< Back to Community News

The Local Lens – Local Heroes Weekend

June 29, 2022 | Linda Offerdahl

Start the 4th of July weekend with TOCCATA’s Red, White & Blue “Salute to America” concert with Broadway, opera, and patriotic music at the Chateau at 7pm on Friday, July 1! The Tahoe Symphony Orchestra, founded by Conductor James Rawie and his wife Nancy, perform concerts year-round at many venues in the region. If you have never been to one of their concerts, you are in for a treat! 

Saturday is the NLTFPD Pancake Breakfast, followed by the Local Heroes Parade and Community Fair on the Village Green. Sunday and Monday are filled with patriotic and events that honor Veterans. Monday, July 4 is the first ever Incline Village Crystal Bay Sky Show. Best viewing for this drone show is right at the Ridgeline Ballfields at Incline Middle School. Details for all events is found at 4thofjulytahoe.com.

LAST CALL – For putting up your flag and decorating for the 4th!! Doesn’t the town look festive??

BREAKING NEWS… T’s Rotisserie had a fire on Sunday that will keep them closed until August sometime. This very popular, very busy restaurant will be missed. Jamie and crew, best of luck with getting things operational again. Chuck Swing assures me that the crew is being taken care of. Several are being engaged by other restaurants during the heavy summer season. 

SUMMER TIPS FROM LOCALS

BURNT CEDAR POOL…is remodeled and open again! Try to stay away from the weekend crowds…duh! Same for Raleys at 4 p.m., any day of the week. They open at 6 a.m.!

SAND HARBOR…REALLY HARD to get to in the summer, even on a weekday. Instead of taking your car, take the East Shore Express from the “old elementary school” at 771 Southwood. It runs continuously from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily with a stop at Raleys. It’s not just for visitors…it’s for anyone wanting to guarantee their visit to Sand Harbor or to decrease the traffic on Highway 28.

TRAFFIC WORKAROUNDS

OK, this week has provided a crash course in how to navigate Incline roads, what with all the NDOT work on several streets at once! With a little ingenuity, you can find the “back roads” or alternate routes and avoid long lines on Tahoe Blvd. 

KUDOS TO…

The Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation

The latest ($38 million!) donation to the redevelopment of Incline Village is for the new athletic stadium and other campus upgrades at Incline High School. Their generosity and dedication to our community is incredible. Thank you!

CARE Chest of Nevada 

They have opened a CARE Closet in the Village Church on McCourry to provide medical equipment at no charge to our residents. Visit CARE Chest online.

< Back to Community News

The Local Lens – Patriotic Decor for Local Heroes 4th of July Celebration

June 22, 2022 | Linda Offerdahl

Can we make the town look just as festive for the 4th of July as we did for the December holidays? It takes a Village….and yes, I am going to ramble quite a bit today. I want to personalize some of our commercial space by recognizing some of the individuals behind them.

SHOPPING CENTERS and COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS…Thank you to IPM, particularly Larry Wodarski, Art Vasquez, and Rosa Valdovinos for coordinating the efforts at Incline Center, aka Raleys, and Village Center. By the way, the owners of those centers help pay for the décor and the labor. Scott Dutcher and Tahoe IMMO is behind the beautiful remodel and the patriotic decorating of the building that houses Pet Station and Village Ski Loft. He is decorating ALL the office buildings he manages on Village and 923 Incline Way. Thank you, Scott!

TAHOE BLVD…Thanks to the deputies at our local Sheriff’s Incline Substation, those tall patriotic “wind” flags now adorn the corners of all the intersections along Tahoe Blvd. Thanks to Captain Corey Solferino, Sergeant Peter Sewell, Deputy Ray Sanchez, Deputy Michael Talton, and for the great community engagement of our peace officers. 

The Incline Village Realtors and their Good Neighbors Committee are lending a hand to get patriotic décor on our main street as well. The realtors have a history of dressing up our town. Back before the days of Red White & Tahoe Blue I believe, they (Tom Bruno, Cheryl Delahanty, and Jamie Golden among others) were responsible for ordering 9000 flags and organizing realtors to put them out, one for each parcel! If everyone put out a flag of their own, we could see that collective spirit of community. Let’s do it!

