As a result of the Dec. 15 fundraiser, special education children from all seven Lake County school districts now have the opportunity to attend Wiloth Equine Therapy and Riding Center for sessions at no charge. There is correspondence from the school districts that states they are seeing "progress that no one expected."

The goal of “Lake County Cares” is to have every single Special Education student in Lake County able to attend therapeutic riding sessions at no charge by the end of 2009.

For this exciting fundraiser, a three-hour bring your own horse trail ride will be held at Langtry Farms in Middletown. This beautiful 21,000 acre ranch has been cared for and tended to tirelessly, affording ride participants amazing views around each corner. For those who do not own their own horse, free hay rides will be given, culminating with a delicious barbecue provided by Middletown High School FFA.

This summer will also see the beginning of the Wiloth Ridge Horse Camp program. Students from both the therapeutic and mainstream communities will have the opportunity to come together on a weekly basis to experience all that Wiloth Equine has to offer. The motto of the camp is “Through Horses, Children Unite.” Participants will have the opportunity to enjoy horses for a full week, while getting to know their peers in a relaxed, fun environment. Activities including horseback riding, equine education, nature hikes, outdoor education, crafts and much more will be provided for the children.

The Wiloth Equine Therapy and Riding Center is a nonprofit organization. The center’s passion is to bring horses and persons with special needs and those of the mainstream community together, breaking down any boundaries that may be present in everyday life. Anyone who would like to see the program at work is welcome to stop by and visit with the owners. Witnessing these children and horses in person can bring an entirely new perspective to this unique type of therapy.

Wiloth Equine Therapy and Riding Center has been up and running for nearly two years now, thanks in large part to the dedicated staff and volunteers, generous contributions, and unwavering support from the Lake County community. As of this writing, over 3,000 people have come through the gates of the property, and over half of those have been served on a no-charge,scholarship basis.

Also offered at the ranch are mainstream lessons, wilderness trail rides, winery trail rides, horse hauling, birthday parties, and horse boarding. The center is proud to announce as well that 100 percent of the proceeds from all non-therapy activities (i.e., mainstream lessons, trail rides, etc.) go directly into funding the therapeutic program. If you are a Redwood Coast Regional Center client, please contact your service provider to see how you can obtain the services of the Wiloth Equine Therapy and Riding Center.

If you are interested in participating in the summer camp, please visit www.wilothenterprises.com or call Susie Wiloth at 355-1280 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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The ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. Friday, May 2, on Merritt Road at Kelsey Creek in Kelseyville.

On Dec. 11, 2007, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to dedicate the bridge to the county's veterans.

The dedication ceremony originally had been scheduled for February but was postponed due to weather.

The public is invited to attend this ceremony to honor our local veterans.

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The Lake County Community Action Agency offers a prescreening for individuals wanting to find out their food stamp eligibility.

To set up an appointment call Sarina Beckel at 995-0495.

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The Wildflower Brunch is a long standing tradition of CLSPIA, with proceeds going to the interpretive association which supports the Clear Lake State Park in many ways, including funding the construction of a new education pavilion at the park.

The brunch is a scrumptious “Create Your Own Omelets,” affair, held outside at the park.

Overseen by local chef and caterer, who also happens to be president of CLSPIA, Madelene Lyon, a wide array of fillings are offered for an individually designed and perfect omelet. Fresh fruit and pastries are also offered.

Cost of the Brunch is just $12 per person and reservations in advance are encouraged. To register for the brunch, as well as other Heron Festival activities, go to www.heronfestival.org, or call the Lake County Visitor Center at 800-525-3743.

The Heron Festival and Wildflower Brunch will be held April 26 and 27 and features pontoon boat rides on Clear Lake, nature booths, walks, speakers, children’s activities and more. Check out the website for all of the fun events planned for Heron Festival weekend.

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Since the early 20th century, readers in Lake County have had library service, growing from local grass-roots efforts into the county-run system we have today.

Networks of several kinds have been important to libraries in Lake County for more than 100 years. Some of these networks formed in various communities to start libraries, while other networks included people and institutions far from Lake County. Computer networks now connect the library to the rest of the world.

The individual libraries had their own networks as interested citizens and civic organizations such as women's clubs, town improvement clubs and library committees banded together to bring library service to their towns.

Library supporters borrowed space in a number of buildings, donated books and labor, and raised money for the town libraries.

Benefactors with connections outside of Lake County, and even beyond California, provided major support to local libraries. Harriett Lee Hammond, a native of Massachusetts who lived near Upper Lake, donated money to construct the library in Upper Lake and hired a Boston architect to design it. Chauncey Gibson of Oakland and Middletown donated Middletown's Gibson Library. The Carnegie Corporation of New York granted money to Lakeport for the Carnegie Library on Park Street.

As early as 1906, The California State Library sent crates of books to Lake County as part of the Traveling Libraries program and local organizations distributed the books to readers. In 1918 and from 1921 to 1922, county library organizers from the State Library visited Lake County, urging local officials to form a county library, but their efforts did not succeed. Efforts to form a county library in 1946 and 1956 also failed.

When Lake County finally committed to starting a county library system in the 1970s, the State Library organized and managed the federally-funded Lake County Library Project, from which the current county system developed. The Project's bookmobile delivered books to many Lake County communities.

Voters elected to form the Lake County Library system in the mid-1970s, bringing Lakeport, Clearlake (Redbud Library) Upper Lake, and Middletown Libraries into one system. The Kelseyville Library, which the Kelseyville Women's Club had operated since 1914, reportedly ceased operations around this time.

The most significant change for the Lake County Library since the 1970s occurred in 2001, when the library system automated and joined a catalog/circulation network with the Sonoma and Mendocino County Libraries.

Library patrons in Lake County now have access to the collections of the three counties, approximately one million books, through the automated catalogs in the libraries and the online catalog. See the library Web site at www.co.lake.ca.us/Page386.aspx, and choose “Catalog” to locate and request books from home. A library card issued at any branch library in the tri-county network is good anywhere in the system.

Lakeport Library, located at 1425 N. High St., is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday, noon to 8 p.m.; telephone 263-8817.

Redbud Library, 14785 Burns Valley Road, Clearlake, is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday, noon to 8 p.m.; telephone 994-5115.

Middletown Library, 21267 Calistoga Road, is open Tuesday through Friday, 1 p.m to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; telephone 987-3674.

Upper Lake Library, 310 Second St., is open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Wednesday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; telephone 275-2049.

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