By Robert D. Dávila, Sacramento Bee

Danny Nardico, a former professional boxer who was the only fighter to deck Jake “Raging Bull” LaMotta in the ring, died Nov. 22 of congestive heart failure, his family said. He was 85.

Fighting out of Tampa, Fla., Mr. Nardico was a challenger in three divisions: middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight. He was set to fight Rocky Graziano for the title but was upset by Charley Norkus. He had ended his professional career by 1955 with a record of 50 wins – including 35 knockouts – 13 losses and four draws.

His record included a historic match on New Year’s Eve in 1952 against LaMotta in Coral Gables, Fla. In the seventh round, Mr. Nardico landed a hard right that caused his opponent to fall into the ropes and go down. LaMotta got back on his feet at the count of nine but declined to answer the bell for the next round. Mr. Nardico’s feat was recorded on film, including clips available on YouTube. But there was no mention in the 1980 LaMotta biographical film “Raging Bull.”

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By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE — It was not the traditional Santa’s workshop, but a definite holiday buzz was coming from MontBleu’s convention center.

By 10am the Mardis Gras tree was well assembled, as was the Party in a Box tree. Food Network star Guy Fieri sent items to Tahoe for a tree with his name on it. Hollywood is showing up with an Eat, Pray, Love tree.

All of these trees and more are part of the second annual Festival of Tree and Lights. The three-day event – Dec. 3-5 – is all about giving local youths some holiday fun, families an indoor activity, and the Barton Community Clinic a unique vehicle to raise cash.

Each designer has a 10-foot by 10-foot space to work in. Decorating the winter wonderland was supposed to be done as the clock struck midnight Wednesday. Although the public doesn’t get to look at the splendor until Dec. 3, Barton employees will be treated to a special event tonight and a VIP gathering was last night.

Jessica DeFranco is a bit nervous Guy Fieri may attend the event because she is decorating the tree with his name. Photos/Kathryn Reed

“Most of the growth is in mini trees and table tops,” Kindle Craig, executive director of the Barton Foundation, told Lake Tahoe News as she walked among the clutter Tuesday.

Although she would like to be able to have more large trees, the space doesn’t allow for it. But MontBleu is not charging for use of the space.

“I’d really like the convention center (across the street) to open so it could be bigger,” Kindle said.

New this year is two trips on the Polar Express on Sunday because of the sell-out last year. A Teddy Bear Hospital is also new. A Champagne brunch fashion show had been planned, but has since been crossed off the event schedule.

The inaugural event raised almost $28,000 for the clinic. With not having the start-up costs associated with last year, organizers are hoping to raise even more money this year. It is also hoped more people will participate. Last year 2,500 people were part of the festival.

More than a dozen trees are elaborately decorated – mostly with a theme, such as the Powder tree. Each tree has a sponsor (Barton’s orthopedics are behind this one), and each has a decorator. Sponsors pay $1,200 per tree. The designer is reimbursed up to $600; the other $600 goes to the clinic.

Gifts under the tree – like the goggles, skis and chairlift are donated. In this case, the chair came from Sierra-at-Tahoe.

Then, the tree and everything associated with it is auctioned off to the highest bidder. In 2009, the most expensive tree went for $3,000 even though it had a value of about $5,000.

That money, too, went right to the community clinic coffers.

The clinic plans an $800,000 renovation that will begin next year. It is at capacity with 11 exam rooms, so more will be added, along with a larger waiting area. The clinic saw nearly 1,600 patients in October.

Event details:

Location: MontBleu casino in Stateline

Dec. 3:

9am-4pm Public Viewing of Designer Trees: Tickets are available for purchase only at the door; $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens (55+), $3 for children (ages 3-12), children 2 and under are free.

5-9pm Family Night: Families are welcome to attend special late night festival hours, free cocoa and cookies. Enjoy a holiday light show provided by Horizon casino. Admission is $25 per family (up to 5 people), which includes one Santa photo. Additional Santa photos can be purchased for $5 each.

Dec. 4:

9am Teddy Bear Breakfast: Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for children (ages 3-12), children 2 and under are free, $200 reserved table (10 Guests). One Santa photo per family is included. Additional photos can be purchased for $5 each.

Enjoy a holiday buffet in the convention center surrounded by all the trees and holiday lights. Every child is encouraged to bring a doll or teddy bear that will be whisked away and returned to their table adorned with holiday flair.

