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Opinion
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- Written by: Henry Bornstein and Gae Henry
The Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association (AMIA) is grateful to all those who helped to make this year’s sixth annual Anderson Marsh Old Time Bluegrass Festival a success.
The festival is the major fundraiser for AMIA, whose mission is to preserve and educate about the natural, cultural and historic resources protected by Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.
Funds raised will be used to support AMIA’s current effort to keep the Park open and accessible to the public.
Other local nonprofits and service groups as well as art, craft, and food vendors also benefited once again from this first-class event.
The Lake County Community put its best foot forward and earned rave reviews, receiving unanimous positive feedback from the musicians, volunteers, vendors and public attendees.
Musicians reported “this is the best run festival they’ve been at.” And we know why – it’s the fantastic group of volunteers who make this event a great experience for everyone.
AMIA Board members Anna and Frank McAtee got this event going six years ago and we still feel the spirit of their team and community building.
Bluegrass Festival Musical Director and AMIA Board Member Don Coffin brought us the best lineup ever. His passion and commitment are an inspiration.
Our vendor team of Nora Moore, Anna McAtee and Ellen Lundquist completely took care of this very large “piece” of the festival and made sure there was a great mix of food, crafts and art.
Konocti Unified School District not only loaned chairs and tables for the event, but Bill McDougall and Ed Zander came and lent a hand. Carlé Principal Dennis To and Carlé High School students provided lots of help before, during and after the event. Also giving invaluable service during the festival was Joan Mingoni and students from Lower Lake High School.
Carolynn Jarrett, along with other members of the Children’s Museum of Art & Science (CMAS), produced the children’s activity area, providing a variety of interesting, fun activities for children of all ages. John Burke and Billy Gear of CMAS coordinated the many community volunteers needed for the gate and perimeter security.
MCs Bill Fredriksson and Linda Guebert, along with Stage Managers Dennis Purcell and Michael Barrish, kept the flow of the day going and made it seem easy. Dwain Goforth and his team graciously hosted performers in the Ranch House.
Lake County Arts Council’s Richard Seisser curated, set up and coordinated the volunteers at the Art-In-the-Barn exhibit. The art on display was varied, interesting and beautiful, and added so much to the event.
The Kiwanis Club of Clearlake took care of the Beer & Wine Garden. Special thanks to Sharon Bassham for coordinating and Jim Mackey for dealing with the finances.
Thanks to all our vendors, whose diversity helped showcase the depth of talent in our area, the Clearlake VIPs who provided additional security and CHP Explorer Scouts who made the parking area run so smoothly.
Many thanks also to Buck Bouker, Del Cox, Dan Harris, Jenn Jensen, Kris and Nancy Langdon, Roberta Lyons, Tom Nixon, Robert Riggs, Andy Weiss and the KPFZ Radio team, Clear Lake Sector Superintendent Bill Salata and Rangers Darin Conner and Aaron Wright – as well as AmeriCorps, the Kiwanis Club of Clearlake and all the community volunteers – you gave selflessly of yourselves to help make the event run very smoothly and it did!
AMIA appreciates the regional businesses and local senior centers who sold tickets: Band Box Music, Bob’s Vacuum, Dig!Music, Earth Goods, Highlands Senior Center, Lakeport Senior Center, Lakeview Supermarket & Deli, Marie’s Lakeshore Feed, People’s Music, Strings & Things, The Last Record Store and Watershed Books.
This Festival could not have happen without the sponsorship of the following businesses and individuals, who made the event possible by their financial and in-kind support: 5 Happiness Webmaster; Action Sanitary, Inc.; Affordable Signs & Tees; America’s Best Value Inn & Suites; Barreda's Lower Lake Feed; Bruno's Shop Smart; Burrell's Auto; Charlotte Griswold; Chernoh Excavating, Inc.; city of Clearlake, Clearlake Stadium Cinemas; Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce, Clearlake Veterinary Clinic; County of Lake; DJ's Pizza; Epidendio Construction Inc.; Ewing and Associates; Four Corners Building Supply; Gae Henry & Henry Bornstein; Gregory Graham Wines, Inc.; Grocery Outlet – Clearlake; Hardester’s Markets and Hardware; IGA Foods, Etc.; James Kinsel DDS, Inc.; Jonas Oil / Jonas Heating & Cooling; Kiwanis Club of Clearlake; KPFZ 88.1 FM Lake County Radio; Lake County Chamber of Commerce; Lake Marine Construction; Lake Transit Authority; Lakeport Lions Club; Lakeshore Lions Club; Lincoln/Leavitt Insurance Agency; Love Farms; McAtee's Marine Repair Inc.; Mendo Lake Credit Union; Neft & Neft Realtors; Photos by Joe Harden; Ray's Food Place; Reliable Caregivers, SF; Roberta & Dr. Harry Lyons; Ronald Lovitt; Safeway Stores; South Lake Refuse Co.; Spotless Janitorial; Thomas Hewlett, DDS; Vigilance Winery and Vineyards.
