Halloween week is just around the corner, and there’s no shortage of festive events happening throughout Incline Village and Crystal Bay. From family carnivals and community trick-or-treats to concerts and lakeside movie nights, here are ten ways to celebrate Halloween 2025 around the Incline Village and Crystal Bay.

1. Haunted Carnival at the Hyatt – Thursday, October 30
Join Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe for another spook-tacular Haunted Carnival benefiting the Incline Education Fund’s Step Up for STEM program. Enjoy classic carnival games, crafts, face painting, and a kid’s costume contest with prizes. For those looking for a scare, step inside the haunted house designed for older kids and adults. Entry is a $10 donation and includes five game tickets.

2. Trail of Treats – Thursday, October 30
IVGID’s beloved Trail of Treats returns for a safe, family-friendly afternoon filled with costumes, food, drinks, and outdoor fun. The event takes place from 3:30–5:30 p.m. at the Village Green and Fitness Trails, featuring a “haunted forest” walk and plenty of photo opportunities along the way. Free and open to all.

3. Dark Carnival Concert & Party at Alibi Incline – Thursday, October 30
Kick off Halloween weekend early at Alibi Ale Works with Metal Echo and Moonlight Movement’s sixth annual Hallow’s Eve Dark Carnival. Expect rock-and-roll favorites, aerial performances, and prizes for the best costumes. Doors open at 8:30 p.m., and the concert starts at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Ages 21 and over.

4. Spooky Harbor Movie Nights – Fridays, October 24 & 31
From pumpkin fun to lakeside chills, Spooky Harbor brings Halloween magic to Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe. On October 24, enjoy a kids’ fall festival featuring Hotel Transylvania (PG), games, and pumpkin decorating. On October 31, the mood turns spooky with a lakeside screening of Us (R) under the stars. Free admission.

5. Dia de los Muertos at Cutthroat’s Saloon – October 31 to November 2
Celebrate Día de los Muertos at Cutthroat’s Saloon with festive décor, live mariachi from El Trio de Dos, and a special menu featuring Chile en Nogada Relleno, Huitlacoche Sope, and Pan de Muerto. Live performances run each evening from 7–9 p.m. Menu pricing applies.

6. Creeper’s Ball at Crystal Bay Club – Friday, October 31
The Crystal Bay Club hosts its annual Creeper’s Ball featuring Poor Man’s Whiskey performing Dark Side of the Moonshine and a free after-party with Tracorum. Expect a lively blend of bluegrass, southern rock, and jam-band energy. Doors open at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. Standing room only.

7. Harvest Festival + Big Truck or Treat – Friday, October 24
Bring the family to the Kings Beach Clubhouse for the Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe’s annual Harvest Festival. Enjoy glow rooms, carnival games, a haunted house, and food for purchase. Costumes are encouraged, and kids can explore the NTPUD monster trucks. Event runs from 5–8 p.m.

8. Howl-O-Ween with Wylie Animal Rescue Foundation – Saturday, October 25
Keep an eye on WARF’s Facebook page for details about this year’s Howl-O-Ween celebration. Expect a pet costume parade, adoption opportunities, and a family photo booth for you and your furry friends.

9. Country Club Center Trick-or-Treat with local businesses – Friday, October 31, from 4 pm: then Head over to local neighborhoods on Halloween night starting at 5 pm. Remember to bring a flashlight and glow sticks and have fun!

10. Bladel State Farm Halloween Happy Hour – Thursday, October 30, from 4pm – 5pm

We’re excited to invite you to our Halloween Happy Hour, a fun way to celebrate the spooky season with themed drinks and snacks. It’s also a great opportunity to meet people in your community and get to know our in-office team – Place: 893 Tahoe Blvd, Ste 1200, Incline Village, NV 89451 – RSVP by Wednesday, October 29th so they can prepare accordingly.

Safety Reminders
Please drive slowly in residential areas and watch for pedestrians. From haunted houses to live music and community celebrations, there’s something for everyone this Halloween season. Have a safe and spirited Halloween, and thank you to all the organizations and volunteers who make these local traditions possible.

Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 10/15/2025, Katelyn Welsh

The Washoe County Board of County Commissioners adopted an ordinance increasing the maximum density for multiple family dwellings in a zone between Incline Village and Crystal Bay at a meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 14.

In a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Michael Clark dissenting, the board amended the ordinance, increasing the maximum density from four units per acre to six units per acre in the Crystal Bay Condominiums Regulatory Zone Special Area, which lies between Tahoe Blvd and Lakeshore Blvd, heading towards Crystal Bay from Incline Village.

