LAKEPORT, Calif. – The first offering of commemorative bricks to be placed in the Memorial Grove at the Westside Community Park will come to an end on Feb. 28.

Currently, 59 bricks have been purchased by individuals and community organizations according to Westside Community Park Committee Financial Officer, Carol Thorn.

The commemorative bricks will be the newest addition to the park’s Memorial Grove, located at the entrance to the Jane Barnes Field.

The grove currently consists of 12 oak trees, a beautiful tile mosaic sign honoring those represented by the trees, created by local artist Chris King, and a bench donated by the Clear Lake Trowel & Trellis Club.

The 4-inch by 8-inch red bricks can be etched with up to three lines of text in remembrance or recognition of an individual or group chosen by the purchaser.

The cost is $100 per brick.

Purchasers will receive a receipt for the tax-deductible portion of their contribution in the amount of $82.50.

The Westside Community Park Committee is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation.

According to Thorn, bricks can be ordered through the end of February in one of two ways.  Information and an order form are available on the WCPC website at www.westsidecommunitypark.org .

Orders also can be placed by contacting Westside Community Park Committee Chair Dennis Rollins at 707-349-0969 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

“This is one way the community can assist with landscaping the park while providing a lasting remembrance of someone or something special,” Thorn said.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Kelseyville Presbyterian Church will hold its annual brisket dinner/dessert auction fundraiser on Saturday, March 11, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Enjoy a delicious brisket dinner, then sit back and participate in the dessert auction, with mouth-watering desserts by the famous Kelseyville Presbyterian cooks.

There will be a silent auction as well, and all proceeds go to the Housing Task Force, a group that has helped fire victims and others in the community with a hand up.

The cost is $15 for adults and $10 for children.

Don't miss this fun event.

Kelseyville Presbyterian is located at 5340 Third St.

For more information, and advance tickets, please call 707-279-1104.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Feb. 9, 100+ Women Strong in Lake County had its first meeting at Rancho De La Fuente in Lakeport.

The group was formed as a community effort to fundraise for Lake County based nonprofit organizations. 

The group consists of women in Lake County who commit to donate $400 per year to different charities in our community.

The group meets once every three months and three local charitable organizations are invited to give brief presentations in hopes of being selected by 100+ Women Strong.

One of the three charities is selected by a majority vote of the group after the presentation and receives $100 from each and every member of 100+ Women Strong.

The goal of the group is to be able to raise $10,000 each quarter for local charities. 

This organization is part of a worldwide coalition of similar organizations which includes over 400 chapters worldwide. 

Crystal Martin, one of the group’s founders, explained, “100+ Women Strong in Lake County is a group of local women who are dedicated to supporting our community.  We come from all walks of life and different financial backgrounds. As individuals, we found that it is difficult to make a significant difference, but as a group we have the ability to contribute to the growth of our community and make an impact in ways that we never thought possible.”

The Feb. 9 event far exceeded the expectations of the 100+ Women Strong group. Rainy weather couldn’t keep more than 100 women from gathering at the Rancho De La Fuente event center, the use of which was donated by owners Frank Perez and Rosana Guillermo.

Three charities presented at the event and answered questions from the group.

The first charity was Orphan Dog. Orphan Dog’s mission is to spay and neuter animals in Lake County. 

The second charity was Lake Family Resource Center, which offers services for victims of domestic violence and other crimes as well as various family services in Lake County.

The third charity was Operation Tango Mike which purchases and ships care packages to armed service members serving our country overseas.

After hearing the presentations, the group selected Operation Tango Mike as its first recipient.

On Feb. 16 at the Operation Tango Mike packing party held at Umpqua Bank in Lakeport, 100+ Women Strong presented checks to Ginny Craven, the founder of Operation Tango Mike, totaling $14,600.

The group offered a special thank you to Frank Perez and Rosana Guillermo for donating the beautiful venue and to their son-in-law Randy Feliciano of Santini Fine Wines for the generous wine donation. 

