News

THIS STORY IS BEING UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL EVENTS.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Ghosts, goblins, monsters of all shapes and sizes, and costumed figures are expected to be out in force for Halloween festivities taking place this week.

Annual celebrations are planned for trick-or-treaters of all ages in the afternoon and evening hours on Tuesday.

The weather forecast is for pleasant daytime temperatures in the low 70s that are expected to drop into the high 40s at night.

While there will be an 83-percent waxing gibbous moon that night, trick-or-treaters and their parents are encouraged to make sure that they have flashlights and retro-reflective tape on costumes to make them visible.

Motorists are urged to be on the lookout for children as they make their Halloween rounds.

If you don’t see an event listed, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we’ll update the calendar.

The events roundup follows.

TUESDAY, OCT. 31

Lakeport Elementary School Halloween costume parade

Lakeport Elementary first- through third-grade students will take part in the school’s Halloween costume parade through downtown from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m.

The parade has been a tradition for generations of Lakeport schoolchildren.

It will begin at the Natural High School property in the 800 block of N. Main Street and head south on Main Street to the intersection of First Street.

The Lakeport Police Department and Lakeport Public Works Department will be on hand for traffic control.

City of Clearlake City Hall-OWeen Bash

The city of Clearlake will its annual City Hall-OWeen Bash from 2 to 5 p.m.

Trick or treat at city hall, where there will be candy trick-or-treat bags for children and treats for all, including pizza.

This year's costume theme for city staff is “Night at the Movies.”

Clearlake City Hall is located at 14050 Olympic Drive.

Trick or Treat Main Street

The Lakeport Main Street Association will host Trick or Treat Main Street from 2 to 4 p.m.

Trick-or-treaters will be welcome to stop in at downtown businesses.

The fun is topped off with a costume contest at Museum Park, located across the street from the courthouse.

Fifth annual Trunk-or-Treat and Parade

The Lake Community Pride Foundation and Lake County Youth Center will host the fifth annual Trunk-or-Treat and Parade from 4:30 to 9 p.m. at Redbud Park, 14655 Ballpark Ave. in Clearlake.

The parade takes place around Redbud Park beginning at 4:30 p.m., with the Trunk-or-Treat portion taking place from 5 to 9 p.m.

There also will be a haunted house, food and music.

The event is free.

The city of Clearlake will temporarily close a portion of Golf Avenue from 14825 Lakeshore Drive to 14800 Ballpark Ave. from 3 to 10 p.m. for the festivities.

Clear Lake Riviera Community Association Trunk or Treat

The Clear Lake Riviera Community Association will host its Trunk or Treat event from 5 to 7 p.m.

The event will be held at 9689 Soda Bay Road.

For more information, call the association at 707-277-7281.

Kelseyville Trunk or Treat

The Kelseyville Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will host a Trunk or Treat event from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the lower parking lot at Kelseyville High School, 5480 Main St.

There will be lots of candy and hot chocolate for all.

The event is free.

Lucerne Community Church Trunk or Treat

The annual Lucerne Community Church Trunk or Treat celebration will be held from 6 to 8 p.m.

The event will take place in the hall and the back parking lot at the church, 5870 E. Highway 20.

There will be treats, games and other fun activities.

For more information call the church at 707-274-8326.

Spring Valley Halloween Carnival

The Spring Valley community will hold its Halloween Carnival from 6 to 9 p.m. at the community center, 3000 Wolf Creek Road, Clearlake Oaks.

The event will feature candy and other treats, a haunted house and an array of fun activities for children and adults.

Kiwanis annual Halloween Kids Fair

The Kiwanis Club of Lakeport’s annual Halloween Kids Fair will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Clear Lake High School Gym, 350 Lange St. in Lakeport.

This free community event is open to all children and families.

They will have games, treats, pumpkin weight guessing and costume contests with prizes.

FRIDAY, NOV. 3

‘Halloween Spirits’ benefit

The Halloween Spirits benefit concert will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, at Big Valley Hall, 1510 Big Valley Road, at the Finley/Lakeport border.

Door charge is $10 per person. No pets.

Lake County party band Clean Sweep will be performing rock, R&B and blues, so wear your dancing shoes.

Costumes are encouraged at this celebration of Halloween and Day of the Dead. Special treats for costumes can be claimed at the door.

