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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
LAKEPORT – For water sport enthusiasts, Library Park is the place to be this weekend.
Two separate events with much in common – the Vintage and Historic Raceboat Regatta and the Nor Cal Ski Club Races – are scheduled to return to the waterfront in Lakeport this Saturday.
The California Speedboat Association will host the Vintage and Historic Raceboat Regatta at the north end of Library Park.
Admission is free to spectators.
The group hosted the event in Lakeport last September. The regatta has been moved to the June date due to concerns about the lake's water level and quality during the later days of summer, according to Vintage Race Director Bob Silva.
Silva’s group is a member of the California Speedboat Association, which in turn shares a connection to the American Power Boat Association.
Thirty-five vintage race boats are expected to be on display with several participating in a well coordinated series of “flybys” and sample races on a set one-mile course.
Boats will be on display all day. The flyby events are scheduled to take place starting at 11:30 am.
Race boats must be built in 1986 or earlier to qualify as vintage. Boat owners wishing to participate are encouraged to attend and registration will continue on site.
Fees for static display are $25. Other fees and regulations will apply for those wishing to run their boats at speed. Owners wishing more information may contact Bob Silva at 707-964-1711 or e-mail
Skiers plan fast-paced action
Also on Saturday, the NorCal Ski Club will hold the first of five Lake County high-speed ski events scheduled for 2008.
The racecourse for this event is laid out with two, one-mile straight-aways with a left turn at each end that traverse more than an eighth of a mile.
The skiers will travel as fast as the high performance boats that pull them can, which – depending on conditions – can reach speeds of 110 miles per hour, slowing only to 70 or 80 miles per hour around the turn areas, according to NorCal representative Roger Smith.
Smith, a former deputy sheriff in charge of the Lake County Sheriff's Office Boat Patrol, is a longtime Lake County resident, a lifelong boater and a speed skier himself who plans on participating in several classes of racing this Saturday.
Skiers are eligible to race in several classes, based on age – as young as 9 – along with experience and the type of boat used to pull them, said Smith.
Boat classes range from stock, nearly factory types on through various levels of both inboard and outboard performance levels, eventually leading to the high-speed, high-powered specialty boats capable of reaching 110-mile-per-hour speeds, he explained.
“It’s an extreme sport” – as defined by today’s standards – “and always has been,” said Smith.
It's an extreme sport that over the decades has not been limited to a single gender. Smith added that perhaps Lake County’s most successful speed skier and possibly the best female in the country throughout the 1960’s, Alice Whipple, will compete this weekend.
Saturday’s race schedule begins at 9 a.m. There is no fee to observers.
“Anyone who would like to join in and ski for the first time is welcome to try it at no cost,” said Smith.
Potential skiers should have some basic and obvious skills before attempting to compete.
More information regarding this event and the history of the National Water Ski Racing Association can be found at www.nwsra.net.
The weather forecast for Saturday includes mostly sunny skies with afternoon highs in the low 90s and winds out of the west at 12 miles per hour.
E-mail Harold LaBonte at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The event will take place from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 21, at the winery, located at
21000 Butts Canyon Road, Middletown.
Tickets will be on sale for the second raffle in the fundraiser campaign, founded by artist Gail Salituri in memory of her friend, Barbara LaForge. All proceeds go to the Lake Family Resource Center's Freedom House campaign, which is raising funds to build a domestic violence shelter near Kelseyville.
The next drawing will be Aug. 1, Salituri reported.
Two items will be offered in the August raffle; "America's Pride,” a Thomas Kinkade print, custom-framed, measuring 14 inches by 17 inches, with a value of $350; and a custom-framed beveled mirror, 24 inches by 30 inches, valued at $650.
Bids also can be placed in a silent auction, in which Salituri will offer one of her original oils, “Overlooking Carmel, Monterey Pine,” measuring 8 inches by 10 inches. The painting, valued at $475, has an opening bid of $100.
Langtry's evening of jazz will feature local artists along with live Flamenco and hors d'oeuvres.
For reservations call 987-5303.
For more information about the LaForge Memorial fundraisers call Salituri at Inspirations Gallery, 263-4366, or visit her Web page, www.gailsalituri.com/Memorial.html.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Capt. John Rodriguez, engineer Keith Hoyt and firefighter Adam Smith of Northshore Fire Protection District's Upper Lake station arrived home late Tuesday afternoon, said Fire Chief Jim Robbins.
The three men and an engine left for Butte County last Thursday as part of a strike team that included engines from Mendocino County, said Robbins.
Local fire resources were stretched too thin to send a full complement of five engines to the Humboldt, Robbins explained.
The Office of Emergency Services called Robbins on Sunday with requests for firefighters to go to the Whiskey Fire, but he didn't have anyone extra to send then, either. “Everybody was working or out of town.”
The Whiskey fire is burning in the Tehama County portion of the Mendocino National Forest. Cal Fire reported Tuesday night that the fire was 70-percent contained and had burned 7,783 acres near Paskenta.
Robbins said there are no other firefighting assistance requests currently. “Everything's kind of calmed down right now.”
Northshore Fire reported last week that this was the second time this year they had sent firefighters to an out-of-county fire. In May they went to fight the Summit Fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
The vigil will be held from 8:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Austin Park in Clearlake.
The theme for the event is "Bringing a Community from Healing to Kindness."
Dr. Bill MacDougall, the new Superintendent of the Konocti Unified School District, will be one of the featured speakers.
The gathering will promote a community-wide effort to create an environment that honors, nurtures and protects all children. The community is invited to attend, and asked to bring friends, family and candles to light.
The vigil will fall on the two-week anniversary of the stabbing death of 17-year-old Heather Valdez of Clearlake, a student at Carlé High School.
The teen died June 5 following a confrontation that allegedly involved a Carlé classmate, 18-year-old Gabrielle Varney.
Varney is being charged with murder and remains in the Lake County Jail.
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