SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Mechanical treatments to remove hazardous fuels are scheduled to begin Monday, July 27, 2026, off Mt. Tallac Road on the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Work is expected to continue through the end of October 2026, as conditions, staffing and weather allow.
For public safety, access to some areas may be temporarily disrupted when work is taking place. The public should be aware of thinning activity and keep a safe distance from equipment. Hazards may be present even when operations have ceased for the day.
The public can expect to see crews staging equipment, chipping and hauling of woody material, heavy equipment and mechanical whole tree removal. Whole tree removal involves cutting the entire tree and moving it to the landing area to remove limbs and cut it into sections.
Visitors to Mt. Tallac Trailhead, Camp Shelly and Camp Concord should avoid entering active thinning areas and be aware of potential traffic delays as recreation opportunities and experiences may be temporarily affected as work progresses.
The Taylor Creek Mechanical project aims to treat approximately 125 acres this season and is part of the South Tahoe Fuels Treatment Project to promote healthy and resilient forests while protecting homes and communities from wildfire.
Funding for this project was made possible through the Bureau of Land Management’s Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service.
PLACERVILLE, Calif. — El Dorado County has been recognized by the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection as a Fire Risk Reduction Community, reaffirming the County’s long-term commitment to building wildfire-resilient communities. El Dorado is one of only six counties to earn the designation for a second consecutive cycle.
“This recognition reflects El Dorado County’s continued commitment to reducing wildfire risk through strategic planning, collaboration, and action,” said Sue Phillips, Chief Administrative Officer. “We are proud to be recognized again by the State for our work to make our communities more resilient.”
The 2026 Fire Risk Reduction Community List recognizes public agencies that demonstrate proactive wildfire planning and risk reduction measures. Eligible communities must be located with a State Responsibility Area or a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and demonstrate best practices in wildfire preparedness, mitigation, and community engagement.
The County’s Office of Wildfire Preparedness and Resilience (OWPR) developed the application in partnership with the County’s Planning and Building department, local fire districts, CAL FIRE Amador-El Dorado Unit, and other key partners. The application highlighted the County’s recent update and implementation of its Community Wildfire Protection Plan), wildfire mitigation, hazardous fuel reduction, defensible space efforts, support for home hardening, public education and outreach, and the strong cross-agency collaboration that are central to earning and maintaining the Fire Risk Reduction Community designation.
“Earning this designation for a second time reflects the significant progress we’ve made through the dedication of our County departments, fire agencies, community partners, and residents,” said Tanya Harlow, OWPR’s Wildfire Resilience Officer. “While we’re pleased with the designation, we recognize the job is never done. By collaborating with our partners on planning, mitigation, preparedness and education, we will continue to reduce wildfire risk and help make our communities safer and stronger.”
In addition to recognizing El Dorado County’s leadership in wildfire preparedness, the designation may benefit residents directly, as California Department of Insurance regulations require insurers to consider Fire Risk Reduction Community status in their rating plans. Homeowners should contact their insurance provider to determine whether the designation qualifies them for available discounts. It also strengthens the County’s competitiveness for wildfire mitigation funding opportunities.
The 34th Annual Waší∙šiw ɁitdéɁ Festival will take place at Meeks Bay on July 25 and 26Provided / Rosalinda Gabriel
TAHOMA, Calif. – For its 34th year, the Wá∙šiw (Washoe) Indigenous Culture and Arts Festival is taking place on Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26 at Meeks Bay Resort. The festival honors Native American art, in all its forms, while spreading cultural awareness to the public through exhibits, demonstrations and live performances.
“This event has always been about bringing people together,” says Rosalinda Gabriel, Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California’s Community Resilience Center, Public Relations. “After 34 years, it’s more than just an annual tradition, it’s an opportunity to celebrate our community, honor our history, and create lasting memories for future generations.”
The festival will offer two days of celebration, including a handgame tournament with first and second- place cash prizes, a basketweaving competition, fashion shows, indigenous story-telling, dance performances, along with dozens of craft and food vendors.
The Waší∙šiw ɁitdéɁ Festival will hold a number of exciting events including Sigáyuk Demonstration (Women’s Stick Game) and a basketweaving competition Provided / Rosalinda Gabriel
There will be opportunities to participate in a raffle on Saturday, with tickets ranging from $2 each, three for $5 or seven raffle tickets for $10. Winners will be announced throughout the day and will receive some incredible prizes.
At the Main Festival Booth, folks can purchase t-shirts, tank tops, hats and other items available on both Saturday and Sunday.
Taking place at Meeks Bay Resort, owned and operated by the Washoe Tribe, the festival makes for an amazing, family-friendly outing and is a great way to learn more about the indigenous cultures that have called the Sierra Nevada mountains home for more than 10,000 years.
The two-day event is free to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is a $12 parking fee per day.
Some things to keep in mind if you plan on attending:
Waší∙šiw ɁitdéɁ is a tobacco-free, drug-free and alcohol free event.
The Washoe Tribe requests that you ask permission before taking pictures of videos of indigenous artists. Unless permission is granted, do not touch their regalia.
Parking is allowed only in authorized parking areas. Do not block roadways or other vehicles. Violators will be ticketed and/or towed.
Refrain from using plastic water bottles.
For more information about the festival or to learn more about the Washoe Tribe, visit https://washoetribe.us/.
To try and decide each week where and what to eat around the basin can be a challenge – there are so many amazing choices. In this feature we’ll dive into dishes that will surely satisfy those hunger pangs and leave you wondering where to go next.
When it comes to pizza (and my complete love for it), I thought I had seen – and tasted – most topping combinations. Then this week’s feature came into my life. Who would have thought that mora, which is the Spanish translation of blackberry, would make for a must-have topping on a pizza … but here we are. And I’m glad I’m here for it.
To start, there’s always a high ceiling when it comes to AleWorx’s pizzas. The dough, and being woodfired, set a very high baseline for any and all their topping arrangements. This dish hits you with a combination of olive oil, blackberries, oregano, ricotta, mozzarella, Prosciutto di Parma, Mike’s extra hot honey, balsamic glaze, and basil.
Lake Tahoe AleWorX’s Mora PizzaRob Galloway / Tahoe Daily Tribune
The blackberries and prosciutto give you a sweet and salty one-two punch that was completely unexpected, yet insanely craveable. And while the mozzarella gives you plenty of cheesiness, it’s the pops of ultra creamy ricotta that do the heavy lifting in this department. And then, if all those flavors weren’t enough to pepper your tastebuds into submission, the sweet and spicy kick from the hot honey adds a chef’s kiss to each bite.
If you are one who likes to go out on Odyssey-like adventures with your pizza toppings, then this is a must try. My kids were a little dubious of trying this out at first, but after the first piece was taken down in record time, they not only expressed their disappointment in me for only having one of these to share but fought over who would get the last piece. I’d say that’s a pretty good sign.
Lake Tahoe AleWorX has two Tahoe locations: 2050 Lake Tahoe Blvd in South Lake Tahoe (The Y) and 31 US-50 #105 in Stateline. For pizza menus and more information about other offerings, including their Reno location, visit them online at laketahoealeworx.com.
Chris Seal – 7:30-10:30 p.m., Noel’s Coffee and Apothecary.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=4.
Classical Tahoe – 7-9 p.m., Ricardi Pavilion at the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe, 291 Country Club . Classical Tahoe Music Festival returns for its 15th season July 11–Aug. 9, bringing four weeks of orchestral, jazz and chamber music performances to North Lake Tahoe. Featuring more than 70 musicians from across the country, the 2026 season includes orchestral masterpieces like Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, the return of Music in Motion with the Lake Tahoe Dance Collective, the Brubeck Jazz Summit celebrating jazz legend Dave Brubeck, family-friendly programming and a new chamber concert at Sugar Bowl Resort. Performances take place at the Ricardi Pavilion at the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe and additional venues throughout Incline Village. The season also honors America 250 with concerts featuring American composers and themes. Tickets and full festival information are available at classicaltahoe.org. Additional dates: 7/24, 7/25, 7/26, 7/26, 7/28.
For more information, visit https://classicaltahoe.org/ or call 775.372.7904 .
Country Fridays: Line Dance Night – 9-11 p.m., Description Join us every Friday for line dancing and cold beer on the Incline Public House dance floor. Dust off your best boots and come ready to party!
For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/country-fridays-line-dance-night-1677363?sourceTypeId=Hub.
Daily Live Music – 12-8 p.m., Gunbarrel Tavern. Daily live music at multiple locations in the Village, including the corner stage at Azul Latin Kitchen, Basecamp Pizza, and Gunbarrel Tavern. Additional dates: 7/24, 7/25, 7/26, 7/27, 7/28, 7/29, 7/30.
For more information, visit https://theshopsatheavenly.com/event/live-music-gunbarrel-tavern/2026-07-24/.
Day 2 – Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Robert Jon & the Wreck – After – 6 p.m., Crystal Bay Casino, 14 Highway 28.
For more information, visit https://devildogshows.com/event/gamblers-run-music-festival-day-2-big-head-todd-the-monsters-robert-jon-the-wreck-after-party-w-diggin-dirt/ or call (775) 833-6333.
Fire and Fantasy – 7-9 p.m., Description Artists Eric Jacobsen, conductor Roman Rabinovich, piano Classical Tahoe Orchestra Program Charles Ives (arr. W. Schuman): Variations on “America” (1892) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 (1875) – Intermission – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Op. 35 (1888)
For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/fire-and-fantasy-1663800?sourceTypeId=Hub.
Gambler’s Run Music Festival: Friday (21+ Event) – 5 p.m., The Crown Room, 14 State Route 28.
The Heart of Robin Hood – 7:30 p.m., Sand Harbor State Park, 2005 Highway 28.
For more information, visit https://laketahoeshakespeare.com/event/the-heart-of-robin-hood-8/ or call (800) 747-4697.
KINGS BEACH – Music on the Beach – 6-8:30 p.m., Description Fridays – Free Summer Concert Series Get ready to dance! Music on the Beach is back for our 20th annual summer concert series with a full lineup of live performances. From reggae and soul to funk, Latin, bluegrass, and more… this year’s artists are bringing the energy all summer long! Kick off your weekends with free live music set against the stunning backdrop of North Lake Tahoe, where sandy toes and sunset skies set the scene. We’re ready to fill your Friday nights with dancing, good vibes, and beachside fun. We can’t wait to spend the summer with you and your crew. SEE YOU ON THE SAND!
For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/kings-beach-music-on-the-beach-1702398?sourceTypeId=Hub.
Lake Tahoe Summer Concert Series – Koe Wetzel – Margaritaville Resort Lake Tahoe, 4130 Lake Tahoe Blvd,. Summer, Music, Family Friendly
The Lake Tahoe Summer Concert Series has some of the hottest music acts under the stars, located across the street from our resort.
Starting on 07/24/2026 and ending on 07/24/2026
For more information, visit https://www.margaritavilleresorts.com/margaritaville-resort-lake-tahoe/things-to-do-in-lake-tahoe/events/lake-tahoe-summer-concert-series-koe-wetzel.
Meet The Artist – Maya Eventov – July 24 – 25 – 12-5 p.m., Marcus Ashley Gallery, 4000 Lake Tahoe Blvd, Ste 23. RSVP for a chance to meet the Maya Eventov in person and watch her demonstrate her talent with a palette knife live in person! Additional dates: 7/24, 7/25.
For more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-the-artist-maya-eventov-july-24-25-tickets-1982094996491 or call (530) 544-4278.
Pierre LaRage – 5-9 p.m., Heavenly Corner Stage.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=4.
Porterhaus – 6:30-10 p.m., South of North Brewing Co., 932 Stateline Ave.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=7.
Robert Jon & the Wreck & The String Cheese Incident & Octave Cat – 12 p.m.-12 a.m., Crystal Bay Casino, 14 Highway 28. obert Jon & The Wreck bring their signature blend of Southern rock and West Coast soul to the stage, captivating audiences around the world with searing guitar work, soulful harmonies, and honest songwriting. Since forming in 2011, they’ve toured extensively across the U.S. and Europe, sharing stages with Joe Bonamassa, Blackberry Smoke, Rival Sons, Samantha Fish, Buddy Guy, and more. Their 2023 release Live at the Ancienne Belgique was hailed by Music News as “one of the best live albums.” Now, with their newest record Heartbreaks & Last Goodbyes—produced by legendary Dave Cobb —earning widespread acclaim, the band is riding a new wave of momentum and winning over fans everywhere.
For more information, visit https://www.bandsintown.com/e/108127055?app_id=pkvts0on0m&came_from=287&utm_medium=api&utm_source=partner_api&utm_campaign=event or call (775) 833-6333.
Stephanie Fagliano – 8-10 p.m., Social House.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=7.
Will Murillo – 12-3 p.m., Heavenly Corner Stage. Additional dates: 7/24, 7/26.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=7.
Wine Tasting at Black Bear Lodge – 5-7 p.m., Black Bear Lodge, 1202 Ski Run Boulevard. Join us at Black Bear Lodge for our Summer Wine Tasting Series, happening every other Friday from 5–7 PM. Enjoy an evening of curated wines from a featured winery, live music, and the relaxed gardens of Black Bear Lodge. Sip, unwind, and discover something new with each unique tasting experience throughout the summer.
