Northwoods Tahoe November / December 2018

TA H O E

Serving Truckee & Tahoe November/December 2018 Photograph by Scott Shots Photography

SNOWSHOE THOMPSON: The Legendary Skiing Mailman (PART ONE)

Thompson farmed in the summer and cut firewood during the winter. About this time, he Americanized his name to John Albert Thompson after the family name of his stepfather, Arthur Thompson.

After the Gold Rush, the increasing demand for communication between California and the eastern United States resulted in the establishment of an overland mail route between San Francisco and Salt Lake City.

(The nation’s first transcontinental railroad was still 18 years away.) The lucrative

by Mark McLaughlin Of all the skiers who have carved turns on the snowy slopes of the Tahoe Sierra, the most famous is undoubtedly John “Snowshoe” Thompson, the legendary skiing mailman. When it came to traveling through the wintry mountains, this indomitable Viking was a master — precursor to the pack train, the stagecoach, and the locomotive. Ultimately, Thompson is America’s first pioneer of freestyle skiing, an expert downhiller who exploited terrain jumping cliffs, slipping through trees (on 9-foot-long boards) and popping off the roofs of snowbound houses.

Historians have credited Thompson with first skiing across the Sierra in 1856, but my research suggests that he probably made the trek earlier than that. In 1852, Thompson took a job in a Placerville store owned by Thomas Knott, and the following year worked with him constructing a sawmill at Genoa (Utah Territory), about 90 miles east of Placerville on the other side of the Sierra. In his memoirs, Knott wrote that during the winters of 1853 and 1854, he paid the Norwegian two dollars a trip to carry mail and messages over the snow-covered mountains, a feat he said Thompson accomplished on homemade skis.

Snowshoe Thompson was born Skiing Long Pole - Courtesy Denver Public Jon Tostensen in the Telemark library district of Norway on April 30, 1827. When he was a little boy, his father made him his first pair of skis (which he called snowshoes) and taught but dangerous mail contract was worth him the means of survival in snow country. $14,000 a year when George Chorpenning Jon was 10 years old when his father died and Absolom Woodward accepted the job and the family immigrated to the American in 1851. In order to cross the Sierra, large Midwest in 1837. In 1851, the 24-year-old wooden hammers were needed to beat farm boy was afflicted with gold fever and down the crusty snowpack, to create a trail ran off to California. He worked briefly as a for the heavily laden pack animals. It was miner in the Mother Lode and then moved risky and exhausting work that became to near Placerville, about 30 miles east deadly when Indians killed Woodward in of Sacramento on the Sierra west slope.

November 1851.

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During December 1851 and January 1852, Chorpenning tried to maintain mail delivery, but blizzards and deep snow in the Sierra turned him back. By February, the mail was rerouted north up the Feather River Canyon and over Beckwourth Pass into Utah Territory, but the detour increased the harrowing journey to 60 days, which proved too much for men and animals.

Chorpenning finally gave up the route, at which point small communities like Mormon Station (later renamed Genoa) in the lower valleys near the Carson Range just east of Lake Tahoe, were cut-off from communication, medicine and supplies during the long winter months.

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Regional newspapers published accounts of the dangerous difficulties and failed commercial attempts to deliver mail over the mountains during the winter months. In 1855, Thompson saw an ad published in the Sacramento Union: “People Lost to the World: Uncle Sam Needs Carrier.” The Placerville postmaster desperately wanted someone to carry the mail over the Sierra, 90 miles east to the Carson Valley, in the dead of winter.

There weren’t any takers until Thompson decided to answer his new country’s call to duty. continued on page 6

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Wa She Shu area, the Washoe (or Washo). While we have to visualize what the landscape would have been without blacktop, motorized vehicles and hill upon hill of houses, Wa She Shu, translated “the People”, lived at the water’s edge of “Da ow aga” every spring to late fall, from the beginning of time as their tradition states. They did not move here from somewhere else, they had always been here. (“Da ow”, meaning lake, was later mispronounced

by European settlers to the area after 1850 and Tahoe became the result.)

Cave Rock, Lake Tahoe

T

he beauty and majesty of Lake Tahoe today is an indication, but mere shadow of its brilliance and even wilder beauty during the time of the first people to the

The Washoe People still believe that the land, language and culture go together.

