Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 08/12/2024, Written by Kayla Anderson

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – On the evening of August 6, Aistë “Ice” Masters and her 13-year-old son Timmy were sitting in the front row of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (LTSF) The Merry Wives of Windsor show laughing hysterically. This was a special night for them considering sign-language interpreters Jo Dunlap and Shawna Hafen were there, allowing them both to get the full Shakespearian theater experience.

Although the Masters’s have lived in Stateline for 18 years, this was the first time that they attended an LTSF performance. Timmy was born profoundly deaf in both ears, suffering from bilateral hearing loss. He wears a cochlear device which maybe gives him 50% hearing, but the sounds are different. It takes a lot of effort to depend on it for hearing and the devices can fail, so deaf people tend to primarily use sign language as it’s a more reliable source of communication. Ice herself took six levels of American Sign Language (ASL) at Lake Tahoe Community College when he was born and used it to communicate with him as a baby and toddler.

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Photo: Interpreters Jo Dunlap and Shawna Hafen. Provided / Angie Reagan

Originally published in LIVE.WORK.PLAY Summer edition, Written by Kayla Anderson

The northeast shore’s newest booming summer music festival is back as the multi-day Gambler’s Run returns to the Crystal Bay Club Casino for its second year in a row. 

For a while now, the staff at the Crystal Bay Club have been wanting to create an event where locals and visitors could gather at the Tahoe’s northern state line to enjoy the great music that the casino is known for, along with enjoying delicious food, drinks, and local arts & crafts vendors. 

This is the second year of the Gambler’s Run, which will take place July 26-28, 2024, on Crystal Bay Club grounds.

Last year the CBC hosted 26 bands over three days, but this year the Gambler’s Run has been condensed down to include bigger names that will be playing longer sets. In its inaugural 2023 year, local-ish bands such as Six Mile Station and Hot Buttered Rum played while this summer California native favorites Donavon Frankenreiter, Jackie Greene, and The Mother Hips are on the bill. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will also be back, headlining on Friday night with special guest Karl Denson and playing the afterparty on Saturday night. 

Crystal Bay Club will have the same general setup as it did last year for the Gambler’s Run, with two stages outdoor and indoor with live music going 2pm-midnight for all three days. The casino also added a kickoff party this year with Grammy nominee Samantha Fish for Thursday night (July 25^th).

“It’s a diverse group of musicians including funk, jam, bluegrass, americana,” says CBC General Manager Eric Roe. A lot of these bands have played at the Crown Room over the years as well.

When asked why musicians like playing at the CBC, Roe replies, “Our acoustics are amazing in the Crown Room. We have a rich music history and good energy here in the North Shore. We have a lot of passionate music lovers here.”

Along with a variety of food trucks and local artisan vendors that had already signed up by early May, Roe adds that they’re “collaborating with some big heavy hitter nonprofits” on the sustainability front this year, too. The Tahoe Fund, League to Save Lake Tahoe, Sierra Nevada Alliance, and Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) are just a few organizations that will be giving educational talks between band sets. This year’s festival will be implementing sustainable practices and to be as waste-free as possible. “Zero waste, zero plastic” is what they’re shooting for, Roe reiterates. 

Although there is no camping available at the Crystal Bay Club, the CBC has partnered with Incline Lodge to offer Gambler’s Run room packages. 

“The majority of festivals offer camping so finding lodging partners was a big goal for us this year,” he says. When asked what his favorite part of the festival was last year, Roe replies, “The overall vibe out there was just incredible. And it looks like it will be well-attended this year. 

“We’ve been collaborating with musicians [throughout the year] to give the people what they want. We want to make the Gambler’s Run about them [the audience], for them,” Roe says.

“It has been a goal of mine to get outdoor national acts on the North Shore for years now, so to finally see that come to fruition was incredible,” he adds.

2024 Gambler’s Run tickets are capped at a thousand people per day and as of early June, there were still a few 3-day passes available for purchase. “But I would get them sooner than later,” says Roe. 