For more information, visit http://tahoeblackbear.com/events or call 5305444451.
Wolf Jett – 6 p.m.-12 a.m., Lake Tahoe. The sound of Wolf Jett will make you dance, sing, and possibly even howl! Its roots run deep through the soul and help heal the heaviness of life. Their music is a celebration of perseverance, infusing folk, blues and americana into what can only be described as “Cosmic Mountain Music.” Frontman Chris Jones was born in the south and raised in CA. His songs combine the best of both worlds to create a vibe that is fresh, yet immediately familiar to a broad audience. He is joined by long-time musical collaborator Jon Payne on drums, Duncan Shipton on bass, Will Fourt on dobro/guitar. Often featuring Laura T. Lewis on vocals/percussion and other special guests, to boot.
New Album “Letting Go” is due out April 2nd. Their debut album was picked up by Warner Chappell Music. Follow-up album “Time Will Finally Come” released March 2024, produced by Jonathan Kirchner (Con Brio). They have performed with Bay Area greats California Honeydrops, The Brothers Comatose, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Midnight North, Marty O’Reilly, T Sisters, Sam Chase, Jason Crosby (Jackson Browne), Stelth Ulvang (the Lumineers), James Deprato (Chuck Prophet), Eric Yates (Hot Buttered Rum), and the Mother Hips. You can hear them online and on local radio stations KPIG and KBCZ in Santa Cruz.
For more information, visit https://www.bandsintown.com/e/108226891?app_id=pkvts0on0m&came_from=287&utm_medium=api&utm_source=partner_api&utm_campaign=event.
Saturday, July 25
Annie Davidson – 3-6:30 p.m., South of North Brewing Co., 932 Stateline Ave.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=8.
Backporch Trio (folk/bluegrass/covers) – 5:30-9:30 p.m., AleWorx at the Y, 2050 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Exciting trio from Mendocino makes their AleWorX debut!
For more information, visit https://laketahoealeworx.com/event/backporch-trio-folk-bluegrass-covers/.
Gambler’s Run Music Festival: Saturday (21+ Event) – 5 p.m., The Crown Room, 14 State Route 28.
Jacob Thompson – 4:30-7 p.m., Noel’s Coffee and Apothecary.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=5.
Lake Tahoe Summer Concert Series – Lauren Daigle – Margaritaville Resort Lake Tahoe, 4130 Lake Tahoe Blvd,. Summer, Music, Family Friendly
The Lake Tahoe Summer Concert Series has some of the hottest music acts under the stars, located across the street from our resort.
Starting on 07/25/2026 and ending on 07/25/2026
For more information, visit https://www.margaritavilleresorts.com/margaritaville-resort-lake-tahoe/things-to-do-in-lake-tahoe/events/lake-tahoe-summer-concert-series-lauren-daigle.
Logan Eastep – 7-10 p.m., South of North Brewing Co., 932 Stateline Ave.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=8.
Macbeth – 7:30 p.m., Sand Harbor State Park, 2005 Highway 28. Additional dates: 7/25, 7/26, 7/30.
For more information, visit https://laketahoeshakespeare.com/event/macbeth-10/ or call (800) 747-4697.
Music in Motion – 7-9 p.m., Description Artists Lake Tahoe Dance Collective Adrian Danchig-Waring, Principal, New York City Ballet Indiana Woodward, Principal, New York City Ballet Taylor Stanley, Principal, New York City Ballet Daniel Ulbricht, Principal, New York City Ballet Lia Cirio, Principal, Boston Ballet Paul Craig, Principal, Boston Ballet Kate Loxtercamp, Ballet Arizona Ethan Price, Ballet Arizona Classical Tahoe Musicians Érik Gratton, flute Victoria Chung, oboe & english horn Daniel Gilbert, clarinet Whitney Crockett, bassoon Dan Wions, horn Daniel Khalikov, violin Rachel Golub, violin Katarzyna Bryla, viola Sunny Yang, cello Anna Stoytcheva, piano Program Performing selections from Balanchine’s Tarantella, Chaconne, Sonatine, and much more.
For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/music-in-motion-1663823?sourceTypeId=Hub or call (775) 298-0245.
Saturday Makers’ Market w/ Live Music – 3-7 p.m.,
For more information, visit https://tahoebackyard.com/event-calendar.
Shawn Campanini (Pop/Country/90s) – 12-4 p.m., AleWorx at the Y, 2050 Lake Tahoe Blvd.
For more information, visit https://laketahoealeworx.com/event/shawn-campanini-pop-country-90s/.
Will Murillo – 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Noel’s Coffee a.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=7.
Do you love trails and want to learn more? Do you identify as F(Femme), T(transgender), W(women), or N-B(Non-Binary) and want a safe, inclusive space on the trails? This training is for you
This day is for learning how to fortify trails with rockwork.
Women’s Trail College Agenda
Tool Talk and Morning Briefing
Rockwork demos
Building rock structures and armoring the trail tread.
*Lunch is Provided
*If you have an Epic/Heavenly pass, please bring it!
Location: Panorama Trail. Meet at the Gondola Base at 9am.
Register Here
(Select Training for the location on the form.)
For more information, visit https://tamba.org/event/womens-trails-college-rockwork/.
Sunday, July 26
Backporch Trio (folk/covers/classic) – 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., AleWorx at the Y, 2050 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Fun three-piece from Mendocino, CA
For more information, visit https://laketahoealeworx.com/event/backporch-trio-folk-covers-classic/.
Chili Today – 1-4 p.m., Folktale Winery, 8940 Carmel Valley Road. Prefer your meat from a pot rather than a smoker? The Great Bowls of Fire Chili Cook-Off is back, featuring local chefs and home cooks preparing their best chili (if you’re from Texas, you can pick out the beans). At the same time, bartenders and people with a thing for lime and salt compete in a margarita competition. And at the same time as all of that, bands play for your entertainment—as if great chili and strong (hopefully) cocktails weren’t enough. When you think about it, Sunday is a really good day to be in Monterey County if you’re a foodie. [DF]
1-4pm Sunday, July 26. Folktale Winery, 8940 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel. $65; $50/chamber members. (831) 624-3877, carmelchamber.org.
For more information, visit http://carmelchamber.org.
Gospel Brunch – 12:15-2:30 p.m., Noel’s Coffee & Apothecary , 31 US-50 #102. Noel’s Coffee & Apothecary In Stateline, NV (located between AleWorx and CVS Pharmacy) now has a Gospel Brunch every Sunday from 12:15 PM until 2:30 PM featuring live Gospel music, croissant sandwiches and craft coffee. Come feed your spirit, soul and body!
Greg Case – 5-9 p.m., Base Camp Pizza. Additional dates: 7/26, 7/30.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=4.
Jaime Saso – 7:30-10:30 p.m., Noel’s Coffee and Apothecary.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=6.
Jamie Rollins – 3-5:30 p.m., South of North Brewing Co., 932 Stateline Ave.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=8.
Joel O’Connor Duo – 5-9 p.m., AleWorx at the Y, 2050 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Joel from Bread + Butter playing in a stripped-down format!
For more information, visit https://laketahoealeworx.com/event/joel-oconnor-duo-2/.
Mark Sheets – 6:30-10 p.m., South of North Brewing Co., 932 Stateline Ave. Additional dates: 7/26, 7/30.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=8.
Miki Rae Garrison – 12-3 p.m., Heavenly Corner Stage.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=8.
Osito – Free Lawn Concert – 4:30-6:30 p.m., Grand Hall Lawn, 1 Valhalla Drive. Sunday, July 26, 2026 | 4:30–6:30 PM | Grand Lawn at Valhalla Tahoe
Join us on the Grand Lawn for an afternoon with Osito, a five-piece rock band out of Santa Rosa known for their upbeat performances and crowd-pleasing sound.
Blending catchy original songs with fun, high-energy covers, Osito delivers a show that’s guaranteed to get you singing along and dancing on the lawn. Their feel-good style and infectious energy make this the perfect soundtrack for a summer day at Valhalla.
This free, family-friendly concert is open to all ages. Food vendors, beer and wine will be available onsite, so come hungry and ready to enjoy.
Bring your picnic blankets, lawn chairs, and your crew, and settle in for an afternoon of music, sunshine, and community.
Music begins at 4:30 PM. Come early to grab your spot on the lawn!
Parking is limited. Please plan to carpool, bike, walk, or paddle when possible.
For more information, visit https://valhallatahoe.com/event/osito-free-lawn-concert/.
Seasonal Reverse Happy Hour – Tipsy Putt, 4101 Lake Tahoe Blvd Suite 101. Cheers to Tahoe Summer Nights!
Join us Sunday through Thursday from 8pm to close for Reverse Happy Hour!
50% off All-You-Can-Putt passes and 50% off draft cocktails (with purchase of All-You-Can-Putt).
Your games pass unlocks unlimited mini golf and 1–2 Putt™ rounds all day—so if you start earlier and keep your wristband on, you’ll still score half-off cocktails that night.
Members? You’re always in luck! Enjoy 50% off draft cocktails during Reverse Happy Hour without a games purchase!
Late nights, great drinks, and endless putting! Cheers to that!
For more information, visit https://tipsyputt.com/event/summer-reverse-happy-hour-tipsy-putt-mini-golf-drink-specials/2026-07-26/.
Sidewalk Sound Waves – DJ Demo – 5-9 p.m., AleWorX Stateline.
For more information, visit https://laketahoealeworx.com/event/sidewalk-sound-waves-dj-demo-2/2026-07-26/.
Sunday Art Studio Adults – 2-3 p.m., Carson City Library, 900 N Carson St.
For more information, visit https://carsoncitylibrary.libcal.com/event/17018030.
Sunday Funday – 12-4 p.m., Alibi Ale Works – Incline Public House, 931 Tahoe Blvd. DJ Papi Chulo brings the hits to the Magical Mythical Alibi Beer Forest from 12–4 with nonstop jams. Drink specials, lawn games, and the ultimate Sunday Funday Vibes.
For more information, visit https://alibialeworks.com/incline-public-house/.
Yoga in the Beer Garden – 11 a.m.-12 p.m., South Lake Brewing Company, 1920 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Stretch, sip, and soak up a Tahoe summer morning. Enjoy a one-hour all-levels yoga class in the Beer Garden followed by a delicious beermosa. The perfect way to kick off your Sunday.
Bring your own mat or towel and join us for a relaxed morning of movement, fresh air, and community. Please make sure to add-on Beermosa if you’re staying for a pint. Only $5! Yoga participants only.
For more information, visit https://www.southlakebeer.com/store#!/Yoga-in-the-Beer-Garden/p/846265781.
Monday, July 27
Coppelia – 7:30-9:30 p.m., Shakespeare at Sand Harbor, 2005 Highway 28. Sierra Nevada Ballet presents Coppelia, a hilarious classic ballet about a man who falls in love with his invention. This flagship production of SNB’s 25th season is based on E.T.A. Hoffman’s story and tells a tale of sneakery, imaginary magic, and drifting love. Choreographed by Rosine Bena and Ananda Bena-Weber, Coppelia features beautiful sets and costumes, and a cast of over 40 dancers. Three performances only:
July 25, Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, Reno.
July 27, Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival.
For information go to: www.sierranevadaballet.org
For more information, visit http://www.sierranevadaballet.org or call (775) 360-8663.
Incline Village Library – Write Your Life – 2-4 p.m., Incline Village Library, 845 Alder Avenue. Description Join fellow writers in writing and sharing memorable moments and experiences. Come to one or come to them all!
For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/incline-village-library-write-your-life-1846239?sourceTypeId=Hub or call 775-832-4130.
Jaime Saso – 6-9 p.m., Heavenly Corner Stage.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=8.
Jon Sills – 12-3 p.m., Heavenly Corner Stage.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=8.
Kris Munn – 8-11 p.m., Noel’s Coffee and Apothecary.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=8.
Roger Collins – 12-3 p.m., Heavenly Corner Stage. Additional dates: 7/27, 7/28.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=5.
Sean Hodge – 5-9 p.m., Base Camp Pizza.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=8.
SIERRA NEVADA BALLET: Coppélia – 7:30 p.m., Sand Harbor State Park, 2005 Highway 28.
For more information, visit https://laketahoeshakespeare.com/event/sierra-nevada-ballet-coppelia/ or call (800) 747-4697.
Tuesday, July 28
A Jazz/Rock Odyssey Comes to Lake Tahoe and Reno – 7:30-9:30 p.m., Sand Harbor State Park, 2005 Highway 28. The Reno Jazz Orchestra will present “A Jazz/Rock Odyssey’ in Lake Tahoe and Reno this summer, July 28 and 29, 2026. Sinatra crooner, rock vocalist and America’s Got Talent finalist, Matt Mauser, will join the 17-piece Orchestra for a trek through time from brassy swing and swagger to retro horn-driven grooves and a powerful tribute to classic rock.
The fiist performance is on July 28, 2026 at the Robert Z. Hawkins Sand Harbor State Park in Incline Village, NV and starts at 7:30 pm. The second performance is July 29, 2026 at the Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheater at Bartley Ranch Regional Park in Reno, NV.
