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- Written by: Lake County Wine Alliance
Wine Alliance Director and Committee Chair Beth Havrilla, working alongside Vice President Marie Beery, are leading the discussion for the format, layout and execution of the grand event at its April meeting.
The Wine Auction is the largest annual fundraising event, raising more funds for local charities from a single event than any other local nonprofit organization in Lake County.
The first year of the Wine Auction, the Wine Alliance gave $31,202 to various organizations.
Twenty-one years later, in 2021, the Lake County Wine Auction raised $250,000 for education and community needs with one third of the money raised directed to the five Lake County High Schools and the balance to community needs.
Since its inception, the Lake County Wine Alliance has awarded a total of $2,327,752 to assist the efforts of 57 local organizations.
“This year we will continue to raise the bar to enrich the life of people in our communities,” said Havrilla. “Our goal is to produce an event that is exciting to attend, exceeds fundraising expectations and continues the community ‘giving’ model the Wine Alliance established more than 20 years ago.”
New this year will be Auctioneer Brian Martin, Lake County’s sheriff; the emcee will be Jennifer Strong, local businesswoman and community volunteer; and special guest will be Congressman Mike Thompson.
“We’d like to recognize and thank Shaun Hornby, for his many years of service with the Wine Alliance,” said Beery. “For the past 13 years, he has done an incredible job as the Lake County Wine Auction auctioneer.”
The annual event is produced by the Lake County Wine Alliance, a nonprofit cooperative serving as the charitable arm of the Lake County wine industry. It is composed of Lake County wineries, winegrape growers, vineyards owners, related businesses and community supporters.
The organization is operated under the guidance of a six-member volunteer board of directors and numerous volunteer committee members.
The purpose is to support charitable organizations and other local programs to secure Lake County’s future with targeted giving in the areas of education, art, health and community services.
May 1 is the deadline for local organizations and charities to submit applications to the Lake County Wine Alliance to be considered as a 2022 beneficiary of the Lake County Wine Auction.
An application can be found on the Wine Alliance website at www.winealliance.org.
The one-page application can be completed online or printed and mailed to Lake County Wine Alliance, P.O. Box 530, Kelseyville, CA 95451.
For more information, go to www.winealliance.org, visit Lake County Wine Alliance on facebook, or email Marie Beery, Wine Alliance vice president, at
- Details
- Written by: East Region Town Hall
The forum will be held as part of ERTH's monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 4, from 4:40 to to 5:30 p.m. It is open to the public.
Candidates Susan Krones (incumbent) and Anthony Farrington will be Answering the public’s questions. Elizabeth Larson of LakeCoNews will be moderating.
The position of district attorney functions as the chief law enforcement officer in the county. The DA's most essential duty is investigating and prosecuting criminal offenses on behalf of the people.
The meeting will be held at the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge, 15900 Moose Lodge Lane at the intersection of Hwys 20 and 53.
A Zoom meeting option is available at 935 8339 6020 passcode 448228. All members of the public are encouraged to attend/watch this event.
ERTH is a Municipal Advisory Council for District 3 Lake County. The purpose of this group is to increase the participation of the residents of the East Region of District 3 in decisions affecting the community.
Meetings are held at the Moose Lodge in Clearlake Oaks every first Wednesday of the month from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
For more details and upcoming information, visit/join the ERTH Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ERTHD3LC.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Performance dates are scheduled for July 30 and 31 at Library Park in Lakeport, and August 5 to 7 at Austin Park in Clearlake.
Auditions will be held on Thursday, May 19, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 21, at 2 p.m. at the Mendocino College Lake Center. No experience is necessary.
Set on another habitable planet, the 2022 production of “Twelfth Night, Or What You Will,” transports you back in time with a classical comedy, and forward into the future of interplanetary colonization.
“Twelfth Night” is an engaging comedy with heartfelt love, trickery and deceit, and, of course, mistaken identity.
The production will also include original Shakespeare songs, with musical accompaniment performed live alongside the action.
Everyone (high school age and up) with an interest in performing is encouraged to attend auditions. Audition materials can be accessed at www.laketheatre.org.
Those cast will be required to register for THE 220 at Mendocino College. Scholarships are available.
Rehearsals will take place two-four evenings during the week — depending on the role — from late May through the performance dates.
Shakespeare at the Lake is a co-production of Mendocino College and Lake County Theatre Co., partnering with Lake County Friends of Mendocino College, and the cities of Lakeport and Clearlake.
Questions about auditions or the play can be sent to Director John Tomlinson at
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
At its meeting on April 14, the commission unanimously approved Nicole Farb’s application for a design review permit for the Nikki Island resort project.
The resort is planned for a 1.5-acre property at 5835 and 5825 State Highway 20.
Planner Eric Porter said that while it’s not a large property, it’s large enough for the proposed resort development, with the land appropriate for the project’s size and development.
He said it’s also in accordance with the general plan, shorelines plan and zoning ordinance, and is compatible with existing development.
The resort will include nine overnight lodging units or one story “casitas.” Porter said that hotels and motels are a use by right when they don’t exceed 15 units.
The property also includes a one-story house that was the longtime residence of well-known Pearl Harbor survivor, Jim Harris, who died in 2011.
The plans include converting that house to a social gathering room, lobby, kitchen and dining room.
Several large and significant trees on the property will be maintained as part of the resort, with more trees and shrubbery to be planted, Porter said.
New amenities also will include an outdoor kitchen, in-ground pool and hot tub, new landscaping, parking and pedestrian paths. An existing driveway and some asphalt will be removed, which Porter said received support from Caltrans.
Porter said the county received no adverse comments on the proposal from the state clearinghouse.
However, an adjacent neighbor, Dr. Doug Reams, submitted a letter for a March hearing on the project — which was continued to the April meeting — over his concerns about noise, traffic, lighting and a host of other issues. Porter told the commission that mitigation measures will be put in place.
Staff recommended the commission approve the design review, Porter said.
Commissioner John Hess asked about whether the property has a boat dock. Farb, who attended via Zoom, said they do and that they are working with a local boat rental company to encourage use of the lake.
Commissioner Batsulwin Brown asked about when the last cultural resource study was completed. He said there is a known historical village site from the precontact era in the area and he was concerned about cultural resources being protected.
Noting that the site was previously developed, Farb said a cultural resource study was completed in 2020.
Commissioner Everardo Chavez Perez asked Farb how her idea for the resort came about and what she hopes to bring to Lake County.
“That question makes me so happy,” said Farb, a mother of two who owns the property with her husband.
She said that when she was a child, her family, which is from San Francisco, used to camp at Yosemite Park.
Farb wanted to have a resort but areas like Napa and Tahoe have priced them out. She said she’d been looking at Clear Lake for about seven years to find the perfect destination for the resort she wanted to build.
Brown offered both motions for the project, one to approve the initial study and the second for design review approval, with Chavez Perez seconding both motions.
The commission unanimously approved both motions.
Email Elizabeth Larson at