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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Nearly half of the children living in Lake County are eligible for free or reduced meals. Local United Methodist churches remind residents that Lake County CAN! is working to reduce this statistic.
For the second year in a row, volunteers are joining hearts and hands to stock 12 area food pantries on Friday, Aug. 30, and Saturday, Aug. 31.
New this year, organizers have partnered with the 2013 Lake County Fair. Between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Aug. 30, visitors can receive free admission to the fair for donating four nonperishable food items per person.
The Lake County Fairgrounds are located at 401 Martin St. in Lakeport.
Volunteers are also needed on Saturday, Aug. 31, to sort, pack and deliver the food donations from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Mendo Mill, located at 2465 S. Main St. in Lakeport.
Last year they collected more than one ton of food to distribute around Lake County, but the need is greater than ever.
Help them reach two tons this year. Together we CAN make a difference.
Throughout the year, multiple drop-off sites accept food donations for local pantries.
For a detailed list, and to register to donate or participate during this year’s Lake County CAN! event, go to www.lakecountycan.org .
During registration, participants have the option of signing up for hunger alerts. These alerts will send email notifications when food pantry shelves are running low throughout the year.
Local church partners include United Christian Parish, Upper Lake UMC, Clearlake Community UMC, Kelseyville UMC, Clearlake Oaks Community UMC, Lower Lake Community UMC and Middletown UMC.
Sponsors for the event include United Methodist Communications, the Lake County Fair, Mendo Mill Lake Family Resource-Freedom House Domestic Violence Center and Lake County News.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After receiving state and federal regulatory approval, members of Fort Bragg Community Federal Credit Union voted in favor of merging with Mendo Lake Credit Union during a special meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 21.
Mendo Lake will assume all of Fort Bragg Credit Union’s assets and liabilities, and the continuing credit union will maintain the Mendo Lake name and brand.
On Tuesday, Oct. 1, the Mendo Lake Credit Union branch in Fort Bragg will move around the corner into the Fort Bragg Credit Union Office, located at 120 N. Franklin St. ATM service also will be at that same location.
The Fort Bragg office will be managed by MLCU branch manager and longtime Fort Bragg resident, Tracy McDaniel. System integrations are scheduled throughout October, and a smooth transition is anticipated.
In addition, the merger agreement includes a provision for two of the volunteer board members of Fort Bragg Credit Union to join the volunteer Mendo Lake Credit Union board of directors, and one Fort Bragg Credit Union volunteer to join the supervisory/audit committee.
The merger of the two cooperative organizations is designed to assure the best in ongoing service to the continuing membership, ensuring continued stability, vitality and growth.
“The greater capital resources of the combined organization will continue to provide a high level of local service while maintaining the reserves needed for growth and stability in the years to come,” said Richard Cooper, president and chief executive officer of Mendo Lake Credit Union.
All employees of Mendo Lake and Fort Bragg Credit Unions will retain their jobs under the merger agreement, with the exception of Pam Merritt, CEO of Fort Bragg Credit Union, who is looking forward to retiring with over 39 years in the financial world.
Merritt says she sees the merge as “an opportunity for members to have access to additional lending options and expanded services, and to keep all of the employees that members are used to seeing each day.”
Fort Bragg Credit Union has been serving member financial needs since 1952, and Mendo Lake since 1959. Mendo Lake has three additional branches located in Ukiah, Lakeport and Clearlake.
The combined organization will be more than $170 million in total assets and serve more than 24,000 members.
Out of that total, the Fort Bragg branch of Mendo Lake will now have over $50 million in deposits, more than $26 million in loans and serve more than 7,000 members.
Member deposits will continue to be insured to $250,000 by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund – a U.S. Government agency.
For more information visit www.fbcredit.com or www.mlcu.org .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Six young cats are waiting for adoption at the county's animal shelter this week.
The cats range in age from 6 months to 2 years. Five are females and one is a male.
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.
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 is 6 months old.
She has a black and white coat, and has not yet been spayed.
Find her in cat room kennel No. 1c, ID No. 37540.
Dilute calico
This female domestic medium hair mix is 2 years old.
She has dilute calico coloring and blue eyes, and has been spayed.
She's in cat room kennel 6a, ID No. 37510.
Female brown tabby
This female brown tabby is 1 year old.
