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LAKEPORT, Calif. – This year’s annual Lake County Symphony Christmas concert will feature vocal presentations by six gifted local singers, along with the dozens of audience members who traditionally join in singing along with favorite Christmas songs.
The concert takes place on Sunday, Dec. 20, at 3 p.m. at Lakeport’s Soper Reese Theatre, 275 S. Main St.
John Parkinson, music director and conductor of the orchestra, has chosen holiday music ranging from the familiar to the exotic for the 65-member group.
As is the usual practice the program opens with the two dozen members of the Lake County Symphony Association Youth Orchestra, led by Sue Condit.
They will play “December Fanfare” written by Andrew Dabczynski with recognizable seasonal themes such as “Holly and the Ivy” and “Joy to the World” woven through its rhythmic drive. Their second piece is “Carol of the Bells,” a traditional carol set in a contemporary rock style by composer Michael Hopkins. It also features the theme from “We Three Kings.”
Parkinson opens the main concert with “A Christmas Festival,” written in 1950 by Leroy Anderson, followed by a trio of Christmas favorites – “It’s a Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Have Yourself a Merry, Little Christmas” and “Winter Wonderland.”
“Mary’s Boy Child” was written by noted black American composer, choral director and actor Jester Hairston in 1956 and recorded by, among others, Harry Bellefonte.
Hairston tailored the familiar story of the birth of Christ in the style of black spirituals, and Parkinson’s arrangement holds true to this pattern. He went on to appear in more than 50 movies, before his death in 2,000, but “Mary’s Boy Child” is recognized as his most lasting contribution to the arts.
Following on the program is three more up-tempo numbers, “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “March of the Toys” from the musical “Babes in Toyland.”
Following intermission, with complimentary cookies and juice provided by members of the Lake County Symphony Association – the nonprofit group that funds the symphony – the local vocalists strut their stuff.
Shelly Mascari sings a medley of “Let it Snow,” “Christmas Time is Here” and “Santa Clause is Coming to Town.” Cory Cunningham then takes the stage to sing “White Christmas” followed by Lorraine Gatton with Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song,” after which the audience is invited to lend their talents to singing Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.”
The perennial holiday favorite, Handel’s “Messiah,” features solo leads by tenor Nick Reid on “Every Valley Should be Exalted,” bass Roger Smith with “But Who May Abide the Day of His Coming” and soprano Beth Rutiger wraps it up with “Rejoice Greatly oh Daughter of Zion.”
As a grand finale the singers and audience will join in singing the “Hallelujah Chorus” from “The Messiah.”
Admission to the Christmas concert is $25 per ticket for the general public and $20 per ticket for Lake County Symphony Association members.
Volunteer recruiters will be on hand, and those purchasing memberships can have the discounts applied to the day’s performance.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.soperreesetheatre.com , by phone at 707-263-0577 or at the box office, 275 S. Main St., Lakeport, on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There also is a full-dress rehearsal at 11 a.m. to which youths under 18 are admitted free, while others pay just $5.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A bridge replacement project on Soda Bay Road is nearing completion, according to the director of Lake County Public Works.
While there is weather in the forecast that could hamper the long-running project's final days of work, Public Works Director Scott De Leon said it's hoped that the Cole Creek bridge could be open by next week.
De Leon said rain is expected at week's end, and the contractor is hoping to pave on Wednesday or Thursday.
“We are strongly encouraging them to move the schedule up and get paving done before it rains,” De Leon said.
Once striping and the bridge approach rail are finished, the project should be done. De Leon said it's possible the road could be opened up as soon as Monday.
“I'm going to be pushing on them to work on Saturday and get it open,” De Leon said.
Contractor J.F. Shea from Redding has been working on the bridge replacement project since the summer. De Leon said the contractor began work on June 22 and on July 7 the county began the detour around the project.
Since that time, the stretch of Soda Bay Road from Clark Drive to Sacramento Perch Drive has been closed while work continues, according to Public Works.
De Leon said the project cost to date is $1,280,681, with funding coming from three sources – the Federal Highway Bridge Program, State Transportation Improvement Program and local funds.
The previous bridge, said De Leon, was “beyond old.”
“It was a timber bridge that had been modified,” he said, adding that it was “structurally deficient and functionally obsolete.”
As a result of its condition, it qualified for the funds from the federal bridge replacement program, he said.
