The Lake Tahoe Society for Storytelling & Enlightenment has released its latest Tahoe History Comix.
“State Route 28” has cyclist Marcus from the Netherlands on a journey from Tahoe City to Spooner Summit. Learn about the history of Tahoe timber and transportation along the way.
“State Route 28” is available at Bona Fide Books in Meyers or online.
Tahoe Art League’s Artist Studio Tour is a self-guided art event that occurs each year on the last weekend of July and first weekend in August. There are numerous open studios to visit with either individual artists or artist collectives showing their work and working spaces.
These artists are diverse and work in many media including glass, photography, jewelry, painting, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture and drawing.
The ninth annual event is July 24-26 and July 31-Aug. 2, 10am-5pm each day.
For more info, go online.
Sunkist
Sunkist is one of several kittens available for adoption at the shelter right now. All are very pretty, playful kittens with lots of healthy energy. Also, the shelter is looking for a few homes to foster other younger kittens for a few weeks. Call the shelter if you are interested.
Sunkist is spayed, microchipped, tested for FIV, and vaccinated. She is at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with many other cats and dogs who are waiting for their new homes. Go to the Tahoe animal shelter’s Facebook page to see photos and descriptions of all available pets at the shelter.
Call Animal Services at 530.573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet.
For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go online.
— Karen Kuentz
By Jena McGregor, Washington Post
If it seems like it’s taken a long time for that recruiter to call you back, or for that first interview — and second, and third — to turn into a job offer, you have company. According to a report by Glassdoor, the interview process looks to be taking longer than ever.
The report, released on this month, analyzed more than 340,000 “interview reviews” that job candidates and employees have submitted on Glassdoor’s careers site over the past six years. It examined differences in how long it takes to interview in various job categories, sectors and cities. Washington, D.C. is the slowest city in the nation by far, job seekers say.
Its findings also suggest a sharp rise in the overall length of the average interview process in the United States — 23 days in 2014, up from about 13 days in 2010. (After controlling for some factors, that rise looked somewhat smaller but still significant.)
On consecutive Sundays, the sprawling lawn outside Valhalla’s Grand Hall will transform into a free concert haven.
Bring a picnic, lawn chairs and the whole family.
The music goes from noon-2pm.
Dates and artists:
July 5 — The Empty Wallets: roots rock, jam band from Tahoe and the Sierra Foothills
July 12 — CW and Mr. Spoons: western ragtime, cowboy croons and swing
July 19 — New World Jazz Project: a South Tahoe funky favorite of locals
Aug. 2 — The Yolos: jazz, French folk, roots influenced combo from Sacramento.
For more info, go online.
Auditions for Missoula Children’s Theatre production of “Aladdin” are July 6 at South Tahoe Middle School’s multipurpose room from 10am-noon.
Those auditioning should plan to stay for the full two hours. Auditions are free. If cast, there is a $50 per child fee to participate in this weeklong theater experience. A limited number of scholarships are available by calling Peggy Blowney at 530.542.3632.
Approximately 60 roles are available. All students grades K-12 may audition. No advanced preparation is necessary. Rehearsals will be Monday through Friday from 10am-2:30pm. The performances are scheduled for July 10 at 3pm and 6pm at the South Tahoe High School theater.
For more information, call Tahoe Arts Project at 530.542.3632.
Gerry Wright
Longtime South Lake Tahoe resident Gerry Wright died June 3, 2015. He was 87.
Gerry was born in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, in 1928.
He worked in the accounting field for 67 years, beginning with Husky Oil, originally out of Lloydminster. He was transferred to Calgary, Alberta; Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan; and then in 1962 to Cody, Wyo.
Gerry loved people, his family and music. He was a member of the Canadian Reserve Army Band in Moose Jaw and directed the Cody Elks Club Band.
After moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s, he worked with the younger kids of the Reseda Youth Band. In the 1970s, he played with the Ambassadors 18 piece dance band. A family trip to the Sierra brought a desire to move and in 1979, Gerry and Jeanette moved to Tahoe. Gerry opened an accounting business in the early 1980s.
He joined the Kiwanis Club, served as treasurer for many years and also was a regular at the Thursday men’s bridge club at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center.
Gerry loved Jesus and with a grateful heart for the showers of blessings from God, he and Jeanette joined Tahoe Community Church in 1984. He taught Sunday school and became the first elder in 1990. He fought the good fight, he finished the race, and he kept the faith. (2Timothy 4:7 ESV)
He is survived by his wife, Jeanette, of 66 years; son, Doug; daughter-in-law, Karen; son, Colin; daughters, Jacki and Paula; son-in-law, Bob; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life service will be July 11 at 11am at Tahoe Community Church at 145 Daggett Way off Kingsbury Grade.
