Middletown Archives – The Lake County Bloom

January 14, 2021 | By A Community Member

Poetry Out Loud Competition Announces Local Winners, Sends Emily Maccario to State Competition

The Lake County Arts Council announces the winners of the Lake County Poetry Out Loud competition! The First Place Winner was Emily Maccario from Middletown High School. Second Place Runner-Up was Karen Espinoza and Third Place Runner-Up was Leslie Chairez, both senior high school students are also from Middletown High School.

December 9, 2020 | By A Community Member

Christmas in Middletown Offering Socially-Distanced Shopping This Weekend

With the evolving landscape of this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the Christmas in Middletown planning committee of the Middletown Area Merchants Association has decided to bring our area holiday tradition to its most basic form to help keep everyone as safe as possible. Though we won’t have our usual events and programs, Middletown shops will remain open to provide holiday shoppers the opportunity to support their favorite small businesses over a THREE-DAY time frame– encouraging social distancing.

December 3, 2020 | By A Community Member

Experience a Virtual Opening Reception this Weekend for MAC’s New Exhibit: HOME

Middletown Art Center (MAC) is hosting a virtual opening reception for their new exhibit “HOME” on Saturday, December 5th, from 6-8pm. The opening will feature a virtual tour of the gallery and conversations with exhibiting Artists and Co-Curators Nicola Chipps and Lisa Kaplan. Broadcast on Zoom, the event is free and open to the public. A link is available at MiddletownArtCenter.org. It will also be live-streamed on Facebook through MAC’s page @ARTMiddletown.

December 1, 2020 | By A Community Member

Subaru Partners with the Middletown Senior Center in Share the Love Event

Through Meals on Wheels America, the yearly Subaru Share the Love Event has helped deliver more than 2.3 million meals to America’s seniors since its inception in 2008. Subaru and its retailers support Meals on Wheels because it is part of their commitment—to leaving the world a better place than they found it through the core values of trust and love.

November 20, 2020 | By David and Trudy Wakefield

Get Your Dose of Coolness at Koontz Mercantile

Reuben and Kassie Koontz moved back to Lake County in 2015 after living in Santa Rosa for years. There, Reuben did high-end autobody work and made great money. But they wanted a different, more rural lifestyle. So Kassie moved back home to Middletown, where her family has lived for four generations. There, she and Reuben created Koontz Mercantile, an eclectic shop filled with all kinds of cool stuff. And ‘cool’ is the right word. The place has an aura of hipness. A surfboard serves as a shelf in the outdoor room, while a bicycle turned into a side table sits underneath rows of aprons filled with different sayings. “Shut up Liver, You’re Fine,” one reads.

October 30, 2020 | By David Wakefield

Eat, Stay, and Play at Twin Pine Casino

It’s seven o’clock in Middletown, California. The sun has just set, leaving its last beams to stretch across the rugged Mayacamas Mountains. As the last glimmer of purple eases from the ridges of Mount St. Helena, the lights around Twin Pine Casino begin to glimmer. Located approximately thirty minutes north of Calistoga and just south of Middletown, a rural town with an incredible art gallery and spectacular Thai food, Twin Pine has been a part of the Middletown community for decades. It hosts free Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, supports the local community, and serves as an evacuation center during fires. And, like everyone else, Twin Pine has had to adapt. Following the COVID shut down in March, Twin Pine made some large adjustments to ensure that the guests were safe when they visited.

October 22, 2020 | By A Community Member

Navigating the Chaos through Art, Saturday October 24 on Zoom

The Middletown Art Center (MAC) invites community members to participate in Navigating the Chaos, this Saturday, October 24, from 1:30pm-3:30pm on Zoom. The workshop will be facilitated remotely on Zoom by Neurographica® Specialist and Artist Antje Howard.

October 14, 2020 | By A Community Member

Restoring Community Post-Disaster Through Art: A Reading of Poems and Writings

The Middletown Art Center (MAC) invites the public to a reading of poetry and prose from its newly released chapbook RESTORE: Restoring Community Post-Disaster Through Art. The reading will take place on Zoom this Saturday, October 17, from 5pm to 7pm and is hosted by Lake County Poet Laureate 2020 – 2022, workshop facilitator, and RESTORE chapbook editor, Georgina Marie.

