retreat

When people visit Tahoe for the first time, they marvel at the extraordinary natural landscape and fresh, clean air. At the same time, some are shocked at the dilapidated condition of the built environment: rundown buildings, crumbling infrastructure, and tired-looking development.

Beach Retreat & Lodge, in South Tahoe, today announced that it has partnered with Stash Hotel Rewards, the award-winning loyalty program for independent hotels. The new partnership will enable the independently owned property to offer its guests valuable rewards points that can be redeemed towards a future stay at the Beach Retreat – or at nearly 200 other independent hotels across the U.S., Caribbean and Panama.

For decades, First Nations, conservationists, backcountry skiers and snowboarders have fought a proposed large-scale ski resort on pristine land deep in the Purcell Mountains of British Columbia. After 24 years of opposition, what more will it take to keep Jumbo wild for good?

A 34-year-old Carson City man was arrested Friday on suspicion of a second DUI, a misdemeanor, and other charges after a traffic stop near Winnie Lane and Lone Mountain streets, a Carson City sheriff’s deputy said.

Sunday’s are excellent for relaxing. Join Dharma Zephyr for a day of meditation and reflection after the hustle of the holidays and start this new year grounded. The Gold Hill Hotel on the way to Virginia City has begun a monthly history event featuring dinner and a presentation. Dress in your best Comstock-era finery for a chance to win the costume contest.

SUNDAY:

• Nevada Artists Association Art Exhibit featuring Bob Hickox at the Carson Visitor Center (8am-5pm)

We all have a favorite time of year and mine is Girl Scout Cookie Season. Pre-sales begin today, so track down your favorite scout and order some Thin Mints. Speaking of yummy treats, join the Experimental Aircraft Association for donuts this morning and learn more about our local chapter. Have a great weekend, Carson City. Check out the list below for all of your local options.

SATURDAY:

• Girl Scout Cookie pre-sales begin
• Seniors Swim Free at Paradise Salon and Spa: Executive Pointe off College Pkwy (7am-5pm, except during class times; 55 and older; indoor adult warm saltwater pools)
• Coffee and Donuts with Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Sierra Chapter 403 at 2500 E. College Pkwy (8am-12pm, all welcome)

A day of mindfulness meditation day, lead by Kathy Schwerin and Christy Tews, co-founders of Dharma Zephyr Insight Meditation Community.

The day will be in silence except for instructions in sitting and walking meditation, dharma talk, and a question and answer period with the teachers.

A weather system will pass through the area late tonight and Saturday with mountain snow and a mix of rain and snow around Carson City, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather pattern will be relatively modest compared to the ones headed into the region next week that will bring rain, snow and the potential for a white Christmas around Carson City.

The Polar Express on the historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad has sold out for the fifth consecutive year, with more than 15,000 passengers securing rides to the North Pole.

A wait list sign-up is available online here that could offer a last chance to ride the Polar Express in 2015. Tickets for next year’s holiday train go on sale in August 2016.

Two weeks before The Polar Express takes its first ride from Carson City to the completely reimagined North Pole aboard the Virginia and Truckee Railroad 88 percent of tickets have already been sold.

A testament to the popularity of the Polar Express — the train ride has completely sold out each of the previous four years — now’s the time to secure tickets so the kids aren’t disappointed.

Tickets to board The Polar Express train ride via the Virginia & Truckee Railroad, the annual Carson City family holiday tradition, go on sale online beginning August 20.

Now in its fifth season, the all-ages holiday train will depart Carson City for a series of one-hour round-trip journeys to the magical North Pole.

The early bird catches the worm and in this case, the early bird gets special pricing for tickets to Lake Tahoe’s only farm-to-fork festival Sample the Sierra.

Early bird tickets for Sample the Sierra are available until August 1 and allow you to attend the festival for just $30 to fully experience dozens of restaurants, wineries, distilleries and breweries. Tickets will be priced at $40 per person from August 1 until the festival on September 6.

Happy birthday, America! Today we celebrate our independence, and what better way than with a carnival. You might as well stay at Mills Park all day, the fireworks display starts when it gets dark. Tune into Magic 95.5FM and you’ll hear the choreographed music to go along with the oohs and aaahs. Where ever you choose to watch fireworks, please be safe. There are thousands of visitors in the Northern Nevada area this weekend, and law enforcement will be out in full force.

SATURDAY: Independence Day

• Free Swim for Active and Retired Military at the Carson Hot Springs (7am-10pm; outdoor pools only)
• Freedom 5K Fun Run/Walk and Concert in the Park with the Carson Valley Pops Orchestra at Heritage Park, Gardnerville (5K, $20 per person and family rates, free for active/retired military; register 7am-7:45am; Run/Walk begins 8am, Patriotic costumes encouraged; 8am Carson Valley Lions Club Pancake Breakfast $7; Free Kids Obstacle Course 8am; Free Concert begins 11:30am)

Fourth of July celebrations abound in the Carson City area. Fireworks can be found in Carson City, Reno, Sparks, and at both north and south shore of Lake Tahoe. There are several daytime events going on as well, so grab the kids, friends, and family and have a great Independence Day weekend!

Friday, July 3:
July Third Fireworks and Beach Party at the North Tahoe Events Center on Kings Beach, North Lake Tahoe (4pm-10pm, free; vendors, contests, games, music and more; Fireworks 9:30pm; FRIDAY)

Saturday, July 4:

Carson City:

This is a day-long insight meditation retreat, suitable for beginning and experienced meditaters. We will alternate sitting and walking periods. Bring a sack lunch. There is no charge, as the teachings are priceless. We welcome donations for the event and for the teacher, who offers his wisdom without charge. There will be a yoga class at 4pm; you are welcome to stay for that. Please see attached PDF flyer for more information.