“From Frank Sinatra’s smooth swagger to Elvis’s rock ‘n’ roll grooves, and Tom Jones’s powerhouse hits, Matt Mauser brings the music of these unforgettable artists to life through dynamic performances that entertain audiences across every generation,” said Greg Johnson, Music Director for the Reno Jazz Orchestra.
Praised by members of Sinatra’s family for his aptitude in capturing the essence of Frank’s music and charisma, Mauser also brings his own signature style to the stage. He infuses some of the most beloved songs from an iconic era with modern flair, while offering insight into the rich musical history behind each timeless tune.
“There are very few entertainers who can traverse the vocal versatility terrain in the manner Matt can,” said Johnson. “Without missing a beat, he can casually croon Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon,” then roll into a toe-tapping rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues. For this particular performance with the Reno Jazz Orchestra, Matt will be tapping into his crooner and rock sensibility sides to deliver a show that will have the audience wanting more.
Since 1997, the Reno Jazz Orchestra has carried forward a legacy established by world-class musicians who performed with legends like Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Luciano Pavarotti. Today, that tradition continues through top educators and performers connected to the University of Nevada, Reno, and throughout the West. Its mission is to create unforgettable big band experiences, from jazz classics to contemporary compositions and the Great American Songbook. Each season, outstanding guest artists join the Orchestra for performances that thrill, inspire, celebrate and fuel the future of the magic of jazz.
For more information, visit https://renojazzorchestra.org/ or call (775) 372-6160.
Jeff Connor – 7-10 p.m., South of North Brewing Co., 932 Stateline Ave.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=9.
Leash Making Night – 5:30 p.m., South Lake Brewing Company, 1920 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Leash-Making Night at South Lake Brewing Co.! 🐾
Join us for an evening of creativity and community as we turn retired climbing ropes into durable dog leashes for the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe!
You’ll learn how to craft a leash using recycled climbing rope, and every leash made will be donated to help local shelter dogs. Supplies are provided, but if you have old climbing ropes or carabiners you’d like to donate, we’d love to put them to good use.
We’ll also be celebrating a special leash and collar release in collaboration with Wilderdog.
📍 South Lake Brewing Company (1920 Lake Tahoe Blvd.) 📅 Tuesday, July 28 🕠 5:30 PM
No experience necessary—just come ready to have fun, learn something new, and make a difference for dogs in our community! 🐶💙
For more information, visit https://www.southlakebeer.com/brewery-events.
Nicole Cooley – 5-9 p.m., Base Camp Pizza.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=5.
Sean Hodge – 12-3 p.m., Heavenl.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=8.
Taco Tuesday – 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Tipsy Putt – South Lake Tahoe, 4101 Lake Tahoe Boulevard, Suite # 101. Taco Tuesday at Tipsy Putt
Tuesdays just got a whole lot tastier. Join us every Tuesday at any Tipsy Putt location for our unbeatable Taco Tuesday special: choose any 3 tacos for just $10 and enjoy $3 off margaritas all day and night.
You can mix and match your favorites to create the perfect trio. Whether you’re craving something classic or want to try a little bit of everything, Taco Tuesday is the best way to build a full meal without breaking the bank.
Pair your tacos with a refreshing margarita, challenge your friends to a round of mini golf, and make Tuesday your new favorite day of the week.
Available all day, every Tuesday, at all Tipsy Putt locations.
For more information, visit https://eventvesta.com/events/152639/t/tickets or call 530-443-4376.
Tommy Ciccone – 12-3 p.m., Base Camp Pizza.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=9.
Tune-up Tuesday – Come & join the fun at Bijou Bike Park! – 6-7 p.m., Bijou Community Park, 1201 Al Tahoe Blvd. Come and join us for Tune-up Tuesday! Bijou Bike Park is a community gem that needs continued park maintenance. Raking, sweeping and watering are easy tasks for all ages so bring the family!
Please the waiver Here.
For more information, visit https://tamba.org/event/tune-up-tuesday-come-join-the-fun-at-bijou-bike-park-3-2/2026-07-28/.
Wednesday, July 29
April Higuera – 4 p.m.-12 a.m., Incline Village Beach – Barefoot Bar. April & Sheldon duo perform soft rock music on the beach at Incline Village – Barefoot Bar summer series … open to Incline Village residents and their guests.
For more information, visit https://www.bandsintown.com/e/107901703?app_id=pkvts0on0m&came_from=287&utm_medium=api&utm_source=partner_api&utm_campaign=event.
The Beat Goes On – A CHER Theatrical Concert Experience – 7:30 p.m.-12 a.m., Lake Tahoe Shakespeare. THE LIFE & LEGACY OF CHER featuring six decades of live music, iconic fashion, cinematic visuals and audience interaction. Playing the role of CHER – Chicagoan Lisa McClowry
The production meticulously recreates Cher’s live music, iconic look, and commanding stage presence with the precision of a top-tier tribute—but it goes further. Through electrifying live performances of Cher’s greatest hits spanning six decades, combined with first-person storytelling, audiences are invited inside her extraordinary life and legacy—from her childhood and film career to her groundbreaking fashion and lasting influence on generations of fans and the world of entertainment.
Dramatic video enhancements and multiple costume transformations seamlessly bridge the high energy of a live concert with the emotional depth of theatrical storytelling, creating a fully immersive experience with broad audience appeal.
Audience participation is a standout and much-loved element of the show. Similar to the interactive spirit of Blue Man Group Lisa McClowry as “CHER” incorporates moments of improvisation with the crowd and select on-stage volunteers. Audiences are
invited to sing, dance, and clap along, creating shared “bonding moments” that run throughout the production and make each performance feel spontaneous, personal, and unforgettable.
At its heart, The Beat Goes On is a story of empowerment, hope, and fearless reinvention—capturing the rise, fall, and resurgence of an icon. Packed with decades of unforgettable hit music into a powerful 90-minute journey, audiences will laugh, cry, feel inspired—and remember why Cher remains one of the most influential entertainers of all time.
For more information, visit https://www.bandsintown.com/e/108038631?app_id=pkvts0on0m&came_from=287&utm_medium=api&utm_source=partner_api&utm_campaign=event.
Incline Beach — Barefoot Bar Summer Wednesdays Music Series – 4 p.m.-12 a.m., Incline Beach – Barefoot Bar – Incline Village NV. April & Sheldon duo perform on the beach … for Incline Village residents and their guests.
For more information, visit https://www.bandsintown.com/e/107902586?app_id=pkvts0on0m&came_from=287&utm_medium=api&utm_source=partner_api&utm_campaign=event.
Incline Village Library – Young Shakespeare presents “Macbeth” – 2-3 p.m., Incline Village Library, 845 Alder Avenue. Description “Something wicked this way comes…” This spellbinding story weaves a tale of power’s intoxicating promise and the heavy toll it demands. This timeless tragedy captivates with unforgettable characters, Shakespeare’s incomparable language and the relentless exploration of power’s corrupting force. The boundaries between heroism and villainy blur as the question begs an answer: will ambition lead to greatness or doom? Don’t miss this enthralling journey into the heart of human desire, danger and destiny. Young Shakespeare, a D.G. Menchetti Education Program, features an interactive, hour-long adaptation of our mainstage production created with the young audience member in mind. Performances are presented at partner venues throughout the region. Young Shakespeare has connected over 80,000 children and their families to the classics since its inception. This free program affords an amazing live theater experience for young audience members and their families while simultaneously providing opportunities for young and aspiring actors from local schools to participate in the production as performers!
For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/incline-village-library-young-shakespeare-presents-macbeth-1846245?sourceTypeId=Hub or call 775-832-4130.
Jaime Saso – 5-9 p.m., Base Camp Pizza.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=9.
Jamie Rollins – 12-3 p.m., Base Camp Pizza.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=9.
Jeff Connor – 8-11 p.m., Noel’s Coffee and Apothecary.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=5.
Life in the Fast Lane – Eagles Tribute – 7:30-10 p.m., Boathouse Theater, Tallac Historic Site. It is without a doubt that LIFE IN THE FAST LANE® has brilliantly recreated the iconic sounds of the legendary Eagles. Blending 5 part harmonies and 3 guitars, they tightly execute the magical compositions of such songs as Best of My Love, Witchy Woman, Lyin Eyes, New Kid In Town, The Long Run, and the exquisitely layered “Hotel California.”
If you love the Eagles, then seeing Life in the Fast Lane perform is an absolute must! This tribute band doesn’t just play their songs—they live them. With a sound so close to the original, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time to one of the Eagles’ iconic concerts. From the soaring harmonies of Hotel California to the easy grooves of Take It Easy, Life in the Fast Lane brings every classic hit to life in a way that’s both authentic and electrifying.
The vocal talents of Joe Mosier are truly something special—his voice is so much like Don Henley’s that if you close your eyes, you’ll think it’s the man himself. With a remarkable 5-octave range, Joe channels Henley’s distinct tone and emotional depth, capturing the heart and soul of songs like Hotel California and Desperado with stunning accuracy and power.
Alongside Joe, Scott Parsons delivers perfect renditions of Glenn Frey’s iconic vocals. Scott’s voice is a perfect match for Frey’s unmistakable sound, bringing songs like Already Gone and New Kid in Town to life with energy and passion.
A standout moment of their show is John Polizzi’s incredible rendition of Take It to the Limit. His performance of this Eagles classic is spot-on, capturing the intensity and emotion that made the original version unforgettable.
The intricate and spot-on guitar work of Rick Ricketts and John Polizzi is second to none. They flawlessly recreate the Eagles’ signature riffs and solos, adding their own flair and precision to every song. From the complex guitar solos to the rich harmonies, their performances are nothing short of spectacular.
Powering the heartbeat of the band is David Lee, a rock-solid drummer and percussionist whose electrifying rhythms and precise grooves bring an undeniable energy to every performance. His dynamic playing drives the band forward, capturing the intensity and finesse that make the Eagles’ music so legendary. Beyond the drums, David’s rich background vocals add another layer of authenticity, blending seamlessly into the band’s signature harmonies.
Whether you’re seeing the band at a theater, fair, or festival, Life in the Fast Lane creates an atmosphere that pulls you into the music, making it impossible not to sing along, dance, and reminisce. Their passion for the music is contagious, and they’ve got the talent to back it up. If you’ve ever wanted to relive the magic of an Eagles concert, this is your chance to do it in a way that feels fresh yet familiar.
Don’t miss out on this unforgettable live music experience. Come see Life in the Fast Lane—it’s a night of Eagles classics that will leave you smiling, singing, and maybe even a little nostalgic.
Tickets: $35 | Members: $31.50
Doors: 7:00 PM | Show: 7:30 PM
All ages welcome | Concessions available
For more information, visit https://valhallatahoe.com/event/life-in-the-fast-lane-eagles-tribute-july-29-2026/.
LIVE MUSIC – Sage Leaf Tahoe – 5-8 p.m., Description Every Wednesday 5pm – 8pm Best selling drinks are, the bees knees, the sage leaf and the Bloody Mary. They have been the top sellers since we opened our incline village location in June 2020 Best selling food items are the sage and cheddar biscuits, any of our house made organic pastas, the Tahoe blue French toast and our bone in Niman ranch pork chop, duck fat fries with house made truffle aioli, and of course our Angus burger our huge favorites. Sage Leaf Reno opened on 3/7/2026 and we have two patios, a completely remodeled bar, and a spacious dining room good for large groups and intimate celebrations. We have happy hour daily from 3-5pm at Reno, and happy hour daily 5-6pm daily in Incline Village. Both restaurants are open 7 days a week for brunch and for dinner We do half off all bottles of wine on Sunday dinner. We offer vegan and vegetarian options as well as all the meat lovers favorites. We have something for everyone at Sage Leaf Reno and Tahoe. Live Music every Wednesday 5pm-8pm in Tahoe location We are open for Mother’s day and Father’s Day brunch as well as dinner and we strongly encourage reservation at both locations Incline Village location opened 6/4/2020 We also offer backcountry delivery service (think catering while you’re snow shoeing or snowmobiling) during winter snow dependent. We are family owned and operated. Husband and wife team who have lived in Incline Village since 2012. Raising our two small children here in our tight knit community. www. Sageleafreno.com and www.Sageleaftahoe.com
For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/live-music-sage-leaf-tahoe-1704196?sourceTypeId=Hub or call (775) 413-5005.
Shawn Campanini – 12-3 p.m., Heavenly Corner Stage.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=5.
SUPER DIAMOND: The Neil Diamond Tribute – 7:30 p.m., Sand Harbor State Park, 2005 Highway 28.
For more information, visit https://laketahoeshakespeare.com/event/super-diamond-the-neil-diamond-tribute/ or call (800) 747-4697.
Swinging Wings Wednesday – 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Tipsy Putt – South Lake Tahoe, 4101 Lake Tahoe Boulevard, Suite 101. Wednesdays are for wings — and winning! 🍗⛳ Join us for Swinging Wings Wednesdays, where great swings earn even better bites. Play 9 holes and unlock 12 wings for just $9. Even better? Members get FREE games every Wednesday plus 12 wings for $9. It’s our favorite day of the week for a reason. Bring your crew, sip on your favorite drinks, and make a little midweek magic with mini golf, bold sauces, and unbeatable deals. 🔥 12 wings for $9 when you play 9 holes 🏌️ Members: Free games + $9 wings 🍺 Drinks, games, and good vibes 📅 Every Wednesday Swing big. Sauce boldly. See you Wednesday. This offer is available exclusively at our Tahoe, Sacramento, and Emeryville Tipsy Putt locations. Be sure to visit your preferred location’s event page to confirm their Swinging Wing Wednesday details and specific day of the week.
