Rob Roy golf pro Bob McDonald with the winning quilt raffle ticket. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY – The Acme Foundation has announced the winner of its quilt raffle.

The winning ticket was drawn on June 1st by Bob McDonald, golf pro of Rob Roy Golf Club, which is where the Acme Foundation will hold its annual fundraiser on Sept. 20.

The winner is Debbie Baker of Novato.

Pat Meyer, president of The Acme Foundation, thanked all who participated in the raffle and helped sell tickets for this event.

As previously stated in Lake County News, 100 percent of all net proceeds from this raffle and all Acme Foundation events and donations received go toward helping pay the veterinary expenses of seriously ill cats and dogs belonging to Lake County low income seniors and disabled persons.

For more information about attending the foundation's September fundraiser or to donate an auction items call 707-928-5200.

Visit the Acme Foundation's Web site at www.acmefoundation.org .

Closures:

Holdenreid Road: In the Kelseyville/Finley area, effective immediately Holdenreid Road at Hill Creek is closed to all traffic due to bridge failure. The public is urged to use alternate routes.

Highland Springs Road: Highland Springs Road, between Highway 29 and Big Valley Road, is subject to full road closure – which began June 1 – and from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Wednesday, June 10, for necessary road reconstruction. Access to Helms will be open during this time.

Soda Bay Road: Through Aug. 28, Soda Bay Road, between Blower Road and Cal Packing Road, will be closed to through traffic Monday through Thursday (weekends excluded) between the hours of 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in order to construct the realignment of two sharp curves in this section of roadway. The road will be open to all traffic during nights and weekends, and access to local residents will be made available at all times during construction. Signs and barriers will be in place to notify the public of the need to use alternate routes.

Bridge Arbor Road: Effective immediately, Bridge Arbor Road, four-tenths of a mile from Highway 29, is closed to all traffic due to bridge failure. Please use alternate routes.

Mathews Road: Effective immediately and until further notice, Mathews Road at Manning Creek (approximately 0.15 miles from Highway 175) will be closed to all traffic due to bridge failure. Signs and barricades are in place to alert the traveling public and emergency services of the need to use alternate routes.

Construction:

Lake Street: On Lake Street in Clearlake Oaks construction began Tuesday and will continue until July 17. Construction will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, holidays and weekends excluded. During this time single-lane controlled traffic is expected with delays of up to 20 minutes. Motorists are requested to use alternate routes during construction days and times.

Road conditions are subject to change. Please use extreme caution driving on all county roads.

For more information call the Public Works Department at 707-263-2341.

Top left to right: Susie Fresne-Smith, Andy Rossoff, Barbara Johnson, Mike Dunlap, Nancy Ryan, Vernon D. McNamee; front left to right, Carla L. Rodriguez (past grad), Linda Garcia-Eckert (past grad), Penny DeMaria Jahn. Not pictured: Cathy Ward, Susanna DeAngelo Fraser, PatriciaAn Raymundo-Schmidt, Mary Amodio (past grad). Photo courtesy of PatriciaAn Raymundo-Schmidt.

LAKE COUNTY – On May 9, 16 and 30, from, 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., a class of nine people completed 24 hours of training, sponsored by the Lake Superior Court Civil Mediation Program and the Lake County dispute Resolution Services, Inc. (LCDRS).

Trainers leading the group were Cathy Ward, J.D., ADR coordinator for the Lake County Superior Court; Andy Rossoff, directing attorney, Senior Law Project; and Barbara Johnson, executive director, LCDRS.

As Rossoff explained, “Mediators help parties in conflict find collaborative solutions outside of court.”.

When I arrived for the first class, my first thought was, “What am I doing here?” The “ice breaker” was focused on getting acquainted with my fellow students.

We came from diverse backgrounds: a gentleman who travels the world who happens to be an attorney, a paralegal who is currently training to swim across the Blue Lakes, a real estate agent, a registered member of Big Valley Rancheria, a single mom who is also a bartender and a physical therapy aide, an attorney who is also an existing mediator and others who also want to expand their “life resume.”

After attending three Saturdays of mediation training, this homemaker, desiring to expand her “life resume,” acquired the basic methods of non-biased thinking, listening, facilitating the clear communication of disputants’ needs and interests, and helping others to find acceptable solutions.

“These new mediators will bring a diversity of life experiences to the community mediation services in Lake County,” said Johnson. “It is proof that everyday folks are able to learn valuable new skills in service to their community.”

I am looking forward to completing the required 25 hours of volunteer “pay-back” and the opportunity to test these skills while co-mediating disputants in Lake County Superior Court's small claims court and eviction proceedings. An additional benefit of this class is that these basic skills will be available to me to us in my daily affairs with family, friends and coworkers.

“The skills taught are useful in all sorts of environments,” said Susanna DeAngelo Fraser, tribal prevention coordinator. “It would be so helpful to bring this format in a number of situations that I am currently dealing with. The power of real heart felt listening and acknowledgment and decisions made based on input from both parties seems so basic, yet isn’t readily accessible.”

Ward, Rossoff and Johnson gave a very impressive and effective class. Thank you, fellow classmates, for contributing your comments; this will encourage a wider range of future mediator trainees to sign-up for the next mediation training session.

Any reader wanting help solving a dispute or interested in hearing about the next basic mediation training session (probably late fall 2009) is invited to call the Lake County Dispute Resolution Services Inc. at 707-263-6800 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Our new place is McDonald's, 1400 Todd Road, Lakeport. Thanks to Nick for letting us use their meeting room.

The time is changed to 1 p.m.

The date is the same, the last Saturday of every month.

June 27 is the next meeting. Food and drinks can be purchased from McDonald's but no purchase is necessary to use the room.

All information is on the club website: http://meetup.com/lcflyingsaucerclub . Membership and meetings are always free.

Sign up on the Web site to receive updates. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-263-3391.

This year the co-sponsors for the contest are the Clear Lake Junior Horsemen and the Scotts Valley 4H Horse Group.

“It's really appropriate that these groups are sponsoring,” said Rodeo President John Fulton. “Many of them and their alumni have participated in the contest over the past many years.”

A current rodeo director, Nick Moranda, was a winner in the early 1990s.

The contest is open to boys and girls, ages 4 to 8. The deadline to enter is Friday, June 26. The actual competition will be held at the Narley Dude Ranch at noon on Saturday, June 27.

Participants are encouraged to dress in their best western gear (no live props) and they will be asked a few questions during a short interview.

The winners, one boy and one girl, will be announced as they are introduced in the arena on Friday evening, July 10, at the 80th Annual Lake County Rodeo at the Fairgrounds in Lakeport.

Each winner receives three passes to the rodeo for that evening. During their introduction on Friday, they will be awarded a special silver buckle.

Applications can be printed off the official rodeo Web site at www.lakecountyrodeo.com ; picked up at the Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce, 875 Lakeport Blvd., in Lakeport or call 707-263-5092 to have an application mailed to you.

The Senior Center is located at 3985 Country Club Drive (corner of 10^th and Country Club) in Lucerne.

The center serves breakfast from 9 a.m. until noon.

The public is invited. Membership in the Lake County Democratic Club is open to registered members of the Democratic Party.

For more information contact the group at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-263-4529.