Nevada Day, the celebration of the Silver State’s admission to the Union, is a four-day (Oct. 29-Nov. 1) extravaganza complete with a parade, carnival and beard contest in Carson City.

This year’s theme, Nevada Salutes President Lincoln, celebrates Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday and his push to grant Nevada’s statehood.

The 36th state was admitted to the Union on Oct. 31, 1864.

Activities include:

Oct. 29:

RSVP Carnival, in its 24th consecutive year, provides carnival rides for adults and small children at Mills Park in Carson City. The RSVP Carnival will open at 4pm Thursday and noon, Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Admission is free, with a fee for rides.

Oct. 30:

Folkabilly group Antsy McClain & The Trailer Park Troubadours will perform at the Brewery Arts Center, Oct. 30-31 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $23 for adults and $20 for students, seniors and members.

Oct. 31:

Pancake Breakfasts are available for two worthy causes. The Builder’s Association of Western Nevada features a feast to benefit the Women in Business scholarship and the “Helping Hands program for $6 at Red’s Old 395 Grill from 7-10am. Children under 6 are free. Call (775) 882.4353. The Carson City Republican Women pancake breakfast at the Governor’s Mansion from 7-9:30am gives residents a chance to meet political representatives prior to the parade. Adults are $6 and children under 10 are $3. Proceeds benefit the Carson City High School scholarship fund. Call (775) 884.3011.

20th Annual Carson Nugget Nevada Day Classic Run/Walk will feature hundreds of runners and walkers in Carson City’s historical downtown district. The event includes an 8K run at 8:15am, a two-mile walk at 8:25am and a 2-mile fun run at 8:25am. Registration is $25. All races start from the corner of Telegraph and Curry streets. Proceeds benefit the Special Olympics. Call (775) 883.3361.

The Nevada State Railroad Museum, 2180 S. Carson St., is steaming up an 1888 locomotive for public rides from 10am-4pm. Admission is $5 for adults; $4 for seniors 65 and older; $3 for children six to 11; and free for children under 6.

An Air Show to kick off the Nevada Day Parade includes all types of aircraft, including an 8am hot-air balloon launch, followed by a flyover with F-18 Hornets, an F-16 Falcon from Fallon Naval Air Station and C-130 Hercules from the Nevada Air Guard. Parade festivities include marching bands, floats, equestrian groups and historical displays. The parade starts at 10am from William and Carson streets and ends near Stewart and Carson streets. Call (775) 882.2600.

RE/MAX Nevada Day Balloon Launch offers hot-air balloon rides above the parade route for $200 and benefit Nevada Day Inc. Tethered rides in Mills Park on Sunday from 7-11am supporting the Children’s Miracle Network are $5. Sponsorships are available: $300 for two passengers. Sign up by calling (775) 844.1000.

Free admission to the Nevada State Museum, 8:30am to 4:30pm.

A Nevada Day Battle of the Bands will highlight high school marching bands at the Carson City High School field at 3pm. Awards will be given for best overall parade and field with the winners receiving the Governor’s Grand Champion Trophy.

The Mad Hatter Ball is a dance for all ages from 8:30-10pm at the Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada. Adults tickets are $10 and kids under 16 are free with an adult; otherwise kids are $4 each. Call (775) 830.7939.

The Annual Nevada Day Beard Contest on the steps of the State Capitol immediately follows the parade. Admission and contest entry are free, with winners awarded in the following categories: longest; fullest; reddest; whitest; blackest; best salt and pepper; best groomed; scruffiest; and most bearded community — Carson City’s title for two years running.

The 34th Annual World Championship Single Jack Drilling Contest is set for 11:05am at the Carson Nugget west parking lot. Contestants have 10 minutes to drill the deepest hole in Sierra White Granite using 4.5 pound hammers and bits of graduated steel. The contest celebrates the heritage of the Comstock mining days when blast holes for dynamite were punched into ore bodies by hand. Entry fee is $50. Admission is free.

Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki will host the 27th Annual Chili Feed at the Carson Nugget’s upstairs Banquet Center, from noon-2pm. This free event is an opportunity to meet state and local government leaders. To further the tradition of hospitality, the Governor’s Mansion, 606 N. Mountain St., will be open for tours from noon-4pm.

The 10th Annual Silver State Rumble highlighting live amateur boxing and hosted by Bruno’s Boxing Club, will take place at 3pm at the Carson City Community Center, 851 E. Williams St. There are 15 bouts scheduled and admission is $10 for adults; $8 for seniors, $5 for kids six-12 and kids under six are free. Call (775) 888.6806.

The Pinewood Derby Race from 1-5pm in the Main Hall of the Carson Mall. Registration is free and begins at 11am. Kits are $4 and can be purchased at any American Family Insurance site. All ages are welcome.

For more information on all Nevada Day events, log onto www.NevadaDay.com or call the Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau at 800-NEVADA-1.

Ever wonder how investigators lift latent prints, how trace evidence is analyzed or how DNA is processed? Come in and check out the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Forensics Division, better known as the Crime Lab, on Oct. 27, 8:30am to 4:30pm.

Sheriff Mike Haley will be there to greet guests and answer questions.

The Lab is located downstairs in the sheriff’s office building at 911 Parr Blvd., Reno.

Learn about state of the art techniques used in criminal investigations with real criminalists, toxicologists and other specialists on hand to answer your questions.

For more information, call Trish at (775) 328.2800

Please Note: Due to the nature of the business of studying and solving crimes, Content may not be suitable for all ages, Parental discretion is advised.

By Mel Shields, Sacramento Bee

It couldn’t have been easy. Frank Sinatra Jr., son of the most famous singer of his time, decided to become a singer in his own right.

He was to be inevitably compared to his father and the comparison was to be inevitably to his detriment.

He sang in Nevada cabarets, drew crowds primarily out of curiosity, and garnered mediocre reviews. There were no lucrative movie contracts or hit songs (not even one hit song).

Read the whole story

Lake Tahoe Community College Writers’ Series presents an Evening of Poetry with Camille T. Dungy on Nov. 6 from 7-8pm in the college library.

The night will include a reading, Q & A, and book signing.

It is free. Books will be available for purchase.

Dungy is author of What to Eat, What to Drink, What to Leave for Poison (Red Hen Press, 2006) and the forthcoming Suck on the Marrow (Red Hen Press, January 2010). She is editor of Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry (UGA, December 2009) and co-editor of From the Fishouse: An Anthology of Poems that Sing, Rhyme, Resound, Syncopate, Alliterate, and Just Plain Sound Great (Persea, April 2009). Winner of fellowships from the NEA, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and Cave Canem, she is an associate professor in the Creative Writing Department at San Francisco State University.

This event is supported by the LTCC Foundation and Poets & Writers Inc. through a grant it has received from the James Irvine Foundation.

The LTCC English Department brings nationally-known poets and writers from all over the country to the college for readings, book signings, craft talks, and workshops. Because of support from the LTCC Foundation, as well as various grants, all events are free and open to the public.

For information about the Writers’ Series, contact Suzanne Roberts at (530) 541.4660, ext. 708.

The Academy of Sciences roof. Photo/Kathryn Reed

By Susan Wood

SAN FRANCISCO — Lake Tahoe could learn as much about tourism from San Francisco as the Western world could from the Egyptians about preserving ancient treasurers.

That’s what I surmised from a recent trip to San Francisco. So often it’s the arts that get me to The City.

Arts are precisely what The City’s tourism officials are banking on in these challenging economic times.

From the San Francisco Symphony to the de Young Museum’s 30-year return of King Tut to the one-year anniversary of the California Academy of Sciences to the annual Fat Tire Bike Festival, the storied city’s culture or counterculture as in the case of the latter, boasts the draw of a varied audience seeking a big bang-for-the-buck travel experience.

For tourism officials in The City by the Bay, there’s a reason they call the experience “only in San Francisco.”

“Events are the big attractions. This is so much a part of what San Francisco is,” said San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau spokeswoman Laurie Armstrong, who once lived and worked in South Lake Tahoe.

