The Middletown Art Center is celebrating its seventh year by officially becoming MAC For Lake County, the County’s premier contemporary art destination. Join this historic moment at the MAC For Lake County launch event on October 9th, 4:30pm to 7pm, at MAC, or from home on Zoom.
PRESS RELEASES
The Sierra Club Lake Group will host Dr. Nicholas Jensen, California Native Plant Society Conservation…
The Lakeport Main Street Business Association (LMSA) welcomes you to Lakeport’s 2nd Annual Pumpkin & Dia De Los Muertos Festival taking place in Historic Downtown Lakeport, between 1st & 4th on Main Street, from 11 am to 8 pm on Saturday, October 2nd.
Virginia “Ginny” DeVries, Literacy Program Coordinator for the Lake County Library’s Adult Literacy Program, has retired this month. Ginny worked for the library for over 33 years and has been the guiding force of the Adult Literacy program. Year after year, she recruited and encouraged thousands of volunteer tutors and paired them with students looking to improve their reading and writing.
The Rotary Club of Middletown announces its 2021-2022 president, Dennis Skinner, and new meeting time and location. Meetings will be held on Thursday mornings at Twin Pine Casino in the Private Dining Room at 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Pre-Covid, the club met at the Greenview Restaurant in Hidden Valley Lake.
All people deserve access to delicious and nutritious food,” says Deanna Fernweh of NCO’s Community Kitchen Project (CKP). “This project will feed our homeless neighbors, provide a variety of support services to those in need, and develop job skills for cooks-in-training.”
A project of North Coast Opportunities, the CKP is a collaboration between the City of Lakeport, Lakeport Police Department and Woodland Community College. It aims to support Lakeport residents experiencing homelessness or food insecurity by serving ready-to-eat meals and water, twice per week.
To help reduce the risk of wildfires, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is trimming trees and clearing bushes, grasses and other vegetation near more than 4,000 distribution poles in Madera, Lake, Nevada, Yuba and Napa counties by the end of the year. Work is scheduled to begin in the coming weeks and will include Middletown and Cobb.
Millions of lives have been changed through recovery. For those experiencing alcohol and/or drug addiction, there are recovery programs that can help. Prevention is also crucial, and we celebrate groups that work to keep youth from developing patterns of substance abuse through education and early intervention. “We all need to work together to increase awareness and improve understanding about diseases and the negative effects of substance abuse,” states Todd Metcalf, Director of Lake County Behavioral Health Services.
This year the Middletown Art Center celebrates seven years of serving Lake County and is doing so by transforming into the MAC. The MAC for Lake County! As part of this growth, the MAC is calling everyone (artist or not) to help visualize their future with an art competition for a new logo. First place prize is $500! After popular demand, the deadline has been extended to September 24th, 2021.
The Westside Community Park Committee recently held the first of five public meetings to engage the community in the design of the Westside Community Horse Park. The meeting was held at the site of the future park on Highway 175 west of Lakeport and attended by more than 30 people. Following a BBQ hot dog dinner by Walt and Jaxan Christensen those in attendance were able to view the site and offer their ideas for development. The final four meetings are scheduled for Thursday, September 9 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM; Saturday, September 18 from 10:00 AM to Noon; Thursday, September 23 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM and Wednesday, October 6 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.
In November 2020 the Board of Directors of both corporations agreed to join forces and to pursue their common Mission as the Redwood Trails Alliance with an initial Board of Directors combined from both nonprofits. By joining forces, the new Trails Alliance will be able to increase the quality and quantity of our local trails for more trail users while respecting the environment we visit. Their work includes education, advocacy and trail projects which are funded by memberships, donations, and income from trail construction and training services. Trails Alliance projects have included trail design, construction, and maintenance. The Trails Alliance is currently working at several Sonoma County Regional Parks, including Helen Putnam in Petaluma, Foothill in Windsor and Taylor Mt. in Santa Rosa and recently completed trail work at Napa County’s Moore Creek Park. The new organization will be co-led by Ken Wells and Deb St.Cyr.
The Lake County Tourism Improvement District (LCTID) Board of Directors today adopted “Visit Lake County CA” as the official brand for the work and destination marketing efforts funded by LCTID assessment revenues collected by lodging establishment in the County. “The LCTID Board of Directors embraced “Visit Lake County CA” because it is an established name that already enjoys a level of recognition in certain segments of our tourism promotion markets,” said Lake County Supervisor and LCTID Director, Jessica Pyska. “We are confident that this new, more action-oriented tag will drive interest of our county as a visitor destination deeper into our target markets.”
