• The Tahoe Queen and M.S. Dixie II: South Lake’s two paddlewheelers offer a beautiful view of the fireworks show from the lake. Board the Tahoe Queen for a Dinner Dance Cruise or the M.S. Dixie II a Fireworks Cruise. Both paddlewheelers offer live entertainment spectacular views. Check out www.laketahoecruises.com for booking information.
• Nevada Beach: About two miles east of the Nevada casinos on Elk Point Road, This beach is perfect for laying out a blanket and watching the fireworks.
• Regan and El Dorado Beaches: Right where highway 50 meets the lake are these two prestine narrow beaches. One of the most popular sites for the show, you better show up early!

The annual Lake Tahoe Marathon is back, and is shaping up to be one of the best ever. Put on each Fall in Lake Tahoe, the Tahoe Marathon is a huge annual event that brings in thousands of participants, observers and supporters.

Where does the marathon go?

The Lake Tahoe Marathon is run on Sunday, beginning in Tahoe City at Commons Beach, and ending up at Pope Beach near South Lake Tahoe. Additionally, there are two “a la carte” marathons run Friday and Saturday – each is a different course – that serve as part of the Triple Marathon of the weekend – or the “Super Triple”.

The entire schedule of events for the Marathon spans five days, and includes a bunch of great options for families, as well as some of the most enjoyable and challenging marathon courses around. You may run, walk, swim, paddle, peddle or even do a couple of the many different events throughout the week as there are many options for events in which you can participate.

Not everyone has the time or energy to train for a 26.2-mile race – enter weekend warriors. Those among us who run and walk recreationally, in addition to working 40 hours per week at home or in the office, and feel most comfortable with 3-6 mile jaunts.

The Lake Tahoe Marathon hears you – loud and clear. That’s why the race also offers shorter distances, including a 5K through historic Lake Tahoe estates of yesteryear and an all-downhill 10K that kicks off at Emerald Bay’s Inspiration Point – both scheduled for marathon Sunday.

For those ready to swim, bike and run back-to-back, take part in the marathon’s Three-Day Triathlon, which plays out over the course of three consecutive days (Sept. 24-26). Water and biking enthusiasts are also covered with kayak races, and 20, 35 and 72-mile rides and everyone can see Lake Tahoe aboard the region’s best vantage point – on board a Mississippi paddle wheeler at the Sunset Pasta Cruise to Emerald Bay the evening before the marathon.

Runners and walkers have a host of events to choose from during the Lake Tahoe Marathon Race Week. The Marathon winds down the western shore from Tahoe City to South Lake Tahoe for a post-run bash. It has been coined “a Sunday morning run you’ll never forget.” Other opportunities for runners during Race Week include the Tahoe Triple (three marathons in three consecutive days), Marathon Relays, Half Marathon, Three-Day Triathlon, a free Kids Fun Run, and a 20-Mile Run, Jog and Walk. Other events offer biking, kayaking, and Speed Golf.

For a complete schedule of events and information on registering, please visit laketahoemarathon.com.

Bad Company former lead singer Brian Howe
September 4th, 9:00 PM
MontBleu Theatre Tickets

Labor Day Weekend Fireworks Extravaganza
September 5th, 2010, ~ 8:30pm
Above South Lake Tahoe

Tech N9ne
September 5th, 9:00 PM
MontBleu Tickets

Chickenfoot
September 11th, 7:00 PM
Harveys Outdoor Arena Tickets

Tour de Tahoe – Bike Big Blue
September 12th, 6:30 AM start
Race around Lake Tahoe starts and ends at Stateline. More info.

Straight No Chaser
September 18th, 7:30 PM
Harrah’s South Shore Room Tickets

35th Annual San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition
September 18th, 9:00 PM
MontBleu Tickets

Iron Girl Triathlon
September 19th, 7:30 AM
Stateline to Cave Rock Map
More info

Lake Tahoe Marathon
September 22nd ‐ 26th
See laketahoemarathon.com for details.

Tahoe Fall Classic Paddleboard Race
September 26th, 8:00 AM
22 Mile race from Camp Richardson to Kings Beach Registration

EOTO, MartyParty and MiMOSA
September 26th, 10:00 PM
MontBleu’s blu Nightclub More info.

