SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Cascade Kitchens Food Hall & Bar announced the opening of several new restaurant partners, bringing even more flavor, variety, and local creativity to the South Lake Tahoe dining scene—just in time for the holiday season.
Now open inside Cascade Kitchens are Tahoe Pita Company, serving fresh, flavorful Mediterranean favorites; Juice It Up, offering smoothies, juices, and bowls perfect for a healthy boost; and Tahoe Delights, a locally inspired chocolatier crafting decadent treats that make the perfect gift—or indulgence—for any occasion.
In addition, Lazy Bear Bakery will be joining the food hall before the end of the year, further expanding its lineup of locally loved food concepts.
“As we head into the holidays, we’re thrilled to welcome these new partners and continue building a space that celebrates great food and local entrepreneurs,” said Fran Faulknor, owner. “Cascade Kitchens is a place to gather, eat, and celebrate—and that’s especially meaningful this time of year.”
Visitors to Cascade Kitchens are encouraged to think beyond dining and consider the food hall for holiday gifting. Cascade Kitchens gift cards are available and can be used at participating vendors, making them a flexible and thoughtful present. Guests can also pick up handcrafted chocolates from Tahoe Delights, perfect for stocking stuffers, host gifts, or sweet holiday surprises.
Located near the Y in South Lake Tahoe, Cascade Kitchens Food Hall continues to grow as a community hub where locals and visitors alike can enjoy diverse cuisine, support small businesses, and celebrate the season together.
For hours, vendor updates, and more information, visit www.cascadekitchenstahoe.com or follow Cascade Kitchens on social media.
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. – Firefighters have stopped forward progress in a fire that may have destroyed as many as 10 units with 15-20 others whose residents will be displaced, according to East Fork Fire Chief Alan Ernst.
As of 1:30 p.m. Friday, Ernst said there were no reports of any injuries or people missing.
The major fire broke out in 2-3 duplexes on Pollen Court near the middle of the Gardnerville Ranchos commercial core, closing the area to traffic on Friday morning.
Evacuations have been conducted as the wind driven fire that was first reported at 11:30 a.m. Friday.
The fire is actively burning with East Fork, Tahoe Douglas and Carson City firefighters on scene.
Several of the duplexes have caught fire in the wind.
Douglas County deputies have shut down Tillman and Kimmerling to traffic for a time.
As of around 1 p.m. Friday, deputies were preparing to reopen Tillman and Kimmerling. Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team members were being assigned to conduct a hard closure of Short Court, Pit Road and Pollen Court.
That closure is likely to remain in place into the evening.
At one point deputies were going door to door in surrounding neighborhoods to alert residents of the possible threat from the fire.
High winds blasted the fire east sending up a smoke plume visible from across Carson Valley.
East Fork firefighters called for help from as far away as Reno and Sparks.
“Please avoid the area to allow fire resources to work,” the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office asked in a push notification.
There were early reports of residents inside the duplexes when the fire was first reported but as of 1:20 p.m. there have been no reports of casualties.
A stayput order for the Ranchos schools was lifted at 1:15 p.m., except for those students who live in the apartments near Pollen, and no one’s going into there, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
NV Energy reports 17 homes and businesses in the Gardnerville Ranchos without power right in the vicinity of the fire. The 89460 area code has six outages and 948 customers without power.
According to NVenergy.com, 1,699 customers are without power in Douglas County, many of whom are affected by the public safety outage due to the wind.
TAHOE BASIN, Calif./Nev. – Pangea Collective is set to release four character-driven freeride films, each following a different athlete through the highs, lows, and defining moments of the 2025 Freeride World Tour season. Each film stands on its own while collectively offering a vivid portrait of skiing and snowboarding at the highest level of big-mountain freeride.
Two of the featured athletes have trained on Tahoe’s mountains, bringing a hometown connection to the global stage.
Filmed at iconic FWT venues and rooted in vérité filmmaking, the collection blends cinematic action with deeply personal storytelling. Each film delves into an athlete’s internal world — the history they bring to the mountains, the challenges they face, and the emotions that shape every decision before they drop into a face. Collectively, the films reveal the risk, creativity, resilience and raw realities of life on tour.
Director Ethan Herman brings his signature immersive storytelling to the collection, combining cinematic visuals with intimate athlete moments. The films explore injury recovery, identity, reinvention, pressure, fear and pure joy:
Ross Tester — “Comeback”
After stepping away from competition to reconnect with skiing on a personal level, Ross Tester, a Team Palisades Tahoe alum, returns for the 2025 season with renewed focus. Yet the weight of expectation shadows every decision on the snow. The film explores the emotional toll of early success and the pressure of being considered one of the most naturally talented freeriders of his generation.
Through candid interviews and raw verité moments, Comeback captures Ross wrestling with identity, purpose and the quest to rediscover joy after burnout. On the mountain, he showcases his trademark creativity — massive airs, playful features and flowing lines that feel effortless. Off the mountain, the film reveals doubt, introspection and the patient work of rebuilding confidence, offering a rare, intimate look at an athlete redefining both his career and himself.
Holden Samuels — “Outlier”
Growing up on a skier-only freeride team in Big Sky, Holden Samuels had to fight for legitimacy in a system that left little room for snowboarders. That experience shaped his stubbornness, creativity and distinctive style, qualities that have made him one of the most compelling young riders on the Freeride World Tour today.
Outlier delves into Holden’s journey of identity and belonging, showing how navigating difference became a source of self-confidence and expression. Through verité footage of his home mountain, intimate moments with family, and the high-pressure backdrop of the 2025 Tour, the film captures a young athlete coming into his own, confronting expectations and striving to prove that he belongs at the highest level of the sport.
Taylor Dobyns — “Redemption”
After a violent crash in Verbier ended her 2024 season, leaving her physically and emotionally shaken, Taylor Dobyns spent months rebuilding both her body and her trust in herself. Redemption captures the quiet, often unseen moments that define long recoveries: the frustration of slow progress, the fear of re-injury and the internal struggle to stay connected to her identity as an athlete.
The film reveals Taylor’s strength beyond the surface, not just her determination to return, but her honesty in admitting when she feels scared, overwhelmed or unsure. When she finally steps back into the start gate in Baqueira, the stakes are higher than ever. The film follows her cautious first run, the intense pressure of skiing after trauma and the catharsis of rediscovering confidence on snow, offering a raw and intimate look at resilience in the face of adversity.
Jonathan Penfield — “Technician”
Technician explores how Jonathan Penfield, a TahoeLab athlete, uses his analytical mind to shape his approach to freeride snowboarding. His meticulous line selection, deep snowpack analysis and methodical style set him apart in the often-chaotic world of big-mountain competition. Through quiet moments at home, forested terrain and striking on-mountain visuals, the film captures the intersection of intellect and instinct, showing how logic helps him manage fear, precision creates freedom and his scientific perspective informs every choice, from risk assessment to line selection.
Yet the story isn’t just about calculation — it’s about balance. Penfield juggles two careers and two identities, striving for peak performance on snow while maintaining a rigorous professional life off it. Technician offers an intimate look at the discipline, focus and adaptability required to excel in both worlds.
Each film in the Pangea FWT collection will be available for free on the Pangea Collective YouTube channel, with the full series accessible ahead of the 2026 Freeride World Tour season opener in Baqueira-Beret on Jan. 16, 2026.
GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — Tahoe Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, in partnership with Barton Health, is pleased to announce the opening of its newest clinic in Carson Valley, expanding access to high-quality orthopedic and sports medicine care for residents of the region. The office, located at 1520 Virginia Ranch Rd, Suite 1B in Gardnerville, is now accepting patients.
Tahoe Orthopedics & Sports Medicine is a respected physician group known for its comprehensive, multi-specialty approach to orthopedic and sports medicine care. With a mission to help people stay active—whether recovering from an injury, managing joint pain, or working toward peak performance—its medical care team delivers personalized treatment rooted in advanced clinical expertise.
The team specializes in both acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions of the ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, spine, elbow, hand, and wrist. Patients benefit from leading-edge technology, including the Mako SmartRobotics™ surgical system for joint replacement, ensuring precision and improved outcomes.
This comprehensive care philosophy has earned Tahoe Orthopedics recognition for excellence and led to its partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, providing medical support to elite athletes competing on a global stage.
In addition to the new Carson Valley clinic, Tahoe Orthopedics & Sports Medicine continues to serve patients in multiple locations throughout Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe.
Patients can schedule appointments by calling 530.543.5554. For more information visit BartonHealth.org.
Imagine you and your friend are finally enjoying a long-awaited powder day in the backcountry when it suddenly takes a detrimental turn. Snow begins to swallow you and you are no longer in control, thrust into a blur of white.
Opening your eyes is overwhelming at first. Blurry bright lights come into focus with a few blinks. Then, reality sets in. You are in a hospital room and your friend is sitting next to you.
He explains that you were caught in an avalanche, sustaining a broken femur, fractured pelvis, blown knee, lacerated liver, and a punctured lung. He found you partially buried, head out, and barely breathing. Heart racing, he had checked his phone—no service.
Taking a moment to evaluate the options, it clicks—the community radio channel. He knew if someone else was tuned in, perhaps they’d have service and be able to call 911.
His voice a little shaky, he recalled to you how he pulled out his radio, adjusted it accordingly and asked if anyone could hear him and had service to call 911. After a few eternal seconds, a voice responded, overlayed with static but decipherable. Then, another voice came through.
Locals monitoring this channel included a physician, members of a ski patrol, and a veteran mountain guide. They were able to call 911, mobilize a helicopter evacuation and rush to the scene to help. The community channel via two-way radios resulted in the quick response time that saved your life.
This scenario is based on one of many incidents in Telluride Colo. where the backcountry radio channel program saved a life. These programs establish dedicated radio channels for popular backcountry ski zones and are a vital resource coming to the Tahoe region this winter.
Although not a replacement for calling 911, the channels can allow skiers to send a distress call for help or request another group to call 911 if out of service, as exemplified above. This can all reduce the time from injury to rescue response, which can be critical for life threatening injuries.
Expanding a lifesaving resource
First developed and deployed in Telluride around 2016, the lifesaving resource has spread to Snoqualmie Pass Wash., and Wasatch, Utah within the last decade.
Modelling these programs, Tahoe Backcountry Ski Patrol (TBSP) coordinated the launch of the vital resource here in Tahoe.
Over the past year, TBSP has engaged with the Tahoe community and stakeholders, conducting surveys and meetings. The engagement was crucial in developing the program and defining the region’s zones.
The working group received insight from Matt Steen, the inventor of the community radio concept in Telluride and Justin Davis, who launched the program in Snoqualmie Pass.
“They were both impressed with the scope of community radio in Tahoe,” Jamie Morgan said, radio project lead for TBSP. With 60 miles of Sierra Crest, over 40 trailheads and over 20 zones, the project is no small undertaking.
Tahoe Backcountry Radio provides over 20 zones with dedicated community radio channels. Provided / Tahoe Backcountry Radio
TBSP picked the trailheads based on popularity and drew the 3-5 miles zones based on community input, location on public lands, and used natural features as boundaries. Organizers then assigned each zone its channel and privacy code.
The zones have easy to remember geographical names such as Rubicon, Scott Peak, and Luther Pass South or North.
Signs at the trailheads provide the zone’s specific channel and code, as well as a QR code for more information. Backcountry huts will also include the signs.
Dedicated volunteer trail stewards install, monitor and maintain the signs throughout the season, while advocating for the program on the trail. Gathering information on usage, the stewards will also collect valuable data to help refine the program.
Trailhead signs provide the zone’s radio channel and privacy code. Provided / Tahoe Backcountry Radio
Everyday safety enhancing features
In additional calling for help, the channels also have practical everyday uses that contribute to an overall safer backcountry by expanding communication. At the start, channel users will communicate their presence on the channel to build awareness and affirm that there are other people out there.
Skiers within the zone can alert anyone else in the zone to potential hazards.
Example: “We see a weak layer CT9 down 10 cm on Jake’s north trees at 8,000.'”
Channel users can also alert other skiers and riders when entering complex terrain.
Example: “We are about to enter Emerald Chute, is anyone below?”
Finally, channel users can let others know when they’ve cleared a line or area.
Example: “We are clear of Eagle Chute. We observed a sluff on skier’s right halfway down.”
To ensure the zone channels do not have too much traffic, people are to announce that it is a community channel and suggest that the people use an adjacent channel if chatter becomes an issue.
Program Lead, Jamie Morgan, is often in the backcountry, skiing with his dog, Polar Bear. Provided / Jamie Morgan
Finding zone information
Interactive online zone maps are available at Tbradio.org/map. In addition to zone names and boundaries, the map also provides trailhead names and locations, as well as helpful overlays such as slope angle shading, and real time avalanche observations.
For more information on the Tahoe Back Country Radio Program or to volunteer, visit, tahoebackcountryradio.org.
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Winter 2025/26 edition of Tahoe Magazine.
STATELINE, Nev. – The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) conducted its last governing board of the calendar year and discussed improvements at the Van Sickle Bi-State Park, accessory dwelling unit (ADU) lot sizes and amendments to area plans, as well as changing pier regulations. They also discussed a year review of the TRPA’s work and approved salary increases.
Van Sickle Bi-State Park
The Van Sickle Bi-State Park is in Phase 2 of improvements and was brought to the governing board to approve adding employee housing units and a maintenance building. These improvements would benefit the park, as well as housing initiatives at the TRPA, California and Nevada.
Currently at the park, the staffed ranger lives in a trailer on the California side of the park, but as the park is built out, there needs to be better housing for staff and their families. So far, the Phase 2 improvements have garnered wide support.
Support for the rangers would also enable them to potentially catch wildfires ahead of time. Evacuation from wildfires was, as it typically is, a matter of concern among both governing board and the public.
