By Kathryn Reed

Choosing the perfect Christmas tree is important. Sometimes it takes the right person to find the right tree.

For many people, Benny Kunibe is that person.

Kunibe, who turned 93 this month, is the man behind the Optimist’s annual Christmas tree lot near El Dorado Beach.

Benny Kunibe

“People will come to the tree lot and only want to talk to Benny to get the best tree,” said Terry Powers, a fellow Optimist.

The tree lot has been an institution in South Lake Tahoe since 1963. The club had to find some way to raise money after taking a huge financial loss with a car race that was supposed to raise money but instead created a deficit of thousands of dollars and required lawyers to get out of the mess.

The lot was first at the old Nevada Lumber Company, where CVS at the Y is. Only local trees were sold. Many came from the Wrights Lake area. At the time it was the only tree lot in town.

The Optimist has sold trees up and down Highway 50, including in Nevada, and inside the Fremont Center when it was a dance hall. The lot has been in its current location since the early 1990s.

Although there are other places to buy trees on the South Shore that are less expensive, the Optimist lot is the only one to give money back to the community.

“This is the only big money maker we have. It’s how we give money to the kids,” Kunibe said.

The Optimist Club is all about raising money for various youth groups in the area. At the club’s meeting on Nov. 17 there is discussion about a request from the Pop Warner Cheer group needing money. (It’s mostly men in attendance upstairs at Steamers.) They talk about how at times there are as many young girls cheering on the sidelines as there are boys playing football. The cheerleaders are getting their money.

It’s a business meeting with levity. Kunibe has what looks like a Clorox bottle turned into a decorated pig where fines are paid into the back end. He is getting people to put in money for infractions that aren’t entirely evident to the uninitiated.

“The guys keep me young,” Kunibe said.

But the guys wonder what they would do without their senior most member – in terms of age and membership.

“Benny remembers all the supplies we need,” Powers said.

This means shopping after the holidays for deals on things like tree stands that will be used the following year. It means knowing how many hot dogs or packets of hot cocoa to have for various events.

Kunibe has had an interesting life, though not always easy. During World War II he was placed in an internment camp in Colorado. In 1955, he moved to Lake Tahoe from Sacramento.

He started off working at George’s Basque restaurant. He worked for a time at the old Lampson Store. Kunibe lived behind the store in a 600-square-foot house with his wife and four kids.

When Fritz Wenck joined Optimist in 1970, Kunibe was still sprinting around the bases for the club’s softball team.

Baseball is very much a love of Kunibe’s to this day. He’s wearing a San Francisco Giants hat and lights up when questioned about this year’s team.

“They made history,” he says of the World Series champs. Still, though, it’s Willie Mays who he has a soft spot for.

When Kunibe isn’t doing something for the Optimist Club he can be found fishing on Fallen Leaf or Topaz lakes.

“Age doesn’t mean a thing. I don’t sit around,” Kunibe said.

He definitely won’t be sitting much for the next few weeks as the Optimist Club sells Christmas trees. The lot opened Friday. It is open weekdays noon-8pm and weekends 10am-8pm. Snow can change the hours up a bit.

“Benny enjoys life and he wants to make sure everyone else does,” Powers said.

By Kathryn Reed

South Lake Tahoe’s sidewalks – the few that are in the city – are about to be cleared of snow.

This is assuming the City Council OKs the idea Dec. 14. And assuming property owners give a hoot because they sure haven’t seemed to care without the threat of being fined.

“The goal through this ordinance is to give us the authority to cite people,” City Attorney Patrick Enright told the council this month.

Property owners will have to plow sidewalks in South Lake Tahoe starting in 2011. Photos/Kathryn Reed

The current council heard the first reading of the ordinance earlier this month and approved it on a 3-1 vote. Councilman Bruce Grego was absent and Councilman Bill Crawford abstained.

The new council that will be sworn in Dec. 14 will be asked to make the final approval.

The maintenance part of the ordinance reads, “It shall be the duty of all owners, and their tenants, of real property within the city whose property borders, or is in an easement, any improved sidewalk or walkway to maintain the sidewalk or walkway in a safe condition for its use by pedestrians and other members of the public. The duty created by the ordinance shall include the duty to keep the sidewalk or walkway free and clear of all dirt, sand, gravel, filth, rubbish, ice and snow.”

