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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The current and emeriti Lake County Poets Laureate have selected three candidates in the search for the 2016-2018 Lake County Poet Laureate.
Julie Adams of Middletown, Bill Gottlieb of Cobb, and Lourdes Thuesen of Lucerne are the finalists for the selection event, which takes place at 6 p.m. Friday, April 8, at the Soper Reese Theatre in Lakeport.
The finalists will be interviewed by the current and emeriti poets laureate that afternoon, and will read selections of their poetry at the event.
The event, titled “A New Poet Laureate for Lake County,” also will feature readings by the current and former poets laureate and a performance by guest musician Sarah Ryan.
The event concludes with the selection and announcement of the 2016-2018 Lake County Poet Laureate.
“We’ve gained considerable momentum in our poetry community during these past two years,” said current Poet Laureate Casey Carney. “Yet we are in a time of recovery due to the profound impact of the devastating fires of last summer.”
Carney added, “I see this event and transition as a very hopeful gathering, regathering and movement forward of Lake County’s vibrant literary community. Poetry will support us through this endeavor of healing and recovery.”
Sponsored by the Lake County Arts Council, the Riviera Common Grounds Coffee House and the Saw Shop Gallery Bistro, the event is free to the public.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The Upper Lake High School Academic Decathlon team – winners at the county level – participated at the state competition earlier this month.
The 37th annual California Academic Decathlon was held March 17 to 20 in Sacramento.
Granada Hills Charter High School from the Los Angeles Unified School District won this year's competition, coming out on top of 69 competing schools in three divisions with a score of 61,149.6.
Upper Lake High won the Lake County Academic Decathlon Competition on Feb. 6, earning the right to travel to the state competition.
Competing in Division 3 for smaller schools, Upper Lake High finished No. 60, with a score of 36,051.5, according to the state academic decathlon competition results.
Mercedes De Los Santos was Upper Lake's highest scoring student, with 5,902.1 points.
In the interview competition, Katie Foster placed fourth in the scholastic division, with 990 points, according to event results.
This year's topic was India.
Teams consist of three members each from three academic levels: Honors, with a grade point average of 3.75 to 4.00; Scholastic, 3.00 to 3.74 GPA; and Varsity, GPA of 2.99 or below.
The 10 academic disciplines that make up the competition are arts, economics, essay, interview, language and literature, mathematics, music, science, social science and speech.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LUCERNE, Calif. – Once a month “The Castle,” as the Marymount California University Lakeside Campus is often called, will be open to the public for tours and information gathering.
The open house events will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. March 30, April 13, May 4, June 15, July 13 and Aug. 9. Reservations are not necessary.
Anyone interested in a tour, information on MCU Lakeside’s bachelor’s degree programs or general use of the facility is encouraged to drop in.
Prospective students are highly encouraged to stop by to tour and learn more about the degree programs and educational opportunities available.
The MCU Lakeside Campus is housed in the former Lucerne Hotel, a very large and imposing multi-story building which was originally constructed as a hotel in the late 1920s.
The campus is becoming a community hub for events such as the Distinguished Speaker Series, hosted in partnership with the Lake County Land Trust.
The beautiful building, spacious rooms, state of the art classrooms and technology make it a perfect venue for meetings, trainings, parties and retreats which may be scheduled at the facility.
The campus is located at 3700 Country Club Drive in Lucerne.
For more information, call Kathy Windrem at 310-303-7699 or visit www.marymountcalifornia.edu .
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The South Lake County Fire Sirens organization will celebrate its 31st birthday following its April 4 general meeting held at the South Lake County Fire Station.
The meeting begins at 10 a.m. and is chaired by President Pat Hallman.
“The mission of the South Lake County Fire Sirens is to raise funds to purchase equipment and supplies and to assist the South Lake County Fire Department wherever we are able,” Hallman said.
“To date, South Lake County Fire Sirens has raised more than $300,000,” Hallman added.
A potluck birthday celebration lunch will take place immediately after the April business meeting.
All interested community members are welcome to attend the 31st birthday celebration of this important volunteer organization.
The group also runs the Fire Siren Thrift Shop located at 21095 Highway 175, Middletown.
The Fire Siren Thrift Shop, “Second Hand But Grand,” is open every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fire Sirens meetings are held on the first Monday of every other month for the remainder of 2016. New members are welcome.
A coffee social kicks off the morning at 9:30 a.m. and the meeting begins at 10 a.m.
For more information contact Pat Hallman at 707-987-3991.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Two Lake County-based nonprofit organizations have provided much-needed financial support to assist in the reforestation efforts for the areas ravaged by last September’s Valley fire.
