By Barbara Barte Osborn, Sacramento Bee

Construction of a new museum at Donner Memorial State Park in Truckee is shocking many residents and visitors despite years of warnings that the project would disturb the site.

“Since last week, I’ve been getting calls and hearing it every day on the bus,” bus driver Rick Stafford, a longtime resident and history buff, said of the project, which was first planned about 15 years ago and has been in the preliminary stages for eight.

“Nobody saw it coming,” Stafford said. “They thought it was dead because of the budget crisis.”

The construction site – with large piles of uprooted tree trunks and boulders – is quite visible from the historic park’s Donner Pass Road entrance. A bulldozer stands near the debris in a recently cleared area between the museum parking lot and buildings used for maintenance and seasonal employee housing.

On the other side of the parking lot, near the current Emigrant Trail Museum, the Pioneer Monument statue peers over a few standing stumps of recently cut trees and through a wire fence.

The 9,324-square-foot, $6.8 million High Sierra Crossing Museum – now expected to be completed in early 2013 – will stand between the much-smaller current museum and Donner Pass Road.

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The Pacific Crest Trail Association and the Tahoe Rim Trail Association are presenting the National Geographic Film “America’s Wild Spaces: The Pacific Crest Trail” on June 28 at 6:30pm.

There is no charge.

This hour-long film chronicles the peaks and valleys of this epic 2,650 mile long trail that stretches from Mexico to Canada, cutting through seven national parks and 24 national forests. Each year more than 300 backpackers attempt to complete the entirety of this grueling route, hiking through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington and experiencing elevation changes equal to that of 10 Mt. Everests.

The film will be shown at the Tahoe Environmental Research Center at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village. Seating is limited. Register online for a seat.

The Village at Squaw Valley and Sons of Norway, Snowshoe Thompson Lodge 6-078, are hosting a dedication celebration honoring the Sierra legend Snowshoe Thompson at Squaw Valley at 1pm June 25 in the Events Plaza of The Village at Squaw Valley.

The dedication is for the 13-foot copper sculpture of Snowshoe Thompson created by artist Richard Gill of Nevada City. The sculpture depicts the legendary character who carried the mail through Sierra snows, from Placerville to Genoa for more than 20 winters.

The event will include a brief history of Snowshoe Thompson and a reading of Gills’ poem, Norwegian dancing and instruction provided by the Kropps, Norwegian singing by Phil Walker and a special performance by Snowshoe Thompson impersonator, Steve Hale.

For further information, call (530) 584.6266.

Donald Lester Kimball of Gardnerville passed away on June 12, 2011, surrounded by family and friends.

He was 76.

Don was born June 23, 1934.

Don Kimball

Don was a travel director with S&H Travel and traveled the world before becoming a prominent businessman in Northern Nevada. With his twin brother and best friend, Robert “Bob” Kimball, Don formed Travel Systems Ltd., and in 1975 they became the proud owners of the M.S. Dixie at Zephyr Cove Resort. Don was actively involved in running all of the operations of the Zephyr Cove Resort until he retired in 1999.

He is survived by his sister, Janet Kimball of San Diego; son and daughter-in-law, Brett and Karen Kimball of Gardnerville; daughter and son-in-law, Melissa and Randy Seymour of Fallbrook; and grandchildren, Kristi and Jennifer Kimball of Gardnerville.

Don was preceded in death by his wife, Wilma; his twin brother Bob Kimball; and his parents Arthur and Dorothy Kimball.

A service will be June 17 at the Church of Latter-day Saints, 1095 Spruce St., Gardnerville. Viewing will be at 10am, with the funeral following at 11am.

There is an online memorial where a guest book may be signed.

Barton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary gave $6,000 in scholarships to students who will be pursuing healthcare careers at a four-year-university this fall.

The annual lunch on Monday at the Tahoe Swiss Chalet in South Lake Tahoe was an opportunity for the four students to receive their awards that were based on academic achievement, leadership qualities, participation in school and community activities. Along with applications letters of recommendation were submitted by the recipients’ professors, teachers and employers.

