The U.S. Forest Service will close the east end of the Mormon Emigrant Trail near Highway 88 to through traffic at noon Nov. 23 because of ice and snow.

The west end of the road, near Sly Park Reservoir, will remain open to passenger vehicles as far as Silver Fork Road or to the point where snow covers the road, whichever comes first. Vehicles will not be able to drive through to Highway 88.

Off highway vehicles, including four-wheel drive vehicles will be allowed on the snow covered portion of the road up to the Silver Fork Road.

For almost 30 years the South Lake Tahoe Cancer League, an all-volunteer organization, has been providing permanent residents facing the challenge of cancer with free transportation to physician offices for cancer treatment and making limited financial grants to cancer patients. The annual See’s Candy sale is one of its biggest annual fund raisers.

The candy store is open daily from 10am-5:30pm through the holidays.

The store is located adjacent to the Grocery Outlet at 2358 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

For more information, call (530) 542.4649.

• The Adidas store at the Factory Stores at the Y in South Lake Tahoe is closing Dec. 25 or Dec. 26, according to a sales clerk. Still no word on what store will occupy the old Mikasa building on the other side of the street, but it won’t be T.J. Maxx– at least as of now.

• Cyclingnews has selected the Amgen Tour of California as one of the world’s Top 10 Stage Races.

• Tioga Pass – Highway 120 – is closed due to snow.

• The STHS boys basketball team is having its 5th annual Ernie’s Burger Night on Dec. 6 from 5-7 to raise money for team warm-ups. For tickets, contact Coach Chris Proctor at (530) 543.5472 530-543-5472 or cproctor@bartonhealth.org. Cost is $10.

• South Lake Tahoe’s unemployment rate in October dropped to 14.9 percent. It was three percentage points higher at its peak earlier this year.

The 17th annual MontBleu Holiday Extravaganza is Dec. 14 and Dec. 15, starting at 7pm each night.

Students in grades 3-12 in the various Lake Tahoe Unified School District choirs are the stars of the show.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors/students. Tickets are available at the door.

Care packages will be assembled Dec. 3 at the American Legion Post 795 in South Lake Tahoe.

Everyone is invited to help pack up the packages for the troops.

Patty Smith, mother of Sgt. Timothy Smith who died in Iraq in 2008, is spearheading the drive.

Drop off boxes located at: Grocery Outlet, Moose Lodge 961 Eloise, Cancer League Candy Store at 2358 Highway 50 (next to Grocery Outlet), and Carson Valley Medical Center 1107 Highway 395 in Gardnerville.

Checks may be made out to the American Legion Post 795 Care Packages for Troops. Mail them to Patty Smith, P.O. Box 13958, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96151.

• The 2011 American Century Championship golf tournament will be rebroadcast on the Golf Channel Nov. 25-27 at 4:30pm and Dec. 22-24 at 5pm.

• Squaw Valley Ski Holdings LLC is pledging $25,000 to the Community House, a new community center and a service delivery program spearheaded by the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation.

• The USGA announced Martis Camp Club in Truckee will host the Junior Amateur in July 2013. The U.S. Junior Amateur is essentially the national championship for players under age 18.

• Caltrans has released its roadwork schedule for this week in the Sierra and El Dorado-Tahoe.

• UrbanSitter.com is going to spread to the greater Lake Tahoe area in January. Parents and potential sitters may sign up now to create profiles.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency will be closed Nov. 25-27 as well as Dec. 23-Jan. 2.

The front counter will reopen Jan. 3. It will be closed every Tuesday because of budget constraints.

For additional information, call Kristi Boosman at (775) 589.5230 or send an email to kboosman@trpa.org.

A steady stream of people flowed into the Valhalla Grand Hall on Nov. 19 for the first day of the 16th annual Holiday Faire. Plenty of shopping was being done, as most everyone was leaving with at least one bag.

The fair is open today from 10am-4pm with 23 vendors selling everything from strudel to soaps to wine racks made from skis.

People chat, browse and shop at Valhalla Holiday Faire on Nov. 19. Photo/LTN

Santa Clause is on hand as are local school choirs and other musical groups.

The South Shore event is free.

Overflow parking is available near the gate on Highway 89. A shuttle is available for people who don’t want to walk in.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

The American Century Championship has $100,000 to give out to South Shore nonprofit organizations.

The deadline to apply is Nov. 30. Applications are online. Recipients will be announced Dec. 5 and checks will be presented at the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority board meeting Dec. 8 at 3pm.

A committee of tournament representatives will review each submission. For funding consideration, organizations must meet 501(c)3 certified nonprofit guidelines and complete the formal donation request.

The American Century Championship Contribution Committee will distribute awards ranging from $2,500 to $10,000.

Since the golf tournament’s inception in 1990, more than $3.5 million has been raised for a variety of national and local charities.

Eldorado National Forest is starting to close dirt roads and trails for the winter season.

The U.S. Forest Service closes dirt roads during the wet weather months to keep vehicles from damaging saturated, muddy roads and trails. They are also closed to keep mud from running off the routes and into creeks and rivers.

Check the Eldorado National Forest website for condition updates or call a ranger station for the latest information.

Seasonally closed routes are identified on a free map that is available at all Eldorado National Forest offices or on the Eldorado National Forest website.

The seasonal closure will begin no later than Jan. 1 and will end no sooner than April 1.