Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for the 10th annual Blue Ribbon Awards. This awards program recognizes businesses, organizations, and individuals for achievements, community contributions, and milestones.

The public may go online to nominate South Shore businesses, organizations or individuals that have made a positive and lasting impression on the community. The deadline to nominate is noon on Oct. 16.

The categories are:

• Geotourism Award – Sponsored by Bike the West — Providing an authentic Tahoe experience
• Tourism Award – Sponsored by Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority — Innovative program, promotion or product for visitors
• Experience Award – Sponsored by Marriott Grand Residence Club — Business providing compelling and captivating experiences
• Entrepreneur Award – Sponsored by Getaway Reno/Tahoe — An innovative individual who assumed the risk of starting a new business
• Customer Service (Business) Award – Sponsored by Heavenly and Kirkwood — An individual who consistently provides quality service
• Customer Service (Public Agency) Award  –Quality service in the not so usual places (DMV, city, county, TRPA, etc.)
• Economic and Community Improvement Award – Sponsored by South Tahoe Refuse.

Nominees will be announced later in October and the winners will be announced on Nov. 9 during the 10th annual Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.

By Lynne Tolmachoff

Did you know that only one-third of Americans have created and practiced a home fire escape plan? Almost three-quarters of Americans have an escape plan; however, less than half ever practice it?

With these statistics, it’s time to stop being complacent and get the ball rolling in creating a home escape plan for you and your family and more importantly practicing it.

The second week in October (8-14) marks Fire Prevention Week and this year’s theme is Every Second Counts – Plan 2 Ways Out! Take time now to create an escape plan with your family and practice that plan twice a year. Knowing what to do and where to go can save precious seconds, helping you and your family escape safely without tragedy.      

Our goal is to make sure our residents are safe from fires, whether inside the home or outside. Fire Prevention Week is one opportunity to initiate awareness of how to protect you and your family from harm’s way and to give you the tools you need to maintain a safe home and yard.

Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which Oct. 9 falls, in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began Oct. 8, 1871. The horrific fire killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. Each year’s theme is to reinforce the importance of fire prevention.

Crafting your plan for escaping a home fire is easy to do:

• Draw a map of your home. With all the members of your household, visit each room and identify two ways out.
• Show all doors and windows on your drawing and mark the path to the outside from each exit.
• Practice your plan during the day and at night to ensure that you and your family can get out safely at any time.
• Make sure to teach your children how to escape on their own, in case you can’t help them.
• Have a plan for the elderly as it may take more time to get them out safely.
• Let everyone know to close the doors behind you as you leave – this may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.
• Once you get outside, stay outside. Never go back inside for anything.
• Call 911 from outside and make sure your address is easy to see from the road.

If you happen to be caught in a wildfire, knowing two ways out is critical to getting out safely. Create a wildfire evacuation Plan that includes:

• A designated emergency meeting location outside the fire or hazard area. This is essential to determine who has safely evacuated from the affected area.
• Several escape routes from your home and community. Practice these often so everyone in your family is familiar in case of emergency.
• Have an evacuation plan for pets and large animals such as horses and other livestock.
• Designate an out-of-area friend or relative as a point of contact to act as a single source of communication among family members in case of separation (cell and internet systems can be overloaded or limited during a disaster).

Lynne Tolmachoff is CalFire’s chief of public education.

Dick Young

Richard Carroll Young died in Roseville on Aug. 6, 2017, with his family by his side. He was 85.

He was born in Sacramento on Feb. 8, 1932, to Jacob C. and Anne C. (Petersen) Young.

Dick married Joan Bosworth in 1954 in Reno.

His college education was interrupted for two years while serving in the Army at Fort Belvoir, Va. When he received his degree from the University of Nevada in Reno he and Joan were raising three children.

He followed in his dad’s footsteps as a civil engineer.

Moving to Yuba City, Dick worked 38 years for Division of Highways/Caltrans in Marysville.
He is remembered by Don Lane of the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit for his collaboration and Caltrans grant preparation for the Pope/Baldwin recreation/bike trail to Spring Creek.

Dick was a full-time dad, supporting their son Pete’s football, Boy Scouting and hunting interests; their daughters Sherry and Christy’s Camp Fire Girls, school orchestras, band and high school musicals. The family camped, backpacked, skied, boated, and traveled extensively and enjoyed family reunions.

Dick taught boating safety with United States Power and Sail Squadrons. He was on the Yuba City Planning Commission, then City Council, then was mayor of Yuba City in 1969. 

With children grown, Dick and Joan moved to South Lake Tahoe and enjoyed 12 years in their beloved Sierra. They volunteered with Barton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, Lake Tahoe Historical Society; Sheriff’s Team of Active Retirees (STAR-El Dorado County) and Oregon California (Emigrant) Trails Association. Dick served as president of most of the foregoing organizations. 

Life in the idyllic Tahoe setting suited him well, but with diminishing health they returned to the Sacramento Valley.

Dick is survived by his wife, Joan; daughters Sharon Wonder and Christy Estabrook; son Pete
Young and their spouses; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; cousins Norma Jean
Rogers and Christine Heal and their families.

A memorial will be Oct. 22 at 2pm at South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, 3050 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

October is library card sign-up month at the South Lake Tahoe Library.

Showing an existing library card or sign up for a new one to be entered into a drawing for a chance to win prizes.

Elementary school students who visit the library to use their cards or sign up for a new card during the month of October will be entered into a drawing. The winner will earn a Jamba Juice Party for their class and $50 for their teacher to use on classroom supplies.