Staff recognizes people cannot be shoveling around the clock, but it will have to be done when needed.

Linda Borge, who is co-owner of the property on Highway 50 where Ken’s Tires is, said Caltrans piles snow in front of the store. With the store being closed from noon Saturday to Monday morning, she said no one would be there to clear the snow from the sidewalk.

John Runnels is all for clearing sidewalks, but wanted the city to create a panel to discuss the issue because there has been no outreach to the business community.

Enforcement will be complaint driven. It will be considered a nuisance if the property owner has not cleared the sideway. The city could clear it and charge the property owner the fee to do so or put a lien on the property if necessary.

The earliest the policy will take affect is January. Enright told the council this winter warnings would primarily be issued and that the city plans to do outreach to the public and chambers of commerce.

“It’s what state law requires. It’s putting people on notice,” City Manager Tony O’Rourke told Lake Tahoe News of the proposal to tweak City Code Chapter 26 to have city law conform to state law.

O’Rourke realizes this means the city is going to have to come through with better maintenance of areas it is responsible for.

Currently Caltrans is liable for the sidewalks along the highway. However, as improvements are made in the coming years, the liability transfers to the city.

Next building season Caltrans is expected to start its multi-year project to improve the Ski Run to Trout Creek area along Highway 50. This includes installation of sidewalks, curbs and gutters.

Now Caltrans is proposing doing the same from Trout Creek to the Y. This will be before the council to approve soon, according to Public Works Director John Greenhut.

“This is maybe the beginning of a whole series of self-improvements. If we don’t take care of ourselves, why would others want to be part of it as residents or guests?” O’Rourke asked. “We need to take care of our own house, to make it safe, to make it reliable.”

Like other things that have gone on in South Lake Tahoe for years that make him scratch his head, O’Rourke hasn’t uncovered a reason as to why the clearing of sidewalks has not been enforced.

The storm that started last weekend had him baffled as he watched traffic on Highway 50 reduced to one lane while someone walked in the street because that was the pedestrian’s only choice.

“And people in wheelchairs. I don’t know how they survive. There is either a lack of sidewalks or the sidewalks are crumbling or not being maintained,” O’Rourke said. “This is not inviting for the community or tourists. Being a tourist based economy it has struck me that the first impression is not a good one.”

Although what he is pointing out is not news to anyone who has lived in South Tahoe or visited the area, what is news is someone is doing something about it.

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Thanksgiving is about people, more than a plate of food – at least that’s what it should be about.

It’s a time to come together, to break bread (yes), but more important, to say thanks. Look around at all you have, not what you don’t have or wish you had. Life isn’t about keeping score. It’s not about the best wine served with dinner, the biggest bird, the most number of pies. It’s not even about the biggest celebration. And it certainly isn’t about football.

For those of us in Tahoe it’s not about the bountiful harvest (though one could make the argument the snowfall is our harvest).

What if it’s not a good snow year or the people don’t come? What would you be thankful for then?

We tend to forget that happiness is not measured by what is in one’s bank account. Truly rich people have an abundance of friends. That, friend, is something to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving is that day we in the United States tend to overindulge. Maybe it’s really a metaphor for how we live our lives. Most take it for granted and celebrate having a four-day weekend. Yes, that is something to be thankful for. But if it’s that big of a deal to have time off from work to spend with family and friends, perhaps re-evaluating your priorities is in order.

Take a moment to look around today. Who are you choosing to spend it with – alone, with family, with friends? Think about those who don’t have a choice – shut-ins, hospitalized, no longer able to travel.

Yes, it’s been a tough couple of years for most people. But we’re here. We’ve survived. That, alone, is worth being thankful for.

For some, there will be an empty chair at the Thanksgiving dinner table. But that is no reason not to be thankful. Be thankful for the time that special person was in your life and for the memories that will always be there.

Be thankful today – and carry that sentiment forward for the next 364 days until we all gather again.

Happy Thanksgiving from Lake Tahoe News.

