Stardust Vacation Club Owner Site

Lake Tahoe Summer Music Festival

Six-time Grammy nominee saxophonist, Dave Koz, opens the Lake Tahoe Music Festival with a concert this Thursday, July 17th, at Homewood. The 26th year of the Music Festival is being held between a trio of North Shore ski resorts - Homewood, Tahoe Donner & Alpine Meadows and at the West End Beach where Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will perform August 7th. The Festival is bringing in a wide variety of top performers this year and hearing them under the stars will be a real treat.

The Reno Philharmonic will be performing on three Saturday evenings and all of their performances will have the option of lawn seating (Lawn-$15, General-$25 Preferred-$50). The Reno Philharmonic first appears July 19th at Homewood with jazz trumpeter, Christian Scott and the Christian Scott Quintet. Their second appearance, August 2nd, at Tahoe Donner is a 60th Birthday Tribute to Andrew Lloyd Weber. Then, the Philharmonic wraps up the Music Festival back at Homewood with the “White Nights Finale” featuring renowned pianist, Jeffrey Biegel, and a rousing production of the 1812 Overture.

The relaxing lawn seating is also available for the Dave Mason concert which features Jim Messina and Band on July 31st at Alpine Meadows. And, for a special mellow evening, consider smooth saxophonist, Euge Groove, appearing on Saturday, July 26th, with guest acoustic guitar players Strunz and Farah.

Best selling jazz artist and Grammy-award winning jazz trumpeter, Christ Botti (a personal favorite) appears Thursday, July 24th, at the Tahoe Donner Trout Creek Recreation Center.

Even as I write this, I’m wondering if my husband would complain if I asked to go to all of the performances. I think I’ll have to choose carefully and am leaning toward the Andrew Lloyd Weber tribute in addition to the Chris Botti concert.

We’re so fortunate that productions of this caliber come to the Lake and if you have time to make it up to see a performance (or two) I’m sure you’ll be pleased.

You can get more information and purchase tickets for the Lake Tahoe Summer Music Festival online at www.tahoemusic.org.

Off and on for the last several weeks, the Tahoe Basin has become a catch-all for the smoke coming east from the many California fires. The smoke has been a constant reminder of the difficulties happening in places far from our immediate sight. Having been through our own fire last year, our awareness is heightened and our thoughts are with all the folks going through difficult times as fires approach their cities and neighborhoods. Our prayers and good wishes are with all the Fire and Public Service personnel who are doing their best to control the blazes and help those in need. We wish much good fortune to all of you who are dealing, in one way or another, with this California crisis.

Hope to see you in Tahoe soon,

Kathleen

Celebrity Golf is back in Tahoe

Seeing celebrities in our neighborhood is never as easy as during the annual Lake Tahoe Celebrity Golf Championship! The American Century Championship, held at Edgewood Golf Course, will host 78 pro-athletes and entertainers this year including crowd favorites Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley.  The celebrities participating in this year’s event are a diverse group including actors Dennis Quaid and soap heart-throb Jack Wagner, comedians Dennis Miller and John O’Hurley (Seinfeld’s J.Peterman and recent Dancing with the Stars winner), former Vice-President Dan Quayle, Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, and NASCAR superstar Dale Jarrett. 

We have members who travel to Tahoe every year just to watch the event and star-gaze around town.  Stories  are plentiful of people who run into these larger-than-life folks doing ordinary Tahoe things like playing at the casinos, going out to dinner and strolling on the beach.   When you figure we’re a small town full with celebrity tourists, the odds are better-than-normal that you’ll see someone interesting (although we think we’re all worth coming up to visit!). 

NBC’s going to televise the championship which will air on Saturday and Sunday (July 12-13), but the event really starts on Tuesday, July 8th. Smaller mid-week crowds give more opportunity to be up-close in the gallery.  If you can’t join us to see the event in person (tickets are available daily at the gate), then catch out all the action from the comfort of your living room. 

We anticipate having mid-week Bonus Time available.  If you’re interested in coming up for this event don’t wait to call.  Bonus Time is made available as people check-out early and is always first-come, first-served.  Give us a call now if you’re interested… 530.544.5211.

