The holiday community outreach provides Christmas to our neighbors in need.

Should you choose to give a gift to a child this Christmas, visit one of the local businesses where wish trees are located, pick out a red bell and follow the instructions posted near the wish tree.

Gifts are requested through letters to Santa written by children from families who have applied to the program.

The letters are read and each child’s wishes (infants through eighth grade) are transferred to a bell that is then hung on a wish tree throughout the community.

All high school-aged youngsters will receive a Walmart Gift Card as listed on their bells allowing each student to select their own gift.

Wish trees in Middletown are located at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Middletown Florist and Gifts, Tri-Counties Bank and Westamerica Bank.

The wish trees in Hidden Valley can be found at Century 21 House of Realty and Hidden Valley Lake Realty. The wish trees on Cobb can be found at Mountain High Coffee and Cobb Cuts beauty salon.

If you have more questions about the wish tree program contact Sandy Tucker at 707-987-0263 for Middletown and Hidden Valley or in Cobb contact Christine Bougas at 707-928-6461.

Already, there are more than 120 families registered for Spirit of the Season this year.

For the program to provide food and gifts it requires approximately $70 per family. To date, approximately $3,000 has been generously donated.

If you can make a donation to offset the costs of the program, make your check payable to: Spirit of the Season and mail to P. O. Box 1468, Middletown, CA 95461.

Volunteers have been helping sort food donations which folks are placing into the SOS receptacles around town. You will find these at the Catholic Charities office in Middletown near the library, as well as the post office in Middletown. Nonperishable items such as juice, canned pineapple, Jello and jelly are especially needed.

Recently they received 2,000 pounds of food from AmeriCorps and the Hunger Task Force from their “Make A Difference Day” efforts, which helped with Thanksgiving food distribution.

As more food is given to our program, they will need volunteers to help pick up donations and sort food.

If you can be of assistance, please contact volunteer coordinator Christine Bougas at 707-928-6461.

For more information about the program contact Hedy Montoya at 707-987-8139.

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 88 Commander Dane Hayward cooking the Thanksgiving turkey for the U.S. Coast Guard Station's personnel at Noyo River in Fort Bragg, Calif., on Wednesday, November 17, 2010. Courtesy photo.

FORT BRAGG, Calif. – On Wednesday, Nov. 17, nine members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 88 of Lake County traveled to the United States Coast Guard Station at Noyo River in Fort Bragg to prepare and serve an early Thanksgiving turkey dinner for the Coast Guard personnel.

Several members from Flotilla 87 of Mendocino County also participated.

At the station, two turkeys were cooked by Flotilla Commander Dane Hayward.

Flotilla 88 members Gary Dromi, Harry and Bunny De Lope, John McEwen, Dan Fish and Betty Strach brought dressing, mashed potatoes, yams and sweet potatoes, gravy, three salads, cranberries, dinner rolls and soft drinks, with Nita and Jerry Collins providing two Thanksgiving sheet cakes decorated for the occasion.

More than 30 U.S. Coast Guard members enjoyed the sumptuous meal and were encouraged to go back for seconds and some even went for thirds.

It was a great event and the Flotilla members were delighted to provide some home cooking for the service personnel, many of whom will be away from home on Thanksgiving Day.

These men and women give us so much by patrolling our shores, answering calls for help and assistance, and much more. They stand by their motto: Semper Paratus!

Personnel at the U.S. Coast Guard Noyo River Station in Fort Bragg, Calif., chow down in an early Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday, November 17, 2010. Courtesy photo.

The event will be held from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 5.

The faire will feature local vendors.

Twin Pine Casino is located on Highway 29 at Rancheria Road outside of Middletown.

A quilt made of the quilt blocks installed around Lake County, Calif., in 2010 as the first phase of the Lake County Quilt Trail will be raffled off on Friday, Dec. 3, 2010, during the Kelseyville Christmas in the Country celebration. Photo courtesy of Vicky Parish Smith.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – On Friday, Dec. 3, during the Kelseyville Christmas in the Country celebration, the Lake County Quilt Trail (LCQT) Committee will hold the long-awaited raffle drawing at the WestAmerica Bank, Main Street. Winning ticket holders do not have to be present.

The winner of the drawing takes ownership of a hand-made cloth quilt comprised of all the quilt squares that were used in phase one of the LCQT.

The quilt was designed and machine quilted by Kerrie Hershey. Quilters Nancy Carpenter, Bethany Rose, Kerrie Hershey and Patti-Cox Frankenfield hand-pieced the cloth blocks.

The quilt block names are (in order of installation) Square in a Square, Martha’s Vineyard, Big Oak Ranch Blazing Star (a variation), Peace and Plenty, Lady of the Lake, 54 40 or Fight, Rising Star, Monkey Wrench, Bear’s Paw, County Fair, Tulip Time, Ohio Star and Squash Blossom.

Lake County is the first location in California to create a quilt trail. This past spring, with seed money from the Kelseyville Pear Festival, 13 vibrantly colored quilt blocks inaugurated the first phase of the project.

Each block, specifically designed and painted entirely by volunteers onto 8-foot by 8-foot wooden panels, was hung on pioneer barns, pear packing sheds, winery tasting rooms, an orchard ladder manufacturing facility and even an exhibit hall at the Lake County Fairgrounds.

Each unique quilt block on the Lake County Quilt Trail was selected to connect with the history of the building, honor farming or celebrate the family, as well as pay tribute to the generational history of beautiful quilts.

To see the LCQT Phase One cloth quilt visit Kerrie’s Quilting, 1853 N. High St., Lakeport. Tickets may be purchased at the shop and are priced at six for $5.

Phase Two is currently in production. By Sept. 2011, another 12 quilt blocks will be added to the Lake County Quilt Trail.

Information about the Lake County Quilt Trail can be found at www.kelseyvillepearfestival.com ; click on the “Quilt Trail” button.

The event will be held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the The Lodge at Blue Lakes, 5135 W. Highway 20.

There will be complimentary food, a no host bar and live music.

The federal credit is worth up to $5,657 for the 2009 tax year.

“Taxpayers who claim the credit today could receive a check before the holiday season,” said Chiang. “The Earned Income Tax Credit can make a tremendous difference to working Californians.”

The State Controller, who chairs California’s Franchise Tax Board (FTB), last year asked the tax agency to work more closely with the federal government to improve delivery of the EITC.

A recent study by the New America Foundation estimates that one in five eligible California taxpayers do not take advantage of the credit, leaving approximately $1.2 billion unclaimed.

The FTB has formed a working partnership with the State Controller’s Office and the IRS to explore other ways of informing eligible taxpayers about the benefits of the EITC. This mailing, which includes 46,000 letters statewide, is the first action to come from that working partnership.

The letters are going to individuals who appear to be eligible for the credit but did not claim it on their 2009 federal income tax returns. The credit is available to many workers and self-employed individuals whose incomes were under $49,000 in 2009.

Chiang also coordinates volunteer tax-filing assistance each year for California taxpayers who are eligible for the EITC. In the past four years, these efforts have helped more than 2,500 taxpayers claim $3 million in credits and refunds.

The IRS letters include everything taxpayers need to claim their credit, including a worksheet that can take the place of an amended return. Taxpayers who want help filling out the forms can call the IRS at (800) 829-1040. The IRS will verify the information provided and send taxpayers checks directly. Taxpayers can find more information on credit eligibility at www.irs.gov.

Taxpayers earning less than $42,000 in calendar year 2008, or less than $40,000 in calendar year 2007, should also check their returns to see if they qualified for this credit in either of those years. Taxpayers can file amended returns to claim past years’ credits.