The Middletown Seed Lending Library is a free program committed to increasing the public’s ability to eat wholesome food by offering seeds and education.

October 6, 2020 | By Jan Cook

Middletown Seed Lending Library Offers Fall/Winter Garden Kits

The Middletown Seed Lending Library, located in the Middletown branch of the Lake County Library at 21256 Washington St. is offering free fall/winter vegetable garden kits to the public. Call the library at 707-987-3674 to make an appointment to pick up a garden kit.

October 1, 2020 | By A Community Member

Looking to Help the Community? Middletown Senior Center is Hiring

The Middletown Senior Center is hiring a part time employee. 8:30am-1:30pm M-F. We need someone with kitchen experience, someone who could step up and cook when our head cook is out. Must be able to lift up to 50lbs, be reliable, and understand that we have a vulnerable population depending on us. We take pride in our food and our safety .Pay depends on experience we offer most holidays paid, Vacation pay, sick pay, Aflac and retirement. Call Lori at 987-3113.

September 3, 2020 | By A Community Member

Reframing Trauma Through Art and Poetry Workshop This Saturday at MAC

The Middletown Art Center (MAC) invites community members to participate in Reframing Trauma: A Therapeutic Drawing and Writing Workshop, this Saturday September 5, from 12:30pm-3:30pm on Zoom. Artist Antje Howard and Lake County Poet Laureate Georgina Marie will guide participants in a drawing and writing workshop to process and reframe trauma into creative expression. This class is the first of MAC’s current Second Responder series. The workshop will include a drawing process, a writing process, and time to share. “Drawing will help us to ground and explore the breadth of the emotions we are feeling at this current time,” explained Antje Howard. “We will use the Neurographica® technique, a simple intuitive drawing process that can help us to see things from a new perspective. No prior art experience is required, and all you need is a piece of paper, thin and thick black markers or pens and colored pencils, markers, or crayons.”

September 3, 2020 | By A Community Member

A New Sign for the Middletown Community Garden

The Middletown Community Garden is pleased to announce its newly erected, locally made sign. Established in the summer of 2016, one year after the devastating Valley Fire, the Middletown Community Garden was built on a lot generously leased to the NCO Gardens Project by Calpine at The Geysers at no cost. A three year grant from Calpine Corporation aided in garden construction and fund garden needs. Today the garden consists of 35 plots continuously providing fresh food while serving as a safe, healing space for fire survivors and as a reminder that the Middletown Community is rebuilding.

August 17, 2020 | By A Community Member

Middletown Pool Open Until October 13

The Middletown Pool will remain open until October 13, 2020 weekend. Pool hours are as follows: Wednesday through Sunday from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

August 13, 2020 | By A Community Member

College Drawing and Composition, Offered Online and at MAC

The Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College has been offering studio art classes at the Middletown Art Center (MAC) since Winter Semester 2019. This Fall Semester, the college is offering Drawing and Composition, Beginning (Art-4A-K8843). The class begins August 17 online so that participants are familiar with the tools and methods needed for remote learning. It will be available as a hybrid choice online or on-site in the MAC studio, (social distancing observed) in the coming weeks. The course is taught by artist and seasoned instructor Lisa Kaplan MFA, who is also Programs Director, Co-curator and an exhibiting artist at Middletown Art Center.

ELEMENTAL exhibit with “Sieve” by Scott Parady in the foreground (photo MAC Staff )

August 3, 2020 | By A Community Member

ELEMENTAL and Postcards from Isolation Open Aug 8 Virtually and at the MAC

The Middletown Art Center (MAC) is opening its first exhibit since the Shelter in Place, “ELEMENTAL”, on August 8 from 6-8pm. A second capsule exhibit, “Postcards from Isolation” will be featured in the small gallery. The public is invited to participate in an evening of arts and culture with artists and art appreciators online, via Zoom and Facebook, or onsite at MAC. Social distancing and masking will be observed at MAC indoors and outdoors.

July 21, 2020 | By A Community Member

Middletown Community Farmer’s Market and Makers Faire Is Open Fridays Through September

The Middletown Community Farmer’s Market and Makers Faire continues at the Middletown Art Center (MAC) this Friday July 24 and every Fridays thereafter through September 25. The market features localfresh organic produce and makers wares including crafts, self-care items, and clothing. Come support your local Farmers and Makers!

