September 13 to 19, 2018

I N T H I S I S S U E / / S E P T. 1 3 - 1 9 , 2 0 1 8

MR. TOAD’S TODD SNIDER WILD RIDE VAGABOND AT

A SOUTH SHORE CLASSIC

HEART // RICHARD BLAIR RECREATES LOCAL INVENTS TRUCKEE HISTORY IN SONG // CHEESEMAKING WITH A CHEESEMONGER // RORY CANFIELD PAINTING TAHOE ONE WALL AT A TIME //

HANDS-FREE SUP STRAP

FIND A SUMMER FULL OF EVENTS AT

SQUAWALPINE.COM

HIGH SIERRA LACROSSE

Sept. 13-19, 2018

Volume 37 | Issue 27

P.O. Box 87 | Tahoe City, CA 96145 (530) 546-5995 | f (530) 546-8113 TheTahoeWeekly.com

SUBMISSIONS

Courtesy Rory Canfield

14

TM

12 15

Events & Entertainment Submit at TheTahoeWeekly.com Editorial Inquiries editor@tahoethisweek.com Entertainment Inquiries entertainment@tahoethisweek.com Photography production@tahoethisweek.com

MAKING IT HAPPEN Courtesy Chad Cochran

Publisher & Editor In Chief Katherine E. Hill publisher@tahoethisweek.com, ext. 102 Sales Manager Anne Artoux anne@tahoethisweek.com, ext. 110 Art Director Alyssa Ganong production@tahoethisweek.com, ext. 106

IN THIS ISSUE

Graphic Designer Justeen Ferguson graphics@tahoethisweek.com, ext. 101

SEPT. 13-19, 2018

Entertainment Editor Sean McAlindin entertainment@tahoethisweek.com Food Editor Priya Hutner priya@tahoethisweek.com Copy Editor Katrina Veit Contributing Writers John Dee, Barbara Keck, Bruce Ajari, Mark McLaughlin, David “Smitty” Smith, Priya Hutner, Katrina Veit, Kayla Anderson, Lou Phillips, Sean McAlindin, Tim Hauserman, Alex Green, Lisa Michelle, Cam Schilling

TAHOE WEEKLY is published weekly throughout the summer and biweekly the rest of the year, with occassional extra issues at holiday times by Range of Light Media Group, Inc. Look for new issues on Thursdays.

Subscribe to the free digital edition at issuu.com/ TheTahoeWeekly. Visit TheTahoeWeekly.com.

TAHOE WEEKLY, est. 1982, ©2007. Reproduction in whole or in part without publisher’s express permission is prohibited. Contributions welcome via e-mail. The Weekly is not responsible for unsolicited submissions. Member: North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, North Tahoe Business Association, Incline Community Business Association, Truckee Donner Chamber of Commerce, Tahoe City Downtown Association, Truckee Downtown Merchants Association, Tahoe South Chamber of Commerce and Alpine County Chamber of Commerce. Printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks. Please recycle your copy.

… the mighty Sierra, miles in height, and so gloriously colored and so radiant, it seemed not clothed with light but wholly composed of it, like the wall of some celestial city... Then it seemed to me that the Sierra should be called, not the Nevada or Snowy Range, but the Range of Light.

–John Muir

ON THE COVER Alex Barrett and Julia Bennett enjoy a mountain bike ride in Truckee. The Tahoe Sierra is a mecca for mountain biking with trails galore for every level of rider. Read about Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in this edition and at TheTahoeWeekly.com. For more mountain biking trails, visit TheTahoeWeekly.com and click on Mountain Biking under the Out & About tab.

Photography by Court Leve | CourtLeve.com, @CourtLeve

EXPLORE TAHOE LOCALS’ SUMMER FROM THE PUBLISHER

You may have heard the term Tahoe Locals’ Summer mentioned of late at cafes and restaurants, by outfitters and on cruises, and pondered the meaning. Of course, if you’re in the Tahoe Sierra while you’re reading this, then you probably already know the answer – the time when it slows down just enough to allow hard-working locals, savvy visitors and part-time locals to enjoy the gorgeous months of September and October.

The traffic is not quite so intense and there aren’t quite as many people on vacation during this time, but there’s still an abundance of fun times to enjoy from beautiful, warm days to explore the mountains and the lakes, to great food, wine and beer, and a myriad of events with something for everyone.

Among our favorites picks to enjoy this week are the Donner Party Hikes, the Free Ride Bike Festival, Art & Soul Art Walk, Monet’s Table fundraiser, Sample the Sierra food & wine festival, the Tahoe Fall Classic SUP race, and the Hogs for a Cause fundraiser. And, don’t forget that it’s adventure film season, as well, with showings of “Blood Road,” “The Push” and “The Movie to Keep Squaw True” on tap.

Features

Music Scene

07 SUP Strap

15 Todd Snider

10 Sierra Stories

15 Entertainment Calendar & Live Music

14 Mr. Toads Wild Ride

16 Richard Blair

Out & About 04 Lake Tahoe Facts 06 Sightseeing 07 Events 09 Wet ‘n’ Dirty 11 Golf Column

Local Flavor 19 Tasty Tidbits 19 Cheesemaking 21 Wine Column 22 Chef’s Recipe

11 Golf Courses 13 Family Fun

Arts & Culture 12 Rory Canfield 13 The Arts

Fun & Games 18 Puzzles 18 Horoscope

Then, take time to explore the trails and lakes, including a favorite locals’ mountain biking ride – Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride as Sean McAlindin recently enjoyed for a story in this edition. Visit TheTahoeWeekly.com to read about our favorite outdoor adventures from hiking and mountain biking trails to golf, local beaches, paddleboarding and kayaking, and much more. Click on the Out & About tab and start exploring. 

Find us at TheTahoeWeekly.com | Keep up-to-date at

Facebook.com/TheTahoeWeekly & Instagram

@TheTahoeWeekly 3

TheTahoeWeekly.com

LAKE TAHOE FACTS |

Read about how the lake was formed, Lake Tahoe’s discovery, lake clarity and more at TheTahoeWeekly.com. Click on Explore Tahoe.

GRAY ’S CROSSING

COYOTE MOON

TAHOE DONNER

Reno & Sparks

TRUCKEE AIRPORT

Donner Lake Donner Summit

OLD GREENWOOD

Truckee

BOCA RESERVOIR

DONNER LAKE

STAMPEDE RESERVOIR

GRAEAGLE MEADOWS

ho Ta

N

GRIZZLY RANCH WHITEHAWK RANCH NAKOMA

Incline Village

Tahoe Vista

TAHOE CITY

RESORT AT SQUAW CREEK

Tahoe City

Alpine Meadows

LAKE FOREST

Dollar Hill

TAHOE CITY MARINA

Sunnyside SUNNYSIDE

l

Ta h o e R i m

GOLF COURSES

ai Tr

NORTH TAHOE

NV

TAHOE VISTA REC AREA

HOMEWOOD

SAND HARBOR

Lake

Glenbrook o Ta h

OBEXER’S

e Ri m Tr a i l

Meeks Bay

Fed By: 63 streams and 2 hot springs

Cave Rock

Only Outlet: Truckee River (Tahoe City)

Average Water Temperature: 42.1˚F

Emerald Bay

Zephyr Cove South Lake Tahoe

Average Surface Temperature in July: 64.9˚F Highest Peak: Freel Peak at 10,881 feet Average Snowfall: 409 inches

Stateline

Fannette Island

TAHOE KEYS

Cascade Lake

LAKESIDE

R i m Tr ail

Fallen Leaf Lake

Meyers

LAKE TAHOE AIRPORT

Lake Tahoe is as long as the English Channel is wide.

Shoreline: 72 miles

BIJOU

CAMP RICHARDSON

Ta h oe

Natural rim: 6,223’

Size: 22 miles long, 12 miles wide

SKI RUN

Average Surface Water Temperature: 51.9˚F

There is enough water in Lake Tahoe to supply everyone in the United States with more than 75 gallons of water per day for 5 years.

EDGEWOOD TAHOE

CAVE ROCK

Watershed Area: 312 square miles

Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the U.S. (Crater Lake in Oregon, at 1,932 feet, is the deepest), and the 11th deepest in the world.

Lake Tahoe sits at an average elevation of between 6,223’ and 6,229.1’. The top 6.1’ of water is controlled by the dam in Tahoe City and holds up to 744,600 acre feet of water.

CA

MEEKS BAY

Maximum depth: 1,645 feet

Volume: 39 trillion gallons

Tahoma Age of Lake Tahoe: 2 million years

Carson City

Homewood

CASINOS

Lake Clarity: 2017: 59.7 feet avg. depth.

1968: First recorded at 102.4 feet Average depth: 1,000 feet

Marlette Lake

Spooner Lake

Tahoe

Eagle Rock

DEEPEST POINT

COON ST. BOAT LAUNCH

SIERRA BOAT CO.

INCLINE VILLAGE CHAMPIONSHIP

Crystal Bay

Kings Beach

Carnelian Bay

Olympic Valley

BOAT RAMPS

INCLINE VILLAGE MOUNTAIN

OLD BROCKWAY

FEATHER RIVER PARK

MARINAS

eR

NORTHSTAR

Truckee River

WEST EAST SOUTH

Lake Tahoe is located in the states of California and Nevada, with two-thirds in California.

i m Tr a

il

SCHAFFER’S MILL

PLUMAS PINES

RENO-TAHOE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

PROSSER RESERVOIR

PONDEROSA

FREEL PEAK

Lake Tahoe has a surface area of 191 square miles. If Lake Tahoe were emptied, it would submerge California under 15 inches of water.

TAHOE PARADISE

Permanent Population: 66,000

LAKE TAHOE

Number of Visitors: 3 million annually

Kirkwood

LIVE LEARN LAKE TAHOE Sierra Nevada College is Tahoe’s private 4-year college.

For the last 50 years, SNC Tahoe has been providing innovative education on the North Shore with small class sizes, renowned faculty and a classroom like no other The Tahoe Basin 4

sierranevada.edu/visit

Markleeville

999 Tahoe Blvd, Incline Village, Nevada - 775.831.1314

Why is the lake blue?

The Lake of the Sky appears blue in color as other colors in the light spectrum are absorbed and the blue light is scattered back.

VISIT SNC TAHOE

Experience what getting an education on the lake is all about Visit Us - Get Admitted:

Fall Admissions Days October 12 & November 2

A Mt. Rose Season Pass Is Pure

Ski Freedom!

Season Passes make it easy to ski whenever, however, you want.

M

ONE OF THE LONGEST SKI SEASONS IN THE REGION, WITH TAHOE’S HIGHEST BASE ELEVATION: 8260’

MY PASS

MY pass +

midweek

f

s

s

holiday

adult 16+/child 6-15

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The MY Pass + (2 days midweek) and Midweek + Sunday (Sunday thru Friday) are two more ways to get the most out of your ski season!

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Holidays 2018/19:

Prices Valid Through Sept. 30

Christmas - Dec 26-29, MLK - Jan 19-20, President’s - Feb 16-17

$135 Window Ticket

The most convenient access from Reno AND North Lake Tahoe

Located just 10 minutes from incline village 80

TRUCKEE

RENO 267

431

INCLINE VILLAGE

89

395

LAKE TAHOE

TAHOE CITY

28

50

50

STATELINE

CARSON CITY

Find your perfect Mt. Rose season pass at skirose.com Best rates now through September 30.

Planned OPENING – OCT 26!

LAKE LEVEL Lake Tahoe Natural rim 6,223’

Readings taken on Friday, September 7, 2018 ELEVATION :

RESERVOIR CAPACITY

Explore Tahoe

South Lake Tahoe

Tahoe Art League Gallery South Lake Tahoe

(530) 542-2908 | cityofslt.us Urban Trailhead at base of Heavenly Gondola with local exhibits and programs. BlueGo

(530) 544-2313 | talart.org Featuring local artists and workshops. Second location at Ski Run Center. BlueGo

Fannette Island

Emerald Bay

Tahoe City

North Shore

(530) 541-3030 | parks.ca.gov Lake Tahoe’s only island is located in Emerald Bay & is home to an old tea house. Boat access only. (Closed Feb. 1-June 15 for nesting birds.)

TART/BlueGo

visittahoecity.com Enjoy shopping, dining and historical sites.

Visitors may see the Tahoe City Dam, Lake Tahoe’s only outlet, and Fanny Bridge. Peer into Watson Cabin (1909) for a glimpse at pioneer life. TART

Heavenly

Tahoe City Field Station

South Lake Tahoe

North Shore

(775) 586-7000 | skiheavenly.com Enjoy a 2.4-mile ride on the gondola to the top with panoramic views of Lake Tahoe and the Carson Valley. Ticket required. BlueGo

Summer | (530) 583-3279 | terc.ucdavis.edu Featuring a history of the field station, current UC Davis research projects, interactive exhibits and demonstration garden. Ages 8+. TART

Hellman-Ehrman Mansion

Tallac Historic Site

West Shore

Parking fee | parks.ca.gov (530) 525-7232 Park | (530) 583-9911 Tours Sugar Pine Point State Park is home to the historic Ehrman Mansion (summer tours), see boathouses with historic boats and General Phipps Cabin built in the late 1800s. TART

High Camp

Olympic Valley

(800) 403-0206 | squawalpine.com Aerial tram rides with views of Lake Tahoe, Olympic Heritage Museum, events and more.

