HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – Chef, food writer and culinary instructor Esther Oertel will present a program on cooking with herbs at the Monday, March 12, meeting of the Hidden Valley Lake Garden Club.

Oertel believes fresh herbs provide interest, flavor, and nutrition to foods and will demonstrate ways to utilize them in the kitchen.

Attendees will be shown how to make lavender soda, rosemary walnuts, fresh parsley dressing, plus learn tips, techniques, history, lore, and the nutritional benefits of herbs. Tastings will be shared.

Oertel is the author of the weekly “Veggie Girl” food column which appears on Sundays in Lake County News. She also writes the column, “The HVLA Culinary Corner” for the monthly Hidden Valley Lake VIEWS.

She teaches culinary classes and is passionate about fresh, local produce.

Meetings of the Hidden Valley Lake Garden Club are free and open to the public on the second Monday of each month.

They are held in the activities room of the administration building of the Hidden Valley Lake Association, 18174 Hidden Valley Road.

Social gathering with refreshments begins at 9:30 a.m., business meeting and program 10 a.m.

For more information please contact Angela Birk at 707-987-0195, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Wine Studio (LCWS) is hosting a wine tasting event featuring wines from Olof Cellars with winemaker and proprietors Eric and Cindi Olof, and artist reception with a group showing by the Cobb Mountain Artists on March 2, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and March 3, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Musical guest during the Friday evening reception will be acoustic guitarist Travis Rinker and on Saturday will be MAJIDE! with Paul Kemp on keyboard and vocals by Machiko.

Erik and Cindi Olof started St. Olof’s Vineyards by planting the first of their vines in Big Valley in the year 2000.

St. Olof wine grape crops have sold to popular and award-winning wineries and winemakers in both Napa and Lake Counties in the past decade, with the most recent awards being presented to both Carruth Cellars and Lavender Blue for wines made with St. Olof Malbec and Nebbiolo grapes.

This year marks the commercial release of Olof Cellar vintages available for tasting and sale at Lake County Wine Studio.

The $12.50 wine sampler with paired appetizers will feature 2009 Chardonnay with a salad of quinoa and butternut squash on endive, 2010 Rosato d’ Barbera with options of cannellini and red chard dip and/or smoked salmon yogurt dip with vegetable crudités and crackers and/or chocolate covered brie bites, 2009 Nebbiolo with stuffed Crimini mushrooms, and 2009 Barbera with Italian meatballs in tomato sauce.

Artist’s receptions and works on display for the month of March features members of Cobb Mountain Artists (CMA) with works from their Life Drawing series ‘Celebrating the Human Form.’   CMA was formed in 2004 as a cooperative association, open to artists and craftspeople of all skill levels to support members with mutual support, education and encouragement toward attaining excellence and to foster an appreciation of that excellence in the community.

Member artists participating in this showing are Glenneth Lambert, Jane MacLean, Marcie Ann Long, Alana Clearlake, Judith Loveless, Dawn Griffith, Sharon Lewis, Isha Jane Thanx, Odile Marcie Epps,   Lisa Kaplan, Karen Madnuson, K. Nikka Deacon and Phyllis Thiessen.

Lake County Wine Studio is located on the corner of First and Main Streets in Historic Upper Lake across from the famous Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing Saloon & Café.

For more information, call Susan Feiler at 707-293-8752.

LUCERNE, Calif. – The Lake County Democratic Club will host Congressman John Garamendi at its meeting on Saturday, March 10.

The meeting will take place in the Rose Room at the Alpine Senior Center, located at 3985 Country Club Drive, at the corner of 10th and Country Club Drive, in Lucerne.

The meeting will begin at noon.

Garamendi who is a candidate for the new Congressional district here in Lake County.

Also on the agenda will be discussion of support for local Democratic judicial candidates as well as candidates for the Board of Supervisors.

All meetings are open to the general public and everyone is invited to attend. Membership in the Club is open to all registered Democrats.

Attendees are invited to come early and support the senior center by enjoying their $6 full breakfast.

Contact the Democratic Club of Lake County by phone 707-987-9021 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
 
Contact the Democratic Party of Lake County at 707-533-4885 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

NICE, Calif. – Come enjoy a St. Patrick’s Day dinner and dance on Saturday, March 10, at the Sons of Italy.

The club is serving a corned beef and cabbage supper with all the fixings plus dessert at the club hall, 2817 E. Highway 20 in Nice.

The bar is open for socializing at 5 p.m. then dinner will be served at 6 p.m.

Enjoy dancing to music of Jim Williams right after the meal.

All tickets cost $15 at the door.

Everyone is welcome.

For information about this event or renting the hall for your own, call 707-274-2244.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A dinner dance, art and wine reception hosted by Park Study Club will be held on Saturday, March 10.

The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Highlands Senior Center, 3245 Bowers Ave. in Clearlake.
 
Advanced tickets are available at a cost of $20 or at the door for $25.

Local wineries will be on hand pouring or donating their wines for tasting. Well-known local artists will be on hand to exhibit and sell their works.

Music for listening and dancing will be provided by Twice as Good.

There will be a buffet, raffle prizes, silent auction and door prizes.

Proceeds benefit the Park Study Club Scholarship Fund for local high school graduates.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Nonprofit organizations, agencies and programs based in Lake County are reminded of the March 1 deadline to apply for a share of the proceeds from the 2012 Lake County Wine Auction.

Applications must be postmarked or submitted via email.

Applications for funding may be obtained from the Lake County Wine Alliance Web site, www.winealliance.org, or by contacting Judy Luchsinger, chair of the beneficiaries committee, at 707-263-3280, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Wine Alliance may be contacted by phone, 866-279-9463, or by mail to P.O. Box 530, Kelseyville, CA 95451.

The 13th annual benefit, presented by the Wine Alliance, will be held on Sat., Sept. 15 at Brassfield Estate Winery in High Valley.

The Wine Alliance has contributed $896,765 in proceeds to Lake County groups since the inception of the annual charity event in 2000.

Awards are made in the fields of the arts, health services and the community.
 
Eighteen nonprofit organizations, including agencies, programs, senior centers and high schools, received $65,000 from the proceeds of the 2011 Wine Auction held last September at Ceago Vinegarden.

Proceeds include ticket sales, donations from sponsorships, live and silent auction income, purchases of reserve wines at the event, and sales of special edition, commemorative fine art posters by Lake County artist John R. Clarke.

Lake County wineries, wine grape growers, restaurants, and other businesses and individuals are generous supporters through their donations to the live and silent auctions and to the food and beverages served at the gala affair.

Local and regional businesses provide support through sponsorships.

Jerry Brassfield, proprietor of Brassfield Estate Winery and Vineyard, High Valley, is the honorary chair for the 2012 event.