She has a short coat and shelter staff did not report if she had been altered.
She's in cat room kennel No. 6b, ID No. 37515.
Male lynx point mix
This male lynx point mix is 1 year old.
He weighs 9 pounds, has a long coat and has been neutered.
Find him in cat room kennel No. 19, ID No. 37517.
'Tigger'
“Tigger” is a 7-month-old female domestic medium hair mix.
In she has an orange and white coat, weighs nearly 6 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in cat room kennel No. 74, ID No. 37464.
'Mom'
“Mom” is a 2-year-old flame point Siamese mix.
She has a medium-length white coat and has not yet been spayed.
She's in cat room kennel No. 90, ID No. 37619.
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, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.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
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Blues music is traditionally a male domain, but some of the country’s premier female blues performers will be on display Labor Day Monday, Sept. 2, in the garden between the Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing Saloon in Upper Lake.
The “Queen of Boogie Woogie” Wendy DeWitt on piano will open the annual Blue Wing Labor Day Blues Extravaganza for the seven-piece band “Girls Got The Blues” headed by vocalist Lara Price.
“With the Lake County Fair over and guests gone home, a little quality music out in the garden is a great way to end the Labor Day weekend,” said Blue Wing owner Bernie Butcher.
The show starts in the cool of the evening at 5:45 p.m. and the price of admission ($50 plus tax) includes the two bands plus a gourmet barbecue dinner.
“Both Wendy DeWitt and Lara Price have wowed the crowd up here several times,” said Butcher. “I knew that, for special occasions, Lara assembles an all-star cast of women into the fabulous band called Girls Got the Blues. We’re in for a treat when they perform for us on Labor Day.”
Wendy DeWitt will warm up the crowd with her energetic and fast paced boogie woogie piano backed by Kirk Harwood on percussion. She has rightly earned the title of “Queen of Boogie” in the Bay Area and beyond.
Lara Price is a dynamic blues vocalist with a non-traditional background. She was born in Vietnam and was part of the 1975 Operation Baby Lift, bringing plane loads of orphans to the US. She was captivated by the blues at an early age and is now a fixture on the South Bay music scene.
All of the musicians that Lara has assembled into this band are stars in their own right. “I’ve not met GG Amos or Janice Maxie Reid,” said Butcher, “but I know for sure that Lara and Pam Hawkins on vocals and Nancy Wright on sax will knock your socks off.”
Pam Hawkins is called the “Hurricane of Soul” and Nancy Wright is the premier female jazz and blues sax player in the Bay Area. Janice Maxie Reid is a classically trained pianist and vocalist whose inspiration and fire come from gospel and jazz. GG Amos heads her own Bay Area Blues Band.
This group will be backed by Ariane Capp on bass and Robin Roth on drums.
Butcher was quick to thank Gregory Graham, Steele and Glamazon Wines as well as Allora DaCar Productions and KXBX 98.3 FM for helping make the Labor Day event possible.
Tickets for the Blue Wing Labor Day Blues Extravaganza may be purchased by calling the Tallman Hotel at 707-275-2244, Extension 0.
LOCH LOMOND, Calif. – Emily Newfield, the owner of the Loch Lomond Roadhouse, demures from credit for giving returning Cobb Mountain Elementary School students $4,400 worth of school supplies.
“I think the people who donated deserve all the credit,” said Newfield, who raised the funds this summer. “I don't deserve any credit for this because I couldn't have done it without them.”
Her comment circumvents the fact that the funds couldn't be raised without her.
Indeed, Newfield staged a do-it-yourself one-woman fundraising project worthy of a case study.
It included what she called “guest checks,” printed with the word “Apple” along with a picture of an apple (an apple for the teacher … get it?) a space for the contributor's name and amount pledged.
The guest checks attracted interest in the roadhouse bar, and, in turn, donations.
She also put together a late-July spaghetti feed fundraiser.
Then she took it a step further by personally purchasing all of the school supplies for Cobb Mountain Elementary with the raised funds, some items by searching online, others by shopping at a number of stores, i.e. Staple's, Walmart and Kmart.
“We filled up four shopping carts and raised enough money to buy 100 backpacks,” she said proudly.
Her purchases were targeted to the specific needs for each grade, kindergarten through seventh, at Cobb Elementary.
Newfield worked from a list of recommended supplies she obtained from school principal Shelly Todd.
