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Virginia City’s economic vitality is getting a shot in the arm with the addition of a new event venue designed to accommodate nearly 5,000.

For a place dating back more than 150 years, Virginia City attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Many are drawn to the historic Comstock town for its rich history; many others attend one of the unique events that make up the annual calendar including the Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry, the International Camel & Ostrich Races or the Outhouse Races.

South Lake Tahoe and Stateline have been picked as the host locations for the 2018 Mountain Travel Symposium, the largest gathering of alpine travel and tour professionals, ski clubs, lodging and property management companies in North America. It is the South Shore's first time to host the event.

Each year the historic Nevada mining town of Virginia City goes nuts and celebrates St. Patrick’s Day a few days early with a festival that pays homage to the part of the male cow anatomy that usually winds up snipped on the cutting room floor.

Hello fellow anglers, someone asked me the other day, when does fishing season open? I told him, I fish all year around. The rivers and streams in Alpine County are closed until April 25, 2015, but the lakes are open all year. As for ice fishing, that has come to a close for this year.

Due to our unusually strange winter, the higher lakes have started to thaw out. I talked with John Voss from Caples Lake last week. John said he has not seen such an early thaw in 40 years.

JumpStart Lake Tahoe offers an intensive crash course in entrepreneurship from March 25-29 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino that puts participants on the fast track to success in their business endeavors.

Take the guesswork out of Valentine’s Day at the Devil Made Me Do It Saloon Crawl, Saturday, Feb. 14, in Virginia City, Nev., with colored cups that indicate relationship status – single, taken or open to suggestions. The crawl includes stops at more than 10 of Virginia City’s saloons with drink samples and specialty cocktails available throughout the afternoon and evening.

There is always fun to be had in Virginia City. Shops, saloons, dining, ghost-hunting, history, and arts await you when you take the short trip from Carson City.

Lake Tahoe's Northstar California will open this winter’s first halfpipe to skiers and riders this coming Friday, Jan. 9, resort officials announced Tuesday.

Located on Pipeline trail and accessible via Vista Express, the halfpipe is a popular and highly-anticipated feature among Northstar’s terrain park users. Its addition allows for a contiguous, uninterrupted terrain park descent from the top of Pinball Park, which currently offers guests access to 46 features, into the Pipeline Park, which hosts the halfpipe.

The voting deadline has ended for a USA Today contest where Carson City is among several vying for "best travel worthy state capital." As of Monday morning before the contest closed, Carson City had been leading in the reader poll.

The announcement will be made 9 a.m. Wednesday morning here. Along with bragging rights, the result of a win would provide a nice shot in the arm for local tourism.

Maintaining a lead through much of December, the voting deadline nears for a USA Today contest where Carson City is among several vying for "the best travel worthy state capital."

Now through Monday, readers can pick their favorite state capital city destination by casting a vote. A digital clock found here tells you how many days, hours, minutes and seconds are left to vote. As of Saturday morning, Carson City remained in the number one spot followed by Juneau, Alaska and Boise, Idaho.

With one week left in USA Today’s competition for best capital city in the nation, the Carson City Visitors Bureau is urging Nevadans to continue to cast their votes.
In the weeks since the contest was announced online, Carson City has bounced between first, second and third places. However, it is now holding steady in the top position.

Carson City fans of the Green Bay Packers won a challenge against San Francisco 49ers fans Monday as Salvation Army bell ringers rang their bells at a Red Kettle Ring Off.

The Packers fans raised $226.51 and the 49ers fans raised $143.34. The protest kettles for “Any other Team” raised $14.25. The challenge took place at the Wal-Mart on Topsy Lane from 4 to 6 p.m.

The Salvation Army Red Kettles at Walmart on Topsy Lane will have a challenge between the Green Bay Packer’s fans and San Francisco 49ers fans Monday, Dec. 22 from 4 to 6 p.m. The Packers fans will be “bell ringing” at the grocery entrance and the 49er fans will be “bell ringing” at the household entrance.

The Salvation Army is not taking sides on this challenge, but is excited to see some of the local NFL fans come out and help them serve the community.

Forty-five years ago, in December 1969, President Richard Nixon signed a unique Bi-State Compact approving California and Nevada’s plan to create the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. It was the first such undertaking of its kind, uniting two states, six local jurisdictions, and the federal government in a shared mission to protect Lake Tahoe’s sensitive environment from overdevelopment.

That effort has shaped the Tahoe we know and love today, and will help shape the Tahoe that we bequeath to future generations.

Good vibrations and excitations will be bountiful at Lake Tahoe this spring when legendary endless summer surf rockers the Beach Boys catch a wave at MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa for a one-night-only performance March 27, 2015.

Having sold millions of records with songs that are forever associated with sunny California, sandy beaches, long boards and hot rods, Beach Boys classics such as “I Get Around,” “Help Me Rhonda,” “Wouldn’t it Be Nice,” “Little Deuce Coupe” “California Girls” “Barbara Ann,” are among dozens considered timeless pop rock masterpieces.