For more information, visit https://eventvesta.com/events/152736/t/tickets or call 530-443-4376.
Wednesday Music at Ski Beach – 4-7 p.m., Description Wednesdays at Ski Beach – Incline Village – IVGID PASSES Required
For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/wednesday-music-at-ski-beach-1745178?sourceTypeId=Hub.
White Thorn Wednesdays – 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Keeping our trails open and ride-able requires continuous brushing and maintenance. TAMBA will be hosting White Thorn Wednesdays again this summer to provide this much needed trail maintenance. We will be working on trails all around the lake. Keep checking the event for the most current work location and information.
We will start the season off with working on Incline Flume trail on the North Shore. Our first day will be Wednesday May 27, 2026. We will meet at the trailhead at the upper trailhead 10:00 am.
Please sign up here! Select “Incline Flume” as the work location.
Please remember to bring the following:
– Long Sleeve Shirt
– Long Pants
– Helmet (bike ok)
– Long Finger Gloves
– Eye protection
– Sturdy Shoes (over the ankle boots recommended if doing rockwork
– Food/Snacks for the day
– Plenty of liquids
– Backpack
– Rain gear if thunderstorms are forecasted
If you have any questions, please email Jake Groce, at Jake@tamba.org.
Thank you very much and we look forward to seeing you at the trail day!
For more information, visit https://tamba.org/event/white-thorn-wednesdays-4/2026-07-29/.
Thursday, July 30
Bowl Incline Summer Music Lineup – 5-8 p.m., Description Thursday Live Music
For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/bowl-incline-summer-music-lineup-1844656?sourceTypeId=Hub or call (775) 831-1900.
Chris Seal – 1-3 p.m., Heavenly Corner Stage.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=9.
Jon Sills – 5-9 p.m., B.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=5.
Karaoke Thursdays – 9-11 p.m., Description KARAOKE THURSDAYS ARE HERE! Alibi Ale Works – Incline VillageWe’re the thirstiest on Thursdays, not just for some boozy beverages, but for some killer karaoke too! Choose your song or step up for blind karaoke roulette! Best karaoke of the night will win an Alibi gift card! Sing your heart out for free beer and Alibi bites
For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/karaoke-thursdays-1663986?sourceTypeId=Hub.
Roger Collins – 12-3 p.m., Base Camp Pizza.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=9.
SAILING CLUB, YACHT ROCK PARTY W/ PIER PRESSURE – 10 p.m.-2 a.m., Tessie’s Cocktails & Chords , 18 US-50. Sailing Club launches at Tessie’s with Tahoe’s smoothest & grooviest party starters, Pier Pressure. Captains Orders – grab a cocktail and head to the dance floor. Sailing Club offers a night of high-energy yachty fun that keeps the room rocking from start to finish. Rascal Flatts ticket holders receive a BOGO cocktail with their concert ticket.
Jamie Saso 8 pm
Pier Pressure 10 pm
Grab a drink and settle in for a night of yacht rock party anthems.
Experience the yachty energy firsthand—book your table today.
Lounge open 11 AM Daily. For large party reservations or tables before 10 PM, call us at 775.586.5014 or email: VIP@tessiestahoe.com
For more information, visit http://tessiestahoe.com/events or call 6194547421.
Tommy Ciccone – 6-9 p.m., Heavenly Corner Stage.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=9.
Trivia Night at Tipsy Putt – Tahoe – 7-10 p.m., Tipsy Putt, 4101 Lake Tahoe Blvd Suite 101. Trivia Night at Tipsy Putt! Free to play, prizes for winners Join us every week for Trivia Night at Tipsy Putt, hosted by the pros at DJ Trivia! It’s free to play, with fresh questions and fun challenges each week. Bring a team of 2–6 or come solo—meet new people and join a team, no pressure. Prizes go to the winners, and cold beer is always flowing. Test your knowledge and kick back with us! FREE RSVP to add it to your calendar so you don’t miss out!
For more information, visit https://eventvesta.com/events/152741/t/tickets or call (530) 443-4376.
Tunes On Tap Summer Concert Series – 7-10 p.m., Alibi Ale Works – Incline Public House, 931 Tahoe Blvd. Description From bluegrass and Americana to reggae, 80s, rock and blues, the 2026 Tunes on Tap Sunset ConcertSeries lineup offers something for every music fan. Our 8-week series highlights a diverse mix ofartists from the Tahoe region and beyond, showcasing the talent that help define the area’s vibrant musicscene.The complete lineup is:July 9th: The NomadsJuly 16th: Broken Compass BluegrassJuly 23rd: Tim Snider & Wolfgang TimberJuly 30th: New Wave CraveAugust 6th: Pipe Down August 13th: Bread & ButterAugust 20th: Dirty CelloAugust 27th: Blues MonstersWe can’t wait! See you this summer.
For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/tunes-on-tap-summer-concert-series-1768484?sourceTypeId=Hub.
LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – In a world of cartoons and extensive screen time, creators of a Tahoe-themed children’s coloring book are hoping the nature-filled pages spark connections to the outdoors.
The Animals Teach Lake Tahoe coloring book features real scenes around the Tahoe Basin, including Baldwin Beach, Zephyr Cove and Emerald Bay, along with wildlife such as bears, coyotes, osprey and many other regional characters.
“We hope that this book influences kids to be a bit more curious about nature, wildlife, and the world around them,” Raul Martinez said, who created the book with his partner Emily Olivet Bender.
Their passion comes from years of working with children at their dance studio in Miami and their own fondness for growing up in nature, Martinez from Cuba and Olivet Bender from the United Kingdom.
Raul Martinez, Emily Olivet Bender and their dog Coco.Provided / Animals Teach
The Tahoe edition is the first in their new Animals Teach travel series of coloring books. The original Animals Teach coloring book series includes a first words, ABCs and numbers edition.
The duo’s first visit to Tahoe three summers ago inspired these coloring books after seeing children outdoors and active. It also influenced their decision to move to South Lake Tahoe in the summers to be closer to nature, themselves.
Seeing children so active outdoors contrasted with some of their own firsthand experiences with youth and general trends of children experiencing increasingly more screen time and less time in nature, resulting in a lack of fundamental awareness of things around them.
“They really don’t necessarily have an intellectual awareness of what things are [or] where things come from,” Martinez explained.
After doing research, the pair have come across data pointing to sensory starvation and found that a majority of kids’ neurological stress comes from a lack of interaction with nature.
“We really, truly feel that that is happening on a mass scale,” Martinez said. “Kids’ sensory development is being starved little by little, more and more every single day, and without the proper development of these senses, we’re just going to continue the pattern.”
The research the couple conducted massively shaped the vision for the coloring books, from the design, based on real locations and wildlife, to the concepts within.
“The primary intent of the book was to match the reality of everything around us, because the formula is that if the environment matches what the kid is learning, then the kid is actually having a behavioral and a visceral association to the external world,” Martinez said.
Not only do they hope these books begin to restore connections with nature, but they also hope it does so in a fun and inspiring way.
According to testimonies they’ve received so far, the Tahoe edition has enhanced children’s experience of the region, becoming a fun activity for kids to do in addition to visiting locations.
“Whether the activity is done previous to them visiting the location, or after the location, there’s a connection happening,” Olivet Bender said, explaining it becomes an activity that creates an emotional response.
Beyond coloring, the books teach numbers, letters, and first words through tracing, while also making associations to animals in natural scenery and environments.
Animals Teach coloring books provide color, trace, and learn opportunities.Provided / Animals Teach
“The animals will have a role to play to teach something about their environment,” Martinez explains. For example, in the Tahoe edition, an osprey dives, a salmon jumps, and coyotes run.
All the scenes and inspiration come from real locations they’ve visited and wildlife they’ve encountered.
The next planned coloring book in the Animals Teach travel series is a Morocco edition.
“What we hope is animals can teach a lot more than just what we’re putting in these books,” Olivet Bender said, like how to live in harmony with nature.
Animals Teach Lake Tahoe is available at locations around the lake, including:
Fallen Leaf Campground – General Store
Camp Richardson Store
Cuppa Tahoe
Edgewood Resort – Adventure Shop
Tahoe City Kayak and Paddleboard
Lake Tahoe Gifting Co
The book is also available online at laketahoe.animalsteachbooks.com.
Lots of folks out there live for the latest tech—first in line for new gadgets, chasing every trend. Me? Not so much. I’m the type who’d rather patch it up and keep it rolling than ditch it for something shiny and new. But… after upgrading my mountain bike, I had to make the leap to electronic shifting. At first, I was skeptical. Two years later? I’m not saying it’s flawless, but I gotta admit—I’m a believer now. Smooth, snappy, and surprisingly tough, it’s won me over on the trail.
Electric shifterProvided / Local Freshies
The Verdict – Not A Gimmick
If you’re the kind of rider who’d rather spend more time in the saddle than wrenching on your bike, wireless electronic shifting is worth a serious look. I’ve been running the SRAM Eagle AXS, and while it’s not without quirks—like struggling a bit under extreme tension—it more than makes up for it with rugged reliability and buttery-smooth shifting.
One heads-up though: keep an eye on that battery indicator. If it dies mid-ride, you could find yourself stuck in the same gear miles from the trailhead. Keep reading on how we know. In fact, the best solution is to ALWAYS carry an extra battery.
Elephant in the Room – Battery Life
According to SRAM’s documentation, you should get around 25 hours of ride time per charge with their electronic shifting. When I first got the system, I fully charged the battery and rode it until it died. On that first run, I actually squeezed out about 40 hours before it finally gave out—leaving me stuck in one gear for the ride down. Not ideal.
Now that I’m riding 3–4 times a week, I keep a close eye on battery levels. As a rule of thumb, I give it a full charge once a month or right before any big ride, just to avoid having to think about it mid-ride.
Cold Weather Battery Tips for Electronic Shifting
In my second season using it, I noticed the battery life takes a serious hit in cold weather, especially below freezing. Leaving the battery connected while storing the bike in an unheated shed is a bad idea. I had a few nights where the battery completely died in the cold. The fix was simple, just disconnect it when storing the bike.
Electronic Shifting or Cable Shifting?
Honestly, it really comes down to the type of rider you are. Running out of battery is a real thing—I’ve heard plenty of stories from friends who’ve gotten stuck mid-ride. That said, you can avoid surprises by connecting your derailleur and shifter to the SRAM AXS app. While it’s not perfect, it does give you a decent sense of how much battery life is left.
On the flip side, mechanical (cable) shifters never need charging, but they do require more regular maintenance and adjustments.
So, what’s your preference—less maintenance with a battery to manage, or no battery but more tinkering? Personally, I’d rather keep an eye on the battery and spend more time riding, less time wrenching. But like all new products… there’s a high price tag that comes with it.
Who Should Upgrade
Honestly, when it comes to bang for your buck, there are plenty of other MTB essentials worth grabbing before splurging on electronic shifting—unless you’re like me and already deep in the maintenance rabbit hole. At that point, it might actually make more sense to just upgrade your whole rig and get electronic shifting with a new bike.
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the 2026 Tahoe Bike and Recreation Guide.
LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – Born out of the Tahoe mountains, SNO is an apparel brand that seeks to capture the spirit of the Sierra Nevada, the stoke of skiing, and the heart of the people who make Tahoe’s mountain community special.
“I want it to be a community stamp,” founder Chelsea Rogers says, seeking to create a sense of belonging with the brand. “I hope people in our community love it and can wear it with pride and know that they’re getting a quality piece from their hometown.”
Launched in October, SNO features T-shirts, beanies, hoodies and sweatshirts that capture Tahoe, whether it’s the lake embroidered or other tributes to the area and snow culture throughout the designs.
The brand’s name even captures the region’s locality and desire, with SNO standing for Sierra Nevada Onding.
“Onding means a heavy downpour of snow. It’s a Scottish term,” Rogers explains. “In the wintertime, we all pray for snow.”
SNO incorporates Tahoe features in designs.Provided / SNO
Rogers takes pride in the quality of the clothing: “I want it to be a high-end piece that represents our brand that people are proud to wear.” That meant taking the time to ensure she got it right.
From concept to launch, Rogers took around 4 years, vetting and perfecting the quality and design.
The vision stemmed from Rogers’ own search for a ski hoodie while on maternity leave in 2021. All the styles she found were overdone, and nothing truly reflected Tahoe or her style.
“I wanted it to be unique to me, something that captured Tahoe, and there wasn’t anything out there,” she said.
So, she created a brand based on small-batch production to ensure not only quality but also the originality of each design. With only 50 hoodies created of each color, each edition is guaranteed unique and special.
After those 50 are sold, she switches up the design to create the next original, limited-edition look.
What started as an idea during maternity leave has now grown into a family-run brand; her daughter, now five, hands out stickers at vendor events.
Founder Chelsea Rogers and family at vendor stand. Provided / SNO
Rogers plans to feature other Sierra Nevada mountains in future collections, including a Mammoth collection.
SNO products are available online at snoapparel.com or at local events.