For more information about this year’s Gambler’s Run, visit https://www.crystalbaycasino.com/gamblers-run-music-festival/. 

Sidebar: Other Notable North Lake Tahoe Concert Series Happening This Summer

Live Music at Incline Beach, Incline Village: The Incline Spirits Barefoot Bar at Incline Beach hosts live music on Wednesdays and Fridays from 4pm-7pm. Must have a valid IVGID Picture Pass card to enter. https://inclinespirits.com/barefoot-bar/ 

Music on the Beach, Kings Beach: This free summer concert series hosted by the North Tahoe Business Association takes place on Fridays from 6pm-8:30pm. https://northtahoebusiness.org/music-on-the-beach/

Concerts at Commons Beach, Tahoe City: This is a free concert series hosted by the Tahoe City Downtown Association and Tahoe City PUD that takes place on Sundays from 4pm-7pm. https://concertsatcommonsbeach.com/ 

Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 06/06/2024, Written by Kayla Anderson

On a beautiful Friday afternoon in Incline Village, a bunch of wriggling and happy yet well-behaved kindergartners file into Ms. Trina Kleinhenz’s Makerspace at Incline Elementary School.

That day’s class was joined by two special guests, author Joanna Howes and illustrator Alex Bailey of Wild Sierra Nevada: A Family Nature Guide. When the students sat attentively and settled into the class, Howes and Bailey introduced themselves.

“I always loved to draw and paint, did that throughout my life, and went to school to become a scientist. And now I draw and do art for my job,” Ms. Alex Bailey tells the kids…

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Photo Credit – Kayla Anderson (Tahoe Daily Tribune)

Written by Kayla Anderson

Show mom you love her by giving her something special right here in Incline Village/Crystal Bay. From sparkling jewelry to specially curated “Mountain Mama” gift baskets, these shops offer a little bit of everything for the number one lady in your life:  

In the Raley’s Shopping Center:

• The Potlatch

Celebrating more than 50 years in business, The Potlatch is usually hopping during gift-giving season. Along with children’s items, books, home décor, Lake Tahoe sweatshirts, and cozy socks, The Potlatch is the place to go for any turquoise jewelry and its signature Lake Tahoe-inspired necklaces. www.potlatchlaketahoe.com 

• Panache

Carrying the best in women’s fashion, activewear, children’s apparel, and home goods, Panache has the entire family covered and cozy for any season. Consider getting your mom a unique handbag, hat, candleholder, vase, or hardcover coffee table book. And don’t forget the greeting card. www.tahoeboutique.com 

• Forever Rox

Since 2008, Forever Rox has been a family-owned business that specializes in sourcing sparkling high-end diamonds and colored gemstones and then turning them into one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces that truly last a lifetime. Full time jeweler and owner John Roxburgh does jewelry repairs, stone setting, and custom fabrication, using all the best materials and his skills. Diamond hoop earrings, available in many sizes and styles, are a favorite amongst moms. www.foreverrox.com. 

New Stores with Mom Gifts in Christmas Tree Village:

• Tahoe Gifting Co. 

Due to the demand, the woman and veteran-owned Tahoe Gifting Co. has finally opened a brick-and-mortar store in Christmas Tree Village to highlight its custom gifting services. Combining their love of the mountains and Lake Tahoe with their graphic design skills, owners Darya Shahvaran and Matthew Rattio have built a business curating handcrafted, small-batch quality gift items made by local artisans and putting them into thoughtful baskets that are known to leave an impression. Some of the more popular boxes to celebrate mom include the curated Mountain Mama box (with Coffeebar tea, chocolate truffles, a coffee mug, and bath product) as well as the Welcome Baby basket with a sippy cup, Dorinda’s chocolates, sea salt bath rocks, a Lake Tahoe onesie, and Tahoe ABC book that’s written and illustrated by local artists. https://tahoegiftingco.com/ 