Ticket required. TART

Kings Beach

North Shore

northtahoebusiness.org Kings Beach is a popular spot for dining and shopping with the North Shore’s largest sandy beach located in the heart of town. Free parking at North Tahoe Beach, Brook Street, Minnow and the Christmas Tree lot on Hwy. 28. TART

South Lake Tahoe

(530) 541-5227 | tahoeheritage.org Once known as the “Grandest Resort in the World,” the Baldwin Estate, Pope Estate & Valhalla were summer retreats for three elite San Francisco families with. Grounds open year-round. BlueGo

Taylor Creek Visitor Center South Lake Tahoe (530) 543-2674 | fs.usda.gov Features Stream Profile Chamber to view slice of Taylor Creek, nature trails & more. BlueGo

Thunderbird Lodge

East Shore

May-October | thunderbirdtahoe.org This magnificent lakefront home is the former Whittell estate. Featuring the Lighthouse Room, Old Lodge, 600’ underground tunnel and Boat House, home to the “Thunderbird,” a 1939 wooden boat. Ages 6+ only. No on-site parking.

Tours by reservation only.

RESERVOIR CAPACITY

| FLOW AT FARAD 514 Truckee River CAPACITY CAPA P CITY: T : 40, 40,870 0

IN 2017:

6,228.53

225

200,000 AF

175

6,227.83 |

Measured in Cubic Feet Per Second (CFS)

BOCA 26,843

Truckee 205,379 STAMPEDE

150,000 AF

100,000 AF

ELEVATION :

TROA.NET

Measured in Acre Feet (AF)

KidZone Children’s Museum

CAPACITY: C 226,500

truckeehistory.org CAPACITY: 29,840 PROSSER 16,523| truckee.com An 1863 stagecoach stop and route for the CAPACITY: C 9,500 50 of Truckee’s DONNER 7,715 Central Pacifi c Railroad, many historical homes and buildings were built at this CAPACITY: 18,300 C INDEPENDENCE 16,293Hotel time including The Truckee (1868) and the Capitol BuildingCAPACITY: (1868).

Stop by the Depot for A 20,400 MARTIS 859 a walking tour. Paid parking downtown. TART

Truckee

Tues.-Sun. | Locals’ first Tues. half price (530) 587-5437 | kidzonemuseum.org For babies and kids up to age 7 with interactive exhi-bits, science & art classes. TART

Lake Tahoe Museum

South Lake Tahoe 225

Tahoe City

(530) 581-2787 | northtahoearts.com Featuring exhibits of work by local artists and works for sale by local artists. TART

Readings taken on Friday, September 7, 2018

200,000 AF

North Tahoe Arts Center

75

(775) 586-1610, ext. 25 | demogarden.org Learn about lake-friendly landscaping with native and adaptive plants, water conservation, soil stabilization, defensible space from wildfires & BMPs. Self-guided tours & clinics. TART

25

Eagle Rock, one of the lake’s famous natural sites, is a volcanic plug beside Highway 89 on the West Shore. Trail to top is on the south side. TART

Incline Village

| Katherine E. Hill

CAPACITY: 18,300 C

LAKE LEVEL A 20,400 MARTIS 859 CAPACITY: Lake Tahoe Natural rim 6,223’

150,000 AF

West Shore

INDEPENDENCE 16,293

North Lake Tahoe Demonstration Garden

Exploring the old railroad tunnels on Donner Summit off Old 40.

125

Eagle Rock

CAPACITY: 9,500 C 50

50

Drive through one of the area’s natural wonders, the neck of an old volcano. Cave Rock is named for the small caves above Highway 50 that were cut by waves when Lake Tahoe was 200 feet higher during the ice ages.

CAPACITY: 29,840

50

East Shore

DONNER 7,715

25

Cave Rock

PROSSER 16,523

CAPACITY: C 226,500

100,000 AF

ATTRACTIONS

STAMPEDE 205,379

6,228.53

Measured in Acre Feet (AF)

75

SIGHTSEEING

IN 2017:

CAPACITY CAPA P CITY: T : 40, 40,870 0

125

BOCA 26,843

6,227.83 |

175

TheTahoeWeekly.com

(530) 541-5458 | laketahoemuseum.org Washoe artifacts and exhibits on early 514 in Cubic Feet Per Second (CFS) TROA.NET Vikingsholm Castle| FLOW AT FARAD Emerald Bay MeasuredFeatures Truckee River industry, settlers and archival films of Tahoe. BlueGo (530) 541-3030 | (530) 525-9529 ADA Parking fee | parks.ca.gov or vikingsholm.com Old Jail Museum Truckee Tour the grounds of Vikingsholm Castle (530) 582-0893 | truckeehistory.org (summer tours), see Eagle Falls and Fannette Island (the Lake’s only island), home to an old One of a few surviving 19th Century jailhouses Tea House. TART/BlueGo of its kind in the West used from 1875 until May 1964 (summer tours). TART

Watson Cabin

Tahoe City

(530) 583-1762 | northtahoemuseums.org Watson Cabin, built by Robert Watson and his son in 1909, is the oldest building in Tahoe City and on the National Register of Historic Places. (summer tours). TART

MUSEUMS Donner Memorial Visitor Center

Truckee

Olympic Museum

Olympic Valley

(800) 403-0206 | squawalpine.com Squaw Valley, host of the VIII Winter Olympic Games in 1960, celebrates its Olympic History with the Tower of Nations with its Olympic Flame. The Olympic Museum at High Camp features historic memorabilia and photographs.

Tram ticket required. TART

Tahoe Maritime Museum

Tahoe City

(530) 582-7892 | parks.ca.gov The Donner Memorial State Park features exhibits and artifacts on the Donner Party (184647) at the visitor center, and see the towering Pioneer Monument. TART

(530) 583-9283 | tahoemaritimemuseum.org Features guided tours, exhibits and hands-on activities for kids on Tahoe’s maritime history. TART

Donner Summit Historical Society

(775) 881-7566 | tahoesciencecenter.org University of California, Davis, science education center at Sierra Nevada College. Exhibits include a virtual research boat, biology lab, 3D movies and docent-led tours. Ages 8+. TART

Soda Springs

donnersummithistoricalsociety.org Museum at Old Highway 40 & Soda Springs Road. Take the 20-mile interpretive driving tour along Old 40. Maps online or at museum. TART

Gatekeeper’s Museum

Tahoe City

(530) 583-1762 | northtahoemuseums.org Featuring historic photos, local memorabilia, and the Steinbach Indian Basket Museum. TART

Tahoe Science Center

Truckee Railroad Museum

Incline Village

Truckee

truckeedonnerrailroadsociety.com Located in a caboose next to the Truckee Depot. Exhibits include the train’s role in logging, fighting snow on the railway, the role of Chinese emigrants and a children’s area. TART

PUBLIC TRANSIT: NORTH SHORE & TRUCKEE | laketahoetransit.com / SOUTH SHORE | bluego.org

RENTALS | TOURS | LESSONS | SALES | DELIVERY

$5 OFF Rentals & Tours Must mention ad at booking & present upon arrival.

LABOR DAY SALE EXTENDED! HOBIE MIRAGE PEDAL KAYAKS, ULTRALIGHT EDDYLINES, AND MORE!

Experience Lake Tahoe Learn to TAHOE CITY

Shop at 521 North Lake Blvd.

Rentals on the water at Commons Beach SAND HARBOR STATE PARK

Rentals next to the boat ramp

Reservations 530.581.4336 6

|

TahoeCityKayak.com & SandHarborRentals.com

Water Ski · Wakeboard · Wakesurf

Jet Ski Rentals (2015 Sea-Doo GTS 130) & Boat Charters

(530) 525-7962 - ObexersBoat.com Obexer’s Marina - 5300 West Lake Blvd. - Homewood, CA

Out

OUTDOORS & RECREATION, EVENTS & MORE

&ABOUT

LOCAL INVENTS HANDS-FREE STRAP

S E P T. 1 3 - 2 0 , 2 0 1 8

SEPTEMBER 13 | THURSDAY

S T O R Y B Y K AY L A A N D E R S O N | P H O T O S B Y D I A N E H E M M E R T

Conversation Café Aspen Grove Community Center | Incline Village Participate with people sharing diverse views. 10:15-11:15 a.m. | (775) 832-1310

Help with computers Kings Beach Library | Kings Beach

Courtesy Northstar

Ongoing computer help. Second Thursdays are “Computers Questions with Carl LeBlanc.

3-4 p.m. | placer.ca.gov

Tahoe Sports Hub | Truckee

OUT & ABOUT

Carrying a SUP just got easier

EVENTS CALENDAR

Truckee Chamber Mixer

Sept. 13-19, 2018

Tahoe Sports Hub invites all chamber members for a Chamber Mixer downtown. 5-7 p.m.

Free | chamber.truckee.com

A

drift Tahoe in Kings Beach is pretty close to Lake Tahoe, but a lot of standup paddleboarders aren’t as fortunate to be next to his or her favorite body of water. Rather most paddleboarders forced to carry their cumbersome boards for some distance before reaching water.

Fortunately, Diane Hemmert invented a solution that makes carting a paddleboard to the water a little easier.

Hemmert learned how to SUP at Adrift Tahoe. She calls the sport “the antidote to skiing.” She took a trip to Maui, Hawaii, a few years ago and rented a paddleboard from one of the nearby board shops to take to the ocean. But after lugging the

Lake Tahoe Wildfire Prevention Workshop North Tahoe Fire Protection District | Tahoe City Join the Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities to learn how to prepare your family and home for wildfire. In the Tahoe Basin it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when the next wildfire will occur. 5:30-7 p.m.

Free | fs.usda.gov

“Blood Road” film showing Black Bear Lodge | South Lake Tahoe

World-class endurance athlete Rebecca Rusch is coming to The Black Bear Lodge. She’ll show her movie “Blood Road” on an outdoor screen. Proceeds will go to TAMBA to build The Lily Lake Trail. 7 p.m. | bloodroadfilm.com

SEPTEMBER 14 | FRIDAY Tahoe City Historic Walking Tour Outside Blue Agave Restaurant | Tahoe City

Tahoe City Historic Walking tour includes facts and figures about beautiful Lake Tahoe, as well as information about the wilderness that surrounds. Meet at outside Blue Agave Restaurant. Free | (530) 448-4143, mountaintowntours.

Balls in the Ruff Golf Tournament Tahoe Donner Golf Course | Truckee

Tahoe Donner Golf Course will host a scramble-style tournament to benefit the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe. 12-7 p.m. | (530) 587-5948, hstt.org

Cool Car Cruizen Fridays Heavenly Village | South Lake Tahoe

Join the fun every Friday until Oct. 12. 5-8 p.m. Free | goodsamsaferide.com

Greenhouse Gas Policies Near and Far Sierra College, Tahoe | Truckee

Explore the nascent but complex and fast-moving world of greenhouse gas policies.

7-8:15 p.m. | sierracollege.ticketleap.com

The Movie to Keep Squaw True Truckee Community Theater | Truckee

Premiere of “The Movie to Keep Squaw True.” 7:30-9:30 p.m. | (530) 265-2849, sierrawatch.org

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

After lugging the paddleboard two and a half blocks to the ocean, she realized there had to be a more efficient way of getting it to the water. board two and a half blocks, she realized there had to be a more efficient way of getting it to the water— especially for those who don’t live next to an ocean, lake or river.

“My forearm and my fingertips hurt so badly,” Hemmert says. “I did that two times before looking for a strap. I tried other straps, but they were large and I didn’t want to leave it on the beach for fear that it would disappear. They were too cumbersome for my liking. I felt that I could create a strap that was smaller and more condensable.”

In turn, she created a mechanism with which one can easily transport the board, that relieves the neck, forearms and hands, called the SUPrSTRAP. It has multiple functions, from the strap itself to the bag it comes in. The strap rolls up into a neoprene lining that wraps around the ankle while paddleboarding.

Hemmert returned from that Maui trip with what she calls a divinely inspired idea that she was excited to pursue. She soon found the Nevada Inventors Association in Reno, Nev., and leaned on surfer Matt Pasamonte, who worked at the Maui board shop, 808 Boards, where she had rented a paddleboard.

“808 Boards in Maui has been really instrumental in helping me with this.

Matt was my creative contributor, con-

stantly telling me what worked and didn’t work. He helped me get over the hump [of bringing the product to market],” said Hemmert.

To follow through on the idea, though, she relied on her contacts and resources in Maui, the Nevada Inventors Association and an inventors’ consultant to find the right materials.

“There were so many ups and downs you can’t even predict,” she says.

Hemmert worked on the design for about a year and a half before releasing her first prototype in 2016. She gave a few SUPrSTRAPs out to paddleboarders in Hawaii, Lake Tahoe and Oregon, and received positive feedback. One of her friends said she uses it to transport her massage table.

The strap can also be used to hang a paddleboard for storage.

“This was designed for multitasking women in mind,” Hemmert says. “Everything about it has multiuse. People say it’s great and that they love it; families say they fight over who gets to use it on their board. It’s also becoming a popular thing that men buy for their wives,” she says.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Michael Vebow demonstrates how the strap works; The strap can also be used to store paddleboards; The strap can be wrapped around the ankle while paddleboarding.

The SUPrSTRAP allows anyone to carry any large awkward items hands free by hooking it around the bottom of the item and then on the outside of the shoulder. There’s even a spot to hold the paddle.

It is currently sold at Adrift Tahoe, Marina PaddleFit & Rentals in Sparks, Nev., and online. Hemmert says she is thrilled that the place she learned to paddleboard is carrying SUPrSTRAP and that it’s starting to get noticed. She notes that the best way to become more familiar with the SUPrSTRAP is to watch the videos on the Web site. Next, Hemmert plans on improving her design by integrating a SUP leash function. | suprstraps.com  7

OUT & ABOUT

TheTahoeWeekly.com

EVENTS SEPTEMBER 15 | SATURDAY Donner Party Hikes Donner Summit | Norden

Courtesy Donner Party Hikes

Hikers can travel the footsteps of early emigrants’ journey across the Sierra Nevada. | donnerpartyhike.com

TAKE A

( H I STO R I C A L ) H I K E

Hikers can explore the most historically significant square mile in California on Sept.

15 and 16 in the 26th annual Donner Party Hikes. There will be stories, historic photographs, exercise, scenery and fun. Participants can choose from seven hikes on Sept.