A decision approving the design review of a 53-space “glampground” on nine acres at Elks Point Road and Highway 50 was upheld by Douglas County planning commissioners last week.
The project approved by planning staff also includes a clubhouse, an accessory dwelling for up to nine employees and an events lawn.
According to the staff report, the project would feature temporary and permanent camping shelters. The term glamping is a combination of the words glamor and camping.
Nearly half the shelters would be built on elevated decks, with nine year-around tree houses and 18 domes for seasonal use. The operators would provide 30 e-bikes, two electric shuttles and recreational equipment rentals.
A clubhouse would have a communal kitchen and eating area, edible garden, and a conference room. Restrooms and showers would be communal, with two including a sauna and outdoor hot tub.
The site is zoned for recreation and is undeveloped. It abuts commercial zoning with residential zoning across Highway 50 at Sewer Plant Road.
The project proposed by Globetrotter Properties was first brought to the county on Feb. 15, 2023, where they were told they would have to receive approval from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. The agency reviewed and approved the project on Sept. 17, 2025, subject to a county design review.
The site is near Zephyr Cove Campground, Nevada Beach Campground and 4-H Camp Tahoe. Those campsites all have cabins, that must be reserved a season ahead. Nevada Beach is within walking distance.
The project was appealed by Incline Village residents Gary and Tracy Saunders, who own the office building at 303 Dorla Court, which was within the noticing area.
One of the issues for planning commissioners was the events lawn, which they were concerned could be used for things like weddings or parties.
Community Development Director Tom Dallaire said that the project description doesn’t say anything about events.
A photo of the site of a proposed ‘glampground’ showing trees that will have to be removed.Kurt Hildebrand / Record-Courier
Deputy District Attorney AJ Hames said the project didn’t apply for approval of an events hall and that would not be an approved use.
Planning Commission Chairman Paul Bruno said he picks up trash at Nevada Beach and was concerned that people staying at the project might contribute to that.
One of Lake Tahoe residents’ concerns is the removal of trees on the property.
A total of 226 trees 14-inches and greater will be removed, according to a report prepared Feb. 15 on behalf of Globetrotter. The trees are 10-20 inches in size and are estimated to be 120-130 years old.
“It is the property owner’s intent to retain as many trees as possible throughout the project site,” wrote California Registered Professional Forester William Snyder in his report. “However, site development will result in the removal of 58 percent of the trees on site through construction of roads, buildings, camping sites, trails, drainage for control of runoff, comfort stations and parking areas.”
Planning commissioners’ action may be appealed to Douglas County commissioners.
STATELINE, Nev. – The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s assistance in locating Karin Stancik, who is wanted for questioning in connection with an ongoing vehicle burglary investigation.
Karin StancikProvided / DCSO
The investigation stems from the theft of a duffel bag containing personal property from a vehicle that had been parked with valet service at Caesars Republic in Stateline May 6, 2026.
Anyone with information regarding Stancik’s whereabouts or information related to this investigation is encouraged to contact Investigator J.T. Davis of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division at 775-586-7253 or DCSO Dispatch at 775-782-5126.
The mountain jewelflower inhabits a wide swath of California and Oregon, from summer-scorched foothills to high mountains where snow falls during winter. But it is already suffering from climate change, with plants in the mountains struggling to survive both summers and winters, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.
“Evolutionarily, it isn’t keeping up with changes in the environment,” said lead author Brandie Quarles-Chidyagwai, a UC Davis postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Plant Biology.
Different populations of this species evolved over millennia to fit California’s diverse environments. With climate change, those adaptations may no longer match local conditions, potentially threatening the mountain jewelflower (Streptanthus tortuosus) — especially in the high mountains.
Mountain jewelflowerProvided / TJ Ushing, UC Davis
“It suggests potential conservation strategies that might help these plants,” Quarles-Chidyagwai said.
A strategy called assisted gene flow could reshuffle the plant’s gene variants into new combinations that better match the new climates. The same strategy could also help many other plant species.
Changing climates in the western U.S.
As temperatures warm, California has seen frequent droughts, with reduced snowpack and earlier snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada. Conditions at high elevations have become more like what low elevations experienced in the past. This has shifted the timing of growing seasons and altered the conditions that plants experience during them.
The mountain jewelflower is already falling behind these changes, according to results previously published research by UC Davis Professors Jenny Gremer and Julin Maloof. Their experiments on low-elevation plants suggested that if the growing seasons shift, the plants’ seeds are less likely to sprout — and the plants that do emerge produce fewer seeds.
Researchers plant jewelflowers in Sierras.Provided / Brandie Quarles-Chidyagwai, UC Davis
“We know that shifting seasons are already having negative effects on low-elevation populations,” Gremer said. “We also wanted to find out how other populations are doing.”
Quarles-Chidyagwai worked with Gremer and Maloof to examine how climate change is affecting one especially vulnerable part of the species: mountain jeweflowers adapted to cold, high-elevation landscapes.
At a site high in the Sierra, they planted seedlings from various regions of California — including both high-elevation areas and lower, warmer, drier areas. If the high-elevation plants fared better than the others, it would suggest that even after a century of climate change, they were still well-adapted to their home range.
But the results showed something very different.
During the first summer, the high-elevation plants survived and produced seeds at lower rates than the lowland plants did. Surprisingly, when Quarles-Chidyagwai returned the following June, she found that the high-elevation plants had once again fared worse, surviving the winter at lower rates than the plants from lower, warmer areas.
This suggested that these high-elevation plants were no longer well-adapted to their environment, suffering not only through a hot, dry summer, but also through a winter when the snow was unusually thin, providing the plants with less protection.
That bodes poorly for the future, said Quarles-Chidyagwai: “We’re going to see more winters with less consistent snowpack.”
Mixing genes to meet the moment
The experiment also yielded a hopeful result.
Despite suffering through the first summer and winter, high-elevation plants survived their second growing season at higher rates than the other plants, allowing them to produce more seeds across their lifetimes.
This suggested that despite climate warming, the high-elevation plants are still well-adapted to at least some aspects of their mountain environment. More importantly, it indicated that the species possesses a set of gene variants that may help it survive newly emerging climates. Those useful gene variants just happen to be scattered across different populations of the plant inhabiting different parts of California.
Quarles-Chidyagwai, Maloof and Gremer are now doing assisted gene flow experiments to combine those gene variants into a single population of plants.
Brandie Quarles-Chidyagwai in greenhouse.Provided / Katrina Huynh, UC Davis
By interbreeding mountain jewelflowers from high and low elevations, “we can hopefully get the ideal combination of genes and create an ideal plant” for these new climates, Quarles-Chidyagwai said.
Insights gleaned from the mountain jewelflower suggest that assisted gene flow might also help other plant species adapt to changing climates.
“When you have these broadly distributed species, that can be useful for conservation,” Quarles-Chidyagwai said.
This research is funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. It used advanced scientific facilities at UC Davis, including the Controlled Environment Facility and research greenhouses.
Additional co-authors include Sarah Ashlock and Johanna Schmitt from UC Davis.
(The Center Square) – The Trump administration is pausing more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday.
The administration froze more than $867 million in Medicaid funds from California and more than $200 million in Minnesota, Kennedy said.
“They violated the social contract that makes this country strong and makes our democracy function,” Kennedy said at a news conference.
Kennedy said California and Minnesota can get those funds back if they provide documentary proof that the payments are legitimate. The administration used artificial intelligence, advanced analytics and traditional financial verification to uncover the fraud in both states, he said.
Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said Minnesota’s fraud came from 14 high-risk programs, including personal care and home health services.
Roughly $3 million were identified as fraudulent payments tied to documentation gaps, including payment claims for treatment provided to a deceased person, Oz said.
In California, Oz said, spending on in-home services over the past two years increased by 24%, double the rate of spending in other states, which accounts for $391 million of the funds deferred on Tuesday.
He also said fraud in California came from items billed more than a year after services were provided, or billing for more than four patients at the same time. Oz also said individuals with “unsatisfactory immigration status” make up a significant portion of fraud in California.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a “Making Health Technology Great Again” event, July 30, 2025. Joyce N. Boghosian / Official White House Photo via Flickr / United States Government Work
“We can’t prove that they’re supposed to be in America and that they’re eligible for these services because this is an ongoing, massive problem for California,” Oz said.
Kennedy also announced that the Department of Health and Human Services will expand its exclusion authority, which would allow the secretary to block or completely eliminate certain actors suspected of fraudulent activity.
“If Gov. Gavin Newsom or Gov. Tim Walz wants this funding released, all they have to do is provide basic documentation showing that these services are legitimate and not fraudulent, Kennedy said.
Dan Brillman, deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the states can retrieve frozen funds if they provide documentation to validate beneficiaries eligibility, services were actually delivered and go after improper payments when they are identified.
“Right now, there are hundreds of thousands of Medicaid beneficiaries waiting on what we call home and community-based services waitlists,” Brillman said. “Every dollar lost to fraud is $1 that cannot pay for a child with complex medical needs, an adult with intellectual disabilities, or a veteran like that I serve with, are waiting to receive services at home.”
Oz said officials in Minnesota have provided the Trump administration with documents that are being evaluated. He said the fraud issues in California are more complex.
“We’re still working many issues with California,” Oz said. “It’s a much bigger program, and lots of different kinds of issues happening.”
“We have to end the fraud, waste, and abuse, and this administration will do whatever it takes to keep your taxpayer dollars out of the hands of criminals and fraudsters,” Kennedy said.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Get ready for a golf tournament like no other. On Sunday, September 27, The Smaine Fund will host Round Three of its Scramble Golf Tournament at the beautiful Lake Tahoe Golf Course (2500 Emerald Bay Rd, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150) in partnership with PT Revolution. This is not your standard day on the links – it’s a high-energy, community-driven event designed to combine fun, competition, and philanthropy in support of the next generation of outdoor athletes.
The two-person scramble format keeps the day lighthearted and inclusive, while mini-games, prizes, and awards keep the excitement going from start to finish. The reigning champions will return to defend their title, giving participants the chance to test their skills and steal the crown.
Provided / Brian Walker
Tournament Schedule:
Check-in: 8 a.m.
Mini-games Begin: 9 a.m.
Shotgun Start: 10 a.m.
Earlybird entry is $350 per twosome, which includes lunch, golf cart, range balls, and a tournament gift.
More than just a tournament, the Scramble supports a meaningful cause. All proceeds benefit
The Smaine Fund, a nonprofit organization committed to helping youth and emerging athletes in outdoor sports, including skiing, snowboarding, water sports, cycling, trail running, skateboarding, and more. By providing resources, mentorship, and financial assistance, The Smaine Fund empowers young athletes to pursue their passions and follow their dreams.
“This isn’t your typical day on the course. When was the last time you putted with a ski or pool cue?” said Brian Walker, organizer of the Smaine Fund Scramble. “It’s a celebration of community, competition, and Kyle Smaine’s legacy — and it directly supports athletes striving to reach their full potential.”
The Tahoe TAP podcast returns with another conversation focused on the people, places, and issues shaping life around Lake Tahoe. Hosts Mike Peron and Rob Galloway are back behind the mic, exploring the latest stories and community conversations from across the basin.
This episode features Cindy Gustafson, Placer County Supervisor for District 5 — the county’s largest district geographically, stretching from Newcastle through North Lake Tahoe and into the High Sierra. The conversation also explores the unique political and geographic boundaries of the region, including how the Truckee and Donner communities are divided between Placer and Nevada counties.
Gustafson brings more than four decades of experience in public service, environmental stewardship, and regional leadership. Before joining the Placer County Board of Supervisors in 2019, she spent 26 years with the Tahoe City Public Utility District, including eight years as general manager. During her tenure, the district secured more than $30 million in grant funding for projects involving parks, bike trails, water infrastructure, and environmental restoration.
After retiring from TCPUD, Gustafson served as CEO of the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association and North Tahoe Chamber before entering public office. Her career has also included service on the California Fish and Game Commission and the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District Board, as well as helping establish the Tahoe Fund.
Today, she continues to play a significant role in regional decision-making through organizations including the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, California Tahoe Conservancy, and Tahoe Transportation District.
On this episode of Tahoe TAP, Gustafson discusses the issues that continue to shape the Tahoe region — from housing and transportation to wildfire resilience, tourism, regional governance, and the ongoing effort to protect the lake and communities that make the area home.
TRUCKEE/TAHOE BASIN, Calif./Nev. — The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Warning for portions of the Tahoe Basin and surrounding region from noon Tuesday through 11 p.m., warning that heavy rainfall could lead to dangerous flooding and hazardous travel conditions.
Forecasters expect a round of showers and thunderstorms Tuesday, with precipitation chances ranging from 20% to 80%, highest across Mono and Mineral counties. Still, the warning extends across the Tahoe Basin, Reno, Carson City and Minden.
“With the flash flooding threat, conditions can become extremely dangerous quickly,” the National Weather Service said in its forecast discussion. “If you encounter a flooded roadway, remember: ‘Turn around, don’t drown!'”
Weather models show rainfall may become more widespread, increasing the potential for heavy downpours across the Greater Reno area, the Quad Counties, portions of the Tahoe Basin, Mono County and Nevada’s Basin and Range.
