Librarian of Congress James H. Billington and David M. Rubenstein, who this year gave the festival a $5 million gift, are co-chairs of the new National Book Festival Board.

Festival-goers celebrated creativity and imagination with their favorite authors, illustrators and poets in standing-room-only pavilions, including Let’s Read America; the Pavilion of the States; Children; Teens & Children; Fiction & Mystery; Poetry & Prose; History & Biography; and the Library of Congress pavilion, which featured programs such as the Veterans History Project and demonstrations by Library staff about how people can preserve their own books, photos and audiovisual materials. Authors also signed books for long lines of their fans.

"This year the National Book Festival is celebrating a decade of words and wonder, giving nearly 1 million people the opportunity to interact directly with some of the most gifted and most popular authors of our time, and millions more to enjoy the experience online," Billington said. "Thanks to Mr. Rubenstein and all of our sponsors and supporters, this national tradition will continue for years to come."

More than 70 best-selling authors, poets and illustrators gave presentations including Isabel Allende, Ken Follett, Michele Norris, Suzanne Collins, Laura Bush, Jonathan Franzen, Brad Meltzer, Jane Smiley, David Remnick, Craig Robinson, Anchee Min, Pat Mora, Jules Feiffer, Elizabeth Kostova, Scott Turow, Judith Viorst, Peter Straub, Gordon S. Wood, Diana Gabaldon, Martha Grimes, Timothy Egan, Bruce Feiler, Wil Haygood and Spike Mendelsohn.

For those who were unable to attend the festival or missed a pavilion, the authors’ presentations are available as webcasts on the festival homepage (www.loc.gov/bookfest).

Highlights of the festival included:

• The launch of "Gateway to Knowledge," a traveling exhibit on a tractor-trailer that will visit some 60 communities across America, sponsored by the Abby and Emily Rapoport Foundation. (www.loc.gov/gateway);

• A "readers' theater" presentation led by National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Katherine Paterson of the final chapter of "The Exquisite Corpse Adventure," a year-long, serialized story written by many beloved children's authors and illustrated by notable artists. The story can be found online exclusively at www.read.gov.

• The Digital Bookmobile, a high-tech exhibit powered by OverDrive, which supports reading and literacy with eBooks from libraries, for the second year in a row enabled visitors to browse a public library’s website, sample popular eBooks, audiobooks, music and video titles, and learn how to download and try out supported mobile devices.

• Children sang along with PBS KIDS’ SteveSongs, enjoyed Read Alouds with Martha from Martha Speaks, and posed for pictures with PBS KIDS characters from the cast of Super Why, Abby Cadabby from "Sesame Street," Buddy from "Dinosaur Train," and other favorite characters such as Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and the Cat in the Hat.

• Target, a charter sponsor of the National Book Festival, featured "Mail from the Mall," where festival-goers got their pictures taken in front of a green screen and had their image incorporated into the book festival poster and put on a postcard.

• Reporters and editors from Charter Sponsor The Washington Post introduced several of the author presentations.

• Authors posed for photos with festival-goers in the Pavilion of the States, which featured information about reading- and literacy-promotion programs and literary events in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. trusts and territories.

The 2010 National Book Festival is made possible through the generous support of Co-Chairman, National Book Festival Board David M. Rubenstein; Charter Sponsors Target and The Washington Post; Patrons AT&T, Institute of Museum and Library Services, The James Madison Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and PBS KIDS Raising Readers; Contributors Borders, Digital Bookmobile powered by OverDrive, Penguin Group (USA), ReadAloud.org, Scholastic Inc. and the Library of Congress Federal Credit Union; and Friends The Hay-Adams, the Marshall B. Coyne Foundation and National Endowment for the Humanities. Thanks also to C-SPAN2’s Book TV and The Junior League of Washington.

The event will start at 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26.

Fikes has a large Lake County following and recently headlined the second annual Blue Wing Labor Day Blues Concert.

Born in Selma, Ala., Bettie Mae Fikes was active in the Civil Rights Movement, beginning her singing career with the SNCC Freedom Singers and performing at the 1964 Democratic Party convention in Atlantic City and at various reunions since.

She has graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, Newport Jazz Festival, the Library of Congress and numerous blues festivals.

Fikes' connections to Lake County are deep, and in August of last year she stepped onto a small local stage with five of her favorite musicians and the house packed with enthusiastic fans. The result was her latest recording called “How Blue Can You Get?”

She will perform under the stars on the top deck of the Clear Lake Queen (weather permitting – bring a sweater). If the weather is cool, then we will be inside.

You don't want to miss this event. It is the last chance to see Ms Fikes in Lake County for awhile.

The WaterColor Club is located on the Clear Lake Queen, docked at Ferndale Resort & Marina, 6190 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville.

For more information visit www.WaterColorClub.com.

Peg Kingman will read from her new book at Mendocino College in Ukiah, Calif., on Thursday, September 23, 2010. Courtesy photo.

