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In The News – Chasing the sun; Sunrise and sunset hikes

August 22, 2025 | Member Submitted

Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, written by Haley Beyer, 08/22/2025

It’s mind blowing how something so captivating and subliminal can happen twice a day and humans all around the world forget to watch it happen. The sun rises and sets like clockwork. Whether society is ready for it or not. It’s expected and falls into the long list of everyday things but it really should be celebrated. It should be a time to set aside all of life’s fluff for a few moments of gratitude and grounding. How can something so far away dance its light off the clouds and paint our skies with oranges, purples, yellows and pinks? The mixture of colors is unique every single day. No two sunrises or sunsets will ever be the same. And its expansiveness is truly radiant. Especially when it’s reflected off the glassy still water of Lake Tahoe.

There’s something special about purposefully reserving your morning or evening to hike to a high point and sit patiently waiting for the sun to do her thing. Whether creating a positive mindset for the day ahead with a sunrise or reflecting back on the day with a sunset, there are beaches all along the perimeter of Lake Tahoe that could very well do the job but why not take it a step further and complete a hike for that stunning view? It’s never not going to be worth it.

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Photo: Sunrise from Eagle Rock. Haley Beyer / Tahoe Magazine

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In The News – Watershed moment; From the snowy mountain peaks to a dead-end desert lake, follow the flow of Tahoe’s waters

August 22, 2025 | Member Submitted

Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 08/22/2025, Written by Clare McArther

On a warm spring day, snowpack high in the peaks surrounding Lake Tahoe begins to melt. The water trickles down the granite rocks finding its way into winding seasonal creek beds, flushing into large meadows, flowing into backcountry alpine lakes, and joining larger streams as it makes its way down the mountain into the big blue lake below. 

Tahoe’s watershed — the land area that channels rainfall and snowmelt into a common body of water — is unique for a number of reasons. First and foremost is the size of the lake itself. The lake makes up 38% — a surface area of 192 square miles — of the 501-square-mile watershed, which is a major factor in the lake’s famed clarity.  

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Photo: CTC

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PINE NUTS – Finland’s Wife Carrying Championships

August 7, 2025 | McAvoy Lane

Yes, in Finland around this time of year, they host a wife carrying contest. Here’s how it works in case you might like to consider entering. At the starting line you stand behind your wife, lift her up and have her sit on your shoulders, where she can then lean back with her knees hooked over your shoulders, and her feet pointing toward the starting line. Got the picture? Good. You might want to practice this technique at home with a physical therapist on hand.

As you can imagine, there are some basic rules to abide by, for example your wife must be at least 17 years old and weigh at least 108 pounds. And if you two are divorced, that’s okay. You can even carry somebody else’s wife if you don’t have one yourself, and her husband happens to be out of town.

As a caveat, there is a water hazard along the course that is about one meter deep, which could place your wife’s head under water for a few seconds, so your wife might want to consider sporting nose plugs or perhaps a snorkel. 

So how did this Finlandish contest get started, anyway? Well, I’ve heard it told, that in the last century Herko was having dinner with his wife Helmi when he broke out a bottle of Red Lingonberry Wine, which Helmi just happened to be allergic to. Well they consumed that bottle and were toasting to the abundance of grain that year, when Helmi broke into a heavy sweat and shouted, “Herco, get me to Sonkajärvi!”

Well, Sonkajärvi was about a half mile off, so with that, Helmi jumped onto Herco’s back, and off they went to Sonkajärvi!

Helmi survived, and the saga survived as well, enduring today as Finland’s Wife Carrying Championships.

So you might be wondering, what is the prize for winning the World’s Wife Carrying Championships? I thought you’d never ask. The grand prize is the winners’ total weight in beer. So next you might want to ask, “Hey, what if she doesn’t like beer?” 

Well, she can change horses in the middle of the stream so to speak, and find a more magnanimous husband next year, with no hard feelings…

I know this is hard to believe, but matches made in heaven have been made while competing in this most singular competition. One couple, who had not met before race day, were married at the finish line by a man of the cloth, who was stationed there for just such an occasion. Happily, some compassionate Finns loaned the lady a decent dress, and the man some tolerable trousers. It was said that there was not a dry eye on that Finnish gravel track…

So there it is, your chance to see Finland, home of the Northern Lights.”  

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

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PINE NUTS – What Starlings Can Teach Us

June 6, 2025 | McAvoy Lane

We don’t have Starlings up here at the Lake of the Sky, though I wish we did, as recent research has discovered that Starlings give care to birds to whom they are not related. And they administer that kindness regardless of those other birds’ political beliefs. Say what?!