Fore!

Kathleen

The annual Air Show is flying into town

Summer’s in the air, and so are world class aviators!  Saturday, June 28th, marks the 50th anniversary of the annual Lake in the Sky Air Show at Lake Tahoe Airport.  The day starts off with a pancake breakfast at the airport offered by the Kiwanis club and increases in up to show America’s best stunt aerobatic aviators in all their twist and turns.  

An Air Force Heritage fly-by will fill the air and precision free fall skydiving teams will tumble out of it.  There’s exciting on the ground displays, too, including the “Shock and Awe” of the Navy’s F-18 Hornet Strike/Attack Fighter and the Marine Corp’s AV-8 Harrier “Jump Jet”. 

Helicopter and airpline rides are available at the airport for those of you who want a bird’s eye view of Lake Tahoe and the South Shore. 

Give us a call for Bonus Time, and come enjoy the show.

Kathleen

Almost Summer!

The finishing push is on to get all our summer preparations done in time for our busiest season of the year.  Arnulfo Jr.’s working practically ’round the clock to get the last of the spring remodels done in time for summer occupancy.  Landscaping is blushing with flowers thanks to Arnulfo Sr. 

Our Leader-In-Chief, Kenny Sutton, is working on the summer amenities everyone seems to love the most… Activities.  Kenny’s got all our best local recreation vendors lined up to give you a good time - and a good deal.  Plus, he’s got Laura Quick (our new Activities Supervisor) and the whole Activities Department primed for Barbecues, Bike Rides, Karaoke and many new events to entertain you.

___

Don’t think you have to own High Season to join in on the summer fun! We’ve got plenty of mid-week bonus time available, and we’re expecting another year of weekend availability since many of our guests go home before the end of their seven day stay.  You won’t know the availabilty unless you call, so check with us when you get the itch to come to Tahoe.  You can reach Kenny, or any of our Front Desk folks, at 530.544.5211.

___

The Fourth Annual Opening Days Lake Tahoe celebration is June 21-22.  On Saturday, Highway 50 at the Casino Corridor will be closed to traffic for the Blue Avenue Block Party, which is great fun.  There’s live music, street performers, Hot Rod and Harley exhibits, arts & craft fair and much more.  Sunday’s events include the annual Sternwheeler Race, and this year will be marking the 25th anniversary of the Tahoe Queen.  For more information, go to the Lake Tahoe Visitor’s Authority website at www.bluelaketahoe.com. 

___

Hope to see you Soon!

Kathleen

Memorial Day

As Americans come together to honor our fallen soldiers, we join in remembering their personal sacrifices.  We send best wishes to all of you who are mourning the loss of a military friend or family member.

Member Meeting this Weekend

Everything here is a hustle and bustle preparing for the Annual General Election and Membership Meeting being held this Saturday.  Many of our members are planning on attending and we’re putting the finishing touches on the presentation.  This year we’re at Embassy Suites, next to Harrah’s, starting at 10:00am.  If you’d like to come join us, we’d love to see you.

_____

Arnulfo Sr.’s tulips are up and the for those of you who don’t travel in the spring - you’re really missing a beautiful sight!  You can see the tulips and some other spring Tahoe photos on the Slide Show at the right.  Arnulfo Jr.’s going gangbusters with this season’s remodels.  Some Suns, the Solar and the long-awaited VIP remodel are all underway and Arnulfo Jr’s a master at it.  He does a million things at once, all well, and all with a smile on his face.  We’re so lucky to have him at the Stardust!  I’ll post some during-construction photos in the next couple of weeks.

_____

Kenny’s finally not freezing wearing his shorts to work every day - Tahoe’s a cool mid-70’s compared to the high 90’s I’ve been seeing on the news for the Reno area and the Central Valley.  I’m sure we’ll get warmer, but we’re still cooler than most other spots and if you need to escape, you know where to come. 

On Memorial Day we’ll start up our weekly barbecues and we’d love to have you join us.  Also, if you’ve never gone to a Renaissance Faire, you should really consider the Valhalla Renaissance Faire that’ll be in town at Camp Richardson the two weekends after Memorial Day.  Camp Rich is transformed into 7 acres of Lords and Ladies and everything in between.  The jousting is amazing.  To find out more check out the fair website at www.valhallafaire.com. 