By Wednesday, forecasters expect high pressure to shift toward Texas and Oklahoma, pushing some of the monsoonal moisture farther east. As a result, thunderstorm chances are expected to decrease to 20% to 40%, with the greatest likelihood remaining over Mono County and Nevada’s Basin and Range.
However, forecasters noted there is still uncertainty, as some weather models suggest high pressure could shift and allow monsoonal moisture to return, increasing the chance of additional showers and thunderstorms through the week.
The National Weather Service said it will continue monitoring forecast trends over the coming days as models become more consistent.
Residents and visitors are urged to avoid burn scar areas, steep terrain and flood-prone urban locations, where heavy rainfall could quickly trigger flooding. The agency also warned of rising creeks and streams, ponding on roadways and the potential for rockslides.
Daytime temperatures in Sierra communities are expected to remain in the upper 70s to low 80s.
Flash flood warning issues for Tahoe areas. Provided / National Weather Service
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The South Tahoe Public Utility District (District) will begin rehabilitating approximately 8,000 linear feet of sewer mains in the Tahoe Keys neighborhood at the end of July as part of its ongoing commitment to maintaining a safe, reliable sewer system that protects public health and the environment.
The $1.1 million project will extend the life of sewer mains that were originally installed in the 1960s by using a trenchless method known as Ultraviolet Cured-in-Place Pipe. Instead of digging up streets, crews will install a new liner inside the existing sewer pipe through existing manholes. The new pipe is designed to last 50 years or more.
“Our goal is to keep our sewer system in a state of good repair while minimizing impacts to the community,” said Project Manager Brendan Cusick. “Using trenchless technology allows us to repair aging pipes with less disruption, lower costs, and a much shorter construction timeline.”
The project follows condition assessments completed in 2024 and 2025. The District inspected sewer mains in the eastern Tahoe Keys neighborhood using video cameras. The inspections found corrosion to be the most common issue, with sewer mains along eight streets identified as the highest priority for repairing.
“The Tahoe Keys has high groundwater, making trenchless rehabilitation the most environmentally responsible and cost-effective solution,” Cusick said. “This project helps ensure these sewer mains can serve the community reliably for decades to come.”
Construction is expected to begin at the end of July and continue through November. Work will generally take place Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents can expect occasional lane closures and construction activity as crews access sewer mains through existing manholes.
A 19-year-old woman was arrested after driving under the influenceProvided / CHP South Lake Tahoe
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – A 19-year-old woman was arrested and booked at the El Dorado County jail after she crashed her Subaru Outback on Saturday, July 18 before fleeing the scene.
According to California Highway Patrol (CHP), the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) reported a hit-and-run which occurred near the football field of South Tahoe High School.
“We responded to the scene and found the 19-year-old female driver,” CHP Officer Ruth Loehr, Public Information and Media Relations told the Tribune. CHP also confirmed that the driver is a resident of South Lake Tahoe.
After apprehending the female driver, CHP officers conducted a DUI evaluation and determined that she was under the influence of alcohol before her arrest. Several alcoholic beverages, including BuzzBalls ready-to-drink cocktails, were found in the driver’s possession.
WASHOE COUNTY, Nev. – RECCO, a global search and rescue technology, recently announced that the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada has equipped its RAVEN (Regional Aviation Enforcement) helicopter program with a RECCO SAR Helicopter Detector, making it the 11th organization in the United States and the 54th worldwide to deploy the aerial system.
The RECCO system operates on a passive radar principle. The helicopter-carried detector emits a radar signal that bounces off a RECCO reflector, which is a small, lightweight, battery-free device integrated into outdoor clothing, helmets, backpacks and boots, and echoes back to the detector, guiding the aircrew directly to the person’s location.
The RAVEN helicopter program’s new airborne radar system will provide rapid search-and-rescue coverage across the Sierra Nevada region of Northern Nevada and Northern California.Provided / RECCO
First developed in the 1980s for avalanche rescue, RECCO technology has grown from a localized winter tool into a year-round global standard for search and rescue. The helicopter-mounted detector allows aircrews to scan larger areas of forest, mountain, and snow-covered terrain, often reducing searches that would take hours or days on foot.
“The addition of the RECCO helicopter system is a significant step forward for search and rescue across our region,” said Sheriff Darin Balaam. “As just the 11th organization in the United States and the 54th worldwide to deploy this life-saving aerial technology, we’re investing in capabilities that significantly narrow the window of time it takes to find someone who is lost or injured, ultimately saving lives. This technology strengthens our commitment to providing the highest level of service to our community and regional partners.”
The RAVEN program will provide RECCO-enabled search-and-rescue coverage primarily across Northern Nevada and Northern California, including the rugged terrain of the Sierra Nevada. The aerial capability will supplement the region’s many search-and-rescue teams already trained on RECCO handheld detectors, adding a coordinated air-and-ground search capability throughout the area.
“Washoe County’s terrain, from dense forest to high alpine backcountry, is exactly the kind of environment where a helicopter detector can make the biggest difference in search time,” said Fredrik Steinwall, CEO of RECCO. “We’re proud to welcome the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office to our network and to keep expanding this technology to regional partners who are on the front lines of search and rescue.”
To get the most out of the new capability, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office encourages residents and visitors, whether skiing, hiking, mountain biking, or backcountry camping, to carry or wear gear equipped with a RECCO reflector, ensuring they are searchable to both air and ground crews. Many outdoor brands integrate reflectors directly into their gear, and stand-alone reflectors can be attached to backpacks or helmets.
The RAVEN helicopter program’s new airborne radar system will provide rapid search-and-rescue coverage across the Sierra Nevada region of Northern Nevada and Northern California.Provided / RECCO
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – At South Tahoe High School, it’s not unusual for more than half of students to graduate and stay in the community. In a town shaped by tourism, small businesses are the backbone of the local economy – and where many young people will build their futures. But in a region where costs are high and work is seasonal, many new businesses struggle to last beyond their first year.
For Isaiah Tannaci, Career Technical Education (CTE) Department Chair, that reality raises an important question.
Tasked by the school board to integrate entrepreneurship across its CTE pathways and supported by a Strong Workforce Program grant, he began to think beyond traditional classroom learning.
Provided
“For those staying in our community, how do we give them the opportunity for higher wages and sustainable living?” he said. “How do we help them envision a future where they don’t just take a job, but create something that lasts?”
While his initial idea was to open a retail space where students could design and sell products to test what might work, it eventually became clear they needed something else: a makerspace where they could develop, experiment, and refine their ideas before stepping out into the real world.
Around the same time, just a few miles away, the Marcella Foundation was asking similar questions.
Founded by Sean Fannan, a South Tahoe High graduate who went on to become a successful tech entrepreneur in San Francisco, the Marcella Foundation focuses on improving food access, literacy, and youth mentorship in the community.
As Melissa Uppendahl, Executive Director, recalled: “As our youth progress in their education, we asked ourselves, ‘How do we support them in what comes next in their lives?’ We imagined them moving from being learners to creators and innovators – in a space where they can tinker, prototype, fail, and iterate. The makerspace is really where that idea comes to life.”
So when Tannaci reached out to discuss funding for South Tahoe High’s vision of a makerspace, the timing felt unmistakable.
It was, as both described it, a moment of serendipity – two ideas taking shape independently, then coming together at exactly the right time. So they decided to build the makerspace together.
That partnership is now coming together through the Atrium, a 10,000-square-foot building that once housed a thrift store and will soon serve as the new home for the Marcella Foundation and its programs.
When it opens in late 2026, the Atrium will house a commercial kitchen, food storage and distribution hub, community space, and a fully equipped makerspace with tools and technologies many students would not otherwise have access to – from laser cutters, 3D printers, and sewing machines to a woodshop, metal shop, photography studio, electronics lab, and bike and snow gear repair stations.
All students in grades 9–12 in South Lake Tahoe will have access to the makerspace at no cost.
On the Road Before the Doors Open
To make the makerspace a reality, the team conducted a national search and found Joseph Minnich, a self-described “serial makerspace builder” who has done this before at universities across the country.
“Makerspaces are the ultimate place where you can go to build or fix anything,” Minnich said. “But more importantly, they’re places where you learn how to take an idea and turn it into something real.”
While the Atrium is still under renovation, Minnich has already taken the concept on the road. Using a truck and trailer outfitted with tools, his mobile makerspace brings hands-on projects directly into classrooms, working with teachers to make abstract concepts easier to understand.
For example, students learning geometry didn’t just memorize formulas – they cut and assembled cardboard pieces into hands-on tools to test angles and proportions and see how the math worked. “If you can build something to prove a scientific principle, it’s a pure form of learning and mastery,” he said.
When the Atrium opens, students will have access to more possibilities than ever before. For Uppendahl, it comes back to what the makerspace represents.
“We want students to walk into a space that inspires them,” she said. “A place where they feel capable and can try something new and realize they can actually make it happen.”
For Tannaci, it comes back to fostering an entrepreneurial mindset.
“My dream is that this becomes the incubator for local businesses here in Tahoe,” he said. “Where students can start, find something that works, and then take it out into the community.”
For a place where many students choose to stay, it’s a chance to build something of their own – close to home, starting with an idea and the tools to bring it to life.
The Fourth of July was marked by fireworks, celebrations, and remembrance for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. This year, the 4th also brought the launch of a new federally-created savings account for kids called the “Trump Account”.
First, the basics. A Trump Account is a custodial retirement investment account for newborns and children up to the age of 18. Parents can open an account for their child, and up to $5,000 per year can be deposited into the account. Funds in the Trump Account must be invested in one of a handful of government-selected low-cost index funds. There is currently only one investment option, but the U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced 4 more funds to be added in the upcoming months.
In general, withdrawals aren’t permitted until the beneficiary reaches age 18. Once the child turns 18, the custodial Trump Account becomes very similar to a Traditional IRA account in terms of tax rules, except for some qualified exceptions like higher education expenses or a first-time home purchase.
As an incentive, eligible U.S. citizens born between 2025-2028 receive a one-time, $1,000 contribution from the government. In addition, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation will contribute $250 to any Trump Account opened for a child age 10 or younger, provided that they live in a ZIP code where the median family income is less than $150,000. That includes most zip codes in and around Lake Tahoe.
Should everyone rush to open a Trump account for their child? Not necessarily. The advantages of the Trump Accounts are greater for some situations than they are for others. While the accounts likely make sense for some children, others might be better served by a 529 plan or a Roth IRA.
If your child is eligible for free contributions from either the federal government, the Dell Foundation or both, opening the account is a no-brainer. Even if you never add money to it, your child is getting free money invested for their future. Run, don’t walk, and open their account right away! Once you have the free money invested for your child, you can figure out whether additional contributions are your best option.
If there is no free money coming, the decision becomes more nuanced. Trump Accounts don’t avoid taxation the way Roth or 529 accounts can. Because of this, other types of accounts may have greater tax benefit for your particular situation.
For families whose top priority is saving for post-secondary education, a 529 account may be more advantageous, since you aren’t taxed on withdrawals if they are used for qualified educational expenses. Plus, leftover funds in the account can potentially be rolled into a Roth IRA tax-free up to a total of $35,000, although some guidelines apply. In cases where your child is old enough to work and has some income, directly saving into a Roth IRA could be your best option.
There’s another useful way that you can use a Trump Account to build savings for your child’s future. Unlike Traditional and Roth IRAs, you are allowed to contribute to a Trump Account even if your child has no earned income. You can contribute up to $5,000 per year, let it grow, and then do a series of small Roth conversions once your child is at least 18 and is earning income. For most young adults aged 18-22, the conversion could be done in either the 10% or 12% tax bracket—a very low-tax way to have a sizeable Roth account at a relatively young age, assuming future tax rates remain similar.
In my opinion, the best part of the Trump Accounts is that they may convince more families to start saving money earlier. I support that 100%. But be aware that there is no special tax treatment that makes these accounts inherently better than some of the other saving alternatives out there. Your personal family circumstances will determine whether or not a Trump Account is better than those other options.
However you choose to build your child’s future wealth, invest smartly and invest well!
Larry Sidney is a Zephyr Cove-based Investment Advisor Representative. Information is found at https://palisadeinvestments.com/ or by calling 775-299-4600 x702. This is not a solicitation to buy or sell securities. Clients may hold positions mentioned in this article. Past Performance does not guarantee future results. Consult your financial advisor before purchasing any security.
“Hard to put into words how freeing it is,” Jimi Brenner said while taking a break from an afternoon at the downhill mountain bike trails. Brenner lives and works on an orchard around Auburn, he likes biking, he is into metal fabrication, and when he was 29, his car slid off the road into a big oak tree. He became paralyzed from chest down.
JIMI BRENNER on his adaptive bike. Trails for these bikes should be at least 58 inches wide, according to High Fives. Photo courtesy Jimi Brenner
Brenner found the hospital-provided wheelchairs not to his liking, so a year after his injury, he built his own. “I’ve always been the outdoorsy person,” he said. “I can’t get stuck inside much.”
Three years after his accident, Brenner rode a bike again. The bike was adaptive to his injury, lent to him at the High Fives Community Bike Day, a fundraiser open to everyone.
High Fives was launched in 2009 after its founder, Roy Tuscany, overshot a ski jump and became paralyzed from the waist down. Tuscany received help from his community and started High Fives to “prevent life-changing injuries and provide resources and hope if they happen.” Since then, High Fives has served over 1,000 athletes in a multitude of sports and funded more than 1,900 grants.
