Sierra Nevada College, together with Clay Times magazine and Northstar-at-Tahoe, is hosting a national juried ceramics show beginning Sept. 18th in the Village at Northstar and continuing through Oct. 16.

The exhibit “A New Decade of Clay: 2010” will feature ceramic pieces from artists across the country to be juried by internationally renowned ceramist Richard Shaw. A kickoff celebration/opening is taking place on Sept. 18, with events from 1-5pm to include ceramic demonstrations, a kids’ clay table, and “pottery Olympics.” A reception will be afterward beginning at 6pm.

Submissions were accepted in two categories, open and student, and closed on July 23. More than 200 entries were received, and 40 were selected — 34 in the open category and six in the student category. Most of the exhibited artwork will be available for sale, with Sierra Nevada College receiving 20 percent of the proceeds. Winners will receive cash awards and prizes, including a Clay Times cover story, Sierra Nevada College ceramics scholarships, and weekend lodging at Northstar-at-Tahoe.

For more information, visit www.sierranevada.edu/clay or email sleigh@sierranevada.edu.

By Mel Shields, Sacramento Bee

United States mints tended to be built where the action was. The California Gold Rush created the San Francisco Mint, and the Comstock Lode created the Carson City Mint.

From 1870 to 1893, the Carson City Mint produced 50 issues of silver coins and 57 issues of gold coins, all bearing the distinctive “CC” mark. It is now the Nevada State Museum, but it hasn’t given up its origins entirely.

The museum hosts the Carson City Mint Coin Show on Friday and Saturday, featuring more than 30 dealers, free appraisals and plenty of activities for kids.

“With the price of gold going sky-high, all of us should take up panning for gold,” said Deborah Stevenson, the museum’s curator of education. Panning may not be necessary: In the gaming spirit of Nevada, there is a raffle.

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By Michelle Aguilar

As the orange trees start to bear fruit once again, I am reminded that I have been in country through a full harvest cycle. Aug. 11, 2009, I said goodbye to the world I knew and all the comforts of an American lifestyle to embark on a journey known as Peace Corps.

It is amazing how much your life can change in one year. Before arriving in Panama, I definitely was not measuring calendar days based on the harvest cycle of a citrus tree. To be honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I joined the Peace Corps. Typically, I find there is a sort of thrill in the unknown. But this was the first time in my life where one decision had so many unknown factors, each with such life changing gravity. Thus, diminishing the usual thrill and making me question myself. Had I taken on too much? Could I truly handle this? Twenty-seven months is a big commitment.

Michelle Aguilar

What if I don’t have electricity? Won’t I be lonely? I don’t even speak Spanish. Am I even qualified to help these people? Am I going to have to eat meat? I can’t live without my Mom’s cooking. What happens if I get sick? Who is going to kill the spiders? With the support of my family and friends, coupled with a positive and adventurous attitude, I surrender to the unknown.

Now, 365 days after a tearful goodbye, I am experiencing my version of what is named “The toughest job you will ever love.” If you speak with any prior Peace Corps volunteer, you are likely to hear they either loved their experience or they hated it.

Just like fingerprints or snowflakes — more appropriate for Tahoe — no two volunteer experiences are the same. So far, I am in the “love it” group. I am experiencing what one would call the more traditional Peace Corps experience, in the setting of a small indigenous community on the Caribbean side of Panama. I am a Community Economic Development volunteer and the first volunteer in my community. I live, work, serve and share cultures daily with the 257 Ngobes Indians in my community.

In Panama there is a huge financial disparity between the rich and the poor. My community is among the poorest. Of the 257 people, only six of the men have jobs, and they make less in one day than you make in one hour. The average household has eight children. Transportation is all via dugout canoes. Most children do not continue their education past the sixth grade. This is grass-roots development in every sense of the word.

As with most things, time is the only thing that could answer all my questions. And time did just that. I have found the answers to some of the questions I had a year ago. It turns out, yes, I can live without electricity, and without running water, too. Apparently. I can learn a language in a year, and spiders are not so much of a worry when you have scorpions to deal with. The loneliness, lack of Mom’s cooking and sickness can de endured with a “this too shall pass” mentality and a cup of hot chocolate with cocoa that was harvested that very day. I am 12 months in, with 15 more to go, and yes, I think I can handle it.

