Between now and March, as Snowfest approaches for another year, Tahoetopia will feature collections of residents' remembrances from past Snowfest celebrations. The second set, below, is compiled from a series of articles originally published in 2006.

#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 owner.

#12 Corporate Ski Challenge
"I never got that much involved in Snowfest events except for the Corporate Ski Challenge, which by the way, was a Bob Everson idea. In the first ten years Snowfest grew quite rapidly and became a massive event. At one point it was slightly beyond our capacity to handle it. There were so many participants...and all the social events. But we made it. Werner Schuster, former Vice-President, Alpine Meadows.

#13 Kiwanis Shovel Brigade
"I was in the Kiwanis Shovel Brigade during the Snowfest Parade and the bosses always put us close to the animals, like right in back. Once we followed Bertha the Elephant. Not only were we performing, but that animal kept us busy shoveling, too." Tahoe City resident Bob McClintock.

#14 Opening Night, 1981
"The first Snowfest was in 1981. On Opening Night in Palisades Tahoe there were about 100 people watching, and we couldn't have been more excited. I think we crowned the Snowfest Queen in the Beer Garden downstairs in the Olympic House. Eventually, years later, 10,000 people came to Opening Night and we had hang gliders, hot air balloons, and laser shows. Pretty amazing how far it has progressed." Ruth Schnabel, former executive director.

#15 Snowfest Parade
"My youngest son, Nick, marched with his kindergarten class at the very first Snowfest Parade. He's a college grad now. It was a time when you knew not only everybody in the parade but those watching the parade." Tom O'Neill, owner Olympic Plaza Bar.

#16 March Miracle
"I remember a pre-Snowfest volunteer party at Granlibakken. We had had three or four years of drought and that particular winter wasn't much better. It started snowing before dinner and ended up not stopping for a month. That night was the start of what is now called 'The March Miracle.' That night we partied, carried on, and acted as if it was Snow Festival that had brought on the snow. We didn't care how much it dumped, that's what mountain life was all about." Joy Doyle, former Snowfest event coordinator.

#17 Watching the Kids
"Snowfest has always been about people having a good time and there's no better time that can be had than just watching little kids. In the early parades, the Palisades Tahoe parking lot just wasn't big enough, so they'd parade around it twice. The parade was full of kids and through the years you not only watched them march but watched them grow up." Judy Friedman, former Snowfest executive director.

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.

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