After receiving a grant from High Fives and the Kelly Brush Foundation, whose mission is “to inspire and empower people with spinal cord injuries to lead active and engaged lifestyles,” Brenner was able to buy one of the bikes, which start at $15,000. But he didn’t know where to ride it. “Auburn has a lot of real tight single track,” he said. “It’s hard to ride independently.”
In 2021, High Fives collaborated with Sky Tavern Bike Park, located off Mt. Rose Highway, to build a trail suitable for adaptive riders. “We wanted to include several [adaptive specific] design features,” said Becca Lefanowicz, director of brand and creative for High Fives. For instance, “that it would be wide enough for adaptive bikes that have a wider and longer frame.”
I DID IT! Estocado is triumphant after a downhill mountain bike run.
A High Fives adaptive trail must be at least 58 inches wide, a standard that unaffiliated organizations like Lee Canyon resort in Las Vegas have begun to copy. Because adaptive mountain bikes have a lower clearance than standard ones, the trail is also maintained to avoid what Lefanowicz calls “pinch points” — areas that would be too rocky for the low clearance of an adaptive bike. Brenner described the Sky Tavern trail as “super fun, super flowy.” It’s also one of two locations for the High Fives Community Bike Day in June, July, and August this year.
Since the Sky Tavern installation, High Fives has put in another adaptive-friendly trail at Sierra Vista in Reno.
“Most trails are not too far off,” Brenner said, “there’s maybe just a little something on them [that makes them not suitable for an adaptive bike].” But on Brenner’s new-model Bowhead Reach with a tilting mechanism, he said that “98, 99% of the trails — I can ride on them.”
ALL SMILES: High Fives collaborated with Sky Tavern Bike Park, located off Mt. Rose Highway, to build a trail suitable for adaptive riders, which Estocado happily bombs down. Photos courtesy High Fives
Brenner said it’s big news in his community when a new trail like this is put in. “It’s more open space you can get out and explore.” This, he said, is the point. And Lefanowicz added that the word she most commonly hears from people who use the adaptive trails is “independence.”
There was a moment at the second-ever Gambler’s Run in 2024 when The Main Squeeze was covering Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar” and it all kind of came together for Crystal Bay Casino’s production/marketing manager Sam Shear.
“It was right at dusk,” he said. “The golden hour light. The energy of the band, the energy of the crowd. It was epic. All the work we’d done, a lot of things had to line up to make that moment happen.”
MUSICAL CONNECTION: A festivalgoer and a musician are in sync during a daytime set.
Things did line up and that moment did happen. More moments happened last year and more moments will happen in 2026, the festival gaining momentum like some incendiary fiddle solo played against a devil down in Georgia. This year, the String Cheese Incident leads its biggest lineup yet, headlining three days of deep-pooled musicality with their Thursday night set.
Formed in Colorado a good 30 years ago, the band has shredded strings and lit up audiences around the world with its bluegrass meets funky-country-rocky-jazzy-reggae-infused sound that offers a pinch of psychedelia and throws in a warm breeze
for good measure.
IT’S ALL GRATITUDE AND GOOD TIMES in the front row at dusk at Gambler’s Run.
The band’s name stems from a cheese-heavy food fight the members had in a bar back in the ’90s. They’ll be coming off a two-night run at Red Rocks Amphitheater before rolling the dice in Crystal Bay as part of their five-month Just Keep Spinning tour.
Red Rocks has a 9,500-person capacity, a typical venue size for the band. Gambler’s Run, on the other hand, is capped at 1,000. A faraway lawn seat won’t exist at the festival, and access to the front rows won’t cost $500-plus — so fans will see and hear and feel the cheese-grating up close.
“String Cheese is about the biggest act we can get,” Shear said. “We’ve had them in the Crown Room, but this is a new time for a new setting.”
That setting is outdoors. That setting is intimate. That setting is Tahoe air and golden hour light and the mysteries of the night. And visuals.
“A lot of focus is also on the art, the eye candy of the festival,” said Shear, who was coy with details to not give away too much and spoil first-impression surprise and intrigue. “It’s an all-encompassing experience. We’ll transform the festival grounds as much as possible.”
Those adorned grounds will be played from 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with the gates opening at 3 p.m. for food and craft vendors, and high-energy afterparties in the Crown Room raging until midnight or so.
Big Head Todd and the Monsters headlines Friday’s lineup with its own sweet Colorado-born style that has continued to evolve and delight music lovers since its 1993 platinum rock album Sister Sweetly, featuring the decade’s iconic and seemingly immortal (for good reason) “Bittersweet.” The soulful sounds and rhythmic beat of The California Honeydrops will get Saturday night’s airs swirling and the dancefloor moving.
But Gambler’s Run isn’t just three consecutive big-name concerts; it’s a music festival that features eight hours of music per day and over 10 bands that run the gamut. Also performing are the Humboldt funk machine Diggin Dirt, the electronic-instrumental synthesis of the groovy Octave Cat (featuring Jessie Miller of Lotus), and the Nashville-based Grateful Dead-influenced punk rockers Sicard Hollow, among others.
Sicard Hollow’s guitarist Alex King shared his thoughts: “We love music festivals, casinos, and lakes. Gambler’s Run is a perfect place … because it crosses off all three of those boxes. Let’s party.”
Three-Pronged Event
In addition to the intrepid tunes and dynamic art, Gambler’s Run also features a core contingent of activities and activism at its nonprofit village.
The nonprofit tine is a who’s who of local ecological stalwarts: Keep Tahoe Blue, Sierra Nevada Alliance, Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC), UC Davis, Restoring My Lake; and, from Colorado, Conscious Alliance. Each entity helms an interactive booth and leads an engaging activity that ties back to its message. Festival-goers are provided a punch card; punches are earned by doing the activities; completing all the activities gains entry into drawings for signed posters and other rad prizes.
A main component of the activism for the festival itself focuses on sustainability. “When we started Gambler’s Run four years ago now, we were like, ‘We are in Lake Tahoe, we should be as conscious of our environment as possible.’”
THE OUTDOOR GROUNDS at Gambler’s Run hosts bands from 4 to 10 pm. before the event moves into the Crown Room for the afterparties.
A main cog in that activism/sustainability wheel was to phase out plastic cups by phasing in aluminum ones. The CBC began doing so at the first Gambler’s Run in 2023 and it’s now become standard practice at every show it hosts. No single-use plastic cups, not one; stats showing the switch having already saved close to 100,000 plastic cups and thousands of plastic water bottles from ending up in landfills.
That’s the type of action that helps the world keep spinning and the music keep playing. And summer music festivals right here in the Tahoe Basin, without having to undertake some distant drive in some super-hot direction, are a good thing too.
“If you’re a local,” Shear concluded, “you know the Crystal Bay Casino; what we do is live music. This is our masterpiece — three days of music, art, activism. Come on over and hang out.”
Wade Snider, master photographer, believes that every photo taken should be planned for months. In accordance with his tight hierarchy of strict guidelines, he camped out for ages, waiting for this exact photograph. On day 90, lightning struck. The beagles lined up. The bear was there. All he had to do was hit the shutter. The world softened for a bit. The birds, awestruck, quieted their ritualistic song. When the day returned to focus and time resumed ticking, all that was left was a photograph. Seen here.
With summer in full swing, the Cancer new moon on July 14 offers a welcome invitation to slow down, to rest, and to reconnect.
On July 18, Uranus in Gemini trines Pluto retrograde in Aquarius, an amicable transit that highlights both the tension and harmony between abstract ideas and collective technological transformations underway. Two days later, Jupiter in Leo forms a trine to Neptune retrograde in Aries, while also opposing Pluto — encouraging examination of values and relationships to the world’s changes.
The sun enters Leo on July 22, followed by Mercury coming out of its retrograde transit on July 24. Expect a certain momentum to return to a plan of yours that’s been stalled.
A major collective shift occurs on July 26 as the north node enters Aquarius and the south node enters Leo. This new nodal cycle will be playing out for 18 months and encourages us to participate more consciously in worldly happenings.
Leo-season energies amplify on July 29 when Jupiter conjoins the sun during a full moon in Aquarius. With Pluto in conjunction to the full moon, this lunation brings expansive emotional and subconscious transformation. Pay attention to what needs to be released as well as what’s coming up that needs to be celebrated.
Venus enters Libra on August 6. This will bring balance, a focus on beauty, and an inclination to socialize. August 7 and 8 may feel more reactive, with the Gemini moon transiting first Uranus and then Mars. To give yourself time to take in the full picture, endeavor to pause before responding to things.
On August 12, we have a powerful solar eclipse. The Leo new moon also joins the south node, with Jupiter and Mercury also in Leo. This day will illuminate old stories of identities and patterns that may surface for review.
NATURAL MAGIC
There are many transits happening in this time that relate to collective change and how that is personally significant, highlighted by the nodal shift into the signs of Aquarius and Leo exactly on July 26; consider setting aside twenty minutes a day between July 19 and August 2 to honor both the transition and your own evolutionary growth. Begin with ten minutes of heart-centered meditation. Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly, breathing slowly as you imagine your awareness dropping from your head to your heart.
Then spend ten minutes reflecting and journaling. Consider these prompts: When I shift perception from my head to my heart, what changes within me?What is my unique gift to the world? How can I use my creativity in service to something larger than myself?
Bees. These remarkable bugs are more than just fuzzy visitors to flowers or “scary” insects that sting. They are vital pollinators who play a crucial role in maintaining the health of our mountain ecosystems and the planet as a whole.
When most people think of bees, they picture the classic honey bee: living in its bustling hive, making honey, and serving the queen. However, honey bees are not native to North America and their highly social lifestyle represents only a small fraction of the world’s bee species.
In fact, the vast majority of bees around the world and in the Sierra Nevada are solitary, up to 85% living quiet, independent lives that often go unnoticed by humans. In these species there are no queens, no workers, and no hives.
1 of 3
A SWEAT BEE (Halictidae) nuzzles into flax in South Lake Tahoe. Photo by Nina Miller/Moonshine Ink
Van Dyke’s Bumble Bee (Bombus vandykei) atop a sage in Truckee. Photo by Will Richardson
A MASON BEE (Osmia montana) visits a Senecio in Page Meadows above Tahoe City. Photo by Will Richardson
Rather, every female bee is essentially a one-bee construction crew, food gatherer, and parent all rolled into one. After snowmelt, they find or build suitable nests, collect nectar and pollen, and create a carefully stocked nursery for future offspring. After supplying the nest chamber with food, the female lays a single egg, seals the chamber, and begins the process of preparing the next chamber for another egg. Once her work is complete, her life cycle comes to an end and the next generation develops during the winter months to emerge in the spring.
Meanwhile, male bees have a simpler life. Their lifespan lasts only a few weeks and equates to: emerge, compete to find a mate, reproduce, and that’s about it.
Native Tahoe/Truckee bees come in an incredible variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Some wear the familiar yellow-and-black striped patterns while others look like tiny flying jewels, shimmering in the sunlight with their metallic greens, blues, or bronze. When identifying whether an insect is a bee, a helpful clue is to look for yellow, dusty pollen clinging to its body. Female bees often carry pollen on specialized hairs attached to their legs called corbiculae (or “pollen pants”), and other species will tote it on the underside of their abdomens.
Tahoe/Truckee Bee Diversity
One of the most interesting solitary bees around Tahoe/Truckee are leafcutter bees (Megachile spp.). These tiny architects carefully cut out near-perfect circles from leaves or other plant material and carry them back to their nests. They then use the leaf pieces to form the structure of their nursery chamber cells, and, like wallpaper, the leaf material lines and protects the chamber to promote growth of beneficial microbes.
Gardeners sometimes notice the neat circular holes left behind by the leafcutters and wonder, “What happened?” Fortunately, it’s most often good news. The holes rarely harm the plant as a whole, and the “damage” is little more than a tiny rental fee, paid in exchange for excellent pollination services.
Mason bees (Osmia spp.) include another type of solitary bee found in our area. These small critters have dark bodies and an often iridescent sheen, and can easily be mistaken for a fly. However, they are all bee: widely considered some of nature’s most efficient pollinators. A single female has been known to pollinate up to 2,000 blossoms in one day.
Her pollinating power comes from how she carries pollen. Instead of packing it tightly on her legs, the mason bee female carries it loosely on the underside of her body, allowing her to transfer more pollen between flowers. Around Tahoe/Truckee you can find mason bees living in natural cavities such as hollow stems and holes in wood, but they will also readily occupy homemade bee boxes with paper or cardboard nesting tubes placed near flowering plants (a fun project for your yard).
For other bees, that patch of exposed dirt in your yard or a downed log out back can be prime real estate too, so leave them be!
Of course, no discussion of Sierra buzzers would be complete without mentioning bumble bees (Bombus spp.). The fuzzy giants of the bee world, bumble bees are larger, louder, and easier to spot than many of their smaller relatives.
Unlike most of the area’s native bees, bumble bees are social insects, forming small colonies led by a single queen and supported by a female workforce. Their colonies, however, function very differently from honey bee hives. As fall approaches, the workers die off, leaving only the newly mated queens alive, seeking shelter underground where they overwinter beneath the snowpack. When spring arrives, each queen emerges to build an entirely new colony from scratch.