James Settelmeyer, who serves as the director of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in Nevada, said, “It would be phenomenal to be able to solve some of the resource problems we have there… it is impossible almost to have people who can work in the Tahoe area without some form of housing and living in a trailer is not ideal to say the least.”
Settelmeyer, along with others, gave his full support for the project.
Cody Bass noted that the proposed site would require taking down 30 old-growth trees and requested that if there was another site to consider, they would use that instead. He pointed out that there is a space near the entrance on the Nevada side that could be used.
ADU lot size requirements
The TRPA was brought an amendment that would remove the one-acre minimum lot size requirement for ADUs, and a second amendment that would enable local governments to set design standards for ADUs. ADUs have caught on as a concept in the north shore to help address the housing crisis, and city council in South Lake Tahoe recently approved another item on ADUs.
Douglas County commissioner Wesley Rice said that he was unsure about the item as the commission had not had the ability to discuss it. He said his constituents were concerned about both density and evacuation.
TRPA’s executive director Julie Regan said that the item would not prescribe anything for the county, simply allow them to have those parcels if they wanted to. Others added that the item was enabling and would simply allow the commission to vote on whether or not they were interested in it.
Washoe County proposed the removal of the one-acre parcel requirement, while Douglas County had no proposed changes.
The two motions passed, with a no vote from Rice on the amendment removing the requirement.
Amendments to Washoe County Tahoe Area Plan
Phase 2 of Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin were adopted in December 2023. While Washoe County staff explored potential alternative standards with the TRPA, they were ultimately deemed insufficient and they adopted the Phase 2 housing amendments as well.
The Washoe County Tahoe Area Plan amendments are also in service of affordable and workforce housing, and proposed amendments allowing 100% affordable, moderate or achievable deed-restricted housing in the Ponderosa Ranch regulatory zone, allowing multifamily housing through administrative review in regulatory zones within Incline Village and Crystal Bay and aligning residential and commercial setbacks in mixed-use development and reducing the minimum lot width in preferred affordable areas.
Washoe County also proposed changes to their ADU regulations such as allowing ADUs up to 1,200 square feet in size on parcels smaller than one acre, removing the minimum lot size, allowing detached ADUs under 12 feet tall to be located as close as 5 feet to property lines and requiring an administrative reviews for the addition of a single off-street parking space per ADU.
The amendments also address Tahoe-specific portions of Washoe’s development code to reduce barriers to housing and modifying requirements around town centers.
Washoe County recently received a donation to fund an evacuation study, and the county recently secured a contractor to perform wildfire and evacuation modeling. In spring 2026, the TRPA will likely hear about the status update regarding potential code or plan amendments in conjunction with the PROTECT grant.
The motion passed with two no votes.
Pier regulations
Amendments were proposed to incentivize environmental improvements for non-conforming piers, especially rock crib piers. Back in 2018, the TRPA adopted the Shoreline Plan, which limited construction of new piers on the lake to 128 piers over the life of the plan—12 every other year.
However, this plan allowed modification or expansion for existing piers. But to expand a non-conforming pier, all the non-conforming elements must first be brought into conformance, de-incentivizing these changes.
Rock crib piers cause more stagnant water conditions, which could help breed invasive species, affects sediment deposition near the shore and impedes fish movement. Tiffany Good noted that these issues of conformance have led to missed opportunities to incentivize removal of these kinds of piers, noting some past appeals.
Therefore, the proposal allows eligible piers with rock cribbing elements to expand as long as they replace the rock cribbing with open-pile construction. It also allows certain safety elements, such as handrails, to be added as long as associated impacts are mitigated.
Some members of the board noted that this amendment might not affect all rock crib piers, to which Good said that this amendment was to help target some specific ones they saw.
Bass brought up the use of Styrofoam in buoys and the attempt to get plastics out of the lake. During the surprise storm in June in South Lake Tahoe, several buoys burst and released Styrofoam into the lake. There was some interest in getting the APC to look into shore zone material issues.
Year in review
Regan spoke to the board about what they’d achieved in the last year. There were 68 board actions taken this year, including both resolutions and larger policy actions.
Golden mussels were overall prevented from entering the basin, with one being intercepted before entering the lake. Regan again noted the importance of their work in the stream environment zone threshold and restoration of 1,100 acres collectively. She also highlighted the removal of Motel 6 as part of that work.
Regan reported that more than 700,000 pounds of fine sediment were kept out the lake as a result of the Tahoe maximum daily load.
Homewood’s master plan was approved and while it is privately owned, it will be open to the public in the future. They are also doing a large private fuels reduction process. TRPA approved the use of tools like BurnBot and the increase of pace and scale of fuels reduction to reduce wildfire threats.
Bruce Barr, a forester who also works with the Lake Tahoe Community College, helped with the Rising Scholars program. Some of Barr’s students were deployed to help with the Los Angeles fires early this year.
TRPA gave $11.4 million in regional grants to support transportation, the mobility hub, the aquatic invasive species inspection station and trails. The Tahoe Blue Events Center supported transit through $1.4 million that was collected in surcharges from their tickets.
Regan addressed the Meyers roundabout and their work with Caltrans to prevent drivers from going the wrong way. Bass noted that he was interested in a sculpture to be placed in the roundabout’s center.
Regan reported that on average, 50-60% of jobs are now commuting in on the north shore, though she said the number was probably closer to above 60%. She noted they would be looking at housing policy in January. She talked about evacuation and density, saying, “We’re not growing the basin. This is about using development rights that we have already allotted to place them in concentrated areas that are walkable, bikeable, and are closer to services that can be evacuated more efficiently in a fire.”
In the new year, Regan said the board will focus on housing and finalization of the environmental impact for Phase 3 in January. She also noted that in the new year, they will be reformatting their agendas to make them easier to navigate.
Salaries
Director of human resources and organizational development Angela Atchley presented two salary increase recommendations to the board. Both Regan and TRPA’s general legal counsel Graham St. Michel were recommended to have a 4% increase in their salary.
Regan’s salary would be $227,057.15 and St. Michel’s would be $187,200. Both of their increases were approved by the board.
Reports and public comment
Cindy Gustafson said that evacuation was a concern among many people, even those who were located close to I-80. She also celebrated that Fanny Bridge was close to completion.
Todd Poth called in and informed the TRPA that Douglas County’s school district was interested in closing or consolidating Zephyr Cove Elementary and George Whittell High School to address their budget deficit.
Poth requested that the TRPA reach out to the school district, especially as it would impact the community, the workforce and vehicle miles travelled.
The next governing board meeting will take place in January.
Chief John McNamara – Biography
Fire Chief, Lake Valley Fire Protection District
Chief John McNamara “Chief Mac” joins the Lake Valley Fire Protection District after more than 30 years in the fire service. He began his career as a seasonal firefighter with CAL FIRE in 1995 before spending over 26 years with the Reno Fire Department, where he ultimately served as the Division Chief of Emergency Operations.
In that role, Chief McNamara oversaw daily operations for a 313-member department responding to more than 50,000 calls annually across 14 stations. His responsibilities included administration, budgeting, personnel management, and emergency response. He also served as the City of Reno’s Assistant Emergency Manager, balancing immediate operational needs with long-term planning and interagency coordination – experience that continues to shape his leadership approach. He is widely recognized for his steady leadership, operational expertise, strong labor–management relationships, and commitment to firefighter wellness and community service.
Regionally, he has been deeply involved in collaborative fire service efforts. As a past Nevada Vice President of the Lake Tahoe Regional Fire Chiefs Association, he gained valuable insight into the challenges and opportunities facing Basin-area agencies. This regional perspective, combined with his history of building productive partnerships, positions him to advance Lake Valley’s mission and organizational strength.
Chief McNamara holds a Bachelor of Science in Recreation with an emphasis in Parks and Natural Resource Management from California State University, Chico, and maintains a broad range of professional certifications and extensive wildland qualifications.
Chief McNamara is honored to join the Lake Valley Fire Protection District and is committed to strengthening operational readiness and serving the Lake Tahoe community with integrity and excellence.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead the Lake Valley Fire Protection District and to serve the Lake Tahoe community. My career has truly come full circle. My quest to become a firefighter began when I was 13 in the Tahoe City Fire Station where my dad volunteered, and finishing my career in the Tahoe Basin is something I’ve always dreamed of. I’m deeply committed to supporting our firefighters, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring we continue to deliver exceptional service to the residents and visitors who rely on us.”
Whether you’re team-building over craft brews or savoring dungeness crab cakes lakeside, you can experience the true mountain hospitality only found in South Lake Tahoe. Nestled amid the continent’s largest alpine lake and the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevadas, there’s a reason why the South Shore is a highly sought-after destination for events of all kinds.
You can book space at flexible indoor and outdoor venues, fully convertible sports arenas, and advanced facilities. From the Tahoe Blue Event Center, our state-of-the-art sports complex, to ample meeting rooms at mountain resorts, cozy lodges, and boutique hotels, we have a venue for what you need. Choose from 143,000 sq. ft. of event space options, 10,000+ hotel suites, 365 days of outdoor activities, and a 24-hour entertainment scene all in one place. Plus, you’ll be within walking distance of thrilling nightclubs, scenic views, and diverse restaurants.
Speaking of diverse restaurants, the following dining establishments and catering services are designed for groups in town to take care of business or take home a championship.
Private Rooms
With these standalone spaces, you can move about freely and enjoy the team-building experiences that arise from sharing meals with one another.
Perched atop a hill overlooking Lake Tahoe, Chart House is a legendary seafood restaurant boasting a private banquet room. With lunch, dinner, and buffet packages, your guests can soak in the views while enjoying the freshest of dishes and the friendliest of service.
Who doesn’t like pizza? Every pie at Base Camp Pizza Co. is crafted with locally sourced ingredients. They also offer “that unmistakable Tahoe vibe” and dedicated space for up to 60 people. And sure, Karen can get a salad here too.
Tucked away inside The Lodge at Edgewood Tahoe Resort, you’ll find a 442-sq. ft. private dining with a patio for up to 30 guests and an exclusive 418- sq. ft. board room space complete with fireplace, private bathroom, and patio for up to 12 guests. Relish gourmet dining, unwind at the spa, play a round of golf, hit the slopes, or stay the night at this all-in-one luxury resort property.
Whole-Restaurant Takeovers
Let’s just say you have a party-of-five and then some. Below are a few establishments that can handle your wild bunch, no matter how large (and in-charge).
Try California-style Mexican, a lighter take on Mexican and South and Central American cuisine, made with primarily organic and sustainable ingredients, as well as craft cocktails made with fresh-squeezed juices. Azul Latin Kitchen can accommodate parties of 20-50 or a full buyout for up to 120 guests. Its sister restaurant, California Burger Co., has the same accommodations with a menu of local ingredients, a curated selection of rotating drafts, and buns baked daily.
Taste one of the best wurst restaurants in the state. Himmel Haus is a German eatery and bierhaus featuring a wide variety of drinks and a simple menu of Bavarian-inspired food. Your party of 30 or whole-restaurant buyout of 80 will fit in just fine—with or without the lederhosen.
You and up to 400 of your closest attendees can overtake the entire Lake Tahoe AleWorX, an award-winning establishment serving wood-fired pizza, craft beer, cocktails, salads, and classic pub food. Trust us, you’ll savor the scenery just as much as what’s on your plate.
Catering Constants
Let our local gems cater to you on every level. Find meals that are built for fueling corporate retreats and teams hungry for victory.
Lake Tahoe’s only Scottish Pub, MacDuff’s Public House, serves from-scratch, locally sourced Scottish favorites and handcrafted cocktails. Their catering services are available onsite, offsite, and at their private venue called The Barrel Room.
Bella Tahoe is an award-winning and critically-acclaimed catering company with everything from specialized brunches cooked on-demand to five-course buffets and takeaway boxed meals to full-service catering options that are all customized to your event’s specifications.
Indulge in the rich flavors of Tahoe’s newest dining experience. Featuring large-party catering and private dining options, the menu at Primo’s Italian Bistro showcases a modern, innovative approach to Italian cuisine. Sip on Italian varietals alongside distinguished California wines, signature cocktails, inventive mocktails, and craft beers. Bonus points for checking out their late-night menu.
Diverse Diets
Whether it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, or vegetarian, we don’t think of them as restrictions so much as opportunities for true innovation. Here are some South Shore favorites offering allergen-friendly selections and adapted menus based on dietary preferences.
Sprouts Natural Food Café prepares healthy, organic, gourmet meals with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options that are clearly labeled. Add some color to your plate and feel good about what you’re eating even while you’re away from home.
My Thai serves up mouth-watering, authentic Thai cuisine that allows you to choose your preferred protein and provides a specialty veggie menu. You can also choose your own adventure with each dish’s spice level.
Consistently voted Best Coffee in South Lake Tahoe, Cuppa Tahoe is a coffee shop, bookstore, and private co-working space ideal for executive breakouts and boutique meetings. Their seasonally rotating menu includes several mouthwatering, plant-based items. We recommend the Vegan Hot Mess.
Let’s Meet (& Eat)
One thing’s for sure: you should save room for excellence. Transcend your agenda and satisfy your cravings at the same time in South Lake Tahoe. Browse South Shore venues designed for games, meetings, and conventions of all sizes. You can also scroll through this handy group pamphlet for more reasons to fall in love with the lake.
At 6,224 ft. above sea level, everything is elevated here—including your next event. Attendees will leave feeling so invigorated and satiated, the only problem you’ll have will be convincing them to board their returning flights (which is a great time to mention that we’re just a short drive away from Reno-Tahoe International Airport).
Already like what you see? Send us your RFP. (We promise not to rhyme anymore than that.) Let’s set the table for your success.
STATELINE, Nev. – The Tahoe Knight Monsters fell to the Wichita Thunder on Country Knight by a score of 6 to 3.
