The fun begins at 6 p.m. at Austin Park.

The family-friendly event will feature a parade of lights, a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, Lakeshore Lions and Lioness providing cocoa and cookies, and a very special Christmas tree lighting by Lake County Hospice.

This year's event is going to be broadcast live by TV8 and Carlé High School. The show also will be rerun several times throughout the month of December.

The city of Clearlake, Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce and Lake County Hospice have collaborated to host this festive event.

Join in the fun – you can participate by creating a float for the parade, become a vendor, volunteer to help or come and enjoy the festivities.

For more information about these and other events, please call 707-994-3600 or http://christmaslightparade.wikispaces.com/.

The craft fair will be held at the Clear Lake Riviera Association Building, 9689 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Plan to do some early Christmas shopping with local crafters. Vendors will be offering unique quality items for your holiday gift purchases.

Lakeport Women’s Civic Club is a nonprofit group of ladies whose purpose is to raise funds for community projects.

The club’s philanthropic contributions include monies for scholarships, the Freedom House domestic violence shelter in Kelseyville, Westside Park, Toys for Tots and the Victim Witness Program to name a few.

The group is committed to strengthening and improving the organization for a better service to society.

For more information call Connie, 707-277-9500, or Cheryl, 707-263-3445.

SACRAMENTO – Cal Fire officials are warning residents of a recent donation scam involving the department.

Earlier this week a resident of Santa Clara County received a call from a person requesting a monetary donation to pay for training for Cal Fire firefighters.

As a state agency, Cal Fire does not solicit donations. The training of Cal Fire's firefighters is funded through the department’s budget.

If someone receives a phone call soliciting funds for Cal Fire, please do not give them any money.

However, get as much information from them as possible and then report the call to Cal Fire law enforcement officers at 408-778-0930.

Every effort is being made to stop the individual or individuals responsible for making false claims and for attempting to take money from the public.

Remember this is not a valid fundraiser, it is a fraud, Cal Fire said.

“Residents need to know that Cal Fire never solicits funds in order to provide services to the communities we serve,” said Josh White, Cal Fire deputy chief of law enforcement. “We hope that by getting the word out early no one will give their money to these criminals and that if residents do get a call from a scammer, they will be prepared to gather pertinent information so we can put a stop to this.”

In honor of this day, The Lake County Office of Education’s AmeriCorps program, in coordination with the Lake County Hunger Task Force, Lake Transit Authority, a number of local businesses, schools and community volunteers held Lake County’s 10th annual Make-A-Difference Day nonperishable food drive for our county’s food cupboards.

The goal was simple: collect enough non-perishable foods to “Stuff-a-Bus.”

AmeriCorps members and community volunteers spent most of Saturday, Oct. 23, doing just that as they collected food outside local businesses around Lake County in the cold, wet weather.

“I’m overwhelmed by the community support we received,” said AmeriCorps Director Rob Young. “It takes the strength of a community to get through tough times like these.”

AmeriCorps and community volunteers raised over 7,000 pounds of food in 2010, more than doubled the amount from the 2009 drive.

The county's food cupboards were very excited to hear the amount as there is such a high demand for food assistance this year, a problem made worse by the bad economy.

To top the day off, AmeriCorps and community volunteers brought all donated food to the main staging area, located at Grocery Outlet in Lakeport, where a 30-foot Lake Transit Authority bus was waiting to be filled.

“We weren’t sure if we would collect enough food to actually stuff the bus, but when the bus rolled out of the parking lot I heard jokes about how we turned it into a low rider,” Young said. “It obviously had a full load.”

Over the past 10 years, AmeriCorps has collected over 36,000 pounds of nonperishable foods for Lake County’s food cupboards.

This would not be possible without support from local businesses and volunteers like Red and White in Clearlake Oaks, Hardester’s Market in Cobb and Middletown, Grocery Outlet in Lakeport and Clearlake, Bruno's Foods in Lakeport, Safeway in Lakeport and Clearlake, Sentry Market in Nice, Riviera Market, the Upper Lake Community Council, Highway Grocery in Upper Lake, Lower Lake Elementary School, Cobb Elementary School, Kelseyville Rotary Club, Lake Transit Authority, Lake County Office of Education, Lake County Hunger Task Force, Upper Lake Girl Scouts, Lou Denny, Arlene Moore, Lorrie Gray and all our AmeriCorps and community volunteers.

AmeriCorps thanked its partners for helping to get things done for Lake County.

AmeriCorps, along with www.1-800-volunteer.org, provides many other volunteer opportunities. Learn more at www.lakecountyamericorps.org or give call 707-279-1269.

Accidents and mishaps increase dramatically when children trick-or-treat. Cal Fire wants everyone to

enjoy a fire-safe Halloween by following these tips:

Costumes

• Purchase costumes made of flame resistant or retardant material. Fire resistant does not mean fireproof.

• Apply reflective tape to Halloween costumes.

• Masks can obstruct vision – consider using makeup instead.

• Avoid loose, baggy sleeves or billowing skirts.

• Keep hemlines short enough to prevent tripping.

Decorations

• Light jack-o-lanterns with a battery powered light – NEVER use candles.

• Instruct children to stay away from open flames. Be sure they know how to stop, drop and roll if their clothing catches fire.

Trick-or-treating

• An adult should accompany children when trick-or-treating. Pick well-lit streets. If driving, be sure to watch for trick-or-treaters who are too busy to watch for you.

• Do not allow children to carry sharp sticks or other objects that could cause injury to others.

• Keep your yard free of tripping hazards, such as tools, hoses, etc.

• Children should be instructed to eat their treats only after parents have inspected them.

• Discard any unwrapped treats. If in doubt, throw it out.

Cal Fire wishes everyone a safe and enjoyable Halloween.

For more Halloween safety ideas or other fire safety tips, visit www.fire.ca.gov .

The Kitchen Gallery, located at 301 N. Main St., will host the demonstration.

She will prepare French onion soup with Gruyeres croûtons, creamy artichoke heart soup with Parmesan bread twists, and pumpkin curry soup with a toasted coconut garnish, which class members will get to sample.

The class fee of $25 also includes complete recipes of each dish.

Advance reservations are required for the classes. Classes fill up fast so be sure you make your reservations early.

To make reservations or for more information, contact the Kitchen Gallery at 707-262-0422.