Truckee/Tahoe is home to several bumblebee species, including the endangered Western Bumble Bee (Bombus occidentalis). Not long ago, at Sagehen Creek Research Station, Dr. Nina Sokolov of UC Berkeley found 23 Western Bumble Bees in just 45 minutes, a remarkable find given this species is endangered and difficult to find across the state of California. Perhaps Truckee is a hotspot for this species? More research and time will tell, but for now this is encouraging for Bombus occidentalis.
Supporting the Bees That Support Us
Bees play a critical role in maintaining our region’s biodiversity. Their services support the plants that provide food and shelter for countless other species, while encouraging outcrossing among the plants themselves, increasing genetic diversity and creating stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities of organisms.
Sadly, not all news is good, and our bees face many challenges. Habitat loss, disease, pesticide exposure, and climate change all threaten native bee populations. Habitat loss from human development destroys both nesting sites and the flowering plants bees depend on. Pesticides may directly harm the pollinators or indirectly kill the plants they rely on. Climate change creates timing mismatches between flowers and the bees’ emergence.
Fortunately, communities throughout our nation are recognizing the importance of protecting pollinators, and Truckee has an exciting opportunity to join that effort. The Tahoe Institute for Natural Science (TINS) is leading the charge to designate the Town of Truckee as an official “Bee City.” TINS and other partners through Bee City USA intend to protect native pollinators through education, habitat restoration, and conservation. While the designation is an important milestone, its true value lies in the community actions that follow.
POLLINATORS: One of Truckee/Tahoe’s most common and widespread bumble bee species, Yellow-faced Bumble Bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) visiting a yarrow and showing a packed pollen basket. Photo by Will Richardson
Residents can help in surprisingly simple ways; planting native flowers and leaving patches of bare soil, dead wood, and dried stems all work to create nesting opportunities. Even participating in community science projects using iNaturalist, a free app that helps identify plants and animals while collecting data for science and conservation, can help researchers better understand local bee populations. In this way, every yard, garden, school, neighborhood, and human can become part of the solution.
So, the next time you hear a faint buzz while hiking a trail, walking through a meadow, or tending your garden, take a closer look and try to appreciate the bee for who it is and what it does.
These remarkable insects may be small, but their impact is enormous. Quietly and tirelessly, our native bees sustain the wildflowers, forests, and vibrant landscapes that make the Sierra Nevada the wonderful and biologically diverse place that it is.
If you’re not looking for the Understory, it’s easy to walk right past it. Owner Annie Stefani calls it a hobbit hole — picture Alice falling into the rabbit burrow and coming out in Tahoe. Located in an underground cellar at the north end of downtown Tahoe City in front of urgent care, the Understory is North Lake Tahoe’s newest bookshop, which opened June 30.
“That aspect of getting lost in a story has been a big part of my entire life,” says Stefani, who grew up in Tahoe City and has worked in education for 20 years, teaching middle and high school English and social studies. “Reading is a way to learn about another place. Especially in a bubble like Tahoe, books are a window into another world.”
BOOK CLUB: Tahoe City has a new bookstore, thanks to North Tahoe High’s former librarian. Photo courtesy Daniel Stefani
Five years ago, Stefani obtained a master’s degree in library and information science and began working as the librarian at North Tahoe High School. When she took over that role, she completely redesigned the physical space of the school’s library. “When people asked me what I’d do if I wasn’t a teacher, I’d always say I’d be an interior designer,” she says. She discovered a designer who focused on home libraries, and she thought, “This is a thing? I can incorporate design and books and make them look beautiful and readable? Who knew?”
Last year, she left her job at Tahoe Truckee Unified School District and launched Wonderwood Books and Library Services, a book-centric design studio for homes, hotels, and more. She designed and curated bookshelves at the new Apex Club at Palisades Tahoe — complete with books by local authors and ones based on Sierra Nevada ski history — as well as home libraries for several local residences. “When you walk into someone’s home, you look at what they’re reading,” Stefani says. “You want those shelves to not only look nice but also represent who you are.”
LET’S READ: Small but mighty, The Understory bookstore opened last month.
With the launch of her library design business, she needed a space outside her home to store books, so she began looking at storage facilities and commercial spaces around the area. A meeting with Christine and Andrew Ryan, who own the Tahoe Backyard in Kings Beach and operate a micro-business incubator, gave her a new idea: Find a space that could house her library design studio and also be a community bookstore.
“It seemed like a crazy idea in the Amazon-era of online book ordering to open a brick-and-mortar bookstore,” Stefani says. “But Christine and Andy gave me the confidence and encouragement that a bookstore could actually work.”
Another serendipitous meeting with local architects Robb and Molly Olson, who recently purchased the Trading Post buildings in downtown Tahoe City, led Stefani to the so-nick-named hobbit hole. “They said they had a commercial space I might be interested in and when they stopped in front of that door into the underground, I thought, ‘Oh no,’” Stefani recalls. “But then we walked in and my answer was immediately: ‘yes.’ It’s much brighter than it looks thanks to the skylights, and the space has such a good quality.”
The underground store, which previously housed a law office and the office of the former property owners, the Dyer brothers, has been vacant for years. The interior and exterior were recently remodeled and landscaped in preparation for the Understory’s late June opening.
At just 645 square feet, it’s not a huge space. The main room displays books for sale, and the two smaller back rooms offer a reading nook with a gas fireplace that can be rented out for book clubs or other gatherings and a conference room that can be used for private meetings.
“The space is small, but because of that it can be carefully curated,” Stefani says. “I want this to be a community-based bookshop, so there will a rotating community shelf with reading recommendations.”
She doesn’t plan on focusing on outdoor guidebooks — Tahoe City’s Alpenglow Sports has that well covered — or competing with the vast collection at Truckee’s much bigger Word After Word Books. Her goal is to have a small, handpicked collection of fiction and nonfiction books that are switched out regularly, so you can always find something new. “I want everyone — locals, visitors, kids, adults — to be able to walk into the store and discover a book that invokes that sense of curiosity, joy, and wonder that you can find from a good story.”
The last bookstore in Tahoe City, called the Bookshelf, closed in 2012. Can this one fare better? “Tahoe is a very literary place, more than people may realize,” Stefani says. “I’m excited to create this space for our community around a shared love of reading and storytelling.”
After 20 years teaching English and as a high school librarian, I’ve learned that while reading is a deeply personal act, it also has the innate ability to build community through the simple act of sharing the books we’ve loved or what’s next on our list. While Joyce Carol Oates once said, “Read widely, and without apology. Read what you want to read, not what someone tells you you should read,” I also believe that one should never turn down an opportunity to share what’s on their reading list. So, here are 10 books for your summer reading adventures, with stories rooted in travel and place.
1. Properties of Thirst by Marianne Wiggins. The Eastern Sierra is magical this time of year and Wiggins manages to capture the beauty of the Owens Valley and create historical fiction perfection with this story about the building of Manzanar, the city of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and a family stuck in the middle. This is one of my favorite books of all time.
2. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. Eco-fiction, mystery, family drama all in one. A woman washes up shipwrecked on a remote sub-Antarctic island guarding a seed vault, and nothing about the family sheltering her is quite what it seems.
3. Playground by Richard Powers. While Powers’ The Overstory was part of the inspiration for The Understory, his novel Playground is a captivating shift to the ocean with this sweeping story about ocean exploration, tech oligarchs, and what it means to be family.
4. The Land and Its People by David Sedaris. I first discovered the sheer genius of David Sedaris while reading Me Talk Pretty One Day on a study abroad trip to France. To this day, I have never felt so seen in a collection of essays about navigating life in another country with such sharp, tender wit. In The Land and Its People, Sedaris revisits those themes of travel, brotherhood, and friendship.
5. Land by Maggie O’Farrell. This highly anticipated historical fiction piece will transport you to Ireland in the years surrounding The Great Hunger, from the author of Hamnet.
6. Barbarian Days by William Finnegan. Much like skiing, surfing quickly turns into an all-consuming adventure. In this Pulitzer-winning memoir I come back to every summer, Finnegan shares stories of chasing waves around the world. Part travelogue, part coming-of-age-story, and part meditation on obsession in sport.
7. Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune. In a past life when I worked for a surf camp in Mexico, my favorite colleagues were all from Tofino. This slow-burn romance set on the Canadian coastline is the perfect summer beach read.
8. Saltwater by Katy Hayes. In this twisty, glamorous murder mystery filled with family secrets, the island of Capri is a character itself. Local Tahoe author Katy Hayes brings the same eye for atmosphere and intrigue that made The Cloisters a hit, making Capri’s sun-bleached cliffs and shadowy villas feel as vivid as anywhere in fiction this summer.
9. Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer. Italy, but make it chaotic. The Pulitzer-winning author of Less sends a young archivist to catalog a crumbling Tuscan villa for a 92-year-old baroness with one last love to track down. The other side of The Understory are library services, including archival work, so my inner cataloguer loves this premise.
10. Calypso by Oliver K. Langmead. This is going to be my personal challenge book for the summer, and it feels like good timing between the release of Spielberg’s Disclosure Day and the new Odyssey movie coming out in late July. Recommended by a friend who’s a sci-fi expert, this Hugo-nominated sci-fi novel is told entirely in verse, following a colony ship engineer who wakes from cryosleep to find her vessel transformed into a forest, ruled by the descendants of the crew.
I likely would not have become a pilot if I didn’t live in Truckee. Like many things we do in our natural mountainous setting — as you discover when backcountry skiing, biking, hiking, or exploring — flying a small, old airplane has some challenges.
When you take off in an old plane, there’s always some uncertainty. If you fly solo, which means alone, you have to solve problems on your own. What-ifs are part of the experience we choose to have.
I earned my private pilot certificate at Truckee Tahoe Airport (KTRK) in 1990, at age 42. In 1997 my husband Tom and I bought our first airplane, a 1946 Cessna 140,
a silver, two-seater, single-engine, tailwheel plane.
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: Tom and Laurel Lippert soar over Mount Rushmore during a feature flight that landed the husband-and-wife aviation team on a 2001 cover and inside article of a national aviation magazine. Image courtesy Laurel Lippert
Because my flight training happened here in Truckee, I learned the limitations of flying in an old airplane, taking off at 5,901 feet elevation and climbing another thousand feet, or more, to clear the surrounding mountains around us, which wasn’t always easy.
In July 2002, Tom, who became a pilot at age 54, and I decided to fly to Stowe, Vermont, where we had friends. We had also skied there when Tom had a photo assignment for SKI magazine.
The flight required many airport stops along the way (17 in total) for fuel, food, and overnight stays. Pilots are required to keep logbooks of every takeoff and landing, so I have the proof. There was, and are now, over 5,000 public use airports in the U.S.
If you hike or climb in the Sierra, you know the magnificent views from up there, near or on the peaks. Flying over our beautiful area in a small plane is like that, giving us an even greater appreciation for where we live and why.
On our way to Vermont we encountered weather issues such as wind, clouds, rain, or approaching storms that meant we needed to land and wait them out. At small, remote airports, with no indoor option, there often wasn’t a way to get into town, so we just sat outside. Inevitably, someone driving by would spot us and take us into town, or, sometimes, even to their own home. I remember once being driven to a lovely house on a beautiful nearby lake.
With every landing at some remote airport, through people’s kindness, it didn’t matter who they were, or what they believed, Tom and I felt they were our friends. Most people assumed that Tom was the pilot and I was the passenger. I never corrected them.
Reflecting on that trip to Vermont, and others, since moving to Truckee in 1977, I continue to be grateful to live in a community where people naturally connect with locals and strangers and love adventure.
I decided to become a flight instructor in 1998, at age 50; not to make money, but to become a better pilot. Also, as a freelance writer, published in skiing and travel magazines, I believed I could get more aviation writing assignments as a certified flight instructor.
For those of us who choose to take on challenges, it’s not unusual to say, “How am I going to do that?”
But I found a way and I did it, and as a CFI, I met Henry Levy, a pilot from Lodi who had a house in Northstar and an airplane hangared at KTRK. He asked me to fly him to Sun Valley, Idaho, in his Cessna 182, as he no longer had a medical certificate. I did that, and we became friends.
Henry later got divorced and moved to Truckee full-time. Tom and I enjoyed his company and high spirits, and Henry became a close friend. One day, he gifted Tom and me his Cessna 182 that he had bought brand-new in 1981.
The people whom Tom and I met over the years through flying remain special. With assignments from national flying magazines, Tom and I flew around the country, seeing beautiful places and meeting interesting folks.
I also interviewed pilots who were famous, including Arnold Palmer, Harrison Ford, Sarah Ferguson (the Dutchess of York), and Clint Eastwood. Like most who understand the risks of flying, these celebrities were humble and never bragged about being pilots. Just like we skiers know we shouldn’t brag about being “hot” as it can jinx our next run, the same goes for pilots.
I tell you this because many of us in Truckee have had experiences and adventures that we will never forget, and that affect who we are. In one of my ipilot.com articles, I wrote about being stuck in Newcastle, WY, due to a scary airplane issue. I closed the story, saying, “We know there are angels in the air. Stay open.”
Stay open. Share your stories while you can, and keep smiling.