In the first period, the Thunder tallied goals from Jake Wahlin and Matt Crasa to make the score 2-0 heading into the first intermission. It was the second goal of the season for both Wahlin and Crasa.
In the middle frame, Kirby Proctor added on to the Wichita lead with a goal from an extremely sharp angle to make it 3-0. Donavan Houle would tack on a shorthanded marker later in the period to put the Thunder up 4-0. In the final four minutes of the period, Jake Durflinger broke the shutout for Wichita goaltender Matt Davis as Tahoe got on the board, but entered the third trailing 4-1.
In the third, the Knight Monsters got a quick goal from Jordan Gustafson to make it 4-2. Unfortunately for the Knight Monsters, their momentum was snapped by a power play goal from Wichita captain Peter Bates, which made it 5-2. Although Adam Pitters would score a shorthanded goal for the Knight Monsters to make it 5-3, Kyle Crnkovic tacked on a hard-fought empty-net goal to make the final score 6-3 Thunder.
The Knight Monsters return home on Friday, December 19, to take on the Wichita Thunder at Tahoe Blue Event Center for night one of Grateful Dead Weekend. Puck drop is at 7:00 pm, with pregame coverage on the Knight Monsters broadcast network beginning at 6:50 pm. Ticket packages for the 2025-26 season are now available. For more information, visit www.knightmonstershockey.com
RENO, Nev. — At its most recent public meeting, the Washoe County School District (WCSD) Board of Trustees unanimously approved an update to all school calendars, which will adjust the start date for kindergarten and Pre-K students to align with the first day of school for all other students. The change will take effect beginning in Fall 2026 and will apply to all kindergarten programs including Special Education, English Learner, Pre-K, Early Childhood, and other district-supported programs at all WCSD elementary schools.
In the past, kindergarten students engaged in individual assessments during the first regular week of school and formally started classes one week later than all other elementary school students. Going forward, teachers will conduct assessments over the first few weeks of school. The change is the result of a new requirement established by the Nevada Department of Education (NDE) which informed Nevada school districts that they must either align kindergarten starting and ending dates with the rest of the elementary grades or create two separate calendars.
Under the Balanced Calendar, which a majority of WCSD schools follow, the district’s first day of school is Monday, August 10, 2026. All calendars—Balanced, Incline Village, Gerlach, and TMCC High School – have been updated to reflect the change and are available at http://washoeschools.net/calendars
“We believe starting all elementary school students together on the first day is easier and more consistent for our families,” said Don Angotti, Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Education for WCSD. “Under the new calendar, all students will have the same opportunity to build classroom connections, establish routines, and begin learning on day one. We look forward to welcoming them to school next August.”
In addition, the Board approved a Professional Development Day for WCSD teachers on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, when the Washoe County Registrar of Voters has asked to use a number of school sites for the mid-term national elections. There will be no classes, events, or activities for students districtwide on that date.
Ever since its start, Heavenly Mountain Resort has been the place to be for endless entertainment (and it has a good amount of terrain for skiing and snowboarding activities, too). Its iconic events have drawn celebrities and launched the early freestyle skiing hotdogging movement; here’s proof of Heavenly continually embracing the past and looking towards the future by subliminally evolving South Shore’s vibrant ski and snowboard scene:
The John Denver Celebrity Ski Classic
In the mid-1970s, beloved folk singer John Denver graced South Shore’s casino stages, playing hits such as “Take Me Home, Country Roads” alongside fellow Tahoe favorite Frank Sinatra. Being an avid skier, Denver became friends with the Killebrew family and started holding the John Denver Celebrity Ski Classic in 1978 and ran through 1987. Broadcast nationwide on TV drawing millions of viewers, the Celebrity Ski Classic included participants such as George Hamilton and the Hill Street Blues cast (the show won three Golden Globes and 26 Primetime Emmy Awards).
“People still talk about the John Denver Classic and Clint Eastwood being here,” says former Heavenly VP and COO Tom Fortune when asked what some of Heavenly’s biggest events were during his tenure in South Shore from 2010-2024.
John Denver Celebrity Ski ClassicProvided / Heavenly
Held on the World Cup run next to the California Base Lodge, people who attended back in the day recall Denver staffing the barbeque and serving them chicken sandwiches, then partying with him by night at Harrah’s.
Robin Barnes, who has been working at Heavenly since 1987 (starting out selling tickets for ski school) recalls, “Way back when we used to have Pro Tour races, professional athletes competed on Lower East Bowl and World Cup. I remember being in awe of the competitors– the strength and athleticism that they displayed in the racecourse and over the jumps amazed me. It is what got me hooked on ski racing.”
Even though she started working at Heavenly the final year the John Denver Celebrity Ski Classic was held, she adds that she remembers it being a huge deal with celebrities milling around all over the place that winter. “It felt like so many Hollywood actors would come and compete in a race. Ski instructors would coach them to prepare for the race and tour them around the resort. Ski school locker rooms at the day’s end would revolve around who skied with who and what the celebrities were like. I remember skiing with the “Zit” from Animal House! Heavenly turned into a mini Hollywood for actors and their families. It was a big deal to be involved with the event and super fun to rub elbows with celebrities,” Barnes adds.
The Gunbarrel 25 and Face Rats
When Heavenly opened in December 1955, the Gunbarrel double chairlift stretching over the mountain on the California side was the second of its kind in the US. Two decades later, Gunbarrel attracted a new type of skiing showoffs, a style of freestyle skiing which started the hotdogging movement (one famous household hotdogger name in the Tahoe ski industry is Wayne Wong, who invented a move called the Wong Banger). These hotdoggers began doing aerial tricks off jumps and bouncing fashionably through moguls on their Hart skis (or K2’s). This naturally attracted them to the mogul-laden Gunbarrel run, a run on full display from the California base area. Heavenly hosted the Chevrolet Freestyle Championships in the 1974-75 season, where John Clendenin won the mogul masher with his aerial maneuvers and “ballet skiing.”
Hot dog skiing took hold of Heavenly and remained popular when local ski legend Glen Plake started the Gunbarrel 25 challenge in 2004. Joining Heavenly’s Blue Angels race team in 1968, it soon became common to see the pink-mohawk-haired Plake leaping through the snowy landmines of Gunbarrel often, so he decided to invite everyone else on his favorite run.
“The GB25 has always been a big event. It was started by Glen Plake; it’s a hardcore event,” Fortune says.
“There are two main competitions within the event” adds Heavenly Senior Manager of Communications Cole Zimmerman, “ironman or ironwoman and the fastest skier or snowboarder. Some people just attempt their 25 laps; others do as many laps as they can. The fastest time is generally around three hours and the highest number of laps in a competition is usually over 50!”
Considering the Gunbarrel run is around 1,600 vertical feet of double black diamond moguls, it’s an accomplishment if an average skier can stay in the course for even one run.
“It’s a grueling way to spend a day,” adds Heavenly Director of Skier Services Robin Barnes. “There are not many runs in the world that have steep, sustained, big moguls like The Face. Skiing 25 or more runs in a day is no small feat. The Face is one of those runs, though– at least for me– where you think you’re going to do one or two runs and a dozen laps later, you’re still saying, ‘That was so fun, maybe just one more’. It’s a game that goes on for hours — and why we cater to, and love, our Face Rats.”
Heavenly will sometimes keep the chairlift open later at the end of the season for The Face Rats, a crew that has been around for decades. It’s rumored that the name came from Bill Killebrew, who was 15 years old at the time and looked up the Gunbarrel run and told his dad that all those skiers looked like rats coming down the run.
“Some people have been in that group for 40-50 years. I saw them in the parking lot for 15 years skiing The Face every day. In late spring, we would stay open later in the day so they could ski when the snow is softer and then they’d have their tailgates down, their lawn chairs out, and barbeques going,” says Fortune.
“I have spent many afternoons out doing ‘face laps’ with the Face Rats, it’s a wonderful, passionate group. Many Face Rats have become Komet Kats — posting up residence on Nevada’s Comet run instead of Gunbarrel. Maybe it’s a bit gentler,” adds Barnes. “However, there are still many Face Rats that rarely go up beyond Gunbarrel chair in favor of the athletic pursuit of doing face laps all day. They know exactly where the best snow is, where the best lines are, who is fast and who is not. They truly are a wonderful bunch of Heavenly allies who love skiing, and love skiing big bumps! On occasions when East Bowl run is groomed, you will find this cohort off to the side snaking their way around the bumps – no groomers for them,” she adds.
Provided / Heavenly
Heavenly’s DJ Parties
In February 2011, Heavenly built a new lodge at the top of the gondola– the Tamarack Lodge—which became the epicenter for South Shore’s ski scene. Right around the time the lifts closed, it started hosting après ski parties on Friday and Saturday nights– complete with DJs, games, shot skis, and the Heavenly Angels go-go dancers. Nowadays it still has Happy Hour specials daily , but the real party is wherever the DJ cat is.
“We modified one of our snowcats, put a DJ set on the back of it, and it moves all over the mountain,” says Fortune. Heavenly’s Katie Ficeto added that the DJ Cat has been around for at least 10 years, hosting live DJs every weekend from opening day to closing day.
“Rotating guest DJs play some of your favorite songs out of a snowcat on the mountain and your dance moves always look better in ski boots,” Zimmerman adds. Last year the series featured appearances by Hayden James, Vandelux, What So Not, and more; and the John Summit Experts Only Weekend hosted three days of après parties with DJ sets taking place at the Rockstar Bar, on the Tram, and at Lakeview Lodge. The DJ lineup for this season includes Foster the People, Dombresky, SkiiTour, and Vandelux is coming back.
Another fun après event in store for this season is the Brews and Views, an experience on select days throughout the season at the Lakeview Lodge with incredible views paired with food, beverage, and music.
Air & Après, Heavenly Pond Skimming
March Madness isn’t just an NCAA basketball tournament…it can also refer to the crazy spring snowstorms that blow in before daylight savings comes around.
Back for its fourth season, Air and Après taking place Feb. 27-28 and March 1 is a thrilling big-air event at the base of the World Cup run. The three-day event features DJ sets and an array of food, beverage, and retail vendors, but the real draw is watching skilled athletes perform gravity-defying stunts on a 45-foot jump with Heavenly Mountain as the canvas for a light show.
“One event that sticks out in my mind was the 2022-23 season was a record snow year and on New Year’s Eve everyone was snowed in and the Gin Blossoms played in the Heavenly Village. All the roads were closed, and the power was out. In that same season, we built a big jump for our Big Air event and a storm cycle blew in; it snowed two feet overnight. We didn’t think we’d be able to have the event, but then it magically cleared up and didn’t affect the event at all,” says Tom Fortune.
Coming back again this year sometime in April is also its popular pond skimming event which will be held on the same World Cup run.
“It’s the ultimate spring send-off where costumes and chaos collide. It’s a great time to watch—or join– as participants try to skim across a pond at the bottom of World Cup,” says Zimmerman. The ice cold Arctic blue pond is about 90-100 feet long, and maybe only one or two people out of every 10 make it across.
Pond skimming event at Heavenly. Provided / Heavenly
“Costumes can be all over the place. Lots of beach outfits, swimsuits and Hawaiian shirts, and whether you’re skimming, cheering, or just soaking in the vibes, it’s one of the most fun and unforgettable days of the season,” he adds.
“To see families enjoying super fun events like the pond skim in the springtime is just awesome, watching the brave souls test their skills on crossing the cold pond and the rest having a good, hearty, hours-long giggle,” adds Barnes.
What Heavenly Has in Store for This Season
Between Heavenly’s snow, the tree runs, Gunbarrel, Mott’s Canyon, the Comet moguls, terrain parks, Killebrew Canyon, and all the nooks and crannies in between, there’s terrain—and events– that appeal to everyone.
“The extra bit of altitude at Heavenly keeps the snow dry and lovely, and our snow quality both from Mother Nature and our passionate team of snowmakers is tops,” adds Barnes. “Everywhere you look there are breathtaking views; they never get old. We also have a truly great culture – we welcome skiers from all over – and our team of employees is friendly, dedicated and love being in the mountains. It shows in how we greet guests, take care of each other and respect our environment.”
She also believes that Heavenly’s guests and employees love seeing celebrities and musicians having fun on at the resort. “The local vibe when we host iconic events is really special. We have the absolute perfect venue to host so many on-snow events and guests flock to see them during the day or under the stars. Whether it’s a music event or a big air event, we draw a crowd.”
Heavenly’s 70th Anniversary Party to Be Held December 20, 2025
Heavenly is kicking off its 70th anniversary season with a special birthday party to be held December 20. Ski through time at Heavenly’s Lakeview Lodge with vintage vibes, DJ sets (including Foster the People) and music from throughout the decades, celebratory food and beverage, and more.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – For its second year in a row, a spotlight of entries are on display for the Lake Tahoe Gingerbread House Crawl, following the Lake Tahoe Gingerbread House Competition, including winning showpieces of decadent gingerbread houses.
Bakers have been working on their gingerbread houses for weeks, perfecting their trim and refining their chimneys, before dropping them off to be judged during the weekend of December 12 at the Festival of Winter Lights.
“I actually put the Festival of Winter Lights together five years ago,” said Emily Abernathy, Special Events Coordinator. “I am a Christmas baby, and this definitely brings me a lot of joy to bring community members together to celebrate the season.”
After judging, the winners were determined and announced on Saturday night. Their names, places and gingerbread house titles are below:
3rd Place: “Saint Basil’s Christmas Cathedral”, Alec Dolan ($250 prize)
2nd Place: “Christmas at the Boathouse”, Irene Sue, Andrew Erwin, Lincoln Erwin, Gage Robins ($500 prize)
1st Place: “Holiday Embers”, Grace Harding and family ($1000 prize)
Little Bakers Youth Winner: Boys and Girls Club of South Lake Tahoe Middle Schoolers: “Old St. Nick Had A Farm: G-I-N-G-E-R”
The Gingerbread House Crawl will take place until January 1, with immaculate works of art stationed at 17 locations around Lake Tahoe.