Emmylou Harris
September 30th, 7:30 PM
Harrah’s South Shore Room Tickets

Starting at the Lake Tahoe Horizon Casino Resort on Highway 50, Stateline, South Shore Lake Tahoe, Nevada, the route initially ascends 800-feet through a handful of zigzag turns to a rest stop overlooking notoriously picturesque Emerald Bay. From there, a series of rollers ensues between altitudes of 6,300 feet and 7,100 feet above sea level. On the last leg, a 1,000-foot climb to Spooner Junction presents itself before descending to the Stateline finish. At Horizon’s after-ride pool party, celebrate your hard-earned elevation gain of 2,600 feet over 72 miles with a complimentary to-die-for meal, a relaxing swim, and live music.

Due to the ride’s high elevation setting, Tour de Tahoe is recommended for conditioned cyclists experienced in riding roadways – not beginners. What’s more, participants must be at least 14 years of age. Registration for the 72-mile event is $100. Online registration is open until September 3rd, but you can still register the morning of the race on September 12th.

All Tour de Tahoe riders will be assigned a 15-minute window start time between 6:30 AM and 7:30 AM Keep in mind, the roads will not be closed for this event. Participants must be prepared to share the road with automobiles, ride single file, and obey all traffic laws.

For pre-registered Tour de Tahoe riders and on-site registrants, check-in is from noon till 8 PM Saturday, September 11th, at Tahoe Sports LTD, located in the Heavenly Village Shopping Center off Highway 50. Event day check-in and registration begins at 5:30 AM on Sunday, September 12th, in the back parking lot of the Horizon Casino Resort.

Free parking is available in the back lot of the Horizon, accessible from Lake Parkway Drive.

Rest stops with first aid, technical support, food, beverages, and SAG support are offered at four locations along the course: Emerald Bay overlook, Homewood Mountain Resort, Kings Beach (lunch), and Spooner Junction. Cut-off times do exist at several points along the course and at each rest stop, upon which ride organizers will ask “behind time” riders to sag forward.

An alternative to the 72-mile course is the Boat Cruise & 35-mile Lake Tahoe Half Ride Fun Tour. This option is sold out early last year and is still open. Friends and family can accompany riders across the lake aboard the Tahoe Queen and return to Ski Run Marina. The Boat Cruise & 35-mile Lake Tahoe Half Ride Fun Tour boasts an on board breakfast, lunch stop on the course, Spooner Junction’s rest stop, and a ride t-shirt.

The 120 riders who opted for the 35-mile ride and boat cruise combo will start at 6:45 A.M. at Horizon Casino Resort. From there, participants peddle a short 1-mile stretch to Ski Run Marina ramp, where rider and bike board the Tahoe Queen. The boat cruise discharges cyclists on the shores of North Lake Tahoe, to rejoin the 72-mile riders for the last 35 miles of the course. All participants finish at Horizon Casino Resort.

Visit Tour de Tahoe’s website for more details. Happy pedaling!

Rarely has a band come freighted with such expectation and promise than the new outfit that calls itself Chickenfoot.

Yes, you read correctly – Chickenfoot. Say that name again, just to get used to its sound. Chickenfoot.

It’s a silly name for a band — and album — that kicks a donkey’s ass six ways to Sunday and back again. Maybe that’s because long before the four men who comprise Chickenfoot came together they already filled the pages of rock history with enough individual mind-blowing chapters to boggle the mind.

The news that they’ve pooled their inordinate talents to one collective whole quickly spread across the Internet last year (and perhaps that crazy name helped just a little). The fact that they’ve succeeded artistically beyond anyone’s wildest dreams (except perhaps their own) is all the more reason to celebrate.

First, let’s consider the stellar line-up. There’s Joe Satriani, he of guitar god status, a dream born on the fateful day of September 18, 1970. It was the day Jimi Hendrix died, and it was the same day that Satriani, upon hearing the news, quit his high school football team and decided, at age 14, to devote his life to the electric guitar.

Interesting, what Satriani wanted more than anything was to be part of a big-time rock band fronted by a larger-than-life singer. He bounced around from group to group, but nothing hit the mark. Finally, he scraped money together and made a record of his solo guitar recordings. Not of this Earth attracted the attention of the guitar cognostici. But it was 1987’s Surfing with the Alien that made Satriani a household name. The album went Gold (it has since gone multi-Platinum) and went on to become a benchmark of its kind.