11am-2pm Teddy Bear Hospital/Gingerbread Junction/Public Viewing of Designer Trees: Children age 12 and under are invited to visit the Teddy Bear Hospital – an interactive place where they learn about their health and hospitals in a safe, “no pokes” environment from Barton Health’s physicians, nurses and staff. Each child will receive a free teddy bear as they are “admitted” to the hospital.

The Gingerbread Junction will have holiday coloring pages and holiday craft projects for kids.

Tickets are available for purchase only at the door. Ticket Price: $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens (55+), $3 for children (ages 3-12), children 2 and under are free.

6pm Gala: Black-tie optional. Complete with a 10-piece band, five-course meal catered by MontBleu, silent and live auctions, and more; $150 per person, $1,650 Patron Table (10 Guests with sponsorship benefits), $2,000 Benefactor Table (10 Guests with sponsorship benefits).

Dec. 5:

3-5pm and 6-8pm Polar Express: Festivalgoers will ride on the Polar Express Tahoe style. Attendees will dress up in their best pajamas and grab a seat on one of our “trains” (really, they’re school buses). Carols will be sung as they make their way to the first stop to the Red Hut. From there the “trains” will continue on to the MontBleu for a reading of the Polar Express and the songs of the Belles of Christmas choir.

All days:

• The Festival will feature nonstop entertainment on the festival stage with local dance troupes, singing groups and magic shows.

• Santa Claus will be on hand. Santa photos are $5 each.

• Silent auction of mini-trees, wreaths and décor.

• Raffle tickets are $5 each.

• Wish Tree – Make someone’s holiday wish come true. Visit the very special “Wish Tree” and you can do just that – determine how much you would like to give, pull off an existing wish or make your own. Minimum gift is $5.

• Mrs. Claus’ Gift Shop – The Barton Auxiliary creates a holiday store. Shop here for ornaments, décor, See’s candies and the world-famous cheese balls.

• People’s Choice Award – Vote for your favorite Designer Tree by placing your ticket in the bin located next to each Designer Tree.

• Contact: For information or to purchase tickets online or call (530) 543.5909.

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)

“Light Up Lake Tahoe” is looking forward to another holiday season of twinkling lights. This year, not only will holiday lights be on Highway 50, but program organizers are reaching out to any local business clusters, plazas, and neighborhoods to join in on the fun.

“Light Up Lake Tahoe” will be structured differently from last year. Any business or neighborhood may participate by decorating the exterior of the building with white LED lights. Special pricing is available at Meeks’ South Lake Tahoe location for the same reels of energy efficient white LED lights that were provided last year. The first 30 businesses to purchase a reel from Meeks and register online at www.lightuplaketahoe.com will receive a second reel to keep for free. Supplies are limited, and you must ask for the “Light Up Lake Tahoe” lights.

Inn by the Lake won the light contest in 2009. Photo/Provided

This year, businesses will be able to keep their lights, and are responsible for installing them. “Light Up Lake Tahoe” has partnered with Trinity Landscape and Snow Removal Services to install holiday lights for you if you prefer. They are offering a 15 percent discount for anyone who mentions “Light Up Lake Tahoe.”

They offer a few programs: they will install your lights for an hourly rate or you can lease lights from them that they install for you and take down and keep for another season.

If you register as a “Light Up Lake Tahoe” participant, your business will be included in the 2nd annual “Best Lights on the Lake” competition. The community (via online voting) will select the winner. You don’t need to purchase “Light Up Lake Tahoe” lights to participate; simply register your business or location, create your lighting display, and you will be included in the competition.

All participants will be mentioned in local media and any promotions about the program. Visit the website to find out more information and to see photos from last year. If you have questions, email lightuplaketahoe@gmail.com.

By Reno Gazette-Journal

The world water crisis is exemplified by the changes at Lake Tahoe over the past three decades, and is directly linked to climatic change, world-renowned limnologist Charles Goldman said.

Goldman will present a lecture on the topic, “Lake Tahoe: Five Decades of Change and the World Water Crisis,” on Thursday as part of the College of Science’s Discover Science Lecture Series.

Charles Goldman

Goldman, recently welcomed as an adjunct professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, has been the leading researcher at Lake Tahoe since 1958 as a distinguished professor at the University of California, Davis and the inaugural president of the World Water and Climate Network established in Kyoto, Japan in 2003.

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By Debbie Arrington, Sacramento Bee

With brisk temperatures and vistas of a snowcapped Sierra, it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas at Apple Hill – great news for the area’s Christmas tree farmers.

