Start 2011 off right with rock legend Mike Wilhelm at Hopper's Corner Saloon, 10770 Main St., Potter Valley, Calif. Courtesy photo.

POTTER VALLEY, Calif. – Dance the night away at the Hopper's Corner Saloon New Year's Eve party featuring music by Mike Wilhelm.

Potluck supper will start at 6 p.m. and the band starts at 7 p.m.

Complimentary champagne will be served at midnight.

The band will consist of veteran musicians Wilhelm on guitar, slide guitar and vocal; Frank Roblano, from the Ft. Bragg band Rootstock on drums and James Weber, formerly with the band 12:30, on bass. Special guest guitarist Dave Diaz also will perform.

Hopper's Corner Saloon is located at 10770 Main St., Potter Valley, telephone 707-743-1678.

The performance will start at 5 p.m. and continue to as late as 8 p.m. at Williams' Silk's Bar & Grill.

Williams will put his incredible voice to work on old favorites.

Silk's Bar & Grill is located at 14825 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake.

Ted Kooser, US Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006. Photo by UNL Publications and Photography.

Here’s a poem by Christopher Todd Matthews that I especially like for the depiction of the little boy who makes more of a snowball than we would have expected was there. This poet lives in Lexington, Virginia.

Eating Them As He Came

Dark by five, the day gives up and so do I,

stalled at the top of the stairs I forget what for,

adrift in a scrap of dream that’s not a dream

exactly but a stupor, unrefined. I go astray

in old routines, I dare myself to reconstruct

the rules of old invented games—that one

of throwing snowballs at the roof, to watch them

shrink as they rolled down, spinning to their pits,

to see the force that made them briefly a thing

so neatly undone. Today an old friend’s tiny boy

lobbied me to pitch some snowballs at him. I bowed

to his dense little will. But planned to miss.

As I packed and flung each one to its unpacking,

he hunted down the humble bits and crumbs

of every impact, as they ran from him along

the icy slope, and gathered and carried them

back to me at the top. Eating them as he came.

So that’s how you get to the marrow of breakdown.

I forgot. That you could put what’s left to your lips.

Ted Kooser was US Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006. He is a professor in the English Department of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He lives on an acreage near the village of Garland, Nebraska, with his wife Kathleen Rutledge, the editor of the Lincoln Journal Star.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2009 by Christopher Todd Matthews and reprinted from West Branch, No. 65, Fall/Winter 2009, by permission of Christopher Todd Matthews and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2010 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

Stone will perform modern Native American flute music with classical guitarist Lindy Danton from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the restaurant, located at 6330 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville.

Being of Cherokee and Japanese ancestry and living in Lake County, Kevin Village Stone records original instrumental compositions of Native American and Ecuadorian flutes over both modern and traditional instruments.

His work also includes the renowned “Whispering Light” series of meditation music, a favorite of yoga instructors, massage therapists and well-being practitioners throughout California.

The unique flavor of his music is that he writes and arranges it all himself and plays every instrument on the recordings.

Having been classically trained and now a retired professional from the music industry, Stone's main instruments of study are native flutes. bass guitars, keyboard and piano following jazz and classical trumpet.

“The music I perform is a type of cross-cultural renaissance from inside me that uses every musical element I have learned and experienced,” he explained. “I am merely expressing what is in my soul and heart and hopefully others will join me in the journey.”

Zino's Ristorante and Inn is located in Soda Bay at 6330 Soda Bay Rd (reservations are not necessary but recommended). Call 707-279-1620.

For more info on Kevin Village Stone, his music and credits, visit www.whisperinglight.com .

The Tallman series brings some of Northern California’s finest musical talent to this delightful Lake County venue.

Beginning at 7:30 p.m., the concerts are held in the intimate meeting house next to the hotel, which has superb acoustics and comfortable seating for up to 45 people.

Ten percent of all proceeds from the concerts will be donated to the Soper-Reese Community Theatre Fund, which has converted the old single-screen movie theater in Lakeport into a state-of-the-art performing arts center.

“These informal musical events are always a lot of fun,” commented Tallman owner Bernie Butcher, “but I think our program this year will be something special. The artists are not only world class musicians, but also great entertainers and personalities. I think our guests will be treated to a truly unique musical experience.”

The 2011 season kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 29, with acclaimed Cuban pianist Elena Casanova, who has delighted audiences at the Tallman in previous appearances. This time she will be joined by violinist and vocalist Margie Salcedo Rice.

Rice is the concertmistress of the Ukiah Symphony and her crystalline vocals can be heard on CDs of her inspiring classical, traditional and original music

The remainder of the 2010 season features the following eclectic group of accomplished musicians:

Saturday, Feb. 26 – Bob Culbertson is one of the few true masters of the Chapman Stick, a unique and captivating 12 string instrument that is neither strummed nor plucked, but tapped with two hands on a wide fretboard. Culbertson will be joined by one of the world’s leading solo bassists, Michael Manring. Manring, with his custom-designed “hypobass,” has been pushing back the boundaries of what is possible on the bass guitar for over two decades.

Saturday, March 26 – Rita Hosking’s brand of country-folk music is always fierce, lovely and personal. A descendant of Cornish miners, Hosking grew up in Shasta County and developed a deep regard for folk music and the power of the voice. She makes a deep connection with her audience, and was a hit at last September’s Bluegrass Festival in Lower Lake. Her guitar and vocals will be backed by Sean Feder on banjo and dobro.

Saturday, April 24 – Grammy Award winning reed instrumentalist Paul McCandless will make his third appearance in the Tallman series. In addition to his solo and small group work, McCandless has been integral to the ensemble sound of two seminal world music bands, the Paul Winter Consort and the innovative quartet, OREGON. Fresh off a tour of Japan, he will be joined by Motoshi Kosako, considered the most influential jazz harpist in Japan. Kosako now lives in California where he performs locally and with the Stockton Symphony Orchestra.

Saturday, May 21 – Keyboard artist and entertainer Kelly Park is known to patrons of the Blue Wing Saloon Restaurant next to the Tallman Hotel as part of the David Landon Blues Band from San Francisco. But Park is also the musical director for the Rrazz Room at the Hotel Nikko and his real love is connecting with small audiences through the medium of jazz. Joining Park as part of the KP3 Jazz Trio will be Daniel Fabricant on bass and John Lazarus on drums.

Tickets are $25 plus tax and include coffee and cookies served at the concert venue.

The hotel offers an attractive package for guests looking to make this the center piece of a weekend visit to Lake County.

Tickets and information on the series can be obtained at the Hotel reception desk at 707-275-2244 or by checking the Web site at www.TallmanHotel.com/packages.