By Jessie Marchesseau

It’s a snow day in South Lake Tahoe, and children busily put on jackets and hats as instructors at Under the Magic Pine Tree wrestle to pull snowpants onto the less cooperative little ones.

Eight-year-old Corey Johnson sits on the floor cramming the bottoms of his gray snowpants into his boots. He explains that he doesn’t want to rip the bottoms by walking on them.

Corey is one of more than 100 children in El Dorado County who has access to daycare thanks to the CalWORKs Stage 3 childcare assistance program. But not for long.

Nicole Johnson pushes her daughter Timber, 12, on the tire swing. Photos/Jessie Marchesseau

“I’m just really worried about the children that are on this,” said Candi Bailey, owner of Under the Magic Pine Tree preschool and daycare center. “Not only here, but across the state.”

More than 55,000 children in California have had their access to child care programs in limbo since Oct. 8 when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger slashed the Stage 3 program from the budget, electing to send the money to the state’s rainy day fund instead.

The CalWORKs childcare program was established as part of Welfare-to-Work in 1998. It provides childcare assistance to eligible working families who have moved off of welfare cash assistance and have had steady employment for more than two years.

“This is the one thing I do get so that I can succeed and make an example for my kids,” Nicole Johnson, Corey’s mom, said.

Just a few days earlier, Corey and his older sister, Timber, were laughing with joy as their mother spun them around on a green tire swing at a local park. She says it’s their favorite thing there; they always go straight to the tire.

Johnson, 29, is a single mother of three. She started the CalWORKs Welfare-To-Work plan as a young mother needing cash assistance, but has worked at Lake Tahoe Pediatrics for the past three and a half years. Johnson says she is proud of her place in the community and has become a fixture at Lake Tahoe Pediatrics, where clients often ask for her by name.

Despite her success at work, Johnson still needs a little help to make ends meet. And it was working, until last month when she was one of 30,000 families in California told they had two weeks to find other child care options. Johnson said her first reaction was that she was going to have to quit her job. Then she was angry.

“I worked hard to get here,” she said. “All of us in my situation worked hard to get where we’re at and don’t want to go back to the beginning.”

But some people are afraid that might be exactly what will happen.

Since the announcement, Tina Barna, director of Choices for Children, an organization providing childcare resources and referrals for CalWORKs families in El Dorado County, said a number of parents have expressed they may have to quit their jobs because they cannot afford childcare. Even though a subsequent lawsuit has required the state to continue providing assistance through the end of the year, what will happen in 2011 is still up in the air.

Barna said parents basically have three options: be placed on a waiting list with more than 200,000 other families, find a way to pay for childcare on their own or quit their jobs.

Corey Johnson, 8, works on a coloring project at Under the Magic Pine Tree.

Bailey at Under the Magic Pine Tree concurs.

“Some of the families dropped by Stage 3 will have to consider returning to welfare and starting again,” she said. “The wages in this area are not healthy enough to support housing, food, clothing and childcare, especially as a single parent.”

But the effects of slashing Stage 3 do not stop at the parents or their children.

Childcare providers will also feel the hit. Many are already struggling because of high unemployment rates. If parents are not working, they do not need childcare services. If more parents are forced to pull their children from the childcare system, businesses will be forced to downsize or even close.

Bailey said she has been trying hard not to add to the unemployment in the basin. But if the Stage 3 funds are not reinstated, she may have to reduce her staff.

Sheila Kennedy, also a childcare provider, knows what it is like to be in both positions. Kennedy provides day care services to a family with four children. The family receives Stage 3 assistance.

But just four years ago, she was receiving Stage 3 assistance.

“That program helped me to be able to be self-sufficient,” she said. “They need that little bit of help to get over that final hill.”

She works another job part-time, but if Stage 3 is cut, her childcare salary will go away. If this happens, she will likely be forced to go back on food stamps.

Kennedy predicts the cuts will result in a domino effect with parents being forced to quit jobs and claim unemployment, welfare and other government aid. Childcare workers will likely follow, then other working families who can no longer find childcare for their children.

“Eliminating this program would be one of their biggest mistakes ever,” she said. “I don’t see how eliminating day care is a responsible or viable choice.”