I believe I must have been a bird in my last life, because when I whistle to my pet Jay, Huckleberry, he waves his beak like a baton to the rhythm of my tweets, and in return, my arms start to flap. Yes, I have seen neighbors cover their mouths and laugh when they witness this interchange. They must think Huck is a genius, while I am the proverbial birdbrain, and they might be right…

Those little beggars up at Chickadee Ridge will land in your open hand to take a pine nut, and then sometimes pass that pine nut along to a fellow Chickadee in need. It’s the right thing to do, and they know it, whereas we humans sometimes forget. Where kindness comes naturally to birds, we seem to need to acquire it and preserve it with all the reminders we can muster…

Recently I had an engagement at our wonderful Historical Museum at South Shore to celebrate Western Days, and when I arrived I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a large artistic sign: RESERVED PARKING FOR MARK TWAIN! It’s the little things that smooths people’s roads out the most…

Our lighthearted fraternal Old Lake Tahoe Athletic Club recently lost a valued member and true gentleman, Don Bell. Our esteemed president Rob Robins appealed to our Third of July Parade announcer, Kristen Miller, to give a shoutout to Don when we OLTAC members file by.

That tip of the hat will give all of us and everyone who knew Don, a warm feeling…

I know of a dedicated educator, Kathryn Kelly, founder of Hope Academy, who on her days off visits youth Chautauqua programs to support gifted kids in their portrayal of admirable characters in history. For most of us, helping others is a part-time job, while for those like Kathryn, helping others is a full-time job, with overtime. The measure of a woman is not in her net worth, but I have to believe the measure of a woman is in her net humanity…

In the grand scheme of things, we can learn much from the Starlings. I might like to close here with a thought from our mutual friend, Mark Twain…

“Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink– under any circumstances.”

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

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In The News – Tickets now on sale for 2025 Incline Star Follies

April 22, 2025 | Member Submitted

Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 04/22/2025, Staff Report

The stage is set, the lights are warming up, and the excitement is building as the Incline Star Follies prepares to dazzle audiences once again! Mark your calendars for May 2 and 3, 2025, and grab your tickets now for this heartwarming community cabaret at the Duffield Theater at Incline High School.

Celebrating its 22nd year, the Incline Star Follies is more than just a show — it’s a vibrant showcase of local talent, featuring students, teachers, and community members in an unforgettable blend of music, dance, and comedy. Whether you’re a longtime fan or a first-time attendee, this beloved tradition offers a night (or afternoon!) of laughter, entertainment, and genuine hometown spirit.

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TICKETS >

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Travel North Tahoe Nevada in D.C.!

March 31, 2025 | Member Submitted

Originally Published in TNTNV Email Newsletter

Last week, Andy Chapman, president and CEO of TNTNV was in D.C. this week to meet with Congressional leaders about Lake priorities as part of #TeamTahoe.

The “Team” is an alliance of environmental groups, government agencies, business community representatives, and key implementers working to protect and restore Lake Tahoe.

We discussed Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) priorities with lawmakers and their staff. It’s all part of our mission to #KeepTahoeBlue.

The late U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein dubbed EIP partners Team Tahoe, a name that continues to represent the environmental groups, government agencies, business community representatives, and key implementers working to protect and restore Lake Tahoe.

Advocating agencies represented include: Tahoe Chamber, Tahoe Transportation District, TRPA, League to Save Lake Tahoe, Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, Heavenly Mtn Resort/Vail Resorts, North Tahoe Community Alliance, and Travel North Tahoe Nevada.

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Sell the Hare, Buy the Tortoise?

March 20, 2025 | Member Submitted

By David Vomund

The tortoise has caught the hare.  Let me explain:  The Nasdaq 100 ETF (QQQ), led by the “Magnificent 7” technology stocks, gained an amazing 17 percent in the first half of 2024 and continued to rise through year end.  But it has since given back much of that gain.  Meanwhile the slower moving Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (SPLV), which holds the least volatile S&P 500 stocks, lagged in 2024 but hasn’t retreated this year.  Over those 14 ½ months both returned 17 percent.   

For a long time financial commentators acted as if investors were losing money if they didn’t load up on technology stocks.  They weren’t losing money and now that tech stocks have dropped 13 percent in one month the returns are similar.  The tortoise might even pass the hare.    