At the El Dorado County Library, “Old McGinger had a Farm” is now on display. “We’ve been so looking forward to getting this in here. We’ve been talking about it for the last week,” said Sydney Mlodnosky, Library Assistant at the South Lake branch. “It’s just so detail-oriented.”
Jeannette Shippee and Angela Guyette’s “Old McGinger had a Farm” gingerbread house is displayed at the El Dorado County Library Victoria Mastrocola/Tahoe Daily Tribune
Mlodnosky took note of the elaborate features, saying “The pig that’s playing in the dirt, so adorable, and the mini wheats on the roof we thought was such a great touch. It makes it look like there’s snow on top.”
Over at the Explore Tahoe Visitors Center, the first place winner, “Holiday Embers” is placed on the counter, decked out with immaculately designed roof, windows, garland, bows and icicles that drip down, adding even more to its intricacy. The gingerbread firetruck with Santa and sleigh on top make for the perfect touch to their theme.
First place winner, “Holiday Embers” by Grace Harding and family can be viewed at the Explore Tahoe Visitors Center until January 1Victoria Mastrocola/Tahoe Daily Tribune
“When people come in for information, they see it, and they’re all lit up, they gravitate towards them,” said Anne Heimann, Visitor Information Specialist. “I’m very excited to have it in here.”
For the competition, there were 24 adult entries and 16 youth entries, and the crawl showcases all the effort and hard work that went into making these gingerbread houses.
“We just added the Gingerbread competition last year and it just adds another element of joy and festivity. This is one of my favorite events to do,” added Abernathy. “It just brings me so much joy to put it all together, see all the lights, and see all the community members enjoying it.”
To take place in the Gingerbread House Crawl, see their entire list of stops at slt.gov, and don’t miss your chance to admire the beautiful displays of gingerbread houses made by Tahoe locals. Who knows, it might just become your new holiday tradition.
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.
The holidays. The time of year when you push the boundaries of your diet and throw in more cheat days than you care to admit, and sneak in one or two more sweets than the dentist would like you to. Hey, I’m not shaming anyone for it – I’m right there with everyone. But if you start to feel like you need to tilt the scales back to fresh and healthy – even if just for a day – this week’s feature is as good a place as any to turn to.
I think the name of this dish alone is about as sexy and cool as you can make fresh and healthy sound. While all the ingredients are doing the body good, the name makes it sound a little naughty. Not naughty enough to have Santa sharpie your name off the good list, but you know what I mean.
Between two slices of toasted whole wheat bread are avocado, mild green Ortega chile, freshly grated cabbage and carrots, sliced tomato and red onion, melted jack cheese, and sprouts, all lathered in a house made honey mustard dressing. The tangy, juicy, crunchy, and earthy flavors that are seeping from its pores – along with a little bit of heat on the back end – are what makes this sandwich stand out.
If textures are a thing you look for, then this is your jam. Even the dressing, which you can bottle up and pour over anything and make it better, doesn’t let the crunchiness fade. And while it might feel like a lot when you’re eating (it’s a hearty portion), you don’t feel stuffed afterwards. I ate the whole thing in less time than it takes a bear to break into a car loaded with fresh cheeseburgers, so I was asking to be stuffed … but it magically didn’t happen.
Sprouts Natural Café is located at 3123 Harrison Ave. in South Lake Tahoe. For menu items or general information visit them online at sproutscafetahoe.com or catch them via phone at 530-541-6969.
10th Anniversary Celebration at the Loft Tahoe – 9 p.m., The Loft, 1021 Heavenly Village Way. A decade at The Loft deserves a proper toast. Join us on Friday, December 19th for our 10-year anniversary celebration: cocktails at 2015 prices, $5 tapas, music in the lounge from Roland Stone Music, and more. Free entry! For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/10th-anniversary-celebration-at-the-loft-tahoe/ or call (530) 523-8024.
Bulleit Bourbon Tasting at Dart Beverage – 3-6 p.m., Dart Beverage Center, 148 U.S. Hwy 50. Friday, December 19, 2025, Come by Dart Beverage for a great tasting from Bulleit Burbon!Stop by between 3–6 p.m. For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/spirit-tasting-at-dart-beverage/.
Champagne & Chocolate Sleigh Ride Tasting Experience Heavenly Village – 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Heavenly Village, 1001 Heavenly Village Way. Treat yourself to a delightful pairing as you explore the scenic streets of South Lake Tahoe. Enjoy the charm of a horse-drawn sleigh ride, then elevate your experience with a luxurious Champagne & Chocolate tasting at Heavenly Village. It’s a journey of indulgence you won’t want to miss! For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/champagne-chocolate-sleigh-ride-tasting-experience-heavenly-village/2025-12-19/.
Sierra Valley Raptor Outing – 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., In the winter months, Sierra Valley is one of the best places to view raptors of all kinds. We would like to invite you to come out with TINS to observe the many species of hawks and eagles on from 9:30am-12:30pm. The agricultural fields of the valley provide food for migrating raptors including various species of rodent. Wintering raptors typically include Bald and Golden Eagles, Rough-legged, Ferruginous, and Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers, American Kestrel, Prairie Falcon, and possibly others. This is a driving and caravan-style bird tour with many stops off and on the road. Be sure to bring your binoculars! Fill out my LGL Form! For more information, visit https://www.tinsweb.org/upcoming-events/august-tby-outing-g5jgt-gl5fl-dle96-ylcy7-ktsg4-rsj3b-wwalh-2b9x6-tk7tb.
Tahoe Philharmonic Hallelujah! Messiah – 7-9 p.m., St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 701 Mount Rose Hwy. Description BUY TICKETS> For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/tahoe-philharmonic-hallelujah-messiah-1226231?sourceTypeId=Hub or call (775) 833-2478.
DJ DELO in the Mix – 9-11:30 p.m., AleWorX Stateline. For more information, visit https://laketahoealeworx.com/event/dj-delo-in-the-mix/2025-12-19/.
DJ N-TUNE at HQ – 9 p.m.-1 a.m., Bally’s Lake Tahoe Casino Resort, 55 Highway 50. For more information, visit https://casinos.ballys.com/lake-tahoe/events-calendar.aspx?date=12/19/2 025&display=event&eventid=2468301.
Dueling Pianos at Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe – 8:30-10:30 p.m., Harveys Casino Resort, 18 Hwy 50. Join us at the Mountain Bar located on Caesars Republic casino floor for a free show you don’t want to miss. Put your favorite song request in, grab a drink at the Mountain Bar and enjoy the fun! Playing Friday and Saturday at 8:30 PM. Dueling Pianos. For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/dueling-pianos-at-caesars-republic-lake-tahoe/2025-12-19/.
Fish Taco Friday at the Riva Grill on the Lake – 6:30-10 p.m., Riva Grill on the Lake, 901 Ski Run Blvd. Huge Après Ski Party to cap a fantastic day on the slopes. Great food & drink specials from 6:30-10:00 pm on Fridays. Raffle prizes from our local businesses all night, including a grand prize snowboard. The longer you stay, the more you win! For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/fish-taco-friday-at-the-riva-grill-on-the-lake/2025-12-19/.
Holiday Cock Tail Making – 3-5 p.m., Talie Jane Showroom, 255 KINGSBURY GRADE RD. Our FINAL Event of 2025! We’re wrapping up an incredible year with something extra festive… Holiday Cocktail Making! Join us as we shake, stir, and sip our way into the season with two amazing holiday cocktails guaranteed to WOW your guests this year. Come learn how to make them—it’s fun, delicious, and totally FREE to attend!
Magic After Dark: Robert Hall Unfiltered – 9-10 p.m., The Loft, 1021 Heavenly Village Way. Fridays at 9:00 pm. Magic After Dark offers an unfiltered, adults-only magic experience for those seeking something edgier. Step into the tantalizing, witty, and sometimes twisted world of award-winning magician and comedian Robert Hall. Tickets for Magic Fusion, Magic After Dark, as well as dinner reservations, and bar/lounge information can be found on The Loft website: http://thelofttahoe.com or call (530) 523-8024. For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/magic-dark-robert-hall-unfiltered/2025-12-19/ or call (530) 523-8024.
Tahoe Knight Monsters v Wichita Thunder – 7 p.m., Tahoe Blue Event Center, 75 U.S. 50. Ages 2 and up require a ticket for entry.
Ugly Sweater Fundraiser Party for Christmas Cheer All Year – 4:30-10 p.m., South of North Brewing Co., 932 Stateline Ave. Pull out your most outrageous, bedazzled, and delightfully hideous holiday sweater and join us at South of North Brewing Co. for a night of festive fun—all in support of Christmas Cheer All Year, our local food bank bringing joy and nourishment to families year-round.
Saturday, December 20
Breakfast With Santa – 8-11 a.m., Kahle Community Center, 236 Kingsbury Grade P.O. Box 5040. Breakfast With Santa at Kahle Community Center! Bring the whole family for a magical holiday morning at our Pancake Breakfast with Santa! Kids can share their Christmas wishes, snap festive photos, and enjoy the warm spirit of the season. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1379653376998101/ or call 7755867271.
Curtis Woodman’s Wayfinder Tour – 10 p.m., Incline Village Cinema, 901 Tahoe Boulevard. “Wayfinder ” is a self-filmed, drone-captured backcountry journey through Lake Tahoe’s Sierra Nevada – steep chutes, powder-laden peaks, cornices, backcountry booters and freestyle antics. Curtis self filmed, edited, produced, and composed the original soundtrack, delivering a deeply personal narrative of resilience and finding direction.
Jennifer Street Parade of Lights Christmas Show – 972 Jennifer Street. Description Incline Village&’s must-see Christmas Light Show set to music at 972 Jennifer Street **Note, these shows are meant to be watched from outside your car for the best effect – please bring a chair and dress warm.** December 5 – 19: Shows will run at 5:45pm and 7:15pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights starting on December 5. From December 20 – December 30: Shows every night at 5:45pm and 7:15pm The show includes a food drive again for nonperishable items – bring them to the marked bin, and will also have a QR code for donations to Tahoe Family Solutions Additional dates: 12/20, 12/21, 12/22, 12/23, 12/24, 12/25. For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/jennifer-street-parade-of-lights-christmas-show-1261078?sourceTypeId=Hub.
The Morgan Wallen Experience – 11 a.m., 14 State Route 28. The Morgan Wallen Experience Sat. Dec. 20th 2025 I Doors: 7pm Show: 8pm Tickets: $20 ADV / $25 DOS I Ticket Link: https://tixr.com/e/162500 Get ready, Tahoe — The Morgan Wallen Experience is coming to the Crystal Bay Casino’s Crown Room on Saturday, December 20th! This tribute brings all the hits, all the energy, and all the feels of a Morgan Wallen arena show right to the North Shore. Don’t sleep on this one! For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/24703734285993229/.
DJ Montague – 9-11:30 p.m., AleWorX Stateline. Additional dates: 12/20, 12/25. For more information, visit https://laketahoealeworx.com/event/dj-montague-5/2025-12-20/.
Holiday Markets at South Lake Brewing Company – 12-5 p.m., South Lake Brewing Company, 1920 Lake Tahoe Blvd. South Lake Brewing Company’s Indoor Holiday Market is making a return for 4 dates! For more information, visit https://www.southlakebeer.com/brewery-events or call (530) 578-0087.
Tahoe Club Crawl Fall/Winter 25/26 – 8-11 p.m., Tahoe Club Crawl, 31 US HWY 50. Tahoe Club Crawl is an organized VIP nightlife tour of the Tahoe South. With the purchase of your ticket, you will receive a welcome shot at 3 out of 4 stops, appetizers, free indoor games at Tipsy Putt and VIP entrance into Peek Nightclub, Lake Tahoe’s hottest Club! You will meet amazing people and have the night of your lives. We meet every Saturday at 8:00 PM Golden Nugget Casino Center Bar, unless told otherwise. For more information, visit https://tahoeclubcrawl.ticketsauce.com/e/tahoe-club-crawl-fall-winter-25-42?aff=cityspark.
Tahoe Knight Monsters v Wichita Thunder – 7 p.m., Tahoe Blue Event Center, 75 U.S. 50. Ages 2 and up require a ticket for entry
Monday, December 22
The Nutcracker – Performed by The Reno Dance Company – 7 p.m., Bally’s Lake Tahoe, 55 Highway 50. The Reno Dance Company’s will perform the production of “The Nutcracker”. This iconic tale of little Clara and the enchanted nutcracker toy has captivated audiences for over a century. With a cast of the finest talents and a lavish blend of costumes, scenery and outstanding choreography. The Reno Dance Company’s extraordinary production creates a magical winter wonderland that mesmerizes children and ballet enthusiasts of all ages. Celebrate 20 years of fun family tradition while experiencing the timeless music of Tchaikovsky and breathtaking performances by 25 professional dancers as well as local children from the South Lake Tahoe area who will showcase their passion for dance. Additional dates: 12/22, 12/23.
Wednesday, December 24
Christmas Eve Dinner – Margaritaville Resort Lake Tahoe, 4130 Lake Tahoe Blvd,. Holiday/Festive, Holiday Dining. Make this Christmas Eve unforgettable with festive dining options for every holiday mood. For more information, visit https://www.margaritavilleresorts.com/margaritaville-resort-lake-tahoe/things-to-do-in-lake-tahoe/events/christmas-eve.