Laura Kennedy with the armature for her Owl at Trailside Park
Photo: MAC Staff

July 13, 2020 | By A Community Member

Co-Create a Sculpture This Weekend with Artist Laura Kennedy

EcoArts Sculpture Walk is happening a little differently this year due to Covid-19. But, thanks to an award from the National Endowment for the Arts for LOCUS, A Sense of Place, work is currently being co-created and installed at the park. This Friday July 17 and Saturday July 18 from 8-11 am, the public is invited to join Laura Kennedy to co-create an owl and learn some of Laura’s sculpture making techniques.

Children collaborate on artwork while distancing during MAC’s June summer camp

July 7, 2020 | By A Community Member

Art for Art’s Sake Summer Camp at MAC Starts July 13

Middletown Art Center (MAC) invites children ages 5-15 to engage in Art for Art’s Sake summer camp. This enriching and fun creative adventure begins July 13 and runs through July 24, Monday thru Friday from 9:30am-12:30pm. The Instructors for this second session of camp at MAC are Jessie Beck, First Grade teacher at Cobb Mountain Elementary and Dance teacher, and Artist Lauren Schneider who has taught Grades K-8 multiple subjects, Art at Lower Lake High School, and Homeschool Art classes at MAC.

June 30, 2020 | By A Community Member

Middletown Pool Opening July 1st

The Lake County Public Services Department is happy to announce that the Middletown Pool has been scheduled to open for the 2020 swim season. The pool will be opening on Wednesday, July 1, 2020. The hours of operation will be 12:00pm-5:00pm Wednesday through Sunday. We will be following the California Department of Public Health guidance on public pools in response to COVID. Please review and honor guidelines while at the Middletown Pool so that we may stay open and offer you a great swim season.

June 12, 2020 | By A Community Member

MAC Reopens with a Natural Woodworking Workshop on Saturday

The Middletown Art Center (MAC) will kick off its reopening this Saturday, June 13 with a Natural Woodworking Workshop with Sculptor Marcus Maria Jung. The public is invited to join the workshop from10am-3pm. Social distancing will be observed. Bring a mask, work gloves and tools you might have (like chisels and hammers) as well as water. There will be a break for lunch, so plan ahead.

May 27, 2020 | By A Community Member

Connecting Community in the Age of Social Distancing Offered at the Middletown Art Center

The Middletown Art Center (MAC) invites community members to participate in Connecting Community in the Age of Social Distancing – a meditative art inquiry with Antje Howard Saturday, May 30, from 11am-1pm via Zoom. The workshop will focus on reinvigorating our connection to one another and to different parts of ourselves, some of which have been quite dormant during the past 2 plus months.

May 26, 2020 | By A Community Member

Middletown Senior Center June Drive-By and Meals On Wheels Calendar

Drive by pick up for noon-time meals and Meals on Wheels deliveries for the month of June.

April 27, 2020 | By A Community Member

Middletown Art Center Offering “Tools for Visibility in the Age of Social Distancing,” an Online Workshop for Artists

The Middletown Art Center (MAC) announces a 3-part digital marketing workshop “Tools for Visibility in the Age of Social Distancing” geared to professional artists. It’s happening this Sat. May 2nd from 1:30 to 3pm and the next two Saturdays May 9th and 16th. This course is designed to help artists explore a range of new digital tools to inventory their work and collections, and to establish an online presence. “It will help you to market and manage your art career more easily and professionally, and provide an online showcase for potential buyers, collectors, and galleries to see your work more easily,” explained Workshop Leader and Curator Nicola Chipps. “We will also be talking about the Covid-19 Crisis and resources within the arts community that can provide a forum for discussion, as well as relief programs.”

April 6, 2020 | By A Community Member

Need Some Art in Your Life? Take a Virtual Tour of the Middletown Art Center

Even though you’re at home, you still can enjoy some beautiful art at the Middletown Art Center. Follow this link to a delightful, walk-through tour of the MAC while you sit at home in your pajamas.

March 30, 2020 | By A Community Member

Middletown Meals on Wheels Still Operating: Drive-Thru Pick-up and Home Delivery Available

Currently, the center’s building is closed so there are no activities for April. However, Meals on Wheels is still in operation. The center has set up a drive-thru at noon for lunches for seniors. For more information, call Lori at 987-3113.