LAKEPORT, Calif. – Branch 168 of the Sons In Retirement held its monthly luncheon in the conference center of Konocti Vista Casino on Friday, Nov. 8.

The guest speaker was Julie Berry, who has lived in Lake County for the past 14 years. She has worked in advertising and sales.

Since moving to Lake County, she has managed homeowner associations and worked as a bookkeeper for two water districts, and for the past four years she has been the church secretary for Kelseyville Presbyterian.

Working for REACH, she has been able to educate the residents of Northern California about the importance of having a REACH membership.

Dean Faris, the “Big SIR,” announced that the Christmas party will be held on Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. in the conference room of the Konocti Vista Casino.

Bob Specht, the chair of the travel committee, announced that there are a few seats left for the Christmas Shopping “Safari.” This is a bus trip on Nov. 19 to the Vacaville Outlet stores and the cost is $25. Pickups are at the Riviera Hills Country Club and the McDonalds in Clearlake. Many of the stores have special discounts available to seniors on that date.

Specht also reported that Branch 133 is sponsoring a three-day, two-night Yuletide experience Dec. 4-6.

For $172 per person double occupancy ($207 single), the trip includes bus transportation, a two-night stay at the Eldorado Hotel in Reno, two breakfast buffets, a Christmas cocktail party and the dinner show “Ice Fantasy” in the Eldorado showroom. The show combines the excitement of championship figure skating with the thrill of cirque acts.

For more information about either of these events call Bob, 707-279-0187; Bill, 707-277-8846; or Dick, 707-994-5381.

Sons In Retirement is a social organization for men of retirement age who are pursuing the goal of enjoying their later years. It has 142 branches with 18,000 members throughout the state.

Branch 168 holds a luncheon on the second Friday of each month at the conference room at Konocti Vista Casino.

Anyone interested in learning more about Sons In Retirement is encouraged to contact Larry Powers, chair of the membership committee, at 707-263-3403 or to visit the state Web site at www.sirinc.org .

NORTH COAST – Caltrans reports that the following road projects will be taking place around the North Coast during the coming week.

Included are Mendocino County projects that may impact Lake County commuters.

LAKE COUNTY

Highway 29

– PG&E of Eureka has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for utility repairs at the junction of Routes 29/175 near Lakeport on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Work hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

Highway 53

– Highway widening and rehabilitation from Crawford Avenue to the junction of Routes 20/53 will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Teichert Construction of Davis.

Highway 175

– AT&T of Santa Rosa has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for utility repairs from Anderson Springs Road to Bush Street. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

Highway 1

– Replacement of the Greenwood Creek Bridge will continue. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. Contractor – Golden State Bridge Inc. of Martinez.

– Pavement repairs from 0.6 mile to 1.0 mile north of the junction of Routes 1/128 will continue on Thursday, Nov. 14. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Granite Construction of Ukiah.

– Replacement of a culvert with a bridge at Dunn Creek will continue. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. Contractor – Shasta Construction of Redding.

Highway 101

– Caltrans will perform slide repairs near the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge (near Frog Woman Rock). Northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

– PG&E of Eureka has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for utility repairs near Center Street on Wednesday, Nov. 13. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

– Ben’s Truck & Equipment has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for pavement repairs just south of the Empire Camp Rest Area beginning Tuesday, Nov. 12. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

Work on all these projects is weather permitting and subject to change. Caltrans advises motorists to drive with caution when approaching work areas and to be prepared to stop at traffic control stations.

The Caltrans Traffic Operations Office has reviewed each project and determined that individual project delays are expected to be less than the statewide policy maximum of 30 minutes, unless noted otherwise above.

For information pertaining to emergency roadwork or for updates to scheduled roadwork, please contact the California Highway Information Network (CHIN) at 1-800-GAS-ROAD (1-800-427-7623).

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The top for this month's “Window to the Universe” on Saturday, Nov. 16, will be Comet ISON.

The Taylor Observatory-Norton Planetarium will host the event from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Once thought to be an omen of significant events, comets have fascinated people for thousands of years.

Now Comet ISON is traveling through our solar system. Is it the comet of the century?

Join the Taylor Observatory as staff member, Janis Traub, talks about comets, what they are and where they come from.