Scholarship winners are bottom row L-R, Jazmin Zuniga, Sammy Brumbach, Rebecca Sanders and Amy Nielsen. Barton Auxiliary members in the back L-R are, Dick Young, Nancy Muller, Cathy Vogelgesang, Joanne Donmoyer, Judy Cefalu and Marie Foster. Photo/Provided

The winners are:

Amy Nielsen, Lake Tahoe Community College

Like so many confronted with the elimination of their positions in the workplace, Nielsen also faced downsizing in recent years not once, but twice. As a single parent she was faced with the difficult position of supporting herself and the needs of her two teenage sons. Nielson has more than 20 years experience as a certified emergency medical technician. She served eight years in the Army Reserve as a combat medic and has served as a volunteer with the Fernley Volunteer Fire Department.

Nielsen has completed most of her pre-requisites for the nursing program at LTCC while maintaining a 3.80 gpa. Her goal is to transfer to CSU Sacramento or UNR in the fall to pursue her dream of becoming a registered nurse.

Jazmin Zuniga, Douglas High School

Zuniga maintained a 3.93 gpa at Douglas High School. She is a member of the National Honor Society and contributes to school and community service programs including the local suicide prevention network and helped create a support group for teenagers called Living Out Loud. Zuniga’s goal is to become a pediatric nurse. She will attend UNR in the fall.

Rebecca Sanders, South Tahoe High School

Sanders is a member of the National Honor Society, Key Club and South Tahoe High School cross country and track and field teams. While, maintaining academic excellence she also finds time to volunteer in community events such as Relay for lLfe, Lake Tahoe Marathon and the Kahle Halloween Carnival. Ranked ninth in her class of 278 with a

4.25 gpa, Sanders will attend UCLA in the fall with aspirations of one day becoming a pediatric surgeon.

Samantha Brumbach, Whittell High School

A star athlete at Whittell High School, Brumbach won All-State in track and for being an integral member of the boy’s varsity soccer team. She achieveda 4.33 gpa. Brumbach will enter the nursing program at UNR in the fall. She envisions traveling to Third World countries to help the needy and/or work in a clinic where she can offer healthcare to those who less fortunate.

Celebrate Snowshoe Thompson with folk products displayed by the Sons and Daughters of Norway, Norwegian dancers, Norwegian fjord horses with a cart and a Chautauqua presentation of Snowshoe Thompson, the man who carried the mail in the late 1800s from Genoa to Placerville twice a month for 20 years.

The June 19 2-5pm event is at Mormon Station State Historic Park in Genoa.

For more information, call (775) 782.2590.

By Kathryn Reed

A long Tahoe winter might be responsible for the number of blue ribbons awarded at this year’s El Dorado County Fair to people living in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Jonnie Crawford entered six items in the knitting category and came away with six ribbons.

Jonnie Crawford needs another board to hang her knitting ribbons. Photos/Kathryn Reed

Jon Helman submitted two needle art pieces and was rewarded with two ribbons.

Though neither South Shore resident requires bad weather to work on their crafts, both admit a little more time was spent on projects this winter because indoor activities were more fun than outdoor on many days.

Everyone may see their handiwork at the fair, which starts today and goes through Sunday. The entry fee for Tahoe residents has been reduced to $2 each day.

Crawford is a veteran of winning – and knitting. She has been entering items in the local fair for more than a decade. Each year she has won something. The blue, red and white ribbons along with best of show fill a bulletin board in one room of her South Tahoe home. She learned to knit from her grandmother when she was in kindergarten, and has shared the hobby with her daughter and granddaughter.

Helman, a teacher at Sierra House Elementary School, started doing cross-stitch in 1989 – partly as a way to pass the time in winter. Pointing to how former Rams defensive lineman Rosey Grier picked up needlepoint as a way to calm his fear of flying, Helman said he is secure having a hobby that is not common for men.

Helman did not know he won two first-places until contacted by Lake Tahoe News this week. His best until now for needle art was third place. (With a friend, he has previously earned two seconds for winemaking.)

“I got a lot of sewing done this year with the miserable weather,” Helman said.

Half of his pieces are original, half come from a pattern.

“Some take a couple years to finish. They are real complex,” Helman said.

The one he just started has 66,100 stitches.

“It’s going to take a while,” Helman said.

This is the fifth year Crawford has been awarded best of show. Each class is judged and awarded first, second and third. Then all the first places are judged, with the winner being awarded best of show.

Jonnie Crawford designs knit fingerless gloves.