Christmas Eve Dinner at Manzanita at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe – 4-9 p.m., The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, 13031 Ritz Carlton Highlands Court. Gather and embrace the spirit of the season with an evening of warmth, elegance, and culinary artistry. Manzanita invites you to a festive Christmas Eve dining experience, featuring a meticulously crafted prix fixe menu inspired by winter’s finest ingredients. Savor menu highlights from Wagyu Beef Chateaubriand and Venison Tenderloin, to mixology delights like the Winter Solstice Old Fashioned. For more information, visit https://www.opentable.com/r/manzanita-at-the-ritz-carlton-lake-tahoe or call 530-562-3000.
Thursday, December 25
Christmas at Gar Woods – Gar Woods Grill & Pier, 5000 N Lake Blvd. Naughty or Nice, you’re welcome at Gar Woods! We will be open for lunch and dinner with Christmas dinner specials starting at 4 PM. For more information, visit https://www.garwoods.com/calendar.html or call (530) 546-3366.
Winter Wonderland Christmas Buffet at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe – 4:30-9 p.m., The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, 13031 Ritz Carlton Highlands Court. Revel in the Christmas spirit at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe’s winter wonderland Christmas buffet, taking place in the elegant ballroom space. Live music and festive décor set the scene for a celebration of seasonal flavors. The buffet features a harmonious blend of flavors with live-action seared scallop, herb-crusted lamb, cheese fondue, ice cream stations, and more. For more information, visit https://www.opentable.com/r/manzanita-at-the-ritz-carlton-lake-tahoe or call 530-562-3000.
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – Tensions were high during the Wednesday, Dec. 10 Incline Village General Improvement District as the board discussed the Incline Beach House, updates to the bike park and more.
The board was asked to approve the Design-Build Construction agreement with CORE Construction in the amount of $9,415,617 for the Incline Beach House project. Discussion on the project has gone back to 2022, however, a final design was approved by the board in September 2025, with the bid process opening in October, 2025.
One of the sticking points for the board has been the price tag and while board members expressed heartburn over the current price, they did recognize that it has gone down from past proposals. Staff recommended locking in the current bid because flucuations in the construction market could force the price back up.
However, disagreement arose over a survey conducted by Trustee Ray Tulloch, which said the community was overwhelming unaware of the project or opposed to such an expensive project moving forward. The independent survey was done through FlashVote and according to Tulloch, he received about 600 responses.
Trustee Mick Homan pointed out that the board had previously agreed not to work with FlashVote because it had been proven unreliable and slanted.
“This survey, I’m sorry Ray, but it was a hack job, it was a policital stunt,” said Homan.
Trustee Michelle Jezycki also said she did not take the results of the survey to be valid.
Before approving the item, Jezycki asked for language to be added asking for donations for the project.
The item was approved 4-1 with Tulloch voting no.
Bike Park
Tensions continued to rise while discussing authorization of a contract for construction of the Incline Bike Park Phase II. The $297,000 bid would go towards construction of a concrete advanced pump track.
Trustee Dave Noble expressed support for the project and talked about the benefits of having a place for kids to enjoy.
Tulloch followed Noble’s comment with what he claimed was a joke that could’ve been interpreted as accusing Noble of inappropriate relationships with young girls. Tempers rose between the board members, the “f” word was slung at Tulloch and Chairwoman Michaela Tonking reprimanded Tulloch.
After the board settled down, discussion of the project continued. The board approved the contract 4-0 with Tulloch voting present.
Beach Access
The board approved employee beach access. After hearing feedback from the board during its Nov. 12 meeting, staff clarified language in the ordinance stating employees along with their spouse and children would have access to the beach. The families of the employees could visit the beach without the employee but aren’t allowed to bring guests. It was also clarified that guests would still have to pay the beach access fee. The item was approved 4-1 with Tulloch voting no.
MALIBU, Calif. – The City of South Lake Tahoe will be on the search for a new city manager, after Joe Irvin accepted the position of City Manager for the City of Malibu on Wednesday.
The Malibu council approved an agreement with Irvin during its Wednesday, Dec. 17 meeting. The proposed contract includes an annual salary of $310,000, as well as a monthly incentive of $4,000 per month if he lives within the city limits.
The agreement has a term of four years, which starts March 2, 2026.
Irvin started with South Lake Tahoe in May 2020. The council had just voted to in September 2025 to extend his contract until April 2032. He was making a base salary of about $233,000.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the City of South Lake Tahoe. During my tenure as City Manager, I have worked hard to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the city government. I have also worked to build strong relationships the elected officials, city employees and community members. South Lake Tahoe is a special place and I will always cherish my time spent here,” Irvin told the Tribune.
According to the California State Code, Irvin is required to give South Lake Tahoe a 60-day notice.
After a long dry spell, Tahoe’s holiday forecast is finally showing signs of life for those eager to get back on the mountain. Heavy precipitation expected this weekend could bring high elevation snow, with another storm potentially arriving on Christmas Eve — putting a white Christmas back in play.
According to OpenSnow forecaster Bryan Allegretto, a round of heavy precipitation is forecast to arrive Friday afternoon or evening, bringing rain and high-elevation snow to the Tahoe region. The system is expected to intensify Friday night and continue through the weekend, with temperatures dipping into the 30s at upper elevations and the 40s near base areas from Saturday night through Sunday night.
“The latest model runs show snow levels bouncing between 8,000 and 9,000 feet for most of this storm through Sunday, with the lowest snow levels Saturday morning and the highest on Sunday before falling again Sunday night,” Allegretto said on OpenSnow. “That means back-and-forth rain and snow is possible in that zone near the top of the mountain.”
More significant changes could arrive Monday, as forecasts indicate colder air moving in and a slight southward shift of the atmospheric river. Snow levels could drop to around 7,000 feet on Monday.
With heavy precipitation expected to continue, snowfall could accumulate quickly above the snow line. However, fluctuating snow levels could lead to periods of melting when rain mixes in.
If snow levels dip close to 8,000 feet Saturday and Sunday night, accumulations of 1 to 3 feet of wet snow are possible above 8,000 feet, not accounting for melting. Should snow elevation drop further Monday, several inches to more than a foot of snow could fall above 7,000 feet, explained Allegretto.
However, if the atmospheric river shifts farther north, snow levels may remain above 9,000 feet, limiting snowfall totals and confining accumulation to the highest elevations.
A White Christmas?
Another storm system is forecast to arrive on Christmas Eve and continue through Christmas Day, with some models indicating lingering precipitation into Dec. 26.
Recent model runs have shown the storm’s trough positioned just far enough inland to support a colder system, though confidence remains uncertain, Allegretto said.
“Let’s hope the trend is toward the storm progressing inland and dropping snow levels to the base quickly on Christmas Eve into Christmas Day,” he said. “If we get the colder air, we could see significant snowfall on the mountain to the base.”
From the NHL Outdoors to the Grand Slam of Curling, South Lake Tahoe is no stranger to the world stage, especially when it comes to winter sports. Thanks to a diverse array of indoor and outdoor venues, fully convertible sports arenas, and advanced facilities, you can host any type of competition throughout the year. Nothing compares to the South Shore; find out exactly why below—and start practicing your victory lap.
All-Star Facilities
When it comes to venues, the Tahoe Blue Event Center is your MVP. This state-of-the-art sports complex features an NHL-regulation-sized ice rink, NBA regulation-sized basketball court (that can be converted into a volleyball court), and a multi-purpose arena designed for wrestling, gymnastics, and cheerleading. Basically, if the sport exists, you can probably play it here. The ~27,000 square feet of arena floor space can be configured to accommodate curling, hockey, and figure skating, to name a few. Browse additional specs and capabilities with this handy Tahoe Blue Event Center chart.
Home to an ECHL ice hockey team known as the Knight Monsters, Tahoe Blue Event Center has hosted professional games, concerts, trade shows, conferences, banquets, comedy acts, and various live performances—all with streamlined logistics and top-notch amenities included.
Speaking of logistics, talk about a smooth operator: the center’s multiple locker rooms, exclusive suites, club seats, and spacious back-of-house designated areas are ready for whatever your playbook holds. With seating for around 4,000 fans, modern sightlines, and multiple concourse spaces intended for vendor booths, concessions, and merchandise shops, at least your choice in venues will be a guaranteed win.
Post-Game Experiences
When you’re in South Lake Tahoe, the adrenaline rush continues long after the buzzer sounds. For starters, enjoy the country’s highest concentration of ski resorts within a 100-mile radius. Or come back for another season to take a hike alongside hidden waterfalls, stunning peaks, and lush meadows. You can also roll through our mountain bike trails, with family-friendly paths for starter cyclists to technical climbs for advanced riders. Of course, there are plenty of courses: golf in view of the Sierra Nevada’s granite peaks or along the lake’s shore. South Lake Tahoe’s 300 days of sunshine per year and fresh alpine air will invigorate your athletes’ bodies and minds.
Oh, so you like the nightlife? You like to boogie? We knew you had great taste. Good thing you have full access to 24/7 entertainment. The South Shore holds a trove of craft breweries, lakefront restaurants, casinos, savory steakhouses, vibrant nightclubs, serene beaches, and eclectic shops, all within walking distance of your venue or hotel. How convenient. And while we always keep the South Shore updated, we also contain rich history. Walk in the footsteps of Mark Twain, visit a castle, or dive into our underwater state park to scope out a shipwreck.
South Lake Tahoe has also covered your bases when it comes to top-rated, family-friendly activities. Have your kiddos done enough outdoor adventuring for the day? We get it. The Puzzle Room Tahoe, magic shows at The Loft, all-ages games at multiple arcades, and indoor-mini golf are sure to keep them occupied (and wear them out before bedtime).
You Call the Transportation Shots
This isn’t your average sporting event destination, so we don’t have your average transportation. Lake Link, a free microtransit shuttle system, provides on-demand rides 365 days per year, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (and until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays). Equipped with bike and ski racks, the shuttles include wheelchair accessibility and supplemental services.
We’re also only a short drive away from Reno-Tahoe International Airport, with a direct airport shuttle, the South Tahoe Airporter, at hand when you need it most. And the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) recently expanded its Route 50 Express Service to offer rides for select Tahoe Blue Event Center events as well as late-night rides on the weekends. This extended service provides convenient, reliable, and free transportation, supporting a variety of events for both locals and visitors alike. Make the most of your time here with scenic tours and bus rentals. The fleet consists of three luxurious, 28-passenger mini-coaches for local, regional, and statewide destinations. Plus, our company is the only one to ever offer tours from Lake Tahoe to San Francisco and Yosemite National Park. You can book bus charters and rentals for all occasions, such as weddings, corporate events, airport transfers, and private tours.
Where Sports are Always in Season
At 6,224 ft. above sea level, everything is elevated in South Lake Tahoe. We keep you at the top of your game 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Nestled amid the continent’s largest alpine lake and the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevadas, it’s easy to see why the South Shore is a highly sought-after event destination. Browse our starting lineup of sports venues and see for yourself.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Do you want your child to learn in English and Spanish? Bijou Community School is now accepting commitment forms for its Two Way Bilingual Immersion TK and kindergarten classes for the 2026-2027 school year.
Bijou Community School brings together English and Spanish speaking students TK through 5th grade in its Two Way Bilingual Immersion program by supporting them to learn to read, write, speak and listen in two languages. The program has three goals: bilingualism and biliteracy, high academic achievement in English and Spanish and sociocultural competency.
The TWBI TK program at Bijou is run 50% in Spanish and 50% in English. The Kindergarten through 5th grade program follows the 90:10 model, meaning that 90% of instruction in Kindergarten is in Spanish and 10% is in English. Each year, the percentage of English increases until in 5th grade 50% of instruction is in English and 50% is in Spanish. Bijou Community School also has an active parent volunteer program that includes classroom volunteering and 16 different volunteer committee opportunities. It has a Boys and Girls Club on site for after-school care.
The Bijou TWBI program admits students through a lottery process. Students who turn 5 by September 1st, 2026 are eligible for Kindergarten next year. Students who turn 4 by September 1, 2026 will be eligible for TK. Interested parents should call Martha Ubias or Julia Cedano at (530) 543-2337 and submit a completed TWBI commitment form to the office in order to participate in the lottery. Please visit Bijou.ltusd.org for more information about our program. Tours are available and commitment forms are due on February 13, 2026.
The Douglas County School District is seeking community involvement in upcoming budget decisions.
A survey, which opened on Monday, seeks to gather valuable input from parents and students in grades 6-12, employees, and community members to guide the districts budgetary decisions.
The survey will remain active until 5 p.m. Dec. 22. Participants are encouraged to share their perspectives on which programs, services, and operational area’s should be prioritized, maintained, or potentially reduced. The feedback collected will play a crucial role in shaping the district’s fiscal strategies, ensuing that resources are aligned with the community’s values and educational priorities.
Superintendent Frankie Alvarado emphasized the importance of community involvement in the budgeting process.
“The budget is more than just numbers”, said Alvarado. “It is a reflection of shared educational goals. By participating in the survey, stakeholders can help the district make informed decisions that maintain transparency, and foster an open, collaborative environment.
The district urges all eligible participants to complete the survey promptly to ensure their voices are heard and considered in the upcoming budgetary decisions. The results will help inform reduction decisions and align resources with the priorities valued most by the community.
STATELINE, Nev. — The Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) announced upcoming service changes to Routes 50 and 55 that will take effect January 4, 2026. These adjustments are designed to improve route efficiency, enhance service reliability, and better coordinate connections for riders throughout the South Shore.
“These service changes reflect our ongoing commitment to providing a transit system that is dependable, well-coordinated, and responsive to the needs of riders throughout the South Shore,” said Jim Marino, Executive Director of the Tahoe Transportation District. “Community feedback has been essential, and we look forward to delivering service enhancements that improve reliability, strengthen connections, and support seamless travel.”
ROUTE 50 UPDATES
Route 50 will operate under revised patterns for both the westbound and eastbound trips. Eastbound service will now terminate at the Kingsbury Transit Center (KTC), with the Stateline Transit Center serving as a key transfer point for riders connecting to/from Route 55. A scheduled layover will occur at KTC.
