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MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – There was a festive feel on Friday night when local cuisine, art and music were celebrated throughout the small town as part of First Fridays in Middletown.

People strolled Middletown’s streets, stopping at businesses and public spaces such as the Gibson Museum and the Middletown Art Center, where artists, crafters and a variety of food purveyors were on hand.

Live musicians were strategically located throughout town, so that participants were serenaded at each stage of the walk.

First Fridays is a collaborative community effort, and this year the “Meet Your Makers” series spotlights a different Lake County micro industry each month.

The June event recognized local culinary artists with the theme “Eat Your Art Out,” and one could satisfy a craving for pizza, tacos, Filipino lumpia, Thai spring rolls, sushi burritos, vegan cheesecake, and a variety of other delectable bites, thanks to vendors scattered throughout the walk.

At the Middletown Art Center outdoor space in the center of town, Aromas Café from the Woodland Community College Culinary Arts Program served up steak or mushroom tacos while Goddess of the Mountain made pizzas with natural ingredients in their wood-fired oven.

Local growers sold produce, Shed Horn Cellars poured wine, and the Clearlake Grocery Outlet offered an opportunity to win prizes by spinning a wheel.

Inside the Middletown Art Center, the work of local artists was on display, including that from classes for children and Woodland Community College students.

At the south end of town Star Gardens Nursery was alive with music and featured exotic food from Wholly Bowl, including sushi burritos, fruit skewers and Thai noodle salads.

Six types of lumpia (filled with such things as organic bison) could be consumed in front of the Gibson Museum, where Bing’s Kitchen Catering was set up.

Koontz Mercantile featured wine tasting by Pope Valley Winery, Buddha Thai Restaurant offered spring rolls and Thai iced tea, and the Middletown Creamery featured a raw vegan blueberry “cheesecake.”

Close to the heart of First Fridays in Middletown is the art walk that is part of each event. Those who wish to view art throughout town are given a treasure map showing the location of each artist, where their work is available for sale.

First Fridays in Middletown takes place May through October from 6 to 9 p.m.

This year’s future themes are Gems and Jewelry in July, FUNctional Art in August (with the emphasis on fun), Media and Technology in September, and Wellness in October.

I was told that attendance was down somewhat because of the graduation ceremony at Middletown High School. Even so, the event was lively, with many people who “ate their art out” as the sun went down over our little town.

To learn more about the Middletown Art Center, visit www.middletownartcenter.org.

Those interested in learning more about local history and the work of the Gibson Museum and Cultural Center may visit www.friendsofgibson.com.

Local business owners in the Middletown, Cobb, and Hidden Valley area may wish to learn more about the Middletown Area Merchants Association by visiting www.middletownareamerchants.com.

Esther Oertel is a writer and passionate home cook from a family of chefs. She grew up in a restaurant, where she began creating recipes from a young age. She’s taught culinary classes in a variety of venues in Lake County and previously wrote “The Veggie Girl” column for Lake County News. Most recently she’s taught culinary classes at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa, Calif. She lives in Middletown, Calif.

Officials said Saturday that Cal Fire Capt. Stacy Hamilton from the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit was killed in an early morning vehicle accident in Merced County.

“On behalf of all Californians, Jennifer and I extend our condolences to Captain Stacy Hamilton’s family, friends and colleagues in this difficult time. It’s the work of brave firefighters like Stacy that keeps our communities safe and we are deeply grateful for his service,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Hamilton began his career with Cal Fire in the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit in 2006, after previously working for the United States Forest Service.

Hamilton was assigned to the Sierra Training Center, Forestry Training Program, where he trained inmates for more than four years. He then transferred to Columbia Helitack in 2010.

In 2013, Captain Hamilton moved into the fixed wing side and was assigned to Columbia Air Attack Base as an Air Tactical Group Supervisor on AA440, where he was currently assigned.

Cal Fire said Capt. Hamilton was a competent, skilled and professional Air Tactical Group supervisor.

Capt. Hamilton, a resident of Shaver Lake, is survived by his wife, Katie, and two teenage sons, Ian and Logan.

“Please keep Capt. Stacy Hamilton, his family and his colleagues in your thoughts,” Cal Fire said in a Saturday statement.

In honor of Capt. Hamilton, State Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff, Newsom’s office said.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control’s kennels are filled this week with a wide variety of adoptable dogs.

Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of beagle, border collie, boxer, Chihuahua, German Shepherd, Great Pyrenees, Labrador Retriever, Lhasa Apso, pit bull, poodle, shepherd, treeing walker coonhound and wirehaired terrier.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Female wirehaired terrier

This female wirehaired terrier has a coarse brown coat.

She is in kennel No. 1, ID No. 12080.

‘Buddy’

“Buddy” is a male beagle with a short brown and white coat.

He already has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 5, ID No. 11906.

Female shepherd

This female shepherd has a short black and brown coat.

Shelter staff said she smiles.

She’s in kennel No. 6, ID No. 12343.

Dachshund-Chihuahua mix

This male dachshund-Chihuahua mix has a short brown and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 7, ID No. 12344.

‘Maui’

“Maui” is a female Great Pyrenees with a long white coat.

She is in kennel No. 9, ID NO. 12323.

‘Scooby’

“Scooby” is a male poodle mix with a medium-length white and tan coat.

Shelter staff said he previously was an outside-only dog in a family with 5- and 12-year-old children. His owner described him as very friendly and smart.

He is in kennel No. 11, ID No. 12312.

‘Scubi’

“Scubi” is a male pit bull with a short tan and white coat.

He already has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 12, ID No. 12290.

‘Beau’

“Beau” is a male shepherd with a medium-length black coat.

He has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 14, ID No. 6745.

‘Luke’

“Luke” is a male treeing walker coonhound with a short tricolor coat.

Shelter staff said he is dominant with other dogs and would prefer not to play but just soak up human affection. He can live with others but prefers to not have them in his space. Luke is good with children ages 6 and above.

He has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 18, ID No. 11771.

Female boxer

This female boxer has a short brown and white coat.

She already has been spayed.

She is in kennel No. 19, ID No. 12326.

Female German Shepherd

This female German Shepherd has a medium-length black and tan coat.

She is in kennel No. 21, ID No. 12273.

Pit bull-border collie mix

This female pit bull-border collie mix has a short tricolor coat.

She is in kennel No. 23, ID No. 12274.

‘Charlie’

“Charlie” is a male Labrador Retriever with a black coat and white markings.

He’s in kennel No. 25, ID No. 12262.

Female Lhasa Apso

This female Lhasa Apso has a curly black and white coat.

She already has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 26, ID No. 12328.

‘Moana’

“Moana” is a female Great Pyrenees with a fluffy white coat.

She’s in kennel No. 27, ID No. 12324.

Chihuahua-terrier mix

This male Chihuahua-terrier mix has a short black coat.

He’s in kennel No. 29a, ID No. 12112.

Male German Shepherd

This male German Shepherd has a short black and tan coat.

He’s in kennel No. 30, ID No. 12314.

‘Duke’

“Duke” is a male Labrador Retriever with a short black coat with white markings.

He already has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 34, ID No. 11022.

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm.

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

NASA's Curiosity rover has confirmed that the region on Mars it's exploring, called the "clay-bearing unit," is well deserving of its name.

Two samples the rover recently drilled at rock targets called "Aberlady" and "Kilmarie" have revealed the highest amounts of clay minerals ever found during the mission.

Both drill targets appear in a new selfie taken by the rover on May 12, 2019, the 2,405th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

This clay-enriched region, located on the side of lower Mount Sharp, stood out to NASA orbiters before Curiosity landed in 2012.

Clay often forms in water, which is essential for life; Curiosity is exploring Mount Sharp to see if it had the conditions to support life billions of years ago.

The rover's mineralogy instrument, called CheMin (Chemistry and Mineralogy), provided the first analyses of rock samples drilled in the clay-bearing unit. CheMin also found very little hematite, an iron oxide mineral that was abundant just to the north, on Vera Rubin Ridge.

Other than proof that there was a significant amount of water once in Gale Crater, what these new findings mean for the region is still up for debate. It's likely that the rocks in the area formed as layers of mud in ancient lakes – something Curiosity also found lower on Mount Sharp. Water interacted with sediment over time, leaving an abundance of clay in the rocks there.

Amid this new drilling and analyzing, Curiosity took a break to watch some clouds – all in the name of science. The rover used its black-and-white Navigation Cameras (Navcams) to snap images of drifting clouds on May 7 and May 12, 2019, sols 2400 and 2405. They're likely water-ice clouds about 19 miles (31 kilometers) above the surface.