Since that time, Satriani has become one of the world’s most influential guitarists, releasing albums such as The Extremist and Super Colossal that have sold in the millions around the world. “It was all by accident,” the soft-spoken guitarist says. “I never mapped out a plan to be an instrumentalist. I really wanted to be a part of a big vocal-oriented rock band. I had offers, but nothing seemed to fit. Everything seemed like career move…until Chickenfoot.”

So what about that singer? Well, that would be another guy who needs no introduction; Sammy Hagar, the original “Red Rocker”, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee for his tenure with Van Halen, who made his professional debut as the singer for the much-revered group Montrose during the early 70’s.
As a replacement for the iconic David Lee Roth, Hagar faced what many would have viewed as an unenviable, if not impossible fast, but as Hagar sees it, “I decided I wasn’t going to get criticized for being the second singer in the band — I was going to be the only singer in the band.”

Hagar carried the Van Halen brand to new heights, and together they scored a string of No. 1 albums and sold tens of millions of albums. “I upheld the artistry of the band,” reflects Hagar, “and brought them to new places they normally wouldn’t have gone. That, to me, is what I really accomplished in that band.”

Hagar wasn’t looking to form a new group in his post-Van Halen career. “I really wasn’t looking to have a real band, but when I got involved with these guys, only a fool would say, ’No, I’m not going to do this.’ The minute we started jamming it was obvious, like, ‘This is something that needs to be heard.’”

A great band is nothing without a great rhythm section, and Chickenfoot has one of the best in the two-man team of bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Chad Smith.

As a founding member (and fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer) of Van Halen, Anthony laid the bedrock for which guitar genius Eddie Van Halen could fly. More than that, he provided a signature style of background vocal that became an intrinsic part of that band. “A total fluke,” the good-natured bassist humbly asserts. “I was just doing what came naturally.”

Hagar sees Anthony’s abilities differently – “Michael keeps the band going. Listen, he’s never going to get the kind of credit he deserves — he played next to Eddie Van Halen. Hell, Jack Bruce didn’t get much credit compared to Eric Clapton — that’s just the nature of things. Mikey held down the fort, and he still does.”

Aiding Anthony in holding down the fort is Chad Smith, drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who have, since Smith joined the group in the late Eighties, gone from cult faves to a worldwide force. Heretofore thought of as a “funk/alternative” drummer, Smith gets to rock hard with Chickenfoot, and the percussion explosion he creates might come as a surprise to those who only know of his work from tracks like Under The Bridge.

“The guy’s from Detroit, for God’s sake!” says Hagar. “He can play the hell out of funk, but he’s a rocker. He plays hard, man. You could put one mic in a room with Chad, and you can hear all the parts of his kit — he’s hard, but he’s balanced. The band wouldn’t exist without his groove.”

The members of Chickenfoot admit that the band came together almost by accident, a result of jams held at Hagar’s club, Cabo Wabo Cantina, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

“We were just having fun,” recalls Michael Anthony. “After Sammy and I left Van Halen, we’d get together with musicians, and certain people seemed to really gel. Chad came down and we got on well with him. Gradually, we started talking about doing something more serious, but we needed a guitarist. Somebody smokin’ – somebody who could take us to the Promised Land.”

Enter Satch, who hooked up with Hagar, Anthony and Smith and felt “an immediate connection unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.” To Satriani, who had almost abandoned his lifelong dream of being a part of a “big-time rock band,” here was his chance, and here were his band mates. “After just a few songs, it became stunningly obvious that we shared an overall musical agenda. The only question was could we make a great album?”

The band answered that question last fall when they hunkered down with the illustrious producer Andy Johns at George Lucas’ Skywalker Studios and knocked out a batch of songs that sets a new standard for rock music in the new millennium.
From the thunderous, ominous opening strains of Avenida Revolution (detailing the bloody drug wars in Tijuana, in which Hagar makes his feelings come through his skin) to the album closer, the shimmering rock ballad Future’s in the Past, “Chickenfoot” is a firebomb of a record, the likes of which we haven’t heard in ages.

