INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Content for the weekly community briefs section is selected from e-mail submissions to editor@tahoebonanza.com. Please include the 5w’s: who, what, when, where and why, website and contact information.

Vote for Most Beautiful Drive in America

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Known to many as the “Most Beautiful Drive in America,” Lake Tahoe’s East Shore drive is in the running to be a featured location in season two of the American Detours web series. Voters will determine where the American Detours crew will be headed next. One voter will even win a $2,500 gift card. To cast your vote visit the American Collectors Insurance Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/americancollectors. Voting ends July 1, 2013 at 11:59 a.m., EST.

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Beth Weber Arts & Crafts Fair

June 28-29, July 3-7, July 19-21, July 26-28, Aug. 16-18, Aug. 30-Sept. 2. The fairs are 50 yards from Lake Tahoe and have been running for more than 30 years. They feature the local artisans as well as artisans from all over the country. Call 530-546-2768 for information. Kings Beach State Recreation Area Plaza, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Kings Beach, http://www.NorthTahoeBusiness.org.

Parasol Gives Tahoe Family Solutions Special Recognition

The Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation publicly recognized the work of Tahoe Family Solutions (TFS), an Incline-based nonprofit organization committed to building a strong family fabric. Parasol also awarded a $1,000 gift to the TFS endowment fund held at the Foundation.

Parasol’s Board of Directors cited TFS’s commitment to financial stability, sustainability, and effective use of endowment funding. Executive Director Robin Glasgow noted, “We at TFS are heartened to know that in the Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation we have a close partner in our drive to deliver affordable mental health care, summer camping experiences, and volunteer tutoring to Incline Elementary students.”

Tahoe Family Solutions in the past 24 months has expanded Camp Explore to more than 100 attendees, and established the Polly Wolfe Camp Explore Fund at Parasol to add additional camping slots. TFS has also covered a 37 percent increase in requests for psychiatric care and family counseling, and tripled the number of students in the Homework Help Club, raising their reading scores by an average of one grade level per student.

For more information visit http://www.tahoefamily.org or call Leslie Blunden at 775-298-0204.

Toccata’s Summer MusicFest

TOCCATA’s 8th Season Summer MusicFest continues with the celebration of TOCCATA’s 8th Anniversary, July 7-14 featuring Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Saint-Saens Piano Concerto #2 and Beethoven’s 8th Symphony. For more information or preferred seating, email ToccataTahoe@gmail.com, call 775-313-9697 or visit http://www.ToccataTahoe.com.

Incline Village Library News

Display cases: Tahoe Rim Trail. Online Resource of the Month is Rocket Languages: Language learning online with your library card. Rocket Languages is an award-wining, interactive, and comprehensive language learning system. Interactive online and downloadable lessons, games, and more. Complete language learning programs for 10 languages as well as ESL. Through Aug. 31, 2013 Summer Reading Program. “Dig Into Reading” for younger children, “Beneath the Surface” for teens, and “Groundbreaking Reads” for adults. Sign up at any public library. Readers keep track of their reading and earn rewards. There will also be programs for kids and families. All programs are free of charge. June 27, 1-2 p.m. Young scientists practice chemistry and physics. Target audience: Ages 8-12, limited to 28 participants. June 30, 4-5 p.m. Sustainable Tahoe: The 8 Worlds of Tahoe. Join Jacquie Chandler, executive director of Sustainable Tahoe, for an overview of the Tahoe Expo. The 2013 Tahoe Expo will take place on Sept. 7 and 8. Visit http://www.washoecountylibrary.us. Incline Village Library, 845 Alder Ave., Incline Village, 775-832-4130.

UC Davis Tahoe Docent Training

Do you enjoy science, learning new information, and sharing your knowledge? Would you like to become a local expert on research taking place at Lake Tahoe? Attend the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center’s 2013 Docent Training. Community volunteers are needed to give tours at education centers in Incline Village and Tahoe City. Copy of the UC Davis Docent Training Manual provided. No prior experience is necessary. The third training on July 9, starts with a boat ride aboard the UC Davis Research Vessel John LeConte, finishing at the UC Davis Tahoe City Field Station. Space aboard the boat is limited and will be available on a first-come basis. RSVP for the training at 775-881-7566 or e-mail antoy@ucdavis.edu.

North Lake Tahoe Fourth of July Celebration

Catch any of three lakeside fireworks displays at Kings Beach (July 3), Incline Village (July 4), or Tahoe City (July 4) by night. For a full list of events, go towww.gotahoenorth.com.

Fireworks and Party in Kings Beach, July 3. Kick the afternoon off with a beach party starting at 2 p.m. at the North Tahoe Event Center deck that includes a DJ, live music, food, beer garden and vendors. Then, at approximately 9:30 p.m. the skies light up with a dazzling fireworks display over Lake Tahoe. The fireworks are free to the public.

