Elijah Fogelstron, with mother Ann, checks out a white pelican during his first birthday party in Clear Lake State Park. Courtesy photo.

At 1:30 p.m. Saturday, June 27, in the cool of the auditorium, enjoy the interactive slide presentation, “Joy of Birding.”

Learn where to look and ways to identify some of the more than 300 species that either stay in Lake County all year or pass through during migration.

Follow the Saturday Joy of Birding program with a June 28, Sunday morning walk with bird specialist Brad Barnwell.

Barnwell scouts the park several times a week, so he knows exactly who is nesting, who has hatched and where they might be feeding.

Wear your walking shoes; bring binoculars if possible, sunscreen, hat and water.

Meet Barnwell at 8:30 a.m. at the visitor center ramp. Expect a great experience

During your visit to the park, be sure to visit the museum to check out mounts of local birds. The American white pelican overhead in the gift shop is always a pleaser, as well as the many new gift items.

There is no entrance fee to the park for attending scheduled programs, walks or visiting the museum.

The visitor center, including the gift shop, will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer. Guided walks take place on the second and fourth Sunday at 8:30 a.m.

Visit www.clearlakestatepark.org for great photos, activity schedule and park information.

Clear Lake State Park is located at 5300 soda Bay Road, Kelseyville.

The event will take place from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Learn more about globular and open star clusters. The evening event includes a lecture, a planetarium show and telescope viewing.

Suggested donation is $3 per person.

The Taylor Observatory is located at 5725 Oak Hills Lane, Kelseyville.

For more information, go to www.taylorobservatory.org or leave a message at 707-262-4121(your call will be returned within 48 hours).

Lake County Milers in a group running and walking event in April 2009. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY – The Lake County Milers is once more demonstrating that fitness and fun do mix by hosting a series of summertime pizza walks/runs at different locations in Lake County on the last Wednesday of June, July and August at 6:30 p.m.

The informal exercise continues a summer tradition for the club, which emphasizes both the health and social benefits of walking and running.

The first of three events will be in Lower Lake on June 24 at 6:30 p.m., followed by runs on July 29 in Kelseyville and Aug. 26 in Middletown.

A three- to four-mile course at a moderate pace in each locale will be followed by a casual gathering of club members, their friends and families, and anyone else interested for buy-your-own food and drink at a local pizzeria afterward.

On June 24, Milers will gather in the parking lot adjacent to DJ’s Pizza at 16135 Main St. (at the corner of Main and Highway 29). After the 6:30 p.m. scenic jaunt up and down the side streets of Lower Lake, participants will gather for buy-your-own pizza and drinks at DJ’s at 7:15 p.m. All are welcome, members and non-members alike, including families (who can join their running kin afterward). The get-together is free, with water provided by the Milers. Pizza and drinks afterward are buy-your-own.

Similar pizza outings are slated for Kelseyville on July 29 and Middletown on Aug. 26. For more information, contact John Sullivan at 707-987-8225.

The Milers running and walking group meets in the parking lot of Hardester’s Hidden Valley shopping center (Hartman Road exit off Highway 29) at 8 a.m. most Saturdays (call 707-987-3229 or visit the club’s Web site, www.lakecountymilers.com, for more information), and the public is warmly invited.

Additionally, a new group of walkers and runners meets in Kelseyville Saturdays at 8 a.m., in front of Studebaker’s Coffeehouse, 3990 Main St.; call 707-279-8913 for information.

“Das Boat” is one of the competitors in the 2009 Dumball Rally, set to stop over in Lake County on June 25, 2009. Courtesy photo.

NICE – While race teams generally spend countless hours perfecting their precision racing vehicles, a different sort of race is coming to Lake County and, ultimately, San Francisco.

The Dumball Rally is a gathering of humorously themed vehicles that were purchased and decorated for no more than $1,000 and participate in a race from Portland to San Francisco with a stop at the Featherbed Railroad, 2870 Lakeshore Blvd. in Nice, on Thursday, June 25.

In its second year, the Dumball Rally is a challenge of points more than speed. Prayer and bad language may also be utilized by these questionable machines. Along the route participants compete in various challenges, bolstering their scores.

The group will pull into the Featherbed Railroad Bed & Breakfast Resort in Nice on Thursday for some judging, games and a bit of rest. On the third day the enthusiastically decorated, low-priced vehicles will (hopefully) make it to San Francisco with most, if not all, parts still attached.

On Friday, June 26, the group will have a few contests and be joined by some of the local car club members with their fancy pants cars.

“We’ll have some pretty nice old cars here, but we can’t wait to see the participants in the Dumball Rally!” said Featherbed Railroad owner and car show enthusiast Tony Barthel.

The Dumball Rally started in 2007 with a group of friends who sought to organize a rally from Portland, Ore., to Atlanta. Despite much interest, there were no willing accomplices and the race was scrapped.

Still, the organizers decided to try again with a shorter destination the following year and succeeded in getting participants to join them in a race from Portland to Las Vegas.

On June 25, 2008, a group of 17 people gathered in a Wal-Mart parking lot in seven very unique vehicles to embark on a journey into the unknown. Late on June 26, 2008, the same group (minus two cars) rolled into Las Vegas tired and weary from the trip. As they disbanded, there was congratulations abound not only to the winners and finishers, but to the fun and organization of the rally. It was unanimous amongst the participants that they wanted more.

Amazingly, thanks totally to their friends, the group pulled off the first year. Now in its second year, the event has drawn international interest. One British couple is coming from Germany to do the rally, for the gentleman’s first trip to the states.

The group knows that they're not the first ones to do a Dumball Rally and will not be the last, but they hope to leave their unique mark on it.

In addition to a stop at the Featherbed Railroad, the route will have a night at the unique Curly Redwood Lodge in Crescent City and will terminate at the Hotel des Arts in San Francisco. There have been tentative commitments from some individuals to purchase some of the vehicles for other unusual road rallies across the country. Some of the vehicles are also going to end up in a dismantler’s yard, making this their fitting final journey.

On the Curbside Web site, www.curbside.tv , you will find a car show calendar, listing of car clubs, auto reviews, breaking news, photo galleries, technical information and other resources for those interested in the automobile.

For more information call Featherbed Railroad, telephone 800-966-6322.

The Spitfire and Limo will be heading for San Francisco during the 2009 Dumball Rally. Courtesy photo.