Sure, times have been tough — especially in terms of hotel occupancy, which stood at 84.2 percent in July compared to 88.8 percent a year ago at that time. Moreover, hotels’ average daily rate has plummeted from $252 to $188 to keep the visitors coming.

“Tourism overall has been a mixed bag in San Francisco,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong noted how visitors expect a certain, multi-faceted experience from San Francisco. For one thing, almost all events have green standards. Recycling is part of everything — including bins saying “landfill” so people get a clear idea of what is and isn’t reused. The third year of the Fat Tire Bike Festival in Golden Gate Park brought out a slew of recycling bins, while also touting the benefit of human power to save the planet.

Another example of event creativity, AT&T Park — home of the San Francisco Giants — has hosted a live telecast of the San Francisco Opera.

“It’s something to see the place full — 40,000 people looking at the (AT&T Park) jumbotron appreciating the opera,” Armstrong said.

San Francisco is so serious about the arts that the Convention and Visitors Bureau employs a director of arts and culture. Geraldine O’Brien said she’s noticed the arts remain strong in visitation in a troubling national economy. Like hotel bookings, these visitors tend to make reservations more at the last-minute. When a household budget remains in flux, it’s difficult to know whether the trip to the grocery store will cut out entertainment for the week.

O’Brien added how more than half of the city’s visitors come from outside the area. Many are seeking an experience one can’t get on Main Street USA.

“This summer museums have done remarkably well,” O’Brien said.

The Asian Museum has absorbed days of record-breaking visitors. The California Academy of Sciences’ unique experience has brought out 2.3 million people to take in its journey into the planet’s origin and sustainability along with an up-close-and-personal view of wildlife and its varied habitats.

Preserving ancient culture

The de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park has enjoyed a summer and fall filled with visitors day after day witnessing the unearthing and display of artifacts of Egypt’s boy-king pharaoh King Tutankhamun. It’s been 30 years since the ancient treasures have graced the museum, introducing the young and old to his mystery.

But unlike the display in the 1970s, the famous mask was not part of this tour.

At age 9 in 1332 B.C., King Tut took control of the valley of the Nile River, the longest in the world. He died 10 years later after inheriting a country in disarray. For a perspective of the Egyptians’ tenure, the ancient pyramids were already 1,000 years old.

The Egyptian culture used tombs as a mini universe for the deceased, prompting some visiting the museum to question whether British archaeologist Howard Carter should have taken the 16 deep steps to exhume the boy king’s 5,000 treasures from a remote tomb grave. But many museum visitors were in awe of the variety of artifacts, ranging from sharp daggers and a game board the boy played called “Senet” to a decorated chest and 150 pieces of jewelry.

“Everywhere was the glint of gold,” a display dictated the words from Carter.

Also on display within the exhibit is a collection of photographs from Harry Burton who followed Carter on the Tut expedition.

The King Tut exhibit is at the de Young through March 28. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. Reservations are highly recommended.

Academy of Sciences

The California Academy of Sciences celebrated its first anniversary in Golden Gate Park Sept. 26-27 with a test in internal operations. A fire alarm sent scores of visitors out in the park plaza and staff on high alert. After distributing vouchers for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for the inconvenience on an unseasonably hot day in The City, visitors didn’t miss a beat. They stuck around for more than 90 minutes in the heat before being able to return to the fun and air conditioning.

A live display put on by the Wild Cat Education and Conservation Fund of Sonoma County introduced many of the fascinated children and big kids to a sampling of the 22-acre center’s 20 species.

“Ooooh, ahhhh,” kept being repeated as host Barbara Dicely talked about how the rather small caracal African desert lynx can bring down a 100-pound antelope.

Much of the majestic new building’s displays focus on habitat, whether it’s the simulated rain forest, life outside the Milky Way or how climate change in the Sierra has a ripple effect through all of California.

One interactive display welcomes visitors to the carbon cafe to test how their lifestyle creates an emissions score.