Meanwhile, Johnson says she feels like she’s on a teeter-totter. One minute they say they’re taking her assistance, then she gets one more week, then two. She says she is tired and stressed, but for the well being of herself and her children, she just has to accept it and hope for the best.

It must be working, because as Corey plays in the snow with his friends and laughs at the snowballs forming on his gloves, he shows no signs of the stress his mother described.

“I think our future is in our kids,” Bailey said, “and I think we had better take care of them.”

By Kathryn Reed

Squaw Valley ski resort and the village have been bought by KSL Capital Partners LLC.

This is the second Colorado company to buy a Lake Tahoe area ski resort in less than a month. Vail Resorts purchased Northstar-at-Tahoe from Booth Creek in October.

Details of the sale of Squaw have not been disclosed, but it does include the village. The resort bought the village in January from financially troubled Intrawest.

Colorado company buys Squaw Valley. Photo/Kathryn Reed

KSL plans to put $50 million into capital improvements at the North Shore ski resort in the next five years.

KSL is not a new comer to the ski industry or resort areas. The company also owns Vail Mountain Lodge, Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, The Homestead in Hot Springs, Va., and Barton Creek Resort and Spa in Austin.

Eric Resnick and Michael Shannon, founding partners of KSL, serve as board members for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team Foundation. Resnick is also on the Organizing Committee of the 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships. Shannon was president of Vail Associates, what Vail Resorts used to be called, from 1985-92.

Squaw Valley put itself on the map when owner Alex Cushing successfully bid on the 1960 Winter Olympics. Squaw wasn’t much of a resort at the time, but still pulled it off and brought international recognition to the slopes of Tahoe. When Cushing died a couple years ago his widow, Nancy, took over control of the entire operations, though she had been president since 1994.

“Alex’s dream was to create a world-class, four-season destination resort in one of the most beautiful places in the world,” Cushing said in a prepared statement. “This transaction will result in the culmination of that dream by providing the necessary resources to ensure Squaw Valley’s continued improvement and success for generations to come.”

In August, Cushing made what many in the ski industry considered a dramatic move for Squaw and stepped down as CEO and president. Speculation at the time was Squaw might not remain in the Cushing family for much longer. Andy Wirth took over as CEO at that time.

KSL bought a majority, controlling stake in Squaw. The breakdown of the ownership has not been released. Wirth will continue as CEO.

By Kathryn Reed

Oh, the aromas. There is something so incredibly distinctive about the flavors of Thanksgiving dinner melding together. It should be bottled to be experienced more than once a year.

Spilling onto the sidewalk was a line Monday night to get this meal.

With expectations of serving more than 300 people, the Bread & Broth crew arrived at the kitchen of St. Theresa Church in South Lake Tahoe at 10am Nov. 22. About 25 hours of prep time had gone into the meal before the nearly four-dozen volunteers started work Monday.

Richard Carpenter says a lot of people are in dire need, but pride doesn't allow them to admit it. Photos/Kathryn Reed

This was Michael Giordano’s first year in the kitchen. Friday was all about spending seven hours chopping 47 loaves of bread for stuffing. (See recipe below.) He wanted to help make a difference in the lives of people who don’t necessarily know where their next meal will come from.

“You see it in their face, they say thank you,” Giordano said from the kitchen as he watched the line of people fill their plates with all the traditional fixings.

Richard Carpenter can’t say enough good things about his first Thanksgiving dinner at Bread & Broth.

“This was awesome,” he said scraping leftovers into a container to take home to those who couldn’t make it to the meal. “It couldn’t have gotten better if you made it yourself at home.”

Carpenter has been coming to the Monday night dinners for about six months. He’s out of work. He’s being evicted. He has no money to put gas in his truck. And yet, his brown eyes are warm and soft, seeming to contradict the harsh reality of his current state of affairs.

He’s lived in South Lake Tahoe for 22 years, first coming here from San Jose to help build Embassy Suites.

Carpenter is sitting with friends – a father with his 18-year-old son. They are quiet. The teen wants to work but can’t find any. The father needs meds from having had hernia surgery. He doesn’t have the $40 for the pills.

But their stomachs are full. At least this one night.

