I learned about these two things this week…

Judge E. Alan Tiras has announced that he will be retiring from his position as Judge of the Incline Justice Court at the end of his term in January 2025. Alan and his wife Natalie have lived in Incline Village for over 33 years, raising their family here, volunteering for the Boosters and CYMBAL in the schools, and serving as our local judge. Thank you, Alan, for your service! To learn more about him, read his biography at https://ivcbcourt.com/about-us/about-us-eat. Melissa Mangiaracina, the Pro Tem judge for the court has indicated interest in filing for this elected position.  She runs Sierra Mediation and Mediator Training Center.

The Hyatt has posted on their FB page that the start of their renovation has been indefinitely postponed. They were originally set to renovate the lakeside property this spring. The Hyatt is an anchor business in Incline, and they support our community in many ways, including fundraisers for our schools. Their property is beautifully decorated for the holidays, both inside and out. I am hoping they have their annual gingerbread display again this year. Stop in to see it and enjoy a meal or drink at the Sierra Café, Cutthroats, and of course, the fabulous Lone Eagle with its sunset views.

WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA

One of the most moving events of the season happens this Saturday, Wreaths Across America honors veterans for their service to our country.  Join our service clubs at a local cemetery on Saturday.  With a little digging, I found that there are 3 cemeteries for Vets in Northern Nevada. IVCB Veterans Club and Military Officers Association of America go to East Side Memorial Park in  Minden, PTDS Now! goes to Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, and the Rotary clubs go to Lone Mountain in Carson City. Wreaths can be purchased online at wreathsacrossamerica.org. 

A couple of things I didn’t mention in previous blogs….

• IHS has a Winter Fest TONIGHT  from 6-8. Family activities, food, games, prizes and fun.
• Village Plaza(aka Starbucks) has their Sip and Shop on Thursday. Did you know there are 3 different buildings with fun stuff…great deals on toys at Village Toys, really unique things at Clearly Tahoe, and don’t miss Santa at State Farm.
• Christmas Tree Village has its Sip & Shop on Saturday, December 16. Sip at Crosbys, Mofos, Happy Tiers, Thania’s Juice Bar and Koi Sushi,  Shop at Tahoe Gifting Co., Karma Consignment Boutique and Village Pet Foundation Thrift. Don’t forget to stop by Village Ski Loft too!
• Pet Network Free Donations in December: For the entire month of December, all adoptions at Pet Network will be graciously sponsored by the Gately Family Foundation. This generous sponsorship means that there will be NO adoption fees for any of the animals looking for their new homes.

ENJOY THE MUSIC THIS WEEKEND!

Incline Middle School music concert is this Thursday

TOCCATA performs Handel’s Messiah is this Friday

Tahoe Dance Collective  performs the Nutcracker is this Friday through Sunday

This is the last Local Lens from me for the next month while Richard and I enjoy a family Christmas in Minnesota and a Panama cruise for New Year’s. Thanks to all of our members for their support. If you are subscriber, please consider joining as a Community Supporter. Go online to IVCBA.org.Join.

It’s a big week for Northern Lights and all the festivities in Incline! Seriously, I don’t know where to start and stop, so the best thing, go to IVCBA.org and look at the Northern Lights calendar to get the details.  Here are some highlights:

• Santa is at Incline Library…today! Bring food or (new) mittens, hats, etc. for their giving tree. Check out their Makers Space for making ornaments and gift tags.
• Thursday….Tahoe Gifting Co and Lisa Douglas Designs grand opening party in Christmas Tree Village! 
• Bridget Giroux Designs has something every weekend, but on Friday, there’s a botanical glass ornament workshop. How cool is that!
• Sip and Shop at Raleys Center this weekend…some stores like Potlatch and Panache have multiple events in December, more chances to get good deals.
• Brunch with Santa by Tahoe Family Solutions has been a thing for at least 30 years, when my kids were little.

DECK THE HALLS LIGHTING CONTEST…the town is looking festive…please enter the contest and win prizes from local merchants!