The project hit a series of delays after the county signed the contract with the designer around 15 years ago, several years before De Leon came on board with the county.
Environmental and archaeological issues caused delays, and required a large amount of study and review, he said.
Once the construction phase started, De Leon said there was a big delay this summer because of issues arising regarding the bridge's steel piling design.
That design had called for driving the pilings 45 feet deep to get a certain load rating. However, there were problems getting the pilings that deep, with only a fraction of them reaching the load rating required. De Leon said that required the project to be stopped and new design work to be completed.
A power line that runs along the project site also required the county to coordinate with Pacific Gas and Electric to have the line shut off to allow for work to take place, De Leon said.
He said scheduling that took time because it needed to happen during the late summer, while PG&E was dealing with the wildland fires in the south county.
Besides the Cole Creek bridge project, the rest of Lake County Public Works' projects are pretty much wrapped up for the year, De Leon said, including bridges on Ackley and Highland Springs roads.
He said some other work will continue through the winter related to Valley fire repairs, including removal of damaged trees in the county right of way, the first phase of which will remove 3,500 trees; sign replacement; and a bridge approach rail replacement.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – In its final meeting of 2015, the Middletown Area Town Hall gathered nominations for a board election to be held in January.
The brief meeting, which lasted just over a half hour, took place on Thursday evening at the Middletown Senior Center.
Vice Chair Claude Brown led the meeting in the absence of Board Chair Fletcher Thornton.
At the start of the meeting, Brown introduced new Board Secretary Margaret Greenley, who is succeeding Ken Gonzales, whose term is up.
“I'm excited to do this. I've never done anything like this before,” she said.
Greenley added that she hopes to help make Middletown strong again, noting that – even in the wake of the Valley fire – it's still a great place to live.
One of the evening's main items of business was nominations for the MATH Board for 2016.
The board has five seats, three of which will be up for election at the start of the new year.
Board member Mike Tabacchi said there are two seats open representing Middletown proper – his and Gonzales' – that expire next month, and one at-large seat, currently held by Brown, that covers areas including Anderson Springs, Cobb and Hidden Valley Lake.
Tabacchi indicated he was not seeking another term on the board.
Brown suggested that anyone interested in being on the board needed to be ready to serve.
“This is not a Thursday night get-together social club,” Brown said, explaining that the group has relevance within the county and community, and facilitates discussions of issues of concern to area residents.
He said it's a two-year commitment, and anyone wanting to be a board member shouldn't come with preconceived ideas but with an open mind in order to pass on to the county leadership the community's views on the issues.
Nominees included Nate Duff, John Hess and Gregg Van Oss. Brown also added his name for consideration for reelection, and Linda Diehl-Darms asked to be added to the ballot.
At January's meeting, each of the nominees will give a presentation about themselves, with the election to be held afterward, Brown said.
Brown said how the south county comes back from the Valley fire will be a big agenda item for 2016.
A presentation by Phoenix Rising, which had been anticipated to take place at the Thursday meeting, has been rescheduled to January.
MATH also briefly held a discussion on replacing the damaged “Welcome to Middletown” signs, and will bring the matter back for further consideration next month after a representative contacts the Middletown Rotary, who is believed to have originally been responsible for the signs.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Memorial Grove at the Westside Community Park took one more step toward completion last week with the installation of the mosaic artwork and signage.
The tile mosaic featuring an oak tree surrounded by the names of the 12 individuals being remembered is affixed to the south side of the Jane Barnes Field sign.
The work was commissioned by the Westside Community Park Committee and paid for by donations from individuals in memory of their loved ones.
This beautiful work was created by local artist, Chris King, following input from members of the committee.
Donors to the Memorial Grove are the Keeling-Barnes Family Foundation; Leanne and Jim Harvey in memory of Helen Barbara Harvey; Nancy and Cliff Ruzicka in memory of Marla Ruzicka; Gary and Linda Cambria in memory of Tony and Sophie Cambria; Jim and Alice Holmes in memory of George and Doris Knevelbaard and Jim and Billie Holmes; Linda S. Everson in memory of J.L. and C.E. Shinn; Jack and Rebecca Southwick in memory of William Bennett and Ruth Jantz; Susie LaPointe in memory of Jack W. Humphrey; the Thorn family with the inscription “Always in our Hearts”; Carole and Alexander McGeoch in memory of Ruth Jolin; and Jim and Carol Dvorak in honor of James Dvorak Sr.
