OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. — The 2017 Audi FIS Ski World Cup makes its way to Squaw Valley this weekend, bringing top American and international women athletes to compete right here in North Lake Tahoe.

The event marks the first time in 19 years that World Cup ski racing returns to California — and the first time since 1969 that Squaw Valley hosted ladies’ slalom and giant slalom events at the World Cup.

Apart from world-class ski racing — including North Tahoe’s own Lila Lapanja skiing as part of the American team members on site — Squaw Valley will host a packed events schedule to keep spectators entertained all weekend long.

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“From a community perspective, this is such a cool opportunity to show off what we can do,” said Liesl Kenney, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows Public Relations Director. “There are so many people who’ve worked so hard to plan this event, and at this point everyone’s ready to celebrate. This region is what got us selected as the host, and it’s our community’s passion for ski racing that’s gotten us here.”

You can catch the skiing action on Friday (giant slalom) and Saturday (slalom) starting at 10 a.m. on Squaw Valley’s famed Red Dog run both days.

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“This is such a unique moment,” Kenney said. “It’s cool for people to not only come together for free events but celebrate the honor that everyone is participating in — we have these Olympians racing right in front of us on our home turf.”

Plan your weekend activities and transportation ahead of time with this preview of non-skiing activities hosted Thursday through Sunday.

Community Kickoff Parade

Thursday, March 9 | 4:15 p.m. | The Village at Squaw Valley

Start your World Cup weekend with Thursday’s Kickoff Parade. The star-studded cast will include around 1,000 youth representatives from more than 15 different ski teams in California and Nevada joining around 40 alumni of U.S. Ski Team pros and Olympians. The parade stretches from the east end of The Village at Squaw Valley to the KT Deck. Stick around afterward to catch a live performance on the KT Deck’s main stage by America’s Got Talent finalist, David Garibaldi.

California Way and Vendor Village

Friday, March 10 through Saturday, March 11 | The Village at Squaw Valley

The Village at Squaw Valley will be transformed into “California Way” all weekend long, making California-grown food drink and product displays available for your shopping needs. Stop by various booths to learn more about World Cup ski racing’s biggest supporting companies.

Public Bib Draw

Friday, March 10 | 6 p.m. | Main Stage – KT Deck

A noted World Cup event around the world, the Bib Draw is always a fun event to experience, but this year Kenney says it holds even deeper meaning of the level of appreciation from this mountain community to Squaw’s Ski Patrol. “It’s not only a testament to the work our ski team does, but a nice way to also recognize everything that the Patrol team does,” she said. See the top 15 athletes receive their bib number, accompanied by a Squaw Valley Ski Patroller and Squaw Valley Ski Patrol dog.

Fireworks Celebration

Friday, March 10 | 9 p.m. | KT Deck

After the high-energy headline Rusted Root performance (free of charge, mind you), stick around to watch a fireworks spectacular after dark in gorgeous Squaw Valley. The light show will be visible from The Village at Squaw Valley, the perfect end to Friday’s festivities.

Toyota Ski Pro-Am Race

Sunday, March 12 | 10 a.m. | Red Dog Run

A benefit event for the Waterkeeper Alliance and Protect Our Winters will begin on Saturday, March 11, with the benefit gala at the Resort at Squaw Creek. Then, Sunday’s Pro-Am event will be held on the lower portion of the Red Dog course featuring head-to-head races with celebrities: Dennis Quaid, Bret Saberhagen, Ed Begley, Jr., Ben Stiller, Bobby Kennedy, Jr. and Cheryl Hines. Former and current U.S. Ski Team stars will round out the field, including: Tiger Shaw, Tamara McKinney, Jonny Moseley and Julia Mancuso, along with Austrian legends Franz Klammer, Franz Weber, Klaus Heidegger and Killian Albrecht.

Live music all weekend

The 2017 World Cup features off the charts live music performances free-of-charge Thursday through Saturday; don’t miss out! “It’s very unusual to have this level of free programming at the event,” Kenney said. “And then of course there’s the music; I’m super pumped about Rusted Root.” Among other musical performances, David Garibaldi and Dustbowl Revival will perform Thursday; Rusted Root performs Friday; and Dennis Quaid and The Sharks perform Saturday.

That’s right, folks, Dennis Quaid and his band will help kickoff the Toyota Ski Pro-Am during the Korbel “Forever Blue: Together Tonight for Tomorrow” event, presented by Levi’s. Funds will donated to Waterkeeper Alliance and Protect Our Winters campaigns.