Local wine and handcrafted beer, soda, water, treats will be sold. Local vendors and friends have donated items for the raffle and silent auction.

Halloween Spirits is a mutual benefit for Big Valley Hall renovations to improve the venue for future benefits and for Hope City to rebuild homes lost in the 2015 to 2017 fires.

More details are on Facebook at Lake County Fire Recovery Benefits or call 707-278-7126.

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. – Lake County Animal Care and Control continues to hold several cats taken in during the Sulphur fire in order to reunite them with their families, while offering several other felines to new homes immediately.

The Sulphur fire cats are in a 30-day holding period to allow them to be reclaimed before they are put up for adoption to the general public.

Those felines from the Sulphur fire area are listed at the top, with the general population cats below them.

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.

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

SULPHUR FIRE CATS

Female domestic short hair

This adult female domestic short hair was found in Clearlake Oaks on Oct. 13.

She has a brown tabby coat and gold eyes.

She is in kennel No. 88, ID No. 8742.

Male domestic short hair

This male domestic short hair cat was found on Mira Vista Lane in Clearlake on Oct. 12.

He has a black coat and gold eyes.

He’s in kennel No. 94, ID No. 8728.

Female domestic short hair

This young female domestic short hair cat was found in Clearlake on Oct. 13.

She has a torbie coat and gold eyes. She has not been altered.

She’s in kennel No. 99, ID No. 8739.

Female domestic short hair

This young female domestic short hair cat was found in Clearlake on Oct. 12.

She has a gray coat and green eyes. She has not been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 147, ID No. 8732.

Male domestic short hair

This male domestic short hair cat was found on Mira Vista Lane in Clearlake on Oct. 12.

He has a black coat and gold eyes.

He’s in kennel No. 153, ID No. 8727.

Male domestic short hair

This male domestic short hair cat was found on Mira Vista Lane in Clearlake on Oct. 12.

He has a black and white coat and gold eyes.

He’s in clinic kennel No. 295, ID No. 8729.

GENERAL SHELTER POPULATION

‘Simba’

“Simba” is a young male gray tabby with a short coat and green eyes.

He is in kennel No. 53, ID No. 8777.

Domestic short hair

This domestic short hair cat of undetermined gender has a short black coat and gold eyes.

The cat is in kennel No. 117, ID No. 8805.

Male domestic short hair

This adult male domestic short hair has a brown tabby coat with white markings and green eyes.

He already has been altered.

He’s in kennel No. 132, ID No 8781.

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. – The city of Lakeport has opportunities for the general public to become involved in local government by serving on local commissions and committees.

If you have an interest in serving your community, officials said applying for a position on a city commission or committee is a great place to start.

The city invites applications for the following committees and commissions:

– Lakeport Planning Commission;
– Parks and Recreation Commission;
Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee, also known as LEDAC.

These appointments would be effective as of Jan. 1, 2018.

Membership on these commissions and committees is voluntary.

Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. Nov. 30.

If you are interested in serving on one of these committees, applications are available on the city’s Web site, www.cityoflakeport.com, under the Hot Topic, “Now Recruiting: Commission/Committee Openings.”

For additional information, please contact Deputy City Clerk Hilary Britton at 707-263‑5615, Extension 12, or by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The first days of November are forecast to bring with them a solid fall rainstorm.

The National Weather Service’s Sacramento office reported that rain – and snow in higher elevations – is in the forecast for Northern California for late in the coming week.

The agency said the forecast confidence is improving for a very solid – but not torrential – rainstorm.

The rain could arrive as early as Thursday or as late as Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

The specific Lake County forecast calls for slight chances of rain all day Thursday and Friday morning, with rain likely on Friday night and Saturday.

Lake County and the rest of Northern California so far have had little rain this fall, and according to a winter forecast issued by Accuweather, California is set to have a milder and drier winter than last season.

“After a big season for snowfall in central and Northern California last year, both regions are predicted to be less wet and snowy in the upcoming months,” the forecast said.

However, milder conditions are likely to be more beneficial, considering that many areas of Lake County saw damage and flooding during last winter’s heavy rain.

Updates will be posted as the forecast develops.

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control still has several Sulphur fire dogs waiting to be claimed along with the many other dogs it’s offering to new homes.