John Tussey has been in the area for 16 years. He comes every Monday for this hot meal that is served free by this nonprofit that relies on food and monetary donations from the community to keep it going.

Last year about 250 people came for the Thanksgiving meal. The need keeps growing. Not just this night, but most Mondays.

“We are seeing some new faces and some familiar faces,” said Diane Weidinger, ringleader of Bread & Broth and head chef.

Dinner rolls donated from Sugar Pine Bakery sit on a baking sheet next to a massive container of homemade cranberries. Apple and pumpkin pies have arrived at a bargain price from the Barton Café. Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care has donated fruit and vegetables. Raley’s had a big delivery Monday.

Weidinger only has one complaint about the dinner – the use of instant mashed potatoes.

Still, those seated at the long dining tables don’t mind. Not a morsel is left on their plates.

The following is from Diane Weidinger, the force behind Bread & Broth.

I make stuffing once a year, for 300 people. This recipe is for 12 cups, a normal size amount for a family meal. Naturally, I use my Heart Rock Herb & Spice Poultry/Dressing spice blend.

Classic American Bread Stuffing Bread & Broth Style

24 slices of bread (white, wheat, multi grain mixture is the best)

1 lb. sweet Italian or sage pork sausage (a combo is nice) cooked

2 C celery ribs, finely chopped

1 C large onion, finely chopped

½ C carrots, finely chopped

½ C chopped fresh parsley

1½ T poultry seasoning

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ C dried cranberries

2 large eggs, beaten

¼ lb. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

½ C warm chicken broth and water

Cut bread into 1-inch pieces (it cuts easier if slightly frozen), toast on a cookie sheet pan in a 300 degree until dry, take care not to burn them. Sauté, using some of the sausage fat along with butter, the onions, celery and carrots until soft, starting with the celery and carrots first as they take a bit longer than the onions. Mix the bread, cooked sausage and vegetables, poultry seasoning, salt/pepper, and cranberries in a large bowl. Tossing with clean hands works the best. Drizzle the eggs over the bread mixture and toss again. Mix the butter and chicken broth together and drizzle over the bread mixture. Continue to add warm water, a little at a time, until the stuffing is moist and just holds together when lightly pressed between the palms of your hands. Turn into a buttered baking dish, cover and bake for 45 minutes or until hot through (325 degree oven). Take off foil the last five minutes for a slightly crusty top.

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By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE — What do more than two dozen wineries, a brewery, a coffeehouse, a bakery and more than a dozen restaurants have in common?

They were all in one room on a recent Friday pouring beverages and dishing up food to hundreds of supporters of Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe’s at the service club’s annual wine tasting.

I finally figured out how to have an even better time than usual and not end up needing to dry clean my outfit because it smelled like smoke. Spending the night at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, where the event was, was the solution to not enduring the cigarette stench of cabs that proliferate the South Shore.

The annual Soroptimist wine tasting at Harrah's is also about food and silent auction bidding. Photos/Kathryn Reed

We’ve taken a cab to this event for a few years. It’s safer. I just can’t seem to figure out how much I consume at this event, so I don’t want to be behind the wheel. But after last year, I said I would never take a cab in this town again and even if I trusted public transit, my vanity prevents me from getting on a bus in a skirt.

After this experience, I think Harrah’s and Soroptimist (and all the service groups that have events at the casinos) should offer a package for their respective events. It would help the economy and make the roads safer.

With all the restaurants and wineries in this one room, it’s impossible to sample them all. But partygoers can vote on their favorite, with the winner receiving a plaque that night.

Best Restaurant went to Zephyr Cove Resort. Chef Anthony Lujan created coconut shrimp with a sweet Thai chili sauce. Best Winery went to Macchia.

All of the restaurants are from the South Shore, while the wineries hail from throughout California, including El Dorado, Sonoma and Napa counties, as well as the Paso Robles area.

The vegetarian options are always scarce, so I tend to eat a big lunch before the event. But a nice surprise this year was the abundance of bread Sugar Pine Bakery brought. I had my share and a few other people’s.

It’s one of those nights where conversations never seem to be completed because just as you get started talking with one person someone else you know walks up. That’s also the fun part of the soiree – catching up with people who you haven’t seen in a while, hanging with friends, and seeing business associates in a different context.

