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NORTH COAST, Calif. – Due to the creative work and dedication of a handful of individuals in the community and the financial support of local businesses, two exciting nights of racing and fireworks will be happening at the Ukiah and Lakeport Speedways Independence Day weekend.
Thanks to the generous contributions from Factory Pipe, Friedman’s Home Improvement and Mendo Lake Credit Union, with support from Kelseyville Lumber, Furia Construction, Max 93.5 FM, 94.5 Kwine, The Cost Cutter and Bicoastal Media fireworks will be taking place at dusk at the Lakeport Speedway, Saturday, July 2, and at Ukiah Speedway on Sunday, July 3.
Engines will be revving Friday in Lakeport for the Kelseyville Lumber Deake Lyndall Memorial Race featuring the Taco Bell Bombers, Jammers, California Vintage, Modifieds, Pro Drifters and Northern California Modifieds.
Then the cars will head over the hill Saturday to Ukiah where the “Lakeport Ukiah Challenge” continues featuring the Bandoleros, Taco Bell Bombers, Jammers, Legends, Modifieds and Northern California Modifieds.
Gates will open at each track at 3:30 p.m. and racing will begin at 5 p.m., with the exciting ground show fireworks happening at dusk both nights.
Race promoter David Furia has been the mastermind behind bringing the fireworks to the speedways. It is thanks to his dedication to patriotism that Ukiah has had fireworks for the last five years.
Furia is excited about this year's show. “The show is an incredible in your face display of fireworks and pyrotechnics. The style of fireworks that will be presented will astound and amaze every person in the grandstands. This will be the fireworks show that will make people wish they had been there. The crew puts on a great show and we have never been disappointed.”
Tickets can be purchased in advance from Ukiah Lions Cheerleaders by calling 707-671-2689. The cheerleading team will also be selling fireworks tickets at Subway in the Raleys Crossroads Shopping Center Friday, July 1, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Every ticket sale raises much needed funds for the cheer team and the community is encouraged to purchase their tickets early and support local youth.
Tickets to either race are $15 for adults, seniors and students $13, children 6 to 11 $10 and children 5 and under are admitted free.
There will be a $5 fee for parking in the Ukiah fairgrounds parking lot. However, the parking stub is redeemable at the ticket gate for $5 off one gate entry for the race and fireworks show.
Also, the Ukiah Pit gate will be opened at 8:30 p.m. to allow parking inside the fairgrounds. There will be a $20 per car charge to park inside the fairgrounds and watch the fireworks.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Historical Society has awarded a $500 scholarship to Kelseyville High School graduating senior Juliann Totorica.
Totorica will attend Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo, Calif., and plans to obtain her bachelor’s degree from UC Irvine.
While in college she will apply for part-time work at Disneyland and apply for the Disney College Program internship. Upon graduation she will become a Disney employee.
Totorica ranked second in her class and maintained a 4.33 grade point average.
She was active in Future Farmers of America and student government, holding various offices in both organizations, including president of each in her senior year.
Tony Marchese, the scholarship chairman for the Lake County Historical Society, announced that Totorica’s winning essay on Lake County history is titled “A Historical Essay for Hoberg’s Resort.”
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Authorities are investigating what led to a pilot crashing a small plane into a vineyard in Clearlake Oaks on Tuesday night.
The male pilot survived the crash and was able to walk away from it, but later was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries, as Lake County News has reported.
The name of the pilot has not been released, and neither local nor federal authorities had information on the man's condition on Wednesday.
Ian Gregor, spokesman for the FAA Pacific Division, said the student pilot was flying a single-engine Cessna 152 when he declared an emergency and crashed under unknown circumstances about 15 miles east of Lampson Field Airport at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The plane is registered to a San Jose resident, but authorities would not confirm if the owner was the same individual as the pilot.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office, Northshore Fire, Cal Fire and the California Highway Patrol responded to the report of the downed plane off of Morine Ranch Road and Red Rock Road, based on reports from the scene.
Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Steve Brooks said the two-seater Cessna hit power lines in the Shannon Ridge Vineyards before going down.
Brooks said the plane was en route to San Jose when the pilot became lost over Lake County.
The plane then had engine trouble, which caused the pilot to fly into power lines before he landed the Cessna in thick brush, Brooks said.
The pilot was able to get out of the plane and a deputy assisted with getting him to medics, Brooks said.
Radio reports indicated Northshore Fire medics took the pilot to a landing zone set up at Orchard Shores in Clearlake Oaks, where a REACH 6 air ambulance picked him up for the flight to the trauma center.
A small vegetation fire was reported at the crash scene, with firefighters quickly knocking it down.
Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos said that after mop up firefighters cleared the scene while sheriff's deputies waited for federal investigators to arrive.
At about the same time as the crash there were reports of brief power outages in parts of the county. However, on Wednesday Pacific Gas and Electric wasn't able to confirm a possible connection between the outages and the crash.
Gregor said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will handle the accident investigation.
The Tuesday incident was the third plane crash in seven years in the county, based on a review of local records.
Two men were killed in a crash involving a glider and a tow plane in Middletown in November 2009, and a Bay Area man was seriously injured after crashing his single-engine plane into a vineyard outside of Lakeport in September 2011, as Lake County News has reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A pilot flying solo on Tuesday night survived a plane crash in the hills above Clearlake Oaks.
