Free Tax Help
March 13, 27, April 3
The Family Resource Center of Truckee is ready to assist anyone who needs help with taxes. Call for an appointment. Sierra Mountain Community Education Center, 11603 Donner Pass Road (behind the fire station), Truckee, truckeefrc.org, 530-587-2513.
Aladdin
March 13 through 21
Sierra Nevada Dance presents the ballet ‘Aladdin’ with local students and adults in a beautifully costumed production. Part of the proceeds will support our local Arts for the Schools program and Sierra Nevada Dance Academy.
• Truckee Shows (Truckee High School Theater) are March 13 and 14 at 7 p.m. and March 15 at 3 p.m. Preferred Seating tickets $18 for adults and $8 students/seniors. General Seating is $15 for adults and $5 students/seniors. $3 more at the door.
• Tahoe City Shows (North Tahoe High School Theater) are March 20 and 21 at 7 p.m. and March 22 at 3 p.m. General Seating tickets only. $15 for adults and $5 students/seniors. $3 more at the door. Order tickets online at artsfortheschools.org, 530-582-8278.
Furlough Fridays
First and Third Friday
On the heels of Governor Schwarzenegger’s order to furlough salaried and non-union California State employees to take two unpaid Fridays each month off of work, Squaw Valley is offering $30 lift tickets to all California State workers affected by furloughs, until further notice. To purchase a lift ticket, bring a valid state identification card or a recent (dated after Dec 31, 2008) State of California paystub and photo ID to ticket booth ‘D’ (next to adult ski school), between 8:30 and 11 a.m. Additionally, Squaw Valley SnowSports School is offering 2-for-1 $49 Ski or Snowboard Lessons to all guests. That’s just $24.50 per person for a two-hour lesson. squaw.com.
Help Your Community
Hands On Tahoe, a volunteer run affiliate of the Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation, has many volunteer opportunities at more than 40 non-profit organizations. They need mentors, tutors, drivers, one-day event assistance, fundraisers, web/IT/computer help, and more. Come in or check the website for volunteer opportunities. They change frequently, so check back if you don’t find what you want. Open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 11071 Donner Pass Road, Truckee, handsontahoe.org, 530-587-1776.
Junior Olympics on Donner Summit
March 9 to 14
Four hundred of the nation’s best will compete in the 2009 Cross Country Junior Olympic Ski Championships at Auburn Ski Club Training Center. Athletes aged 13 to 19 compete in a 1k sprint, classic, skate and team relay. Volunteers needed. xcjuniorolympics2009.org, 530-426-3313 ext.100
Ski Green Day
April 1
In keeping with a commitment to the local environment and community, Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort will host Ski Green Day, a day of eco-focused guest activities. One dollar from each lift ticket sold on this day will benefit local environmental organizations. Sierra Resort encourages guests to take environmental responsibility into their own hands, and offers suggestions for ‘What You Can Do.’ A complete listing of all the environmental initiatives currently in place at the resort can also be found at SierraAtTahoe.com.
Wounded Warrior Ability Camp
March 13 and 14
As part of their rehabilitation, 20 active-duty U.S. soldiers and Marines will hit the slopes for ski and snowboard lessons at the Wounded Warrior Ability Camp at Disabled Sports USA, at Lake Tahoe’s Alpine Meadows. Disabled in the Iraq War, service members come from two major rehabilitation centers: Brook Army Medical Center (San Antonio, Texas) and Balboa Naval Hospital (San Diego, California). ‘It’s important that we reach recently disabled service members early in the rehabilitation process,’ said Haakon Lang-Ree, Program Director at Disabled Sports. ‘It’s important to expose them early to what they can do.’ Disabled Sports works directly with the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), a nationwide foundation that offers assistance to severely injured and disabled service members. Teaching disabled service members to ski in 2009 has brought the mission of Disabled Sports full-circle: the chapter was founded by the World War II 10th Mountain Division in 1967 to offer support and rehabilitation to service members disabled during the Vietnam Conflict. Today, Disabled Sports continues to offer ski instruction to disabled service members as well as any student living with paraplegia, quadriplegia, amputation, autism, multiple sclerosis, visual impairment, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, head injuries, and muscular dystrophy. The CHARITYSMITH/Tahoe Mountain Resorts Foundation Ability Challenge Ski Race on March 13 will team donors, sponsors, and disabled skiers for a fun day of ski racing and on-hill activities. Après ski party and awards presentation follows from 3 to 5 p.m. Registration is open to all. woundedwarriorproject.org, disabledsports.net, 530-581-4161.
Ability Bash
March 14
The CHARITYSMITH/Tahoe Mountain Resorts Foundation Ability Bash at Alpine Meadows has been known as one of North Tahoe’s premier fundraising events for more than 15 years. This year’s celebration will offer guests an evening of gourmet cuisine, fine wine, a silent auction, and great live music by Sambada. Sambada’s sound, rhythm, and dance-inducing Brazilian beats have made this band a Tahoe favorite. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $55 in advance and $65 at the door. V.I.P. tables for 10 can be purchased in advance. disabledsports.net, 530-581-4161.
Longboard Revival Race Series
March 15
The Plumas Descendants of the Right Honorable 1867 Alturas ‘Snowshoe’ Club summon all able riders to the 2009 Historic Longboard Revival Race Series 1860s-style, 9- to16-foot Wooden Ski Races. Historic attire/leather boots required. Authentic ‘dope’ wax only (available at the Race). No spittin’ or cheatin’. Use of club longboards on first-come-first-served basis, or bring your own. Plumas Ski Club Membership required for insurance ($15 membership fee). $10 race fee for Members using private longboard skis, $20 for Club Members using club longboards. Registration 9:30 to 11:15 a.m. Drawing of numbers at 11:46. Racing starts at Noon. Plumas Eureka State Park, near Johnsville. plumasskiclub.org, 530-283-0930. Basecamp accommodations at Greenhorn Creek Ranch, greenhornranch.com, 800-334-6939.
Skiing for Schools
March 21
Support Excellence in Education at Sugar Bowl’s Skiing for Schools Day. Special, pre-purchased lift tickets are only $25 per person, and a portion of the proceeds will go to Excellence in Education to provide enhanced educational opportunities for our local students. Purchase tickets at all Porters locations (Truckee, Tahoe City, and Incline Village). Tickets are sold on a first-come-first-served basis. All sales are final. exined.org, 530-550-7984.
Four Generations Together at Mt. Rose
Norma Thompson’s wish for the 55th Anniversary of her marriage to Don ‘Snoshu’ Thompson was granted when four generations of the family hit the slopes together on Presidents’ Day. ‘It means a lot to celebrate the bond that the winter recreation at Mt. Rose and Slide Mountain has provided our family for the past 60 years with three generations of our children,’ said Norma. The Thompsons have skied all over the world, but Mt. Rose has been their home resort since the late 1940s. Don ‘Snoshu’ Thompson, the paternal leader of the group, is an honorary lifetime member of the Western section of the North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA), and has been a ski writer for over 40 years. He sums up the event with this remark: ‘It’s probably just ‘in their blood’ to hit the slopes, but it’s a blessing to be able to share the experience as a family. I’m not aware of another sport in which four generations can participate at the same level of ability. But the family that plays together, stays together.’ Don Thompson will celebrate his 80th birthday this year. The Thompsons’ great grandson, Kaelem, age 5, represents the youngest of the four generations. Their granddaughter Kristine Keck (Kaelem’s mom), and daughter Corrin (Keck), completed the line-up of family members.