As former chairman A. Brian Wallace of the Washoe Tribe said, “The health of the land and the health of the people are tied together, and what happens to the land also happens to the people. When the land suffers so too are the people.” It was with this ingrained belief that every wondrous

geographical feature of the People’s early territory was named and had a legend attached to it. Lake Tahoe was a large part of their lives and so we enjoy those stories and legends even today, explaining the natural wonders we experience around and in Lake Tahoe. Some of the Tribal practices described in the ongoing legends still go on today.

Water Babies and the Lady of the Lake Wa She Shu considered Cave Rock, at the south end of the Lake to be a sacred place, perhaps because of the awe a cave naturally inspires; especially to people who value great land formations in the way the Washoe do. In early days, only healers were allowed to go there, for their spiritual renewal. This was due in part to the presence of continued on page 4

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Lake Legends continued from page 3

“Water Babies” in the cave. These creatures of Washoe tradition inhabited all bodies of water and were very powerful, causing harm or even death to humans. Healers would visit the creatures in the cave, consult them and bring them offerings in hopes that they would strengthen the healers’ powers. If tribesmen wanted to cross the lake or fish they prepared covered pitch baskets filled with corn, bread and pine nuts, and sunk them in the lake. They believed in this way the Water Babies would keep them from drowning, or help them catch many fish. The Washoe believed that when their people did not come back from lake trips, it was because they were drowned by the “will” of the Water Babies.

the trees and brush and found his love, dying by his arrow, by the water. He cried out to the Great Spirit to save his wife, but his savage prayer went unanswered. Gentle Doe quietly said, “I will follow you always Big Eagle” and then she was gone.

While at the campfires that night wailing could be heard for the death of Gentle Doe, Chief Big Eagle stood at the edge of his cliff and spoke to the Great Spirit again, asking him if he could follow his bride into the land beyond the Black Mountains. The Spirit made one unwanted compromise: he changed the Chief into the form of his namesake, an eagle, and sent him to brood upon the high cliffs and ragged mountains.

For many summer seasons after this, his tribesman would rise early to hunt and see a great, feathered shape perched on the overhanging edge of the cliff and if lucky, would actually hear Big Eagle’s wild cry from the shadows on Eagle Rock.

Below the cave and below the foundation of the old road, there is a natural formation in the rock which looks like the profile of a woman, looking out onto the lake. This is the Lady of the Lake, as named by the People.

She is best seen from a boat on the Lake, looking from the north in the morning and through the early afternoon hours.

Chief Big Eagle The legend, Big Eagle was named because of his hunting prowess as a child; he became a chieftain while still young, having proven his leadership abilities. When the tribe traveled from the foothills to the summer spot at the Lake, Chief Big Eagle always pitched his tepee at the “sloping back of the great rock”, today called Eagle Rock, an eroded volcano vent located on the west shore between Tahoe City and Homewood. Big Eagle liked to lie at the edge of the cliff to watch for deer and other game below in the trees, wending their way to the water to drink. In this way, he hunted for the campfires of the tribe.

In time the Chief took a bride named “Gentle Doe”; she was a good companion and great help to him. One summer morning in June, very early before the round moon sunk behind the western range, as Big Eagle was waiting for game from his perch atop the Great Rock, he heard a twig snap close to the water and saw a blurred shadow. Since there was no meat for that night’s campfire, he was ready with his arrow. He shot straight and sure and immediately heard an agonizing moan from Gentle Doe. He slid down the great rock, leapt and staggered through

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Ong, the Great Bird In the middle of Lake Tahoe, the Washoe believed there lived a great, man-eating bird they called Ong. He had the body of an eagle, the face of a warrior and a wing span longer than the tallest pine trees. When he flapped his wings, he could create the great winds on the Lake and bend the pine trees on the shores. He was covered with hard scales and his feet were webbed. His nest sat in a tree at the bottom of Da ow aga, where the waters flowed. In this way, he could trap many trout, animals and people who got swept into the Lake. Since bodies were never found, it was believed that no morsel of food ever left Ong’s nest, once there. The Washoe made sure they never walked, hunted or fished alone, so that Ong would not catch them up and carry them to his nest in the Lake.

The legend goes on to tell of a great Chief, whose daughter was more beautiful than any maiden. Her father would soon be holding a big council fire, before the tribe moved down out of the winter snows, in which great warriors would vie for the hand of the beautiful maiden with stories of great deeds and hunting prowess.