Westbound service will originate at KTC and will no longer serve the US50/Bigler stop, nor will it serve the Stateline Transit Center (STC). Passengers needing a westbound connection near STC should board at the US 50/Stateline Ave (Caesar’s) stop.
Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) will now be served by Route 50 in both directions. Westbound trips will bypass the Y Transit Center, complete the D Street loop, and then pull into the Y Transit Center for a scheduled layover.
ROUTE 55 UPDATES
Eastbound service for Route 55 will begin at Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) and end at the Stateline Transit Center (STC), where a layover will take place and riders can transfer to Route 50 eastbound to Kingsbury Transit Center (KTC).
Westbound service will start at the STC and conclude at LTCC, with a scheduled layover at LTCC, where riders can connect to Route 50 to continue westbound to the Y Transit Center.
Note: Route stops between LTCC and STC will not be altered. These adjustments are intended to strengthen service coordination with Route 50 and improve overall system reliability.
Download the Transit app for real-time schedules, route updates, and trip planning or visit www.tahoetransportation.org/transit/.
For details on Tahoe Transportation District and its current projects, visit www.TahoeTransportation.org or call (775) 589-5500.
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – Kris Terrian, former Major League Baseball and U.S. Ski Team athletic trainer, sports rehabilitation and recovery specialist, has traveled all over the world. From second-assisting orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Kyle Swanson, in the operating room at Barton Memorial Hospital to serving professional and collegiate athletes, when it comes to physical health and optimization, Terrian has experienced it all. Now, he’s established his own practice, bringing high-level sports medicine, strength training and individualized rehabilitation to the community.
KT Performance Therapy is accepting new clients nowVictoria Mastrocola/Tahoe Daily Tribune
Early in his career as a clinical athletic trainer at Barton, Terrian was given the opportunity to work with the U.S. Ski Team as they set out to compete every winter. “I traveled to every country you can name,” said Terrian. “The highest I got was the World Cup, and I was part of the World Cup Championship with [American alpine skiers] Ted Ligety and Mikaela Shiffrin.”
Becoming hooked on an avenue of sports medicine beyond serving clients on the sidelines, Terrian said, “The clinic was the coolest thing ever, seeing surgeries, going over MRIs with the doctor, casting, splints. I was doing everything, as a physician assistant would, and traveling with the ski team, I made huge contacts, just traveling the globe.”
Terrian eventually met his wife in South Lake Tahoe, and not longer after, scored a job with the Boston Red Sox, then the Philadelphia Phillies, and just kept climbing. “I went all the way from the very bottom level of Minor Leagues, all the way to the Major Leagues.”
He and his family bounced around the country, and their past four years were spent in Los Angeles while he served as a personal, private athletic trainer to Markus (Mookie) Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder, shortstop and second baseman.
With hopes of returning to Tahoe, Terrian decided after his fourth year in Southern California, that it was time. “We always wanted to come back,” Terrian said. “It’s been our dream, and we’ve been manifesting it since we met.”
With Terrian’s wife being familiar with the North area of Lake Tahoe, he soon learned the demand for enhanced, personalized performance therapy was present.
Terrian’s unique approach to serving his clients surpasses the high-end equipment he has in his strength training room. “The focal point and unique service I offer, in comparison to most, is the recovery and maintenance modalities that include dry needling, cupping, instrument assisted soft-tissue mobilization, compression devices, heat therapy, blood flow restriction, and deep oscillation therapy for lymphatic therapy.”
Performance training area/strength training room inside KT Performance TherapyVictoria Mastrocola/Tahoe Daily Tribune
KT Performance Therapy is a one-stop-shop, and Terrian brings years worth of experience and education to the table as a dual licensed, board certified trainer and specialist, offering a cash-based method of one-on-one services to a variety of people, whether you’re a skier, snowboarder, firefighter, someone who strives to maintain an athletic lifestyle, or you’re looking to prevent or heal injuries.
KT Performance Therapy treatment room is used for optimizing physical function, assessment and moreVictoria Mastrocola/Tahoe Daily Tribune
If you’re interested in a personalized approach to your physical health, where programs are developed based on individual needs, visit ktperformancetherapy.com to book an appointment. If you have questions, call (779) 519-1251 or email kt@ktperformancetherapy.com
KT Performance Therapy is located at 120 Country Club Dr, #30 in Incline Village.
We all know Lake Tahoe is famous for its skiing and snowboarding scene. But what if you want to take a break from that and do something else. Or maybe the snow hasn’t come yet? Well, of course, you can still ski on man-made snow and the experience is great. However, there are a ton of things to do in Tahoe during the winter months that don’t need getting on a chairlift.
1. Lake Tahoe Cruise
Tahoe’s blue is best experienced from a boat. Book one of the Tahoe cruises and immerse yourself in the crisp mountain air and the blue water. Seeing the shores from a boat gives you a completely different experience. Your experience will be unique, whether you decide to do a morning cruise or a sunset cruise.
Sightseeing Cruise on Lake Tahoe aboard the M.S. Dixie II.
Some of the most memorable (or maybe not-so-easy-to-remember but definitely fun!) times are had on board a Lake Tahoe boat tour. Check out the M.S. Dixie II, the Tahoe Bleu Wave or the Spirit of Tahoe. Enjoy great food, great drinks and even better people aboard one of these South Lake Tahoe boat tours.
2. Hit the Spa
Pampering the body as well as the soul is almost a rule when it comes to visiting Lake Tahoe. Pick one of the many spa options Lake Tahoe offers and indulge yourself. Besides getting a massage or a facial, pick some goodies from the spa for yourself or for gifts for your loved ones for the holidays.
The Spa at the Landing Tahoe
3. Night Out
When you feel like you need some more action in your life, plan on an evening out. In December, the Heavenly Village is having full three weeks events culminating with a New Year’s concert. So, pack something warm in your bag and head out for a fun evening.
If you missed the party at the Heavenly Village, don’t worry. There’s always something to do in Lake Tahoe in the evening. Check out the casinos if you are into gambling, or go see music. Comedians, musicians, and excitement await you.
Peek Nightclub – Harrahs Lake Tahoe
5. Ice Skating or Sledding
So what if the snow isn’t perfect right now? The entire family can have a blast ice skating or sledding in Lake Tahoe.
Ice skating in the Heavenly Village | Photo by Jamie Kingham
6. Hiking
Tahoe is always a great place to go hiking or snowshoeing. A few popular hikes are in Lake Tahoe that allow for amazing photography. Whether your spirit animal is more Instagram influencer than John Muir, you’ll find your favorite Lake Tahoe hiking trails on the south shore.
Sunrise from Emerald Bay
7. Take the dog to the beach
South Lake Tahoe is a dog-friendly heaven. Why not bring the pooch with you to experience the lake. From gourmet pet stores to dog-friendly hikes and beaches, there’s plenty to explore. Check out this blog post for more details.
8. Just enjoy the Lake
Sit on the beach or at a lakefront restaurant and take it all in. Whether you are into meditation or not, the lake will calm your senses and relieve the stress. Then, you can go home refreshed and ready to enjoy the holidays.
Fire pit at Jimmy’s Restaurant at the Landing Resort Lake Tahoe
Instead of jumping ahead to all things 2026, we at Moonshine Ink decided to revisit some of 2025’s most top-of-mind stories for our region and see what has (or hasn’t) changed.
Below, you’ll read about the latest regarding Tahoe lead cables, North Lake Tahoe incorporation, fire insurance, and the Town of Truckee’s self-reflection.
Almost five years since a lawsuit was first filed to remove two lead-leaking telecommunications cables from Lake Tahoe, the cables are fully and completely gone.
This one deserves some historical context:
Back in November 2020, Moonshine Ink broke the news that two four-inch-thick telecommunications cables existed beneath Lake Tahoe’s surface, actively leaking lead into the water — and that legal action was being taken to do something about it.
CABLE BE GONE: A crew removes the final length of a telecommunications cable buried below the sand and high-water mark at Baldwin Beach in September 2025. Photo by Jesse Patterson/Keep Tahoe Blue
The intervening years have been somewhat of a rollercoaster. The lawsuit, filed in January 2021 by California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, initially resulted in a settlement by cable owner AT&T that fall. The company agreed to remove the cables, though denied they generated pollution.
Obtaining permits lengthened the removal process. Finally, AT&T planned for fall 2023. But a July 2023 Wall Street Journal investigation found the publicly traded corporation had a legacy of lead-clad infrastructure across bodies of water in the U.S., resulting in a freefall of AT&T stock and the company backtracking on removing the Tahoe cables until more lead testing could be done. (We reported on this, too.)
In September 2024, AT&T settled. By the end of that November, 8 miles of cables were pulled out of Lake Tahoe, though a segment remained due to its proximity to a sensitive habitat to the Tahoe yellow cress.
A year after that removal, on Sept. 18, 2025, the final phase was completed. AT&T worked in coordination with the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit to pull out the obsolete cable from Rubicon Bay to Baldwin Beach.
“Good weather and calm lake conditions allowed AT&T’s contractor to pull the remaining 100-foot section of cable with minimal impact to Baldwin Beach and Lake Tahoe,” shared USFS Public Affairs Specialist Lisa Herron in a statement. “Forest Service staff were on site throughout the operation, monitoring work to protect habitat for Tahoe yellow cress, a plant found only on Lake Tahoe’s shoreline.”
The League to Save Lake Tahoe (Keep Tahoe Blue) was also involved with the lead-cable removal.
“Taking out these decades-old, unused cables has been a top priority for Keep Tahoe Blue and the community as a whole. We’re proud to have helped make it happen and grateful to everyone who contributed,” said Laura Patten, natural resource director at Keep Tahoe Blue. “Good things happen in Tahoe when unlikely partners come together for a shared purpose.”
It took a little over two months for a grassroots organization called Eastern Placer Future to collect what should end up being enough signatures to advance the idea of a Town of North Lake Tahoe closer to the incorporation finish line.
To commence an official exploration of becoming a new town by Placer County’s Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), Eastern Placer Future needed to collect 2,188 signatures (or 25%) from certified voters within the proposed town boundary. During the last week of November, a third-party consultant verified the group collected 2,387 between September and mid-November.
This is the first time such an effort has progressed so far, despite multiple efforts dating as far back as 1966.
Steve Teshara, one of the Eastern Placer Future committee members, contributes the current success to waning influence of the Lake Tahoe portion in Placer County. District 5, which includes Tahoe’s North and West shores, is 77% of the county’s land area, but its population is not rising. Western Placer’s is.
PETITION POWER: The grassroots Eastern Placer Future reached its most significant milestone to date after enough signatures were collected to move the possibility of a Town of North Lake Tahoe closer to reality. Pictured here: Joy Doyle, Katie Biggers, Sarah Coolidge, and Kerry Andras. Courtesy photo
“[District 5 Sup.] Cindy [Gustafson]’s probably the last supervisor that will be a resident of this area,” Teshara said. “That’s a central concern that we’re expressing to people, and people are resonating with that … People want to see where does our money really go, what do we get back, and are there some services that we could do better because they would be all coordinated locally? We’ll still have services provided by the county … like health and human service and a court system and things like that. And we may do some work and contracting with the county to start with, but people are really getting the sense that this is an opportunity to put in place local decision-making.”
But there’s a long way to go before anything becomes official.
During the first week of December, an Eastern Placer Future representative delivered the petitions to the LAFCO office in Auburn and then accompanied LAFCO staff to take the petitions to the Placer County elections office, which has 30 days to review.
“[The elections office is] the final arbiter of whether we’ve got the requisite number of signatures … We do expect to qualify for the petition being certified as valid,” Teshara said.
Assuming all systems are go, LAFCO will review an official Eastern Placer Future application (the group is currently raising $25,000 for a downpayment connected to this) and then put out a request for proposal for a comprehensive fiscal analysis. An environmental analysis will be considered separately.
“And then LAFCO looks at all the pieces, and they make a determination based on do they think that the town would be financially sustainable over a period of time, not just for a couple of years,” Teshara said. “They have to make sure that it’s an efficient way to provide government services in our area.
“Once they go through all that, then ultimately it has to go to the county for discussions, and finally some sort of county vote on the revenue neutrality negotiations.”
Eastern Placer Future funded an initial feasibility study for incorporation back in 2023. Based on Placer County costs and revenues for fiscal year 2021/22, Eastern Placer annually generated about $16.4 million in property tax; about $3.2 million in sales tax; $22.7 million in Transient Occupancy Tax; $2.1 million in property sales; and $862,000 from utility and service providers. The comprehensive fiscal analysis through LAFCO will create more accurate numbers based on recent costs and revenues, though Teshara said Eastern Placer Future anticipates there being enough funding to operate the town.
“A main way that LAFCO judges viability is it determines what your general fund revenues are,” he said. “If you have a general fund surplus of a certain percentage, that is a very helpful sign and metric. We anticipate that being the case.”
Should the Town of North Lake Tahoe (or whatever its official name might end up being) incorporate, it must do so without any harm to the county. Also part of the LAFCO process are revenue neutrality negotiations. “The county will pass through to the town the property tax, the sales tax, the other things that would be legally accruable to the town, but the county can’t lose a bunch of money based on this,” Teshara explained.
Assuming LAFCO approval, then board of supervisors’ approval, voters will step in to decide. To pass, it will take a 50%-plus-one ballot vote of registered voters within the proposed boundary. Regarding whether such a vote could happen as soon as November 2026, Teshara said, “All I can say is that we’re pushing as hard as we can to get through the process. Does the process take time? Are timelines stipulated under state law that LAFCO has to abide by? Yes.”
As the target is a moving one, Teshara said the best place for the latest updates is easternplacerfuture.org, which will have information about upcoming meetings, donation needs and milestones, and progress points.