UKIAH, Calif. – The Friends of the Mendocino College Library are sponsoring a reading by novelist Peg Kingman, whose book, “Original Sins: A novel of Slavery and Freedom,” was published by W.W. Norton in the summer.

It is her second novel published by the prestigious publisher, which also published her first novel “Not Yet Drown’d.”

The reading will take place in Room 5310 in the Center for Visual & Performing Arts on the Ukiah campus at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 23.

The campus is located at 1000 Hensley Creek Rd. in Ukiah.

Admission for this event is free and Mendocino Book Company will be on hand to sell copies of the book. Kingman will do a book signing immediately following the reading.

“Original Sins” picks up with some of the characters from “Not Yet Drown’d” in 1840.

Grace, who was a child in the first novel, is now a wife, mother and painter in Philadelphia, who senses there is a mystery that would drive Annie, a former runaway slave, and now successful silk merchant, to return to America.

Library Journal says about “Original Sins” that “it is filled with intriguing details about life in 1840s Pennsylvania and Virginia, cultivating silk worms, and the daguerreotype process. And though it is not quite Civil War fiction, it should appeal to readers who enjoy American historical fiction and richly crafted and detailed novels in general.”

A fourth-generation Californian, Peg Kingman has lived and traveled in the United States, Scotland, France, India and New Zealand.

She worked for many years as a technical writer in the high-tech, medical, environmental and marketing fields, and now lives in northern California.

Join the Friends of the Mendocino College Library, an affiliate group of the Mendocino College Foundation, for this literary event. The group sponsors readings throughout the academic year with the next readings taking place in October and November.

For more information about these events, check www.mendocino.edu or contact the college library at 707-468-3051.

The new artists will be presented during the council's First Friday Fling reception for the artists at the gallery, 325 N. Main St. in Lakeport, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 1.

Artists who are returning to the gallery in the October show are Sunny Franson with beautifully executed work of animals and vistas of Lake County.

Ray Farrow exhibits his talent with the palette knife in glowing landscapes from around the lake.

Contributing a different style to this month’s show is Lynn Wagner with her mesmerizing portraits of beautiful people in beautiful scenes.

The glass cases will be exhibiting one of a kind finely crafted jewelry by Anja Koot, and skillfully turned pieces in unique woods by George Waterstrat.

Paula Strother with her strong work in acrylics, and Nancy Webb’s expressive work in oils.

Dennis Robison exhibits a variety of scenes and styles with his work in pastels.

Judy Labelle takes a different tack with pastels showing bold and exciting paintings, and Susan Laymon’s photographs on canvas are a delight to the eye.

Showing for the first time in the gallery is Nancy Webb with bold tropical work in oils.

Continuing at the gallery in pastels are Dr. John Winslow depicting wild life, Judy Labelle with an eclectic mix of work, and Dennis Robison showing a wide range of techniques.

Paula Strother will delight you with her strong work in acrylics; as will, Nancy Webb with her expressive work in oils. It’s a bright show with the addition of Susan Laymon’s photographs on canvas and Nancy Webb with bold tropical work in oils.

The Linda Carpenter Gallery is pleased to again show the creative work of the students from Cobb Elementary School.

Students in Mr. Leanord’s combined class of grades two to three, will display abstract art inspired by Kancinski where they have learned about shapes and lines. Their work is executed in colored pencil, ink and stencil.

A second segment of the work features self portraits which are an expression of the individual done in watercolor. Linda Prather’s Kindergarten through first grade have been studying the trees, horizons and fall colors around Cobb and are creating their work in watercolor, crayon resist and tissue paper collage.

The evening is also the kickoff for the “So You Think You Can Paint” a creative endeavor that invites anyone who would like to add their touch to one of two canvases. One is a study in abstract art and the other a quilt pattern. Try one or both and add your whimsy and/or talent to the canvas.

It’s appropriate that Cleavage Creek Wines will be poured during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as a portion of every sale goes to find a cause for this disease. Tulip Hill will be pouring for this member of their fine family of wines.

If that isn’t enough excitement, David Neft will be tickling the keys with his fine sounds and delighting us all.

For more information, please call the gallery at 707-263-6658.

Guests enjoy music and dancing at last year's 2009 fundraiser. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Saturday, Oct. 16, the Soper-Reese Community Theatre will have its fifth annual fundraiser.

The Harvest Moon Dinner and Dance event will take place in the theatre located at 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport.

The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. with wine and hors d’oeuvres in the newly landscaped courtyard (weather permitting).

Guests will be served a four-course dinner and local wines with catering provided by Blue Wing Saloon and Café.

Live and silent auctions will take place followed by dancing with music provided by John Parkinson and the Mendocino Big Band.

This is the second year the fundraiser will be held in the theatre.

Tickets are $100 per person for dinner and dancing.

Forty dollar tickets are available for dancing and music only beginning at approximately 8 p.m.

Seating for dinner is limited to 100, so get your tickets early for this special evening.

Event coordinators are asking that you purchase your tickets by Oct. 8.

For tickets and further information, please call 707-279-4082. Tickets may also be ordered online at www.soperreesetheatre.com.