The band kicks and snorts their way through a passel of take-no-prisoners rockers like Soap on a Rope, Sexy Little Thing, Oh Yeah and My Kind of Girl.

These are the kinds of songs I could never do on my own,” says Satriani, “I needed a band like this to make those songs come alive.” The band explores mature themes on songs such as Runnin’ Out, about a world stretched to the breaking point to Learning to Fall, perhaps the most poignant love song Hagar has ever written lyrics for. As both a vocalist and songwriter, Hagar’s intensity and forcefulness are on vivid display on “Chickenfoot”.

“I write what comes to mind,” the singer says. “I’m not bound by anything subject-wise. I’m inspired by the music. When I heard the music Joe was going for, it made me reach, it made me stretch. I think it made me sing in a way that I normally wouldn’t have done. We seem to have that kind of effect on each other.”

Satriani agrees. “People have this idea of what this band is about, or what Sammy Hagar is about as a lyricist and a vocalist. The thing is that we manage to get each guy to up his game in a non-confrontational way. When I play with Chickenfoot, I find myself wanting to give them more all the time. I don’t hold anything back. I think the rest of the guys feel the same way.”

That Satriani unleashes sheets of shred magna is, of course, a given, but what’s interesting is, as individualistic and recognizable as his talents are — and this is true of all the players — they transform in a strange and beautiful way on “Chickenfoot”.

Likewise, Anthony and Smith, channel past heroes. For Anthony it’s Electric Flag bassist Harvey Brooks. For Smith it’s Zeppelin’s John Bonham. Together, they perform something of an astonishing balancing act, dispending performances that meet at the intersection of Heavy and Nimble. This is what a rhythm section does, drives the band in forceful, creative ways. Listen to Chickenfoot and you’ll hear what a true rhythm section sounds like.

By the way, did we mention they have a weird name?

Nathan Owens Motown After Dark
August 1st – August 3rd, 7:30 PM
Harrah’s South Shore Room

An Evening with Stevie Nicks
August 6th, 8:00 PM
Harveys Outdoor Arena Tickets

25th Annual Great Gatsby Festival
August 14th & 15th
Tallac Historic Site

The Three Divas
August 21st, 8:00 PM
Harveys Outdoor Arena Tickets

Ultimate Reno Combat 15: King Of The Mountain MMA Cage Fights
August 21st, 9:00 PM
MontBleu Theatre

House at the Lake feat. DJ Dan
August 21st, 10:00 PM
MontBleu’s Blu Nightclub Tickets

Bob Dylan
August 22nd, 6:30 PM
Harveys Outdoor Arena Tickets

Lake In The Sky Air Show
August 28th, 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Lake Tahoe Airport Schedule of Events

TKO Boxing feat. undefeated Terrance Crawford
August 28th, 7:00 PM
MontBleu Theatre Tickets

DJ Christopher Lawrence
August 28th, 11:00 PM
MontBleu’s Blu Nightclub Tickets

Also see the Valhalla Festival Schedule 2010 for more events occurring throughout the summer at Tallac Historic Site.

Little River Band
July 2nd, 9:00 PM
MontBleu Theatre Tickets

Arash featuring Rebecca
July 3rd, 8:00 PM
MontBleu Theatre Tickets

Lights on the Lake Fireworks Spectacular
July 4th, ~ 9:45 PM
Above Lake Tahoe

Pink Floyd Tribute & Laser Show
July 9th, 9:00 PM
MontBleu Theatre Tickets

Sugarland
July 10th, 7:00 PM
Harveys Outdoor Arena Tickets

Keep Opulent Temple Burning w/ DJ Donald Glaude
July 10th, 9:00 PM
MontBleu Theatre Tickets

21st Annual Tahoe Celebrity Golf Tournament
July 13th – July 18th
Edgewood Golf Course, Live on NBC. Tickets

Rascal Flatts
July 16th & 17th, 7:00 PM
Harveys Outdoor Arena Tickets

Snoop Dogg & Ice Cube, How The West Was One Tour
July 17th, 9:00 PM
MontBleu Theatre Tickets

Nathan Owens Motown After Dark
July 18th – 20th, 23rd – 27th, 30th – August 3rd, 7:30 PM
Harrah’s South Shore Room

Elton John with Band
July 25th, 8:00 PM
Harveys Outdoor Arena Tickets

South Tahoe Wooden Boat Classic
July 30th
Tahoe Keys Marina & Yacht Club

Hot August Nights
July 30th – August 1st
MontBleu Schedule of Events

Also see the Valhalla Festival Schedule 2010 for more events occurring throughout the summer at Tallac Historic Site.

