Memories of Snowfests Past

As Snowfest approaches for another year, Tahoetopia will feature collections of residents' remembrances from past Snowfest celebrations. The first set, below, is compiled from a series of articles originally published in 2006.

Submit your own recollections and photos from Snowfest! Send us a comment below, or send an email to editor@tahoetopia.com.

#1 Old Man Winter
"That first year I missed the final Snowfest meeting and no one told me I'd been nominated to be "Old Man Winter." Rotary had a ski day the same day as the opening of Snowfest, and I was busy.

"I got a message on the hill to call Bev Bedard. She told me she had rented a tux and I had to rush down to Reno to be fitted for the opening ceremonies that were coming up in just a few hours. Amazingly I made it and helped crown the first Snowfest Queen.
- J.C. Krise, Snowfest's Old Man Winter.

#2 Bertha the Elephant
"There are so many memories, but the one that sticks out is having to clean up the Safeway parking lot after Bertha the Elephant marched in the parade!"
- Steve Teshara, early Snowfest organizer and publicist; now Exec. Dir. of NLTRA.


#3 Snow Sculpture
"One year there was hardly any snow. I had to bring in tons of snow by loader and shovel it onto the River Ranch back deck. It was so warm that I thought everybody's entry was going to melt before the judges could look at them."
- John L. Weedn, organizer of Snowfest Snow Sculpture Contest.

#4 Warm Welcome
"I arrived in Tahoe City for the first time on the day of the Snowfest Parade. I was a total stranger on the street. The girl scouts marched by in the parade, noticed me, and invited me to their candle lighting. And here I was a total stranger! It was then that I knew I wanted to live in this community."
- Marilyn Sloan, Snowfest volunteer, 1987-1999.

#5 Lasers
"It was the year they handed out 3-D glasses for the laser show on Opening Night. I was watching all the skiers come down off KT, listening to the music, and spinning out with the lasers. It was so festive and so wonderful to have such a well-done event, and I thought just what a cool place Tahoe was to live."
- Dave Wilderotter, owner of Dave's Skis And Boards.

#6 Miss Sierra Snowfest Pageant
"One year I was asked to be judge for the Miss Sierra Snowfest Pageant. The room was packed full of people-- partying, screaming, just getting off. All the judges had their claim to fame, and the one sitting next to me was shave-headed, Hank Bauer, a San Diego Charger football player. He was totally juiced and way rowdy. His eyes looked like compressed oil about to gush, and as the mega-babes are on stage, he's howling at the top of his lungs: 'You're hurting me! Have mercy!" I've been around a bit of erratic behavior in my day, but that night was a trophy winner."
- Robert Frohlich, Ski Journalist.

#7 Family Affair
"The first carnival was in a tent in the Safeway parking lot next to the State Park. It was pretty experimental but the tent didn't fall down! The North Shore has always lacked attention, so Snowfest was an attempt to get something started. It was very much a family affair...and still is."
- Fritzi Briner


#8 Fireworks
"During one of the first years there were fireworks on the Commons Beach. That year there was a sky full of low-lying clouds. The fireworks shot into the clouds and exploded. The water droplets in the atmosphere magnified the fireworks to make it an incredible, surreal moment.
- Tahoma resident, and author/historian, Dave Antonucci.

#9 Snowfest Spirit
"It's not any one individual event, but the whole Snowfest spirit. I get a feeling of happiness and good cheer that I really appreciate."
- Steve Risko, a.k.a. 'Snow Slippery.'


#10 Mr. North Lake Contest
"The first year of the Mr. North Lake Contest, Ellen Attardi and I were two of the judges. Ellen was in her early seventies at the time. We walked into a casino showroom packed full of young, hormonal women just going crazy, and there we were, two old ladies. Ellen looked at me with her sparkly face and said, 'This could be interesting.'"
- Bev Bedard, former Snowfest board member.


#11 Great Race
"Every year I was the starter at the Great Race, but once I decided to actually race. Todd Lloyd was a member of Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue, so I asked him if he would be starter. Tood got out in front of everybody to do the start, instead of standing by the side of the starters. There were 800 racers. He was run over."
- Skip Reedy, former Nordic resort operator.

Editor's Note: This series of remembrances was originally published in 2006 leadng up to the 27th Snowfest. It was compiled for Tahoetopia by Robert "Fro" Frohlich,  a thirty+ year resident of North Lake Tahoe.

Submit your own recollections and photos from Snowfest! Send us a comment below, or send an email to editor@tahoetopia.com.

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