Pretty soon I am going to be asking myself whether I can handle going back.

Twelve months ago, I saw Peace Corps as a journey. True, it has proved to be a journey so far, but not the sort of journey where you have a road map or GPS. And surely not the type of journey where you know there is always a gas station or a fast food drive-through close by. I would describe my Peace Corps experience more as the type of journey one would have riding a rollercoaster ride. There are ups and downs and moments when you question whether you’re going to make it out alive, every turn is different and unforeseen. The speed at which the ride passes is fast, and when it is all over you can only hope for no regrets for the time you spent waiting in that long line, and that it was all worth it. I think you all know what this feels like … this is just life.

That is why Peace Corps asks in its recruiting campaigns, “Life is calling, how far will you go?” Life took me 3,000 miles south of Lake Tahoe, the place where I grew up and my comfort zone, to the distant and unfamiliar country of Panama. And in one year, my Peace Corps Panama experiences have been the most intense and life changing part of my rollercoaster ride so far. I look forward to seeing what the next year has in store.

If you would like to ride along, you can check out my blog or check Lake Tahoe News for frequent updates.

Michelle Aguilar graduated from South Tahoe High School in 2005. In 2009, she graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a business administration degree, with a concentration in nonprofit studies and an emphasis in marketing.

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(Photos provided and some taken by Michelle Aguilar.)

The fund-raising event for the Curtzwiler family is Wednesday from 5-10pm at Aloha Ice Cream in South Lake Tahoe.

Here are some of the silent auction items people can bid on:

Round of gold for four at Genoa Lakes

Huge backpack of school supplies

2 parasail rides

Half day boat rental

Mad About Music gift certificate

1 hour massage at A Massage at Tahoe

Nepheles gift certificate

Freshies gift certificate

Steamers gift certificate

One 6-yard debris container, including dump fees

One 20-year debris container, including dump fees

Tranquility Spa $80 massage credit

Tranquility Spa one month tanning

Heavenly Mountain Resort lift tickets

Sierra-at-Tahoe Sunday-Friday season pass

Goggles

Hats

Gloves

Lake Tahoe book

Custom beaded jewelry

Ski poles

Gift basket

More items are expected to come in on Wednesday.

A ceremony celebrating the completion of the harbor project with the installation of the bronze sculpture “Where Eagles Dare” by Vic Payne will be Aug. 25 at 5:30pm at Ski Run Marina in South Tahoe.

Meet and greet the artist at 5pm.

Light refreshments will be provided by the shops at the center.

To raise money for artists in the community, raffle tickets for $5 each or five for $20 will be sold.

North Lake Tahoe’s first LEED-registered home is well under way in Incline Village and eco-curious individuals and home aficionados can get a sneak-peek of the project Aug. 28.

The Energy Star-rated house, located at 1085 Mill Creek Road, broke ground in late 2009. The project is spearheaded by Jeff Miller, president of Advance Design and Construction, and K.J. Miller of Chase International, who is listing the home. The event is free from 2-6pm.

Professional contractors and suppliers will be on hand to answer questions and give demonstrations of the latest green technologies. Displays will include home-energy monitoring and home automation; LED lighting; high-efficiency furnaces and steam humidifiers; energy-complete insulation systems; Energy Star-rated doors, windows and flooring; low/no VOC paints and stains; Solaris roofing; and on-demand hot water systems.

By Green Lodging News

Approximately 80 people, including exhibitors and speakers, attended the first day of the West Coast Green Lodging Conference at the Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe Hotel & Ski Resort. Conference activities included a keynote presentation by Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News, as well as presentations by the following: Randy Gaines, vice president of engineering for Hilton Worldwide; David Hansen, chief engineer, Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe—Hotel & Ski Resort; and Gary Golla, LEED AP, Sera Architects, Inc.

In his presentation, “The ‘Green’ State of the Lodging Industry,” Hasek elaborated on the 10 trends he sees driving the growth of green lodging. These trends include: concern about climate change, rising operational costs, government regulation, chain mandates and policies, consumer demand, increasing interest in certification, corporate and government travel demand (green meetings), industry peer pressure and the drive for marketing advantage, innovations (new products, materials, technologies, and design and building techniques), and leaders inspired to reduce waste, conserve resources and push the envelope when it comes to green building design and operations—all while remaining focused on the bottom line.

