Elizabeth Pitcairn performs Brahms Violin Concerto and Chuyoung Suter performs Grieg’s Piano Concerto – and you don’t have to drive to Reno!

Elizabeth Pitcairn joins TOCCATA-Tahoe Symphony Orchestra and Chorus for the 14th year, performing one of the finest and most popular gems in the concerto repertoire. And the orchestra and chorus celebrate their 19th anniversary, under the direction of founding Artistic Director and Conductor, James Rawie, with one of the greatest monuments in Western music.

Elizabeth Pitcairn has a well-deserved reputation as one of America’s most beloved soloists. Since her New York debut at Lincoln Center in 2000, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, all over Europe, and in China and Hong Kong. She plays the legendary “Red Mendelssohn” Stradivarius of 1720 (which inspired the Academy award-winning film, “The Red Violin”).

Read her full biography at www.elizabethpitcairn.com.

You will immediately fall in love with the main melodies of Brahms’s “Violin Concerto in D major”! Settle in and let yourself be swept away by the turbulent passion of the opening movement, the languid beauty of the slow movement, and the giddy, high-spirited energy of the finale. The piece is played so often because it is undeniably a masterpiece in the world of violin concertos.

Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor” is the monumental achievement of his life’s (prodigious!) compositions. The work is among Grieg’s earliest important works, written by the 24-year-old composer in 1868 in Søllerød, Denmark, during one of his visits there to benefit from the climate.

Tickets: $30 for adults, $40 preferred seating (youth $15), $50 premium seating (youth $25). Seniors enjoy $5 discount in all seating. FREE ADMISSION for youth under age 23 in general admission seating.

For additional information, please call 775-298-6989; e-mail ToccataTahoe@gmail.com; or visit us at www.ToccataTahoe.org or https://www.facebook.com/toccatatahoe/.

Contact: Nancy Rawie – 775.430-3878

Originally Published in KOLO 8 on 01/05/2023, Written by Jayde Ryan

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – Prescribed burns are resuming in North Lake Tahoe and they are a beneficial way to keep the forests healthy and reduce fires. 

Lake Tahoe’s forests are extremely vulnerable to wildfires. So, the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District tries to reduce that risk through two types of prescribed fires.

The first is pile burning, like what is happening this week. The second is “under story burning”, that is the burning of the forest floor as it is. Fire officials say one of the main reasons why prescribed fire is so important, is because it reduces the risk for major fires, like the 2007 Angora Fire.

”Suppressing all fire has got us in the situation now where a fire can get so big because we suppressed them in the past and that allows that vegetation to grow, and then it’s unmanageable for a few days, and we don’t want that,” says Chief Ryan Sommers. “We want to reintroduce fire into the elements and the environment to keep those fuels down and it’s also very good for forest health.”

READ MORE >

Provided by NTBA – Originally published at www.placer.ca.gov//tahoeparking

Background

Placer County is developing a North Lake Tahoe Parking Management Program as recommended in the Resort Triangle Transportation Plan adopted by the Placer County Board of Supervisors in October 2020. 

Simply expanding transit and bicycle/pedestrian options without changing the low cost and convenience of the private automobile near attractive recreation areas does not cause a significant overall shift in mobility patterns. Pricing and managing auto use at the end of the trip, such as at beach and recreational parking locations, is an effective approach already in use around Lake Tahoe. The implementation of active parking management will improve utilization of existing infrastructure and enhance use of transit and other travel options.

Purpose

The purpose of this program is to better manage the existing parking supply in the North Lake Tahoe region. County officials are considering solutions, such as a paid parking system in town centers and recreational beach parking areas, as well as the establishment of specific residential permit parking zones. Goals include encouraging alternative modes of travel, ensuring sufficient turnover in convenient parking spaces for businesses, protecting neighborhoods from spillover parking, and efficiently using land to meet Tahoe area parking demands.

Private parking area participation in a County paid parking program will be voluntary, but the inclusion of underutilized private parking in the overall program is encouraged and also provides revenue return opportunities for the private property owner. This program has the potential to generate funding for local investment into alternative transportation enhancements, such as new bicycle/pedestrian facilities and expansion of transit services. Community engagement is planned for spring 2023 as part of the initial development of the program, as well as establishment of stakeholder working groups for collaborative discussions regarding program goals, elements, financing, technology, enforcement, and phasing.

Placer County will hold a pair of meetings to gather community input on existing parking related problems to be solved with the initial phase of implementation of the North Lake Tahoe Parking Management Program. Each will be facilitated by county staff and an experienced parking consultant, Dixon Resources Unlimited.

• In person community meeting – Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, at 5 p.m. at the North Lake Tahoe Event Center.
• Virtual community meeting – Thursday, Jan. 11, starting at noon.
  Visit placer.ca.gov/tahoeparking to register.

Visit placer.ca.gov/tahoeparking

or scan the QR code to learn more.