15 and a walking tour or a bus tour on Sept. 16. All hikes offer interesting insight into Donner Summit history from local area guides, along with invigorating recreation and beautiful scenery.

Saturday’s hikes begin and end at Sugar Bowl’s Judah Lodge located on Highway 40 on Donner Summit. Guides will lead groups of approximately 15 to 20 people to interpretive spots giving detailed historical information. In the afternoon, hikers will enjoy a hamburger lunch, music by Richard Blair and a presentation by local historian Jim Bonar, an expert on the Lincoln Highway.

There are seven hike options of varying length in between 3 and 6 miles offered on Sept. 15. Explore the Dutch Flat Donner Lake Wagon Road and 1913 Corridor Lincoln Highway with views of petroglyphs, old roadside billboards and the China Wall. Hike up Roller Pass and Mount Judah to see where wagon trains were winched up over the granite. Discover pristine High Sierra Lakes, explore Summit Valley and Native American grinding rocks or check out the railroad snow sheds. Each hike is unique and memorable.

On Sept. 16, a more relaxed walking tour departs from the Donner Camp Picnic Area, located 2.5 miles north of Truckee on State Route 89. Following the walking tour where guides will detail the Donner Party’s encampment, participants will drive to Donner Memorial State Park to hear more about the Donner Party, the Pioneer Monument, visit the Murphy’s Cabin Site and the visitors’ center. An alternative is a bus tour of Donner Summit historic sites: petroglyphs, grinding rocks, emigrant wagon-wheel rust marks, the Lincoln Highway and more.

Space is limited for all events and reservations are required. Tickets for Sept. 15 hikes is $60 per hiker. Sept. 16’s walking tour is part of a two-day package and includes the guided walk and entrance to the visitors’ center. The two-day hike package is $85 per hiker. The bus tour of historic Donner Summit is $35. | donnerpartyhike.com

MARKET PLACE

Call (530) 546-5995, ext. 110, to be included in Home Improvement.

Great Sierra River Cleanup Area venues | Tahoe City

Join the 10th annual Great Sierra River Cleanup in conjunction with California Coastal Cleanup day. Register. 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Free | (530) 541-5388, keeptahoeblue.org

throughout its history. Meet at Gatekeeper’s Museum. 10-11:30 a.m. Free | (530) 448-4143, mountaintowntours.wordpress.com

SEPTEMBER 18 | TUESDAY Ink(ubator) Tahoe Mountain Lab | South Lake Tahoe

Join a roundtable discussion for entrepreneurs. Talk about your latest endeavor, roadblock and success. Get help and advice or give some out to someone else. 6-8 p.m. | tahoemountainlab.com

Adventure Van Expo

Tahoe Tech: Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin and Blockchain

Homewood Mountain Resort | Homewood

Incline Village Library | Incline Village

This is a free show to the public-all about adventure vans, how they are built, seeing the insides, meeting the builders, along with food trucks and music. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free | (530) 448-1944, adventurevanexpo.com

What is Cryptocurrency and what are the benefits and potential pitfalls for investors, businesses and government? Join a panel discussion and learn about the emerging world of digital currency. 6:30-8 p.m. | (775) 832-4130, libraryaware.com

Heritage Days Tallac Historic Site | South Lake Tahoe

Join the family-friendly Heritage Days.

Explore what life would have been like visiting Lake Tahoe in the 1920s at the estates. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free | tahoeheritage.org

Truckee History with Barbara Czerwinski & Heidi Sproat Donner Memorial State Park Visitor Center | Truckee

Barbara Czerwinski and Heidi Sproat from the Donner Party Hike will talk about Truckee’s historical and pivotal moments that lead Truckee to be the town it is today. 5-6:30 p.m.

Free | (530) 583-9911, sierrastateparks.org

High Fives Gala Northstar California’s Zephyr Cove | Zephyr Cove Join the High Fives gala fine dining experience and fundraiser. 21+. Free | sierraprospect.com

SEPTEMBER 20 | THURSDAY River Talk Truckee River Watershed Council office | Truckee

Join a short, informational River Talk about past and present threats to the Truckee River and how to help restore and protect it. Learn how human impact has damaged the Truckee River Watershed and hear about the work the Watershed Council is doing to reverse this damage. RSVP (530) 550-8760, ext. 5. 8-9 a.m.

Free | truckeeriverwc.org

Conversation Café Aspen Grove Community Center | Incline Village

This is a drop-in conversation forum every week except holidays. Participate with people sharing diverse views and a passion for engaging with others over topics and news. 10:1511:15 a.m. | (775) 832-1310

Help with computers SEPTEMBER 16 | SUNDAY Donner Party Hikes Donner Summit | Norden

Hikers can travel the footsteps of early emigrants’ journey across the Sierra Nevada. | donnerpartyhike.com

SEPTEMBER 17 | MONDAY Tahoe City Waterfront Tour Gatekeeper’s Museum | Tahoe City

This fun and informative tour focuses on Tahoe City and the waters of Lake Tahoe

SIDESHOW BOB’S

Kings Beach Library | Kings Beach

Ongoing computer help. First Thursdays of the month are “Exploring the Interweb,” second Thursdays are “Computers Questions with Carl LeBlanc,” third Thursdays are “Everything iPhone” and fourth Thursdays are differing themes about technology. 3-4 p.m. | placer.ca.gov

North Lake Tahoe Chamber Mixer Sierra Nevada College | Incline Village

Have a cold beverage and Aaron’s delicious appetizers, and meet your neighbors. The mixer is a great networking opportunity for our community members, current students and alumni.

4 p.m. | (530) 581-8778, gotahoenorth.com

Fall Trails Bash

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Join a benefit with drinks, appetizers, a raffle, music by Richard Blair and more for Truckee Trails Foundation. 4-7 p.m. | truckeetrails.org

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One Degree of Change Speaker Series Our mission is to reduce the incidence of hunger and its detrimental effects upon individuals, families, the community and the region.

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MONDAYS TAHOE CITY

WEDNESDAYS KINGS BEACH

3:00pm to 3:30pm Fairway Community Ctr. 330 Fairway Dr.

3:00pm to 3:30pm Community House 265 Bear St.

TUESDAYS TRUCKEE

THURSDAYS INCLINE VILLAGE

3:30pm to 4pm Sierra Senior Center 10040 Estates Dr.

3:00pm to 3:30pm St. Patrick’s Church 341 Village Blvd.

(775) 298-4161

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Duke Theatre | South Lake Tahoe

Join a free series of community conversations highlighting opportunities to elevate the South Lake Tahoe area. 6:30-8 p.m. | ltcc.edu

Visit the Event Calendar at TheTahoeWeekly.com for a complete list of events.

Sept. 13-19, 2018

OUT & ABOUT

Wet ‘n’ Dirty Courtesy “The Push”

Visit the Event Calendar at TheTahoeWeekly.com for a complete list of events.

Mountain bike to Lower Carpenter Valley Lower Carpenter Valley | Truckee | Sept. 15

Enjoy a docent-led, 8+ mile ride on mostly flat terrain on surface streets from the Alder Creek Adventure Center to Carpenter Valley Road, then along somewhat rough roads.

8:30-11 a.m. | tdlandtrust.org

Tamarack Trail Days Mt. Rose trailhead | Incline Village | Sept. 15

Join TAMBA for a trail work day. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free | tamba.org

Volunteer Trail Work Day TD Trail System | Truckee | Sept. 15

Give back and help construct a new trail between the Teton and Glacier trailheads. | tahoedonner.com

“THE PUSH”

F I L M M A K E S LO C A L D E B U T The award-winning documentary, “The Push” comes to Reno, Nev., for a screening on Sept. 13 at the Pioneer Center, as first reported at TheTahoeWeekly.com. This documentary features the struggles of Grant Korgan after he burst-fractured his L1 vertebrae while filming a snowmobiling movie in the Sierra Nevada back country, his recovery and his 2012 journey to the South Pole on a sit-ski. Tickets are $22 and the show starts at 7 p.m. Read more about the film and watch the trailers at TheTahoeWeekly.com. | Tickets pioneercenter.com Local film showings | Visit TheTahoeWeekly.com for details on film showings, trailers & tours. Click on Adventure & Environment Films under the Out & About Tab. •“The Movie to Keep Squaw True” •“Ode to Muir” • Reel Rock 13 •“Zig Zag”

•“All In” •“Blood Road” •“Face of Winter” •“Far Out”

Echo Summit work day

E X C L U S I V E C O N T E N T AT

TheTahoeWeekly.com

• The latest ski resort opening dates • Expanded snowmaking, renovated lodge at Alpine Meadows • Squaw to go 100% renewable by Dec. 1 • New chairlift for Tahoe Donner Downhill • Spooner Lake, Tahoe Rim Trail closures • New Lake Tahoe Water Trail Web site launches

Birding Opportunities Area Venues | Tahoe City | Sept. 16, Sept. 18

Late summer and early fall is migration season, which means a lot of opportunities to get outside with Tahoe Institute of Natural Science. If you are new to birding, do not fret, we have extra binoculars to lend. | tinsweb.org

Mount Lola and Coldstream Meadows hike Mount Lola | Truckee | Sept. 16

Come join the Truckee Donner Land Trust on a strenuous 11.6-mile roundtrip hike to the top of Mount Lola and enjoy this rugged walk through mature red fir forests while ascending to the summit of the mountain where you can take in the spectacular 360-degree views of the Sierra Crest, Sierra Buttes and beyond. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. | tdlandtrust.org

55+ Hiking Series Area Venues | Incline Village | Sept. 18

Hikers age 55 and older can visit different Tahoe locales as part of IVGID Senior Programs. Meet in Incline Village Recreation Center lobby. Bring water, lunch and wear appropriate clothing and shoes. 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. | yourtahoeplace.com

Spooner Summit Workday Spooner South Trailhead | Glenbrook | Sept. 18

Join a fun day of trail maintenance south of Spooner Summit. Meet at the Spooner Summit South trailhead carpool close to the work site. A hike with tools up to 2 miles may be required. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | tahoerimtrail.org

Village at Northstar Wine Walk, bike skills clinics, Northstar Enduro Race, Bosche Boogaloo E-Bike Race, Northstar Downhill Bike Race and more. | (800) 466-6784, northstarcalifornia.com

Echo Summit | Echo Lake | Sept. 13, 15, 20

Join a fun day on a reroute of the PCT/TRT near Echo Summit. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | tahoerimtrail.org

Stetina’s Sierra Prospect Ride Richardson Lake work day

High Five Foundation | Truckee | Sept. 14, 15, 16

Rubicon Trail Staging Area | Sept. 13,15

Join Peter Stetina for a journey to Nevada’s aird desert from Tahoe’s crystal water and back. | highfivesfoundation.org

Join a fun day on the trail rehabilitating the trail near Richardson Lake. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | tahoerimtrail.org

Hike to Loch Levon Lakes Free-Ride Festival

Loch Levon Lakes | Truckee | Sept. 15

Northstar California Resort | Truckee | Sept. 14

Enjoy a bicycle demo event open to the public, multiple mountain bike races, road bike rallies, on-bike clinics and off-bike activities for all levels of cyclists and non-cyclists. Includes the

The open terrain near the beginning of the trip and round the lakes periodically provides fine views of the surrounding countryside. 6 to 8 miles roundtrip. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free | (530) 448-1643, carmencarr.com

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9

FEATURE

TheTahoeWeekly.com

SIERRA STORIES

BY MARK McLAUGHLIN

Truckee Vig ilantes, Part IV | T h e K i l l i n g o f D . B . F r i n k The Hooligan Rock plaque and rock is located in the Gateway Shopping Center.

n the 1870s and 1880s, most of Truckee’s residents and businessmen backed the unauthorized policing provided by vigilantes who rid the town of undesirable criminals, thugs and sometimes unruly prostitutes on Jibboom Street in the red-light district behind Commercial Row storefronts.

Even so, the men in the covert 601 kept their identities secret to protect themselves from local law enforcement or revenge by acquaintances or fellow gang members of those beaten and tarred and feathered by the extrajudicial anti-crime organization. They ran their clean-up operations in the dark of night, wore low hats and bandannas to conceal their faces and sported long duster overcoats that hid their street clothes.

Despite community support due to a fanciful perception that the vigilantes filled a law enforcement vacuum and were helping the town’s deputies, in reality the 601 was often engaged in bitter conflict with Truckee’s constables and the courts. In fact, a primary reason Truckee Constable Jacob Teeter was gunned down in a downtown saloon in 1892 was his resistance to the 601. Teeter considered it a badge of honor that in more than 30 years he never allowed vigilantes to take a prisoner from his charge. It inevitably led to a shootout in Hurd’s Saloon where he was shot multiple times at close range and later died.

On the morning of Nov. 23, 1874, the 601 was involved in a deadly tragedy that was a direct result of their violent approach to crime. That morning the vigilantes sent warning to several undesirables roaming around Truckee that their time was up. Most jump-

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ed on the afternoon train, but local prostitute Carrie “Spring Chicken” Pryor and her hoodlum lover Bob Mellon challenged the 601 to come get them. They would be waiting for the 601 with 40 associates armed and ready for a fight at a dive flophouse on East Main Street owned by George Hayward. Pryor was a troublesome “soiled dove,” who often got drunk and into violent altercations in Truckee’s Front Street bars and on sleazy Jibboom Street in the back of town.

Photo Credit | Photographer?

I

At midnight, 24 masked and armed vigilantes gathered near J.F. Moody’s Truckee Hotel. Among them was prominent businessman David Belden Frink, founding editor and proprietor of the Truckee Republican newspaper.

At midnight, 24 masked and armed vigilantes gathered near J.F. Moody’s Truckee Hotel. Among them was prominent businessman David Belden “D.B.” Frink, founding editor and proprietor of the Truckee Republican newspaper. The disguised men of Truckee’s vigilance committee brazenly sauntered through the front door of Hayward’s drinking establishment, while four other members guarded the back door from

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the outside. The vigilantes found Hayward behind his bar and demanded that he get a lantern and escort them through the house.