By Josh Noel, Los Angeles Times
More hotels are tacking on often-hidden ‘resort fees’ to their bills. Here’s how to spot them
If the hotel bill includes fees for services you didn’t use or weren’t available, make your case at front desk
I recently received a nasty little surprise on my bill when checking out of a Memphis, Tenn., hotel.
Tucked in with the room charge and the various taxes were a $20 “resort fee” and a $20 a night charge for “valet service.” Never mind that I hadn’t used the valet. Or that when I checked in, the front desk clerk didn’t happen to mention I was being charged for the service.
Resort fees are nothing new — and there’s a new website called
ResortFeeChecker.com to help you find out how much you’ll be charged — but they are increasingly common and, arguably, cagier, with surcharges such as an automatic charge for valet service, regardless of whether a guest uses it.
Possession of fireworks of any kind, including firecrackers and sparklers, is illegal in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Campfires or portable charcoal grills are not permitted on National Forest beaches or in the general forest. For those planning to barbecue on the beach, bring portable gas grills instead of charcoal. This will reduce the danger of wildfire in the Lake Tahoe Basin. A hot ember can travel for miles in the wind and it only takes one small spark to ignite a large wildfire.
The Forest Service anticipates additional fire restrictions will be in place by the holiday weekend. Go online for complete information.
The annual alcohol ban will be in effect at Nevada Beach, Zephyr Cove Resort, and Zephyr Shoals (the former Dreyfus Estate) from 6am-midnight on July 4. Additionally, county and state laws ban the possession or consumption of alcohol on the Truckee River from Tahoe City to Alpine Meadows and Chamber’s Landing Beach on the West Shore from July 1-6. These areas will be patrolled by law enforcement personnel from the Forest Service, Douglas and Placer counties, the Carson City Sheriff’s Department, and private security staff.
The Nifty Fifty Trolley stops at National Forest beaches along the South and West Shores of Lake Tahoe. At developed recreation sites, such as Kiva, Tallac Historic Site, Taylor Creek Visitor Center and Echo Lake and Angora Lake resorts, parking is allowed only in designated parking spaces inside the parking lots, not along the roadway.
Day-use fees for the Fourth of July at Pope, Baldwin, and Nevada beaches will be $20 and at Zephyr Cove Beach $25 to cover increased security and facility maintenance costs of the holiday.
For information on rules regarding pets, go online.
Trash and debris left behind after festivities can be harmful and even fatal to wildlife. It presents a human health hazard, and degrades Lake Tahoe. Trash cans may become full, so plan ahead and pack out all garbage.
By Evangeline Elston
There are so many variables that go into selecting programming for a diverse, summerlong arts festival like the Valhalla Art, Music and Theatre Festival. Because Lake Tahoe attracts a range of summer vacationers, and is also home to diverse age groups and cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, Valhalla seeks to serve this diversity by offering arts programming that appeals to everyone.
This summer Valhalla has taken on an ambitious schedule of offerings for the 2015 season with concerts featuring artists from at least seven genres, live dramatic theatre including South Lake Tahoe’s finest actors in “On Golden Pond”, as well as a young adult production of the classic Shakespeare play “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” and comedy improve that involves the audience and is great for families. There are also free Sunday concerts on the lawn and art shows in the Viking Gallery throughout the summer.
Valhalla is offering something new in the festival this weekend. Calidanza is a dance company from Sacramento that features traditional and contemporary Mexican folk dancing complete with a live band to play between acts. The decision to include this unique dance production came from a desire among Valhalla staff and board to celebrate Lake Tahoe’s rich Hispanic culture through the arts.
Founded in 2013 by Executive-Artistic Director Steven Valencia (former artistic director of Compañía Mazatlan Bellas Artes 1998-2012) Calidanza represents a new and innovative way to look at traditional Mexican folk and contemporary dance. The company fuses contemporary technique with traditional folk dance to tell compelling stories of the rich cultural traditions of Mexico. The choreographies unearth many unknown stories in Mexico often overlooked – the African presence in Mexico, Day of the Dead celebrations, from elaborate ceremonial danzas to festive town celebrations honoring patron saints, to harvests commemorations and other regional celebrations. Our goal is to honor the diversity of Mexico and pay homage to the uniqueness of its culture and people.
On June 27 the Valhalla Art, Music and Theatre Festival presents Calidanza in two performances. A matinee at 2pm will be a short, hourlong, family friendly program at a slightly lower cost in hopes people from all backgrounds and means have access to this cultural arts program. In the evening at 7:30 a full-length program is offered as well. Tickets and information are online.
Evangeline Elston is director of the Valhalla Art, Music and Theatre Festival.