The thousands of dollars raised from sales of the $65 tickets, multiple silent auction tables and raffle goes back to the community to projects helping women and girls. Here are some of the recipients who have received money from SISLT.

I always find it interesting when people who are the high bidders say they “won” the silent auction item. I took my “winnings” up to the comfy room, thinking more wine was needed.

Housekeeping at Harrah’s graciously brought up a wine opener. Apparently we had had our fill because neither of us could finish another glass.

The sweet potato fries are worth ordering from room service to help absorb the wine. (I have a French fry problem; some may call it an addiction – but that’s another story.)

It had been several years since I had stayed at Harrah’s. The room was much nicer than what I had remembered – tastefully decorated and spacious – with a partial view of Lake Tahoe. Sunrise hitting the mountains beyond MontBleu was something I don’t see out my bedroom window.

Four things that are somewhat minor but scored major points with both of us were: 1) not being able to smell smoke when stepping off the elevator, 2) having a thermostat that was accurate, 3) a heating system that is silent, and 4) having a shampoo-conditioner-soap dispenser instead the wasteful tiny plastic bottles.

The next morning meant needing to go out for breakfast. We walked over to Heavenly Village to eat at Driftwood Café – our first time to do since it moved from the other side of the street. It was as good as we had remembered.

The breakfast-lunch eatery has some different things than other restaurants in the area – like quiche, ugly fries (grilled potatoes, green onions, mushrooms with melted cheddar), as well as Bloody Mary’s and carafes of mimosas.

I had the Huevos Del Driftwood ($8.95), but probably could have gotten the half order. Sue had the Basic American Fare (two eggs, potato pancake or home fries, toast) for $7.25. Javier was an incredible waiter – try too sit in his section.

Staying the night at Harrah’s made for the best Soroptimist wine tasting event yet. This could be habit forming.

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By Kathryn Reed

“The snow was truly epic.”

That’s how season passholder Michael Brown of Stateline described opening day at Heavenly Mountain Resort.

California Trail at Heavenly on opening day Nov. 20. Photos/Kathryn Reed

He wasn’t at the gondola in time to get “first chair” – he had to settle for the second car. But he beat the snowboarders in front of him who had to lock in to their bindings to be the first one on California Trail this season.

Heavenly had to delay the start of the season a day because Mother Nature was whipping up winds that made it unsafe to fire up the lifts Friday. Not the case a day later – Nov. 20.

What started off as a sunny, blue-sky day Saturday at lake level gradually turned to partly cloudy and was back to winter conditions by early afternoon. It was much the same on the mountain.

Charlie Smith of South Lake Tahoe was taking advantage of having bought a Double Whammy pass to ski Sierra and Northstar and being able to turn it in for a Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass. This is all possible only this year because of Vail’s purchase of Northstar last month.

He took one run before needing to warm up in the Umbrella Bar at the confluence of the gondola debarkation, Tamarack lift and Adventure Peak Grill. He said the run was great. In the bar he did wince a bit at the $9.41 for a shot of Bushmills whiskey.

Others were happy to have a flask of peppermint schnapps in their pocket to add to hot cocoa. Still others parted with $8.85 for a Stella.

The gondola started running at 8:30am, with a line of eager skiers and boarders. People were already heading home before 10am. Passholders often just ski a couple hours, but with only run open and it starting to get busy, it was enough to chase some people off the mountain.

For those who paid the $62 to ski one run, well, it’s debatable if it was worth it. Though, there’s always something special about opening day at any resort.

Daily prices will keep going up. Go to Heavenly’s website, put in the date you plan to be there and the price comes up. Still, like all resorts, a season pass is the best deal as long as you don’t want to ski on the blackout dates.

California Trail, though covered without an obstacle to be seen, was littered with bodies. To the skiers’ left was a mini terrain park that was getting substantial traffic on its various features.

More trails will open as conditions permit – which Heavenly officials say will happen today. Dipper Express will be open, giving access to Orion and Bigger Dipper trails. This will greatly spread people beyond Tamarack chair. East Peak Lodge will also be open.

At the base of the Tamarack chairlift is the Tamarack Lodge that from the outside looks ready to serve the masses. Heavenly’s multi-million dollar lodge will open in February.

