LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – Melissa Joan Hart, actress, producer and director, known for her iconic roles in “Sabrina The Teenage Witch”, “Clarissa Explains It All”, “Drive Me Crazy”, and more, decided there was no better place to celebrate her 50th year around the sun than magical Lake Tahoe.
Hart recalled wanting to visit the basin for the first time while she was on the set of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”.
“I was sitting on one of the camera dollies, and I said to Tony, our camera grip, ‘I’ve never been to Tahoe,’ and he said, ‘Me either!’, so we decided to take a trip up here,” Hart told the Tribune.
It was love at first sight for Hart, who for the past 20 years, has intertwined her life with Lake Tahoe, collecting cherished memories of raising her three sons with husband, Mark Wilkerson at their Lake Tahoe home. From hitting the slopes in the winter to hitting the water in the summer, Hart and her family have grabbed ahold of everything that makes Tahoe special and continues to hold it close.
“This is our real home,” Hart said fondly as she spoke of peaceful moments reading on her deck amongst the pine trees, boat rides on crystal waters, e-bike rides along the East shore and hiking in the Sierra Nevadas.
Naturally, celebrating a landmark birthday with her closest friends and family by her side was something Hart had her sights set on, and Lake Tahoe was the only place she could imagine doing so.
“I always wanted to throw a party up here,” she said. “For 50, I had to get people to my favorite place.”
She planned her 50th birthday bash to follow her actual birthday in April, saying June was that sweet spot between kids graduating and the craziness of July 4, and of course, as a Tahoe local, Hart knew exactly what to do and where to go to keep her guests entertained all weekend long.
First stop on Friday night, June 26 – Bowl Incline.
Hart and her birthday gang, many of whom were also locals, celebrated by knocking down some pins in the beautifully-renovated bowling alley in Incline Village.
The group enjoyed a poké station where they indulged in build-your-own poké bowls with Hart sending compliments to Bowl Incline chefs. For dessert, cannolis from Azzara’s Italian Restaurant, one of Hart’s favorite Italian restaurants.
Saturday morning, June 27, was initially planned for a day out on the water in double-decker pontoon boats with slides from Tahoe Sports Ski Run Boat Co. Due to unexpected weather, they waited out the storm and then hit the beach.
The beach party, which began at sunset, could be considered one of the ultimate Tahoe summer experiences as Hart and her friends and family delighted in live music and ate cake and deliciously savory pizza from Mofo’s Pizza and Pasta.
It turned out to be a beautiful day on Sunday, June 28, as Hart’s group hit up Truckee River Rafting for an epic float down the Truckee River.
“Everyone was like ‘River rafting? I’m too scared!’ and I said, ‘No, it’s like a lazy river,'” she said.
Hart noted that out of the 40-plus guests she hosted for her birthday weekend, roughly 32 of them had never been to Lake Tahoe before.
“I have one of those signs that says, ‘You never know how many friends you have until you own a lake house’, and I’m like ‘This is going to open Pandora’s box,’ she joked, saying she wouldn’t be surprised if they started making plans to come back in the future.
It’s safe to say that Hart’s birthday weekend turned into an unforgettable experience for all who attended.
