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WINERY/BREWERY/DISTILLERY: Andis Wine | Auriga Wine Cellars | Bella Grace Vineyards | Boeger Winery | Cold Water Brewery & Grill | Crystal Basin Cellars | Dry Diggings Distillery | FOLK Brewing Company - Kombucha on Tap | Great Basin Brewing Co. | Lava Cap Winery | Loomis Basin Brewing Co. | Madrona Vineyards | Nello Olivo Wines | Sierra Nevada Brewing Company | Stateline Brewery | Story Winery | Sugar Lille | Tahoe Blue Vodka | Tahoe Moonshine Distillery | Vino Noceto

The vendor pairings for the 6th Annual Sample the Sierra have been announced. Approximately 54 local restaurants, wineries, breweries, distilleries, farmers and producers will participate in the one-day farm-to-fork festival on Sunday, September 6 at Bijou Community Park in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

The pairings for this year’s Sample the Sierra are as follows:

· Beach Hut Deli with Loomis Basin Brewing Co.
· Bear Moon Bar & Grill with Auriga Wine Cellars
· Blue Angel Café with Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
· Boathouse on the Pier with Andis Wines

There will be an escorted processional from South Lake Tahoe to Placerville on Thursday to honor 21-year-old Mikey Hallenbeck. The young U.S. Forest Service firefighter, and Sierra-at-Tahoe employee, died while fighting his very first fire on Saturday

The U.S. Forest Service and cooperating fire agencies will escort Hallenbeck from the "Y" in South Lake Tahoe to his final resting place. The procession will start at approximately 10 a.m. and proceed westbound on Highway 50 up Echo Summit, through Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort, down to Placerville. It is expected to end at 2 p.m.

Sierra-at-Tahoe will hold a candlelight vigil for Michael Hallenbeck on Wednesday, August 12 at 7 p.m. The 21-year old U.S. Forest Service firefighter lost his life on Saturday while fighting a lighting-caused fire south of Echo Summit.

Hallenbeck, known by friends and family as Mikey, was a Sierra-at-Tahoe employee for the past two seasons and a local firefighter for the U.S Forest Service.

“His flame burned bright,” friends speak of Hallenbeck. “Thank you for your
brave, courageous soul.” Hallenbeck is considered a local hero who could “make

The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to from July 27 to August 2, 2015. They responded to 284 calls during the 7 day period.

Calls Resulting in Arrests:

7/27

Spousal Abuse in the 4100 block of Pine Ave
Violation of Court Order in the 900 block of Modesto Ave
Spousal Abuse in the 3600 block of Pioneer Trail
Warrant in the 900 block of Park Ave

7/28
Drunk in Public in the 2200 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Battery in the 1000 block of Echo Rd

Each year the Tahoe Douglas Rotary Club holds their signature fundraiser, the St. Patrick's Day Celebration, and because of this they are able to give away tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships, grants and gifts to members of the community.

On Friday, local non-profits were handed the fruits of the Rotarian's labor at their annual community donation day.

This year, the following groups received a donation either at the meeting or during the school year:
Zephyr Cove Elementary School
Boy Scouts Troop 468
Boy Scouts Troop 594
WHittell High Boosters

Three new message signs were unveiled in South Lake Tahoe this week, just in time for the holiday weekend. Since the fourth of July is a big tourist draw, it is the perfect time to test out all the message signs can provide to those on the road.

Who wouldn't want to enjoy the lake a little bit longer, hike or bike a little bit longer, or linger over a big meal instead of sitting in traffic over Echo Summit on Highway 50?

The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to from June 22 to June 28, 2015. They responded to 206 calls during the 7 day period.

Calls Resulting in Arrests:

6/22
Drunk in Public in the 3800 block of Pioneer Trail

6/23
Unlicensed driver at Lake Tahoe Blvd and Lyons Ave

6/24
Drug Offense in the 2100 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Unlicensed driver at Chonokis Rd and Rocky Point RdBart

6/25
Fraud in the 1000 block of Emerald Bay Rd

Even though it lasted just 19 months, the Pony Express played an important role in the western expansion of the United States. The Pony Express was the most direct and practical means of east-west communications prior to the telegraph.

With the threat of the Civil War there was a need for faster communication with the growing number of people living in the West. Three men understood this need (William H. Russell, William B. Waddell, and Alexander Majors) and created the Pony Express.

As many watched the Indianapolis 500 on television Sunday, they were tuned into the excitement of the race, maybe not really reflecting on the history of the racetrack, dubbed "The Brickyard." The Brickyard and parts of South Lake Tahoe have a lot in common.

The Brickyard

May 1-3 Mark Pitta / Jack Coen @ Improv at Harveys
Genoa Cowboy Festival feat. Lacy J Dalton and the Dalton Gang, The Western Flyers, Richard Elloyan, Steve Wade, Larry Maurice, Mike Beck, Gary Allegretto, Walt Cheney, Belinda Gail, All Hat No Cattle, Sourdough Slim, Tony Argento, Ken Gardner, John and Betsie Elliott, Ed and Connie Kretschmer, The Mountain Girls, Cowboys By Night, McAboy Lane, CW & Mr. Spoons, Don S. Thompson, Michael Fischer, Dianna Borges, Kim Copel @ Genoa, NV
Live music w/ Steve & Tom @ Gar Woods
May 01 1 year anniversary party w/ DJ Trek @ Xhale

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county.

