I am happy to present to you our fourth local business spotlighted in the Pay it Forward feature – A + H General Store.
Tag: Lake County
Lake County, California – North Coast Opportunities (NCO) is pleased to announce the launch of “Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN)” in partnership with California Volunteers, Office of the Governor. This grant-funded project will support hyper-local communities around the lake by hosting various events to increase social cohesion within neighborhoods, empowering their capacity for resiliency in times of disaster.
Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) announced that Sherry Treppa was chosen as the Lake County Woman of the Year. Every year, Rep. Thompson selects inspiring women from California’s Fourth District to recognize their contributions and efforts over the last year.
With less than two weeks remaining for the 2023 NEA Big Read, the Lake County Library is hosting an array of events through March 25th, 2023. Lake County residents are invited to attend the following events at no cost. Free copies of the book, Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz, are available at each library branch and at all events while supplies last.
The Born to Breathe Youth Media Festival is accepting entries from youth in the four-county North Coast region of Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte counties. Due to a generous donation from Adventist Health Clearlake, the prize fund for this year’s festival is $5,000. Young people ages 13 – 24 are eligible to enter the festival and the deadline to enter is April 12, 2023. Entry details can be found on the NorCal 4 Health website at www.NorCal4Health.org/born-to-breathe.
The Lake County Arts Council and the Main Street Gallery are celebrating Women’s History Month by showcasing some of our amazing Lake County women artists.
Continuing its mission to improve the local economy by developing and supporting small businesses, The Hands Up Lake County Small Business Competition is accepting applications for 2023. The deadline to apply is May 31, 2023.
This week an action taken by the Lake County Board of Supervisors on February 7th to extend the Lake County Tourism Improvement District (LCTID) for another 10 years became effective. The LCTID does business as Visit Lake County CA and is now authorized to continue operating until December 31, 2033.
The Lake County Women’s Civic Club (LCWCC) is offering graduating high school students the opportunity to earn a $1,000 scholarship to the vocational program of their choice. All Lake County high school counselors, have received the necessary application forms for interested students. Some of the requirements of this program are that the student be a Lake County resident attending school full time at this time. Students must have a 2.75-grade level and consideration will be made for students who are involved in the community. For more information about this opportunity students or parents may contact the high school counselor or Debra Fredrickson at greendeb@gmail.com.
Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College (LCC) invites you to join us in our celebration in honor of Women’s History Month, “Women Making a Difference in Lake County.” The event will be held Thursday, March 9, 2023, from noon-1:00 pm, in rooms 209-211.
What started as a way to have a little bit of fun during the Thursday night snowstorm ballooned into an avalanche of responses. A Snowman Contest, where the entrants built their snowman, then posted it on Facebook, generated more than 800 snowman pictures by the time the contest ended Sunday afternoon.
Our local businesses deserve some love after the challenges from Covid-19 and our recent struggling economy. Every month two Lake County businesses will be highlighted through a unique series of questions. The catch is that I will not choose the next business to interview, but the current spotlighted business will choose who I will interview next. Local businesses will Pay it Forward.
In the mountains north of Napa, an undiscovered wine country continues to garner high scores from major wine critics. Sol Rouge’s 2018 Petite Sirah was recently awarded 97 points in Wine Enthusiast, a new high score for Lake County wines and
a sign of a rapidly developing wine region. Fifteen minutes north of Calistoga off Highway 29, is Lake County’s wine country. Lake County wines have obtained 94 points or higher ratings by Wine Enthusiast 46 times in recent years.
The current drought is making many homeowners interested in reducing the likelihood of damage to their homes during a potential wildfire, but they may lack informed guidance on where to start, and in what order. The Seigler Springs Community Redevelopment Association (SSCRA), a Cobb area-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is offering free personalized home risk assessments during 2022 with potential, qualified funding assistance for homeowners to address hazardous fire fuels starting in Loch Lomond and Salmina Meadows.
Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) held a virtual reception with students from California’s Fifth District who submitted pieces of art to his 2022 Congressional Art Competition. At the reception, Thompson celebrated all of the artists and announced the finalists from each county and the grand prize winner alongside a panel of judges.
In partnership with Blue Zones Project Lake County, the Lake County Library hosted several discussions, cooking classes, and walking groups all designed to help patrons apply the principles of The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons From the World’s Happiest People by Dan Buettner. All events were free to the public, and free copies of the book were made available to the public.
Yup, it’s springtime, and Lake County is at its most beautiful. The fruit trees are blossoming and people wander around humming, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Yes, it’s that kind of beautiful. There’s no better time to hop in the car and enjoy a tour of one of the world’s beautiful places.
It’s a clear Lake County winter morning. The morning sun glints down off Susie Q’s Donuts and Espresso, reflecting off the building. It’s a hard place to miss; the bright pink paint draws the eyes immediately. Step inside, and, depending on the time of day, the smell of donuts, bacon, or coffee fills the building. The same pink that covers the outside continues indoors. Dark wood floors and tables contrast the bright walls, and country music comes through the speakers, creating an inviting atmosphere. It’s a place to come, grab a donut or sandwich, and sit down to enjoy them over a cup of coffee.
Wine Enthusiast recently announced that California’s Lake County has been nominated for a Wine Enthusiast 2021 Wine Star Award for Wine Region of the Year.
“This nomination affirms Lake County’s reputation as a premium winegrowing region,” said Debra Sommerfield, president of the Lake County Winegrape Commission. “Growers in our region have consistently produced outstanding winegrapes for many years, and we’re thrilled that Wine Enthusiast, an authority on the wine industry, has recognized Lake County as one of the top winegrowing regions in the world.”