The Smart Start Eligibility Wizard (www.smartstartwizard.org) is an exciting new website designed specifically for Lake County parents and caregivers of children, prenatal through age five. The Wizard goes beyond the limitations of an early childhood resource guide and gives families the ability to not only learn about services in the community, but also quickly determine their eligibility and begin the application process or be connected with service providers for more information with a simple click or tap on their mobile phone, tablet or computer.
In response to the Cache fire that devastated nearly 60 homes in mid-August, North Coast Opportunities (NCO) has reopened its wildfire relief fund, both accepting donations and providing financial relief checks to community members most impacted. NCO has been hard at work supporting the needs of Cache Fire Survivors and by Tuesday, had already delivered 27 checks exceeding a total of $30,000.
The Konocti Lioness Club has re-organized to become the Konocti Women’s Service Club, a proud independent service Club, looking forward to serving the Lake County community with the same motto “For Kids’ Sake”. All of the money raised goes to charities that support kids at risk. The purpose of their club is to provide opportunities for women to unite in friendship and in mutual understand and to guide, teach and reach the children of our community. Their goal is to give service and to be philanthropic with their monies to support youth with dignity and motivation.
Downtown Lakeport, California was alive with activity on August 14 as the hottest cars, trucks, bikes, military vehicles and vintage RVs gathered in a car show fundraiser for Operation Tango Mike. The charity has been sending care packages to deployed military personnel for 18 years with over 23,000 packages shipped. In total over $12,500 was raised this year, making this the organization’s largest fundraiser. But, more than that, the event draws people to downtown Lakeport providing a much-needed boost to the shops and eateries in this historic town.
Many in our county are once again facing loss and displacement due to wildfire. Despite the fact that Lake County has seen more than its fair share of fires, Lake County residents remain remarkably resilient. However, it is common for folks who endure these situations to experience strong emotions during and after the event. It is critical to remember there is no one “standard” reaction to the stress. There are a number of things one can do to restore health and well-being.
Family Support Center Clothing Closet in Middletown needs donations to help recent fire survivors. They are taking clothing and shoe donations for their open closet in order to supply recent fire survivors and their children with clothing. They are in big need of infant and children’s clothes, boys and girls of all sizes. Any women’s and men’s clothing is also accepted. If you would like to donate other items, please call first. (707)987-9601. Located at 21389 Stewart St. #E, Middletown, Ca.
On Tuesday, August 17, 2021, local nonprofit Shade Canyon School gained authorization to become a tuition-free, Waldorf-inspired public charter in Kelseyville, Calif. Shade Canyon School will open in September of 2022 with grades transitional kindergarten through third grade, then expand by one grade each year until it offers a full TK-8 program. The school’s curriculum is designed to educate students’ head, heart, and hands through hands-on learning, integrated subjects, outdoor exploration, movement, storytelling, practical skills, and the arts.
Six well-known blues bands over three evenings Labor Day weekend highlight the 14th annual Blue Wing Blues Festival. The Festival is held in the early evening outdoors under the sycamore trees between the Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing Restaurant in Upper Lake CA.
On May 21, the Rapid Results Institute (RRI), and HomeBase, with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), announced the Lake County Continuum of Care had accepted the 100-Day Challenge to accelerate efforts in preventing and ending youth homelessness within our communities. Lake County, the City of Long Beach and Monterey and Mendocino Counties comprised RRI’s third cohort of California jurisdictions.
Lake Family Resource Center (Lake FRC) is offering a 65 Hour Tri Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking Volunteer and Response Training to interested community members. This training is free and open to the public. Persons who successfully complete the training will receive Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking Counselor Certifications through Lake Family Resource Center and will have the opportunity to work or volunteer for the victim service programs.
We’d like to thank all the applicants for the time and energy they invested in sending their applications to the Hands Up Lake County Business Plan Competition 2021. All the applications were impressive, and it was a tough selection process. We have decided to move forward with 20 candidates whose applications meet the requirements of the program.
Argonaut Constructors has contracted with the City of Lakeport to construct the waterfront parking rehabilitation project. Work includes water line replacement, storm drain upgrades, curb, gutter, sidewalk, and the reconstruction and paving of the parking lot between Third Street and Fifth Street in downtown Lakeport.
Some of the best grillers in Lake County will fire up their barbecues and pit their skills against one another Saturday, Aug. 7, in one of the hottest contests this summer, and the public is invited to help choose the winners. Attendees will enjoy samples and cast votes for their favorite grillers while supporting improvements at Westside Community Park at this year’s “Grillin’ on the Green,” returning after the Covid-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 event.