The mission's team has been trying to coordinate cloud observations with NASA's InSight lander, located about 373 miles (600 kilometers) away, which recently took its own cloud images. Capturing the same clouds from two vantage points can help scientists calculate their altitude.

More information about Curiosity is at https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/ .

More information about Mars is at https://mars.nasa.gov/ .

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Firefighters are battling a vegetation fire in Yolo County that has led to evacuations and a highway closure.

The Sand fire began at about 2:50 p.m. Saturday in the Capay Valley area near the town of Guinda, according to Cal Fire.

By 8:30 p.m., Cal Fire said the fire was reported to have reached 1,700 acres, with no containment.

So far, no structures have been damaged or destroyed, Cal Fire said.

However, evacuations have been ordered for all residents on County Road 41. Cal Fire said an evacuation center has been set up at the Boy Scout Camp in Esparto.

Highway 16 is closed from Highway 20 to the town of Brooks, officials said.

Cal Fire said the fire was moving at a rapid rate of spread and is on steep, brush-covered slopes.

Conditions in the area are reported to be hot and dry, with wind out of the northeast at around 20 miles per hour.

Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the state have been flying fire suppression missions on the Sand Fire as conditions allow, Cal Fire said.

Cal Fire said the assigned resources include 38 engines, five water tenders, four helicopters – one of them Copter 104 from Boggs Mountain in Lake County – along with four hand crews, five dozers and a total of 500 firefighting personnel.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Friday, community members and city officials gathered to celebrate the city of Lakeport’s latest accomplishment – the acquisition of a new community center.

On March 29, the city officially acquired the former Bank of America building, located at 500 N. Main St., as a donation from the company, as Lake County News has reported.

During the Friday celebration, local, state and federal leaders hailed Bank of America’s donation of the building to the city as the result of a unique partnership, and an important development that will have big benefits for the community.

“This is a very exciting day for the city of Lakeport,” said City Manager Margaret Silveira.

Lakeport Mayor Tim Barnes said the building – reported to be 6,400 square feet – is now the largest meeting space in the city.

He thanked other city leaders and offered special recognition to Silveira, who when she saw the building go vacant, wondered about the possibilities of a new community center, made numerous calls, filled out paperwork and made contact with company officials including Jason Foster, who was on hand for Friday’s celebration.

“Not only did you ask the right question, but we came up with the right answer,” Foster said.

He said they’re aware of the challenges Lakeport has faced, and he’s glad about how the donation will improve the community. Foster said he’s looking forward to seeing what the city does with the building.

“This is an incredible opportunity for this community,” State Sen. Mike McGuire said.

He added, “This is an innovative partnership between the bank and the city of Lakeport,” and one that transitions the building into the long-awaited community center.

Laura Beltran of Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry’s office also lauded the donation as evidence of a unique partnership, and in a video shown at the ceremony, Congressman Mike Thompson congratulated the city on an “exciting milestone” that’s part of its revitalization.

Bank of America closed the branch – its last in Lake County – in November 2017.

The bank had a branch in Lakeport since 1930. The city reported that A.P. Giannini’s Bank of Italy opened in Lakeport at the southwest corner of N. Main Street and Second Street in February 1927, becoming Bank of America three years later.

The branch later moved to the N. Main Street location in 1969, the year it was built.

When the new branch opened, the key of the old Bank of Italy building was presented to branch Manager Bill Bergem in October 1969.

Bill Bergem died in July 2011 at age 89. His son, Rick Bergem, chief of the Lakeport Fire Protection District, found that gold key in his father’s belongings.

On Friday, Rick Bergem brought the key, framed, to present to a delighted Mayor Barnes.

Rick Bergem said his father worked for Bank of America for 42 years, and had passed up promotions that would have required he move his family to the Bay Area because he wanted to raise his children in Lakeport.

Bill Bergem served as manager of the local Bank of America branch for 22 years. Rick Bergem pointed to a back corner of the building where his father’s desk sat.

As part of the ceremony, the city unveiled a bronze plaque to mark the building’s donation, which recognizes Bank of American and includes the formal date of acquisition and the names of elected city, county, state and congressional representatives.

Silveira said the city has been busy taking out the bank’s counters and doing some cleaning. However, there is more work to be done and she said it will be awhile before it’s ready to be open to the public for events.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.