Once inside, the vigilantes split up and began searching the kitchen and a bedroom for Pryor and her gang of thugs.

At one point a gunman’s hand was seen in an open doorway at the end of a dim hallway with a pistol pointed in their general direction and the 601 opened fire.

Editor Frink fell dead with a thud. Several of the vigilantes, all close friends of Frink, approached the body and realizing it was their comrade carried the corpse into the back alley and then up the stairs at Hurd’s Saloon where they deposited it in Justice of the Peace John Keiser’s office. The 601 left immediately. When Judge Keiser found the body, he called Dr. William Curless to examine it. Dr. Curless concluded that death was nearly instantaneous, “the bullet passing through the upper portion of the sternum or breast bone.”

Until his death on Nov. 23, Frink had been a leader in the Truckee community. A native of New York, he was 40 years old. Even as they mourned Frink’s untimely death, newspapers across northern California supported the vigilante movement that caused it. In its story on the shooting, the Downieville Mountain Messenger newspaper wrote: “Frink was a man of more than ordinary intelligence, a vigorous writer and of generous impulses.

He was a thorn in the side of the thieves and ruffians of that locality and probably had more to do than any other man with the organization of the [601] committee.”

The Sacramento Record noted how bad the streets of Truckee had become: “Truckee has long been the rendezvous of the worst class of men and women in the state: Petty thieves, robbers and murderers. They have found this place to be an excellent base for a large field of operations. Recently the better citizens of the town determined to rid themselves of this class, so dangerous to the peace and reputation of the community.”

Over the next few weeks, the Truckee Republican and other newspapers conducted a vigorous editorial debate on the merits of vigilantism. The Truckee paper defended the actions taken by the 601. Frink was described as a man “blessed with a stern sense of right and justice, and when occasion demanded was not laggard in expressing

his convictions. His life had been repeatedly threatened during his stay in Truckee.

The law may not excuse; the opinions and expressions of men in other localities who know nothing of the circumstances which called into being the organization known as ‘601’ in our midst, but the citizens of Truckee cannot fail to acknowledge that the town has been threatened by robbers, cutthroats, and the vampires of society more than any other.”

In an article published 10 years later in the Truckee Republican, the new publisher of the newspaper, Charles McGlashan, defended the 601 shooter and questioned Frink’s thinking process the night of his death: “From prominent citizens I learned that the man who fired the fatal shot was one of Frink’s truest friends. He did nothing more than any man might have done under the circumstances. Frink’s three companions who were assisting in guarding the rear of the house were safely and securely hidden as they should have been.”

E X C L U S I V E C O N T E N T AT

TheTahoeWeekly.com

• Read Parts I-III on Vigilantes of the West • Read Mark’s account of the shootout at Hurd’s Saloon

The unidentified gunman suffered prolonged remorse at the accidental killing of his companion and left Truckee not too long after the incident.

Amazingly, the unintended killing of Frink did not stop the 601. In fact, their actions would continue for another 25 years.

Over time the 601’s focus turned against the town’s Chinese presence. In 1876, vigilantes set fire to a wooden bunkhouse while Chinese laborers were asleep inside. As the terrified workmen fled the smoke and flames, the vigilantes shot at them, injuring most and killing one in the so-called “Trout Creek Outrage.” We’ll look at Truckee’s dark history of savage racism against Chinese immigrants in a future column.  Tahoe historian Mark McLaughlin is a nationally published author and professional speaker. His award-winning books are available at local stores or at thestormking.com. You may reach him at mark@ thestormking.com. Check out his blog at tahoenuggets.com or read more at TheTahoeWeekly.com.

Click on History under the Explore Tahoe tab.

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Sept. 13-19, 2018

OUT & ABOUT

L A K E TA H O E Golf Course

STORY & PHOTOS

BY ALEX GREEN

Course Details 18 holes | par 71

Yardage 3,702 to 6,741

Slope 115 to 124

Ratings 67.1 to 71.3

Hole 3

andering through Lake Valley State Recreation Area, where Angora Creek meets the Upper Truckee River, is the Lake Tahoe Golf Course, rich in both history and championship caliber golf.

It’s a must-play if you find yourself anywhere near South Lake Tahoe.

William Bell first designed the front nine in 1958 and completed work on the back in 1962. The valley sits near Fallen Leaf Lake and Desolation Wilderness underneath massive Sierra peaks through the wetlands and surrounding forest.

The land was originally used by tribes of Washoe and was eventually home to logging and dairy-farm operations. At one time even a drag-racing strip occupied property in the meadow.

In the late 1970s, several developments were proposed for the land, but in 1984, California Department of State Parks purchased the property and has since worked to restore the waterways to a sustainable state, while simultaneously protecting the pristine nature of the course itself and maintaining the environmental integrity of the surrounding habitat.

Overall the course is fairly flat and is mainly reliant on the natural slopes of the floodplains. The true challenge out here isn’t in the course’s length, but its exposure.

It’s abundantly decorated with unplayable geography and windows to no man’s land.

The fairways are wide and open, but edged with water and thick native landscape.

Large greens, fast from baking in the sun, drivable par 4s, pronounced dog legs for the fade or draw, forced carries, forced layups and all too relevantly located bunkers and trees are just a few of the challenges you’ll encounter on this gem of a championship layout.

The 289-yard Hole 15, par 4 is tempting to try for the green in one, though the angle of its small undulating green is anything but conducive to catching golf balls and is thoroughly guarded on all sides with sand.

The true challenge out here isn’t in the course’s length,

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Old Greenwood | GolfinTahoe.com | Gray’s Crossing At just 150 yards, the gettable Hole 17, par 3 is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It’s a forced carry over a hazard onto a plateaued turtle-back putting surface surrounded tightly with huge trees; your best chance to gain a stroke is to come dropping in from way up high.

Though it has all the bells and whistles of a professional golf facility, Lake Tahoe Golf Course has a family-friendly, laidback feel. There are practice areas onsite with a full driving range, putting and chipping greens. The course doubles as a foot golf course every night after 5 p.m. and hosts events all season long. | (530) 577-0788, ext. 2, laketahoegc.com 

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11

THE ARTS

TheTahoeWeekly.com

Arts

& CULTURE

Lakeside impressionism

CREATIVE AWARENESS

Rory Canfield

PA I N T I N G TA H O E O N E WA L L AT A T I M E S T O R Y B Y K AY L A A N D E R S O N

Courtesy North Tahoe Arts

North Tahoe Arts presents its annual fundraiser, Monet’s Table, on Sept. 16 from noon to 4 p.m. at Gatekeeper’s Museum in Tahoe City. Tickets include an elegant luncheon overlooking Lake Tahoe and VIP early access to Monet’s Table art sale from noon to 1 p.m. The VIP area will include tables set with tablecloths, fresh flowers and a picnic basket filled with gourmet hors d’oeuvres, a variety of sandwiches and drinks. The gardens will be lined with artists’ booths; musical guests Joaquin Fioresi and Jenni Charles will be performing. Tickets are $50 per person. | northtahoearts.com

“My inspiration was to bring smiles, create something bright and cheerful that was a little Courtesy Rory Canfield

bit different.”

W

alking down Brook Avenue in Kings Beach heading east toward La Mexicana, one passes by a row of dullish-looking buildings. But tucked into a parking lot square across from the popular Mexican market is a bright, two-story wall featuring a colorful landscape of Tahoe lupines with a beaming orange and yellow sun cascading on them.

The wall belongs to the Lady Luck skate shop. The wall has become a new popular attraction for residents and visitors alike. The project of painting it came about when Kings Beach local Rory Canfield was sitting in his car near the shop and thought, “That wall could use some love.” He approached Lady Luck owner Bradley Sherman and asked if he could paint a mural there. Sherman and he began collaborating.

Canfield shared some concepts with Sherman and drawings that included a color markup and an outline, but he didn’t get overly detailed in order to allow some creative freedom and see where the process would take him.

“I like to be surprised. I wanted it to take me on a journey,” Canfield says.

He came up with the idea to have 6-foot-tall lupines dancing and swaying under the sun, using at least 15 colors to create the Tahoe-esque scene.

12

“My car was full of paint,” he says.

For two weeks in early August, Canfield spent eight to 15 hours a day painting it. He rented scaffolding to put three coats of primer on the wall before he even added color.

“I spent a whole day just priming it. The wall just soaked it up,” Canfield says.

Canfield formed the outline and filled it in, all the while interacting with people who walked by and were curious about what he was doing. Some even contributed to the piece.

“The great thing about doing community work is that people will put their own time in — investing in it — and then they tend to watch out for it and protect it,” Canfield says.

Canfield admits that he had some challenges with the project, mainly painting in the middle of one of Tahoe’s hottest summers and trying to make the mural accommodate a pipe and three windows that run across the wall.

Finally, when he got to the point where he felt like he could walk away, Canfield completed the piece.

“My inspiration was to bring smiles, create something bright and cheerful that was a little bit different. I could’ve worked on it for another year. There’s always ways to refine it, but sometimes you just gotta walk

away,” Canfield says.

“Rory said that all the magic is gonna happen in the last five hours and then, boom — it all came together,” says Sherman.

After its completion, Canfield’s mural got an overwhelmingly positive response on social media and people began seeking it out.

“Some people came to take pictures and say thank you. The community response has been awesome,” Canfield says.

“Four or five people a day are here taking pictures of it; you see where we’re at — it really needed something,” Sherman says, standing in the parking lot in front of his shop. “Rory is more than we could ask for in an artist and, of course, my shop is benefitting from it.”

Shop employee Max Coolidge adds, “People come in all the time and comment about the mural. It’s the place to get a nice picture taken in Tahoe. I think it’s one more beautiful thing for Tahoe to enjoy.”

Next, Canfield wants to continue working with the community to bring art, color and creativity to more of Lake Tahoe.

“I really want to do more work in this community with businesses and the city,” he says. “Let’s just paint the whole town.” | tonicarts.com, rorycanfieldfineart.com 

–Rory Canfield

Crawling for literature

The Nevada Humanities fifth annual Literary Crawl is on Sept. 15 from 12 to 8 p.m. in Reno, Nev., along the California Avenue corridor. The theme this year is “Open a New World.” Take in fiction, non-fiction and poetry readings, as well as book signings and panel discussions on topics of interest to Nevadans. This year’s keynote speaker is the acclaimed writer and storyteller Gabby Rivera, the author of “Juliet Takes a Breath” and the writer of the new Marvel Comic’s series “America,” featuring the first queer, Latinx, teen-girl superhero.

The family can enjoy a scavenger hunt with prizes and children’s literature readings throughout the day. From 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. there will be music, dance performances, workshops, food, art and more. The Epilogue After Party is at Sundance Books and Music with music, food trucks and Poetryoke from 6:15 to 8 p.m.

The event is free and open to all. Some venues require that participants be age 21 and older. | nevadahumanities.org

Arts

THE Courtesy TDMA

WATCH SIP, NIBBLE,

ENJOY, REPEAT Truckee Downtown Merchants Association presents the fourth annual Art & Soul Downtown Truckee Art Walk on Sept. 15 from 1 to 6 p.m. Participants can enjoy art demonstrations, live music, craft beers, wine tasting and small bites while strolling down the historic street. Local art in many forms will be represented by painters, photographers, loom weavers, metal workers, glass workers, clothing designers, jewelers and more.

Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 on the day of the event or four for $120. Buy them online or at Cooking Gallery in downtown Truckee.

A portion of the proceeds goes to Tahoe Truckee School of Music. | historictruckee.com

the special relationship between boats, buyers and Tahoe, and the people that brought them together. | tahoemaritimemuseum.org

POD Exhibition: Collyn Aubrey Sierra Nevada College | Incline Village | Sept.

13-28

This exhibition is a collection of artifacts from the artist’s personal therapeutic processes.“To My Brother” examines Collyn Ahren’s experiences with the lack of communication and certainty she experienced when her brother was sent away to U.S. Army Basic Combat Training. | sierranevada.edu

Tahoe Maritime Museum | Tahoe City Sept. 13-Jan.6

This exhibits presents the stories of monsters that have a significant history, passed down from indigenous peoples, medieval travelers or reputable explorers. Along the way, the museum invites visitors to join us in the search for Lake Tahoe’s own monster, Tahoe Tessie.| tahoemaritimemuseum.org

Truckee Roundhouse Makerspace tour Truckee Roundhouse | Truckee | Sept. 15-Aug. 29 Learn what the Makerspace has to offer.

Tours offered Saturdays and take about 40 minutes. 1-1:45 p.m. Free | truckeeroundhouse.org

Community Recreation Center | Truckee Sept. 13-30

Atelier | Truckee | Sept. 18-Dec. 31

Wolfdale’s | Tahoe City | Sept. 13-Dec. 31

Andy Skaff’s love of the West provides the inspiration for his light-filled, vibrant landscapes and cityscapes. His work ranges from classic, impressionist paintings to abstract distillations of familiar subjects.| askaff.com

Dealers of Dreams Tahoe Maritime Museum | Tahoe City | Sept.

13-Jan.6

So popular was the Lake among boaters that many local marinas partnered with some of the most prestigious builders in the country in order to satisfy the needs of the Tahoe boating community. This exhibition explores

Family Fun

SCIENCE IS SO NOT BORING Science can be fun and wacky, especially on Weird Science Wednesdays at Incline Village Library. On Sept. 19 from 4 to 4:45 p.m. create and grow a crystal garden right before your eyes. Materials will be provided and the session is free. Register your little, mad scientist online. Space is limited. Weird Science Wednesdays is held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. | events.washoecountylibrary.us

Pre-Schooler Story Time

Kids Night Out

Tahoe City Library | Tahoe City | Sept. 13, 20

Northwoods Clubhouse | Truckee | Sept. 15

For ages 5 and younger. 10:30-11 a.m.

