Alex Hadgis of Kelseyville, Calif., runs the Solar System Slalom. Photo courtesy of Nancy Brier.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A lucky handful of Lake County elementary students ended summer with a blast this year at Camp Walla Walla Hoo Ha, a hands-on science exploration camp where science and art collide.
Fifteen young campers were greeted with puzzling questions: If the sun were the size of a front door, how big would earth be? If the sun were the size of a grapefruit, how far away would Pluto be?
Campers explored these questions and dozens more of their own in a fast-paced, action-packed week of science, crafts, physical fitness and performing arts.
On day one, campers built a model of the solar system. It was massive, the huge globular sun dangling from a sturdy tree limb, and it stayed on display at camp all week to serve as a fun artistic centerpiece and an excellent point of reference for space related questions.
An 8-foot sphere, the sun glowed red, yellow and orange with flickers of purples and blues. Planets were built to scale, with Jupiter being about the size of a basketball and Saturn stealing all the glory with its magnificent rings.
Building this giant system helped put the incomprehensible nature of space into a more down to earth realm, and it made the campers hungry.
After a fortifying snack and a spirited round of rocket relay races, campers created individual 3-D solar system models of their own to take home.
“I want to live at space camp,” said 6-year-old Aiden Hall, a particularly ardent fan of science.
Camp Walla Walla Hoo Ha, whose mission is to bring science to life and inspire school age children to improve skills in science, technology, engineering, and math, debuted this summer in Lake County. Plans to expand the program are under way.
“Six months ago, I heard a Silicon Valley executive literally pleading for more science education in California,” said camp founder Nancy Brier, a Lake County entrepreneur with a strong interest in education.
According to STEM, a Silicon Valley foundation that encourages education in science and technology, California ranks second to the bottom nationally in science education among eighth graders, but Brier said she believes that small steps can turn these numbers around.
“I’d like to see Lake County take a leadership role in the shift,” she said.
Space camp instructor Nancy Brier demonstrates a model of the inner planets at Camp Walla Walla Hoo Ha. Photo courtesy of Nancy Brier.
By day two, campers were ready to explore in depth the inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and the asteroid belt.
They learned that the inner planets are mostly made up of rock, that they are relatively close to the sun and that they orbit faster than the outer planets.
Each camper made his own replica of the inner planets, and their replicas actually revolve on their own orbital paths, an artistic keepsake and a scientifically accurate representative of the day’s theme at camp.
“It was so much fun,” said an exuberant Michael Wiser of Kelseyville, just as day two ended.
His mother, Meredith Wiser, said she couldn’t believe how much Michael was learning. “It's all he talks about, and the knowledge he’s acquiring is amazing,” she said.
On day two, each camper also selected a role to play in a performance called “The Living Solar System,” presented by the Milky Way Players at week’s end. Campers made their own costumes and rehearsed all week to portray their best interpretation of the planets, the asteroid belt, space explorers and other roles which reinforced the core learning of the week.
The third day of camp offered a closeup look at the sun, the moon and the earth. Campers split up and visited stations all over the campground to discuss specifics and conduct experiments.
At the moon station, campers studied NASA photos of craters on the surface of the moon. Campers then recreated the moon surface, and using various sized “asteroids” projected at differing angles and speeds, made their own craters and discussed them.
They also looked at photos showing shadows cast on the earth by the moon and learned about the how our view of the moon changes during its various phases. Many campers were shocked to learn that the earth is actually larger than the moon.
At the earth station, campers learned about polar ice caps, the earth’s axis and equator, and how the earth moves relative to the sun.
At the last station, campers visited the sun itself, where a 3-D poster showed in amazing detail what the surface of the sun actually looks like.
They compared that poster to the flame of a candle and discussed the impact of heat on earth and other planets.
Campers tossed pebbles into a plastic container decorated with the sun’s image. If those pebbles represent earth, it would take a million to fill the sun.
That afternoon, campers recreated the view of earth from space with a 3-D craft that included topographical land masses, the equator and the earth’s axis.
For 5-year-old Audrey Dierssen of Kelseyville, the earth project was a favorite. “I liked making the land and mixing them with paint, and I loved getting the earth tattoo from NASA.”
Contributions and consultations from professionals at Jet Propulsion Labs in Los Angeles helped furnish the camp with educational materials, cool tattoos and stickers.