#LakeCountyRising is a collaborative fundraising effort of the Lake County Winegrape Commission, Lake County Winery Association, and Lake County Wine Alliance.
The Lake Area Rotary Club Association (LARCA) is a nonprofit foundation comprised of the four Rotary Clubs in Lake County – Lakeport, Middletown, Clearlake and Kelseyville.
Together, these two entities have provided the necessary dollars to jumpstart the much needed reforestation in the fire affected areas.
They have allocated nearly $60,000 to the East Lake Resource Conservation District (RCD) to get the seedlings planted and the program in place.
By collaborating with the El Dorado/Georgetown Divide RCDs established native plant seed collection and propagation program, the funds have resulted in the greenhouse planting of 100,000 native conifers – mostly ponderosa pine but also including some Douglas fir and sugar pine – that will be ready for distribution in time for the late Fall 2016/Spring 2017 planting season.
The species available are suitable for higher elevation burned areas such as Cobb Mountain.
The discussions regarding funding for reforestation began in early October when Greg Giusti, county director and forestry advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension, and Korinn Woodard, district conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation District (NRCS), began to formulate a plan that would make it possible to distribute seedling trees to private landowners as promptly as feasible.
“We determined that 100,000 trees could be needed this first year,” Giusti said. “We knew getting the seeds ordered and in the planting medium during the winter was the only way to have seedlings ready for planting in late 2016, early 2017.”
#LakeCountyRising representatives were interested in helping to support the effort but any donation would need to go to an established organization responsible for the program.
At the same time, LARCA had also identified funding for reforestation efforts as a major priority.
That’s when East Lake Resource Conservation District (RCD) decided they could help bring this monumental effort to fruition.
“An experienced agency was needed to lead this effort, and our board agreed that we had the experience and resources to make it happen, if funds were available,” said East Lake President Charlotte Griswold.
This is where #LakeCountyRising and LARCA stepped up to the plate.
Timing was of the essence as seeds would need to be purchased in time for winter planting in order to have seedling stock available by late 2016.
“It was evident there was urgency, so we presented it to our steering committee and they wholeheartedly supported it,” said Debra Sommerfield, president of the Lake County Winegrape Commission, one of the three organizations that established the #LakeCountyRising fundraising effort.
“Getting our forest lands replanted as soon as possible is a cornerstone in the healing process of the spirit of these communities. The LARCA Fire Relief Committee identified that as a top priority from day one and we are extremely pleased to be partnering with these other agencies to get that done,” said Andy Peterson, chair of the LARCA Fire Relief Committee.
“The intention is to make conifer seedlings available for planting each winter for the next few years at a pace that will align with the community rebuilding process and demand,” Griswold said. “We expect to work with NRCS to start taking advance orders before the end of April and to partner with the Ag and Natural Resources programs at area high schools to organize several community planting projects.”
#LakeCountyRising is a fundraising effort to support community rebuilding in the areas ravaged by the Valley fire with a focus on livelihood, housing, and community needs.
The effort was initiated by three Lake County organizations – the Lake County Winegrape Commission, the Lake County Winery Association, and the Lake County Wine Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that manages the collection and distribution of tax-deductible donations.
#LakeCountyRising works with local organizations and government agencies to identify the most pressing community needs and, to date, has raised more than $800,000 and has distributed approximately $250,000 to more than 20 community-based organizations so far to assist with post-fire recovery.
To learn more or to donate, visit www.lakecountyrising.org .
LARCA is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization comprised of the four Rotary Clubs in Lake County: Lakeport, Kelseyville, Clearlake and Middletown.
The Fire Relief Committee was formed just two days after the outbreak of the Valley fire and to date has raised nearly $700,000 with over $300,000 distributed so far to the businesses, individuals and communities affected by the 2015 fires.
To learn more or to donate visit www.larca5130.org .
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department held its first “Coffee with a Cop” event on Friday afternoon.
The informal gathering invited community members to drop in at Main Street Bar and Grill to chat with local law enforcement.
Lt. Tim Celli, the acting chief of the Clearlake Police Department, said police heard about issues related to animal control, marijuana, abandoned vehicles and drug activity in neighborhoods.
“We've had really good discussion about some of the challenges and things that law enforcement face,” said Celli, as well as the frustrations that both community members and police experience.
In the video above, Celli and community members discuss some of their impressions from the event.
Celli said more “Coffee with a Cop” events are planned in the future.
“Together we can make a difference in our community,” Celli said. “That's the bottom line.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at