Originally published in Moonshine Ink, 7/9/2026, written by Jon Grant

There was a moment at the second-ever Gambler’s Run in 2024 when The Main Squeeze was covering Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar” and it all kind of came together for Crystal Bay Casino’s production/marketing manager Sam Shear.

“It was right at dusk,” he said. “The golden hour light. The energy of the band, the energy of the crowd. It was epic. All the work we’d done, a lot of things had to line up to make that moment happen.”

Things did line up and that moment did happen. More moments happened last year and more moments will happen in 2026, the festival gaining momentum like some incendiary fiddle solo played against a devil down in Georgia. This year, the String Cheese Incident leads its biggest lineup yet, headlining three days of deep-pooled musicality with their Thursday night set.   

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Photo: Moonshine Ink

Sun Bear Realty & Property Management in Incline Village, Nevada, has recently acquired Incline House Cleaning and the well-established Vacation Station short-term and long-term property rental business. 

‘We are happy to announce our recent purchase of Vacation Station and Incline House Cleaning, both of which are long-time businesses based in our hometown of Incline Village,” said Blane Johnson, owner of Sun Bear Realty & Property Management. “We thank Don Cauley and Kathleen Savino for trusting us to continue their well-respected operations and wish them the best as they retire and enjoy their new adventures in life.”

With this most recent acquisition, Sun Bear is one of the largest, most respected, and dependable full-service real estate companies in North Lake Tahoe.

“The company’s experienced cleaning team has joined the Sun Bear family to service our existing property needs while they continue to attend to their existing clientele and build on their fine reputation. We also built a new in-house facility for the Incline House Cleaning operation,” said Johnson.

As an incentive to build new business, the company is offering a $50 credit to first-time clients who mention this introductory house-cleaning offer.

 For over 30 years, Johnson and his team have provided year-round property management, vacation rentals, long-term leases and real estate advice and services through their office located at 811 Tahoe Boulevard in Incline Village, Nevada. 

For more real estate, vacation and long-term rental information, visit Sunbearrealty.com or call (775) 831-9000. To learn more about their cleaning services, visit InclineHouseCleaning.com or call (775) 832-4853.

Summer in Incline Village and Crystal Bay is filled with live music, nearly every night of the week.

On any given evening, you can find yourself listening to a local favorite on a restaurant patio, discovering an emerging artist at Tunes on Tap, enjoying world-class musicians at Classical Tahoe, or spending the weekend at the Crystal Bay Club as touring bands make their Tahoe stop. This Thursday through Saturday, Gamblers Run Music Festival brings another lineup of talented artists to Crystal Bay, adding to a summer calendar that’s full of reasons to get out and enjoy the evening.

For a community our size, the variety is remarkable. Throughout the week, Music at Ski Beach, Tunes on Tap, live performances at Sage Leaf, Bowl Incline and Glasses Wine Bar, Classical Tahoe concerts, and events at the Crystal Bay Club mean there’s rarely a night without music somewhere in our community.

Music may be the soundtrack of summer, but it’s only part of the story. Alongside the concerts, our community calendar is filled with speaker series, community meetings, networking events, trivia nights, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare at Sand Harbor, family events at the library, and countless new events added to our calendar weekly.

Have a look at this week’s music line-up so far:

• Music at Ski Beach (Wednesdays)
• Live Music at Sage Leaf
• Crystal Bay Club – Gamblers Run
• Bowl Incline: Live Music (Thursday & Saturday)
• Alibi Ale Works: Tunes on Tap Summer Music Series
• Music at Ski Beach (Fridays)
• Music at the Beach (Kings Beach – Fridays)
• Classical Tahoe Weekend Performances
• Alibi Ale Works: Country Fridays Line Dancing
• Alibi Ale Works: Neon Nights
• Glasses Wine Bar: Live Music Saturday
• Bowl Incline: Disco Bowling & DJ Beats

Rather than searching multiple websites or social media pages, the IVCBA Community Calendar brings together events from local businesses, nonprofits, arts organizations, and community groups in one place. Whether you’re planning an evening out or looking ahead to the weekend, it’s the easiest way to see what’s happening in Incline Village and Crystal Bay.

View the IVCBA Community Calendar
https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar

If you’d rather have the week’s highlights delivered directly to your inbox, the IVCBA SnapShot arrives every Wednesday with a curated selection of community news, upcoming events, local business updates, and stories from around Incline Village and Crystal Bay.

Subscribe to the IVCBA Snapshot and stay connected to what’s happening in our community.

Photo courtesy of Alibi Ale Works and their Thursday night ‘Tunes on Tap’

Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 7/20/2026, Staff Report

Becomes 11th U.S. agency to deploy the technology

WASHOE COUNTY, Nev. – RECCO, a global search and rescue technology, recently announced that the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada has equipped its RAVEN (Regional Aviation Enforcement) helicopter program with a RECCO SAR Helicopter Detector, making it the 11th organization in the United States and the 54th worldwide to deploy the aerial system.

The RECCO system operates on a passive radar principle. The helicopter-carried detector emits a radar signal that bounces off a RECCO reflector, which is a small, lightweight, battery-free device integrated into outdoor clothing, helmets, backpacks and boots, and echoes back to the detector, guiding the aircrew directly to the person’s location. 

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Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 7/20/2026, Staff Report

In 2025, the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District (NLTFPD), in partnership with the Incline Village General Improvement District (IVGID), launched the 176.5-acre Worm Project, a wildfire fuels reduction initiative named for the long, narrow shape of the treatment area.

The project is creating an intensively managed forest buffer around neighborhoods above Highway 431 in Incline Village, extending from private property boundaries onto IVGID and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) lands. By reducing hazardous vegetation, the project helps lower wildfire risk, improve firefighter access, and strengthen the protection of lives, homes, and critical infrastructure.

Work includes thinning understory vegetation and removing smaller, suppressed trees while retaining approximately 10–15% of native brush in a mosaic pattern. This approach supports wildlife habitat, protects soil stability and water quality, and preserves the area’s natural forest character.

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Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 7/16/2026, Staff Report

Annual event sells out as partnership between the two organizations grows

Classical Tahoe and Lake Tahoe Dance Collective (LTDC) will present the second annual “Music in Motion” on Saturday, July 25, at the Classical Tahoe Ricardi Pavilion at the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe. The sold-out performance brings together live chamber music and world-class dance, featuring principal dancers from New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Ballet Arizona, all accompanied by Classical Tahoe musicians.

“Music in Motion has added a marvelous new dimension to Classical Tahoe’s summer lineup,” said Laura Hamilton, artistic director of Classical Tahoe. “We are thrilled to collaborate with the great artists from Lake Tahoe Dance Collective. We look forward to building on the partnership in the future – the sky’s the limit.”

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