Red White and Tahoe Blue. Incline Village’s Independence Day festival since 2007, Red, White and Tahoe Blue has 28 events in Incline Village and Crystal Bay, including a parade and concerts and one of the nation’s best fireworks displays July 4 at Incline Beach.

Fireworks at Tahoe City, July 4. Fireworks begin at dusk on Commons Beach in downtown Tahoe City, but can be viewed from various locations around the Northwest shore. Arrive early to picnic.

Fourth of July Boat Parade, West Shore, July 4. Join the parade of Tahoe Maritime Museum members’ boats, led by boats from the museum’s collection, leaving Commons Beach at noon on a cruise down the West Shore to Obexer’s Marina, Homewood.

Guitar Is A Many Flavored Thing

The Seventh International Sierra Nevada Guitar Festival and Competition gears up to bring a five-day full immersion in the art of the guitar at Lake Tahoe, July 10-14. Festival attendees will have the opportunity to listen to an array of guitar music styles ranging from classical to contemporary, Gypsy jazz and Cuban, performed and taught by local and international virtuosos, including Exaudi Duo, Mobius Trio, Gonzalo Bergara Quartet, Yuri Liberzon and Matthew Fish. They’ll also be able to take part to workshops and lectures, check out the latest in luthier’s handcrafted instruments. All events take place at St. Patrick’s Episcopal, Incline Village.

The Sierra Nevada Guitar Festival At Lake Tahoe is the premier organization presenting Classical Guitar Concerts, Festivals and Educational Events in Northern Nevada, Lake Tahoe and Walnut Creek. For more information visit http://www.sierraguitar.org.

Lake Tahoe Music Festival in the Works

Thanks to all the kind words and support from friends and patrons, the Lake Tahoe Music Festival Board of Directors has renewed energy and a new plan. Presenting four concerts this summer, the Festival will return to its grass roots and revitalize and reinvent tradition at Lake Tahoe. On July 9, 10, 12 and 13, music lovers will enjoy outdoor classical music in spectacular settings around the Lake and in Truckee.

Returning Music Director Timm Rolek put together the Orchestra Academy, consisting of a recognized soloist who will mentor 14 young professionals as they present four evenings of “Serenades at Sunset.” Purchase tickets at http://www.tahoemusic.org or cash will be accepted at the gate. Call the West Shore Café at 530-525-5200, and they will prepare your picnic basket or save you a spot for an unforgettable dinner prior to July 12 concert. The price of the ticket for the July 9 concert at a private residence includes barbecue picnic and champagne. Donations to support and continue the Lake Tahoe Music Festival are greatly appreciated and may be mailed to Lake Tahoe Music Festival, PO Box 7, Truckee, CA 96160 or http://www.tahoemusic.org. Interested volunteers should call 530-388-8272. Take chairs and blankets for picnics. Gates open 5 p.m. and concerts begin at 6:30 p.m.

Thunderbird Yacht Still Cruising

The iconic Thunderbird Yacht still cruises Lake Tahoe with elegance and grace after 73 years. Since America’s Great Depression, Thunderbird has transported guests in opulent luxury between high-mountain estates and resorts. Now owned by Thunderbird Lodge Preservation Society, a Nevada public charity, Thunderbird continues to promote Lake Tahoe’s maritime heritage by serving as a floating classroom for children’s educational programs and as a platform for scientific and environmental research.

As part of the Preservation Society’s effort to pay off its $1.1-million note and keep Thunderbird on Lake Tahoe, Thunderbird will attend charity events at Lake Tahoe venues. On July 26-27, Thunderbird will attend the South Tahoe Wooden Boat Classic at Tahoe Keys Marina. Aug. 9-10, find her at the 39th annual Concours d’Elegance at Carnelian Bay.

In 1939, enigmatic George Whittell, Jr. commissioned Thunderbird in the style of his Duesenberg automobiles and Douglas DC-2 aircraft for use at his majestic Thunderbird Lodge estate on Lake Tahoe’s East Shore. Constructed at a cost of $87,000 (more than $3.3-million today), Thunderbird was launched from Tahoe City in the pre-dawn hours of July 14, 1940. A raffle drawing will be held at each show. To make a donation, visit http://www.ThunderbirdTahoe.org.

ARTour 2013

July 12, 13 and 14. ARTour 2013 is an annual open studio event of North Tahoe Arts, showcasing the finished works of local artists and inviting visitors to meet the artist, witness the process, and see where art is created. Through demonstration and dialog, visitors will experience the evolution of art from creative spark to finished product.

Studios will be open throughout the region from Incline Village along the shores of Lake Tahoe to Tahoma, out to Truckee, and many points in between. While the event is free, the work of all artists will be for sale, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Visit http://www.NorthTahoeArts.com or call 530-581-2787.