THE REASON FOR THE SEASON…

All our faith-based members have events throughout the month, not just Hannukah (which starts tomorrow!)  and Christmas services. The Christian churches have great music during the Advent season.  Here’s the big picture of faith-based events in December….

• Tomorrow,  Dec 7, a  Christmas Dessert Holiday party at Cornerstone Church
• This weekend, St. Patrick’s has a beautiful creche (nativity scene) display.
• St. Francis is hosting TOCCATA’s Messiah(and singalong!) on Friday, December 15.
• Our newest member, the North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation typically has a Hannukah party, still waiting for the date, but UNR @ Lake Tahoe has started a Chanukah tradition with an event on December 14.
• An old-fashioned Christmas Pageant at Cornerstone on December 15th! Especially for families with young children, A Night In Bethlehem will share the Christian story in an entertaining way that still gets the message across.

Truly, there is something for everyone….my wish is that this season of giving brings out the best in all of us.

See you around town!

Linda 

GRATITUDE is the theme of the Lens this week. I admire the people who meditate and reflect on a daily basis all the things for which they are grateful. While I don’t need a special day to show gratitude, it does help me slow down a bit and reflect. Sort of. I am writing this blog in between roasting turkey parts for gravy and making beef stew for the crew coming in tonight.  Here goes – What I am grateful for:

• My health(recovering from a sinus infection)
• My family and friends that are like family
• Julie, Kristin and Jonathon who help IVCBA do all that it does
• Those who actively work to make our community thrive
• The nonprofits and agencies who care for our community
• Our good fortune that allows us to live in such a beautiful place

Everyone knows what an Advent calendar is, right? Something every day of the week? That’s what the IVCBA calendar is like this month! Here’s what coming just in the next 7 days….

• Two reasons to go to Glasses Wine Bar…look ‘em up!
• Karaoke at Alibi
• Decorate and party at Cornerstone Church after the service on Sunday
• The Christmas Market at Lake Tahoe School on Tuesday…New event!!
• Bridget Giroux Boutiques Sip and Shop this weekend.

Holiday party venues:

I won’t get them all, but apart from the obvious (Chateau, Hyatt, Crystal Bay Club), Alibi’s Barrell House is a great choice, so is Big Water Grille and Jiffy’s Pizza. Sunshine Deli is a great caterer. 

Please tell me who I forgot!

I have to mention Tahoe Film Fest starting November 30th, and Candy Cane Lane and Village at the Rec Center and UNR @ Lake Tahoe on December 2nd! 

Remember to stop in our local businesses over the weekend for Small Business Saturday!

And keep watching for Live.Work.Play. in your mailbox!

Northern Lights is already underway, with many holiday lights up in the Village! It’s still warm enough to get those lights up on YOUR house and enter the Deck the Halls lighting contest. If you like what you see around town….make a donation at IVCBA.org. Those lights will be even prettier after we successfully PRAY FOR SNOW and support the Diamond Peak ski team at Alibi on Friday night. Did you know that there’s a team for seniors too? All ages, but let’s face it, those little kids on skis are scene stealers.

CANDY CANE LANE and VILLAGE is happening Saturday, December 2. IVGID Rec Center and the UNR@Lake Tahoe campus have created a winter wonderland in between. The community tree is in the middle! This event is happening rain (like last year), shine, or snow. Here comes Santa Claus…right down Candy Cane Lane!

IVCBA is about Building Community and I want to give a big shout out to Grocery Outlet for taking over the market in Village Center. Tomorrow is their grand opening. Photo Opp at 10am with the ribbon cutting…can we all show our support? If 10 am doesn’t work, maybe you can be there when they open at 7am( early birds will be rewarded).

On Monday, there was a groundbreaking event for Nine 47, the luxury condo project at the corner of Tahoe Blvd. and Southwood across from the skate park. Our community needs housing for every demographic, but especially for the workforce (service workers to teachers and office workers).  Hamilton Realty Finance (Randy and his wife Lisa live in Incline) has deed-restricted another property for 40-60 units of workforce housing.