Originally Published in The Sierra Sun on 12/28/23, Written by Robert Hudson Westover

80 years is a tremendous milestone—for anyone. To make it to 80 means you have overcome life’s greatest challenges and you truly become the elder, the sage, the one who knows a thing or two and should be listened to. Being the spokes-bear, if you will, of the longest running and most successful advertising campaign in American history, at 80 years old, I think Smokey Bear would agree.

And so does the USDA Forest Service.

Smokey’s actual birthday is August 9. However, starting in January, the Forest Service which has, in cooperation with the Ad Council and the National Association of State Foresters, managed the image of Smokey Bear since the 1940s will launch a yearlong celebration. The kickoff will start with Smokey sharing his iconic phrase of Only You Can Prevent Wildfires in the Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1.

READ MORE >

Perhaps not unlike you, I never took a hankering to algebra. In fact, I was told by an upperclassman that were I to live to be a hundred, I would never use it. But I did. When I wanted to know how many miles-per-hour I would have to run to finish the Boston Marathon in under three hours I used an algebraic equation to figure it out, 180 minutes/26 miles = X/1. By solving for X, I was able finish that race in under three hours, barely…

Today I would ask that we consider an alternative algebraic expression, McAvoy’s Maxim let’s call it, as a drawdown to World Peace. This is an algebraic blueprint for a lasting armistice in a troubled world. But allow me to mansplain…

 Algebra diplomacy is quite simple: Afghanistan a²/Zimbabwe b² = (a – b)(a + b). Extrapolating that formula, Bahrain a²/Yemen b² = (a – b)(a + b). Thus we create a comprehensive mathematical chart of coefficients for all nations, and the impossible becomes possible. 

Yes, by looking at the world through an algebraic lens we can see how easy it is for us to get along, and refrain from killing each other in futile attempts to solve our differences. The age-old hard power math used today for settling warfare and violence has never worked, and never will work. Everybody now recognizes it as a sum zero game of the very worst kind. As algebra becomes biologic, algebraic statecraft becomes our answer to world peace…

We are at an inflection point here in 2024, and what does that mean? It means if we don’t make some drastic adjustments this year, well, by 2025 we could find ourselves in deep doodoo. The act of drawing down our weapons of mass destruction, alongside our algebraic partners, is an equation for world peace. Once our algebraic diplomacy chart is complete, we can stand in awe, admire it, and abide by its perfect polynomial expression. Yes, I have come to appreciate the fact that algebra is in fact…beautiful.

So what would Mark Twain say? Of course, with all due respect, we leave the last word to Mr. Twain…

“Statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception. All war must be just the killing of strangers against whom you feel no personal animosity; strangers whom, in other circumstances, you would help if you found them in trouble, and who would help you if you needed it.”

There it is, wise words from the Moralist of the Main…

Audio: https://anchor.fm/mcavoy-layne

Originally Published in The Sierra Sun 12/31/2023, Tribune Staff

With the lackluster winter Tahoe has been experiencing so far, it’s easy to forget the massive amount of snow we started 2023 with. For the first few months of the year, snow was all anyone could talk about. 

Summer started late but once it hit, it seemed to fly by, especially since there were no huge fires in the area for the first time in many years. 

Weather is always a hot topic of conversation in the basin, but there were plenty of other news stories that caught the public’s interest. From businesses closing, to new businesses opening; from developments in housing to scientific progress, here are some of the top read stories of 2023. 

READ MORE >

Photo by The Tahoe Daily Tribune

Originally Published in The Sierra Sun 12/29/2023, Submitted

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board approved a package of affordable and workforce housing incentives Wednesday to help address the housing crisis that is impacting Lake Tahoe’s environment and communities. The targeted changes to Lake Tahoe zoning regulations will lower the cost to provide affordable and workforce housing, benefit water quality, and reduce traffic and vehicle use, the agency said today. 

Following three hours of public testimony, the board adopted the policy changes with refinements based on community and board member feedback.

Rising property values are only part of the housing crisis affecting Lake Tahoe communities, according to TRPA. The development caps and building design requirements enacted by the agency decades ago to save the lake are partly driving the market toward large, single-family homes versus smaller, more affordable multi-family units such as duplexes, triplexes, and apartments.

READ MORE >

Photo Credit TRPA

Originally Published in The Tahoe Daily Tribune 12/22/2023, Written by Miranda Jacobson

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev.— Sierra Community House has released their Peak Impact Report for 2022-2023, highlighting the achievements of the year while celebrating the outstanding contributions from the community. 

Sierra Community House is a non-profit with multiple facets that serve the community, ranging from hunger relief to legal support. Over the past year, the organization has delivered 26,783 services to more than 5,000 community members. 

While that number is impressive in terms of SCH’s ability to serve the community, Director of Operations and Communications Shannon Falker explained that the goal is to provide the same level of service through any situation the community may face. 

READ MORE >

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SIERRA COMMUNITY HOUSE