UKIAH – The Area Agency on Aging of Lake and Mendocino Counties (AAA) and the Older Adult System of Care of Mendocino County (OASOC) invite you to celebrate Older Americans, Elder Abuse Prevention and Mental Health during the month of May.

AAA and OASOC are co-sponsoring the annual Public Awareness Conference on elder abuse prevention and healthy aging.

This year’s conference is entitled “Healthy Communities: Advocacy, Self-Care, & Longevity.” The event will be held at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center on Wednesday, May 19, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The daylong event will feature Irving Hellman PhD, licensed geropsychologist.

Dr. Hellman will present on advocacy for elders and self-care for caregivers. The day will begin with a panel discussion with representatives from the district attorney’s offices of Lake County and Mendocino County, discussing elder abuse prevention in our communities.

The day will be rounded out with a presentation by centenarian, Lillian Vogel, PhD, author of “What’s My Secret,” talking about resiliency and longevity.

Registration is free and includes a continental breakfast and lunch.

Advanced registration is required. Seating is limited, so please, register early. Continuing education units are available. The registration deadline is April 30; participants must provide their license type and number at registration in order to receive continuing education units.

To register, or for more information, contact the Area Agency on Aging at 707-463-7775 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

From left, Capt. John Rodriguez and Battalion Chief Jamie Crabtree, both from Northshore Fire Protection District, and Capt. Dan McCabe from South Lake County Fire Protection District. Courtesy photo.

CLEARLAKE OAKS – Twenty four fire personnel participated in a 24-hour class in low angle rope rescue this past weekend in Clearlake Oaks.

Twelve firefighters from Northshore Fire Protection District, five from South Lake County Fire Protection District, four from Williams Fire District and three from Kelseyville Fire Protection District took part. Northshore Fire was the host agency.

Classroom and hands-on rescue drills were conducted in Clearlake Oaks.

This course is a California State Certified course taught by senior instructor Ed Mestre, a retired Battalion Chief of Marin County. Adjunct instructors also came from Humboldt Fire, Vallejo Fire and Northshore Fire.

This class is supported by Rescue 7511 out of Northshore Fire's Clearlake Oaks Station and Office of Emergency Services Engine 359 out of South Lake County Fire District.

On Friday, emergency personnel were pulled from the class to respond to the large auto accident with multiple injuries in Nice.

Sunday's drill conducted in a steep hill area was true life with cold temperatures with driving wind and rain.

Pat Brown is battalion chief for Northshore Fire Protection District.

EUREKA – Spring has arrived, and an increasing number of bicyclists are hitting the highways.

Caltrans wants to remind bicyclists and motorists that they need to share the road in a courteous, cautious, and attentive manner.

Safety is Caltrans' No. 1 goal, and the following tips will help keep both bicyclists and motorists safe on our highways.

For bicyclists:

Be sure your bicycle is safe to ride. Wear a helmet for safety, even if you are over 18, and bright clothing for increased visibility to motorists.

Follow the same rules of the road that apply to motorists. Ride defensively; expect motorists NOT to see you. Ride a car door’s width away from parked cars.

Be especially cautious at intersections; they are where most collisions occur. Always use lights at

night – a white headlight and a red taillight. Consider using flashing lights, front and back, in the daytime for increased visibility.

For motorists:

Remember that bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities on the road as motorists. When passing a bicyclist on a narrow road, wait until it is safe and you can give them at least 3 feet of

space between your vehicle and their bicycle.

Before making a right turn, be sure you are not turning in front of a bicyclist, and if there is a bike

lane motorists are required to signal and merge into it before turning. Be cautious when opening car doors.

For everyone:

Before traveling and during your trip, be sure to check current road conditions.

For the most current road information on all state highways, please call 1-800-427-7623 (1-800-GAS-ROAD), or visit www.dot.ca.gov.

One thing though, regardless if you are from the Scandinavian countries or from Canada, we all share one thing in common, a strong desire to learn more about our culture, the history, the food and the way of life of our ancestors.

If you would really like to learn a lot more about it, then the Sons of Norway is your ticket to knowledge, good food and good friends!

The Sons of Norway, Vikings of Lake Lodge, is having a membership drive and Lodge Seminar Luncheon at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 18.

This lovely lunch is free if you are a guest of a lodge member.

Yearly dues are $47.50 for a member and $40.50 for a spouse. You don’t have to be 100 percent Norwegian, Canadian, Swedish, Danish or Finnish. You can be 50 percent or 25 percent, it doesn’t even matter.