Imagine if you will, the superfluous nature of life for the wealthy during the “roaring” 1920’s. Expenses to the wind! And Prohibition along with it! This was the life for those of wealthy descent, and South Lake Tahoe was no different for the Pope, Baldwin, and Tallac families during that famous decade.

The Tallac Historic Site, host to the Pope, Baldwin and Valhalla Estates, is a prime example of the decadent lifestyle these famous families shared, and the Great Gatsby Festival, held annually by the Tallac Historic Society, pays homage to a different time in American history with a living replication of the life and times of those who were lucky enough to reside in Lake Tahoe during it’s time.

Each year the Tallac Historic Society outdoes itself with the Gatsby Festival, dubbed so after F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book “The Great Gatsby” whose plot centers around 1922 in wealthy America. While the Pope, Baldwin and Tallac families’ respective lives were a far cry from the interpersonal drama that Fitzgerald wrote about, the name connotes images of that fleeting magical decade, and is an accurate title to represent the festivities held each summer just north of Camp Richardson at the Tallac Site.

Actors and volunteers in full 1920’s era garb and memorabilia guide you through a day in the life of some of the wealthiest families in America. The food they ate, the music they listened to, the recreational activities they shared and the lifestyle they built along the shores of Lake Tahoe.

This year featured The Barking Dogs, a jazz ensemble of young, talented musicians from the Stockton area who share a healthy love for jazz music and put on a show that will take you back over 85 years right into 1920’s America. Complete with a guided tour of the Pope estate (featuring character role playing done by actors, actresses and volunteers to help you get a feel for life at the estate) a speak-easy to represent the challenges Prohibition forced people to face, and a medley of other attractions including blacksmiths, tea-parties, boat houses, staff living quarters and thousands of artifacts and items either original or replicated after the times. It truly is a special event that only comes around once a year, and should not be missed during your Tahoe vacation.

For more information on the Gatsby Festival and the Tallac Historic Site, including guided tours and events held throughout the year, please call the Baldwin Estate Museum at (530) 541-5227.

This year’s 21st annual celebrity golf tournament will see celebrities of such status as Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Ray Romano, Tony Romo, John Elway, Marcus Allen and Ray Allen on the roster – there is no doubt that it is an event to see in any part of the world, let alone on the shore of beautiful Lake Tahoe!

Fans come from around the world to watch their favorite celeb-athlete compete in this truly benevolent tournament. This year, as it has been the last four years, the Lance Armstrong Foundation is the official charity of this wonderful tournament.

2009 Champion and former all-star major league pitcher Rick Rhoden will return to the shores of Lake Tahoe to once again defend his title against the likes of Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo, who finished runner up against Rhoden last year and Billy Joe Tolliver, who finished tied with Dan Quinn in last year’s tournament.

This year there will be some brand new famous faces making their premiere at the tournament. Among them, Captain of Team USA’s silver medal winning hockey team Jamie Langenbrunner, American Idol Winner Taylor Hicks, Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry, Minnesota Vikings All-Pro Defensive End Jared Allen, Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley, NFL Pro-Bowl kicker for the Chicago Bears Robbie Gould, Former NFL Pro-Bowler Rodney Harrison, NBA All-Star guard Chris Paul, and former MLB All-Star pitchers Greg Maddux and Mark Mulder.

Returning for their second year at the American Century Championship, we will see: NFL All-Pro safety John Lynch, NFL star A.J. Hawk, NBA All-Star Anfernee Hardaway, Buffalo Bills QB Trent Edwards, All-Star outfielder Joe Carter, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio, Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier, actor Oliver Hudson, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt and beloved All-Star shortstop Ozzie Smith.

The Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament is scored in a modified Stableford format, making use of a point tallying system in place of the more common match or stroke play.

Practice rounds will be held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with first round action kicking off Friday morning, July 16th.

For tickets and more information, please visit www.tahoecelebritygolf.com.