With technology stocks falling farther and faster than others, the S&P 500 is weaker than most stocks.  Through last Monday, the S&P 500 had a year-to-date loss of 4 percent.  The average stock in the S&P 500, as seen in the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP), is only down 1.5 percent.  In spite of the scary headlines, most large company stocks are barely down this year and many of the dividend paying stocks are up.    

Instead of selling everything like they do in severe bear markets, investors have rotated from the volatile and often over-hyped technology stocks into more conservative stocks and dividend paying stocks.  

Dividend payers and raisers aren’t flashy.  Instead, they are often mature, well-established companies with revenues that are less susceptible to economic swings.  And most important, they make money and reward investors with dividends.  

There are several good ETFs that concentrate on dividend payers.  Schwab Dividend Equity (SCHD) and ProShares S&P 500 Aristocrats (NOBL) are both up this year.  Yes, up.  Vanguard Dividend Growth (VIG) is a bit more aggressive and has a small year-to-date loss.

As for individual stocks, my favorite holdings include Williams Companies (WMB), Oneok (OKE), Merck (MRK), and Amgen (AMGN).  In addition to paying dividends, they often raise them as well.  Add in some preferreds for income and you’ll receive lots of dividends while waiting for the market to recover.  That is a winning strategy. 

David Vomund is an Incline Village-based Independent Investment Advisor.  Information is found at www.VomundInvestments.com or by calling 775-832-8555.  Clients hold the positions mentioned in this article.  Past performance does not guarantee future results.  Consult your financial advisor before purchasing any security.

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In The News – Lane 17 Lounge offers new vibe-shift dining option inside Bowl Incline

February 1, 2025 | Member Submitted

Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 01/31/2025, Written by Robert Galloway

When most people think about food offerings inside of bowling alleys, chances are they are not thinking about things like poke bowls and pork belly ramen from a James Beard award-winning chef. And while Bowl Incline has this offering in Sam Choy’s Ohana Diner, their new offering, Lane 17 Lounge, doubles down on the elevated food and beverage options to offer up yet another unique dining experience.

Born from an idea to extend their summertime patio in the winter months, the slightly remodeled second floor space now includes completely different menu and drink offerings to go along with a secluded dining experience that drowns out the sounds and goings-on from the rest of the bowling alley action.

“In the winter, it’s kind of our solution for the people that really love to come in the summer and enjoy the patio and the food, but not have the loud noise,” said Director of Fun (a.k.a. General Manager) Alison Hollman. “We didn’t want to just be serving the same food up here. We serve the same food outside in the summer, but we kind of feel like this space deserves its own.”

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Photo by Incline Bowl – Tahoe Daily Tribune

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A Message from Jody Wright – Tahoe Family Solutions New Executive Director

January 21, 2025 | Member Submitted

The new year brings new opportunities to Tahoe Family Solutions, and I wanted to be the first to share them with you.

My name is Jody Wright. I am a native Nevadan, an experienced leader in non-profit agencies, and the new Executive Director of Tahoe Family Solutions.

 It is my great honor to step into the shoes left empty by Robin Glasgow, who has happily moved into retirement after nearly 15 years at the helm.  He leaves behind a legacy of growing community-focused programs, a strong and healthy 501 (c)(3)business model, and an incredibly talented and passionate team that is perhaps the best I’ve ever worked with.

Tahoe Family Services has served thousands of individuals, families, and children through our bilingual Family Resource Center programs that include affordable or free mental health and psychiatric care, Homework Help Club, beginning and advanced ESL classes for adults, and VITA, a national program that provides s free preparation of federal and state tax returns for low-income households.  In addition, our youth programs reach across the community to provide a 5-week overnight summer wilderness camp, along with fun outdoor and STEM activities throughout the year, that is available to all youth, including those facing financial challenges, across the Tahoe region.  

Finally, as I begin to learn the stories of the families whom Tahoe Family Solutions have impacted, I am struck by the strength and the tenacity of the individuals who access our programs. They need a hand-up, not a hand-out, and you and the Village have responded – with neighbors supporting neighbors through your generous support. It is inspiring and I am honored to be associated with this Mission.

I am eager to meet and engage with community members in the coming months. Please know my office door is always open. If you have any questions or concerns you would like to address immediately, please feel free to contact me at jodyw@tahoefamily.org or 775-413-5145.

Tahoe Family Solutions is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, providing low/no cost services to children and families living along the Lake Tahoe Basin beginning in 1991.  Our mission is “to provide key resources and enhance skills for families in the Tahoe Basin.”