This was the first of many 100+ Women Strong events to held throughout Lake County.

Women who are interested in joining this effort can find more information at www.100womenstronginlakecounty.com . 

NAPA, Calif. – A field of determined entrants from 19 countries, 44 U.S. states, and Washington, D.C. will gather in California’s Napa Valley for the 39th annual Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon on Sunday, March 5.

The Napa Valley Marathon (NVM) asks each entrant to describe on their entry form their reasons for entering the race.

Among the varied responses each year, many illustrate how the challenges of a 26.2-mile race spurs marathoners to undertake charitable deeds that assist others who face adversity, or to overcome personal adversities themselves.

A high percentage of respondents also cited the reputation of NVM as one of the best organized marathons in the U.S., and the allure of the picturesque Napa Valley wine growing region, as primary reasons for entering the race.

Every Napa Valley Marathon participant assists important local causes. All proceeds from the Napa Valley Marathon (a nonprofit organization) are donated to local charities and schools in the Napa Valley region.

Numerous NVM participants, however, choose to go beyond NVM’s annual philanthropy by dedicating their race to others, often raising donations that fund the charities of their choice.

On Feb. 11, 2016, Forbes Travel Guide rated NVM among the top 12 marathons in the world “worth traveling for,” an honor it has bestowed on NVM three times in the past five years.

On Jan. 28, 2016, The Economic Times ranked NVM at the top of its list of the “world’s best marathon locations to inspire you to lace up and get training.” Runner’s World magazine selected NVM as one of the top ten U.S. marathons for first-time marathon participants in its January, 2011 issue.

This year, My Best Runs/World’s Best Road Races has ranked NVM as one of the world’s best 100 races (regardless of distance). American Express’ Departures magazine declared NVM as No. 7 in their “ten travel-worthy races that make for truly memorable journeys on the run.”

The Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon serves as the 2017 Roads Runners Club of America Western Regional Marathon Championship.

Entry limits for NVM are largely determined by the number of available hotel rooms in the world-renowned Napa Valley wine producing and tasting region.

For more information about the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon, please visit the marathon’s Web site at www.napavalleymarathon.org .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Fair Board will meet on Monday, Feb. 27.

The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. at the fairgrounds administration office, 401 Martin St., Lakeport.

The board will approve the livestock auction contingency reserve and set the date of the appreciation dinner.

Other agenda items include financial and committee reports, discussion of the 2017 Lake County Fair, an update on the Lake County Fair Foundation and a followup on the strategic planning session.

The board also will receive the resignation letter from member Meyo Marrufo.

The fair board's membership include Janeane Bogner, Steven Brown, Marcia Chauvin, James Cochrane, Katherine McDowell, Annette Hopkins and Jerry McQueen.

The next time you open your closet, this poem will give you reason to pay a little more attention to what's hanging inside.

Gary Whited is from Massachusetts and his most recent book is Having Listened, (Homebound Publications, 2013).

My Blue Shirt

hangs in the closet
of this small room, collar open,
sleeves empty, tail wrinkled.
Nothing fills the shirt but air
and my faint scent. It waits,
all seven buttons undone,
button holes slack,
the soft fabric with its square white pattern,
all of it waiting for a body.
It would take any body, though it knows,
in its shirt way of knowing, only mine
has my shape in its wrinkles,
my bend in the elbows.
Outside this room birds hunt for food,
young leaves drink in morning sunlight,
people pass on their way to breakfast.
Yet here, in this closet,
the blue shirt needs nothing,
expects nothing, knows only its shirt knowledge,
that I am now learning—how to be private and patient,
how to be unbuttoned,
how to carry the scent of what has worn me,
and to know myself by the wrinkles.

American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited submissions. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright© 2013 by Gary Whited, “My Blue Shirt,” from Having Listened, (Homebound Publications, 2013). Poem reprinted by permission of Gary Whited and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2017 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.