Meetings on STR’s – short term rentals TODAY at 5pm at Incline Library Community Room or tomorrow on zoom. Find the details on IVCBA calendar. This is a chance to give Washoe County staff input on improving their regulations. 

Live Work Play, IVCBA’s magazine, should be in your mailboxes any day now…watch for it!

And get involved and take the Washoe Tahoe Acacemy Survey. Washoe County invites Incline Village & Crystal Bay residents to participate in a survey as we look to create a Washoe Tahoe Academy to hone leadership skills and develop ambassadors for public service. This is a program that will be tailor-made for this unique community. Help us to shape what the Academy will encompass by taking this survey. The survey will be open until November 30. 

Enjoy

I want to give a shout-out to our schools’ STEM designation with the State of Nevada. Tonight, an open house for the numerous programs, including the engineering classes and ‘We The People’ constitutional debate program, that qualified them to be a STEM school. Please go and celebrate academics in this rare chance to see our high schoolers showing off their talents and the school.  Incline Elementary School is getting local recognition in the news for its Makers Space program. And not to be left out, the Incline Middle School is working on its STEM designation this year. The robotics class and their “Trash to Treasure” campaign last weekend are two examples. I can’t wait to see what sculpture they create with all that trash!

COMMUNITY JOB FAIR on Wednesday, November 15, at the Chateau

Hey, reaching out to seniors and you early retired people…why not take a part-time job and help out our local businesses and earn some cash to help cover the ever-rising costs of living here?

This job fair is a group effort…IVGID, IVCBA, Raleys, and the Hyatt are joining forces to promote working in Incline. We will soon have three markets in town, our restaurants, ski area, and retailers like Mountain Hardware need help, especially in the busy ski season. 

NORTHERN LIGHTS

You will be amazed at everything that happens in November and December in this tiny community. Find it all on the IVCBA.org website!

• This weekend is the first Sip and Shop at Village Center. Shop the thrift stores and stop in to see the new floral shop, Wyld Peony. Glasses will be pouring; get a glimpse of Grocery Outlet before it is officially opened. By the way, all of the thrift stores in town, along with Karma Consignment Boutique, have specials this weekend as well.
• Toys for Tots campaign: Start shopping now for those unwrapped gifts and watch for those barrels that will be found around town soon. Shop local at Village Toys (with a discount!) across from Starbucks. 

WASHOE COUNTY survey on a leadership academy

Our community is looking for leaders and ambassadors.  Washoe County nd IVCBA are partnering on a leadership academy next year. Watch for the survey, we are looking for feedback on how to organize it. CLICK HERE FOR SURVEY >

That’s all I got this week!

Do we have more than our fair share of conflict in this little village? I don’t know. But right now, IVCBA’s mission of “building cohesiveness for the sustainability of Incline Village and Crystal Bay” seems even more difficult. For those of us who want a thriving community, how do we move forward when there seem to be so many contentious issues, rigid positions, and sides taken that don’t leave room for compromise…and how do we trust that our government and agencies are looking out for our best interests when we can’t agree on what those best interests are?! I applaud those in our community who work tirelessly on issues and work to make Incline a better place. But it’s time to take a pause and remember that we are in a small village, and life is better if we try to get along or at least be tolerant.

Whether it’s from a religious book, lessons taught by your parents, ethics classes in college, or what you learned in kindergarten, can we apply those principles to working together and healing our community? Here’s my best collection of truisms from Richard’s mother, among others, that all hold more than one grain of truth.

• You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
• If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.
• You don’t learn anything when you are talking.
• Never compromise your integrity.
• To err is human; to forgive is sublime.

And last, Be generous, with your time, talent, and treasure…from Carla Hanson, the “Mother Theresa” of Incline Village who started the Parasol Foundation, along with Warren Trepp and others.