Unfortunately the daughter, named Nona, was secretly in love with a handsome brave named Tahoe, who had been too young to go out on the last war party and who had yet to have any great feats tied to his name.

Tahoe prayed to the Great Spirit that his chance would come to show bravery, while he sat alone days and weeks on the cliffs overlooking the Lake. He was in despair of having his prayer answered one day when he sprang to his feet and saw the Ong flying out of the lake towards him.

The great bird grabbed him in his claws and flew straight up. Ong got the attention of Tahoe’s people in the camp below and they were well afraid for him. Tahoe quickly tied a leather thong around his waist to the leg of the bird, so that when the claws opened to drop him in the Lake, he would not fall. The bird was angered when he found he could not drop Tahoe into the Lake, to his nest.

He tried and tried to get at the young brave with his horrible teeth, but every time he did, he fell through the air. Also, every time he opened his mouth the young brave was ready and threw in a handful of poisonous arrowheads he had prepared. They went down the monstrous throat and lodged there, cutting deep into the unprotected flesh of Ong. The Washoe watched the great battle in the air until the bird in frustration, plunged deep into the Lake toward his nest, with Tahoe attached by the leather thong.

When the bird vanished into the waters of the Lake, the People thought that Tahoe was also gone.

The plans for the great council fire continued for that night, since many had been claimed by Ong, and the loss of one untried brave was not as important as the wedding of the beautiful Nona. As the council began and the braves regaled their chief with war stories and great feats, Nona slipped away and paddled to the middle of the Lake in her frail canoe. She did not care that the waters lapped over the sides of the boat, she just wanted to join her love. She called out his name softly, “Tahoe, my Tahoe!”

The tribe soon learned that Nona was missing and went to the edge of the Lake in search. There, they were astounded to see continued on page 8

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November / Decmeber 2018

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SNOWSHOE THOMPSON: The Legendary Skiing Mailman

pounds. With his blonde hair and beard, fair skin and piercing blue eyes, he looked every bit the fierce Norseman of his ancestry.

continued from page 2

Thompson answered the postmaster’s ad and offered to haul the mail over the rugged High Sierra. No one in the region had seen skis before Thompson showed them his homemade long boards and the single steering/brake pole. On his first attempt from the snowline above Placerville over to the Carson Valley, his rucksack was packed with 20 pounds of letters and packages.

Thompson’s friends and neighbors feared that he would never survive the trek, but the skiing mailman conquered the hazardous journey east in just three days. The return trip up and over the Sierra’s eastern escarpment took only 48 hours. Thompson made the difficult and uncharted transSierra route without a map or compass, by sticking to the high mountain ridges above most avalanche paths.

Web-style snowshoes were common in the West, but only a few Scandinavian gold miners had begun gliding over the deep Sierra snow on long, hand-carved wooden boards. Precursor to the modern ski, these crude contraptions, often crafted from barrel staves, were called snowshoes in the 19th century mining camps.

Thompson carried mail and supplies between Placerville and Genoa for two winters, 1856 and 1857. His pack could weigh nearly 90 pounds when newspapers, medicine, and sometimes ore samples were stuffed into it. (The Virginia City Territorial Enterprise credited Snowshoe Thompson with accelerating the Comstock silver discovery and Nevada statehood because he carried the first ore samples to California to be assayed for value.) Other vital supplies he hauled included clothing, books, tools, pots and pans. He also carried the type and newsprint (paper) for Nevada’s first newspaper, the Territorial Enterprise.

Snowshoe Thompson Relying on his memory of the Norwegian “snow skates” from his youth, Thompson carved himself a new pair of skis from oak; they were nine feet long, weighed nearly 25 pounds, and the front tips curved up by heating the wood. It takes a strong person to control skis of such magnitude, but Thompson was the man for the job. He stood six feet tall and weighed a solid 180

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In 1856 State Senator Swift Berry of Placerville published a report when he was Secretary of the Overland Pony Express Trails Association that chronicled some of Thompson’s achievements: “Although not officially carrying mail on the PlacervilleCarson route after 1858 when the Pioneer Mail stages took over, Thompson carried some mail on his back on skis over the winter snows in the Sierra over a period of 20 years — mostly unofficially. In 1861 and 1862 he carried mail over Ebbetts Pass, 8,730 feet in elevation, and down to Mokelumne Hill. Later he carried and traveled on skis on the snow-covered toll road that connected the Carson Valley and Murphy’s Camp.” (Calaveras County, CA) Fair skies or storm, rain or snow, Snowshoe Thompson always delivered. For personal protection, he carried only matches, some beef jerky, crackers and biscuits — no blanket, no gun, no camping gear or compass. He wore a simple Mackinaw jacket, a wide brimmed hat, and smudged

his cheekbones with charcoal to prevent snow blindness. Thompson rarely stopped to rest and sometimes built a fire for heat, but when a blizzard made that impossible he danced a jig on a flat rock to stay warm.