This was the second hearing on the ordinance amendment, initially introduced on Sept. 9.

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Photo credit: Tahoe Daily Tribune

Here’s an update on IVCBA member I-School, which started in Raley’s Center in 2011 as eLearning Cafe, became I-School and moved to the redwood building at 889 Alder, lost its lease when the building ownership changed during COVID, and moved to Carson City where it is now housed in a beautiful building on the National Register of Historic Places three blocks from the State Capitol.  Built in 1879, the building has retained much of the original character and even the wallpaper of the original Leport family, French immigrants who ran a grocery business in Carson City.  Fun fact:  Linda Offerdahl’s daughter took AP Calculus with us way back when!) 

We have a goal to retire the mortgage by July 4, 2025, to ensure the continued longevity of the school, now a K-12 establishment with a faith-based sister school, Hope Academy of Nevada, at the same location.  You may have seen our booth at the Carson City Farmers Market this summer, run by our students through their hard work in our gardens and greenhouse all summer.

To help our goal, the ever-generous McAvoy Layne will come out of retirement to do a Twain fundraiser for us at the opening night of the third annual Mark Twain Days in Carson City, October 16-18.  The performance will be next door to the Brewery Arts Center at 511 W. King Street, which was originally built in the late 1800s and home to anEpiscopal Church; it is now a lovely performing arts space.  In this show, starting on Thursday, October 16, at 7:30 after the opening reception next door at the Brewery Arts Center, Mark Twain will be visited by friends and family from his Carson days, including Julia Bulette, his wife Olivia, his brother Orion, and more, portrayed by another accomplished Chautauquan, Kim Harris, and the Hope Academy Chautauquans who have been performing this summer at the Dangberg Ranch. McAvoy and Kim will also perform together on stage the following night as part of Mark Twain Days.

Tickets are $100 for seating in the first rows and $25 for general admission. There is no charge for children under 16.  I-School is a 501(c)(3) and donations are of course welcome at this major fundraiser.

For information, please contact Emma Turner at eturner@ischools.us or Kathryn Kelly at admin@ischools.us.  For tickets, please go to Mark Twain Days – Visit Carson City.

Having observed the many fascinating features of mankind for 82 years now, I have come to believe that we are one warring tribe, constrained only by mothers, wives, and an occasional daughter. With the possible exception of Joan of Arc, women are the peacekeepers. They keep the home fires burning.

In the past few years the Russian quest for empire in Ukraine has cost a million killed or wounded. How can we read such a staggering number without a visceral reaction? We can, and we do. 

The story of Adam & Eve is enduring because there were only two of them. Perhaps if we were to annihilate ourselves down to a remaining two, one of those two, guess which one, might show some concern. 

Warfare has become so sterile we seldom ever even see the eyes of the foe anymore. Where we used to grab an adversary by the beard to teach him a lesson, today it’s, “Send In The Drones!” Russia claims it can produce 4,000 drones a day. All too suddenly the skies are filled with snipers that hover over a battlefield for 45 minutes before swooping in for the kill.

The year 2025 has delivered A.I. driven mini-submarines, fighter jets and cockroach spies to the business of warfare. In our highly combustible world, computer vision and robotic killing machines are now accessible, mass-producible and affordable, thus making the third year of war in Ukraine deadlier than the first two years combined.

Mark Twain told us, “No civilization can be perfect until exact equality between man and woman is included.” I might like to take that a bridge further, “No civilization can be perfect until rule by women is empowered.”

Let’s face it men, we are too quick to turn to violence to settle our grievances. I confess to having said it myself once in a tavern as a young man, “Don’t make me come over there!” Then again, I fought in Vietnam in the Marine Corps for no good reason. We’re friends with them now, in fact, the white suit I’ll be wearing tomorrow night while speaking as Mark Twain, was made in Vietnam…

Testosterone is the culprit in the arena of increased aggression. And so we hear the expression, “That’s anger on testosterone.”

I saw a thought-provoking piece of Judy Chicago’s art recently that simply asked, “What if women ruled the world?” It caused me to think about the possibility, remote as it may be, and I hope it might cause you to think about it too. 

With congratulations to President Trump for his good work in brokering a ceasefire in the Middle East, we have left the ruling of our world up to men for far too long, while the weapons of war have increased in their lethality. We don’t want an unthinkable WWIII. So if we can get this done before we blow ourselves up, wouldn’t it be nice? 

What If Women Ruled the World?

Audio: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Fhv4PrH1UuwlhbnTT23zO