Mark Twain Wild West Festival | Music, History, Food & Fun

MT Wild West Poster

Mark Twain Wild West Fest
October 19, 2019 - Downtown Angels Camp

The Mark Twain Wild West Fest has been announced for Saturday, October 19, 2018, from 10 am to 5 pm, on Main Street in historic downtown Angels Camp.

The inimitable, immersive, description-defying, high-camp and whimsical Mark Twain Wild West Fest promises to be a living interpretation of the Wild West Gold Rush-era.

Featured are three stages of non-stop music, comedy and entertainment; roving street performers, magicians, jugglers, musicians, honky-tonk piano players and dance hall girls; beer, wine and food; gun-slinging cowboys and outlaws and shoot-out reenactments, as well as villains and damsels in distress; gold miners, their encampment and gold panning demonstrations; a flapjack breakfast; over 80 street vendors of all descriptions including arts and crafts, and local goods. Admission and parking are FREE all day.

For more information, contact: Angels Camp Business Association

Wooden Boat Show | Concours d’Elegance | Lake Tahoe Boat Show

by Writers Workshop

Wooden Boat Show Concours d'Elegance Poster

Concours d'Elegance Wooden Boat Show

Concours d'Elegance, Wooden Boat Show in Lake Tahoe
August 11th & 12th, 2023

The Lake Tahoe Concours d'Elegance is now in its 49th year presented by The Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation, Inc., and has become the most prestigious vintage wooden boat show in North America. This event offers the opportunity for the public and collectors alike to appreciate these classic treasures.

The vessels in the marine scheduled for the show will be on display at the Obexer's Boat Company, in Homewood, (West Shore of Lake Tahoe) in California. It is not a few boats that will be on display at Obexer's, all of the boats, for the entire show will be at Obexer's.

The history of wooden boats dates back to the early 19th century and was designed for the elite who had a taste for the finer things in life.

The Lake Tahoe Concours is the heart of wooden boat week which begins with a variety of activities including an Opening Night Gala, the Exhibitor's Barbecue, and Awards Presentation, Men's Grill, Ladies' Luncheon on the lake, Wood-Over-the Bottom race, an all-inclusive Mahogany Magic event.

The Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation's goal is to be able to realize a surplus for the Concours and these events to carry out its mission of helping preserve the environment and history of the Lake Tahoe basin. The Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation uses proceeds from the show to make charitable donations exclusively focused on providing educational opportunities originating in the Lake Tahoe area that enhance expertise or understanding of maritime skills.

For more information, contact the Lake Tahoe Concours and The Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation website.

49’er Festival | Parade and Chili Cook-Off

by Writers Workshop

49'er Festival, Groveland, CA - September 21th, 2024

The annual Forty-Niners Festival, Chili & Salsa Cook-off will take place on Saturday, September 16th. The event starts with a parade on the main street, followed by all-day events in Mary Laveroni Park.

The events will include a Chili-Salsa cook-off and live music. Schedule events include an old west gunfight, a kid's zone, and food booths. Vendors displaying locally made hand-crafted products will be part of the activities. We hope you enjoy the festival return and invite you, your family, and friends to join in and celebrate the 49'er Festival in Groveland.

For more information, contact the Yosemite Chamber of Commerce.

Visit our Highway 120 Merchants

Around The Horn Brewery - A new craft brewery and taproom is now located on Highway 120 in Big Oak Flat. The equipment used is a seven-tank brewing system. In designing the brewery, it has evolved from what works best in the building. Stop by on your way to Yosemite National Park.

Evergreen Lodge - Nestled in the woods bordering Yosemite National Park, the Evergreen Lodge is a newly expanded historic resort combining a timeless feel with modern comforts such as full-service dining and professional recreation and wellness programs. (See Sierra Lodging for more information.)

Groveland Hotel - a boutique hotel in the heart of downtown Groveland

Hungry Bear Cafe is serving Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner for the entire family. You can choose to eat in the restaurant, or you can take your order out and be on your way. The restaurants are located right on Highway 120 in Groveland. They have killer milkshakes too.

Kevin & Randis Old Fashion Meat Market - This little meat market features grass-fed beef along with choice cuts of beef, lean quality pork, organic poultry, wild-caught seafood along with gourmet assorted deli meats land cheeses.

Mar-Val Food Store - This newly expanded market has added additional freezers for more products, a new deli area serving pre-made ready-to-eat foods, a new bakery with freshly made cakes and pies, of course, their newly created takeout sandwiches.

Yosemite Adventure Supplies - We are the last stop for your camping, hiking, climbing, fishing, and swimming supplies plus gifts & souvenirs.

Groveland Jail & Garden | How it all started

by Writers Workshop

The Groveland Jail

Groveland Jail & Garden History

In 1992 as small group of new resident felt that they needed to help this historic jail. An "interest sheet" was posted on the bulletin board at the local grocery store to see if others shared their interest. There were 35 names posted in one day. These early members started the process of forming the Pine Mountain Lake Garden Club. The PML Garden Club had their first meeting on February 3, 1992.

