You can count on our Veterans Club to hold a Memorial Day celebration. This year, like most, it is on Burnt Cedar Beach Jetty at 10 am. Take a moment to reflect on those who served our country in the military. The IVCB Veterans Club, as well as the Military Officers Association of America, actively support veterans throughout the year. Watch for the patriotic celebrations over the 4^th of July as part of the Local Heroes weekend celebration. 

Growing up in the Midwest, we visited the cemetery every Memorial Day and laid flowers on the graves of our loved ones. Cemeteries are uncommon in the mountains, although we do have a columbarium in St. Patrick’s Episcopalian Church. Some of the longtime residents that have passed away in 2022: 

Tatyana Floam

Ginny Hestmark

Sharon Kirby

Jim Nadeau

Ben Solomon

Peter Van Dyke

Bob Wolf

They will be remembered for their many contributions to our community. Apologies to those who passed and are not recognized here. 

Two Celebrations of Life will be held in June:

Ben Solomon – June 16, 1-3 pm at Sierra Nevada University

The Founders’ Monument will be dedicated to Ben and Margaret in recognition of their significant contributions to SNU.

Bob Wolf – Saturday, June 25, 2 – 5pm at Aspen Grove

Bob was a founder of the Children’s Cabinet (now Tahoe Family Solutions) and a former IVGID trustee.

LOCAL HEROES 4^TH of JULY CELEBRATION   

We are looking for Parade & Community Fair participants and volunteers for Saturday, July 2! Would you like to help decorate the parade route? Can you help at check-in to stage parade floats, vehicles, and walking groups?  Will your youth group or business put a float or a vehicle in the parade? * 

Learn more and sign up at 4thofjulytahoe.com!

4^th of July in Incline means a parade, pancakes, picnics with family on the beach, and fireworks. Some things have changed! Events are no longer organized under a single entity like they were in the past with Red, White, and Tahoe Blue. However, one website, 4thofjulytahoe.com  includes all events for the Local Heroes 4^th of July Celebration. Go there to find all the latest updates. The biggest change is the drone Sky Show on the Incline Middle School ballfields instead of fireworks on the beach. Much safer and better for the environment. Please donate and help make it a success. Learn more by visiting ivcbskyshow.org

THE LOCAL HEROES PARADE AND COMMUNITY FAIR are looking for participants and volunteers! Right after the pancake breakfast at the NLTFPD fire station, the parade starts at 893 Southwood, crosses Village to the Incline Bowl, and turns right on Incline Way to the Rec Center and Village Green. The Community Fair starts immediately after the parade, around 11 am.

CALLING ALL HEROES…

It’s lots of fun to be IN the parade. Join the bike parade, and make a float with your family, church, school, or other organization. Classic cars, walking groups, street performers…be creative!

BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW TO BUILD A FLOAT…. I didn’t either until I started Dress The Party, the costume and party store years ago. Now I am the go-to expert! Start with a trailer, cover the bottom with floral sheeting, and the sides with garland and fringe. Voila!  No costume and party store anymore, BUT Amazon has everything now, including patriotic decorations. It’s not that hard to make a float and your kids will love it. The more creative, the better!

LOCAL HEROES THEME

We keep the same theme every year because it is patriotic and so versatile. Veterans and active military personnel who have defended our country ever since the Revolutionary War are always honored on the 4^thof July.

However, heroes are found all around us and you can change out the heroes you are celebrating every year. Was this the year you got acquainted with the hospital because of COVID? Go for health care workers. Aren’t we all grateful for firefighters after last summer? Thanks to Dave & Cheryl Duffield, a fully funded Sheriff’s Office Incline Substation makes Captain Solferino’s team of peace officers so much more visible in the community. Teachers are at the top of the list too, showing such dedication to our youth through the last couple years of the pandemic. Community workers, moms, dads, whoever your local hero is, July 2^nd is the day to honor them. P.S. superheroes are welcome too!