I want to give a shout out to Tahoe Time Plaza where Chase International and Rainbow Printing live. They ALWAYS have beautiful landscaping. Their bear sculpture is iconic. But it is their holiday décor that makes us really take notice, thanks to owner Gloria Obeso Levy. Chase International regularly gives us reasons to visit that Plaza because of the fundraisers they help organize. Speaking of which….

POURING FOR PAWS ON SATURDAY, JUNE 25

As a matter fact, there’s a fundraiser on Saturday 4-7 at the Tahoe Time Plaza! Chase International, Coldwell Banker and Pet Station are behind this fundraiser for WARF, Wylie Animal Rescue Foundation. Did you know they had a sanctuary? Go visit their website and then take a visit to Stagecoach, NV to see it. 

LOCAL HEROES PARADE (July 2) ROUTE DECORATING

Wednesday June 29 is the day we are decorating the parade route along Southwood and Incline Way. We still need more volunteers…. contact me at linda@ivcba.org! The parade is on Saturday, July 2 and ends at the Village Green where the Community Fair takes place. Click here for more info and the parade route.

VILLAGE GREEN and ASPEN GROVE DECORATING

Friday July 1 around 10 is the time to help us decorate the Village Green. Please don’t leave it all up to the retired vets in the IVCB Veterans Club! We need strong young people! There are LOTS of reasons to come to the Village Green on the Local Heroes 4th of July Celebration. Find all the patriotic events on July 3-4 at 4thofjulytahoe.com.

MORE BEAUTIFICATION IN INCLINE

Instead of whining about that long line of cars you are in on Tahoe Blvd., look carefully at the Boulevard in front of Mountain Workspace. Darin Talbot and crew have done an amazing job of decorating that little median. It’s the one with the kayak standing in it! It’s a labor of love, but it also highlights the Around Tahoe Tours and the kayak rentals run by Darin and his brother, photographer Chris Talbot, from that location. Marty Gollery has his photography on display there as well. Stop next door at Mountain Workspace Gallery to see work by local artist Lisa Jefferson, Frannie Ramirez, and Barbara Trifletti. 

TAHOE COMMUNITY FIRE FORUM TOMORROW – JUNE 23

This is important. Thursday June 23 at 5:30 at Parasol, NLTFPD Fire chief Ryan Sommers will be among the speakers. Fire is an increasing concern for us. Many are dealing with problems getting fire insurance. Hear what Menath Insurance is doing about it and its recommendations. 

< Back to Community News

The Local Lens: Congratulations Incline High Class of 2022!

June 15, 2022 | Linda Offerdahl

In a small town like Incline, there are two things everyone attends: one is the 4th of July parade, and the other is high school graduation. I’m here to talk about Incline High School graduation. Under Principal Tierney Cahill and her wonderful cadre of educators, 71 students are receiving their diplomas next Tuesday, June 21, at 4 pm in the main gym. The community is invited to attend. Nine students qualified as valedictorians. Wow! Congratulations to Rebecca Noble, Kenna Mirzayan, Jordan Stephens, Andrew Bilotti, Ava Winter, Brooke Gutheil, Emily Manship, Lupita Ramirez Gomez, and Ben Rock.

Tomorrow night, Thursday, June 16, is Scholarship Night, a chance to honor the academically gifted and college-bound graduates. This is another well-attended and moving event, as each recipient is celebrated with their profile shared on a big screen. You will be amazed at the generosity of our community with scholarships from AAUW, Rotary Clubs, and many other organizations.

LIVE.WORK.PLAY. Magazine is out!

The summer issue, featuring the Local Heroes 4th of July Celebration, is here! Watch for it in your mailbox, whether it’s home delivery or at the post office. Read about “almost famous” locals Elko James (Village Ski Loft) and Shahri Masters (Masters of Tahoe Incline Real Estate). PLUS, it has a feature on a new local leader, Louis Ward. Louis is the new Administrator of Incline Village Community Hospital, as well as the Chief Operating Office of the Tahoe Forest Health District. Father of four. Big on community engagement. Welcome! *Read LIVE.WORK.PLAY. Magazine online.

New leaders in the community!

The Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation…give thanks for EVERYTHING they do for Incline Village…has a new Executive Director, Jim Dugdale will be involved in many aspects of our community. You know what the Foundation has done already for the schools, for the Substation, and IVGID. Don’t forget the Pet Network and the BGCNLT Duffield Youth Center. Much more to come.