• Lisa Douglas Designs

Right next to Tahoe Gifting Co. is Lisa Douglas Designs, a design studio that specializes in cool vintage items at an affordable price. Some of her collections include weathered hardbound books, ashtrays that can double as serving trays, plush blankets, pillows, coasters, wooden Liberty puzzles, original artwork, furniture, lamps, and salt & pepper shaker sets in all different shapes, animals, and themes. Every item in there is one-of-a-kind—meaning that once they’re gone, they’re gone—but fortunately Lisa Douglas is a master at finding similar items and has the resources and expertise to give customers incredible deals. Some of the best gifts to give for Mother’s Day from Lisa Douglas Designs include the mother of pearl shell spoon sets, a vase, or copper angel ornaments made by a Reno artist (“Since we’re in the Christmas Tree Village we have to have ornaments year-round,” she says.)  https://lisadouglasdesigns.com/ 

• Happy Tiers Bakery

If you want to really spoil mom, walk her down to Happy Tiers Bakery for a mouthwatering baked good. Expert cakemaker Andrea Jurss has her own cakemaking studio in the center of the café, and all around it are places to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee, a cinnamon roll, custard cup, lemon-blueberry scone, or one of the other delectable treats in its massive selection. Happy Tiers tends to do special sugar cookie designs, cake slices, and cupcake specials around Mother’s Day and other holidays, making this the place to (sweet) treat your mom. Its cookie decorating kits are also a fantastic way to get the kids involved. www.happytiersbakery.com 

Notable Mentions: 

• Glasses Wine Bar in the Village Shopping Center

After spending the morning and afternoon at the Raley’s Shopping Center and Christmas Tree Village, take your mom to Glasses Wine Bar to relax with a glass of vino. Along with the wraparound bar and 16 different wine dispensers along the wall that allow you to pour your own drink, Incline’s only wine bar also has nice seating areas inside and out, perfect for reading and relaxing. Glasses also have fun gifts including wine-inspired apparel, tea towels, greeting cards, wine stoppers, wine glasses, and reading glasses. It’s worth joining their email list, too, since they often have live music, happy hour deals, and special events. https://glasseswinebar.com/ 

• Bridget Giroux Design 

This mother/daughter interior design team hosts unique events and workshops throughout the year and Mother’s Day is a perfect reason to celebrate (especially now that a new Bridget has joined the family). Bridget Giroux Design is holding a couple of workshops this spring, including a Spring Wreath Workshop on March 22^nd and a Mother’s Day Flowering Bulb Workshop on Friday, May 10^th from 5pm-8pm. At this special workshop, Catalina of Believe in Recess will help attendees create living arrangements with flowering bulbs. Participants choose from a beautiful and colorful collection of pre-sprouted spring bulbs such as hyacinth, tulips, crocus, and daffodils to plant and arrange in a gorgeous ceramic platter as a living garden centerpiece. Then after taking home the custom-made “garden”, you’ll get to watch it open up and transplant it outdoors if you wish. The cost is $135/person and includes all materials, wine, and charcuterie. 

If your mom can’t make the workshop, then consider buying a Bridget Giroux hand poured Incline Village-inspired candle that burns for over 80 hours (available in Hidden Beach, Incline Creek, and Sierra Snow scents). Cashmere shawls that were created in a high-end Italian artisan mill exclusive to Bridget Giroux Design are also available, and the silk, cashmere, and sable blend will make mom feel wrapped in luxury. Order from Bridget Giroux Design’s online shop for local pickup, and your mom present will be complimentary gift-wrapped with a Mother’s Day card. www.bridgetgiroux.com 

Originally Published in IVCBA’s LIVE.WORK.PLAY, Written by Kayla Anderson

Tim Kelly, The Sports and Community Supervisor in Incline Village, is a seemingly simple man in the kindest and most beautiful way. Talking to Tim it is hard to not conjure up thoughts and feelings of a gentler time in the past, seemingly one with less noise, when it felt like, even if it were not true, that all mattered was your family, your community and your contribution to it. This is ‘all’ that matters to Tim and within five minutes of talking it is incredibly obvious that he cares hard and deeply. His world revolves around his family, his job, and his local community and what he is doing to make it better.  By certain modern societal standards of money, fame and recognition his aspirations are not ‘great’. There is absolutely no ulterior motive other than helping those around him. To Tim, his role is incredibly important and the responsibility could not be greater. Tim sees immense opportunity to shape the community around him and is currently living out his dream job in being able to do so through recreation. 

