Incline Village pulls out all the stops with a multi-day celebration, scheduled for Wednesday, July 2 through Friday, July 4, called Red, White and Tahoe Blue. Special events include parade, dress up doggie contest, opening ceremonies, ice cream social and hot dog party for kids and rubber ducky race. The festivities culminate with the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival’s “An Evening on the Green with the Reno Philharmonic in Concert with the Fireworks Display,” Friday, July 4, along with a 6 p.m. Dinner on the Village Green by Brimm’s Catering. Tickets are $55 per person.

Wednesday, July 2
• Flag Raising at Main Firehouse (8 a.m.)
• Breakfast at the Firehouse (8 to 10 a.m.) Admission Free.
• Parade: Corner of Village and Tahoe boulevards to IVGID Recreation Center/Village Green; 1.5 miles. (9:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.)
• Dress up Doggie Contest at the Village Green (11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.)
• Lunch for Veterans at the Village Green (11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.)
• Food service available at the Village Green by Brimm’s Catering (10 a.m. 8 p.m.)
• Opening Ceremonies: Tribute to Veterans Program at the Village Green (12:15 to 2:30 p.m.)
• USO Show, featuring Tom D’Andrea (acting as a Bob Hope-type Master of Ceremonies) and Andrews Sisters Revisited.
• Reciting of the Declaration of Independence by McAvoy Layne.
• Fly over by Nevada Air National Guard.
• Ice Cream Social and Hot Dog Party for kids at the Village Center, featuring Doc-O and Squeeky, with the clown car “Clarabell” and the clown family, friends and marching band, as well as music from Big Tsunami. (3 to 5 p.m.)
• “I’ll be Seeing You” at the Village Green, with music by the Reno Jazz Orchestra, with Cami Thompson. (7 to 10 p.m.) Admission Free.
• Flag lowering at Main Fire House (8 p.m.)

Thursday, July 3
• Flag Raising at Sierra Nevada College (8 a.m.)
• Patriotic Chalk Drawing Contest for Children at the Raley’s Center, in front of Potlatch (9 a.m. to noon)
• Food service at Incline Beach by Brimm’s (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
• Brimm’s Barbecue at Incline Beach, sponsored by the two Rotary clubs of Incline Village (noon to 2 p.m.)
• Second Annual Rubber Ducky Race at Incline Beach (2:15 p.m.) Races will be held in heats, before the title race of 30 finalists determines winners.
• Wine and Cheese Event at Aspen Grove. Tasting the wines from: Ehlers Estates, Ferrair-Carano, Kenwood, Mauritson, Pianetta, Rombauer and Tahoe Ridge. With entertainment from Incline’s Tim Callicrate (4 to 6 p.m.)
• Food service at the Village Center by Brimm’s (5 to 8 p.m.)
• “Back by popular demand” Local band Sol Jibe, which plays regularly at venues around Tahoe, will play a concert at the Village Green (7 to 10 p.m.) Admission Free. Beer and wine will be available.
• Flag lowering at Sierra Nevada College (8 p.m.)

Friday, July 4
• Flag Raising at Aspen Grove (8 a.m.)
• Pancake Breakfast sponsored by North Tahoe Lions Club at Aspen Grove (8 a.m. to noon)
• Boat Parade arranged by Music Giants, which begins in Crystal Bay and runs the entire length of Incline Village (10 a.m. to noon)
• Community picnic sponsored by the Optimist Club at Incline Beach (Noon to 4 p.m.)
• Dinner at the Village Green by Brimm’s Catering (6 to 8 p.m.)
• Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival presents: “An Evening on the Green with the Reno Philharmonic in Concert with the Fireworks Display (7 to 10 p.m.)
• Gates open at 7 p.m.
• Singing of National Anthem by recent Incline High School graduate Casey Canino (8:30 p.m.)
• Pre-fireworks concert by Reno Philharmonic Orchestra (about 8:30 p.m.)
• Fireworks display, in conjunction with Reno Philharmonic Orchestra (9:30 to 10 p.m.)

Thursday, July 3
Independence Day Celebration
To kick off the holiday weekend-long festivities, Squaw Valley USA and the Village at Squaw are hosting Whole Lotta’ Squaw!

Jam-packed with 70’s/Rock n’ Roll themed activities and events leading up to an evening concert and laser light show, Whole Lotta’ Squaw! goes off with a bang from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 3.