New leaders in the business world… Steve and Tracy Tomkovicz, hope I spelled that right, with Bowl Incline? Wow! What a game-changer! Ebbie Nakhavajani and EKN Development Group are working so hard to revitalize the Biltmore. Randy Fleisher (Hamilton Realty Finance) and his wife Lisa (Summit Pilates), live in Incline Village full time and are trying to fill in some of the gaps in housing. Have you noticed that the Bank of America building now houses Merrill Lynch? 

The Rotary Garden

Ever wonder who maintains the cute little flower patch at the corner intersection of Village and Tahoe Blvd, in front of the Chevron station? The Rotary Club of Incline Village is quietly doing its part to beatify Incline. Under the Co-Presidency of Lisa Bernard and Lu Sweeny, annuals get planted every year and now, snippets of our history have been added.  It’s worth a stop at the Chevron Station (high gas prices are not Manager Doug Brown’s fault) to check out the history plaques. Find out more about our colorful history with the King’s Castle, aka, the Hyatt, and the Card House, aka the Whittell Mansion, at the Thunderbird Lodge. Thank you, Rotarians!

Spam for Breakfast

Check it out at the soft opening for Bowl Incline! Head Chef Sam Choy (I have his cookbook!) is from Hawaii and the breakfast menu is very creative. Spam pairs well with eggs, fried rice, banana pancakes, and pretty much anything on that breakfast menu. Who knew! By the way, Spam is manufactured by Hormel, in Austin, Minnesota, my home state! This “Special Ham” was created for servicemen in WWII.  Visit Bowl Incline to book your soft opening tickets and check out the diner, the bowling alley, arcade games, and bar. This place promises to be a great new event venue as well as a place for locals to bowl and hang out.

< Back to Community News

The Local Lens: Tis Fundraising Season

June 8, 2022 | Linda Offerdahl

‘Tis the season for fundraisers! — Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation has its “Community Dinner” on Friday night at the Parasol building on Incline Way. Twenty-five years ago, local philanthropist Warren Trepp joined forces with Carla Hanson, the “Mother Theresa” of Incline Village. Their concept was a building to house nonprofits and allow them to share resources. It still houses the Parasol offices, Sierra Community House, and the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, among others. It is primarily a source of funding for regional nonprofits through its donor advised funds and its own generous community grants. It is largely due to their efforts that Incline Village Crystal Bay has such a large contingent of nonprofits, too numerous to mention. Learn more about our community’s nonprofits at IVCBA.org. By the way, IVCBA and Parasol recently reconvened the Parasol Community Collaboration in a Summit with Washoe County Human Services Agency. These groups work hard to provide that safety net for our families.

Pet Network Humane Society is bringing back the Fur Ball in style! Get glammed up for the “Hooray for Hollywoof” theme and have your limo (your Subaru is fine!) drop you off at the Hyatt. Marilyn will be on hand to greet you. Mwaa!! Enjoy a fabulous dinner by the Hyatt chefs and a rousing live auction before you get out on the dance floor and swing to the Let’s Dance band. Wondering what to wear? Channel your inner movie star, one from YOUR era! Go down to Village Center and visit the thrift stores for inspiration or to find a dress that fits, like I’m doing!  A vintage look, paired with your husband in a tux wearing a bowtie like James Bond, makes the whole evening more fun. Dave & Cheryl Duffield, arguably the biggest philanthropists for pets in the nation, are sponsoring the Fur Ball and matching “Fund a Need” dollars up to $100,000. Visit Pet Network for tickets and the online silent auction!

IVCBA EXCLUSIVE ON THE HYATT! Yes, we love their ballrooms for our fundraisers, but did you know, they now have an outdoor venue on the beach! Not the pier, not the Lone Eagle deck. Go towards Action Water Sports. The Nest is a beautiful bar and grille right on the beach. Think island music and great cocktails. YES, locals are welcome. No reservation needed but recommended if it’s the weekend. Parking is validated!!!

DON’T FORGET TO VOTE ON TUESDAY at INCLINE LIBRARY!

There are numerous primary races for the state, county, and local government. Unfamiliar with the candidates? Do some research on the races and candidates on the Washoe County website

LOCAL CANDIDATES WILL ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS!

