Mutton bustin' is one of the highlight events for children. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY – Rodeo... 79 years young this year in Lake County.

That’s right, the 79th annual Lake County Rodeo takes place at the fairgrounds in Lakeport on Friday, July 11 and Saturday, July 12. For the first time the rodeo is featuring free parking, assisted by the Early Lake Lions who have long been supporters of this rodeo.

If’ you have never seen a rodeo, mark your calendars now and attend this year's rodeo. It’s a tradition dating from the days of cowboys working on ranches beginning in the mid-1800s.

The Lake County Rodeo is an all-professional California Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association rodeo, with cowboys and cowgirls participating during two nights of all-out excitement.

Events include steer wrestling, bull riding, bronc busting, team roping and barrel racing, to name a few. Lake County residents will recognize some local participants as the performances take place.

The rodeo's generous Platinum Sponsor for 2008 is once again Robinson Rancheria Resort and Casino, according to Rodeo Association President John Fulton.

Without sponsorship from the community, it would not be possible to continue this Lake County Tradition, said Fulton.

Local businesses sponsor the various events which helps to offset the prize money that is paid to the participants.

For the youngsters, the Lake County Rodeo provides two events.

Each night youngsters, ages 8 or younger, can sign up for the mutton bustin’ event. The children will be weighed the evening of their ride and must not exceed 50 pounds. Applications are available at several locations around Lake County and this event is sponsored again this year by Chuck and Rose McCarley of CJS Ranch Supply in Middletown.

The second special event for kids is the Cutest Cowpoke Contest, open to girls and boys from age 4 to 8 years old (on the contest date). This event is sponsored by Theresa Harborth of South Lake Landscape and Lower Lake Feed. Applications are also available in a variety of locations throughout the county.

On the evening of Friday, July 11, there will be the grand entry during which all the competitors ride, along with the wonderful Clear Lake Junior Horsemen.

The crowning of Miss Lake County Rodeo Queen and Princess 2008 will take place at that time. Young women from around the county have been vying for these titles and will represent the Lake County Rodeo for the next year. Sponsor of this competition, for the second year is Tom Powers of Lake County Electric Supply.

On Saturday afternoon beginning at 4:30 p.m., the All-Horse Parade will travel from the fairgrounds on Martin Street to Main Street, traveling north to Clear Lake Avenue and return on Main to the Fairgrounds. All equestrians are encouraged to enter; there will be a special raffle for participants conducted by parade chair and organizer, Lonne Sloan of Lower Lake.

Returning this year and riding in the All Horse Parade will be the Diablo Ladies Drill Team who will perform both evenings of the rodeo. This team donates their time to travel from the Central Valley to participate in the rodeo. With great costumes and intricate riding routines, they always dazzle the crowd.

Another interesting event at the Rodeo is Cow Chip Bingo. Friday night the prize is $250 and Saturday the amount is $500. Come find out how this game works; you won’t believe your eyes.

A rodeo isn’t a real rodeo without a rodeo dance and they've got the best Rodeo Western Band to keep people dancing 'til the cows come home. Lou Derr and Bootleg will play on Saturday evening in the Theater Building beginning at 9 p.m. Their performance is sponsored by Eagle Distributing, Budweiser from Ukiah.

For more information on this exciting weekend event, contact the Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce at 707-263-5092 or visit www.lakecountyrodeo.com.

Applications for mutton bustin’, Cutest Cowpoke and pre-sale tickets will be available at the chamber, Red and White market in Clearlake Oaks, Lakeview Market in Lucerne, North Shore Sentry in Nice, CJS Ranch Supply in Middletown and others to be announced soon.

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Pictured from left to right, Jennifer Taylor, Umpqua Bank, store manager; Michael Rupe, Lake County Relay For Life, logistics chairperson; Beth Berinti, Lake County Relay for Life, event chairperson; Paula Bryant, Umpqua Bank, AVP/relationship manager. Photo by Ginny Craven.

LAKEPORT – Relay For Life is an annual event wherein teams raise funds to support cancer research, provide education and assist cancer patients through various resource and support programs.

The teams then walk for a continuous 24-hour period, maintaining at least one member of each team on the track at all times for the entire period. Because “cancer never sleeps” the participant teams commit to the 24-hour period to fight back against the disease.

The top fundraising team for the 2008 Lake County event, which took place on May 17-18, was the “Quick Steppers.” The team had a roster 26 strong, including five cancer survivors.

The team name was derived to honor Ron Quick, the one team member still in the midst of battle against cancer.

The team’s total was $7,550, with $1,500 coming in the form of matching funds from Umpqua Bank. To qualify for the funds, the Quick Steppers had to initially earn $5,000, an amount they exceeded.

Most members of the team do double duty as they are also staunch supporters and volunteers in the Operation Tango Mike volunteer effort to support our troops. The Lakeport branch of Umpqua Bank can proudly boast one hundred percent participation in Relay For Life 2008, as every employee raised funds, walked and contributed to the effort.

Ginny Craven is team captain for the Quick Steppers.

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Headquartered in Port Chester, NY, PAX is a nonprofit educational organization which invites international high school students to the United States for an academic homestay.

El-Amin was selected to represent PAX due to a demonstrated enthusiasm, interest in foreign cultures and desire to become more active in the community.

She is currently interviewing Lake County families who are interested in sharing their lives with a young person from another country for the coming academic year.

“All PAX students have been carefully screened, speak English, have full medical insurance and come with their own spending money,” said El-Amin. “We work with students from 35 different countries, including those in Eastern Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.”

Host families are asked to provide the student with meals, a warm and supportive environment, and a place to sleep and study.

Local support is provided to the host family and student by El-Amin as community coordinator.

“We're looking for families who are interested in the world and in helping an exchange student learn more about America,” she said.

For more information, contact El-Amin at 995-2099 or PAX headquarters at 800-555-6211.

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The meeting is open to the public.

Agenda items include approval of the May 8 meeting minutes, public input and MATH bylaw amendments.

Under new business, the group will discuss the new library, the Middletown street lighting project and the post Middletown Days cleanup effort.

MATH is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (includes HVL), Long Valley and Middletown.

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“It’s about using the government’s power to help the powerless,” said Berg, D-Eureka.

Berg’s bill, AB 2487, would allow the collection arm of the state’s Franchise Tax Board to help collect civil judgments owed to the victims of domestic violence.

The measure, which has received strong bipartisan support in the Assembly, would apply only to cases in which the abuser is convicted in criminal court. The cost of collecting the debt would be paid by the abuser, not the state.

“Basically,” Berg told the Senate panel, “it takes the machinery of government and gears it to work on behalf of people who have been stripped of their power, people who have been abused by someone obsessed with exercising power over them.”

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Pageant hopefuls are invited to sign up for this year's contest. The deadline to become a contestant is June 20.

This year's pageant will take place on Aug. 8 at Robinson Rancheria Resort and Casino in Nice.

Young women will have the opportunity to represent their community and receive scholarship money. The pageant winner will have the chance to compete for the Miss California title, which in turn takes part it the Miss America Pageant.

Earlier this year, Miss California Melissa Chaty of Ukiah was featured on Miss America's Reality Check and also was a Miss America Pageant finalist.

For information on how to become a contestant for Miss Lake County or Lake County’s Outstanding Teen call 707-263-1667 or send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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