The lodge also has heritage members who are children or grandchildren of the member up to 15 years of age. There are Unge Venner members who are children or grandchildren of members, from 16 up to 23 years of age who live with the member; all at no additional cost.

Members meet once a month on the third Wednesday at the Galilee Lutheran Church Community Center, located at 8860 Soda Bay Road in Soda Bay.

Another great feature with the Sons of Norway is their financial planning which is for members only. They have great financial benefits counselors (FBCs) at your disposal to create an outstanding financial package for you along with life insurance policies to specifically fit your needs.

For those who like to RV and camp they have Camp Norge located in Alta, an easy 2 ½ hour drive east of Lake County off I-80. This is a beautiful camp site and recreation area just for just Sons of Norway members.

It offers cabins, dorms, tenting and RV hook ups, all at great rates. There also is a new Heritage Hall with a fully equipped kitchen. They have yearly events at Camp Norge which brings all of us together for good times and down home cooking. Check out the camp at www.campnorge.com .

If this interests you, contact Vale Hanzel at 707-928-1060 (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or Joyce Vaughn at 707-998-3583 (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for additional information and learn how to sign up.

You can also check out the lodge Web site, www.vikingsoflakelodge.org .

LAKE COUNTY – Free legal help is now available to Lake and Mendocino homeowners 60 years of age or older who need assistance in avoiding foreclosure or otherwise maintaining the affordability of their housing.

California Human Development, an area nonprofit agency serving northern and central California, has contracted with the Senior Law Project based in Lakeport to provide non-litigation services for seniors.

Advice and assistance can be provided towards obtaining a home loan modification or other remedy that may help keep seniors and their household members in their homes.

This assistance is funded through a contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and is available for only a limited number of clients on a first-come, first served basis.

California Human Development can also provide foreclosure intervention counseling to all other households living anywhere in California, free of charge and with no income or age restrictions, through its HUD-certified counselors.

These counselors are bilingual English/Spanish and can provide counseling in person at California Human Development’s Santa Rosa headquarters, by telephone or by e-mail.

For more information on foreclosure intervention please contact Linda Hedstrom, California Human Development’s Housing and Economic development manager, at 707-372-4588 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Seniors living in Lake or Mendocino counties interested in legal assistance may contact the Senior Law Project office at 200-B N. Main St. in Lakeport or at 707-263-4703 to request an application.

From left, Kelsey Carstensen, Anne Barquist, Victoria Hayes and Clara Carstensen with "Navajo Spirit" quilt. Courtesy photo.

CLEAR LAKE STATE PARK – Clear Lake State Park Interpretive Association (CLSPIA) has received a gift of a beautiful king-size quilt, "Navajo Spirit,” from Kelseyville 4H members Kelsey Carstensen, Victoria Hayes and Clara Carstensen.

This exquisite quilt is given to CLSPIA for a fundraising raffle at the Wildflower Brunch on April 24 during the Heron Festival.

The bunch will take place from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday only, in the Group Camp location over the footbridge from the Visitor Center parking or parking is available at the Group Camp.

This gift is an example of the true spirit of our local people who believe in and support CLSPIA and its work to preserve nature at its best as well as provide programs for all ages.

This group of 4H members has become accomplished in the craft of quilting under the guidance of Anne Barquist.

In addition to weekly quilting sessions, the girls and Barquist attend meetings of Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild.

At their monthly meetings, guild members who have crafted a chosen quilt block called "Block of the Month," hold a drawing and one lucky attendee goes home with all of the blocks, the beginning of a beautiful new quilt.

Clara Carstensen was the lucky winner of quilt blocks designed by Brenda Ferrario. Together with Clara's sister, Kelsey Carstensen, Victoria Hayes and Anne Barquist, a quilt began to take shape.

The group decided to donate the quilt to CLSPIA for the Wildflower Brunch raffle at the Heron Days Festival. The girls made additional blocks and assembled the quilt. Anne Barquist provided the backing, filling and had it machine quilted. A border and binding were added and the quilt emerged with the name "Navajo Spirit."

To make reservations for the Wildflower Brunch on April 24, which cost $15 each, or to reserve a pontoon boat tour, $15 each, on either the April 24 or 25, go to www.heronfestival.org or phone 707-263-8030. A full schedule for the two day event is included on the Website. All events are free except the brunch and boat tours.