To give back to the environment, attendees are urged to visit the 2.5-acre rooftop where a living roof is dotted with mini weather stations that contribute to the building’s ventilation system. The roof measures rainfall, solar radiation, wind direction and speed as well as temperature and humidity levels.

Academy of Sciences staffer Rene Blanco said her biggest challenge is avoiding the bees, which albeit good news for scientists, have found safe haven in the self-healing flowerbed of 40 species surrounding the nervous naturalist.

From the bees to the birds, the academy’s science and sustainability tent was also the setting for an up-close showing of a kestrel and great horned owl by bird handlers. The place became a children’s paradise with wildlife and interactive exercises in which they could grow their own plants.

Penguin feeding in the aquatic park of the African center captured more of the children’s attention (and those turning 44 that weekend) — their eyes bugging out at watching the tuxedo-clad birds swimming and waddling in their designated space.

Throughout the building, people of all ages were transfixed by the reality of the displays.

For a true escape, the academy just launched the “Journey to the Stars” show in the world’s largest digital planetarium. Warning: high-back chairs in the darkness may prompt a weary visitor to get a little too comfortable. But for those paying attention, Whoopi Goldberg narrates a remedial and easy-to-understand trip into space.

In the spring, the Academy will host an exhibit called Extreme Mammals highlighting various living and extinct species. For more on the attraction, visit www.caladademy.org. General admission is $25 and open 9:30am to 5pm Monday through Saturday and 11am to 5pm Sunday.

Timeless music

As a blues and jazz lover, the symphony isn’t the first genre that turns the dial of my musical tastes — and much of that preference or lack thereof, is generated from a limited exposure and education. However, I must admit the San Francisco Symphony can make the hair stand on end when the angelic sounds emit in perfect harmony in a building constructed for such delicate artistry.

The acoustics at Davies Symphony Hall made me wishing for such a venue in Tahoe. The three tiers above the graduated floor level provide a great seat to all.

Plus, the compositions of Prague native Gustav Mahler in the hands of any music director other than Michael Tilson Thomas may have been lost in translation. Even under pressure of show-taping cameras on rails passing before him and his 100-plus accomplished musicians, Tilson Thomas provided a narrated introduction into the life of Mahler for the novices in the crowd.

The journey took the attentive listening audience into a yearnful romance that turned bittersweet.

Tilson Thomas brought baritone Thomas Hampson on stage for the more sentimental pieces.

The violin strings played in such harmony it was hard to imagine this instrument is the one that can make an entire household cringe when someone is learning it.

All along, I found my body and spirit sway with the kind of beauty I have experienced with romantic scores from “Out of Africa” or “Somewhere in Time.”

Prices for the 8pm symphony range from $15 to $125.

Susan Wood is a freelance writer based out of South Lake Tahoe. She may be reached at copysue1@yahoo.com.

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Inn San Francisco is a wonderful bed and breakfast. Photo/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

SAN FRANCISCO — Feeling at home — it’s not something most lodging establishments are able to pull off.

The Inn San Francisco made me feel like I was back living in San Francisco for three spectacular days and nights in September, instead of merely being a guest in the city I once called home.

This 1870s era Victorian is nestled in among other houses just like it. It’s part of the original mansion row. In 1906, the four-day fire from the devastating earthquake burned to within 1.5 blocks of the South Van Ness property.

Marty Neely, who with his wife Connie Wu, own the bed and breakfast, is the consummate host, as opposed to a traditional innkeeper. Their dog Marshmallow adds to the homey feeling.

Neely gives arriving guests a tour of the 27-room establishment — so they know where the sherry is, that the hot tub never closes and that when the fog rolls out the views from the roof are stunning.

Arriving late that Thursday, it was time to fill the stomach with food. Neely whips out a sheet of paper with more restaurants in walking distance of the B&B than are in the entire South Shore of Lake Tahoe.

We opt for Beretta on Valencia and 23rd streets. The 45-minute wait for a table at 8:30pm throws us off because that doesn’t happen in the mountains. We find a seat at the bar and let Ryan fix us rum concoctions with names like Dolores Park Swizzle and Agricole Mule — each $9.

