Sierra-at-Tahoe is gearing up for the 2010-11 winter season by hosting two hiring fairs to fill a variety of seasonal positions. Nearly every operational department will be hiring at the two on-site job fairs including patrol, lift operations, retail, food and beverage, ski and snowboard school, and more.

The first job fair will be at Sierra Resort Oct. 9 from 9am-noon. This fair is for applicants interested in working in ski and snowboard school, daycare, and competition services. Skiing and non-skiing positions will include full-time, part-time, and on-call shifts for weekends and holidays.

A non-mandatory, dry-land, pre-season training for ski and snowboard instructors will be offered six weekends from Oct. 16–Nov. 21 from 10am-3pm. This training includes aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, functional movement screen analysis and corrective exercise, and PSIA and AASI pre-certification prep and clinics. The cost is $99 per participant, and lunch is not included.

A second hiring fair is also at Sierra. It is Oct. 23 from 9am-2pm. Nearly every operational department will be interviewing and hiring seasonal workers. Bartenders will not be interviewed at the job fair, but are asked to submit a resume to hrstaffing.st@boothcreek.com.

All prospective employees are asked to fill out an application online prior to arriving at the job fair.

Ability to ski or snowboard is not required for all jobs.

Sierra Resort is also looking for real estate professionals and private homeowners to join its Rental Rewards Program, which awards season passes and lift ticket vouchers in exchange for offering winter housing to Sierra Resort employees. Anyone interested may direct questions to Human Resources at (530) 543.3107.

For more information, click here or call (530) 659.7453.

Soroptimist International Violet Richardson Award applications are available. Soroptimist of Tahoe Sierra and Soroptimist of South Lake Tahoe will work collaboratively to determine final winners of the award as each club will have five recipients with a cash award of $100 each and a chance to be forwarded for consideration at the regional level.

The award is for young women who volunteer efforts on the South Shore.

Hard copies of the brochures are available at:

* Douglas County Library, Zephyr Cove

* El Dorado County Library, South Lake Tahoe

* Whittell High School

* South Tahoe High School

The Wylie Animal Rescue Foundation (WARF) has rescued thousands of animals from certain death, but millions more were not so lucky and died — unloved and unwanted–in shelters across the country. The recent downturn in the economy has put even more pets on death row.

To help find homes for these dogs and cats, WARF is conducting a special Adoption Fair on Sept. 18 from 11am to 4pm hosted by Scraps Dog Bakery at 8675 North Lake Blvd. in Kings Beach.

A collection of adoptable dogs and cats will appear in person at the Adoption Fair — and when making an adoption at the fair, adopters will save money on fees when adopting those pets most in need. The Prizes for Pitties Program, offers a savings of $50 off the adoption of a pit bull or pit mix. The Senior for Senior program allows adopters over 55 to waive the adoption fee when they adopt a dog or cat over seven years of age. And, there is a discount of $50 on adult cat adoptions. All dog adopters will receive the training book Family Friendly Dog Training, by Patricia McConnell along with additional training handouts and a large Kong toy.

All of the money received by WARF is applied solely to helping animals. Tax-deductable donations are always needed and appreciated.

For more information, log on or call (775) 833.2319 or (530) 546.2725.

• August’s South Shore Relay for Life raised $56,000.

• Chase International’s Reno office has expanded to include a new property management division. The division, headed by Lois Kidder and Lisa Wallace, will focus on long-term residential and commercial property management in the Reno-Sparks and Zephyr Cove areas.

• Moss Adams accounting firm this month released stats showing Kirkwood Mountain Resort had record profits for the 2009-10 fiscal year ending in July. The resort reported net profits that were 25 percent higher than any prior year in Kirkwood’s history and this marks the second year in a row the resort posted a gain of more than 50 percent.

• Kahle Community Park is taking signups for girls in grades 3-6 who want to participate in a 3-on-3 basketball league. Deadline is Oct. 1.

• The California Department of Fish & Game has delayed implementation of the Paiute Cutthroat Trout Restoration Project in Silver King Creek until 2011 because of potential contracting difficulties arising from the lack of a state budget.

• John Merryfield of Kings Beach is going to paddleboard around the 72 miles of Lake Tahoe to raise money about farm animals.

• South Lake Tahoe’s 10 City Council candidates were invited to a three-hour session with city officials last week to learn about what they might be getting themselves into; info on the budget; Brown Act rules; and a lesson in ethics.

The nomination period has opened for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s 2010 Best in the Basin awards program, which annually recognizes the best designed, planned and implemented projects in the Tahoe basin that also stand out as environmentally compatible.

