SERIOUS QUESTION: If you had hosted something major and world-famous -- let's just say, the Olympics -- would you wrap it all up at the fortnight's end, packing the torches and the commemorative tracksuits and would you bid adieu, forever, to the five rings? No, you probably wouldn't. Because once the Olympics have been in town, that's your gold star to brandish forever, and brandish it you should. Look to Lake Tahoe, which hosted the best winter athletes in the world in 1960. Signs of this glory can still be seen around the lake even over a half-century later, and memories of the competition are seen in photographs and stories. But there's an even more present way Tahoe celebrates its Olympic heritage: A multi-day celebration of its role in the 1960 event, complete with cameos by the athletes who competed. The party is happening through Monday, Jan. 21, with a centerpiece event featuring Nordic athletes of the 1960 games on Friday, Jan. 18.
THE OLYMPIAN DINNER: This is open to the public, so view it as a chance to rub shoulders with the likes of "coaches, course designers, and groomers." Interesting stuff. Granlibakken Resort is the place. The Olympic History Walking Tour at Squaw Valley -- that's on Sunday, Jan. 20 -- looks equally as fascinating, and certainly if you're a regular at the Valley but don't know all the stories.
TAHOE TRIP: Winter is in no way winding down by the big lake, but March has a way of showing its warmer-days face faster than we expect. Get all the info on cold-month events beyond Olympics Heritage Week, including events happening at the resorts and in and around the water.