“Proof of the lodging industry’s commitment to do its part to address climate change is the many systems rolled out to measure environmental impact,” Hasek said, citing Hilton Worldwide’s LightStay program and the InterContinental Hotels Group’s Green Engage.

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The Rotary Club of South Lake Tahoe spent part of this past weekend working on the Evans Family Garden.

“It was awesome. They got a lot of work done and had some fun to boot,” said Leona Allen. Her family donated the parcel in the Angora burn area to be used as a demonstration garden.

Rotarians spent the day planting, weeding and creating a xeric rock garden.

Terry Daniels plants a shrub at the demonstration garden. Photos/Leona Allen

South Tahoe Rotarians take a break from digging in the dirt.

The Placer County Health and Human Services Department, in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, will offer free Pertussis (whooping cough) shots to adults and children 7 years old and older.

The free Tahoe clinic will be from 4-7pm Aug. 26 at the North Tahoe Community Center, 3813 North Tahoe Blvd., in Kings Beach.

The public is urged to bring any immunization records they have to the clinics.

Outbreaks of whooping cough, a disease also known as Pertussis, have reached epidemic levels in California this year. In Placer County, there were 31 confirmed or probable cases, but no deaths through Aug. 9.

The disease causes coughing fits that make it hard to breathe and spreads easily when someone with the disease coughs or sneezes. Early signs are like a common cold, such as a runny nose, sneezing, low fever and mild cough.

Local and state public health officials are advising whooping cough booster shots for adults and children seven years and older because immunity provided by earlier vaccinations wears off over time.

Newborn infants are at the greatest risk for severe illness and death, and they often get the disease from infected adults or adolescents.

Women of childbearing age can be vaccinated before, during and immediately after pregnancy.

For infants, whooping cough vaccinations can begin when they are 6 weeks old. Infants are not adequately protected until the initial series of three shots is complete.

For more information, call Placer County Community Health at (530) 546.1970. Whooping cough information also is available on the county website at www.placer.ca.gov.

By Kathryn Reed

South Lake Tahoe suddenly became walkable Saturday.

“I’m at a wine walk,” one guy said to the person on the other end of his cell phone.

A block of Ski Run Boulevard was closed off for the inaugural Sample the Sierra. It was all about blending wine and food together to make a feast of sorts for much of the afternoon Aug. 21. Art and jewelry were for sale. Other local businesses had booths as well.

A mix of locals and out-of-towners enjoy Sample the Sierra on Aug. 21. Photos/Kathryn Reed

It far exceeded most people’s expectations. With the 500 $20 wristbands selling out, it left some without the opportunity to Sample the Sierra. Another 200-plus food-only tickets were sold. Organizers are hoping to break even.

For the South Shore, this was a unique event because so few are outdoors unless it’s an athletic competition. Most are indoors at one of the casinos.

People could ride their bikes. Even the intermittent rain and brief hail didn’t send people away. Restaurants along the route were doing a brisk business from people who wanted a more complete meal.

Music filled the air. People worked off their food and wine indulgence by dancing to the various musical groups. Stages at both ends of the food booths kept people entertained as they ate and drank.

Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and El Dorado Community Foundation are the forces behind the event, along with a slew of other sponsors.

“It was better than we expected. It will be bigger next year,” Isabella Mill with the chamber said.

Booths with nothing to consume formed the perimeter, while the food and wine were in the center of the boulevard. Wineries were paired with restaurants, while growers were paired with restaurants to make the sampling complete. Mt. Tallac Brewery was the lone beer purveyor.

Alex Elsaesser from the Black Bear Inn was using blueberries in his dessert that were supplied by an El Dorado County farmer. The dessert was paired with port from Latcham Vineyards in Fair Play.

People were going back for seconds and thirds at the various booths, the food and wine were that yummy.

“The layout will definitely be different next year, “said Tina Bruess with the chamber. This will be to spread the consumption lines out a bit.

Already organizers are considering expanding the venue beyond one block. With more than 700 wristbands given out, that would be understandable. It was free to walk the street. It only cost money to eat and drink.

“An informal survey of vendors says they will be back next year,” Bruess said.

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