This event was truly a team effort. Thank you so much for being a part of it and helping show-off Anderson Marsh and our community for what it is – a jewel of Lake County.
Henry Bornstein and Gae Henry are members of the for the AMIA Board & Bluegrass Coordinating Team.
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- Written by: Fr. Leo M. Joseph
But my most special thanks and appreciation goes to the incredible folks at Hospice of Lake County for the daily care they have provided me through the course of this dying process.
They are the most dedicated, competent and otherwise beautiful human beings I ever had the opportunity to experience. Each of them is the embodiment of the authentic Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Please do not miss any opportunity within your means to support their work here in Lake County and to thank them personally on my behalf.
There are angels among us!
Fr. Leo M. Joseph, O.S.F., is parish priest at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lakeport, Calif.
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- Written by: Nelson Strasser
I agree that tax increases to the wealthy is not class warfare, but, obviously there is class warfare: the wealthy and the powerful and their minions are making war against the poor and the middle class.
Look no further for evidence of that war than Sutter Hospital in Lakeport, where the managers are trying to cut the benefits of nurses, while at the same time, raking in record profits. And, as I have written before, those of us on social security have seen our stipends frozen, even as our expenses increase.
Particularly galling is the fact that the financial sector, the most power full sector in the economy, caused the financial crisis in the first place, and did so with impunity.
This is not open for conjecture, as there are now many books available tracing the history of the debacle, including some insider confessions (See the book, for example, F.I.A.S.C.O., by Frank Partnoy).
However, the financial sector received, if you include help from the Federal Reserve Board (not open or answerable to public scrutiny), $13 trillion.
And yet, even as business feeds at the trough of government handouts, when the people ask for universal health care, that is “socialism.”
This leads to the larger question: How are we so blatantly manipulated by the power structure? Here is one example: Leading up to the invasion of Iraq, Dick Cheney said, one afternoon, “We must stop them over there, or we will have to fight them over here.”
That evening, Fox News was repeating the same mantra. And, the next day, my friends were repeating the same mantra. It sounded good, even though now, we now know that all of the reasons for the invasion were fabricated: no weapons of mass destruction, no sanctioned terrorist bases in Iraq, no “yellow cake uranium.”
Interestingly, the mantra, “we must stop them over there or we will have to fight them over here” is precisely the opposite of the truth: because we attacked them over there, they attacked us over here.
The power structure creates a version of reality by using the media to influence our perception of reality. This phenomenon is exacerbated by the fact that it is human nature, even though we can see and know certain facts, to ignore them, for fear that we would have to take action.
For example, most of us accept that the planet faces imminent ecological disaster, and yet, very close to my home, people are attending the auto races near the fairground and launching their motorboats (at the risk of sounding sanctimonious, I launch my kayak and ride my bicycle to work): Nero fiddles while Rome burns.
We need to turn around the ship of state. I hunger for a new paradigm, but perhaps the old one would work if government was not a tool of corporate power.
Perhaps a beginning would be to replace Obama as the Democratic candidate with someone like Elizabeth Warren, who not only would defend our interests, but is better looking than Obama or Parry.
Nelson Strasser lives in Lakeport, Calif.
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- Written by: Pat and Jon Meyer
Special thanks to Rob Roy’s Sue McDonald for helping organize and coordinate the event, and to the Rob Roy staff who prepared and served a delicious champagne lunch.
In addition, thanks to John Zimmerman who always provides enjoyable music for attendees to sing or hum along to; to Paul Woycheshin for auctioneering and being the humorous emcee; and to both longtime friends of The Acme Foundation, Jan and Paul Woycheshin of J and P Video Productions for their professional photography of the event; to Ann Aldridge of Berkeley for obtaining most of the almost 100 live auction and raffle items from across the United States; and also to the volunteers from Clearlake Veterinary Clinic – Yvonne Scott, Kristin Wescott and Bridgette Fitzgerald as well as volunteers Christine Lynch, Lilo Hansen and Dorothy Aldridge.
Generous auction and raffle items that were donated by Lake County merchants and individuals included Soper-Reese Theatre, Carlton Time, Clearlake Performing Arts, Eyes of The Wild, Gregory Graham Wines, Harbin Hot Springs, Langtry Estate Winery, Hardester's Markets, Clearlake Veterinary Clinic, Rob Roy Golf Club, Kathee Toy CMT, Star Gardens, David Neft, Andrea Siebert, Rose Decker, Grinders Steep, Robinson Rancheria, Sheila O’Hara and Jacque Spiker.
One hundred percent of the net proceeds will provide funds for the foundation to continue giving out grants to low income seniors and disabled individuals with seriously ill cats and dogs.
The Acme Foundation’s Website is www.acmefoundation.org.
Pat and Jon Meyer are the founders of the Acme Foundation. They lives in Cobb, Calif.