Lake County's Window to the Universe public events are sponsored by the Friends of Taylor Observatory.

Events include a science topic presentation, a planetarium experience and astronomical viewing, and are held regardless of weather. Please dress accordingly.

Ticket prices are $5 per adult and $3 per child under 12 years.

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

For more information, visit www.taylorobservatory.org or call 707-262-4121 and leave a message. Your call usually will be returned within 24 hours.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Thursday, Oct. 31, Clearlake experienced its first Trunk or Treat event.

Beyond any doubt, the event was a great success. The Trunk or Treat committee anticipated a lot of people to show up for the event, but little did they know that the Youth Center and its surrounding areas would be packed shoulder to shoulder with locals celebrating Halloween together as one.

Golf Avenue, which had been closed down for the event, was packed with trunks showing off some creative decorations. The courtyard in front of the Youth Center was packed with games and a bouncy house. Inside, there was a long line for the free food being given away as well as a large crowd waiting to see if they won the costume contest, the raffle, while others crept into the back room where the haunted house awaited them.

All in all, it was possibly one of the most successful events held in Clearlake in a very long time. While exact numbers are difficult to state, organizers believe that around 1,500 to 2,000 people showed up for the event. For the inaugural Trunk or Treat, that's a great success.

In order to make this event happen, organizers had a lot of help from various businesses in the community and the surrounding areas. Walmart, Foods Etc, Grocery Outlet, Safeway, Ray's Food Place, Lamplighter, Twin Pines, Konocti Casinos, Snack Shack, Cool Ghoul, Hair by Mz C, Mendo Lake Credit Union, Hanitzi's Services, Endless Expressions, Four Corners, Mendo Mill, Dollar Tree, Espresso Depot, Nottingham Nursery, Tatonka, Randy Hare Signs, Dottie and Jerry Young, Carol Jarrett, Michele Tarry, Baby Blingg, Bob's Vaccums, WickedPix, Clear Lake Physical Therapy, and Nature's Own all donated to help make this event a success. The organizers thanked them all for their support.

For our booths, they had local businesses help out such as Checkered Flag, Yia Yia Coffee Shop, Snack Shack, Hair by Mz C, Stuff Like That, Endless Expressions, Yuba College Child Development, Healthy Start, Happy Yogurt, Burger Time, and Sphynx/Triple C Collective. All booths worked tirelessly entertaining the youth of our community with various games and activities.

This year was fabulous and the committee who put together this event is very proud of what they have done. They want to thank everyone who attended and supported this event.

Make sure to look us up on Facebook to keep in touch for when next year's event starts to be organized. Also, check www.mywickedpix.com for the pictures that were taken of the event.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Seventh and eighth grade football players will square off for their league championship this Saturday, Nov. 9.

The Westshore Vikings and Kelseyville Chiefs will meet on the field at Kelseyville High School, 5480 Main St., at 7:30 p.m.

Both teams go into the championship game with 8-1 records.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Clear Lake High School gym was filled with activity on Halloween night as children and adults enjoyed the game booths, costume contests and people watching at the 34th annual Lakeport Kiwanis Halloween Party.

It was an unseasonably warm evening, much to the joy of all participants as they donned their costumes and continued the tradition of collecting candy treats and showing off their guises.

The group offered a big thank you to the Lakeport School District and Clear Lake High School for the use of the facility, and David Norris and staff for all the extra help they provided.

The games were fun for all thanks to the energy of more than 40 Clear Lake High School students who worked the booths.

Kiwanis also thanked California Scholarship Federation advisor Jim Rogers for coordinating their efforts.

Local farmers shared their abundance for decorations and treats, so a special thanks goes to Seely Orchards for the donation of apples, Renker Farm for pumpkins and corn stalks, and Mark Burch for the 545-pound giant pumpkin.

Thanks also went to Lakeport McDonald's for the donation of cups, Lakeport AAA for candy bags and UCP for the use of tables.

If anyone is interested in becoming involved in the community through Lakeport Kiwanis Club, meetings are every Wednesday at 7 a.m. at the Lakeport Senior Activity Center, 527 Konocti Ave in Lakeport.

More information is available at www.kiwanislakeport.org .