An unfortunate sight was a dad yelling at his daughter who was about 7 to turn her snowboard like his. This “Little League parent” behavior is always sad to see, but really, did he need to do this on Day 1 and in cold, snowy weather – especially when staff at the base of gondola urged beginners to come back another day.

Another piece of advice – put the bar up on the chairlift before the skis hit the snow at the end of the lift. And don’t hold the bar down again, buddy. It’s a good thing you skied off fast.

One guy visiting from Michigan decided on the offhand chance Heavenly opened he’d have his ski clothes with him. He was making the most of it under gray skies and windy weather. He was ecstatic to be on the lift no matter the weather.

A foursome from Vegas ventured up to the Umbrella Bar to check things out. They, unlike another group of lookiloos, were dressed for the weather. The other group showed up in tennis shoes.

Staff was on top of their game on Day 1. The guys at both ends of the gondola, coming and going, were super cheerful and eager to put skis and boards on/off the cars. Missy at the Umbrella Bar was handling the crowd as people wanted to drink and beverages weren’t quite available because the bar and portable food station had to be dug out and stocked before service was available.

Heavenly’s website will keep listing what lifts and runs are open. With the winter storm warning in effect through 4pm today, powder day is likely what people will experience today.

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By Kathryn Reed

It will never look like a pristine forest, but one day the old Meyers Landfill site on the outskirts of South Lake Tahoe could be a place worth visiting.

For now, though, it’s completely off-limits.

With nearly a third more debris found at the site than anticipated, the closure to the area remains in effect until at least through 2011. This is because the construction associated with getting the cap on the old dump is not done. Part of the area will remain closed for three years. At that time the U.S. Forest Service, the landowner, will decide what to do for the long term.

Intact garbage found this summer at the old Meyers Landfill. Photos/Gail Bakker

This information will given out to a sparsely attended Nov. 18 meeting at the Forest Service headquarters in South Lake Tahoe. That same day an extension to the closure was signed by acting Forest Supervisor Eli Ilano.

The heavy equipment at the site has been removed, with the remaining pieces to be out by the end of the weekend.

About 107,000 cubic yards of waste was consolidated into one area.

“We found a lot of bottles, pieces of metal, clothes, pieces of carpet, chunks of concrete,” Gail Bakker, USFS engineer and project leader, told Lake Tahoe News after the meeting.

Even readable newspaper remnants were found. And the area off Pioneer Trail near Elks Club Road has not been a dump since 1971. (It started as a landfill in 1947.)

This proves things don’t easily decompose, even with decades of rain and snow to help with the process.

Debris covering the South Tahoe Public Utility District line was removed so it can be accessed in the future. It won’t be covered by the cap. Soil samples were taken in that area – about 12 feet below the manhole. They turned up negative.

For now, a layer of soil covers the site. A French drain was also installed to collect subsurface drainage from neighboring slopes.

Next summer the black impermeable plastic cap will be installed.

“One reason we chose a thicker cap is because we knew people would be back there,” Dennis Geiser, engineer with the USFS regional office in Vallejo, said.

A drainage layer will be included, more soil and then native plant seedlings.

“We cannot allow deep-rooted plants because the liner is 3 feet from the surface,” Bakker said. If trees or shrubs sprout, they will be yanked out.

The entire disturbed area is more than 20 acres. However, the liner will cover 7 acres, with what’s called the plateau area encompassing another 4 acres.

There will always be restrictions on the use of site – no buildings, no wells.

What concerns Forest Service officials with snow on the ground is snowmobilers using the area during the temporary closure. A chain link fence is up around the inner most sensitive area, while the orange construction fencing is around the perimeter. More signs will go up soon.

But as the snow mounts that orange fence can disappear. Then, there are the people who don’t care and ride on through. Damaging the stormwater protection systems is the major concern, along with riders injuring themselves.

Law enforcement as well as forest protection officers will be in the area to educate people and cite violators when necessary.

Once the cap is in place, groundwater testing will be ongoing. The cap is designed to prevent further leaching of contaminants into the groundwater. Vinyl chloride is the main contaminant people are worried about. It is a breakdown component of solvents that had been dumped at the waste site.