Crawford was in Placerville on June 10 for the judging. Even though she is a veteran competitor, she admits to having butterflies in her stomach as the judge inspects her work.

“She judges the inside and the outside,” Crawford said. “She looks to see if it is practical.”

This year Crawford received three firsts, two seconds, a third, and the best of show. She entered three sweaters, a pair of socks, a hat, and shawl.

She was shocked the socks won. She would have voted for the lace shawl.

A bookshelf in the Crawford living room is devoted to knitting books. Some patterns, though, are original. Her daughter designed the winning socks, while Crawford did the work.

Crawford and Helman share their work with friends and family. Much of Crawford’s husband and children’s wardrobes consists of her sweaters. For Helman, a unique gift to new parents is a birth announcement – in needlework.

While both would like to make some money off their creativity, the reality, they say, is it’s cost prohibitive.

Crawford said with the wool yarn manufactured in Norway and Great Britain she orders online, plus labor a sweater may cost $500.

Helman sold one of his pieces for $400. He thinks he made $1 an hour, plus matting and framing.

They create for the love it – and to pass the time during a long a Tahoe winter.

“It’s something to keep me sane,” Crawford said of her knitting.

For the full four-day run of the El Dorado County Fair (June 16-19) the Hollywood Stunt Adventure offers fairgoers the opportunity to work one-on-one with a professional stunt man and learn the skills of the trade.

First, you’ll start with tumbling techniques practiced on mats, then progress to the mini trampoline and ultimately—if you learn your lessons well—graduate to the jump tower where you’ll experience up to five exhilarating jumps—landing on a gigantic professional stunt airbag.

With your friends and family watching, you’ll become the star of the show. And, you can have your picture or video taken, in action, as a keepsake of your adrenaline-fueled adventure.

Several times daily the professional stunt men and women will take a break from coaching to present the Hollywood Stunt Exhibition Show. The show features a 50-foot aerial straitjacket free fall escape, and the world’s only full-view water torture cell escape, and reenactment of famous jumps and high falls from current action movies .The final night-time performance will also include a special “arm burn high fall stunt “as the finale.

The exhibition show plays five times daily on the main lawn of the El Dorado County Fairgrounds and is free with admission to the fair. Fifteen- to 20-minute stunt classes with up to five participates in each class are offered throughout the four-day fair for an additional fee.

For more information, call (530) 621.5860.

Tolerance is a subject Joemae Santos is teaching adults.

She is doing it with words – and showing how other people’s words are ones of intolerance.

Joemae Santos

The incoming South Tahoe High School ninth-grader wowed the crowd at Tuesday night’s Lake Tahoe Unified School District board of education meeting with two poems.

These are the same poems that led her to win Lake Tahoe Community College’s poetry slam in April.

Santos was introduced June 14 by English teacher Jillian Raymond. Raymond is one of nine teachers (400-plus were nominated) in California to be named a Teacher for Social Justice.

Santos’ subject matter is adult in nature. The poems sound like they are written by someone much older. But they show the struggles and insight of today’s youth. Not only are the words powerful, but Santos’ delivery makes one want to listen to what else she might have to say.

The first is titled “Queer 101” and the other is “Asia-America”. She read both at the meeting.

— Kathryn Reed

Longtime South Lake Tahoe businessman Bob Maloff died June 2.

Mr. Maloff was 90.

Mr. Maloff was in the hotel business most of his career.

He was in business for more than 50 years with George Achilles Karadanis. The two men developed and operated the Lake Tahoe Inn and Timber Cove Lodge. Mr. Maloff in 2007 was going to sell Timber Cove Lodge to Randy Lane. However, the assessor’s office lists Karadanis Maloff Investments as the current owner.

In 1975, the business partners opened the Sundowner Hotel and Casino in Reno, which Mr. Karadanis operated.

The two bought the Mapes Hotel in Reno in 1988, but never opened it. They sold it to the city of Reno in 1996.

Mr. Maloff and Mr. Karadanis built shopping centers and apartment complexes in Reno and Sacramento.

Besides being a successful businessman who kept working until he died, Mr. Maloff was an avid bridge player. He and his friends played at Edgewood Tahoe.

Mr. Maloff is survived by his wife, Lisa of South Lake Tahoe.

Mr. Maloff in interred at Happy Homestead Cemetery in South Lake Tahoe.