Sometimes this is awkward, but IVCBA works hard to maintain a neutral position on issues. Our 270 members all have different opinions. We advocate for more information and more interaction to discern what an issue is about and how it will affect our community. We support the governments in power and recognize that elections give us the opportunity to make changes when we are not happy with the direction that the government is taking. We are about “building community” and sometimes that means change. And no one likes changes. As the old saw goes, I’m all for progress, it’s change, it’s change I can’t stand. 

Here’s what IVCBA does to Build Community:

• Support and promote our agencies, businesses, and nonprofits.
• Provide information through a community website, IVCBA.org, SnapShot, and Live.Work.Play.
• Organize community-wide events, like the upcoming Northern Lights Celebration.
• Convene people and encourage education and positive interactions.
• Turn on the holiday lights!

If you share our vision of a thriving community that supports, and is supported by, our agencies, businesses, and nonprofits, won’t you please join as a Community Supporter for $50? Go to www.ivcba.org.

Upcoming meetings and ways to get more information:

Tahoe Transportation District and its recent decision to dismantle the community engagement committee: CAB(Citizen Advisory Committee) meeting on Thursday, Nov 2 at 5:30 p.m.

Washoe County School District and their pending decision to close Incline Middle School. 

Join the committee and be part of the process. Learn more at WCSD.net/

Community Forum: Friday, November 3 at 10am at Incline Library.

IVGID: The next board meeting is November 8.

Rotary’s Best Ball for a Cause on Sunday is so much more than a golf tournament! It starts with a BBQ lunch at 12:30, followed by an amazing silent auction and fun non-golfer putting competitions. And yes, there is a golf tournament with prizes. All for a good cause…Rotary’s youth services and scholarships.

It Takes a Village….time for Winter Warmth and Wellness. Bring coat donations to a local church, the Rec Center or the Parasol building to help our service workers.  All before October 21, when they do a distribution at the Kings Beach Conference Center.

Bad News and Good News

Village Interiors has been in business at Christmas Tree Village for 37 years with owners Carole Leavitt, Ned, and Janet Stock. They are closing at the end of October. Richard and I furnished our home through them. Years ago, they were proponents of the Chamber mixer at the Christmas Tree Village. Every storefront had homemade goodies, but everyone made a beeline for Village Interiors first. THANK YOU for being an anchor business! 

Now the good news… Lisa Douglas Designs and Tahoe Gifting Company owners Darya and Matthew are opening a business in that location. They are known for their creativity and gifts of flocal origin. Stop by to say goodbye to Village Interiors and take advantage of their 30% off everything sale except fine art. I stopped in today and was amazed at all the beautiful art by local artists. It’s like a gallery. Worth seeing!

A Big Shoutout to David and Jan Hardie

Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation honored David Hardie as a Distinguished Philanthropist earlier this summer. He is a longtime supporter and board member of the organization and the lead donor to the Tahoe Fire Safe Fund. Dave and his wife Jan are pillars of our community. THANK YOU!

Conversation Café on Thursday at 10 am at Aspen Grove

How could it be that I have never been there! I am going for the first time on Thursday. I am a guest speaker to talk about IVCBA and its mission to “build cohesiveness for the sustainability of Incline Village and Crystal Bay”. We need this more than ever right now, something positive, something to unify our residents. We all want a thriving community, right? Join me! And join the community and business association on the website IVCBA.org.

This Thursday is busy check out these events if you are in town: 

Talks @ Tahoe – Why Lake Tahoe Matters Even More Today with Dr. Sudeep Chandra at UNR

Hyatt Lakeside Yoga to Benefit Incline Elementary School – Hyatt Beach

Free Community Presentation: Middle School Superpowers by Phyllis Fagell – LTS

The Ghost of Twain…that is, McAvoy Layne as Mark Twain, haunted the outdoor amphitheater at St. Patrick’s Church one last time on Monday. However, if you see him jogging through town, it’s probably not a ghost unless it’s on Halloween. McAvoy has had a home in Incline Village and has been entertaining locals and visitors for 35 years. His final performance is at the Piper Opera House in Virginia City on September 30. Thank you, Mac! By the way, that amphitheater is one of the best-kept secrets in Incline. It is a chapel too, and is available for weddings, nonprofit events, or anything else that does well outside on a nice Tahoe day or evening. St. Pat’s also has a back deck and lower patio on its main church building that can also be used for events.

