Another first for us was attending the fantastic Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony at Montbleu. From quality shopping, accommodations, recreation and dining options to the myriad service providers and businesses, the Blue Ribbon Awards honor all that business should be.  This important awards program salutes those businesses that are making significant contributions to the South Shore economy.

The evening began with a champagne reception and photo ops. Emily is one of the amazing team members who makes all the Chamber events magical.
Georgette allowed us to go home with some sweet Tahoe South swag. Fun stuff.
Each year, Tahoe Chamber solicits nominations in the six key categories that represent the breadth of business on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe.  Each nomination is carefully considered by the Blue Ribbon Awards Task Force and after a series of discussions, eight award winners are chosen to receive one of several awards. Steve and I were guests of Epic Tahoe due to our nominating them for the beyond incredible Rock Tahoe Half Marathon.
My submission:  How can one explain the powerful experience the Rock Tahoe Marathon gave? Pushing oneself beyond expectations in a setting so spectacular that if running hadn't taken your breath away, the view certainly did.

For hours, hundreds of people absorbed the sights, smells, sounds and warmness of our town.

As a volunteer greeting the finishers, all proclaimed complete and utter delight in being in this race. The cheering squads, the welcoming staff at the Hard Rock and the well organized team made it all come together flawlessly.

Sean, Jason and Jess, the Rock Tahoe Marathon team, were welcoming to all. As an observer, I think what they did for Tahoe with this event will have an incredible ripple effect and they so deserve this award. It was an honor to be a part of it all.
Senator Ted Gaines presented all winners with a California State Senate Award. Very cool indeed.
Besides a sumptuous meal provided by Montbleu, seeing numerous people we knew get well-deserved recognition, and the fact that our nominees won, the night was incredible because it introduced us to an amazing array of South Shore businesses doing awesome things for our community. We left feeling pride in our town and excited for the people who are making a difference.