_____

Until another post…

Kathleen (Asst. General Manager and Newbie Blogger)

Not a cloud in the sky.

Well, for the first time this year I wore short sleeves to work instead of a turtleneck or heavy sweater. The weather’s lovely. It’s just below 70 degrees out, the sun is shining and it’s a bright blue cloudless Tahoe day. I’ve been shoveling the snow off of the pile in the middle of my lawn and onto my flower beds so that my tulip’s don’t emerge while the snow blocks the view from the street. Now that I can do this kind of yard work, I know it’s spring. 

The town isn’t very crowded, so if you don’t like navigating through heavy traffic, it’s a perfect time for you to visit. We’ve got plenty of Bonus Time available for your spring getaway and it’s a great time to drive around the lake (you can really pay attention to the scenery instead of all the other cars). I’ll get some spring photos up soon for you to enjoy.

If you haven’t made your reservations for summer - don’t wait any longer. Most weeks are already booked solid and the earlier you call for your summer reservation, the better. Many of this summer’s reservations have been booked since 2007. You may be tired of hearing it, but the earlier you book, the more choice of availability you’ll have. Please give us a call, soon, if you still need a reservation.

Hope to see you soon!

Kathleen

Come experience our beautiful Tahoe weather!

Writing this, we’re heading into a beautiful Tahoe winter day with temperatures expecting to hit the mid-50’s. No snow coming today but we’re expecting a big storm this Friday - which brings even more snowy majesty to our mountains. And that’s Tahoe in March; 50’s for a week or so, then a weekend of snow, and back to warm weather.

Many of you non-skiers have told me you’ve never come up to Tahoe in the winter. You should consider the trip, the snow is beautiful and the driving is easy because (except for brief times) the roads are completely clear. Avoiding the travel difficulties is easy to do with up to date information. Here’s some tools for you. You can watch the Reno KOLO 8 TV Web Forecast by clicking on www.kolotv.com . You can also check current road conditions at any time by clicking on this link to Cal Trans: www.dot.ca.gov/. Of course, you can always just give us a call and we’ll tell you the latest… 530.544.5211.

Weekend Bonus Time is much more readily available since we’ve switched our use week to begin on Sunday. Give us a call 11 days out and we’ll get you all set up.

We’ll have the results of our Winter Employee Photo Contest posted soon. Please check out the photos, choose which one you think is best and see what many of us Tahoe locals look out on as part of our normal days. As Arnulfo Jr. says “It’s another day in Paradise”.

Happy Travels!

Kathleen Shoda (Asst. General Manager and Newbie Blogger)

FINALLY Snow!

Well, about 10 days ago we saw our first big snow storm in a long time.

Some of you have never been to the Stardust in snow, so check out the photo.

Arnulfo Jr. and Arnulfo Sr. and the whole maintenance crew worked long hours and throughout the night to keep parking and rooms accessible. What a blessing it is to have them with us!

Kenny had to take a cab to work, and some of us stayed on property because the snow made driving so difficult. But, we had lots of laughs, only one short period without power, and all is well at the Stardust. We all hope you weathered the storm in your area safely.

Did you know that you no longer have to submit your reservation in writing? You can call us at 1.800. 262.5077, make a reservation and get a confirmation number right over the phone.

We’re starting the New Year with a new website. The site is set up to accept comments from owners that can be published right on the site, so it’s called a Blog. I’m presenting lots of information for you to use and enjoy – and am hoping to have your input.

If you’d like to share your hints on how to travel, comments about trades you’ve really enjoyed, or even things like what your family loves about Tahoe, we’d like to here from you! You can send us comments using the spaces provided throughout the site.

We’ll be moving slowly with the site at first until we’ve got everything dialed in. Check back often for updated information on your resort and friends in Tahoe. We hope you enjoy visiting us on the web.

On behalf of all of us at the Stardust, Happy New Year!

Kathleen Shoda

Asst. General Manager & Newbie Blogger