(530) 583-3382, placer.ca.gov

Truckee Library | Truckee | Sept. 13, 20

For ages 3 years and older. 11 a.m. | (530) 582-7846, mynevadacounty.com

Toddler Story Time Incline Village Library | Sept. 13, 20

With stories, puppets, music and movement for ages 18 months to 3 years.

11:15-11:45 a.m. | (775) 832-4130

Paws To Read

Knitting Group

Andy Skaff exhibit

THE ARTS

Kids ages 4-9 are invited to an evening of fun at Northwoods Clubhouse while parents enjoy a night on the town. | tahoedonner.com

Preschool story time The T-Files: the Search for Tessie

1960 Winter Olympics Exhibit

The Truckee Public Arts Commission is hosting a new exhibit that displays a variety of art and artifacts from the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics.The display includes rarely seen photography of the 1960 Winter Olympics and other memorabilia including flags, uniforms, banners, pins, publications and more are on display. Free | (530) 587-2757, chamber.truckee.com

Sept. 13-19, 2018

The group is open to all knitters, crocheters, loom artists every Tuesday. whatever your thread, you are welcome. This is a not a class, it’s a group intended for individuals who enjoy the company of other yarn artists. Bring a project or start a new one. 4-6 p.m. Free | (530) 386-2700, ateliertruckee.com

Gathering of Artists North Tahoe Arts | Tahoe City | Sept. 19-April 15 This free program offers artists the opportunity to meet other artists and work together in a shared studio space. Artists are invited to bring their latest projects to work on in shared studio space. On first and third Wednesdays. | (530) 581-2787, northtahoearts.com

Amanda Salov Exhibition Sierra Nevada College | Incline Village Sept. 20-Oct. 19

Artist Amanda Salov’s work examines the qualities of a moment, or the idea of a moment in physical form: temporal, fragile and fleeting. Her recent work focuses on the central theme of “remains and skeletons revealing the fragility within.”5 to 7 p.m. | (775) 831-1314, sierranevada.edu

Visit the Event Calendar at TheTahoeWeekly.com for a complete list of events.

Incline Village Library | Incline Village | Sept. 13

Children can practice reading to friendly therapy dogs and receive a free book. All ages welcome. 4-5 p.m. | (775) 832-4130

Sensory Time Truckee Library | Truckee | Sept. 15

A relaxed story time open to all, designed to accommodate the needs of children with sensory processing sensitivities. 10:30 a.m.

(530) 582-7846, mynevadacounty.com

Lego Club Truckee Library | Truckee | Sept. 15

Ongoing for kids on Saturdays. 12-1 p.m.

(530) 582-7846, mynevadacounty.com

Young Adult Writers’ Meetup South Lake Tahoe Library | Sept. 15

Meet with fellow writers for discussion and writing. Laptops available. 3-4 p.m.

Teen Center Boys & Girls Club | Kings Beach Sept. 13-14, 17-20

Teen Center at Boys & Girls Club for 7th graders and older. Computers, TVs, video games, books, pool table and board games.

Open gym Wednesday-Friday 6-7 p.m. 7 p.m. | (530) 546-4324, bgcnlt.org

Family Fun Fridays KidZone Museum | Truckee | Sept. 14

Play-based class designed to inspire exploration and discovery through art. For ages 5 and younger. 11 a.m. | kidzonemuseum.org

Mindful Hiking Tahoe Rim Trail | Incline Village | Sept. 15

Designed for 8- to 13-year-olds and is a technology-free event. | thecourageproject.net

Kids playtime Truckee Library | Truckee | Sept. 17

Unstructured playtime. Toys are provided.

4:30-5:30 p.m. | (530) 582-7846

Toddler Time Truckee Library | Truckee | Sept. 18

For ages 18 months to 3 years. 10:30 a.m.

(530) 582-7846

Climbing Club Tryouts & Meet and Greet High Altitude Fitness | Incline Village | Sept. 14 Join High Altitude Fitness for an informational evening about Kids Climbing Club options for ages 4 to 18. Refreshments and food will be provided. 4-5:30 p.m. Free | (775) 831-4212, highaltitudefit.net

Movie Night Incline Village Library | Sept. 14

Enloy popcorn and “Peter Rabbit.” 6 p.m. | (775) 832-4130, libraryaware.com

Teen Scene Kahle Community Center | Stateline | Sept. 14

Kids in grades 6-12 can shoot hoops, play volleyball, climb the rock wall and play arcade or video games. 6:30-9 p.m. | (775) 586-7271

Tech Tuesdays Incline Village Library | Sept. 18

Offers kids a fun way to explore technology.

4-5 p.m. | (775) 832-4130

Story Time Truckee Library | Truckee | Sept. 19

For ages 6 months to 2 years. 10:30 a.m. |(530) 582-7846, mynevadacounty.com

Story time Zephyr Cove Library | Zephyr Cove | Sept. 19

Enjoy stories, songs, activities and coloring.

11:30 a.m. | (775) 588-6411, catalog.douglas.lib. nv.us

13

FEATURE

TheTahoeWeekly.com

Michelle Savard rides the stairway midway down.

MR. TOAD’S WILD RIDE STORY & PHOTOS BY SEAN MCALINDIN

f someone in Tahoe jokingly tells you there are two seasons in the mountains — winter and construction — kindly remind yourself that that is just one way of looking at.

After weaving in a happy August carpool, past hazy Emerald Bay and on toward the charming little hamlet of Meyers, we turn left beyond the agricultural inspection station to park my white-capped four-banger at the tail end of the shuttle along Fountain Place Road. We then take Dave Gagnon’s Ford up to State Route 89 South toward Pickett’s Junction. At the summit of Luther Pass, just before Grass Lake, we park.

We’re .9 miles from the Tahoe Rim Trail, a 165mile circuit that forms a loop around the Tahoe Basin in the Sierra Nevada and Carson Range of California and Nevada. All along the 10-day circuit hide wonderful hiking, biking, skiing, climbing and bouldering areas well-known to Tahoe locals and the world alike.

Uphill from the road, a crew of Tahoe Rim Trail Association volunteers busily repair some overuse damage. Their laborious rock work helps to build a sustainable path up the steep hillside connector that joins the highway with main trail. A couple crouches by a pile of small boulders meticulously placing golf ball-sized pebbles in between the sculpted cracks.

We walk our bikes through the construction zone on dainty toes and thank them for their important service.

The Climb A moderate, yet continuous, opening mile or so leads to a junction with Tahoe Rim Trail. We continue northeast winding up a scenic ridge, which offers large granite boulders and giant prehistoric roots to traverse along the way.

“It’s definitely doable,” says Gagnon. “But if I can’t ride it, almost nobody can.”

It’s such humble honesty that endears me to this man, a traveling nurse from Massachusetts. He leads us in a valiant effort through nature’s obstacle course and its looming pine-tree shadows. From the ridgeline, we cruise down granite dust to the saddle above Tucker Flat where a smoky haze haunts the distance.

The original Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, which opened in Disneyland in 1955, led young riders in the dark 14

through a series of seemingly benign, yet somehow alarming, cartoon images of mice, policemen, judges and crazed Italian chefs, mimicking an unsettlingly dream, until suddenly dropping into a fiery moment of perdition and emerging to the almost too-happy music of the ticket station where parents patiently waited with plastic smiles.

Mr. Toad’s, the classic South Shore downhill mountain bike ride, is pretty much the same — only with better scenery, no parents, plenty of sunshine and way more drops.

A SHARP TURN LEADS TO A SUDDEN, CONTINUOUS DROP OVER PETRIFIED ROOTS AND DUSTY GRANITE THAT DOESN’T LET UP FOR ALMOST 300 VERTICAL FEET. The Descent Three miles in, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride splits from Tahoe Rim Trail for a rambling, rocky, technical, yet flowy, 5-mile, 2,500-foot descent along the west side of Saxon Creek drainage.

It doesn’t take long to arrive at a massive field of 2to 3-foot boulders that ride like Squaw Valley moguls in early November. A sharp turn leads to a sudden, continuous drop over petrified roots and dusty granite that doesn’t let up for almost 300 vertical feet.

Halfway down the pitch, I set up my camera beside a granite boulder and tell Dave to go for it. He hesitates for a moment above the initial 4-foot drop.

“It’s definitely doable,” I assure him from my

crouched position along the trail.

He commits, falling smoothly in and quickly picking up speed as he rounds the corner below me gently bouncing down a natural rock staircase. He makes it all the way around the final curve and lets out a yowl of happiness on swooping into the bottom run-out.

Several more technical sections lead us down the 5-mile descent, including a long and unexpectedly beautifully manmade staircase, which Michelle Savard rides with swiftness and precision.

From here, the trail slopes gently down switchbacks along the Saxon Creek and into towering pine Photo Credit | Photographer?

I

A SOUTH SHORE CLASSIC

Dave Gagnon passes beneath a fallen pine tree in the rolling terrain of the lower forest.

forests reminiscent of Endor, home of the Ewoks.

We ride beneath a fallen Jeffrey pine with green moss growing in fluorescent coral from its broad sides.

Flying down the rest of an increasingly smooth trail, we pick up speed and confidence as we go. A few more fun sections lead us to the final dirtExplore road the rocky crags and back to the beginning of our journey. at Fontanillis Lake and Dicks Peak.

“Was it scary?” our imaginary parents anxiously ask as we emerge in a flash into the dirt parking lot.

“No, not at all,” we all three say in unison, sweat still covering our flushed cheeks, adrenaline pumping through our sweet, innocent veins. | tamba.org

LIVE MUSIC, SHOWS & NIGHTLIFE

Todd Snider

E N T E RTA I N M E N T

CALENDAR

S E P T. 1 3 - 2 0 , 2 0 1 8

VA G A B O N D AT H E A R T

SEPTEMBER 13 | THURSDAY

SEPTEMBER 14 | FRIDAY Oleanna Reno Little Theater, Reno, 2 p.m.

Guitar Strings vs. Chicken Wings The Village at Squaw Valley, Truckee, 4:30-9:30 p.m.

Hogs for the Cause Crystal Bay Casino, Crystal Bay, 6:30 p.m.

Latin Dance Social Peppermill Casino, Reno, 7 p.m.

Brother Dan Palmer Washoe Camp Saloon, New Washoe City, 7 p.m. bare: A Pop Opera The Summit Reno, Reno, 7-9:30 p.m.

Live Music Sands Regency Casino Hotel, Reno, 7-11 p.m.

Hot Jersey Nights Harrah’s, Reno, 7:30 p.m.

Murray the Magician Silver Legacy Resort Casino, Reno, 7:30 p.m.

Steel Rockin’ Karaoke Ponderosa Saloon, Virginia City, 8 p.m.

Chris Costa Tahoe Biltmore Lodge & Casino, Crystal Bay, 8 p.m.

John Dawson Band Hellfire Saloon, Reno, 8 p.m.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

STORY BY SEAN MCALINDIN

Sept. 14 | 9 p.m. | Crystal Bay Casino | Crystal Bay, Nev.

F

olksinger Todd Snider was only 16 years old when he first ran away from home.

“My family was splintering and my parents were both going through a difficult period,” he says. “I stayed on people’s couches [in Portland, Ore.] to get through high school. I think it got me used to living a scattered lifestyle. They call it the sofa circuit. You become somebody who is moving all the time. Before I became a singer, I was already a gypsy.”

In his early 20s, Snider’s perpetual road trip led him to Austin where he first saw Texas troubadour Jerry Jeff Walker perform his candid brand of songwriting.

“My friend and I stumbled into a club where he was singing about the life I thought I was living, about being an aimless person,” recalls Snider. “It was then I realized there are a lot of guys who followed in Woody Guthrie’s footsteps. They learned three chords and never got a job.”

Thus began three decades of crisscrossing the county with little more than a guitar in hand. Snider was previously married, but he never had children because, in his words, he would have “left them on the hood of the car.”

“Looking back at age 50, I would agree there is an inherent selfishness to it,” admits the revered songwriter. “There was this crowd of people that wasn’t growing up and I wanted to stay in it. It can become

Chad Cochran | Cowtown Chad Photography

Oleanna Reno Little Theater, Reno, 2 p.m.

Jason King Boomtown Casino, Verdi, 6-10 p.m.

Line Dancing Hellfire Saloon, Reno, 6:30-9 p.m.

DJ Trivia MidTown Wine Bar, Reno, 7 p.m.

Magic Fusion starring Farrell Dillon The Loft, South Lake Tahoe, 7-8:15 p.m.

Cirque Paris Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno, 7 p.m. bare: A Pop Opera The Summit Reno, Reno, 7-9:30 p.m.

Thirsty Thursday’s with DJ Trivia MidTown Wine Bar, Reno, 7-9:30 p.m.

Murray the Magician Silver Legacy Resort Casino, Reno, 7:30 p.m.

Acoustic Wonderland Sessions Paddy & Irene’s Irish Pub, Sparks, 8 p.m.

Christopher Titus MontBleu Resort, Stateline, 8 p.m.

Hogs for the Cause Crystal Bay Casino, Crystal Bay, 8 p.m.

Karaoke The Pointe, Reno, 8:30 p.m.

Karaoke 5 Star Saloon, Reno, 9 p.m.

Magic Fusion starring Farrell Dillon The Loft, South Lake Tahoe, 9-10:15 p.m.

An Evening At the Improv Harveys Lake Tahoe, Stateline, 9 p.m.

Tony G’s Thursday Night Blues Jam Sparks Lounge, Sparks, 9 p.m.

Galactic w/Mojo Green Crystal Bay Casino, Crystal Bay, 9 p.m.

Revival Carson Valley Inn Casino, Minden.

Laugh Factory Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno.