The Best in the Basin program calls attention to projects of all categories – from natural restoration to commercial or residential construction – that carry with them environmental net gains for Lake Tahoe and its communities.

For more than two decades, the Best in the Basin program has recognized those property owners, contractors, architects and planners whose work and investment should be held up as examples to follow.

The nomination period ends Oct. 15. Categories are:

· new residential

· residential modification

· rebuild projects

· new commercial

· commercial modification

· commercial rebuild

· shorezone

· green building

· public service

· erosion control

· restoration

· BMP retrofit

· defensible space

· mixed-use project

· green remodel.

To qualify, projects must be complete or near completion. For an entry form and information about last year’s winners, click here.

Squaw Valley is paying tribute to man’s and woman’s best friend when it hosts the inaugural Peaks and Paws event Sept. 18 from 11am to 5pm.

It’s a opportunity to sip wine or beer while playing with your pets and socializing with other dog owners.

Peaks and Paws will feature a dog training seminar, adopt-a-dog show, guided hikes and three hours of wine and beer tasting and live music from 2 to 5pm. Attendees can also visit a few premiere animal-themed arts & crafts booths.Pets are welcome, but must be well-behaved and on a leash.

Entrance to Peaks and Paws is free. Wine tasting is $25 per person and includes a commemorative wine glass. Beers are also available for $4 each. All proceeds benefit the Humane Society of Truckee Tahoe.

For more information, visit www.Squaw.com.

Three classes of first- through third-graders at Zephyr Cove Elementary School spent time with members of Tahoe Douglas Rotary last week to celebrate National Literacy Month.

Rotarians Dan Oaks, Paula Peterson, Greg Felton, Conrad Buedel, and Keith Byers volunteered their time to read books, deliver gifts and share a little about being in Rotary to the young students. President Craig Schorr even added in some of his infamous comical entertainment.

Rotarian Dan Oaks reads to Zephyr Cove students on Sept. 8. Photo/Provided

The Tahoe Douglas Rotary Club, comprised of nearly 80 members, has made significant contributions to the Lake Tahoe South Shore and surrounding communities for more than 45 years, including raising more than $200,000 for local programs since 2000.

• September is California Wine Month – go pop that cork.

• Need a new ski app? Click here.

• The weekly summer flea market at the corner of Highway 50 and Elks Club Road on the South Shore will not be back in 2011. The California Tahoe Conservancy, the land owner, will proceed with restoration at the site along the Upper Truckee River.

• Click here for a list of community flu shots in El Dorado County.

• The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors is seeking qualified candidates for one vacancy on the El Dorado County Assessment Appeals Board. Applications and questionnaires may be obtained by calling (530) 621.5390

• Cyclelicious, a blog about cycling, has a couple interesting posts related to Tahoe. This one is about how cycling clubs may lose their nonprofit status. And this one is how the Amgen Tour de California – the event the South Shore wants to be the starting site for in 2011 – loses money and some cities want nothing to do with it.

Toccata, the Tahoe Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, presents its annual 9/11 Memorial concert on Sept. 13 at 7:30pm at St. Theresa Catholic Church in South Lake Tahoe.

The performance will feature Mozart’s Requiem and the Violin Concerto by Samuel Barber.

Once again, the violinist will be world renowned virtuoso, Elizabeth Pitcairn, playing the Red Mendelssohn Stradivarius. This instrument, which has a wonderfully rich and beautiful tone, was featured in the film “The Red Violin”.

The tickets for the concert are $40 preferred/$25 adult/$20 senior/$10 students 25 and under.

Come and treat yourself to a special evening for our community.

Tahoe Maritime Museum hosts Alan J. Zulberti on Sept. 14 from 11am-noon to talk about his three-year project in building an operational model of the S.S. Tahoe.

Built nearly 115 years after the original ship was launched at Glenbrook in 1896, the model is entirely hand-built, has a riveted copper hull with more than 5,000 rivets and is powered by the only known twin engine steam plant. Six-feet long and radio controlled, the ship provides the sounds of an actual steam whistle, a ships bell and steam cuffing. The model is quite fast with a trial run at a scale speed of 36.9 knots.

Zulberti is an active member of the San Francisco Model Yacht Club. This is his third model boat, which follows his construction of a WWII Patrol Torpedo boat, which received first place in Military and Best in Show a few years ago. The PT-588 was also the subject of a six-page feature article in a national magazine, Ships in Scale.

The model will be on hand during the slide show presentation. Lecture is free with admission. Adults $5. Members and children under 12 are free.

Tahoe Maritime Museum is at 5205 West Lake Blvd. in Homewood.