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‘Tis the Season – Guide to Incline Village Churches

December 10, 2024 | Kayla Anderson

By: Kayla Anderson – Originally published in IVCBA’s Live.Work.Play Magazine

For many people, the holiday season means a time when we celebrate cultural traditions; reflect and set goals for the following year; tune into our religious beliefs; and help our fellow neighbors. Here are how two East Shore churches do all these things and bring support to the Incline Village community during the holidays and beyond:  

The Village Church, 736 McCourry Blvd., Incline Village 

As a member of ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, The Village Church runs a Christian preschool and a K-5 academy for families with kids ages 6 weeks to 5th grade; operates a thrift store at the corner of Mays and Southwood in Incline Village (with very friendly staff); and keeps a food box ministry available all year long with bankers boxes full of non-perishable food. 

Some of its year-round support groups include a ministry to those who are grieving called Griefshare that meets Mondays at 5pm for 13 weeks a few times a year as well as Alcoholics Anonymous on Thursdays at 7pm. The Village Church also keeps a Care Chest, providing medical supplies and durable medical equipment like wheelchairs and walkers to the community and supports the Sierra Community House as well as Sierra Senior Services. 

“During the holiday season we participate in the Winter, Warmth, and Wellness program, and continue to offer all our programs,” says Pastor Jeffrey Ogden. 

https://www.thevillagechurchnv.org/ , Sunday Services at 8am and 10am 

Cornerstone Community Church, 300 Country Club Dr., Incline Village

The non-denominational Christian church found on the corner of Highway 28 and Country Club Boulevard hosts a variety of groups for all ages. It has a midweek kids afterschool program every Wednesday from 3:15-4:30pm, weekly men’s & women’s Bible study groups, and a group for moms of school-aged kids called Mama Bears (which meets from 10am-12pm and includes childcare).

It hosts a youth program every Sunday evening from 5:30-7:30pm for middle and high schoolers as well as its Sunday Worship Services every Sunday at 10am. As far as serving the community, Cornerstone works alongside and financially supports other nonprofits like Young Life, Foster the City, Real Choices Women’s Center, Reno/Sparks Gospel Mission, Awaken, Serve With These Hands, and Springs of Redemption Rehab Ranch.

Cornerstone keeps a benevolence ministry that helps people in need and it loves to support community activities like IVGID’s Trail of Treats [and Terror] and the Local Heroes 4th of July Celebration, putting on a special Veterans Recognition social prior to the Flag Retirement Ceremony in that same period. 

As far as during the winter months, Cornerstone Senior Pastor Brandon McCaughey says, “Our church loves to support those in need during the holidays. Every Christmas season we identify those in our community who have had major difficulties (major illnesses, accidents, or significant hardships) and collect funds for the month of December, including at our Christmas Eve services, in order to bless them and help with whatever they have gone through this year. We have a prayer team that faithfully prays for those in our church and in our community and we also offer Biblical counseling for those in need of spiritual direction and wisdom.”

Cornerstone also hosts several events for families this Christmas season. A Night in Bethlehem is an interactive family Christmas event that will transport participants back to Bethlehem. On Friday, December 13th from 5:30-7:30pm, families will get to make take home projects from their carpentry booth, metal shop, painters square, and pottery shop. They will learn about the Christmas Story with a live interactive reading and get to taste foods from biblical times. 

The church will also be hosting special Christmas Eve services at 4pm and 6pm on December 24th. Cornerstone will sing Christmas carols, hear a message of hope from the Bible, and close each service by lighting candles and singing worship to the Lord Jesus. All are welcome, but space is limited, so it’s best to go early. Overflow parking is available at the UNR Lake Tahoe campus kitty corner to the church. 

https://www.cornerstonecommunity.net/ , Sunday Services at 10am and 5pm (beginning December 1)

Saint Francis Of Assisi Catholic Church, 701 Mount Rose Hwy, Incline Village, 

St. Francis Catholic Church in Incline Village was founded in 1965 with the original church built by parishioners. As of last school year, St. Clare’s Mountain Montessori Catholic School at St. Francis had 48 students, teaching preschool through high schoolers. 