The dogs taken in from the Sulphur fire are at the top of the featured listings; they will not be up for adoption to the general public until mid-November in order to give their owners the opportunity to reclaim them.

The dogs in the general shelter population available for adoption this week include mixes of Chihuahua, German Shepherd, pit bull and shepherd.

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”).

SULPHUR FIRE DOGS

Female pit bull mix

This female pit bull mix was found on Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake Park on Oct. 13.

She has a short red and white coat. She is not spayed.

She is in kennel No. 2, ID No. 8736.

Labrador Retriever-poodle mix

This female cream-colored Labrador Retriever-poodle mix was found on Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake on Oct. 9.

She is in kennel No. 4, ID No. 8694.

German Shepherd mix

This young male German Shepherd mix was found on Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake on Oct. 9.

He is unaltered and has a medium-length black and brown coat.

He is in kennel No. 5, ID No. 8693.

Border collie mix

This female border collie was found on Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake on Oct. 12.

She has a medium-length black and white coat and is not spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 8, ID No. 8730.

OTHER DOGS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION

Female Chihuahua

This young female Chihuahua has a short tan and black coat.

She’s in kennel No. 9, ID No. 8806.

Male pit bull terrier

This male pit bull terrier has a short black and white coat.

He’s in kennel No.15, ID No. 8811.

‘Pedro’

“Pedro” is a male shepherd mix.

He has a short tan and white coat.

Shelter staff said he gets along with other dogs.

He’s in kennel No. 17, ID No. 8746.

Female German Shepherd

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

She’s in kennel No. 18, ID No. 8797.

Male German Shepherd

This male German Shepherd has a medium-length tan and brown coat.

He’s in kennel No. 19, ID No. 8798.

Female German Shepherd

This female German Shepherd has a long black coat.

She’s in kennel No. 24, ID No. 7872.

Female shepherd mix

This female shepherd mix has a short tan and black coat.

She’s in kennel No. 25, ID No. 8812.

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.

“It was the time of year when migrating crows wheeled across the sky, thunderous flocks that moved like a single veil, and I heard them, out there in the wild chirruping air. Turning to the window, I watched the birds fill the sky before disappearing, and when the air was still again, I watched the empty place where they had been.” – Sue Monk Kidd

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Human encounters with ravens and crows have been known to bring pictures of mystical or mysterious creatures to mind in some.

Both birds have been important mythological figures over time- the trickster, magician or honored bird. They have "talked" to humans via chants, dreams and through cultural ritual.

The crow and raven were sometimes known as messengers between here and "beyond."

They have always been revered for their personalities, and even thought of as clowns due to their clever antics.

These birds, both in the corvid family, which also include jays and magpies, are sometimes confused for one another.

Although they look very similar, American crows grow 17 to 20 inches in length and hold 32- to 40-inch wingspans, while the common raven is larger, at 24 to 27 inches in length and holds a 46- to 54-inch wingspan.

Ravens and crows can also be distinguished by their beaks. Ravens have much larger and sturdier bills than crows, along with disheveled-looking throat feathers.

While in flight, you may tell the two birds apart by their habits; ravens may soar, while crows do not.

Both the raven and crow numbers have dwindled and risen over time, and their numbers appear to be on the rise once again.

Scientists believe that ravens were in attendance during the North American Pleistocene era, as evidenced by numerous fossil remains in the Rancho La Brea area of Southern California.

Picture this: the early human hunter with his kill, and the ever-present raven standing by for his part of the bounty.

Crows are listed among one of the more intelligent of bird species, and the California Academy of Sciences states that their intelligence may rival that of the great apes, with their complex reasoning skills.

Both crows and ravens use their immense intelligence by performing fabulous feats of flying (crows), employ many different calls (ravens) and even display acts of playfulness. Both types of birds can use tools to obtain their food.

Crows span our continent, and are often heard cawing from meadows and treetops, and ravens prefer a habitat that is similar, including evergreen forests.

The diet of the raven includes small mammals, lizards, frogs, and trash. Crows like to eat seeds, worms, eggs, carrion and mice.

You have to agree, both of these black birds, who appear to be here to stay, remain enigmatic and intelligent.

Watch a video on avian intelligence by the California Academy of Sciences below.

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also formerly wrote for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.