He preferred to sleep under projecting rocks, using the mail sacks for pillows.

Thompson skied best at dawn and dusk when the snow was hard, crusted and very fast. He navigated in the dark using the stars as a compass and he judged his progress and elevation by observing familiar rock formations along the route.

Express Delivery In 1859, Thompson formed a partnership with Judge Childs of Genoa to operate a sleigh line for passengers and express packages across the Sierra, The business utilized dogs and sometimes horses wearing custom snowshoes made of metal and stiff leather to pull the loaded sleds, but when severe storms made the trip too dangerous for the animals, Snowshoe would go alone carrying the mail and supplies.

Thompson’s skiing ability was legendary. He rocketed down mountain slopes at 60 miles per hour, and was credited with making jumps exceeding 100 feet. After famed Comstock journalist Dan De Quille watched Snowshoe perform, he wrote: “He flew down the mountainside. He did not ride astride his pole or drag it to one side as was the practice of other snowshoers, but held it horizontally before him after the manner of a tightrope walker. His appearance was graceful, swaying his balance pole to one side and the other in the manner that a soaring eagle dips its wings.” Early settlers had seen skis before, but nobody danced on the heavy wooden boards like Snowshoe.

Stay tuned for the conclusion next issue.

Tahoe historian Mark McLaughlin is a nationally published author and professional speaker. His award-winning books are available at local stores or at TheStormKing. com. Check out his blog: TahoeNuggets.com.

A LOOK BACK AT THE SNOW When it comes to measuring snow and precipitation, Donner Summit offers the gold standard in California. The measuring year begins on October 1 and ends September 30, with statistics going back into the 19th century. Thankfully, someone decided early, that it might be important to keep track!

University of California, Berkeley

Central Sierra Snow Laboratory PO Box 810 Soda Springs, CA 95728 USA (530) 426-0318 http://research.chance.berkeley.edu

Donner Summit Snowfall and Snowpack, Winters 1879-2017

meters

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70

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total snowfall

Data Sources 1879-1945 Southern Pacific Railroad 1946-2017 Central Sierra Snow Laboratory snowfall average = 10.3 m, 33.9 ft max depth average = 3.5 m, 11.6 ft

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maximum snowpack depth

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1879 1881 1883 1885 1887 1889 1891 1893 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1909 1911 1913 1915 1917 1919 1921 1923 1925 1927 1929 1931 1933 1935 1937 1939 1941 1943 1945 1947 1949 1951 1953 1955 1957 1959 1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017

CSSL has a close to complete and consistent record of precipitation, snowfall, snow depth, and air temperature for the periods of 19461952 and 1957 to the present. The Lab also has long-term data sets

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In our next issue we will present the updated Snowfall and Snowpack Chart for 2018. Use it to compare last year’s snow to our new, 2019 season snowfall. Happy Holidays!

feet

Located at Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada, the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory (CSSL) is a research field station of the University of California, Berkeley specializing in snow physics, snow hydrology, meteorology, climatology, and instrument design. Built in 1946 by the (then) U.S. Weather Bureau and Army Corps of Engineers, it is administered by UC Berkeley’s California Biodiversity Center.

on wind speed and direction, solar radiation, snow temperature, relative humidity, and soil moisture. In addition, precipitation and air temperature records from other locations on Donner Summit are available.

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Winter

November / Decmeber 2018

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Lake Legends continued from page 4

Nona and Tahoe riding in one of the large feathers of Ong, as a canoe, clasped in each other’s arms. Once the Chief heard that Ong had been killed by Tahoe and his poisonous arrowheads, he proclaimed the brave the hero of heroes! Ong’s body was never found as the People understood that the drowned never rise from the Lake, but his nest remains deep at the bottom to this day.