Teens and adults who sign up for a new card or use their existing card will be entered into a drawing for various gift cards and movie passes.

For additional information, call the library at 530.573.3185.

Bona Fide Books in Meyers is looking for submissions for the second addition of its popular “Permanent Vacation” book that came out in 2011.

The publishing house is seeking literary essays for the second collection about life and work in U.S. national parks. It could be about time building trails or alligator-proofing a cabin or something else.

The deadline to submit works is Dec. 1.

For more details, go online.

Film crews from “The Bachelor” have been spotted around the South Shore.

Crews were at the Hard Rock Lake Tahoe on the night of Oct. 2.

This is the third time the television show has filmed here. Twice the crew stayed at the Black Bear Inn, now called the Black Bear Lodge, on Ski Run Boulevard. The last time was in 2007.

Mum is the word on where else filming has taken place and what the contestants have done in Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority has helped defray some of the expenses with an initial commitment of $10,000. The board next week is being asked to contribute another $10,000 toward production expenses.

The Tahoe episode is expected to air in early 2018.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

The last Friday of each month is the big band dance located at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center.

This is open to anyone in the mood for Sinatra, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, and that good ol’ big band sound.

Dance or listen to the Tahoe Dance Band from 7:30-10pm. Admission is $10/adult, $5 under 21. It includes appetizers, desserts, beverages, and a door prize ticket.

For more information, call Tara at 530.544.3626.

Taylor Graham

Bringing the power of poetry to a wider audience, El Dorado County Poet Laureate Taylor Graham will be forging a trail through the county over an eight-month stretch.

The trail will stop at a public library in each of the five supervisorial districts in the county, where Graham will be joined by special guests, local poets, and poetry out loud winners from previous years.

The event will culminate with a reading at the South Lake Tahoe Library in June. Graham has invited several poets who reside in each of the five districts to join her at their local events.

The kickoff event will be at the Placerville Library on Oct. 13 at 5:30pm. The event is free and family-friendly.

Taylor was named the inaugural El Dorado County poet laureate in April 2016. The two-year post began July 1, 2016.

Sip, shop and stroll your way through historic downtown Truckee at the 14th annual Downtown Truckee Wine, Walk & Shop on  Oct. 7 from noon to 4pm.

Tickets are $40 in advance or $45 at the door and include a commemorative wine glass, an event program, map of participating venues and five tickets for food tastings. More info is available online.

This annual event brings nearly 1,000 local and visiting participants.

In the past 14 years more than $26,000 has been raised for local nonprofits. This year the partner is Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nevada County and North Lake Tahoe.

Original libations at Cocktails for a Cause on Oct. 4. Photos/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

A little bourbon might just have been the secret ingredient in what was a vodka themed cocktail contest.

Coldwater Brewery proved it’s not just a beer joint. The South Lake Tahoe restaurant was the overall winner Wednesday night at the annual Cocktails for a Cause event. The bartenders also won the main cocktail contest and came in second for the mocktail – aka, the version without alcohol.

Now in its eighth year, the event is a fundraiser for the Barton Foundation. A certain cause within the South Shore-based health conglomerate is designated the beneficiary. This year it’s mental and behavioral health services.

Mental health was a top concern in the 2012 and 2015 Community Health Needs Assessment. It’s an area that Barton and other agencies in the area have been putting resources toward, with the hope of helping people in need as well as bringing awareness to an issue that is often not openly talked about. Although mental illness – which ranges from mild depression to schizophrenia – has touched most people’s lives, it remains a more delicate subject than a physical ailment.

The cocktail contest dovetails into Barton Foundation’s big fundraiser in December – the Festival of Trees and Lights. The winning drink from the Oct. 4 event at Riva Grill will be served at the gala on Dec. 2.

The gang at Coldwater set out to make an adult Cherry Coke. The cherry cider mulled for a couple days to deepen the flavor profile. That’s where the bourbon came in. There is a distinct clove taste in the finished product. This is a perfect fall-winter spice that is used in so many entrees and desserts, that this drink could complement several dishes.

Winners:
Overall: Coldwater
Cocktails: 1. Coldwater 2. Riva 3. McP’s
Mocktails: 1. Heavenly 2. Coldwater 3. Riva

Triple sec, sweet vermouth, and Coke rounded out the drink.

The main ingredient was Tahoe Blue Vodka – which every bartender had to use.

“There was plenty of trial and error,” bartender Aaron Stein told Lake Tahoe News. “The whole idea was to go back to a retro theme with Cherry Coke. Then we added seasonal flavors.”

For the judges, of which this reporter was one, the cocktail was served in a mason jar with a lid and candy cane looking straw.

There is talk this drink dubbed Hugs and Fizzes will be on Coldwater’s menu soon.

The other drink judges raved about was Apples to Apples created by Erick Martinez at Riva Grill. In addition to the vodka, it had ginger rosemary syrup, cold pressed apple juice, fresh muddled apples, lemon squeeze and fresh shaved cinnamon.

It wasn’t too sweet and the ginger definitely came through, several judges said. And with it being apple season, it, too, stood out as a distinctly seasonal beverage. The apple and rosemary garnish made a great impression as well.

Other contestants came from McP’s, Heavenly, Lucky Beaver, LewMarNel’s, and Glazed and Confuzed Tahoe Donut. Each made a cocktail and a mocktail, with different judges for each category.