Full Moon Kayak Tours

July 21, Aug. 20, Sept. 19. Float in a kayak while the sun sets, the full moon rises, and the stars twinkle. Tahoe Adventure Company will take you on a two-hour paddle before landing on the beach to cap it off with hot drinks, snacks, and more stargazing on the beach. Cost: $60 per person, four person minimum, Tahoe Vista Recreation Area, 7010 North Lake Blvd., Tahoe Vista. Visit http://www.TahoeAdventureCompany.com for details and reservations.

New Standards

A Peek at the Future of Math, Language Arts, and Science Education

Wednesday, July 17, No-host bar opens 5:30 p.m. Presentation begins 6 p.m. at Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, 291 Country Club Drive, Incline Village. Cost: $5 donation suggested.

Our education system is facing rapid, dramatic changes at both state and federal levels. The adoption and implementation of new standards in math, language arts and eventually in science foreshadows significant changes for public school students across the nation. There are several key differences between the Common Core Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), but the anticipated outcomes are similar: an emphasis on critical thinking, problem solving, and the application of academic content to students’ lives and the world around them. This presentation will explore the similarities and differences between these and existing standards, focusing primarily on NGSS.

Presenters Rick Pomeroy, Ph.D., UC Davis School of Education, teaches science and technology to both in-service and pre-service teachers, and Dr. David T. Crowther, a professor of science education at the University of Nevada, Reno and was recently appointed as the Director of the Raggio Research Center for STEM Education at UNR.

D.G. Menchetti Young Shakespeare

Bring a little culture and lots of memorable moments into your family’s life with a family-riendly, one-hour performance adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” presented as part of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival’s D.G. Menchetti Young Shakespeare Program. The 2013 D.G. Menchetti Young Shakespeare production, an adaptation of the Festival’s mainstage offering, is designed with the young audience member in mind and runs July 29-Aug. 8 at Sand Harbor State Park in Incline Village and a variety of other outdoor venues throughout the Reno and Lake Tahoe region.

Now in its 12th year, the D.G. Menchetti Young Shakespeare Program has entertained more than 50,000 children and their families over its history. Each year, the program affords aspiring young actors the opportunity to work with theater artists in a professional environment and perform at multiple venues. Over a four-week period, with eight-hour days, the students receive hands-on experience in acting, movement, voice and stage craft. In addition to the student performers, the cast also includes professional actors, designers and stage managers.

To reserve free Young Shakespeare tickets call 800-74-SHOWS. Visit http://www.LakeTahoeShakespeare.com. Groups of 10 or more call 775-832-1616.

Lake Tahoe SummerFest to Celebrate Orchestral Music

New and returning visitors to Lake Tahoe can once again enjoy compelling musical performances among the majestic pines at the Lake Tahoe SummerFest 2013, Aug. 2-18 on the campus of Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village.

The Lake Tahoe SummerFest Orchestra is comprised of 40 virtuoso musicians individually invited from the great orchestras of North America and beyond – the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the symphonies of San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus, among others. This summer, Maestro Joel Revzen will be joined by six renowned soloists including: Frederica von Stade, mezzo soprano; Jennifer Koh, violinist; Benjamin Hochman, pianist; Meredith Clark, harpist; Demarre McGill, flutist; Chris Brubeck, composer and trombonist. “We are so pleased to continue the magic created by last year’s inaugural SummerFest concert series,” said Madylon Meiling, Lake Tahoe SummerFest founder and chair. “In the same intimate concert environment, we’re adding ‘TalkBack,’ an opportunity for post-concert discussions with Maestro Revzen and the musicians.”

From Beethoven to Brubeck, classical music will once again be celebrated. A 500-seat acoustically designed concert tent will offer pure sound without amplification, and tiered seating for unencumbered sightlines. The concert evening will be enhanced by featured local food and select wines.

SummerFest Concerts will be held the weekends of Aug. 2-4, Aug. 9-11 and Aug. 16-18. Orchestra programs are Friday evenings at 7 p.m., and family concerts are Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m., with musical selections for adults and children to enjoy together. On Saturday evenings at 7 p.m., chamber music concerts highlight the virtuosity of individual orchestra members performing in an intimate setting.

Individual ticket prices are $75, $50 and $25. A VIP Subscription for all nine concerts with premium seating includes a reception with Maestro Revzen and members of the orchestra and keepsake mementos. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.tahoesummerfest.org, or call 775-832-1606. Find them on Facebook at Facebook.com/LakeTahoeSummerFest.

Sugar Pine Foundation Woodwind Sailing Cruise

Thursday, Aug. 8, 6:30-9 p.m. Enjoy a sunset cruise on the Woodwind II catamaran sailboat. Complimentary champagne, wine, domestic beer and appetizers are included. Check in time is 6:30 p.m., boat leaves from Zephyr Cove beach at 7 p.m. A few night stays and gondola passes will be auctioned while sipping drinks. Tickets are $51 per person, and half of the proceeds go to SPF. Only 50 spots available, e-mail to reserve your spot!