It was suggested that this meeting that the club adopts the jailhouse area as its main project. This was a huge task of turning the jail grounds into a beautifully landscaped garden spot. Volunteers and local businesses merchants put in time and equipment to make this project possible.

When traveling on Highway 120 on your way to Yosemite National Park, you will pass through downtown Groveland. Just on the main street, you will find the historic Groveland Jail This jail dates back to the 1895-1902 era. After 1930, it was no longer needed to house "bad guys." This historic building had fallen on hard times.

"It was and is a labor of love." Maintaining the garden and jail is the Pine Mountain Lake Garden Club's gift to the community.

Stop by and visit the garden and Jailhouse and see the hard work the garden club has done to this spot. They invite you to stop in anytime, sit for a while, have lunch and take a stroll in their peaceful garden.

National Trails Day | Sierra Hiking & Biking Trails

by Writers Workshop

Hiking on the High Sierra Trail

The first Saturday in June is National Trails Day and is celebrated here in the Sierra. This event is held throughout the United States and it is a time to showcase and to help us promote awareness of the wide variety of benefits that our California trails provide and to encourage people to discover their local trials and instill excitement for the outdoors. Find your Sierra Trails.

Trails are for more than just hiking. Trails provide access to waterways for canoeing and paddle trips. Bird watching and biking are some other favorite trail activities.

Yosemite National Park and the surrounding area offer unique hiking and bike riding opportunities. Check in with the locals before heading out.

Yosemite Adventures Supplies in Groveland offers information on the best hiking trails and they supply maintaining biking information as well as renting bikes. Stop by on your way to Yosemite National Park.

The Tahoe Rim Trail Association provides hiking and biking trail information They help maintain one of the most iconic and beautiful long-distance recreation trails in the world. The 165+ mile single-track trail is open to hiking, equestrians, and mountain biking (in most areas). The trail circumnavigates the ridge lines of the Lake Tahoe Basin, crossing six counties, four National Forests, three wilderness areas, two states, and one state park.

The Tahoe Rim Trail Association also manages approximately 30 miles of side and connector trails. The entire Tahoe Rim Trail is designated as a National Recreation Trail and has approximately 50 miles that are co-located with the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail and is, therefore, part of the National Trails System.

The mission of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association is to maintain and enhance the Tahoe Rim Trail system, practice and inspire stewardship, and preserve access to the natural beauty of the Lake Tahoe region.

Yosemite Music Festival | Mariposa, California

by Writers Workshop

YOSEMITE MUSIC FESTIVAL
July 6-7, 2018

The Yosemite Music Festival is located in the Sierra Nevada foothill town of Mariposa, California. The event takes place at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds.

The festival is in its 16th year and was originally located at the Carter Ranch in Mariposa. Then it was called Carter Ranch Music Festival. In 2013 the festival was relocated to a permanent location in town and was renamed to avoid confusion with the location change.

The event is produced by Chuck Carter and Adam Finney working together with a host of volunteers. The event brings the best touring acts possible to the small town environment of Mariposa.

According to the promoter Adam Finney, “The event has always been about the collaboration of artists and their unique interactions with the townspeople, fans, and supporters of the event. The festival is for both travelers coming to Mariposa for the first time and longtime locals; it has something for everybody."

The Yosemite festival provides a simple and stunningly mellow environment for people to interact with incredible quality original music by local, regional, national and international bands. The promoter's book bands based on the caliber of the music they play.

This is a grassroots commitment to providing a variety of professional, historically significant, varied and deeply relevant music to people, whether or not they already like or know about a band they book

For more information, contact them at: Yosemite Music Festival

Tour of California | A bike race through California

by Writers Workshop

Tour of California comes to the Sierra

Stage 2 | Rancho Cordova to South Lake Tahoe

The Tour of California, officially known as the Amgen Tour of California, is a professional cycling race that was first held in 2006. This eight-day race covers 650–700 miles as it travels through the state of California.

The race has become an annual event of professional cycling riders representing ten to twelve teams. The race teams each have ten to twelve members and over 150 riders will start in the race.

All of the racers are members of the UCI World Tour and USA Cycling Professional Tour. The Tour of California has 6 Stages and a one-time trial race to determine the winner.

After starting the 2019 Amgen Tour of California in a familiar locale, Stage 2 begins in the new host city of Rancho Cordova, fifteen miles upstream along the American River. Rancho Cordova may be a new partner for the race, but the peloton’s journey to the slopes of South Lake Tahoe’s Heavenly Ski Resort is well-known and feared by local cyclists and the peloton.

From the start, the route gradually prods uphill. Over the next 122-miles, the peloton will climb over 14,500 feet and three KOM's (King of the Mountains) - even finishing uphill to the mountain’s ski lifts. The race’s Queen Stage (women) comes later in the week, so the overall contenders can go for the General Classification lead here but they would be well-advised to save their legs.