Event will be at O2 Yoga, 1557 Zerolene Place, Minden. It can be hard to find — email or call Susan for directions: Susan@DharmaZephyr.org.

It’s that time of year at Carson High School when many of our organizations and clubs are participating in state competitions. Over the next month, I will be reporting on the results of these competitions.

State History Day results: The Northern Nevada National History Day contest was held on March 14 at the University of Nevada, Reno and Carson High School sophomores produced fantastic results. All first place entries qualify to move on to the national contest.

Both beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome at this silent meditation retreat. In addition to guided meditations and instruction, there will be ample opportunities for personal exploration while sitting and walking. Supplemental practices will be suggested as needed.

There will also be opportunities for personal practice questions.

The peaceful setting under great pines offers a unique opportunity for silent meditation in a setting of stunning natural beauty.

RENO, Nev. (Feb. 2, 2015) – Reno’s historic Nixon Mansion, which went on the market last summer for $20.4 million, was reduced to $16.4 million this month. The estate is listed by Chase International and takes its name from its original owner, Nevada Senator George S. Nixon. The prestigious Italian Villa estate was built in 1907 and sits on 2.03 acres on the Truckee River, originally had 33 rooms, and was one of the first residences in Reno to have an elevator.

Capital City Arts Initiative Courthouse Gallery in Carson City and St. Mary's Art and Retreat Center in Virginia City are among 10 "unmissable" Nevada spots for art lovers, according to the website TheCultureTrip.com.

In announcing its list the website notes Nevada is dotted with many places for art lovers to explore, including traditional galleries to more unique spaces. From Reno to Elko the state boasts a wide range of art from a host of talented individuals, including locals and international artists.

The region's finest Nevada-made art will be featured Saturday, Dec. 6 at St. Mary’s Art Center in Virginia City with its first Artists and Artisans Art Faire on the Comstock.

Not only will all galleries be filled with art, the entire building will be full of local artists and creative folk from all over the Comstock region, showing and selling their work. The faire will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The art works range in style, medium, size and price from $5 to $8,000, so there will be something for everyone’s holiday shopping budget.

As the holiday shopping season gets underway, Carson City's Salvation Army has set up several Angel Trees and Toy Barrels throughout Carson City. Please consider grabbing a tag from a tree, or dropping off an un-wrapped toy for a child in the area.

Toy Barrel Locations:
Bounce Party at 3267 Research Way #210
Sierra Adrenaline Training Center at 4630 HWY 50 E. Suite #1
Cal Ranch at 2035 N. Carson St.
Data Graphics at 625 Fairview Drive #105

Only 660 tickets remain for the family favorite trip to the North Pole aboard the 2014 Polar Express train, Nov. 20 to Dec. 22, 2014. Select coach seats aboard the all-ages holiday train into a winter wonderland and the world of imagination.

Because of the demand, more trips and passenger cars were added to the month-long event, which has consistently sold out since debuting four years ago and is expected to draw record numbers again this holiday season. Last year more than 16,000 passengers rode the train.

Never before has such a grand combination of iconic ranch, lakefront and forestland been offered for sale at once in Lake Tahoe’s rich history. This rare offering includes: historic Shakespeare Ranch with 133 acres of lakefront ranchland; Squaw Valley Homestead, arguably the most coveted landholding in Squaw Valley; and High Canyon Ranch, encompassing 321 acres of one of the last remaining privately owned large acreage parcels in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

St. Marys Arts and Retreat Center in Virginia City will host a reception for its art show “a winter tonic” on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 from 1 to 4 p.m. The reception will feature the work of Danish artist Nes Lerpa, Megan Berner, Jessica White and Dusty Roads artists.

Folk musicians Paula Frazer, Jacob Aranda, and David Cuetter will perform. In addition, the exhibit will include the best work from students in the Reno High School Advanced Art class. Kelsey Rolling, Emily Jiang, and Tyler Hart are students of Lauren Gandolfo.

The Comstock Foundation for History and Culture is pleased to announce receiving the 2014 Business of the Year for Storey County from the Northern Nevada Development Authority.

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.

Recently, a few naysayers have written to local newspapers, criticizing the effort of the Comstock Foundation for History and Culture, a 501(c)(3) organization, to raise funds to preserve historic resources within the Comstock Mining District, a National Historic Landmark.

Classical conservatives find the issue of abortion not only disturbing when confronted by the fundamentalist or the evangelical sect of the modern conservative movement on this issue, but also confused and shocked by the self-refuting logic of their entrenched stand.

A Carson City man was jailed Monday on four misdemeanor charges including eluding an officer after he was clocked on radar going more than 70 mph in a 45 mph zone and driving through a stop light, a Carson City sheriff’s deputy said.

According to the arrest report, a motorcycle patrol officer doing traffic enforcement in the 5000 block of Carson Street recorded the 34-year-old driver going 73 mph. The officer pulled behind the truck and activated his motorcycle lights and siren.

Less than two months from departure, tickets aboard the 2014 Polar Express train are on the fast track countdown, with 60 percent of the coach seats and 91 percent of the VIP Parlor Car seats sold. Even with the addition of more trips and passenger cars, the month-long event has consistently sold out since debuting four years ago and is expected to draw record numbers again this holiday season.