Ryan knows a lot of the people shuffling in. He says it’s a slow night. The place is packed. What would a busy night look like? What would it be like if there weren’t a recession?

Sue and I split a pizza filled with grilled veggies, tomatoes, spinach, pesto and mozzarella. It’s a tad greasy, but at $12 is priced right.

Today it’s my birthday

It’s time for another meal — breakfast at the inn. It’s my birthday, so it’s time to celebrate. Sue brings out the champagne so all the guests can partake in mimosas.

Breakfast is a nice blend of European and American — with a cheese-meat platter, mass quantities of fresh fruit (with non-traditional selections like kiwi and mango), hot-cold cereal, sweet breads, hardboiled eggs, juice, and coffee. Platters seem to always be full even though the plates of guests are as well.

The nice thing is breakfast seems to be available all morning; none of this one-hour window to be fed. It’s leisurely, relaxed — it’s like being at home.

The staff seems invisible except when you need them. Some have worked at the inn for more than 15 years.

This area of San Francisco is experiencing a bit of a renaissance. Mission and Valencia streets are a couple blocks away, as is Market Street.

Our mission, literally, is to find the mission. In all my time in San Francisco I had never been to Mission Dolores.

First stop, though, is the swing set at Mission Dolores Park. People are out enjoying the unseasonably warm weather with friends, family and dogs. The vast greenway beckons Frisbee throwers.

Just up the block is the mission. Like all of the missions in California that I’ve visited, the architecture is breathtaking, the craftsmanship of the woodwork exquisite and the delicateness of the stained glass inspiring.

We take our time strolling through the neighborhood — on sidewalks. Bookstores seem be in nearly every block. I spend some cash on a book about cycling.

Hunger pangs sound the alarm that a bite to eat is necessary. I’m in vegetarian heaven — a restaurant called Herbivore is dead ahead on Valencia Street.

To save room for dinner, Sue and I split the Vegetable Sampler ($8.25). Charbroiled veggies come with three sauces — pesto, tahini and lemon garlic. With our glasses of white wine, the bill comes to $23.06.

Life at the inn

It’s time to enjoy the Inn San Francisco’s roof. Comfy outdoor furniture is situated to look at the skyline. A smidgeon of the Bay Bridge is visible. At night, the lights of AT&T Park are on when the Giants are home. Views of Twin Peaks are 45 degrees to the left.

A queen bed dominates our cozy room. Some of the rooms look like estates. Some have shared baths. Our bathroom was private, but was down the hall.

The antique decor is so appropriate for such an old dwelling. Still, a mini flat screen TV is in one corner for those who are in need of such diversions.

Dinner is at Greens — one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco. (See story in the Food-Wine section.)

Entertainment that night is the SF Symphony. The next day it’s all about the fun in Golden Gate Park. (See story in Lifestyle.)

Part of one afternoon is spent in the inn’s garden enjoying cheese and crackers, and wine we brought in. It’s relaxing — like being in your own backyard, but not having to do the pruning.

Plush robes are perfect to wrap ourselves in as we walk down the narrow stairs to the outdoor redwood hot tub.

Inside, people are enjoying the common area. Fortunately, there is no television here. It’s about decompressing. Books are everywhere. Soft music plays. Friendships are made.

Finally, it was time to say goodbye — though, I hope not for long.

Rooms run from $120 to $335 per night. Covered parking is an additional $18/night. For more information, go to www.innsf.com or call (415) 641.0188.

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A South Lake Tahoe bear looks for dinner. Photo/Janice Eastburn

Bears in Lake Tahoe are common — after all, these black bears (though many are brown and cinnamon in color) were here long before the region was developed. The problem is with open dumpsters like these because then the bears get used to eating human food.

One bruin has been roaming around the Taylor Creek area in recent weeks. It’s easy pickings for the bruins right now as the kokanee salmon are spawning. This is behavior that is natural and normal.

These bears at Bijou Woods Apartments in South Lake Tahoe were photographed by Janice Eastburn on Oct. 15 about 4:45pm.

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Ghosts and goblins invade North Lake Tahoe as towns and villages pull out all the stops for scary and merry events.