The Salvation Army has some unique bell ringers out at Smith’s in Gardnerville this Saturday. Dog Scouts of America’s Nevada Chapter will be ringing bells with a little help from some K9 friends from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dog Scout Trace, the black lab, from the video below will be bell ringing. Trace is a scout in Dog Scouts of America. DSA is a program similar to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts only for dogs. Dogs can earn badges for different service projects that they are involved in. Trace can earn a badge for his service project as a bell ringer.

The Rotary Club of Carson City adopted 25 families from The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program this past Saturday December 13th. Each year for more than twenty years the Rotary Club of Carson City has been adopting families for Christmas as a mentoring program.

A longtime local man who recently developed a Facebook page for sharing Carson City photos wants to kick it up a notch with a USA Today poll running now that is asking readers to pick the 10 best travel worthy state capitals to visit.

USA Today readers, who in recent years have picked Tahoe as America's favorite lake and ski destination, now have Carson City as an option to choose in a contest to find the best travel worthy state capital.

Now through Jan. 5, 2015, readers can pick their favorite state capital city destination by casting a vote. Each week USA Today online asks readers to help pick the "10 Best" in a single category which can range from food, lodging and destinations to travel gear and things to do. Travel experts select the 20 top nominees and then readers like you make the final selections.

The Salvation Army is in the middle of their Red Kettle Fundraising season and is very thankful for the faithful volunteers of the Kiwanis Club of Carson City who have been standing a kettle for the Army for more years than either organization can remember.

The Kiwanis volunteers will be out at Smith’s at 599 E. Williams St. every Saturday leading up to Christmas this year. In 2013 they raised $1567.46 for the Army with their Bell Ringing.

Madcap on-screen adventure films and non-stop, on-stage party action arrive at MontBleu Resort, Casino & Spa with the 13th annual Tahoe Adventure Film Festival, Saturday, Dec. 13.

Designed to capture the intensity and passion of free-spirited outdoor adventure, the cult event provides mountaintop cliffhangers and enough high-energy entertainment between showings to ignite fervor for the New Year.

Tickets are $20 and $25 in advance and $25 to $30 the night of the show, plus fees. Available at the Box Office and Ticketmaster.com.

Feed Nevada Day is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 19 at Mike’s Pharmacy in Carson City. Mike’s Pharmacy and News Talk 780 KOH will be collecting frozen turkeys to fill Salvation Army holiday food baskets for families in need in the Carson City, Douglas County, Tahoe area. News Talk KOH will be live at Mike's located at 1007 North Curry Street from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Thursday night’s 7th Annual Blue Ribbon Awards was the largest yet with over 300 guests in attendance as individuals and businesses were recognized for their exemplary services, products and programs in the South Shore community. Produced by the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce, also known as TahoeChamber, this prestigious awards program solicited nominations for six categories and eight total awards.

Over 175 nominations were received and 95 of those nominated joined their peers at the Nov. 13 awards ceremony at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.

The Salvation Army will host a job fair Tuesday, Nov. 18 from 10 to noon in Carson City. The service agency will be hiring seasonal workers to help with their holiday programs such as Thanksgiving food drives, Christmas food drives and Angel Tree Christmas Toy distribution.

Two drivers, and several kettle workers are needed. Bring a resume, identification and references (current DMV print out for drivers) Tuesday and be prepared to be interviewed on the spot. The job fair will be held at the Carson City Salvation Army, 661 Colorado St.

Travelers seeking a digital free oasis this holiday season can find it at Camp Richardson Historic Resort & Marina at Lake Tahoe.

According to the U.S. data group Nielsen, Americans spent 34 hours using smartphone apps and on the mobile Web in December 2013, averaging at least seven sessions a day with their device. This trend has spurred numerous self-help books and articles on technology addiction. Heading into the holidays, the desire to unplug from the digital world and reconnect with family and friends has never been stronger.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and California. The last day of fishing season for most waterways in California is Nov. 15, 2014.

The Salvation Army is currently recruiting volunteers to help throughout the holidays. The Salvation Army in Carson City is expecting to serve more than 5,000 people this coming holiday season.

To observe the 10th anniversary edition of the Amgen Tour of California, organizers of the race announced Monday that the first two stages of the expanded women’s portion of the race would be hosted by Tahoe South, “America’s Best Lake,” (USA Today, Aug. 2012) May 8-9, 2015. The competition will continue in Sacramento, May 10, 2015, with a third racing stage, the same day as the overall men’s start of the Amgen Tour of California.

With more than $100 million in revitalization efforts this year, a mountain of changes are underway at Tahoe South, the “No. 1 Ski Destination” (USA Today 2014), providing more upscale lodging, entertainment, shopping, skiing and outdoor recreation for the 2014-15 winter season.

The resort-to-recreation renaissance includes the planned winter opening of the $60 million remodel of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe, $24 million remodel of MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa, $3 million at Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel and $15 million for the Château shopping center across from Heavenly Village.

More than 3,400 seasonal employees are needed by Vail Resorts for the upcoming ski season at their Lake Tahoe resorts Heavenly, Kirkwood and Northstar. Three job fairs will be held in October where perspective employees can meet with resort personnel and have interviews.

This first job fair will be held on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Red Cliffs Lodge at Kirkwood Mountain Resort.