Jon Grant

Growing up, Mia Andler would spend weeks at a time during summer with her family sailing the Finnish archipelago — her days spent swimming and fishing, exploring caves and forests, inventing games with her siblings and the sea birds. She didn’t know how good she had it. “I was lucky enough to spend my entire summers outside without electricity,” she reminisced. “I got to connect with the islands and feel the spacious timelessness of that.” VILDA students practice tracking on a summertime excursion.

When Tahoe Joy Festival founder Matt Axton speaks of music, he speaks plainly: “Music is the closest thing to magic that there is in the world.” And of the world, he says, “Unification is something we need now more than ever, and joy is the central ingredient.” THE FOUNDER: Matt Axton & Badmoon are country rockers with a story to tell. Photo courtesy Matt Axton music.

For the second time in their two-year existence, the Tahoe Knight Monsters are heading to the playoffs. The hockey team earned the #4 seed in the Mountain Division of the Western Conference of the ECHL and will play the Kansas City Mavericks in the Mountain Division Semi-Finals of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. “It’s really exciting,” said Brenden Paul, Knight Monsters broadcast and communications manager. “It creates an added buzz around the fan base.