The crash was first dispatched shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Morine Ranch Road, according to radio and California Highway Patrol reports.
Based on radio reports, the crash involving the Cessna two-seater plane sparked a small wildland fire, with some damage to nearby power lines reported.
Northshore Fire and Cal Fire responded to the crash, along with sheriff's deputies and a California Highway Patrol helicopter, according to scanner reports.
Radio traffic between Lake County Central Dispatch and responding firefighters indicated that the pilot was able to get out of the plane on his own, called 911 on his cell phone and walked part of the way from the scene where he met first responders.
Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos said firefighters had difficulty accessing the plane and the injured pilot. Fire trucks were getting stuck while trying to get up the narrow vineyard trails leading to the crash site.
Radio reports indicated that a vineyard worker finally helped authorities locate the pilot close to 10:30 p.m. The plane was reported at Morine Ranch Road at Red Rock Road under power lines.
The pilot was transported by a sheriff's deputy down to medic units, which took him to a landing zone at Orchard Shores. There, a REACH air ambulance picked up the pilot and lifted off for Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital at around 11 p.m., according to radio reports.
Fire units at the scene had reported that the vegetation that burned as a result of the crash measured about 15 feet by 15 feet, and had been knocked down quickly after firefighters arrived at about 10:30 p.m. At that point they estimated they would be on scene for a few hours mopping up.
Pacific Gas and Electric also was asked to respond to the scene to assess damage to power lines, according to fire traffic.
Beristianos, who remained on scene after the majority of other units cleared, said Cal Fire cut a line around the fire area. He said some power lines also were down.
Based on what firefighters had encountered at the scene, Beristianos said it appeared that the pilot made a hard landing in the brush.
He called the man “very lucky.”
Beristianos – who would clear the scene just after midnight – said the incident was being overseen by the Lake County Sheriff's Office, with deputies to wait on scene for Federal Aviation Administration investigators to arrive.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Members of the Westside Community Park Committee are preparing for the seventh annual “Grillin’ on the Green” fundraiser, and are putting out the call for grilling aficionados to participate in the barbecue cookoff.
This year’s Grillin’ on the Green – an afternoon event featuring a friendly barbecue competition with plenty of food, drink, and entertainment for all ages – is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6.
The event takes place at Westside Community Park, 1401 Westside Park Road in Lakeport, and is a fundraiser for development of the park.
Grillers and sponsors are encouraged to sign up soon. Call Cindy Ustrud, 707-263-7091, or Dennis Rollins, 707-349-0969, for information.
Local organizations, individuals and professionals go head-to-head in the cookoff, preparing their best barbecue recipes for attendees who then cast People’s Choice votes for their favorites.
A group of celebrity judges will select their favorite as well. This year’s celebrity judges are Record-Bee Editor Dave Faries and retired Superior Court Judge David Herrick. They will be joined by a third judge to be named later.
The first teams to sign up for this year’s competition are last year’s “Rookie of the Year” competitor, Fresh and Bangin’ Eatery; last year’s third place finisher, the Bru Crew; the Lakeport Lions; the Nor Cal BBQ Team; Delta Iota Tau; and Passion for Food, said Rollins.
He announced that some financial support is available to individual grillers this year, thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Lakeport and others.
Attendees enjoy a full dinner with fixings to accompany the barbecue dishes, said Rollins. Past years’ Grillin’ attendees have called the fare the “best barbecue around,” he added.
Information about the event can be found on the park’s Web site, www.westsidecommunitypark.org , or on Westside Community Park’s Facebook page.
Sponsors of the event are sought and will be recognized at the Grillin’ on the Green event. Levels of sponsor recognition are $100, $300, $500 to $1,000.
Contributions of any amount may be sent to 1350 Berry St., Lakeport, and made payable to Westside Community Park Committee.
The Keeling-Barnes Family Foundation is for the seventh year offering a sponsorship match. The Foundation will match up to $4,000. Sutter Lakeside Hospital has pledged a sponsorship of $2,500. Representatives of the hospital and foundation challenge the community to match and exceed the combined $6,500 amount.
Westside Community Park is a regional recreational facility that is operated by the city of Lakeport and the Westside Community Park Committee. It has been in development for 17 years.
The nonprofit park committee is developing the park in conjunction with the city of Lakeport, volunteers, and numerous contributions by individuals and businesses dedicated to constructing a recreational facility for the youth and adults of Lake County.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The organizers of “Taste of Lakeport” said they are changing the name of the popular event to “Taste of Lake County.”
This year's “Taste of Lake County” will be held Saturday, Aug. 27, from 5 to 10 p.m. on Main Street.
The Lakeport Main Street Association sponsors the event, now it is 20th year.
The association reported that it decided that it is time to thank the award-winning local wineries and members of the food industry by expanding the name of the event that represents them.
Visitors this year will have the opportunity to taste local wines and beer, and enjoy delicious hors d'oeuvres from local restaurants.
There will be a street dance at 8 p.m. featuring the music of Jimmy Z.
New this year, the Lakeport Main Street Association will present a People’s Choice Award to a winery and restaurant chosen by visitors.
For more information email