Harris named Sierra Nevada Republicans entrepreneur of year

On Nov. 11, Kim Harris of Western History ALIVE was honored at the Sierra Nevada Republican Women’s monthly meeting when she was awarded SNRW’s “Woman Entrepreneur of the year for 2020.”

Harris grew up in a small, isolated Sierra Nevada town near Donner Lake. It is an area with heavy winters and only about 100 people year-round. The isolation only served to fuel her fertile imagination. After grade school in Donner, she moved with her parents to South San Francisco, where she graduated from high school. Her father had always emphasized the importance of history. When she moved to Genoa in 2011, she found herself immersed in its past, and she began a love affair with the places and people of this area.

Harris became a member of the Board of the Lake Tahoe Historical Society. She was introduced to McAvoy Lane, who portrays Mark Twain in a wide variety of settings. He sparked her interest in a magically entertaining way of sharing the stories of the past. Harris has served on the Douglas County Historical Society board and the Nevada Division of the National Pony Express Association board. She currently serves as president of the Friends of Snowshoe Thompson Committee.

A well-known local Chautauquan character, actress, and author, Harris has immersed herself in western history. This led her to create a small business called “Western history ALIVE.” Its goal is to preserve our rich local history. Various groups and organizations engage Harris to present programs educating their audiences on Sierra Nevada’s past in an entertaining manner.

“We are keeping history in the now, which is more important than some realize,” said Harris.