For more information: Amgen Tour of California

Covers Apple Ranch | Have a family fun day in Tuolumne County

by Writers Workshop

Covers Apple Ranch
Odds & Ends Vintage Craft Fair
April 21st - 10 AM to 3 PM

An odds and ends vintage craft fair is coming to Cover Apple Ranch on April 21st from 10 AM to 3 PM. The craft fair will be held at the ranch located at 19211 Tuolumne Road in Tuolumne, California.

Cover's is holding this craft fair to showcase local craftsmen, their crafts, and re-purposed items. There will be booths with bakery items and their delicious Covers Cider along with cover's handcrafted grilled sausage to sample and enjoy. Mi-Wuk Kettle corn will be on hand and a book signing from a local children's book author, Kristie Wildle. She will be at the fair to meet your children and sign her new book "It a Jungle in Here!" In addition, a pair of tickets for a Mother's Tea will be raffled off for the May 10th event.

Covers will be open during normal business hours from 8 AM to 5 PM and their steam train will be giving run rides and will be running every half hour. Bring all the kids, admission is free.

For more information, contact Covers at (209) 928-4689 or visit their website at ww.facebook.com/covers-apple-ranch.

Volcano, California in Amador County | Find lodging and community events

by Writers Workshop

General Store - Volcano, California

The community of Volcano, California in Amador County lies at an elevation of 2070 feet (631 m). The population was 115 at the 2010 census. The town is registered as a California historical landmark. The town is named for its setting in a bowl-shaped valley which early miners thought was caused by a volcano.

Early morning fog rising from the valley floor only reinforced that belief. The area was first known designated by Colonel Stevenson's men, who mined Soldiers Gulch in 1849.

In 1851 a post office was established and by April 1852 there were 300 houses. By 1853 the flats and gulches swarmed with men, and there were 11 stores, six hotels, three bakeries, and three saloons. Hydraulic mining operations, begun in 1855 and brought thousands of fortune seeking miners into Volcano looking for an easy was to mine for gold. Volcano has a number of Gold Rush-era buildings with signs indicating their historic significance. A post office opened in Volcano in 1851. Volcano boasts one of the longest running general stores in California, having been in continuous use since 1852.

The Union Billiard Saloon and Boarding House opened in 1880 and was also the site of the Volcano Justice Court, presided over by Judge Peter Jonas. In 1862, B.F. George built the St. George Hotel that is still in operation today.

The Volcano Theater Company was founded in 1854. The company conducts a full season each year, performing in both the 35-seat Cobblestone Theater and in the larger outdoor Volcano Amphitheater.

Daffodil Hill is scheduled to open Friday, March 17th.

Daffodil Hill is a public garden open each spring to the public at no cost for admission. Daffodils were first planted in the mid-19th century by landowner Pete Denzer to remind him of Holland, his home country. In 1877, Arthur McLaughlin and his wife, “Lizzie” van Vorst-McLaughlin bought the property, which is still owned and managed by their descendants. Approximately 300,000 flowers are in bloom during the Spring. For more information call a recording at (209) 296-7048.

Patrick Michael Karnahan | An American Artist

by Writers Workshop

"Heroes of August”, an oil painting by artist Patrick Michael Karnahan is being exhibited in local galleries.

America’s Woodland Firefighting Artist, Patrick Michael Karnahan, has just completed an original oil painting of the California Rim Fire. The painting was inspired by the brave efforts of the many firefighters who fought one of the largest fires in California’s History.

The painting features the United States Forest Service Hot-Shots from the Groveland Ranger District, Cal-Fire engine # 4455 from Twain Harte, and the very large DC-10 from 10 Tanker Air Carrier Service. This scene depicts the arrival of fire forces that are getting ready to take action on the large blaze. “ My vision of the story is that both crews arrived on the scene and are sizing up the fire”- Karanahan. The artist has presented the composition in such a way that the viewer sees the fire that the crews are looking at.

Artist oil painter Patrick Michael Karnahan paints fire scenes from a real-life experience. During the Rim Fire, the artist worked as a firefighter for the United States Forest Service. Patrick first became a firefighter in 1979 on the Plumas National Forest. To date, the artist has worked 18 seasons with the Forest Service. “When it comes to painting these fire scenes you have to know your subject, you can’t fake it!”- Karnahan.

Patrick Michael Karnahan is considered one of the leading artists on the subject of Wild and-Fire. In 2005, Karnahan’s artworks were exhibited at the National Mall in Washington D.C. as part of the Smithsonian’s celebration of the United States Forest Service 100th year birthday. Karnahan started oil painting at the age of eight years. The artist’s works have been featured in many magazine & book covers, calendars, and fine art posters. Karnahan is also noted as an award-winning American Railroad Artist, with over 400 railroad portraits completed.