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Written by: Sally Fraser

Published: 05 August 2014

This past weekend I discovered what has to be one of the best kept secrets in Lake County and that is the Fiddlers’ Jam at the Ely Stage Stop.

I had heard about it in the past but had not attended before and boy was I surprised by what I found when I got there.

First, when I got to the stage stop I was transported to another place in time. I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere when actually I was just off Soda Bay Road less than a mile from Highway 29 and Kit's Corner.

I drove up the driveway to the main building and found myself surrounded by old (antique?) farm implements which immediately transported me back in time. All the machinery is fascinating and there is even an authentic San Francisco cable car there. And a real stage coach too. How cool is that?!

So anyway, I parked in the shade under the oak trees and walked across to this big old red barn – with a very modern quilt square on the front. I found out that the barn isn’t really old at all but rather that volunteers built it of wood from barns that were old and it has only been there for a year or so. There was music coming out of the barn and the fiddlers were inside.

I said fiddlers and that’s what I expected to find but while there were several fiddlers that day there were also some guitars, a bass player, a mandolin, an accordion, and an autoharp or zither, and a drummer.

I recognized some of the musicians from the Lake County Symphony but there were also some with white hair and one of the fiddlers was a young girl who looked like she wasn’t even 10 years old yet.

They played music that ranged from “old timey” (as their leader, a man named Don Coffin, put it) tunes to Zydeco to songs everyone knew the words to. People were singing and dancing and there was magic in the air. There were also free cold drinks and homemade cookies.  

I couldn’t believe all of this has going on for months now and I hadn’t been there before. I can assure you I will be there again – and again after that. And I encourage everyone who reads this to go check it out for an exceptionally good time on a Sunday afternoon.

And then – as if the music and magic in the barn weren’t enough – the main building houses a museum of local history with a gorgeous old-time bar and some really cool exhibits. Plus a big wraparound porch with comfy chairs and binoculars for a close-up view of the backside of Mt. Konocti.  

I can’t say enough good things about this treasure that I found that has been here all along without my really knowing anything about it.

I had such a good time that I felt compelled to shout it from the rooftops (so to speak) and let everyone else know about it too.

I hope you go visit this treasure as soon as you can and that your time there is as much fun and as joyful as mine was.

Sally Fraser lives in Glenhaven, Calif. For more information about the Ely Stage Stop, visit http://elystagestop.com/ or check out the museum's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ElyStageStop .

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Written by: Valerie Gardner

Published: 25 July 2014

The Upper Lake Union Elementary School District would like to thank Mr. Joe Fernandez for his generous donation of 15 iPads to be used for the students of our district.

Our school appreciates Mr. Fernandez and all of our families, in the Upper Lake and Nice area, who are working to make our school such a terrific place to learn.

Once again, thank you for your support.

Valerie Gardner is superintendent/principal of the Upper Lake Union Elementary School in Upper Lake, Calif.

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Written by: John Daniels

Published: 12 July 2014

The two causes of the national debt being the warfare state and the welfare state both are easy to correct with any intestinal fortitude by members of Congress.

The warfare state is an excessive support of the defense-industrial complex and no related tax increase.

Harry Truman was the last president to raise taxes in wartime. Now our defense spending is larger than the next three countries combined. Our defense spending is also three times larger in adjusted dollars than that recommended by General Eisenhower.

The “Eisenhower Minimum” as it is called is what is needed for adequate self-protection and does not support world policing. It does not support large numbers of infantry on foreign soil, two navies, worldwide-based Air Forces and numerous foreign Army/Navy bases.

The Eisenhower defense budget was originally design to support a large nuclear deterrent (which can now be used for Special Forces and homeland security), adequate research, a single navy to protect commercial shipping, and a standing army on homeland bases.

Included in this Eisenhower budget was large equipment and ordinance reserves for immediate support of any call-up required for self-protection.

The warfare state has resulted from the desire of our leaders to project military power for purposes of supporting foreign governments from both internal/external treats and the false manifest destiny to spread democracy throughout the world.

Neither of these goals is appropriate and they increase the likely hood of terrorism rather than protect our population from terrorism.

The welfare state results from the misguided efforts of our leaders to provide a total population economic safety net or to eliminate the natural condition of poverty.

This largeness of government assistance to provide for an all-encompassing total population safety net has developed a population that is generational repeating dependent on government assistance.

This safety net has grown to include generous Social Security disability payments for numerous physical and mental conditions.

The original purpose of Social Security was to provide an old age economic safety net. In addition to mission creep in Social Security eligibility, the various federally funded free food programs (originally for the truly needy) have expanded to include low cost or no cost food for school program that provide for many more than the truly needy.

Similarly the extension upon extension of unemployment benefits (beyond that supported by previous contributions) includes a large component of fraud estimated to be one third the total payments.

Another component of the welfare state and the federal government largeness is the federal monetary assistance to corporations and various state and local governments.

Corporate welfare includes funding foreign marketing, funding specific industry research (i.e. vineyard diseases), individual grants to specific individuals, universities or corporations for product development. Government research should be limited to basic science except for defense related products.

In addition, corporate welfare includes numerous income tax advantages to reduce expenses or increase markets for favored industries. Government to government welfare includes federal grants for all purposes not related to disaster relief.

An example of excessive government to government welfare and abuse is the redundant existence of federal funded fish and game agencies and then these agencies making extravagant grants to (of all things) repair county roads.

The solution to the welfare state is a very strict means test and to reduce or eliminate assistance based on these means tests. Similarly this would include eliminating corporate welfare and government to government welfare.

Garamendi, Thompson, Feinstein and Boxer are all professional politicians and their main concern is re-election.

Increasing our fortunes is dependent any actions that also increase their fame and/or fortunes. These California politicians support the failed economic theory that national budget deficit to not matter.

We all pay now and our children will in future for their greed.

John Daniels lives in Lakeport, Calif.