The Whole Lotta’ Squaw! 3rd of July Independence Celebration pinnacles in the evening with a vivacious concert featuring Heartbreaker — a Tribute to Led Zeppelin on the KT-22 Sun Deck. After the sun has set, the concert’s mountainous backdrop is illuminated with a dazzling display of colorful laser lights. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m., doors open at 6:30, with the laser light experience from 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. The cost is $5 per person/$10 per family. Current and 2008/09 Squaw passholders receive two-for-one entry with 07/08 or 08/09 season pass. Beer, wine, cocktails and barbecue are available for purchase (outside alcohol prohibited).

Day time events
Whole Lotta’ Squaw! Daytime events are the Flower Child Guided Mountain Hike, the High Camp Rock n’ Roll Pool Party, Kids Crafts & Beard Making, and Terrain Park Art where festival-goers can make their mark on Squaw Valley’s terrain parks by helping paint a 70’s themed feature that will be placed in one of Squaw’s terrain parks this coming winter.

Schedule
11 a.m. – Flower Child Guided Mountain Hike
Noon to 3:30 p.m. – High Camp Rock n’ Roll Pool Party
3 to 5 p.m. – Kid’s Craft & Beard Making in the Plaza
3 to 9 p.m. – Terrain Park Art – help paint a giant feature in the Cable Car Plaza
4:30 to 5:30 p.m. – High Sierra Beard & Mustache Championships Registration, $10 per contestant ($500 for 1st Prize)
4:30 to 7:30 p.m. – Benefit Beer Garden in the Plaza - Help support the Truckee Railroad Museum
5:30 to 6 p.m. – Children’s Beard & Mustache Parade
6 to 7:30 p.m. - High Sierra Beard & Mustache Championships. In the Village Events Plaza.
7:30 to 10:30 p.m. – Heartbreaker, a Tribute to Led Zeppelin. On the KT-22 Sun Deck
9:30 to 10:30 p.m. – Laser Light Experience

The best beards and moustaches in the West
Things will get really hairy around The Village at Squaw Valley when competitors in the High Sierra Beard and Moustache Championship take to the stage as part of the resort’s Independence Day celebration. Visitors who forgot to pack their razor will feel right at home during this growing tradition. In an effort to reduce the wild fire danger in the scenic Lake Tahoe basin Squaw Valley will be hosting a huge and colorful Independence Day Laser Light Show on Thursday, July 3.

Words with Toot Joslin, 2005 Sideburns World Champion
Wendy Lautner, our friend at Tahoe.com, got in touch with Beard and Moustache Poster Boy Toot Joslin, 2005 Sideburn World Champion to see what spectators and participants can expect out of Squaw Valley’s Beard and Moustache Competition on Thursday, July 3 at the Village at Squaw Valley:

Wendy Lautner: So Toot, I understand you’re a Sideburn World Champion?
Toot Joslin: I won the World Champion title in the Sideburns division in Berlin, Germany in 2005. Last year the championships were held in Brighton, England. I didn’t win that one, but I still had a good time and drank a lot of good English ale.

WL: When you won the World Championships, what did you win?
TJ: Bragging rights. And they gave me the Golden Bear trophy. Every city in Germany has its own mascot and in Berlin it was the bear.

WL: You didn’t win any money?
TJ: No, no money. But the grand prize winner at our local Squaw Beard and Moustache competition gets $500.

WL: How did you get into facial hair competitions?
TJ: The World Championships were held in Carson City in 2003 and one of my friends dared me to go and try it and I did. My whiskers were in their infancy at that time, but I went anyway and had such a good time, I knew I had to go again.

WL: Is the field pretty competitive?
TJ: It’s real competitive, it’s serious stuff. At the World Championship, there’s over 300 competitors in 17 different categories of beards and moustaches. At the local event there’s only three — moustache, beard and partial beard — partial beard includes goatee, sideburns and Fu Man Choos.

Thursday, July 3
Fireworks at Kings Beach: The show starts at 9 p.m. (and the deck party begins at 6 p.m.) and can be best seen from the Kings Beach State Recreation Area and the North Tahoe Conference Center.

Tickets are on sale now for the North Tahoe Business Association’s July 3 Deck Party, a Kings Beach tradition that keeps the town’s annual fireworks show alive.

Costs for fireworks have increased by 35 percent this year over last, said NTBA Executive Director Cheri Sprenger, so the Deck Party, which helps fund the fireworks, is more important than ever.

“Without the Deck Party, the North Tahoe Business Association couldn’t pay for the July 3 fireworks,” Sprenger said. The party is a great event for locals and visitors to celebrate the holiday with good food, live entertainment, and, of course, fireworks.”