Rumors abound about the Incline Plaza. I am here to lay those rumors to rest. No, the building is not being torn down to build luxury condos. Owner Gary Kasden tells me that a new European-style restaurant called La Loca is going into the FredRick’s space. The space where The Local bar is located is looking for a tenant. Gary explained that his vision for that building is services like Luxe Nails, Bridget Giroux Design, Incline Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine, Move Mountains, and Open Mortgage are on the upper level, while the lower level is geared toward restaurants, like our beloved Bite and Drink Coffee Do Stuff. Berkshire Hathaway is an anchor business on the ground level too. Oh, and just maybe that building will get a facelift down the road, something we would all like to see on many of the buildings on our “Main Street”, aka Tahoe Boulevard.

TONIGHT…

There are no less than five events tonight on a Wednesday! Bowl Incline and Alibi (both locations) have fun stuff. If you are looking for a job, or just curious about Natural Grocer, the community room at Incline Library is your destination. If you grew up with comic books, you need to go to the Lake Tahoe School’s speaker night and learn why kids(still!) love graphic novels. They don’t call them comic books anymore. I probably oversimplified this, so please go and set me straight. It’s in the new Bobcat Treehouse Library Media Center. 

COMING UP THIS WEEKEND…

Golf tournaments…the annual Incline Village Hospital Auxiliary tournament on Saturday and a new event on Sunday to support Highlander Pride. If golf is not your thing, grab a garbage bag from IVGID and help clean up our Village and the East Shore. Saturday also brings an all-new event to Incline, the Incline Wine and Food event is high-end wine tasting in support of Boys and Girls Club and Incline Middle School. I can drink to that! 

NEXT WEEK….

A big shout out to Bowl Incline for still supporting the victims of the Maui fire. Get a discount to eat spam “for a cause.” Who’s ever heard of OLLI? The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute brings adult education to Incline Village, courtesy of UNR@Lake Tahoe. For once, it’s something during the day! Come to the Prim Library next Tuesday at 10 am to learn from the Sanford Center for 

Aging. 

Find all of the details on the IVCBA.org calendar. Like the Local Lens? Like the SnapShot? Show your support by becoming a Community Supporter for $50. Find the Join button at the bottom of each page of the website.

This is a good thing. New businesses and redevelopment of buildings mean that our community is thriving, that there is investment in our community. Here’s my take on what’s going on around town and how it helps keep our community strong.

Incline Village Grocery Outlet in Village Center has a grand opening date of Thursday, November 2.  The old Village Market is being outfitted with brand-new flooring and fixtures; stocking shelves with food is scheduled for mid-October. They are HIRING, preferably locals, with interviews September 28-30. This new business will be a great boost for other Village Center businesses like Glasses Wine Bar, Tahoe Fitness Loft, Wired Solutions, Postal Express, Tahoe Multisport, the thrift stores, and many other businesses. Let’s reconnect with the Village, aka “Post Office” Center, as the place where “locals shop and neighbors meet”. 

The brand-new building on Tahoe Blvd, Natural Grocer, is showing signs of progress, finally! We have a target opening date of January 17, 2024. This is the first new construction on “Main Street” that we have seen in a long time. Let’s hope this new building sets the tone and provides inspiration for other centers and plazas to do their own redevelopment. IVCBA and its Main Street program hope to encourage property owners to give a facelift to our commercial core. 