Tim is a big believer in what you do rather than what you do specifically for a living, luckily for him, in his life, he loves both. Tim grew up as an athlete and had an incredibly active youth. He went to Reno High for sports and went on to play basketball in college at Pacific Lutheran. Basketball, even more so than any of the other sports he has loved, has been a recurring theme throughout his life as both an athlete and a coach at the collegiate level and at Servite HS in Anaheim, CA, before moving to Incline. He still coaches youth basketball in Incline and attempts to instill strong moral character in his athletes even more so than athletic prowess. As a coach his six values are an attitude of gratitude, humility, courage, perseverance, enthusiasm and faith / belief. Listening to him talk, his passion for coaching and working with kids, is blatantly obvious, it is attached to every word. Being a mentor means more to him than any sport itself which is why he is also a youth minister. 

As the unofficial ‘athletic director’ of Incline Village Tim loves to do ‘all of the things’ His favorites are surfing, skiing, biking and playing basketball. Fortunately, Tim gets to do most of these things with his wife Maureen and their three kids. Team sports are generally his favorite for the camaraderie. Among the ones he gets to help provide and organize for his community flag football is his favorite but he is proud of every single sport and recreation program Incline offers, whether soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, basketball, dodgeball, pickleball or any of the many others. Tim is proud of all of the youth and adult sport programs offered whether team or individual and truly appreciates his cohorts in the parks department and those who make his job easier with facilities. Tim’s goal is for all Incline residents to be active in some way to live a healthy life. He believes that his role is not just to provide services to the community but to build community. 

Tim’s history as it relates to sharing his love of sport, coaching it, and providing it to others is vast. His whole life has been defined by these things as well as sharing the values that sport has taught him with his own family and his community who he considers extended family. Tim hopes to be at his desk or on the fields as the Incline Sports and Community Supervisor for at least another ten years. He is self-described, and accurately so, as ‘The biggest Incline fan I’ve ever met’.  Tim explained, “I do this for a loving, not for a living.” It is obvious it is in Incline’s best interest that this benevolent, sport loving, community man sticks around as long as possible. 

Originally Published in IVCBA’s Live.Work.Play Magazine, Written by Kayla Anderson

A few weeks before United For Action’s annual Winter Warmth & Wellness Drive, members of The Knitters Guild of Incline Village meet at the St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church to knit together and create warm winter wear to donate back to the community. 

These fiber artists informally gather every Wednesday at the church from 1pm-3pm all year long to knit and crochet together, creating scarves, shawls, blankets, beanies, and more. As the weather cools off thus ramping up a need for warm clothing, these members are using this midweek cold sunny afternoon to make progress on their projects. 

Former Incline Village resident Peggy Harrison started The Guild back in 2002, meeting up with her friends at the church to knit together and share patterns. Word got around and more local knitters started attending the informal Wednesday meetings, taking yarn from the closet, and turning it into wearable/useable items that then are given to the Tahoe Forest Hospital, Sierra Senior Services, the Eddy House in Reno, and more. 

Knitters Guild members are welcome to pull yarn from the closet that was generously donated by local thrift stores and residents if it is used to make something that can go back into the community. 

It’s free to join the Knitters Guild, and knitters of all abilities are welcome to join a meeting. If you come up short on yarn, you can usually find more of it in The Guild’s stash. The Guild meets every Wednesday all year long from 1pm-3pm; some people are more active in the summer, others in the winter. There are some members who can’t attend meetings in person but still donate handcrafted items to meet a specific cause or need.  

At the end of the two-hour knitting session, a member holds up a beautifully eyelet crocheted blue and cream blanket. It looks cozy, perfect to curl up with in front of the fire… made with love right here in Incline Village.   

READ MORE AT LIVE.WORK.PLAY