COMMUNITY FAIR

IVCBA and IVGID are bringing back the Community Fair. Sign up for tent space if you are a community organization, business, or someone who wants to meet the community on the 4^th of July. Go to 4thofjulytahoe.com to sign up or to volunteer to help that day.

The Community Fair is bound to be well-attended because it is right after the parade and across the street from the beach. Share information about your organization, hand out freebies, especially beverages, or offer a game or entertainment. Kids needing a break from the beach will be happy to do a quieter activity or get their faces painted.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

IVGID is organizing field and relay games run by the Incline High School sports teams. The Jambulance and Ryan Broliar will entertain us with interactive music and fun for everyone. 

Not to be missed is the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Meet and Greet. Sheriff Balaam, Incline Substation Captain Solferino and his sergeants and deputies will be on hand. All the Sheriff’s emergency and SWOT vehicles will be there, plus the mounted unit and the K-9 unit.

If you grew up here, or just happened to be a longtime local, you probably remember the Optimists Carnival on Incline Beach with its dunk tank and old-fashioned carnival games. The Community Fair has its roots in this very popular event run by the Optimists Club, which no longer exists in Incline Village. Red, White, and Tahoe Blue carried on the tradition, moving the Community Fair to the Village Green. 

VOLUNTEERS

We need you! We need strong younger people to decorate the parade route and set up the pop-up tents. We need experienced retired folks who can share their time and expertise at the Community Fair. Seriously, if you don’t have a ton of family coming up for the weekend, we could really use the help.

Did I mention where to sign up? The Local Heroes website, of course! Go to 4thofjulytahoe.com. 

To participate in the IVGID Bike Parade which kicks off the entire parade register here. 

For a mountain, outdoor-oriented community, Incline Village has a surprisingly large number of local artists. Most restaurants display local art, particularly photography and there are a few galleries around too. The Holman Art Center, part of Sierra Nevada University is one. Another is the Incline Library, currently displaying art from Incline High School students. The Visitor Center has a display from our historical society. Other places to see and purchase art are Handmade at the Lake (Centerpointe Building), the Potlatch, Village Interiors, and Sierra Verde in Village Center. The HIVE is an artist’s co-op in Harland Plaza, next to the big Wash Laundromat.

IVCBA promotes local artists by running the Mountain Workspace Gallery at 885 Tahoe Blvd. The artist reception on Thursday, May 12 welcomes Lisa Jefferson, Franny Ramirez, and Barbara Trifletti from 4:30-6 pm. The gallery is open daily and the art on display can be purchased. We are looking for the next set of artists for July/August. We are thinking it should be Burning Man artists…. Email Linda if you are interested. 

Piper Johnson, long-time Incline resident and Plein Air artist, recently moved to Truckee. She exhibits other artists as well, including Incline artists Mary Nagel Klein, Molly O’Mara, Liz Paganelli and Lisa Jefferson. Her grand opening for the new location of the Piper J Gallery is this Saturday, May 14. The address is 10153 W River Street in Truckee.

RESPONSIBLE TOURISM         

What’s one of the biggest complaints we hear in Incline? The tourists who leave trash on our beaches and trails! (News flash…it’s not just tourists who leave trash). Education is key and the Visitor Bureau works hard to be sure everyone, whether they live here or are just visiting, understand how to “Take Care Tahoe” and what responsible tourism means. TRPA and the tourism industry have migrated to a “destination management” philosophy that is focused on sustainable tourism. 

By the way, Incline resident (and IVCBA member!)  Jacquie Chandler has spent her years at the Lake dedicated to her nonprofit Sustainable Tahoe. Visit her website for inspiration and to take her Earth Walk around the Visitor Center.

PLEASE JOIN the public workshop on Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Plan on Tuesday, May 17 from 5:30-7:30 at Parasol. The goal is to balance the needs of Lake Tahoe’s environment, businesses, visitors, and local communities. TRPA, the Visitor Bureau, and the Tahoe Fund are among the organizers. The workshops are being held around the Lake. Register to attend here. 