MUSIC SCENE

Music SCENE Sept. 13-19, 2018

FOLK AMERICANA

“ (Songwriting is) a process of opening your heart and seeing what is in there,” he says. “Then you have to decide if what was in there could be even mildly entertaining to somebody else.”

–Todd Snider altruistic and help other people but, honestly, it’s not always conducive to being a good brother.”

Snider usually stays on the move with no phone, no wallet and no watch. Sometimes he doesn’t even know what he is being paid for his performances.

Along the way, he’s met plenty of other tramps committed to a nomadic, countercultural lifestyle and befriended outcasts like the homeless teens with tattooed faces and skinny pit bulls who move marijuana around the country in empty boxcars.

“I like my job,” he says. “It’s kind of like being a suspended adolescent. When I was young I was seduced by that Hunter S. Thompson lifestyle. If someone offered me a drug, I’d take it. If someone opened their car door, I’d jump in and see where the road took me.”

Earlier in his career, Snider couldn’t always be counted on to show up at a gig.

If he got nervous — as he still does — he might meet somebody, get offered drugs and escapades, and next thing he knew he’d be on a random train headed out of town, leaving the audience wondering in the dust.

“When I first dove in, I had no awareness for others,” he says. “As I’ve gotten older, I feel like I’ve learned to be somebody that has a bit more of mindfulness that there are other people besides me. It takes a lot to pull me away from a show these days.

But a really pretty girl, a nice car and huge pile of drugs might do it. I’m always thinking if I stay 10 more minutes, I’ll come away with the best song I’ve ever written.”

In between tours, Snider retreats to his home outside of Nashville, Tenn., where

he spends a good portion of each day getting stoned and composing music.

“It’s a process of opening your heart and seeing what is in there,” he says. “Then you have to decide if what was in there could be even mildly entertaining to somebody else.”

As a man whose reckless sense of adventure led him to unconventional mentors such as John Prine and Guy Clarke, Snider has now become one of the last true folksingers looking out for the next generation.

“It seems there is a bit of family tradition,” he says. “Let me put it this way: if my friends were pounding on my door with the police hot on their trail, I’d let them in, barricade the door and later on ask them what happened.”

For artists like him, the line between life and songwriting is a blurry one, if it even exists at all.

“I don’t know if there is a new chord for me to learn or an album I haven’t heard yet,” he says. “But I like to hear about the legends of the towns and meet the weirdo with the nickname that everyone knows.

I’ve always been that way. People like me are constantly looking for that next story, that next adventure, that next song.”

Snider will be performing with Reid Foehl at Crystal Bay Casino on Sept. 14 at 9 p.m. | crystalbaycasino.com 

15

MUSIC SCENE

TheTahoeWeekly.com

Richard Blair R E C R E AT E S T R U C K E E HISTORY IN SONG STORY BY SEAN MCALINDIN

Sept. 15 | 12 p.m. | Mt. Judah Lodge | Norden Sept. 29 | 6 p.m. | Ricochet Café | Clio

C A L E N D A R | S E P T. 1 3 - 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

Jill Maragos Carson Nugget Casino & Hotel, Carson City, 8-9 p.m.

Karaoke The Pointe, Reno, 8:30 p.m.

Cirque Paris Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno, 8:30 p.m.

Arizona Jones MidTown Wine Bar, Reno, 8:30-11:45 p.m.

Guest DJs St James Infirmary, Reno, 9 p.m.

Big Head Todd & the Monsters Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, 9 p.m.

World Beatnix Bar of America, Truckee, 9-10 p.m.

Ebony not Quite Ivory Boomtown Casino, Verdi, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

Magic After Dark: Robert Hall #Unfiltered The Loft, South Lake Tahoe, 9-10:15 p.m.

Rick Hammond Band Sparks Lounge, Sparks, 9 p.m.

Blair proposes that the name of Truckee

T

he opening track on Richard Blair’s newest album begins with deftly fingerpicked acoustic guitar. His smooth, yet weathered, voice enters in harmony on “Pony Express,” recalling the dangers faced by young postal riders before the advent of the telegraph. The meandering groove of Craig Iverson’s piano helps to layer the upbeat tune with a rhythm reminiscent of a horse’s gallop.

With his third full-length record, “Trokay! It’s ok, everything is alright!” Blair adds a slew of memorable compositions to an ever-growing repertoire of original folk songs that bring to life the history of our region.

Brittany Iverson’s haunting cajón sets the rhythm of “Carrie Pryor,” the tale of a dangerous woman in a man’s world who was known best as the unscrupulous head of Truckee’s earliest brothels. A fitting guest appearance by Dead Winter Carpenters’ Jenni Charles keens on fiddle melodies that recall the sharp voice of the madame herself warning local politicians and lawmen never to cross her.

“Turkey Wreck 1955” tells the true story of a truck full of Thanksgiving birds that crashed on icy Donner Pass. Like most of Blair’s work, the best parts of the composition come when he goes off the historical script to delve into the feelings of the characters themselves, bringing the past alive in a modern context.

On “Lola Montez,” Sparky Kramer’s gentle mandolin weaves a beautiful melody about the woman whose Italian Spider Dance wooed men from around the world to the infamous bordellos of Virginia City, Nev. It is perhaps the finest song on the album due to the delicate, romantic sentiment it captures of an ambitious and outspoken woman who was simply before her time.

When Blair puts together a full reenactment of a live Streets of Truckee production complete with a cast of historical actors, “Trokay” usually serves as the centerpiece of the performance. On this lively tune, Blair proposes that the name of our town came not from a Paiute chief, but from a scout who was simply saying to early frontiersmen: “It’s okay, everything is

16

alright.

I know the way.”

The bass of Tahoe’s go-to utility musician Steve Kershisnik sets the tone for this funky jam that will have you greeting your neighbors with a friendly “Trokay!” next time you see them walking on Donner Pass Road.

The rest of the album continues to spin tall tales of the lives and times of early pioneers. “Hobart Mills” renders a folky, Cajun Taj Mahal groove in its re-imagination of mill workers who leave the woods every two months to “drink all the whiskey they could.” “Mighty Trail” offers a Neil Young-esque jam about the price early settlers paid to reach the promised land of California, the moody repetitiveness of its rhythm mimicking the plodding journey of the immigrants until a happy refrain of hope raises their weary spirits.

E X C L U S I V E C O N T E N T AT

TheTahoeWeekly.com

Listen to “Trokay! It’s ok, everything is alright!”

“Travel So Far” follows a similar theme, featuring the fine fiddling of Ellen Flanagan. It’s a prayer to the great unknown with an uncanny feel for phrasing that echoes The Doobie Brothers’ “Black Water” as it builds to a strong climax.

The album is rounded out by stories about San Francisco’s fancy Glenbrook Train to Lake Tahoe, the ordeal of resilient teenager Moses Schallenberger, who spent a winter alone in a cabin on Donner Pass, and the travails of Buffalo Bill Cody’s dodgy friend, Poker Peter, which takes the album to a delightful close on a backbeat reminiscent of the Stray Cats’ “Stray Cat Strut.”

Intrigued yet? You can look out for Blair’s full-cast performances of Streets of Truckee this fall at Cottonwood Restaurant and Art Truckee. | truckeeblair.com. 

came not from a Paiute chief, but from a scout who was simply saying to early frontiersmen: “It’s okay, everything is alright. I know the way.”

Todd Snider Crystal Bay Casino, Crystal Bay, 9 p.m.

Mighty Mike Schermer Bar of America, Truckee, 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.

Murray the Magician Silver Legacy Resort Casino, Reno, 9:30 p.m.

Soul Funk Disco The Loft, South Lake Tahoe, 10 p.m.

DJ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Stateline, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

Sirus Hood 3rd Eye Tour The Loft, South Lake Tahoe, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

Cook Book Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, Reno, 10 p.m.

Martha Davis & the Motels The Brew Brothers, Reno, 10 p.m.

Reno Rocks with Roger Clyne and the Peacmakers Greater Nevada Field, Reno.

Revival Carson Valley Inn Casino, Minden.

Laugh Factory Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno.

SEPTEMBER 15 | SATURDAY Hogs for the Cause Crystal Bay Casino, Crystal Bay, 1 p.m.

Oleanna Reno Little Theater, Reno, 2 p.m.

Charles Murray Boomtown Casino, Verdi, 5-9 p.m.

Cirque Paris Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno, 5 p.m.

V&T Melodrama Train Carson City, 5-8:30 p.m.

Monthly Dinner Murder Mystery SureStay Plus Hotel, Reno, 5-9 p.m.

Dinner & Dance Sierra Valley Grange Hall, Loyalton, 5:30-10:30 p.m.

Dinner Murder Mystery Funtime Theater, Reno, 5:30 p.m.

Magic Fusion starring Farrell Dillon The Loft, South Lake Tahoe, 7-8:15 p.m.

Swami Beyondananda Unity at the Lake, South Lake Tahoe, 7-9 p.m. bare: A Pop Opera The Summit Reno, Reno, 7-9:30 p.m.

Live Music Sands Regency Casino Hotel, Reno, 7-11 p.m.

Reno Chamber Orchestra with Michael Sachs Nightingale Concert Hall, Reno, 7:30-8 p.m.

Murray the Magician Silver Legacy Resort Casino, Reno, 7:30 p.m.

Craig Ferguson Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, 8 p.m.

Chris Costa Tahoe Biltmore Lodge & Casino, Crystal Bay, 8 p.m.

Howie Mandel MontBleu Resort, Stateline, 8 p.m.

Live Music with Wunderlust MidTown Wine Bar, Reno, 8-11:30 p.m.

Karaoke The Pointe, Reno, 8:30 p.m.

Cirque Paris Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno, 8:30 p.m.

Seduction Saturdays Silver Legacy Resort Casino, Reno, 9 p.m.

Saturday Night Karaoke Farah & Sons, Sparks, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

Magic Fusion starring Farrell Dillon The Loft, South Lake Tahoe, 9-10:15 p.m.

World Beatnix Bar of America, Truckee, 9-10 p.m.

The Dean Ween Group Crystal Bay Casino, Crystal Bay, 9 p.m.

Mighty Mike Shermer Bar of America, Truckee, 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.

Murray the Magician Silver Legacy Resort Casino, Reno, 9:30 p.m.

DJ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Stateline, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

Cook Book Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, Reno, 10 p.m.

Martha Davis & the Motels The Brew Brothers, Reno, 10 p.m.

Aztek and Greazus The BlueBird Nightclub, Reno, 10 p.m.

Revival Carson Valley Inn Casino, Minden.

Laugh Factory Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno.

SEPTEMBER 16 | SUNDAY Sunday Gospel Brunch The Loft, South Lake Tahoe, 12-3:30 p.m.

Reno Chamber Orchestra with Michael Sachs Nightingale Concert Hall, Reno, 2-8 p.m.

Oleanna Reno Little Theater, Reno, 2 p.m.

Magic Fusion starring Farrell Dillon The Loft, South Lake Tahoe, 4:30-5:45 p.m.

Cirque Paris Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno, 5 p.m.

Cook Book Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, Reno, 6 p.m.

Chris Costa Polo Lounge, Reno, 7 p.m.

Sunday Services with Reverend Rory Dowd St James Infirmary, Reno, 7 p.m.

Autonomics, Alvie & the Breakfast Pigs The Saint, Reno, 7 p.m.

Murray the Magician Silver Legacy Resort Casino, Reno, 7:30 p.m.

Franco Escamilla Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, 8 p.m.

Sept. 13-19, 2018

THE DEAN WEEN GROUP

Canyon White The Hangar Bar, Reno, 8-11 p.m.

An Evening At the Improv Harveys Lake Tahoe, Stateline, 9 p.m.

Laugh Factory Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno.

MUSIC SCENE

SHOVELS & ROPE

SEPTEMBER 18 | TUESDAY

THE CROWN PRINCE of bizarro rock brings The Dean Ween Group to the Crown Room with Joshua Tree soul star Gene Evaro Jr. playing the after party in the Red Room. The veterans released their sophomore album “Rock2” earlier this year. | crystalbaycasino.com

JACOB

WESTFALL

SEPTEMBER 19 | WEDNESDAY

POP FOLK

Sept. 20 | 6 p.m.

Cottonwood Restaurant | Truckee WHEN HE ISN’T writing music for commercial placements, 25-year-old Jacob Westfall is touring the country performing his original pop folk. | cottonwoodrestaurant.com

GALACTIC FEATURING

ERICA FALLS

Mr. Tahoe Cruise “Sierra Cloud”, Incline Village, 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Francophone Film Festival: The Intouchables Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, 4 p.m.

The Krystal Paul Duo Boomtown Casino, Verdi, 6-10 p.m.

Spoken Views: Open Mic/Poetry Slam The Holland Project, Reno, 6-8:30 p.m.

Cirque Paris Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno, 7 p.m.

Jeremy Hotz Silver Legacy Resort Casino, Reno, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday Night Blues Syndicate The Saint, Reno, 8 p.m.

Karaoke 5 Star Saloon, Reno, 9 p.m.

An Evening At the Improv Harveys Lake Tahoe, Stateline, 9 p.m.

Wacky Wednesday Karaoke Reno Pizza Baron, Reno, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

Jeff Campbell Carson Valley Inn Casino, Minden.

Laugh Factory Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno.

Sept. 18 | 8 p.m.

Cargo Concert Hall | Reno, Nev.

SEPTEMBER 20 | THURSDAY Oleanna Reno Little Theater, Reno, 2 p.m.

Line Dancing Hellfire Saloon, Reno, 6:30-9 p.m.

DJ Trivia MidTown Wine Bar, Reno, 7 p.m.

Cirque Paris Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno, 7 p.m. bare: A Pop Opera The Summit Reno, Reno, 7-9:30 p.m.

Thirsty Thursday’s with DJ Trivia MidTown Wine Bar, Reno, 7-9:30 p.m.