Fallen Leaf Fallen Leaf Lake sits on the west side of Lake Tahoe, to the south. Today, there is a fourwheel drive road that hikers and day-riders can take to the right, just before Camp Richardson, going south on Hwy. 89, which will get them there. A Washoe legend tells how the Lake got its formation and name, through the plight of a Washoe brave who was fleeing for his life from the “Evil One”.

said the branch contained magical powers and water would spring up wherever it was dropped. The warrior started out on his trip and came to the south side of the “great depression”, where he looked back to see the Evil One following him. He panicked when he tried to tear a leaf from the branch and tore off most of the branch instead, dropping it where he stood. The waters began to rise immediately, and Lake Tahoe was created, causing a barrier between the warrior and the demon.

He hurried up the canyon wall to the spot where Fallen Leaf Lake now lies. He looked back to see that the demon or “Fury” had circled the new Lake and was rapidly gaining on him. He only had one twig with four small leaves left and plucked one of the leaves, dropping it to the ground. Again the

water rose and “Doolaga” or Fallen Leaf Lake was formed. He turned away from the Fury and ran up the ravine dropping the three remaining leaves whenever the demon got close. This is where Lily, Grass and Heather lakes sprang up. As it is told, he found his way safely through the desolation wilderness to the “Great Valley” of Sacramento without harm.

All cultures have legends that are part history and part creative license, as they are passed from generation to generation. I picture the eyes of the children of Wa She Shu as they sit enthralled by the old ones’ stories, century after century, possibly at water’s edge around a fire. Spoken history is the most priceless, because it takes love to create.

The brave was given a leafy branch by the Great Spirit, and was told to drop part of it if he was pursued by the demon. The Spirit

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NORTH

30 Noel Nights

November 2018

Every Friday evening beginning now through December 21, Northstar Village transforms into a winter wonderland featuring horse-drawn sleigh rides, outdoor ice skating, pictures with Santa and s’mores and hot cocoa by the fire pits. You'll truly be "walkin' in a winter wonderland". Go to www. northstarcalifornia.com for more information.

6 Tahoe Film Fest December 2018

Tahoe Film Fest presents an incredible selection of new feature films and documentaries on various topics, as well as important award-winning environmental films. Several filmmakers introduce their works. All proceeds from the Film Fest benefit Sierra Watershed Education Partnerships (SWEP), a non-profit organization that has been in North Lake Tahoe for over 20 years. SWEP educates students K-12 about environmental challenges and solutions. The full screening schedule and information about the films are available at http:// tahoefilmfest.org/TAHOE FILM FEST. Screenings will take place at Incline

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Northwoods Tahoe

Northwoods Calendar NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2018

Village Cinema, Northstar California Theaters and the Truckee Community Arts Center through December 9.

7 Festive Fridays in Truckee December 2018

Downtown shops stay open though 8 pm on the first three Fridays in December.

Free parking after 4:00 pm - compliments of the Truckee Downtown Merchants Association, Town of Truckee, and the Truckee Chamber of Commerce. Stroll around the beautifully lit downtown, take advantage of special promotions and stay for dinner! Visit http://historictruckee. com for details.

8 Santa's Fly-In

December 2018

The Truckee-Tahoe Airport will welcome Santa, flying in on a special airplane. Santa arrives at 10 am sharp and kids can visit with him and Mrs. Claus with plenty of photo opportunities. Enjoy hot chocolate, yummy holiday treats and kids get special gifts from Santa! He must leave at 1 pm to get back to his workshop, so don’t wait around! For other information log on to https://truckeetahoeairport.com.

ateliertruckee.com/shop/elves-workshop.

14 Merry Days & Holly Nights December 2018

This two-week holiday festival at Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows is fun for the whole family. Featured Merry Days & Holly Nights Events are The Twisted Nutcracker and The Tale of the Rat King, Toccata - Tahoe Symphony Orchestra, Jazz for the Holidays, Appearances by Santa, Ice Garden & Train Rides, Farm to Table Dinners, Horse-Drawn Sleigh Rides, Ski & Ride with Jonny Moseley and the New Year's Eve Celebration. We have a ton of family-friendly events every night of the holiday season! For more information on events or to see the complete list visit squawalpine.com/ holidays; through December 31.

9 Elves Workshop December 2018

Welcome children into the Elves Workshop! (Otherwise known as the Community Arts Center in Truckee).