When Moonshine dove deep into fire insurance in September 2023, the mood — and situation — was dire. That year, most insurance giants (Farmers Insurance, State Farm, Allstate, Liberty Mutual) began limiting coverage in California in reaction to increasing wildfire concerns. As options shrank for homeowners and commercial tenants, many Californians began turning to the FAIR (Fair Access to Insurance Requirements) Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort at higher costs. One Truckee resident told the Ink at the time that her premium through the FAIR Plan shot her monthly payment up by 272%, from $1,800 to $6,700.
Looking back at that time from the end of 2025 reveals that such increases were only just beginning. From October 2024 to September 2025, the FAIR Plan acquired 268,379 new dwelling and commercial policyholders. That’s a nearly 200% increase from the October 2022 to September 2023 timeframe.
The FAIR Plan was enacted in the late 1960s to offer insurance to those unable to find coverage through traditional routes. As of September this year, the plan’s total policies in force (or the number of active policies) is 645,987 — a 96% increase since September 2023.
Further, the FAIR Plan’s total exposure following the same timeframes is $696.1 billion (a 52% increase since last September, and 145% increase since 2023). Back in March 2024, FAIR Plan president Victoria Roach said to a state legislative committee, “We are one event away from a large assessment. There’s no other way to say it, because we don’t have the money on hand [to pay every claim] and we have a lot of exposure.” That event, as it turned out, seemed to be the January 2025 Los Angeles fires, which resulted in an estimated $4 billion loss for the FAIR plan. In February, plan policyholders were assessed $1 billion to recoup losses — the first member assessment in 30 years.
On the Nevada side, the 2025 Insurance Market Report put out by the Nevada Division of Insurance noted that “insurers reported that wildfire risk had a direct impact on policy availability in 2023 … This trend has continued into 2024, where certain areas, such as Incline Village and Stateline, have seen wildfire-related policy non-renewals rise significantly.”
BULKING UP: California’s state fire insurance option, known as the FAIR Plan, has seen its policy count skyrocket (by nearly 100% from September 2023 to September 2025). In Nevada, there’s no statewide option, though the legislature recently passed policy to keep insurers from jumping ship like they did in California in 2023. Pictured here, the 2021 Caldor Fire creeps up on a residence. Photo courtesy Cal Fire
There’s no insurer of last resort in the Silver State, but that seems to be the preference. In June 2024, then-Nevada Insurance Commissioner Scott Kipper held a town hall in Incline Village to discuss fire insurance for residential and commercial owners/tenants. Kipper said then that he didn’t consider the FAIR Plan a good policy.
“I believe [a FAIR Plan is] great for consumers having access; terrific,” he said. “But these plans generally provide lesser levels of coverage at a more expensive price. So, there’s a tradeoff that we need to ensure we work toward.”
Mike Peyton, a Farmers Insurance agent based in Incline Village who handles insurance in both California and Nevada, added the insurer perspective. “[The FAIR Plan is] a double-sided sword,” he said. “As soon as carriers know there’s a FAIR plan, there’s a larger propensity to pull out. That’s what happened in California; all the carriers said, ‘Welp, they have a FAIR plan so at least the consumer has somewhere to go.’ It kind of backfired.”
In June of this year, the Nevada Legislature passed A.B. 376, which allows insurers, beginning Jan. 1, 2026, to exclude wildfire coverage from homeowners’ policies and offer it either as a standalone product or eliminate it altogether.
On a positive note, this move could dissuade insurers from leaving the state like they have in California. So says Nevada policy analyst Anahit Baghshetsyan, who spoke with KUNR in October about the bill and said, “One policy you could think about would be debundling the home insurance, offering only wildfire insurance, mitigate the costs through that, or limited-time insurance, so maybe people would just seek wildfire insurance only in the summer months.”
Peyton, meanwhile, noted that despite the unambiguous state of fire insurance out West: “I think we’re on the upswing.”
The reasoning behind his optimism, he explained, is that people are better educated about wildfire realities and the sticker shock of rising prices has subsided. “Carriers are raising rates again but you’re not seeing double,” he added. “Now it’s the standard 3% to 7% [increase].”
Dillon Sheedy, assistant wildfire prevention manager and forester with the Truckee Fire Protection District, pointed to an encouraging trend from a fire service perspective: “More homeowners are taking proactive steps to create defensible space and meet the standards insurers now look for,” he wrote in an email. “These practices are achievable for most properties in our area, they make a real difference in wildfire risk, and we are seeing insurers remain willing to cover homes that demonstrate strong, well-documented wildfire mitigation actions that follow these guidelines and regulations.”
Sheedy noted that thanks to Measure T, passed by Truckee voters in 2021 to create a dedicated source of local funding for wildfire prevention, the district has expanded its defensible space and home-hardening inspections and increased fuels reduction and green-waste programs, among other increased home survivability efforts.
He added, “We can’t speak on behalf of insurers, but we do believe that communities demonstrating strong, consistent wildfire mitigation work are the ones best positioned over time … As the statewide insurance landscape continues to evolve, our goal is to ensure that the Truckee area is a model of what a well-prepared and wildfire-resilient mountain community looks like.”
The Town of Truckee’s Transparency? So Far, Improving
It’s been a year of considerable self-reflection for the Town of Truckee. After growing outcry over the town’s land development processes and skepticism around an organizational assessment of the town grew to a boiling point in early 2025, a giant reset button was hit in mid-May.
The hope: That three reports meant to analyze the young town’s function internally and externally could provide common ground for groups at odds to move forward in a more unified fashion.
More than 110 recommendations were shared at a May 13 council meeting for the town to address residents’ desire to preserve Truckee’s natural beauty, staffing burnout, processual issues, and more.
Six months later, the rubber has not only hit the road, it’s put mileage on the odometer.
“There’s 15 or 20 [recommendations] that are done,” said Town Manager Jen Callaway, “and we’ve got a ton that are in process that we’re working on — almost 50 of those. We’re making great strides. I think the most probably notable and exciting [one] from a community’s perspective and the staff’s perspective is we just got authorization to execute a [three-year] contract with Cloudpermit [for no more than $182,246]. That’s the permitting software, and we are on target to be live with that in May [2026] at the start of the building season. Pretty rapid progress on that.”
Other notable recommendations that have seen progress the last quarter of 2025:
• Hiring: Council approved 10 of the assessment’s recommended 20 new full-time positions — six of which were for the Truckee Police Department. Staff is 90% through the recruitment process. A new tracking process, NEOGOV, is being used to streamline the ability to collect applications and advance promising individuals.
“What we approved and recommended with this first budget was reclassification of the lieutenants to the captain,” Callaway said specifically of the PD positions. “That required a classification study. We’ve done that; they’ve been reclassified and hired an administrative sergeant … And then an emergency services coordinator, so a second position in emergency services. That recruitment is underway now.”
Administrative Services Department survey: complete
Town fiscal policy updates: 75% complete. Staff intends to bring draft policies to town council for final approval during December.
Enhance town’s credit card procession and payment capabilities: 50% complete
Specific to the town’s planning division, which was recognized as “the biggest organizational/operational challenge facing the town” by the Baker Tilly organizational analysis, staff has incorporated amendments to help “clean up” the development process, Callaway said. The application has also been simplified.
Further, “Our community development director, especially for larger projects, is having more of an initial conversation about timelines, expectations, and trying to understand that better before we even start,” Callaway said. “In addition to the software and the planning on-call hours, the staff is really working hard to try to understand expectations and see if we can meet those, or if we can’t, we’re really clear about why.”
Ed Vento, president and CEO of the Contractors Association of Truckee Tahoe, echoed the sentiment of success. “If you asked me to grade them, I’d give them an A,” he told Moonshine. “I don’t expect perfection; I do expect transparency … The [Cloudpermit] software isn’t going to fix everything, but we expect it to be another tool for staff to use and the public to use toward a better customer service experience.”
CATT members have been able to sit down with engineering and town building staffers to hold discussions on current processes. Vento said he expects the same cooperation and collaboration when meetings with planning staff happen as well.
“Now that both [the town and CATT] have had success, we can approach each other and not think somebody’s up to something,” he continued. “We’ve been able to see each other work. The joke is everyone thinks the town has a conspiracy going. And maybe CATT does too … we both figured out that none of us have the time, the will, and the smarts to work on these conspiracies. We figured out how each other works now and nobody has the time for BS. Is there an issue … with discretion [over design decisions]? Yes, but we’ll address that. We’re taking care of the low-hanging fruit. They’re doing a good job, and I think we are too in communicating.”
It’s no secret that our holiday season in Truckee/Tahoe can be a quintessential winter wonderland. For many, these early winter months are marked with the joy of falling snow, twinkling downtown lights, and our favorite folks gathered around what my mother would call “a rip-roarin’ fire.”
“… IT’S NO COINCIDENCE THAT SO MANY WINTER CELEBRATIONS CLUSTER AROUND WHAT MAY JUST BE THE MOST MAGICAL TIME OF THE YEAR: THE WINTER SOLSTICE.”
In the weeks before Christmas, trees parade like proud passengers atop family cars, gelt (the foil-wrapped chocolate coins given as gifts and game tokens during Hanukkah) reappears on grocery shelves, and elementary school students huddle around craft tables to make ornaments for downtown displays.
As a child at Truckee Elementary, I distinctly remember these ornament-decorating parties. One year, we transformed sheets of white paper into supersized snowflakes; the next, we marbled the inside of transparent globes with acrylic paint and glitter. And while most of our holiday activities centered around Christmas traditions, our teachers still carved out spaces for others. In kindergarten, we munched on latkes and gelt while playing dreidel. For our winter holiday recital, we sang classic Christmas carols side-by-side with “Kwanzaa is Here.”
While nearly all of my schoolmates celebrated Christmas, and nearly none celebrated Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, power remained in the simple practice of acknowledging multiple holiday traditions. That same strength lies in recognizing that our holidays, despite their differences, share important throughlines such as joy, light, renewal, generosity, and gathering.
And it’s no coincidence that so many winter celebrations cluster around what may just be the most magical time of the year: the winter solstice.
For millennia, humans have marked this season with celebrations around the solstice. It’s unclear when exactly these “holidays” began, but archeological sites around the world showcase human architecture intentionally aligned with the path of solstice sun. Stonehenge, for example, marks both the summer solstice — when the sun rises behind the Heel Stone in the northeast to shine its first rays into the structure’s center — and the winter solstice, when the last moments of sun cast long rays directly through the circle’s heart. And predating Stonehenge by over 6,000 years, Karahan Tepe in Turkey was similarly built to cast solstice sunlight on key statues and structural elements throughout the site. Ancient Rome and Greece greeted the solstice with exuberant parties, and Yule festivities celebrated by Germanic peoples came to shape many of the beloved rituals we now associate with Christmas: decorating evergreen trees, feasting, gift-giving and lighting candles to illuminate this short-sunned season.
It’s possible that the timing of contemporary Christmas was also gleaned from solstice celebrations. Early religious scholars showed little interest in pinpointing the day or season of Christ’s birth, and it wasn’t until 336 C.E. that emperor Constantine declared December 25th as Christmas. Because the date of this newly declared “Christmas” lined up so closely with solstice celebrations such as Yule and Zoroastric celebrations of Mithra — god of the sun, whose birthday had long been celebrated on December 25th — its timing is popularly attributed to an effort of the Church to adapt pre-existing celebrations.
And just as Christmas absorbed and reshaped solstice traditions, Hanukkah also transformed, particularly in the United States America.
While of minor religious importance within Judaism, Hanukkah became culturally amplified in the 19th and early 20th centuries as Jewish-American communities sought to establish and distinguish their celebrations alongside the growing prominence of Christmas. Gift giving, not traditionally a component of Hanukkah festivities, was widely adopted to liven the Jewish holiday in hopes that it could metaphorically (and literally) hold a candle to the cultural phenomenon that American Christmas had become.
Kwanzaa, meanwhile, was founded in 1966 by American activist Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga to acknowledge African American and Pan-African heritage, community, and culture. Its name was derived from the Swahili phrase meaning “first fruits,” inspired by the harvest festivals celebrated across the African continent, many of which are held in December near the southern hemisphere’s summer solstice. In India, Hindu celebrations of the solstice take part in January with regionally distinct names and iterations.
LIT UP: A menorah holds nine candles, one for each night of Hanukkah, plus one helper candle called shamash, used to light the others. File photo
Local indigenous communities including the Wašiw, or Washoe, tribe have tracked astronomical movement since time immemorial, developing keen understandings of how the moon, stars, and planets move across the sky. Features throughout Wašiw land indicate a deep-seated understanding of the winter solstice.
With this context — far from exhaustive, yet reflective of our celebrations’ interconnected histories — we come back to our snow-dusted corner of the world.
“AS THE DAYS BEGIN TO LENGTHEN, WE CAN CARRY THIS LIGHT FORWARD WITH THE SIMPLE TRUTH THAT THERE IS MORE UNITING US THAN SETTING US APART.”
The lampposts in downtown Truckee wear candy cane stripes, and carols drift through the evening air in Incline Village as Jennifer Street comes to life with holiday light shows. True to form, the North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation is getting ready for a Hanukkah après ski, complete with hot chocolate and latkes. Coffee shops are brimming with cider and pumpkin spice. Garlands of oranges and cranberries and popcorn drape over door frames. At home, my menorah waits on the coffee table with anticipatory candles.
On Christmas morning, I’ll sip a Bloody Mary. Your kids may be snacking on Santa’s leftovers – after all, how often do they get to eat cookies for breakfast? And many of us will end our night among our favorite people, wrapped in sweaters beside a rip-roarin’ fire.