Patrick Garrity with Ricky Reyes Reno Tahoe Comedy, Reno, 7 p.m.

Hot Jersey Nights Harrah’s, Reno, 7:30 p.m.

Jeremy Hotz Silver Legacy Resort Casino, Reno, 7:30 p.m.

“A Free Man” by Sandra Neace Redfield Studio Theatre, Church Fine Arts, Reno, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Acoustic Wonderland Sessions Paddy & Irene’s Irish Pub, Sparks, 8 p.m.

Rayland Baxter w/Skyway man Crystal Bay Casino, Crystal Bay, 8 p.m.

Karaoke The Pointe, Reno, 8:30 p.m.

Karaoke 5 Star Saloon, Reno, 9 p.m.

Tony G’s Thursday Night Blues Jam Sparks Lounge, Sparks, 9 p.m.

An Evening With Rayland Baxter Crystal Bay Casino, Crystal Bay, 9 p.m.

Panda Eyes The BlueBird Nightclub, Reno, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

Laugh Factory Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno.

Arizona Jones MidTown Wine Bar, Reno.

SHOVELS & ROPE IS husband and wife duo featuring Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst of Charleston, S.C. They play intense folk music painted with haunting harmonies that sounds stripped from the old paint of a burned-out, rusty 1958 Cadillac. | cargoreno.com

ALVIE & THE BREAKFAST PIGS

Brittany Lee Photography

Sept. 15 | 9 p.m.

Crystal Bay Casino | Crystal Bay, Nev.

FOLK AMERICANA

Leslie Ryan McKellar

ALT-ROCK

Kevin Conley Boomtown Casino, Verdi, 6-10 p.m.

Canyon Jam/Open Mic Living the Good Life, Carson City, 6:30 p.m.

Magic Fusion starring Farrell Dillon The Loft, South Lake Tahoe, 7-8:15 p.m.

Cirque Paris Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno, 7 p.m.

Jeremy Hotz Silver Legacy Resort Casino, Reno, 7:30 p.m.

Buddy Emmer and guest Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, Stateline, 8 p.m.

Renee Dion The Saint, Reno, 8 p.m.

Comedy Night The Jungle, Reno, 9 p.m.

Reno’s Rockin’ Roadhouse Blues Jam w/Bob Home & The Night Train Sparks Lounge, Sparks, 9 p.m.

Beginning Ukulele Tahoe Truckee School of Music, Truckee.

Jeff Campbell Carson Valley Inn Casino, Minden.

Laugh Factory Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno.

Shovels & Rope Cargo at Whitney Peak Hotel, Reno.

TRASH BLUES ROCK

Sept. 16 | 7 p.m.

The Saint | Reno, Nev. SAN FRANCISCO’S LOUD, in-yourface, trash-blues rock group Alvie & the Breakfast Pigs, will perform alongside the hook-laden Autonomics led by Oregon’s Leikam twins at midtown Reno’s signature rock club. | thesaintreno.com

Major Motion Pictures · Independent Films Live Music · Dance Performances

HISTORIAN & AUTHOR

MARK MCL AUGHLIN’S NEWEST BOOK

Crazy Rich Asians Through Sept. 20 5 pm & 7:45 pm

3100: Run and Become Sept. 28-30

SOUL

Sept. 13 | 9 p.m.

Crystal Bay Casino | Crystal Bay, Nev. THE NEW ORLEANS JAM legends Galactic are back again, this time featuring vintage soul artist Erica Falls. Reno funk factory Mojo Green plays the After Party in the Red Room afterwards. | crystalbaycasino.com

O rd e r b o o k s d i re c t a t

Venom

TheStormKing.com

Sept. TBD

or pick up a copy at:

Ode to Muir

• Geared for Games • Gratitude Gifts • Alpenglow Sports • Mind Play • Word After Word Bookshop

Group presentations · In-home talks (530) 546-5612 · TheStormKing.com

Oct. 26-27 Visit TahoeArtHausCinema.com for showtimes, schedule, events + tkts

THE COBBLESTONE CENTER 475 N LAKE BLVD., TAHOE CITY, CA | 530-584-2431

17

FUN & GAMES

TheTahoeWeekly.com

Horoscopes

FIRE

EARTH

AIR

WATER

Puzzles

Michael O’Connor is an astrologer, counselor and life coach | SunStarAstrology.com

Virgo (Aug 23-Sep 22)

The New Moon this weekend is in Virgo. It will activate a powerful push forward. Where you were indecisive, things are now or will soon get much clearer. Decisions will be made and actions take to forge ahead. Your powers of critical analysis and strategic thinking are strong. Your energies are running high and you are determined to break through.

Pisces (Feb 19-Mar 20)

Many interactions on the relationship front are a source of excitement. Yet, you are also entering a period during which time you have more inner work to do. This may well include overcoming the doubt demons of your thought processes. The key to overcoming these is to break the pattern of a negatively tracking mind. Make thank your mantra and decisiveness your resolve.

Libra (Sep 22-Oct 22)

The time has come to rest and rejuvenate. That is what R&R is all about. Call it the recharging period in the annual cycle. At least this is true to some extent.

Only you can determine the degree by your experience.

But the heads up hint says: slow the pace at least a bit. You are about to enter a more playful cycle and it will produce measurable results, somehow.

Scorpio (Oct 22-Nov 21)

Aries (Mar 21-Apr 20)

You have held on as long as you can to keep summer going; thanks, on behalf of everyone else.

Yet, you have come to the point of realization that it may well be over, for all intents and purposes. But, it does extend officially to the 23rd… Besides, you are now in the mood to focus on practicalities. This includes refinements on your outline of what makes you extra special.

Wow, you have entered what can be described as a revolutionary cycle. It will result in taking radical measures to dig deeper than you have for a while.

Yet, this process may have already begun a couple of months ago. Then it went on hold. Now, it will activate big changes, especially on relationship fronts.

Hopefully, these are what you have been asking for.

Sagittarius (Nov 21-Dec 21)

Taurus (Apr 20-May 21)

Creating beauty close to home with a sharp eye on the details is keeping you busy now. Adding a dash of originality or two will become increasingly important, starting this week. A rebellious urge that began earlier this summer then subsided is back. It can be used to break through blocks, barriers and any opposition, and you will.

You are back in the game, your game. It may come on the heels of some losses, but these may best be understood as part of the natural process.

Whatever else may be said, it is what it is and here you are. But there is a rhyme and reason, a deeper force of intelligence at work, and play, and it is measurable.

Trust the flow by surrendering to it.

Capricorn (Dec 21-Jan 19)

Gemini (May 21-Jun 21)

A busy cycle continues. This is when the practical twin takes the lead. Although you have been quiet about it, you have been outlining your plans for some weeks, maybe even months. Now you are ready to act on this. P.S. magic occurs when you get clear on what you want, then visualize the outcome and use all your senses when imagining how you want it to be.

You have been steadily pushing through and taking new leads. At least the impulse to do so has been there and is emerging from both within and without. This is an exciting time as you enter new territory. This process began late last year. Now as Saturn turns direct it is resuming. The key now is to have a sense of direction. If you don’t have one, then you know what you need.

Cancer (Jun 21-Jul 22)

An accelerated pace attending to a spectrum of errands, loose ends and details continue. The good news is that your ambitions, drive and determination are increasing. Yet, like shifting into lower gear as you proceed to climb a steep incline carrying a heavy load, the going may not be fast. However, whatever does enter your path will be met with a powerful push.

Aquarius (Jan 19-Feb 19)

Like having entered a cauldron of change, you can feel it happening. The current is rounding a new turn. You feel a little bolder than usual and it is shaking things up close to home. This may manifest as new technology or innovation. This is generally an expansive time, especially in your public and professional life. It will result in a busier pace but it will take a couple of months to peak.

Leo (Jul 22-Aug 23)

The time has come to attend to your overall foundation. What is working and what not; where to push harder, where less? These and other such questions are on your mind as you enter a series of fresh exciting turns. Yet, there is work to do. Success begins simply by showing up. The time is right to do the groundwork to support you to shake the world.

CryptoQuip

Have you noticed the sign the couturier posted on his private property?: “No dress passing.”

Hocus Focus differences: 1. Fence is shorter, 2. Cap is reversed, 3. Car door is missing, 4. House is missing, 5. License plate is missing, 6. Shirt is different.

18

Local

FOOD & WINE, RECIPES, FEATURES & MORE

TA S T Y TIDBITS

Sept. 13-19, 2018

LOCAL FLAVOR

flavor

Cheesemaking

WITH A CHEESEMONGER Courtesy FiftyFifty

S T O R Y B Y K AY L A A N D E R S O N

FiftyFifty hosts

grand opening FiftyFifty Brewing Co. hosts grand opening of the Global Production Facility on Sept. 15 from 1 to 4 p.m. The facility is at 10434 River Park Place. There will be beer, barbecue, food trucks and family activities, a chance to unwind and learn more about craft beer at Truckee’s first Global Productions Facility. | fiftyfiftybrewing.com

Dining out to

benefit schools

Three new local restaurants have joined more than 40 participating in the Excellence in Education Foundation’s Dining for Schools fundraising program this year. Montagna at the Resort at Squaw Creek, Philosophy in Truckee and The Grille at Sawtooth Ridge in the Village at Northstar are the most recent additions to the program, which offers each Dining for Schools cardholder 50 percent off an individual dinner entrée at participating restaurants in the Truckee and North Tahoe area; some restrictions apply.

Dining for Schools cards are available for purchase starting Sept. 15 for $50 per card and are non-transferable, with all proceeds benefitting the Excellence in Education Foundation. Cards are valid Sunday through Thursday only (holidays excluded) from Sept. 23 through Dec. 13, and April 14 through June 13. Several restaurants offer an extended period that makes the card valid Sunday through Thursday from Jan. 6 through April 4. Cards may be used an unlimited number of times at any participating restaurant during the valid period.

Beginning Sept. 15, Dining for Schools cards will be available for purchase at Safeway in Truckee and Kings Beach, Save Mart in Truckee and Tahoe City, Mountain Hardware and Sports in Truckee, The Store in Tahoe City and online. | exined.org

D

owntown Truckee is bustling with people shopping, eating and enjoying the sunshine. Inside Restaurant Trokay owner Nyna Weatherson is busy stirring a pot of pumpernickel bread, while balancing a sleeping baby on her hip and using her off day to make other artisan homemade favorites. During this peaceful downtime, she passionately shared how she got into cheesemaking, what it takes to become a cheesemonger and how people can make their own cheese.

Weatherson got her start in cheesemaking 10 years ago when she worked at Sprout Creek Farm in New York and then became the head cheesemaker at Murray’s

“ My hope with the classes is to demystify the cheesemaking process.”

–Nyna Weatherson Cheese in Greenwich Village in New York City. Weatherson moved to Truckee in 2011 and by then had become a certified cheesemonger, which is someone who sells cheese, butter and other dairy products.

As a recreational cheesemaker, Weatherson buys her cheese from Cowgirl Creamery at Tomales Bay Foods in Point Reyes Station and from Murray’s, as well.

It impresses her that Cowgirl Creamery has six cheesemakers and that Murray’s mission statement is to bring cheese into the homes of all people.

Although she would love to have a cheese shop in Truckee, Weatherson doesn’t currently have the space. Instead, she hosts cheesemaking workshops at Atelier, which is a few doors down from Restaurant Trokay. She teaches other cheese lovers how to make their own.

“My hope with the classes is to demystify the cheesemaking process,” she says.

In the 1.5-hour cheesemaking workshop, Weatherson talks about the process of how to make cheese and then the students make cheese. Afterwards everyone does a taste test; they leave with a bounty of their own handmade product.

There are many different types of cheeses on the market but they all have the same basic ingredients: milk, an enzyme and salt. More specifically, Weatherson says you need cheese salts that incorporate evenly into the dairy, citric acid/sour salt to add a bit of tartness and rennet, an enzyme that allows the dairy to separate into curd and whey. Fun tip: reheating rennet makes mozzarella.

According to Weatherson, the kind of milk you use plays an important role: “Cream-

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Cheesemonger Nyna Weatherson making cheese. | Andria Gutierrez; Making the cheese | Andria Gutierrez; Adornments for the cheese plate | Atelier; Cheese | Atelier.

lined, homogenized milk goes through a centrifuge to keep the fats together. Once you add the rennet, it all separates out into a custard — the curd and the whey.”

Cheese is all fortified/petrified milk, but Weatherson says that there are different schools of thought on the best way to make cheese, whether to use raw milk or pasteurized milk. One thing is for certain, ultra-pasteurized milk will never turn into cheese.

“It’s the enemy of cheesemaking because it just will not separate,” she says.

It doesn’t even matter where the milk comes from, whether it’s from a cow, sheep, buffalo or yak.

Weatherson believes that cheesemaking is a skill that has to be practiced daily in order to become skilled, but she is grateful

for her partnership with Atelier and the opportunity to regularly test her knowledge and interaction with the cheesemaking process.

“I’m just happy to create an environment where it’s fun to learn and make something new. I love [teaching the cheesemaking class] because it gives me a new way to reconnect with cheese every time.

It’s pretty cool that you start with basic ingredients and then variables like time and temperature determine what you end up with,” she says. “People who take the class are looking for a new and different experience and it’s fun to eat what you make at the end. My favorite part of making cheese is eating it.”

Atelier will host Weatherson’s next cheesemaking workshop on Nov. 25. | ateliertruckee.com, restauranttrokay.com. 

19

LOCAL FLAVOR

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TA S T Y T I D B I T S Visit the Event Calendar at TheTahoeWeekly.com for a complete list of events.

Art of Mixology The Ritz-Carlton | Truckee | Sept. 14

This entertaining, educational experience will feature freshly cut herbs, classic ingredients such as bitters and infused liquors to create three unique cocktails paired with appetizers. 4-5 p.m. $60 | ritzcarlton.com

Courtesy Sample the Sierra

EpicPromise Farm Stand

GET YOUR FILL OF THE SIERRA The crisp air and towering pines, fresh, locally made foods and libations signal the return of Sample the Sierra, a one-day farm-to-fork food and wine festival on Sept. 15 from noon to 5 p.m. at Bijou Community Park in South Lake Tahoe.