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at press time and the story will be updated when provided.

4/12

9:23 p.m. - Disorderly Conduct - Marshall Trail - INTOXICATED 35-YEAR OLD FEMALE WAS ARRESTED IN A PUBLIC PLACE AND BOOKED FOR SOBERING.

11:43 p.m. - Vacation Rental Issue - Cold Creek Trail - VACATION RENTAL NOISE WARNING.

4/13

Join the Sugar Pine Foundation as they start their seasonal group plantings.

Community Planting Schedule

Saturday, April 11th, 10 a.m. - noon, 1286 Golden Bear Trail, SLT, CA. - Join Vail employees and South Lake Tahoe Resource Center families to plant sugar pines behind the Lake Valley Fire Protection Station.

Sunday, April 12th, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m., Waddle Ranch, Truckee, CA -

No matter which alternative is chosen to address the aging Echo Summit bridge, there will be an impact to South Lake Tahoe.

The 76-year old portion of Highway 50 over Echo Summit that is being considered for either replacement or rehabilitation is actually three spans of a bridge, much of which is cracking, spalling or rusting.

Cal Trans will make a presentation on replacing or rehabilitating an aging Echo Summit bridge during Tuesday's South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting.

The planned Echo Summit Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Project has been created because weather, age and use have caused severe deck cracking, extensive rust in the reinforcing steel and concrete cracking and spalling (breaking off into smaller pieces).

The bridge was built in 1939, is 30.76 feet wide and has three spans over Echo Summit.

A lack of the snow in the Sierra Nevada isn't just hurting water supplies, it's also hurting vegetation around popular snowmobiling routes.

This preventable problem is being seen around the lake where snowmobiles on too little snow creates ruts in the soil and crushes vegetation.

The U.S. Forest Service is asking snowmobilers to shift their activities to locations with adequate snow coverage, within permitted snowmobile areas. Snowmobile operators should avoid bare dirt and patchy snow and should not ride across streams or over small trees or brush.

The survey of the Sierra Nevada snowpack on Thursday brought home the message that many were already guessing: a fourth straight year of drought is inevitable.

At just 12% of normal, the snow measured near Philips Station on Echo Summit was 7.1" deep and contained a dismal water equivalent of 2.3".

The absence of precipitation in January, normally California’s wettest month, has combined with warmer-than-average temperatures to produce a dismally meager snowpack for a drought-stricken state.

Long before the road between Placerville and Virginia City was paved and maintained by state transportation departments, the job of keeping roads clear of rocks and snow fell on opportunistic land owners.

The steady stream of prospectors from the declining gold fields in California to the 1858 silver strike in Virginia City created considerable damage, as well as traffic jams, along the route.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county.
The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at press time and the story will be updated when provided.

12/27

Lake Tahoe area Sno-Parks can now be enjoyed with the purchase of an annual pass as well as with a daily pass.

The California Department of Parks and Recreation operates 21 Sno-Park sites that provide snow-cleared parking lots with sanitation facilities and access to snow play areas, cross-country ski and snowmobile trails.

In the Lake Tahoe area there are several Sno-Parks: Echo Lake, Taylor Creek, Donner Summit, Hope Valley, Blackwood Canyon, Carson Pass and Meiss Meadow.

The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to between October 17 and October 23, 2014. They responded to 148 calls during the 7 day period.

Calls Resulting in Arrests:

10/17
Warrant in the 900 block of Poplar St
DUI in the 900 block of Los Angeles Ave

10/18
DUI at Lake Tahoe Blvd & Brockway Ave
Drunk in Public on Pioneer Trail
Spousal Abuse in the 2000 block of Kubel Ave
Robbery in the 4000 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd

10/19
Drug Offense in the 900 block of Biglar Ave

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin the fall/winter prescribed fire program this week. Operations may take place tomorrow, October 16, 2014, on various urban lots around the Lake Tahoe Basin including Elizabeth Drive on the West Shore, Christmas Valley, Angora Creek, Elks Club Drive, Echo View Estates, and Bakersfield Avenue on the South Shore.

The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to between August 23 and September 4, 2014. They responded to 418 calls during the 13 day period.

Calls Resulting in Arrests:

8/23
Drunk in Public in the 4100 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Unlicensed Driver in the 3900 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Warrant at Herbert Ave and Lloyd Ave
Driving on a Suspended or Revoked License in the 2600 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Petty Theft in the 4000 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Warrant in the 2000 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd

ixteen booths will showcase unique collaborations of flavors and styles distinct to the Sierra Nevada region at the 5th Annual Sample the Sierra, Lake Tahoe’s only farm-to-fork festival. This food and wine festival brings together local chefs and restaurants with neighboring growers and producers to create delectable samples expertly paired with wine, beer or spirits. The collaborations truly showcase the diverse talent present in this inimitable region.