are being taken on the draft environmental impact report for a proposed 2-megawatt wood-to-energy biomass plant to be built near the North Lake Tahoe.

There will also be a public hearing on the report Aug. 30 at 1pm at Granlibakken Resort in Tahoe City.

The facility, which would be built between Tahoe City and Truckee on Highway 89. It would turn slash into energy at Cabin Creek.

The draft EIR is online. The comment deadline is Sept. 10.

The public comment period on the draft environmental report began Friday and runs through Sept. 10. More information on the environmental document visit .

• Lake Tahoe author and educator Suzanne Roberts’ latest book “Almost Somewhere: Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail” is on bookshelves.

• Lakeside Beach Grill in South Lake Tahoe is hosting the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce mixer Aug. 8 from 5:30-7:30pm. Tickets are $10 for members and $20 for non-members.

• New York Life Insurance agent James Nealis is putting on a wealth seminar Aug. 14. Click on the flyer for details.

• Truckee Donner Public Utility District has hired Trisha Ruby as its conservation program administrator.

• The Tevis Cup 100 mile Horseback Ride is Aug. 4 at 5:15am. Part of the equestrian endurance ride goes through Squaw Valley.

Caltrans will limit the work it does on Interstate 80 ( Highway 50 from Aug. 3-13 to avoid delays during the Hot August Night events in Reno-Sparks and South Lake Tahoe.

Caltrans recommends that drivers avoid traveling between 2-9pm on Fridays and 10am-6pm Sundays and Mondays. Motorists are also encouraged to arrive early at their destination and extend their stay, if possible, to avoid traffic delays.

On I-80 from Emigrant Gap to Rainbow, motorists will encounter two 11-foot lanes in each direction. Motorists should be aware that this construction zone has a maximum speed of 55 mph and is posted as a “no passing zone”. Due to the anticipated traffic volumes, the California Highway Patrol will increase enforcement in the construction zone.

Caltrans has launched Caltrans QuickMap, an online service that provides California motorists with real-time traffic and travel information that will allow them to make better decisions about how to reach their destination more rapidly.

To access Caltrans QuickMap, visit the Caltrans site.

Visitors to the online interactive travel map can access nearly 1,000 freeway cameras and more than 700 electronic message signs on highways statewide. They can also monitor traffic congestion, California Highway Patrol incidents, travel time information, lane closures due to highway roadwork, and Amber Alerts.

Other helpful features of the service include chain control information and color-coded traffic speed displays for freeways statewide.

The countdown is on for the start of the 2012-13 school year and the Lake Tahoe Boys & Girls Club is busy making plans for after school programs.

There are programs for youth grades K-12. The club operates from two sites: the main site is located at 1100 Lyons Ave. (previously the Al Tahoe Elementary School), and at Bijou Community School.

After school programs are $35 for the whole school year. Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe offers homework assistance and enrichment activities Monday-Friday throughout the school year.

In order to join and sign up for the program parents are required to attend an orientation prior to their child attending. The orientations are each Monday from 5:30-6pm at the main site. Orientations will also be available at Bijou beginning Aug.27, 5:30-6pm.

• South Lake Tahoe’s George Drake has released “In the Service of Gaia: Trials to Trails”. For details about the book, go online.

• The Potlatch will host the next North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association Business Mixer along with a Jewelry Trunk Show on Aug. 3, 5-7pm, at 930 Tahoe Blvd., Ste. 401, Incline Village.

• Melissa Williams, a communications and public relations professional in the Lake Tahoe area, was recently hired by Switchback PR + Marketing as its director.

• Northern Nevada Development Authority has hired Maurice Washington as deputy director.

• Check out Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care’s webcam of the bears.

The 5th annual Conservation Landscape Tour is Aug.19.

This year’s tour takes place in Tahoma and Homewood.

The event is from 1-5pm.

Pick up maps at 7360 West Lake Bvld., Tahoma.

For more information, call Courtney Walker at (530) 543.1501, ext. 118.