The Deck Party, held on Thursday, July 3, begins at 6 p.m., and the fireworks show starts at dusk. Tickets are $35 for adults, $10 for ages 10-17, $5 for children under 10, 3 years old and younger are free. Admission includes a barbecue, live music, a no-host bar, and VIP beach seating for the fireworks show. There are three ways to purchase tickets: Call (530) 546-9000, visit www.ntbamainstreet.org, or e-mail info@ntbamainstreet.org.This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Tickets are also available at the North Tahoe Community Conference Center, Spirits of Tahoe, Taneva Auto Parts, Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort and the Visitors Center in Tahoe City

For more information about the Deck Party and the North Tahoe Business Association, call (530) 546-9000 or visit ntbamainstreet.org.

Friday, July 4
Tahoe City Fireworks
Don’t miss the whimsical patterns of blue, red, and gold over the Lake as they light up the night sky this Independence Day, Friday, July 4 as fireworks are shot off over the lake at Commons Beach. Fireworks begin at dusk. This is a volunteer effort supported by sponsorships and donations. Support the event by dropping a buck in the boot at the Tahoe City Fire Station or by purchasing a commemorative T-shirt. For more info call (530) 583-3348 or click to www.visittahoecity.com
Tahoe City’s 62nd annual celebration begins at dusk at Commons Beach on Friday, July 4. Prime viewing spots are from the beach, where family picnics are popular, as well as various locations throughout town along North Lake Boulevard.

Friday, July 4
Truckee Celebration
It’s an old-fashioned July Fourth Holiday Celebration in Truckee with a 10 a.m. hometown parade, Friday, July 4, in historical downtown followed by an evening fireworks display, dusk, at Donner Lake’s West End Beach. Tickets must be purchased in advance, as beach access is limited to local residents and homeowners.

July 5-6
Meeks Bay Volunteer Firefighters Association Pancake Breakfast
This popular fundraising event has been called “the best of its kind” in our area, and draws repeat visitors year after year. Proceeds from the breakfast benefit the Volunteer Firefighters Association that donates much needed equipment to the Meeks Bay Fire Protection District.

Breakfast will be served from 8 a.m. to noon on the holiday weekend and will include pancakes, famous Meeks Bay jumbo sausages, applesauce, milk, coffee, orange juice, and plenty of butter and maple syrup to make the meal complete.
Raffle tickets will be available at (and prior to) the event with prizes ranging from lift tickets, to dinners and gift certificates from local restaurants, lodging, and shops. [See any Meeks Bay Firefighter, or call (530) 525-7548 for raffle info.]

Breakfast is $9 for adults (over 12 years), $6 for children (6 –11 years), and free for little ones under 5 years. Meet the Firefighters, get information on Defensible Space and home safety, and see the fire engines and apparatus. All will be on display for inspection by “children” of all ages, so bring the whole family to the popular West Shore summer event. Meeks Bay Fire Station #61 is located on Highway 89 in Meeks Bay.

July 5
A Night of Wine & Roses Project MANA benefit
Take a night of Wine & Roses to benefit Project MANA, mix it with Mark Estee’s culinary skills, host it at Northstar at Tahoe and you have a recipe for one hell of a way to cap off the Fourth of July weekend.

Project MANA’s largest annual fundraising event, Wine & Roses, moves from Moody’s Bistro & Lounge in Truckee, to the Village at Northstar’s Overlook Saturday, July 5, from 5-9 p.m.

Project MANA, the North Shore and Truckee’s hunger relief organization, uses the celebration of food to raise awareness about the issues of hunger in a First World country.

That’s where Moody’s comes in.

Last year’s event kicked things up a notch with the live auction that featured the Dinner at the Barn, which included a shuttle trip to Sierra Valley Farms where Moody’s catered dinner under the setting sun in the Sierra Valley.

Dinner at the Barn remains on the list of marquee live auction items, as well as a condo vacation to Hawaii, says Project MANA director George LeBard.

This year, Northstar at Tahoe is throwing its support behind the event by hosting A Night of Wine & Roses on its Overlook deck — which overlooks the heart of the Village at Northstar.

“We’re really excited to be a part of it,” said Dedra Kirk, Northstar’s banquet manager. “We believe in the cause. It’s devastating to have anyone be hungry here. It’s good that Project MANA is bringing that to the forefront.”

A Night of Wine & Roses
Saturday, July 5
5-9 p.m.
Hosted by Northstar-at-Tahoe and Moody’s Bistro & Lounge
At the Overlook in the Village at Northstar
Tickets: $50 in advance, $65 at the door.
All proceeds benefit Project MANA
Tickets available online at www.projectmana.org or
Project MANA office – 948 Incline Way, Incline Village
Florian’s Fine Wines – 11260 Donner Pass Road,Truckee
The Pour House – 10075 Jibboom Street,Truckee
For more information,please call 775.298.0008