If the cap is working, then the contaminated groundwater (there are no drinking wells are in the area) will dissipate. If it doesn’t work, this will be detected via the monitoring wells showing continued or increased levels of contaminants.

One plume is moving toward Saxon Creek, another toward Pioneer Trail.

With this being deemed a CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) site per the Environmental Protection Agency, specific remediation measures had to be used. It took this long to begin construction of a cap because it took nearly 20 years and millions of dollars worth of litigation to reach a settlement earlier this year.

The original estimate on the design of the cap was $7 million, which includes $5 million for construction. With it taking another building season, that bill will come in higher. El Dorado County, which was the main defendant in the case because it operated the landfill, must also cover 100 years of operations and maintenance at the site.

ngg_shortcode_4_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)

‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’

Rated PG-13

4 bagels out of 5

By Howie Nave

It dawned on me a few days ago that an entire generation has grown up experiencing the Harry Potter series on the big screen. For those who started reading the books first it must have been an eager anticipation waiting to see if their imagination from the popular books would mirror (hopefully) the imagery captured from one’s mind.

What’s also amazing is that the filmmakers were able to keep Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) together to make this a truly amazing franchise ride. To think we’ve seen them literally grow up before our eyes in the theater makes it that much harder to say goodbye. Of course all of them are now very well off and probably don’t have to ever do another movie again. Yet, I will say this though — the filmmakers and all involved have truly saved the best for last.

Part 1 of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” brings the seventh and final book in the J.K. Rowling series to an end. (Part 2 will open July 15, so we’ll still have something to look forward to). It opened in theaters at midnight.

I was taken aback at how much the cast had aged into young adults and also how dark this movie was. In fact, the Minister of Magic proclaims that, “These are dark times. There’s no denying it.” Boy is he correct.

Daniel Radcliffe's Harry Potter gets ready to cast a spell on theater-goers.

And the friendship between our three principle wizards will be tested. Harry has been marked for death and the stress on them shows. Unlike past Potter movies there isn’t any time for clowning around or participating in Quidditch matches, oh no. It’s one thing when a fellow student attacks you because generally you’re both at the same experience level in wizardry, but when an adult wizard makes you a target, it’s more than a little unnerving.

Lord Voldemort is a sinister adversary and has more experience as a wizard, plus some powerful allies. He’s after the Elder Wand which is one of three Deathly Hallows that allow the bearer to conquer death. So the stakes are high this time out and he certainly has no problem eliminating Potter and his friends. For those who are loyal book readers you already know the battle and its outcome between Potter and Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), but for those of us who haven’t read the final chapter, but have only experienced the franchise on-screen it gets intense. Really intense.

I can’t even tell you how many times when I see a dark formation of clouds I’m wondering if Voldemort’s Death Eaters have been sent my way. The cast (as always) is solid with stand-out performances that include Bill Nighy (Scrimgeour), Rhys Ifans (Lovegood), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix) and two of my favs, Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid and Alan Rickman as Professor Snape.

Director David Yates will be the final one to close the entire franchise and at first I was somewhat concerned. I mean, I would have thought Chris Columbus would have been brought back to bring everything full circle as he directed the first two, setting the table, so to speak. Now after seeing Yates’ work it makes sense. He directed 2007’s “Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix” and 2009’s “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” where the franchise had turned much more serious by then. Yates is definitely the one to conclude the final chapter (or in this case, chapters with part 2 being the finale next year).

Yates is brilliant at making you feel uncomfortable and not just because of Harry’s enemies, but the location scenes. Much of the story is not only set in the dark, but the somewhat safe haven of Hogwarts is not nearby, leaving Harry, Ron and Hermione very much out in the open. It’s a strange feeling, trust me. And even though the movie has been given a PG-13 rating, there are plenty of scenes that may be too intense for the younger sect, so parents be forewarned. Fans of book and movies will not be disappointed.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” is rated PG-13 for some sequences of intense action violence, frightening images and brief sensuality with a running time of 145 minutes.

Howie Nave is host/emcee/manager of The Improv at Harveys. You can hear him Monday-Friday 6 to 10am on KRLT FM-93.9.