Whatever individual celebrations are in store for us, we’ve arrived at this season as one community. Together, we’ll move through these shortened days. Beneath the snow, seeds for next spring’s flowers lie waiting, ready to endure a hardy winter. If we’re lucky, this season will offer each of us moments of joy, connection, and reflection.
Kwanzaa celebrates African American and Pan-African culture. File photo
And, even when the holidays come to an end, this early-winter season remains a rallying cry to bring our community closer still. Each day we will be gifted a touch more light and gain a little more time in the sun. If we allow it, this prodigal light can be its own kind of celebration, a quiet call to action. As the days begin to lengthen, we can carry this light forward with the simple truth that there is more uniting us than setting us apart.
May this returning light remind us that we are at our strongest when we honor the many threads that make the Truckee/Tahoe tapestry whole. As the sun lingers a bit longer each day, we can choose to retain the warmth that makes this season feel special. We can choose to look out for our neighbors, to notice what we share, and to step into a new year connected — to one another and to this place we call home.
FIRE and star observances have long been associated with solstice celebrations. File photo
This early winter, catch one or all of these headliners; and know that through the coldest months, the Crystal Bay Club will host one to two shows a week that’ll warm you up. For a comprehensive lineup, showtimes, and tickets, visit crystalbaycasino.com.
The days are short and the nights are cold. It’s a good thing that North Tahoe’s premier indoor music venue’s lineup is as hot as a ski-wax iron. Here are four headliners not to miss.
PIANO MAN: Andy Frasco is that and so much more. Photo by Ryan Salm.
Andy Frasco & the UN
If you’ve ever been to an Andy Frasco show, you know the fun-filled fiasco-fest that awaits: Andy up on stage behind his piano banging away at the keys like Billy Joel on a bender — his multi-instrument, multi-personality band and he composing a chaos-theory jam fest of jubilant joy and boyish jocularity that would make Janis Joplin smile.
The tunes play on. The Jameson bottle perched on the piano passes from performer to performer as your troubles melt into the past and the party really gets going: Andy Frasco & the UN hit the Crown Room stage at the Crystal Bay Club Casino Feb. 3, making your Tuesday rock like Elton on a Saturday night.
The show will be the band’s 28th amid its 38-show nationwide Growing Pains tour. But the baby fat on this bellicose band, now with 10 studio albums and hundreds of primetime sets slayed at concerts and festivals worldwide, has long since given way to a certain man-strength momentum. And thoughunder one of his vintage Los Angeles Lakers basketball jerseys, Andy’s dadbod and shaggy curls may not inspire the image of Adonis, Frasco’s musical energy is high on sex appeal.
With its latest album (also entitled Growing Pains), the UN builds on such sonic successes as its debut, “Love, You’re Just Too Expensive,” 2016’s “Happy Bastard,” and 2022’s “Wash, Rinse, Repeat.” Their sound blends genres and breaks rules. It’s loud. It’s full of movement. It says, “fuck you” and then invites you in like a warm neighbor. It is piano-led blues meets rockabilly with some rasta reggae and a side of soul. It’s a trumpet dueling a sax. It’s Nashville songwriting and a “Smells Like Teen Spirit” cover. It’s rad and it’s good, it’s rock ’n’ roll like it should.
At a 2024 show in Phoenix, Frasco grabbed the mic and rapped about life before starting the set’s final song, his thoughts turning to his mom who’d recently survived leukemia. “It’s like, death is a real thing,” he said. “And it makes you think, what are we going to do with our life? You know, are we going to marinate in shit or get out there and fucking live it every single day?”
On February 3, 2026, with Andy Frasco & the UN in town, there’s the perfect opportunity to get out there and live it.
Dead Winter Carpenters
If our mountain-town air and pow-turn Zen and lazy lake days had a house band, it just might be the Dead Winter Carpenters. The Truckee/Tahoe locals lead with the fiddle and fight the good fight with all their strings and percussion and core-cutting lyrics. They find musical victory with their mix of Americana-roots rock and forward-thinking bluegrass with a little altitude-twang thrown in. They’ve played the Filmore and High Sierra and a ton of other notable locales, including a late-night Sergeant Pepper’s Set (complete with costume and gravitas) at the since-gone Hangtown Music Festival down in Placerville that lifted the roof right off the barn. If you’ve seen what the Carpenters can do on a Sunday afternoon at Commons Beach, this Jan. 24 is the time to see what they can do when the sun’s gone down and the kids have been put to bed.
DOIN’ IT RIGHT: The Dead Winter Carpenters bring a vibe every time they hit the stage. Courtesy photo.
The Polish Ambassador
Having been at the forefront of the EDM/live music fusion-scene for nearly two decades, this international man of funky mystery is bringing his turntables and jumpsuits to North Tahoe this Jan. 16 and 17 for two nights of partying with purpose. He’ll bring the mojo. He’ll lay the beats. He’ll rap. He’ll rock. He’ll bring goddesses on stage with ethereal and ancient voices and vibe in Venn diagrams of sonic soliloquies. He’ll stir the dancefloor as he unleashes his rhythms. He’ll show you that you can be a rockstar even (or especially) if you live off-grid on a 25-acre homestead in the Sierra foothills as a farmer and carpenter who records in a solar-powered studio surrounded by towering trees and fresh air. These ambassadorial nights look to be filled with freedom and connection, with light feet and easy smiles.
MOVEMENT AND FUN AND FUNK and a jumpsuit; the Polish Ambassador gets the crowd going. Courtesy photo.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe
Karl Denson has come a long way since playing sax in the band Sexual Chocolate in Eddie Murphy’s forever-classic Coming to America. In fact, he’s created his own universe — which he brings to town Dec. 26 — and it’s not even that tiny.
THE TINY UNIVERSE that makes a big sound, in front of Karl D. Photo by Ian Rawn Photography
Denson infuses audiences with electricity and soul, his audacious and eclectic ensemble band both backing him up and taking the lead as cosmic forces of musical theory big-bang their way into something very real and tangible and profound. Even though I’m not really supposed to say “I” in these articles, I saw him last spring at the Golden Road Gathering, and I don’t think he’s ever been better. Fine wine gets better with age — and since being the first-ever Bonnaroo late-night act, Karl D’s universe just keeps expanding into interstellar territories that light us up and leave us groovin’.
THE MUSICIAN: Karl Denson doing his thing. Photo by Ian Rawn Photography
This season opens with a potent square between Mars in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces, which will be exact on Dec. 14, and will bring the energy of dissolving illusion through fire. This is a transit of vision becoming reality, where your action will be ignited to align with your soul’s deeper truth.
The new moon in Sagittarius on Dec. 19 activates the inner seeker and sets the stage for a profound winter solstice rebirth on Dec. 21, when the sun begins its return. This energy will offer a feeling of hope and optimism for the coming New Year.
January opens under the glow of a nourishing Cancer full moon on Jan. 3, a sacred invitation to root into emotional safety from within and to honor the tenderness of your true needs. With the full moon conjunct Jupiter in Cancer, this lunation amplifies healing, abundance, and the grace that comes from true self-devotion. By Jan. 18, the Capricorn new moon calls for devotion to what is real, long-lasting and legacy-oriented. Then comes a bold exclamation point on Jan. 27, when Mars meets Pluto in Aquarius for a fusion of raw power and radical self-initiation. This transit feels like a threshold moment, where we shed the shadows of the past and step into the electric momentum of the future.
NATURAL MAGIC
For the Sagittarius new moon and winter solstice portal, light a candle at sunset each evening from Dec. 19 to 21. Write a “vision letter” from your future self, dated one year from now, detailing what you now know, what you have already created, and how you are feeling. Read it aloud all three nights, your speech an invocation to be witnessed by the cosmos. Then, on the night of winter solstice, after reading the letter out loud, burn it in a bowl to release control and anchor trust.
For the Mars and Pluto conjunction in Aquarius on Jan. 27, I recommend a power ritual. Make three columns: 1) How I choose to show up, 2) What I no longer tolerate, and 3) How I protect and direct my power. Then stand tall and, as a vow, speak aloud what you wrote. Afterward, place the paper on your altar or in your journal as a living declaration, something you can return to and reinvoke as needed. When you feel its power has fully integrated into your being, you’ll know it’s time to create a new ritual to reflect your next evolution.
Larry just showed up one day. It was spring, and the bird cherry tree outside my shop on the corner of Donner Pass Road and Spring Street had just burst into bloom. There he sat with an old guitar under the tree, playing folk songs I remembered from childhood.
STRUMMIN’ on the guitar and blowing on the harmonica, Larry with his signature hand-cut bangs. Photos by Heather River.
We exchanged smiles. I offered him a chair and told him he should stay a while. His voice was gentle and strong, and he just fit under that tree.
That summer, Larry became the soundtrack to “my end” of the block. But as summer came to a close, without a word, he was gone. The street went quiet, and winter set in.
You can imagine my surprise and delight when, just as the bird cherry started to bloom again, there was Larry, singing gentle, raspy, and sure. I remember embracing. He was surprised that I remembered him.
The third spring, he texted me and told me he was on his way. I had his chair waiting for him.
Most days he wore a plaid shirt buttoned incorrectly like a child. His long grey hair and self-cut bangs peeked out from under a bucket hat. But, honestly, no one noticed Larry’s appearance; they noticed how he made them feel.
Larry serenaded passersby, some stopping to request a favorite song; and when they sang, Larry would hand them the mic and play accompaniment. People came into the shop to exchange $20 dollar bills for tip money and told us how Larry’s music transported them to a special time — their wedding day, a family road trip, their father’s favorite song. The music Larry played was a gift to people, and they told him that every day.
When someone would ask Larry to play their private event, he’d kindly decline, then disappear for a few days. But as long as you showed Larry you didn’t need him, he would come back.
At first, Larry was a fair-weather friend. The minute the weather changed and his old fingers got too cold, he would return to the coast to play on the Santa Monica Pier. But six years into our friendship, Covid set in. The world shifted, contorting into something he was not familiar with, so Larry made the choice to stay in Truckee year-round.
Those winters, I lay awake wondering if the blankets I’d brought him — and the socks, the vest, the hand warmers — were enough to keep him from freezing in his van. If I didn’t see him in the morning, I was certain he’d succumbed to the cold.
Through snowstorms, sidewalk construction, political unrest, snap freezes in August, 100-degree days in September, Larry played outside my shop for 10 years. He was the melody that stitched the days together, and he sang himself into the story of Truckee.
Through the years, Larry and I collected wheat-back pennies together. Larry and I had a communal leather bag, one he’d hand-stitched with tooth floss. I mostly kept track of the bag, but when Larry’s suspicious nature got hold of him, he would ask for the sack back and store it in his van. The pennies inside would ebb and flow; he’d pawn a few of the really old ones to turn a penny into four dollars and buy himself fried chicken from Safeway.
INSPIRATION: Larry invoked awe and wonder from passersby of all ages.
Before his day of singing, Larry spent his mornings buying batteries for his amplifier and going to the thrift store. He was a bowerbird, often bringing my family and my employees presents — necklaces, metal detectors, wagons, children’s musical instruments, you name it. His guitars and harmonicas were all found, the life played out of them, and Larry played the life back into them.
Larry told me, and he would want me to tell you, that he was an angel, that he spoke with God. Larry would want me to tell you that he was a traveling musician with many children, most of whom he’d never had the pleasure of meeting in person. Larry would want you to know that he traveled the world, a poor boy from Kentucky with just his guitar and an unstoppable need to sing.
I want to say that Larry floated through the world the way cherry blossoms float from the tree once the wind has shaken them loose. He landed softly in places, until the winds whispered that it was time to go.
I don’t know why Larry stayed in Truckee so long. Maybe it was the untethered welcome that our small, transient town showed him. What I do know is that he loved it here.
The last day Larry played outside my shop, I could see he was dying. It was a crisp morning in early spring, and his poor body was just done. Still, somehow, his voice and his hands were able to lead the way. When each song stopped, the pain would return, until the pain became too much and he packed up and went home.
In the last year of his life, Larry’s home was a beautiful and messy apartment. He had lived for so many years in his vehicles that the apartment felt like a palace to him. He was proud of it.
The first time I saw it was the day the hospital called and asked if I’d seen Larry. He hadn’t shown up for a doctor’s appointment, and I was his emergency contact.
Relief hit my body when, after I knocked on his door, I heard his gentle voice. “Come in,” he said.
I opened the door and he greeted me with a smile. He was watching cartoons and drinking a Big Gulp his neighbor had brought him. He could barely move.
We spent the day together. I asked him some big questions. “What do you regret?” “Who did you love the most?” ”Why did you always leave?” “Are you afraid to die?”
Larry answered all my questions with his signature, ethereal voice, detailing memories and retelling stories. When I asked him what his favorite song was, he sang it, his voice suddenly unhindered by pain.
Two weeks later, on the day Larry died, he was surrounded by a few of his many children. They flew long distances to say goodbye. I can only imagine the strange feeling of saying hello and goodbye in one short trip.
As he worked to breathe, I told him it was okay to go. I whispered it quietly into his ear. I knew him, he let me know him, and I felt like it was my place.
Larry would want me to tell you he made some mistakes, big ones. He would want you to know he had regrets, and he lived with them. They took up residency in his weathered skin.
What I want to say is Larry was a beautiful songbird, traveling the world and giving voice to the soundtrack of life. People fed him from their porches, watched him with quiet fondness, and listened so intently that, for a moment, everything disappeared except Larry.
A FEATHER IN HIS HAT and mischievous look in his eye; Larry being Larry.
Larry knew he wasn’t going to have another Christmas, and that made him sad. This holiday, there will be a silence outside Bespoke + Atelier, and that makes me sad. On these crisp December mornings, I will wish that Larry was setting up, ready to sing the season into being, ready to greet passersby whose whole day could be shifted by the right song, and whose whole hearts could be transported by a man, his voice, and an old guitar.
Follow-up to 
