A new art exhibit, Tahoe-Truckee: Modern Regional Art, opens in September (2007) in Truckee at Carole Sesko Contemporary Art Gallery in Truckee. "If you like your art strong, smart, and hot, you need to see this show," says the gallery owner and artist, Carole Sesko. "This is an exciting collection of arwork representing the artist's interpretation of their experiences in our local environment."

Not only did they serve as a sturdy pack animal and often the miner's only companion for months at a time, they occasionally led their masters to fortune and fame. Such is the legacy of the little town of Tonopah, midway between Reno and Las Vegas, and approximately 300 miles southeast of Lake Tahoe.

Sponsored by the Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation, the Concours d'Elegance showcases expert craftsmanship in wooden boats and honors those who build, restore, and maintain the elegant, national treasures. These golden era, classic watercraft have beautiful lines and details.

Is this true? In the years ahead there are going to be sophisticated "digs" on and near the famous summit, so answers to many questions may be forthcoming.

A $6 million museum has been approved for the Donner Lake Memorial State Park. Starting this summer, California State Park archaeologists, overseen by a Chico State professor, will conduct a dig in the area where the new museum is to be constructed. The location is on the path between two of the three cabins built in November 1846 by members of the Donner party.

Sometime in late June or early July, more gates of the Truckee River dam are slowly opened without any announcement by anyone. With more gates open, the flow in the river quietly increases. What's going on?

Quite simple: Lake Tahoe is operated as a reservoir for irrigation storage and municipal water use in Nevada. Together with a handful of other public and privately owned reservoirs in the Truckee River system, Lake Tahoe provides about 75 percent of the water supply for the rapidly growing Reno-Sparks area.

A person cannot see the true massiveness of Lake Tahoe standing near the water's edge. Even from a plane, the scale of the lake is hard to judge.

The continuous snowfall of March and April this year left organizers with the challenge of picking a date for the crossing based on when the snow might melt. The crossing had originally been scheduled for late April, based on previous season's dates. However, at the end of April, the entire lower mountain area was still snowbound (much to skiers' delight) and the event was pushed back for the first of what would become several times.

Today, even as thunderstorms loom, Palisades Tahoe staffers are prepping for the long anticipated event.

This year's theme is TruckeeVision, but as usual the Follies will make fun of all things Truckee. "It's like a high end, X-rated Montey Python," says regular participant and Truckee architect Matt Rusanoff.

"It's a great way for local artists to show their talent and for us to laugh at ourselves while acknowledging what's going on politically."

A cold breeze chilled the crowd as it waited for the daring swimmers to arrive. An orange U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat was on safety duty near the pier. An officer aboard announced that the water temperature was 37.9 degrees, 2 degrees colder than last year. The information sent shivers through the festive gathering.

#16 March Miracle
"I remember a pre-Snowfest volunteer party at Granlibakken. We had had three or four years of drought and that particular winter wasn't much better. It started snowing before dinner and ended up not stopping for a month. That night was the start of what is now called 'The March Miracle.' That night we partied, carried on, and acted as if it was Snow Festival that had brought on the snow. We didn't care how much it dumped, that's what mountain life was all about." Joy Doyle, former Snowfest event coordinator.