Tahoe City is getting spooky Oct. 16 with the Rocky Horror Dance Party & Costume Contest on the Marina Green at the Boatworks Mall starting at 9pm with movie showing, dancing and costume contest.

Tahoe City’s Harvest Festival is in full swing and features the Rideout Community Center Pumpkin Patch Oct. 17 from 10am-2pm, with bounce house, dessert walk, hay and pony rides, silly games and pumpkin patch.

Incline Village kicks off all things scary with the 2nd Annual Monster Dash Oct. 17 at 11am with a 5K fun run that starts in the Upper Village Center. Halloween costumes are encouraged for all runners, walkers and spectators.

The 30th Annual Pumpkin Patch returns to the Incline Village Elementary School that same day with clowns, bake sale, bounce house and pony rides.

The first Historic Haunted Tour of Truckee is Oct. 21. Guests go on a guided walking tour to learn about the Old West, shootouts and the city’s haunted history. The tour is for adults only and starts with a glass of wine, live music and a silent auction of treats. Childcare is provided by the KidZone Museum in Truckee with “Professor Higginbody’s Halloween Night Out.” Cost is $10 per child for parents attending the tour and includes gooey pizza and oozy science activities for children 2 years and older. Guided tour tickets are $25/per person.

The Hyatt Regency in Incline Village hosts its first Pumpkin Carving Contest Oct. 24 from 4-6pm for ages 6 to 12, with prizes awarded to the best jack o’ lantern creators.

Spending the witching hours at the Village at Squaw Valley, where travelers can guess the weight of The Giant Pumpkin anytime from Oct. 24-31 from 10am-10pm, with prizes for the closest guess. There’s also a Great Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt during that week, and trick-or-treating with merchants on Halloween.

The Tahoe Maritime Museum on the West Shore gets into the Halloween spirit Oct. 29 with Family Night Out starting at 5pm, with children’s activities and family-friendly movie. Guests of all sizes are encouraged to wear costumes.

Tahoe City merchants are staying open late so children can trick-or-treat down “main street” Oct. 31 from 4-6pm.

Soroptimist International of  Tahoe Sierra

Kelly Parker, site manager for CASA of Lake Tahoe, and volunteer Adell Lim spoke to the Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra on Thursday morning about the important role their national nonprofit organization plays in our community.

Lim spoke passionately about a case she had been involved with for five years and the successful outcome of her connection to the girl and two siblings who had been through an extremely difficult family situation in South Lake Tahoe.

A CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) puts in many hours of training and subsequent days of volunteer work to be advocates for children in the court system who are there either through deliquency or family issues beyond their control.

SITS, whose mission is to strengthen and enhance the lives of women and youth in the community, believe this program is worthy of their fundraising efforts and has donated $800 to CASA. Parker said these funds will definitely help to give their clients those added programs that they would not have otherwise been able to experience.

Wendy David, the recent site manage for CASA and SITS member, said, “It is so important for these children to know that there is someone in their corner and ready to answer a phone call at all hours.”

Laurie Brazil, a member of SITS, acknowledged the vital role Lim and other volunteers play in the lives of youth in this town and how fortunate this community is to have such selfless people dedicated to this mission.

For more information about CASA or becoming a volunteer, call (530) 544-6754.

A $4,800 grant from the Lake Tahoe Education Foundation led to the creation of eight after school enrichment clubs at Bijou Community School.

Parent Kathy Haven gave a brief report to the Lake Tahoe Unified board of education Tuesday about how well it’s going in such a short period of time. Two-hundred kids signed up to be in a club, but there is only room for 120.

Clubs include soccer, which will become cross country skiing,  crafts, woodwoorking, book making, cooking and bike club.

The Ed Foundation is a nonprofit that raises money to help supplement programs the district would not otherwise be able to offer. The foundation’s key fundraiser is tonight from 6:30-10 at Harveys casino at Stateline. Food Fest will feature food by local restaurants, beer and wine tasting, a silent auction, and music.

Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door, and are available at all elementary schools, the LTUSD office and Fox Gas.