Poetry in Parks: Tahoe’s Artistic Celebration

June 13, 2024
10:00 am
Event Recap

Painting of a blue bison on a wooden board, standing beside white flowers with green foliage, and a patterned border at the bottom. A water bottle is seen next to the artwork. — Sara Smith, a local Tahoe artist, painted “Blue Bison” during the Poetry in Parks event at Tahoe State Recreation Area on June 6, 2024. Photo by California State Parks.

A group of ten people, some standing and some seated, pose outdoors beside framed wildlife artwork. There are trees and a pergola in the background. One person is wearing a uniform and hat. — Reno Poet Laureate, Jesse James Ziegler, seen third from the right, is joined by local poets and musicians at the Poetry in Parks event at Tahoe State Recreation Area on June 6, 2024. Photo by California State Parks.

California State Parks hosted a Poetry In Parks event at the day-use area at the Tahoe State Recreation Area/Truckee River Outlet near Fanny Bridge and the Gatekeeper Museum in Tahoe City on Thursday, June 6th. The event was free and open to the public. The show opened with local musician Robbie Gade and the beautiful singing of Christine Marie Bernasek. Scott Green, the Poetry In Parks program manager from California State Parks, joined Robbie on harmonica and the two of them got the crowd dancing with a bluesy cover of JJ. Cale’s, “They Call Me the Breeze.”

Tahoe Artist, Sara Smith, displayed several of her amazing paintings around the event and painted another piece-in-progress of a Blue Bison on reclaimed Lake Tahoe pier wood during the readings. Talented local poets including Aimee Lowenstern, John Merryfield, Roxy Hankinson, Kat Terry and Alice Osborn provided spoken-word performances to enrapt listeners. Alice Osborn, who also works for the Sierra State Parks Foundation, sang and played several historically inspired songs on her acoustic guitar.

Alice Osborn sings and plays songs at the Poetry in Parks event at Tahoe State Recreation Area on June 6, 2024. Photo by California State Parks.

A man stands in front of a microphone stand with a forest backdrop, with his thumbs hooked inside his front pockets. He wears a black baseball cap, black framed glasses, and a black long sleeve buttoned shirt, and gray jeans. Behind him, are two plastic picnic tables and an acoustic guitar. — Councilman of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, Lydell Wyatt, welcomes attendees in the Washoe language at the Poetry in Parks event at Tahoe State Recreation Area on June 6, 2024. Photo by California State Parks.

A bearded man stands in front of a microphone stand with a forest backdrop, holding and reading from a collection of papers. He wears a black vest on top of a light purple dress shirt khaki pants, and brown boots. Behind him sits a plastic picnic table and an acoustic guitar. — Reno Poet Laureate, Jesse James Ziegler delivers poems at the Poetry in Parks event at Tahoe State Recreation Area on June 6, 2024. Photo by California State Parks.

Councilman, Lydell Wyatt from the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California welcomed all who attended in the Washoe language and acknowledged the sacredness of the site and the outlet of Tahoe, known as daubaOdu ‘E’ in Washoe which translates to, “flowing away over the edge”, as still an important place in their traditional homelands for the Washoe people.

The evening reading was anchored by the incredible Reno Poet Laureate, Jesse James Ziegler, who used the theme of the event, “A sense of place” to create several new pieces of poetry that he delivered to the audience. He began with an epigraph, “May your search through nature lead to yourself” and read his newly written poem for the event, “This is one of those places for me.” The evening alpenglow, quaking aspen, and sounds of the flowing Truckee River provided a spectacular backdrop for the event.