St. Francis supports the community in many ways–everything from offering its space for public concerts (such as Handel’s “Messiah” in December) to hosting Incline High School’s “We the People” program.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society also now has a chapter at St. Francis Church. It helps the broader community (without regard to race, sex, religion, etc.) in three ways: 1) Home visitation- Meeting with neighbors in need, Vincentians make holistic assessments of needs (physical and spiritual) and help directly (using funds donated by parishioners and members) with costs of rent, groceries, utilities, health care, transportation, etc.), or by referral to local agencies with the resources to address issues that the conference cannot; 2) Members of St. Vincent de Paul deliver bakery goods, deli foods, and vegetables to various locations in the North Shore year-round to those in need on a weekly basis; 3) St. Vincent de Paul sponsors special food distributions of meat, dairy, vegetables, and staples in partnership with Catholic Charities and from the conference’s own funds, in connection with the Winter Warmth and Wellness program in October and Toys for Tots in December. 

In addition to the work of the St. Vincent de Paul group, St. Francis Church invites everyone in the community as well as visitors to any of these events and regular weekend Masses:

https://sftahoe.org/, Mass Schedule: Saturday: 5:00pm (English); Sunday: 9:00am (English), 11:30am (Bilingual), 5:00pm (Spanish); Daily Mass: Tuesday – Friday at noon

Sundays from 12:30pm – 2:00pm: Youth Group Meeting; Thursday, Dec. 9 & 16, 4:30pm-6:00pm: Holiday Grief Support Group; Thursday, Dec. 16, 6:00pm-8:00pm: Twenty-Somethings Group; Sunday, November 17, time TBD: “Becoming Catholic” meetings begin; Thursday, Dec. 19, 10:00am, St. Clare’s Christmas Pageant: St Clare’s Tahoe – Christmas Program; Friday, Dec. 20, 6:30pm-8:30pm, Tahoe Philharmonic’s Classical Orchestra and Chorus presents Handel’s “Messiah”; Tuesday, December 24, 2024, 3:00pm- 4:00pm: Children’s Christmas Mass; Tuesday, December 24, 2024, 10:00pm- 11:00pm: Christmas Eve – Vigil Mass;  Wednesday, December 25, 2024, 9:00pm – 10:00pm: Christmas Day Mass (English);  Wednesday, December 25, 2024, 11:00am-noon: Christmas Day Mass (Bilingual).

St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 341 Village Blvd., Incline Village

St. Patrick’s hosts a number of community groups on its campus weekly, including the: Sierra Community House’s food distribution program, the Knitter’s Guild, the North Tahoe Community Choir, Cafe Conversacion (for English language learners), Alcoholics Anonymous, Girl Scouts, Military Officers of America, and more. It also takes up collections for local, national, and international relief organizations. In the fall, it collected in-kind donations for the Winter Warmth and Wellness event as well as financial donations for the Community Thanksgiving Celebration 2024 and hurricane relief efforts on the East Coast.

St. Patrick’s Christmas services will be on December 24th which includes a family-friendly pageant service at 5pm and a candlelight service at 9pm. Each year around Christmas it sends out a list of local organizations to its congregation with information about them, encouraging parishioners to donate to the organization with which they most resonate.

https://www.tahoeepiscopal.org/, Sunday Services at 10am

North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation, 700 Latone Ave., Tahoe Vista

The Tahoe Jewish Community, a partnership of North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation and Temple Bat Yam, supports the Jewish residents, visitors, and supporters of Jewish life in the Tahoe Basin and the Northern Sierra. Through North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation (NTHC), it hosts various groups of co-creators of community from a religious school to a B’nai Brith Youth Organization Tahoe Chapter and book club. Additionally, it holds ritual gatherings to mark Shabbat and holidays to enjoy meals together, connect, and support each other through life’s journey. In the coming months, it will be launching a Women’s Mussar (Jewish Soul Traits) Circle and parenting conversations to support parents in navigating the rise in antisemitism. 

The “holidays” is a bit different for a Jewish community as the bulk of American society considers the winter season as “the holidays”.  While Hannukah falls around this time, it is considered a minor holiday for NTHC. It strives to support the wider community by taking part in winter clothing drives, a food drive in advance of Thanksgiving, and volunteering through United for Action to be a source of advocacy to strengthen the community. https://www.tahoetemple.org

Here are other worship services available in Incline Village/Crystal Bay; visit their websites for more information: 

New Life Church, 918 Northwood Blvd., Incline Village, https://www.newlifeincline.org/, Sunday Services at 10am. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, December 24, 2024 5:30pm

Open Door Foursquare Church, 754 Mays Blvd. Building 6 Stes. 12 & 7, Incline Village, https://inclinevidanueva.org/, Sunday Services at 10am, bilingual

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