Here they will make gifts for their friends and family. While the children are hard at work, adults are invited to shop for unique holiday gifts in our gift shop, and indulge in libations, food, coffee, and treats. There will also be a fun puppet play and story telling. Come Hungry! Enjoy seasonal soups, fresh breads, tea, coffee and treats. The Center is located at 10046 Church Street in Truckee and festivities will run from 10 am to 3 pm. For more details, log on to www.

20 Jazz for the Holidays December 2018

Reno Jazz Orchestra has been delighting audiences with grand sound and soul since 1997. This season, Squaw Valley joins their repertoire as they embellish great music with grand Christmas tradition in the spirit of the jazz big band, stage performance.

Savory and sweet hors d’oeuvres and bar service will be available for purchase. Dress in your holiday attire and get there by 6:30 pm! Concert begins at 7 and runs through 9 pm with Continued on Page 12

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Continued from page 10

a 15-minute intermission. Another performance on Friday, 12/21. Squaw’s Merry Wonderland is located at 1901 Chamonix Place, Olympic Valley, CA. Log on to https://squawalpine.com/ events-things-do/jazz-holidays.

29 S’MORESAPALOOZA December 2018

over $170,000 for local non-profit organizations in the North Lake Tahoe community. For more information, visit https://squawalpine.com/ events-things-do/alpenglow-winter-speaker-series.

SOUTH

Meander around Northstar Village enjoying several s’mores stations, all featuring different types and flavors.

This complimentary event is one of the Northstar chefs’ favorites, each challenged to create a new s’more each year. The yummiest event of the season! Visit www.northstarcalifornia. com for more information and other holiday events.

31 New Year’s Eve Lights in

• Northstar California Village Fireworks • Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows – Torchlight Parade/East Coast Toast • High Camp - Fireworks • Heavenly Village – Fireworks • Kirkwood Ski Resort – Torchlight Parade and Fireworks • Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe – Fireworks

3 Alpenglow Winter Film Series

Emily Harrington, professional rock-climber and Michelle Parker, professional freeskiier, share stories of their incredible adventures in the mountains. This show is a rare opportunity to meet and hear from these talented athletes. Doors open at 7 pm at the Olympic Village Lodge, 1901 Chamonix Place, Olympic Village, and shows are free! This event has raised

Hit the slopes without ever even leaving the Village. Experience simulated altitude and terrain with a ski simulator machine, the latest in cutting-edge technology and the only one of its kind on the west coast! Available through December 31, the admission is $10 – proceeds will go to benefit Heavenly Epic Promise. The Village is located at 1001 Heavenly Village Way in South Lake Tahoe and the Ski Simulator is at the bottom of the Gondola.

29 SnowGlobe Music Festival

8 Tahoe Adventure Film December 2018

Festival (TAFF)

This fun, high-energy evening at MontBleu Resort and Casino will fuel your passion for action and ignite your senses for adventure. The best adventure sports films of the year are highlighted. TAFF has partnered with the Sierra Avalanche Center to host the biggest raffle of the year. Prizes include heli-ski trips and enough gear and swag to stock any adventurer enthusiast's garage. For more information and to find tickets for all TAFF shows, visit www.LakeTahoeFilmFestival.com. Performance is from 7:30 – 9:30 pm and the Casino is located at 55 Highway 50 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

8 Heavenly Holidays Family December 2018

January 2018

26 Ski Simulator at Heavenly December 2018

December 2018

December 2018

Tahoe

heavenly-holidays-family-festival/.

Festival

Heavenly Holidays Family Festival continues for three weeks through December 31, 2018, with a search for Santa and his elves on the slopes, ice sculptures, breakfast with Santa, ice skating performances starring Disney characters, a Ferris Wheel, virtual reality ski simulator, magic shows, a symphony orchestra and a Heavenly Rail Jam. For event details, visit https://tahoesouth.com/top-events/

The SnowGlobe Music Festival will take place in South Lake Tahoe through December 31, at the Lake Tahoe Community College Field, 1 College Way. Combining the world's best musicians with the world's best snow conditions, the SnowGlobe Music Festival is a one-of-a-kind experience that offers the ultimate fusion: music and mountains. With multiple stages of world-class musicians, the live music at SnowGlobe will satisfy thousands of music fans.