“This weekend is our big one,” said Jody Franklin, director of tourism for the El Dorado County Visitors Authority. “Every other car will have a Christmas tree on it.”

In the Apple Hill area near Placerville, about 40 farms raise Christmas trees – almost as many operations as the hill’s famed apple farms. While wintry weather often keeps visitors away during apple season, it’s perfect for tree hunters.

“(Apple) growers have had a pretty slow season,” Franklin said. “It was booming in the beginning with perfect weather (in late September). But then we had rain, and people decide to wait and put off their trip.

“But with Christmas trees, the time is now. (Visitors) love it if it’s snowing. They bundle up. There’s a bite in the air and warm cider at the farms. They have that ‘white Christmas’ experience and something to talk about. It’s a tradition.”

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South Lake Tahoe harpist Anne Roos has released two CDs.

The collections contain music Roos arranged and performed over the past decades. These recordings include the most requested songs, plus, some songs that may be new to listeners.

“Velvet: Timeless Standards on the Solo Harp” has melodies dating to the days of old movies, Broadway musicals, and television shows, from the early 20th century to the early 1970s.

“Blue Jeans: Modern Pop on the Solo Harp” includes classic rock, heavy metal, R&B, country, and even a bit of new age music.

These recordings are available on amazon.com, CDBaby.com, and retail stores. Roos’ CDs are sold at Borders in Carson City. In December, they will also be available for purchase from Roos’ website.

An inaugural family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration in the Heavenly Village will ring in the New Year starting at 2pm with a rail jam near the gondola, followed by a slate of activities from 6–9pm. Events include a snowboard simulator; ice sled motion simulator; adventure films; Reno funk band Jelly Bread; ice skating; and roaming performers.

The evening climaxes at 9pm (midnight East Coast time) when an illuminated gondola car is “dropped” from the top of Heavenly’s East Peak, and a fireworks show will end the night as the grand finale.

South Lake Tahoe is offering a $5 flat fee to park in the Heavenly Village garage from 3-10:30pm Dec. 31.

Nevada State Parks invites the public to Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park for “Home Ranch for the Holidays,” a special exhibit of historic toys, games and Christmas decorations from the 1860s through the 1940s.

Highlights of the exhibit include an aluminum Christmas tree complete with a color wheel, the family’s Christmas stockings hung on the mantel, and other Dangberg family holiday decorations.

The exhibit also includes board and card games from the 1870s and 1880s that were played with by Fred Dangberg Jr., and his siblings, as well as numerous toys enjoyed by Fred’s five children and grandson from the 1910s through the 1940s. These include a fully furnished, homemade dollhouse, a small wood-burning cook stove, a child’s drop-front desk and a miniature tea cart. A variety of dolls, handmade doll clothing and doll accessories will be shown. The creative side of children’s play will be explored with a display of puzzles, building toys, paint sets, crayons and coloring books dating from 1900 to 1945.

The exhibit is Dec. 3-5 from noon to 4pm.

The park is located at 1450 Highway 88, one-half mile south of the Carson Valley Swim Center. A map and further information may be found at parks.nv.gov/hr.htm or by calling (775) 783.9417.

The cost is $3 for adults and free for children under 13.

By Susan Skorupa, Reno Gazette-Journal

A precedent-setting court case concerning a Lake Tahoe landmark so intrigued author Michael Makley that he teamed up with his historian son Matthew to write about it.

The result, “Cave Rock: Climbers, Courts, and a Washoe Indian Sacred Place,” (University of Nevada Press, $24.95 paperback) examines the court cases involved in the Washoe tribe’s successful attempt to ban rock climbing at the South Shore site. It explains the vigorous arguments presented by the tribe, which considers the site a sacred and powerful place, and by the climbers, who had their own attachments to Cave Rock, ranging from a challenging place to climb to a place of spiritual serenity.

After two decades of debate and legal decisions, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling to ban rock climbing and other invasive activity at Cave Rock in 2007, based on its cultural, rather than religious, importance to the tribe. It was an outcome seldom experienced by American Indians in court.

“I grew up at Lake Tahoe, and Matty was born there,” Michael Makley said. “I have friends on both sides of the issue.”

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Boogie is a cute Shih Tzu who is about 2 years old. He is affectionate and likes other dogs and cats.

He was matted when he was found, but the shelter staff gave him a haircut and now he feels much better. He looks a little scraggly now, but with a little professional grooming and some time he will be especially handsome.

Boogie is at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with many other dogs, cats, and rabbits who are waiting for their new homes.

Call (530) 573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet.

For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, click here.