For the ninth year, Sample the Sierra will host more than 20 booths with a different winery, distillery or brewery expertly paired with a restaurant that uses local produce in signature dishes. Among those featured include Lake Tahoe AleWorX, Blue Angel Café & Catering, Boeger Winery, Riva Grill, Cold Water Brewery & Grill, Primo’s Italian Bistro, Café Fiore and Findleton Estate & Winery.

Local chefs will go head-to-head during the Sierra Chefs Challenge, a competitive and timed cooking challenge. Watch four of the most talented chefs prepare delicious meals and even get the opportunity to taste them. There will be music and other entertainment and a festival marketplace.

Advance tickets are $40 per adult and $30 per person for age 21 and younger or designated drivers until Sept. 14. Tickets at the gate are $45 and $35, respectively.

Children age 3 and younger can attend for free. | samplethesierra.com

Village at Northstar | Truckee | Sept. 14

Northstar California and Tahoe Food Hub provide organic fresh fruits and vegetables for purchase every Friday throughout summer to employees and guests. 5-7 p.m.| chamber. truckee.com

Nevada’s Best Taco Fest Sands Regency Casino Hotel | Reno | Sept. 15, 16 Enjoy two days of delicious tacos, Lucha Libre wrestling, Salsa Challenge, Chihuahua Beauty Pageant, Chili Pepper Challenge, Taco Eating Contest, vendors, live music and more to benefit The Shakespeare Animal Fund.

11 a.m.-10 p.m. Free | (775) 348-2200, visitrenotahoe.com

Romano’s Farmers’ Market

Commons Beach | Tahoe City | Sept. 13, 20

Sierra Valley Farms | Beckwourth | Sept. 14

Thursday mornings through Oct. 11. Enjoy fresh local produce, delicious food and incredible lake views. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Free | (530) 5833348, tahoecityfarmersmarket.com

Hogs for the Cause Crystal Bay Casino | Crystal Bay | Sept. 13-15

Good music, good eats and good fun all for a great cause. Supporting the families of pediatric brain cancer patients through Hogs for the Cause. Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings for ages 21 and older. Saturday afternoon 1 to 7 p.m. All ages are invited. | (775) 833-6333, crystalbaycasino.com

A one-stop shop for patrons who can get seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables, local meats, fresh fish from the Pacific Coast, baked goods, mushrooms, condiments, wines and wine tasting, deli meats and cheese, organic milk and dairy, and many other locally crafted artisan value-added products and crafts. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. | (530) 832-0114, sierravalleyfarms.com

Garden Work Days Slow Food Lake Tahoe | Truckee | Sept. 17, 19

Get your hands in the soil, learn about mountain growing and make some new friends. All food grown goes to local seniors. slowfoodlaketahoe.or

South Lake Tahoe Farmers Market American Legion Hall Parking Lot | South Lake Tahoe | Sept. 18 Enjoy the weekly farmers’ market every Tuesday until Oct. 9. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. | (530) 6221900, eldoradofarmersmarket.com

Wine Wednesdays The Loft | South Lake Tahoe | Sept. 19

Free wine tasting from different featured winery each week. Enjoy free guest speaker and/or tasting notes from the featured winery.

4-7 p.m. | (530) 523-8024

Immune Boosting Foods Downtown Reno Wine Walk Riverwalk District | Reno | Sept. 15

Stroll along the Truckee River in the Riverwalk District for a wine tasting. Strollers and pets are not advised because of large crowds.

2-5 p.m. $20 | renoriver.org

Truckee Demonstration Garden | Truckee Sept. 19

Help avoid the cold and flu this winter by learning to prepare simple home remedies and immune boosting foods. Learn how to make Elderberry Syrup, Bone Broth and Fire Cider.

5:30 p.m. | slowfoodlaketahoe.org

Beach Retreat Luau Beach Retreat & Lodge at Tahoe South Lake Tahoe | Sept. 15

Luau fun in the heart of South Lake Tahoe.

Dinner and a show on the beach with a luau buffet, music and entertainment. 6-9 p.m. | eventbrite.com

Truckee Community Farmers Market Tahoe City Farmers Market

All proceeds after food expenses will go to Project MANA to provide hunger relief.

5-8 p.m. $20 | chamber.truckee.com

Tricounties Bank Plaza | Truckee | Sept. 16

Truckee Community Farmers’ Market Sundays until Sept. 30. The Truckee Community Farmers Market, is a California Certified Farmers Market, is committed to showcasing locally grown and artisan-quality foods.

9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free | (530) 414-9181, slowfoodlaketahoe.org

Volunteer Gardeners Truckee Demonstration Garden | Truckee Sept. 20

Volunteers are welcome for a community dig in. Build and refurbish beds, prune, weed, plant, transplant; whatever needs to be done.

No experience necessary. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. slowfoodlaketahoe.org

Third Thursday Tasting The Pour House | Truckee | Sept. 20

Enjoy a wine tasting each month. 5-7 p.m. thepourhousetruckee.com

Banh Mi & Beer for Project MANA Alibi Ale Works Incline Brewery & Tap Room Incline Village | Sept. 17

Project MANA and Kynbo, along with Alibi Ale, host Banh Mi & Beer featuring authentic Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches, Alibi Ales and a raffle for an Epic Tahoe Local Day Pass.

Morgan’s in Midtown Reno features a fish market & outdoor patio seating

Fine Italian Food & Spirits

Come in for some Fish ‘n’ Chips or a Lobster Reuben!

BUZZFEED.COM

VOTED AMERICA’S 2018 TOP 30 BEST LOBSTER ROLLS & VOTED TOP 25 IN 2017

Truckee, CA - 10089 W. River St. - (530) 582-5000 Reno, NV - 1401 S. Virginia St. - (775) 683-9300 Daily from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

20

MorgansLobsterShack.com

Famous for our Mexicans!

(530) 587-3557 10186 Donner Pass Rd - Truckee

Locals Love Lanza’s!

(530) 546-2434 BAR - 4:30 p.m. DINNER - 5 p.m.

7739 N Lake Blvd - Kings Beach

LanzasTahoe.com

Sept. 13-19, 2018

C AV E AT E M P T O R A V I N U M STORY & PHOTOS

BY LOU PHILLIPS

Happy Hour

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W i n e B u y e r Be w a re

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had an interesting couple of wine days where I shared with friends fairly pricey bottles with top-level provenance from highly regarded vintages. No. 1 was a single-site Willamette Valley Pinot Noir from the 2012 vintage. No. 2 was a 2010 Mount Eden Vineyards Estate Chardonnay from the Santa Cruz Mountains.

(Full disclosure, the latter is my neighbor when I’m in Saratoga.)

This is a cautionary tale of paying good money for bad wine. One of those wines was all that and a bag of chips and the other just a smelly ol’ bag of chips.

That is exactly what happened here.

The Willamette Valley $70 swill had been a favorite of mine in previous years. However, unbeknownst to me, the owners of a few years decided they were going to create more magnificence with their winemaking prowess. As a negative premium, when the owners unceremoniously dismissed the real talent, his many friends

Yes, bad wine tales happen far too often, even to the

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knowledgeable. in the region decided to terminate their on-a-handshake fruit contracts with said winery — a well-deserved reverse dismissal if ever there was.

In many cases, wine is a commodity that is produced and sold by bean counters and egoists and as such is subject to vagaries that are difficult to account for. When we are spending maybe $25 or less or aren’t that concerned with quality, it may be no big deal. But, when we are spending some real moolah, really into wine or purchasing wine as part of a business, it certainly is a big deal.

Helping Collectors Sell, Buy and Manage Their Collections Assisting Businesses Build Effective Wine Programs Making Your Wine Events Really Special

BEACHSIDE GRILLE

Expertise and Ethics Abigail sniffs out a winner.

A label can tell you a lot.

Yes, the unnamed wine was the culprit and my neighbor, Mount Eden proprietor and winemaker extraordinaire, Jeffery Patterson, over-delivered as always even at the price.

Yes, bad wine tales happen far too often, even to the knowledgeable. The culprit was a version of the old bait and switch. In the wine world, there are a few main reasons why this happens, with corporate takeover being the most common. Not far behind is the hubris of new, small winery owners, which often leads to a change in fruit sources, winemaking philosophy, techniques and resources, as well as changes of the actual practicing winemakers — with the new owners often displaying their own so-called brilliance in that role.

So here’s a few tips to apply when it really matters: A dedicated wine seller is your absolute best bet because he or she will have vetted their wines and can give you the skinny.

Read the label because vineyard source, vintage, production level and winemaker all make a difference.

If it really, really matters, perform further research. A quick Internet search will often reveal specifics about pertinent factors.

Cheers and enjoy your wine life.  Lou Phillips is a Level 3 Advanced Sommelier in Tahoe and his consulting business wineprowest. com assists in the selling, buying and managing wine collections. He may be reached at (775) 5443435 or wineguru123@gmail.com. Visit TheTahoeWeekly.com for more wine columns. Click on Wine Column under the Local Flavor tab.

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BEEF WELLINGTON B Y C H E F D AV I D “ S M I T T Y ” S M I T H

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Martini Mondays $7

spindleshankstahoe.com 400 Brassie Ave, Suite B · Kings Beach

(530) 546.2191

just picked up a filet pretty cheap. Usually, I will sear a serving of the filet off on the stove top and finish it in the oven.

I also like to serve the filet with a béarnaise sauce, which is basically a hollandaise sauce with a tarragon and red-wine vinegar reduction. Just pour about 2 tablespoons of tarragon — you can use dried tarragon — in a sauté pan and add about one-half cup of red wine vinegar to it. Let it reduce on the stove until there is just the slightest hint of liquid left and set it aside. Add a pinch of this at a time to your hollandaise sauce to taste and that’s it. Some people

Beef Wellington is usually thought of as a fancy meal that is complicated to make, but in actuality is not that hard.

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Eclectic old world Ambiance Home made Pastas Wide-ranging Wine list DINNER AND BAR NIGHTLY FROM 5-9 PM

TheTahoeWeekly.com Try Smitty’s recipes for: > Hollandaise Sauce > Demi Glace

Smitty is a personal chef specializing in dinner parties, cooking classes and special events. Trained under Master Chef Anton Flory at Top Notch Resort in Stowe, Vt., Smitty is known for his creative use of fresh ingredients. Contact him at tmmsmitty@gmail.com or (530) 412-3598. To read archived copies of Smitty’s column, visit chefsmitty.com or TheTahoeWeekly.com. Click on Chef’s Recipe under the Local Flavor tab.

From the kitchen of: Chef David “Smitty” Smith 3-lb. piece of filet, center cut 2 lbs. mushrooms, finely chopped 1 shallot, finely diced ½ T thyme 1 T butter 1 C sherry ½ C beef stock or 1 can beef broth

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22

E X C L U S I V E C O N T E N T AT

BEEF WELLINGTON

Reservations Recommended

brewforia.com

will add a little brown sauce to it but I like it without, although I do use a little Worcestershire sauce in my hollandaise.

If I happen to have some good demi still in my freezer, I will sometimes make a peppercorn sauce or a simple red-wine demi instead of the béarnaise. Either of these sauces is great on most cuts of beef and, again, is pretty easy to make.

Unlike store-bought chicken stock or base, I have never found a beef base product in the store I really like for use as a sauce, so I make my own and keep small containers in the freezer. For this dish, you can use one can of beef stock or consume in the mushroom reduction with no problems.

Beef Wellington is usually thought of as a fancy meal that is complicated to make, but in actuality is not that hard. There are many ways of making this dish and

like just about every other recipe, different chefs use different ingredients. This method is simple and a lot of the time is spent in waiting for things to cool.

A lot of Wellington recipes call for the use of pâté, which just adds one or two more simple steps, so if you want to use the pâté, I’ll give those directions, too. As for the sauce, again there are various options.

If I have a good demi, it is a toss-up between the béarnaise and a bordelaise sauce, which is a basic red-wine demi reduction.

So, no matter which recipe you use, give this dish a try for your next dinner party and impress your guests. 

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1 sheet puff pastry dough (let thaw overnight in refrigerator) 1 egg, beaten 1 T vegetable oil *½ lb. pâté *1½ T mustard

Season the filet with salt and pepper. Get a sauté pan hot on the stove top and sear off the filet in the oil, browning all the way around. Set it on a plate to cool. You can use a food processor if you want when chopping the mushrooms. Sauté the shallot and mushroom in a pan until all the liquid is gone. Add the sherry and let reduce until there is no more liquid and then repeat this process with the beef stock also adding the thyme as you add the stock. Let this mixture cool.

Roll out the dough on a floured table to about 2 inches longer than the filet at each end. Once everything is cool, you can start assembling. *If you want to use the pâté, brush the filet liberally with the mustard and then spread the pâté evenly over the meat. Spread the mushrooms onto the pastry dough so they are in the center of the dough as long as the filet is and twice as wide as the filet’s width. Bring one side of the dough up and over the filet.

Brush the outside edge of the dough with the egg wash along with the inside edge of the other side of the dough. Bring that side up and over to completely encase the filet.

Brush the ends of the dough with the egg wash and fold them up to close off the ends. Roll the pastry-covered filet onto a parchment-paper-lined sheet pan so the seams are on the bottom.

Set in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes so the dough can rest.

Brush the top with the rest of the egg and cook in a 350-degree F oven until golden brown, which should be about 20 minutes. Insert a thermometer to check internal temperature, which should be about 120 degrees F. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 20 minutes.

Slice the Wellington thick and serve the sauce under it if it is a brown sauce or on the side if you use béarnaise.

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