 IVGID Trustee candidates will be featured speakers at a community-wide meeting sponsored by the IVCB Community Forum. Participating Candidates: Albert Buckner, Yolanda Knaak, Gail Krolick, Bradley Mindlin, David Noble, Ray Tulloch.

Thursday, June 9 from 5:30-7:00 pm on zoom

John Crockett from the Library will moderate the discussion.

Submit Your Questions for the Candidates

Please send your questions for the candidates to: ivcbcommunityforum@gmail.com by June 8.

IVCB Community Forum Moderator Denise Davis and Recap Editor Ronda Tycer will organize and group questions starting with the most frequently asked.

< Back to Community News

The Local Lens: Roundabout Clean Up

June 1, 2022 | Linda Offerdahl

A big shoutout to Incline Property Management (IPM) owner Larry Wodarksi and the 4-person crew that spent 5 hours (20 manhours) cleaning up the roundabout over Memorial Day weekend. They picked up trash, weeded, and did other gardening work to make the existing plants flourish. Look for the flowering yarrow and purple salvia. They have additional work to do on the islands. For years, the roundabout was cleaned up by individuals, the Rotary Clubs, and the Good Neighbors committee (Incline Village Realtors). But the roundabout needed professional attention, which it is now getting thanks to IPM’s donation of time and talent. 

ROUNDABOUT HISTORY

Approximately 10 years ago, Jim Clark, Don Kanare, Jim Nowling, and Lee Weber Koch, among others began laying the groundwork for a traffic circle to mitigate the problems at the intersection of the Mt. Rose Highway and Highway 28.  With much community input, and work with Washoe County, TRPA, and NDOT, the mission was accomplished. However, NDOT did not budget for public art. Thus, was born the Roundabout Public Art committee. The theme of local fauna and wildlife was established, and local artist June Brown was engaged. Funds were raised by people wishing to honor loved ones and beloved pets with a bronze sculpture. June donated her design time (valued at $250,000) and the funds raised went for the bronze casting in her foundry in Utah. The bear, who holds a salmon in its mouth, greets visitors arriving from Reno. The bear was purchased by longtime resident Jerry Stewart in honor of his wife Lois. Some people think it’s unfortunate that its backside faces California. Some people think it was planned that way. You decide. The mule deer has probably received the most fame because it has been hit by a car…and had to be replaced by the foundry. Vandals have discovered just how durably those sculptures were made. Look carefully to find the coyote, squirrels, and birds. Once dubbed Spumoni Circle by Don Kanare in honor of his cat (the bobcat), the roundabout is the Gateway to Lake Tahoe from Reno. 

IVCBA BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE

Native flowering plants and bushes were selected to enhance the beauty of the sculptures. For a few weeks in June, these native plants are blooming and enjoying enough water. However, irrigation was never installed, limiting the plants that could be established. IVCBA agreed to accept responsibility for the maintenance and improvement of the roundabout. A beautification committee has been formed and will research options for water, as well as consider how the original design can be improved to enhance this Gateway to Tahoe, particularly its East Shore. 

EAST SHORE WEBINAR BY TRPA

Join Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) partners for a preview of projects happening near you. Learn about the Marlette Creek Restoration Project, forest health initiatives, next steps for Spooner and Sand Harbor, and more, plus how to stay engaged in all these initiatives. The meeting takes place on Thursday, June 2 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Zoom. Register today.

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB NORTH LAKE TAHOE’S WINE ON THE WATER SILENT AUCTION

Some of you may remember the wonderful annual event, Wine on the Water at the Hyatt, which supported the Boys and Girls Club. They pivoted to smaller winemaker dinners that are going on this week. Unfortunately, they are sold out. But you can still donate to them by supporting the silent auction! The clubhouse in Incline Village is known as the Duffield Youth Center and is in Incline Elementary School. The headquarters and theatre are in Kings Beach. They do a phenomenal job of providing after-school enrichment programs for kids. Please support them!

About the Author Linda Offerdahl

Linda Offerdahl, IVCBA’s Executive Director, is a 34-year resident of Incline Village. After careers in education and computer product management, she and her husband Richard moved to Incline Village to raise a family and support the community and its endless recreational and business assets. 

Sign up for our weekly SnapShot newsletter

Translate