TAHOE BLUE CREWS

If you want to be proactive about picking up trash, consider joining or starting a Tahoe Blue Crew, part of the League to Save Lake Tahoe’s “Keep Tahoe Blue”. The next big clean-up is July 5 on the beaches. More information and sign up.

SIERRA NEVADA UNIVERSITY GRADUATION on Saturday, May 14 at 10 am.

Why am I mentioning this? 2022 marks the last graduation of the college that was taken over by Ben and Margaret Solomon 52 years ago. It has been an integral part of Incline ever since the first campus was built on College Way. The campus is now located on Country Club and Tahoe Blvd. As of July 1, Sierra Nevada University is slated to become part of UNR, an effort that has taken a year to accomplish. Ben Solomon passed away at the end of February. A monument is dedicated to the work of Ben and Margaret who so committed their lives to Sierra Nevada College and making it an integral part of Incline Village. Make a date to walk through the campus to see the monument and the Demonstration Garden founded by Margaret and now run by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center. Margaret still resides in Incline Village.

BUSINESS UPDATE

Have you driven by the old Wildflower Café on Tahoe Blvd lately? Those buildings came down fast! The site will become the home of Natural Grocers. You can preview it by shopping at the one in Reno, off Kietzke Lane. 

Never did I appreciate teachers as much as I did when I was a mom with school-age children! This week marks the national Teacher Appreciation Week as well as (Hallmark’s) Mother’s Day on Sunday. Teachers are found in and out of a classroom and not all mothers are biological. Let’s celebrate all the loving caring people that nurtured us through childhood and along our path through life.

Teaching was my first career out of college. I taught for seven years in Minnesota before realizing that my life was not falling into the traditional marriage and children routine in my twenties that I had expected. What I learned about teachers by being one, is that most of them care deeply about their students. They work hard to instill not just a love of learning and the ability to think, but also the life skills to get along with others and be responsible citizens of the world. As many parents work longer hours to provide household basics, a teacher connecting with a young person can make a huge difference in their life. Teachers do work long hours, so do most people. But I found the emotional toll of being involved in the lives of lots of students much more stressful than the careers I had in business. Teachers need that time off in the summer to recharge!  

 It took Richard and me eight years to realize we were meant to be married and raise children in Incline Village.  I was sure that my teaching background made me uniquely qualified to be a parent. Boy, was I wrong! As an older parent, I was clueless. I didn’t know the characters of Sesame Street, how many batteries it would take to run all those toys, and what a “time-out” meant to a 2-year-old.  I was quickly “schooled” by Nicole, Kirk, and Katelyn, all born between 1990 and 1993.  But I also learned to appreciate that not all learning takes place in school, and that “teachable moments” apply to growing up as well as learning math. Readiness for reading varies among children, and so does readiness for life. Moms, and by moms, I mean the primary caregiver, wear a lot of hats. I was a business manager (running the household), in charge of procurement (aka shopping), ER nurse (bandages and kisses for owies), referee, coach, therapist…. all of the jobs that parents take on. As my dad used to say, “Parenting is a job for which there is no training and no pay.” 

IVCBA News

Mark your calendar for May 12…the date of the next Artist Reception at the Mountain Workspace Gallery. Help us welcome Lisa Jefferson, Barbara Trifletti, and Frannie Ramirez. 

We are just about to launch The Local Heroes website, where you will be able to learn all about the 4^th of July events for 2022! We are looking for participants and volunteers for the Parade and Community Fair.

BUSINESS UPDATES

The Pet Station is now open in its new location with Village Ski Loft at the intersection of Tahoe Blvd and Northwood. 

The Mehfil Bistro, serving Indian Cuisine is now open, right next to Happy Tiers Bakery and Coffee Shop in the Christmas Tree Village.

I hear there is a “speakeasy” in town, but no one will tell me where and I don’t know the secret password. Miles at Incline Spirits might know.