Skiers, snowboarders, and music lovers will find the ultimate escape for New Year's Eve in Lake Tahoe, CA. For details and tickets visit http://snowglobemusicfestival.com/.

EAST

29 Carson Valley Christmas November 2018

Kickoff

Since 2006, the Town of Gardnerville has proudly presented the Carson Valley Christmas Kickoff. The fireworks at the event have continued to draw large crowds each year, delighting audiences of all ages. This will be the 7th year the fireworks have been a part of the Kickoff. Events: 4 pm - Horse Drawn Wagon Rides around the park; 4:30 pm - Santa will arrive and 5:30 pm - entertainment and treats begin!

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house Alley in Gardnerville, NV. Event runs through 7 pm.

6 39 North Pole Village December 2018

Victorian Square in Downtown Sparks becomes a sparkling winter wonderland with thousands of lights in celebration of the holidays. Stroll through the holiday lights, enjoy photos with Santa, kids’ activities, decorating contests and vendors. The heated vendor village tent provides guests with a cozy shopping experience as they browse local vendors and crafters.

Returning this year is “The Griswold Challenge”, where local families and businesses compete in a light display contest inspired by the one and only Clark Griswold from National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation”. This is a People’s Choice contest, so visitors attending the event will determine the winning team. Visit http://www.39northdowntown.com/39-northevents-and-meetings/39-northpole/ for details. Through December 8.

7 Share Your Christmas Food December 2018

Drive

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Annual, Share Your Christmas DriveBy Food Drive! They are collecting non-perishable foods and funds at Carson Valley Inn to benefit Douglas County residents. There will be music, emergency vehicles, servicemen and servicewomen, a blood drive, and SANTA! This is a family friendly event with volunteer opportunities and tons of community generosity. Located at the Carson Valley Inn by the RV Registration Booth in Gardnerville. For More information visit http://www. carsonvalleycommunityfoodcloset. org/.

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Northwoods Tahoe

15 Reno Santa Pub Crawl December 2018

It’s the largest Santa Pub Crawl in the country as thousands of merry-makers descend upon downtown to enjoy good spirits and yuletide cheer!

The event has drawn nationwide attention-over 15,000 holiday-clad revelers are expected each year! There will be more bars as well as other pre-Crawl activities on Friday night, fun & even Santa skiing on Saturday!

The event gives all proceeds to local schools because educated kids make better elves. So, help support the Claus, buy a cup, book a hotel room & attend this weekend of charitable, holiday FUN!! More info at http:// renosantacrawl.com/.

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November 2018

Cornish Christmas

wrapped toy for Toys for Tots would be most appreciated and accepted at the Belltower! The parade runs from 1 to 4 pm. Visit https://www.hangtownchristmasparade.com/ for all the details.

9 Victorian Christmas December 2018

Sundays – Dec. 16 & 23 and Wednesdays – Dec. 12 & 19, 2018: Mark your calendars! From 1:30 – 6 pm welcome the holiday season in style, in historic Nevada City, a quaint, Gold Rush town nestled in the foothills of the Sierra. Each year the town’s picturesque downtown transforms into a genuine Christmas card come to life.

It’s a magical setting of hilly streets outlined with twinkling white lights and authentic gas lamps, wandering minstrels and carolers dressed in Victorian attire, and a myriad of visitors sharing holiday cheer and good tidings. Visit https://www.nevadacitychamber.com/nevada-city-events/ victorian-christmas/.

Friday nights from 6 to 9 pm, recapture the “Spirit of Christmas Past” amid the charming surroundings of historic, downtown Grass Valley, California during the 47th annual Cornish Christmas Celebration. Mill and West Main Streets are closed to motorized traffic and filled with the sights and sounds of an old-fashioned Christmas; carolers, jugglers, musicians, the Grass Valley Cornish Carol Choir, Tommyknocker Cloggers and of course, Santa Claus. Handmade arts and crafts from artists throughout California are displayed on the streets.

Delicious food and drink can be purchased from restaurants and specialty food locations. Through December 21.

2 Hangtown Christmas Parade December 2018

This annual tradition in Placerville, CA has recently been sponsored by and is a production of the Taylor Family of Hangman's Tree Ice Cream Saloon on Main Street. Sue and Tim Taylor share this labor of love with a grateful community as we gather to celebrate all the wonderful groups and businesses that make El Dorado County a great place to live and work. The parade is free to enjoy, but an un-

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