In January, 12 oak trees will be planted in the area adjacent to the mosaic.
The grove will be completed with the placement of a concrete bench donated by the Clear Lake Trowel & Trellis Club.
According to Dennis Rollins, chairperson of the Westside Community Park Committee, the Memorial Grove was envisioned by the committee with a threefold purpose: to add additional landscaping, to bring local art into the park and to provide a place where loved ones could be remembered.
The concept was unveiled at Grillin’ on the Green, the Committee’s annual summer fundraising event, with a display featuring the artist’s rendition of the proposed mosaic and an example of the oak trees to be planted.
“The 12 trees and recognition tiles sold out very quickly,” Rollins said. “If more space had been available we would have created a larger grove.”
Information on the park’s development can be obtained from the committee’s Web site, www.westsidecommunitypark.org .
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Library invites the public to get to know about Lake County’s Children’s Museum of Art and Science in the Dec. 19 installment of Know Lake County a free lecture series.
The diverse programs take place on the third Saturday of each month from February through December at 2 p.m. at the Lakeport branch of the Lake County Library, 1425 N. High St.
The Children’s Museum of Art and Science, or CMAS, works throughout Lake County to bring free art and science activities to children all around Lake County.
Many CMAS volunteers are retired teachers who “feel strongly that kids need more hands-on art and science activities. We do not have a building. We do events and activities and basically will go where we are invited,” according to Carolyn Jarrett, president of CMAS.
Jarrett retired from teaching elementary school in the Konocti Unified School System and served eight years on the KUSD school board.
Parents and teachers may be interested in learning more about CMAS and its programs.
Jarrett will give an overview of the CMAS history and partnerships for the annual art and science camp, now in its tenth year.
Bill Bordisso will speak about the CMAS Rocket Club and Kinene Barzin will talk about the Lego Robot Workshops.
Martha Beckerjian will cover the fundraiser and partnership with the Yuba College culinary program.
Know Lake County delves into many facets of Lake County, including human history, natural history, outdoor recreation, science, performing arts and programs for children.
The family-friendly programs are designed to inform and entertain Lake County residents about Lake County.
Some programs will cover interesting lore about the county and others will cover the work that community organizations perform.
Know Lake County will continue in 2016 with a new series of lectures beginning in February.
For more information about Know Lake County and other library programs call 707-263-8817.
The Lake County Library is on the Internet at http://library.lakecountyca.gov and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary .
Jan Cook is a staffer at the Lakeport Library.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Several colorful cats are waiting for new homes for the holidays this week.
The cats range in color from black and tabby to Siamese and calico markings.
In addition to spaying or neutering, cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are microchipped 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 there, hoping you'll choose them.
In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .
The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (other cats pictured on the animal control Web site that are not listed here are still “on hold”).
Domestic short hair mix
This female domestic short hair mix has an all-black coat.
She's in cat room kennel No. 3, ID No. 4171.
'Lilly'
“Lilly” is a domestic short hair mix with a brown tabby coat.
She was spayed upon arrival at the shelter, so her adoption fee is lower.
She's in cat room kennel No. 28b, ID No. 4133.
Domestic short hair mix
This female domestic short hair mix has a gray and white coat.
She was already spayed when she came to the shelter, so her adoption fee will be lower.
She's in cat room kennel No. 54, ID No. 4173.
'Gus'
“Gus” is a domestic short hair with Siamese-type markings.
He's in cat room kennel No. 67, ID No. 4010.
'Baby'
“Baby” is a domestic short hair mix with blue eyes and calico markings.
She's in cat room kennel No. 75, ID No. 4172.
Domestic short hair mix
This male domestic short hair mix has an all-gray coat.
Shelter staff said he is very sweet and just wants attention.
He is in cat room kennel No. 87, ID No. 4065.
Brown tabby
This female brown tabby has a short coat.
She was spayed by the time she arrived at the shelter, so her adoption fee is lower.
She's in cat room kennel No. 113, ID No. 4153.
Domestic long hair mix
This male domestic long hair mix has a gray tabby and white coat.
Shelter staff said he's super sweet, and likes to be cuddled and held.
He's in cat room kennel No. 150, ID No. 4059.
Adoptable cats also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Cats_and_Kittens.htm or at www.petfinder.com .
Please note: Cats listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.
To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .
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