“But I didn't talk to the school until I was totally done,” said Newfield.
The school expressed its appreciation on its Web site, thanking Newfield for a fundraiser “that supplied all our students with all the necessary supplies needed (and then some) to begin the year!”
The idea of raising funds for Cobb Mountain Elementary students, she added, originated when a bartender at the roadhouse drew her attention to a growing list of needs at the school.
It was a perfect fit for her because her youngest son was a sixth-grade student in the first year of the school's operation in the mid 1980s.
Plus she was looking for a worthy beneficiary after a barbecue benefiting leukemia she had held for four years had to be discontinued when her partner in that event left the area.
“I just thought that little school was so neat,” said Newfield. “They have really good teachers, a garden and started a music program.”
Believe or not, Newfield's donation to a school in the Middletown Unified School District was a complicated process.
“I ran into a lot of roadblocks,” she said.
One MUSD administrator, she added, was “rude” to her.
“I started to get mad and I said 'I'm going to do this,'” Newfield recalled.
One more reason she wanted to was the well-known fact that nearly every adult associated with Cobb Mountain Elementary has ponied up personal funds in support of the school, a model for rural schools.
“Even teachers have been taking money out of their wallets for years,” Newfield asserted. “I just wanted to give them a little rest from their wallet this year.”
Email John Lindblom at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Local animal rescue organizations have a variety of dogs available for adoption this week.
Those looking to add a canine to their homes can find everything from shepherds, cattle dogs and retrievers to a husky, terriers and pit bulls.
Dogs, big and little, pups to mature dogs, are featured from Lake County Animal Care and Control and the SPCA of Clear Lake are featured this week.
In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .
SPCA OF CLEAR LAKE
All dogs have been spayed or neutered, are microchipped and current on all their vaccinations and started on heartworm preventative. For more information on the dogs listed below, contact the SPCA of Clear Lake, 707-279-1400.
'Arthur'
“Arthur” is a blue nose pit bull mix who was found abandoned in a van.
He is very sweet and walks well on a leash. Arthur does not jump or pull and he makes the sweetest grunting noises.
Come on by and take a look at this sweet boy.
'Jade'
“Jade” is a very sweet and beautiful border collie/malamute mix pup.
She is the last of the litter, looking for her forever home.
'Len'
“Len” is a male boxer/lab mix pup. He's a littermate of Larry, seen below.
He's very sweet and full of fun.
'Larry'
“Larry” is a male boxer/lab mix pup.
Like his brother Len, he's a sweet, fun guy.
LAKE COUNTY ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL
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”).
'Delilah'
“Delilah” is a 4-and-a-half-year-old border collie mix.
She weighs nearly 25 pounds, has a short black coat and has been spayed.
Delilah needs a home with no cats. She is more of a woman's dog due to fear of men. Shelter staff said she is good with children of all ages, she's very sweet and loves to play outside.
She's also available for a low adoption fee.
She's in kennel No. 4, ID No. 32044.
Terrier mix
This male terrier mix is 7 months old.
He weighs 29 pounds and has a short brown coat. Shelter staff did not report if he was altered.
Find him in kennel No. 8, ID No. 37318.
'Hank'
“Hank” is a 4-year-old cattle dog mix.
He has a short black and white coat and he's been altered.
Hank is available for a low adoption fee. Shelter staff said he needs to go to a home with no children or cats. He's a very personable, sweet boy just looking for the right home.
He's in kennel No. 9, ID No. 37583.
'Bear'
“Bear” is a 1-year-old Labrador Retriever mix.
He has a short black coat, weighs 66 pounds and has been altered.
He's in kennel No. 16, ID No. 37345.
Shepherd mix
This male shepherd mix is 6 years old.
He weighs 66 pounds, has a short tricolor coat and has been neutered.
He's available for a low adoption fee.
Shelter staff said he is a gentle boy.
Find him in kennel No. 20, ID No. 37597.
Husky mix
This male husky mix is 2 years old.
He has brown eyes, a short red and white coat, and has been neutered.
He's available for a low adoption fee.
Shelter staff said he would be an outstanding addition to an active family willing to exercise him. He has no food aggression, is calm with cats but use caution with huskies, and he gets along with other dogs.
Find him in kennel No. 23, ID No. 37530.
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, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.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