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.
A hot, gusty breeze passes by our footsteps, bringing with it needles falling from the giant redwood overhead. We walk through the heart of Library Park, looking for a picnic table safely away from other visitors, two of Juicy’s spectacular pizzas in each hand. The gusty afternoon breeze hasn’t settled down into balmy summer evening just yet; another flurry of wind blows open our pizza box. But slight pink hues in the sky creep over the lake, hinting at a beautiful sunset to come.
I flip the pizza box shut, trying to turn it a direction where the wind won’t blow it open again.
“Congratulations on your first six months as Poet Laureate,” David says, then takes a large bite of pizza. Georgina smiles, pulling back her hair from her face as another breeze brushes by us.
Cornelia Sieber-Davis stands behind the curbside pickup booth, wearing a brown Lake County Farmers’ Finest t-shirt, her bright eyes framed by her bangs and the white mask covering the rest of her face. It’s Saturday in Kelseyville, and the Farmers’ Market is in full swing.
“Many people choose to order online,” she says, bustling to move signs and boxes filled with produce. “And every week we’re getting more and more things to buy on the website. I get the orders and aggregate them all here.” She shuffles a box around and puts something else in it.
It’s an adjustment to interesting times that seems to be working. The table is filled with boxes waiting to be picked up. While we’re chatting, a woman wanders over to the booth and pokes at a peach. “These are for curbside pickup,” Cornelia says brightly. “But, you can buy some just over there.” She points across the open area. “They’ve got plenty.”
She chats for a while with the woman and shows her some of the olive oil on sale. It’s just one of the many items it’s possible to find at the market. You can find original paintings, jams and jellies, all different kinds of veggies, as well as honey, succulent starts, herbs, fruits, and cookies. It’s a cornucopia of Lake County’s finest.
While you may not know musician Mike Guarniero personally, odds are you’ve seen him play. For years he has been involved in the Lake County music scene and played with over twenty different bands. You might have heard him play with his band, Dr. Groove, which regularly has performed in the county. Or you might have caught his Lake County Music Guide, which posts on Facebook and in The Bloom (when there is live music).
Sitting in the courtyard of Pogo’s Pizza in Kelseyville earlier this week with Mike felt as if we were seated with a long-time friend we haven’t seen in a while. You might feel the same if you are a music lover in Lake County; Mike’s friendly personality makes conversation easy.
Picture this: It’s early evening, late spring. Between the emerald blue sky, popcorn clouds puff into the distance, building in thicker clumps as they bump into the Mayacamas Mountains. Below them sits Clear Lake, flecked with the smallest specks of whitecaps. The mountains rise from the lake in a motley assortment of greens and tans that blend into grey-violet as they back into the distance.
“I’ve got a friend who has a place in Lake Geneva,” Craig says, “and she sent me some photos of the view. I said, ‘That’s a great view. Now look at ours.’ And I sent her photos of the view from my deck. ‘Wow,’ was all she said. I mean, the view here is drop-dead gorgeous. All those places have got nothing on Lake County.
I feel like we’re on vacation 24/7,” he says, a smile in his voice. “It doesn’t seem like I’m working with a view like this one.”
But that’s not entirely true. In fact, Craig has been hard at work, developing a new line of ducks called Good Ducks, which are in fact the only rubber ducks that are 100% made in the USA. “You know, the funny thing is that I own this business one hundred percent,” Craig says. “I never took an investor. I don’t like being told what to do. I knew who I was and what I could do, and it’s a fortuitous thing that it’s turned out this way. Because if I had to report to a board, they probably wouldn’t have let me do this. They would think it was too much risk, too much of an expense. We had to find a whole new way of molding the ducks using food and medical grade materials to make the safest rubber ducks in the world for teething babies. But we’re going to end up selling tens of thousands of them.” He pauses. “And we’ll sell millions of them if we do it right. It’s a better mousetrap, and definitely a safer one from what’s currenty out there.”
The day has finally closed; it’s eight o’clock in the evening. Daylight has settled into twilight, and the sky, purple-grey, slowly dims to black. Then, off in the distance, a loud, lingering noise rises from the valleys, bounces off the mountains, and echoes through the night air. It’s time for the community howl. People all over the county pop out of their homes, stand in their backyards, and do their best wolf imitation.
A little over a week ago, the howl came to Lake County, echoing across the rooftops in Hidden Valley Lake, reverberating off Cobb Mountain, and bouncing off the waters of Clear Lake. Perhaps it’s a whim, but every night, like clockwork, it happens. It’s true; we’re all cooped up right now. The evening howl is a great way to work off some steam and to remember that we still do have neighbors, and they may be a bit weird, too.
Our family looks forward to the moment when the clock strikes eight. Then we pop outside, stand on our patio and let go. “Hawoooo!” we yell, and our dog chips in for good measure. Then we stop and listen. There, in the valley below us, an answering “Oooooooo” rises in the night air. There’s another human out there! We howl back and forth for a few minutes, sharing a small connection during a time when our entire society is disconnected. Sure, it seems a little bit silly, but it’s so lovely to let all the frustrations and worries out and just howl. For those few moments, there’s no SIP, no COVID, no stress, just a call into the evening air. You can call it cheap therapy, a sure sign of our county’s loneliness, or just plain strange. Whatever you think of it, it’s happening all around you. And oh, it feels so good just to let go.
So, tonight at eight, head out to your backyard and give your best wolf imitation. And if you’re too cool to make a fool of yourself, don’t worry. We’ll howl louder for you.