The Cal Neva is being renovated and branded as a Proper Hotel. Plans are to keep the historic ambiance of the Indian Room and the Frank Sinatra Showroom and update the entire complex into a boutique hotel with a spa and plenty of entertainment and dining venues that appeal to locals. The benefits of this development, along with the Waldorf-Astoria in Crystal Bay are many. Suitable tourist accommodations provide alternatives to short-term rentals, possibly leading to more long-term rentals for locals. Crystal Bay is the gateway to Nevada. No one wants a blighted commercial area to be the first thing to be seen. Did I mention more jobs!! Both of these new developments are committed to providing workforce housing. Another issue…what about the danger of more people to evacuate in the event of a fire? Let’s use these projects to leverage our desire and need for strong fire safety and evacuation plans. Thank you to the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District for taking these needs seriously and organizing the evacuation drill a month ago.

Raley’s Grocery Store is adding to its already amazing setup of services and departments. If you have been in the store lately (and who hasn’t!), you may have noticed the construction area walled off by the coffee shop. Raley’s is bringing in a Starbucks and adding a salad bar complete with hot food items for takeout or in-store dining. Wow! What a boon to us “Boomers” and to busy families.

A thriving business community provides us with the services we need and want locally.  The larger developments provide the resorts that anchor our community and provide tourist business to our merchants that allow them to stay open year-round. Our Visitor Bureau, Travel North Tahoe Nevada, is focused on sustainable tourism and educating those visitors and locals to “Take Care” Tahoe.

HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND

Friday, September 15: Community Forum at Incline Library at 9am

Friday, September 15: TOCCATA’s 9/11 Remembrance concert at St. Francis

Saturday, September 16: Washoe County Sheriff Community Picnic at 10am

Saturday, September 16: Live Music – The Wild Feathers – Crystal Bay Club

Saturday, September 16: Darin Talbot! Live Music at Glasses Wine Bar

Sunday, September 17: Alibi Sunday Sessions

No matter how it felt last weekend, fall is not officially here until September 21! I am not a weather expert, but 35 years of living in Incline tells me that we are likely to have another cold spell in September with snow, and then it will just be a nice warm fall through October. How’s that for a forecast looking through my rose-colored glasses?

I must give kudos to NDOT, Washoe County, and the crews working literally night and day on our roads. There are SO many improvements…have you noticed the more accessible sidewalks? I plan to remind Commissioner Hill that she budgeted money for more sidewalk snow removal this year. Not that it necessarily makes them safe to walk on, especially if we have another big snow year. Not making any predictions…but I am optimistic that the potholes will not return in such a bad way as they did this year. I replaced 3 tires on my 2013 Lexus sedan last winter due to potholes.  I LOVE that car, but my husband tells me I can’t keep driving through snow banks higher than my car.

We have an IVCBA BizBuz Mixer next Tuesday at Raley’s Center! This is a good old-fashioned gathering in the parking lot next to Umpqua Bank, starting at 4:30 pm. With Umpqua as the main host, T’s Rotisserie is catering. Mountain Hardware, Raley’s, The Potlatch, and Gail Krolick from Alpine Realty are also participating. This is a chance to meet up with other locals, some old friends…and make some new ones.

Back to School Nights…it’s a big week. If you are a parent, show up! You will be amazed at the dedication and high quality of the teaching staff.

There are some great community events as well. This Saturday, the Sanctuary Tahoe is having a Women’s Wellness event. Talks @ Tahoe is on again tomorrow eventing at the UNR Lake Tahoe Campus with ‘Meeting the Tides of Life through the Practice of Poetry And you can’t miss the Toccata 9/11 Memorial Concert on Friday the 15th and Kids & Horses hosts barn-raising fundraiser at the Crystal Bay Club on September 16th from 4-8pm! So Many great Community Events!

A little further out in fall we have a couple weekends of golf tournaments with Highlander Pride Golf Tournament on Saturday, September 23rd, and Golf From the Heart on Sunday, September 24th. Then don’t miss the Rotary Golf Tournament, Best Ball for a Cause on October 1st!