Day four shifted the focus to the outer planets, which are mostly gas.
“Making our own gas planet was cool,” reported Miles Mattina of Lakeport.
Campers discussed how the outer planets, other than Pluto, are generally large, made of gas and orbit slowly. At craft time, they replicated Saturn in a craft that mimics Saturn’s glamorous rings of ice and dust.
Lots of physical activity punctuated the science activities at camp. Six-year-old Lauren Trippeer especially liked the Solar System Slalom, an obstacle course in which campers made timed runs around the planets in order.
Starting at the sun, each camper had to make a complete orbit around each planet and race back to the finish line while another camper documented the score. “It was awesome,” Lauren exclaimed, panting and red faced.
By Friday, campers were eager to show off their knowledge, and parents and family members were invited to join the fun.
As a warmup to the performance, campers challenged parents to a game of space trivia, a match that put the parents to shame. Campers eagerly raised their hands to each and every space related question, while parents, mostly mystified, could only guess at the answers they may have known long ago.
To answer the opening questions: if the sun were the size of your front door, Earth would be about the size of a nickel. And if the sun were the size of a grapefruit, Pluto would be about a half a mile away.
Camp Walla Walla Hoo Ha culminated just as the school year gets under way.
Perhaps the most promising moment of the action-packed week came at the very end when 6-year-old camper Clara Andre was overheard to say, “This year, I’m going to ask my teacher for more science.”
For more information about the camp, contact Nancy Brier at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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Participants in the inaugural Camp Walla Walla Hoo Ha included, back row, left to right
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Following concerns last month that a transit worker strike could occur locally, contract negotiations between the company that operates Lake County's transit services and its union-represented employees came to a successful conclusion this week.
Paratransit Services of Bremerton, Wash., which holds the contract for Lake Transit Authority, and Teamsters Local 624, based in Santa Rosa, reached a tentative agreement for a three-year contract for 35 transit employees on Sept. 1, as Lake County News has reported.
This past Sunday in Lower Lake, that tentative agreement went before a vote of a committee representing the workers, said Ralph Miranda, a union spokesman and negotiator on the contract.
“The offer was unanimously accepted and recommended by the committee,” he said.
Randy Grove, Paratransit Services' director of operations and human resources, confirmed the settlement.
“We are pleased that an agreement could be reached,” Grove said.
Miranda said the contract terms include a 1.5-percent wage increase retroactive to July 1, up from the 1 percent wage increase Paratransit Services had previous proposed.
He said they also will continue with the current health plan offered by Paratransit Services, with an agreement that the company and employees would split the costs of any increases the insurance company implements.
The two sides agreed to reopen negotiations on medical benefits and wages on June 30 of the next two years, he said.
In turn, the union agreed in the contract to Paratransit Services' request to freeze longevity increases, which Miranda previously said include step increases between five and 10 years of service.
“We agreed to freeze the step increases, which was one of the big item that was delaying it,” he said.
Miranda said federal mediator David Weinberg, who has worked with the two sides over the last several weeks, was very helpful in getting a resolution.
“The atmosphere at the bargaining table, I've got to say, really turned cooperative,” said Miranda, noting that everyone wanted to get an agreement.
Though the union had set deadlines for strikes last month, Miranda said they hadn't wanted to interrupt services for the thousands of local residents who depend on local transit.
Paratransit Services officials also had emphasized that they didn't want to see service interruptions.
“Paratransit Services values its employees,” said Grove. “In turn, the employees value their commitment and responsibility to provide safe and efficient transportation services to the residents of Lake County.”
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .
Volunteer workers at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre in Lakeport, Calif., include, from left to right, Marc Spillman, Kelseyville Lumber Truss Division;; Jim Plank, Soper-Reese Theatre, facilities; John Ross, Soper-Reese Theatre, theatre manager; Mike Beale, Guido
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – AIDSWALK Lake County invites the community to come out this weekend and help with the work of raising awareness about AIDS and its prevention.
The third annual event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, at Austin Park in Clearlake.
Come and walk along with Hospice Services of Lake County, Yuba College Rotaracts, Head Start and many others.
Walk alone for a small donation or with a team of four for only $25.
Although the walk is only three-quarters of a mile, organizers say the walk invokes a warm, community spirit.
Local health and wellness caregivers will have booths, including the Sutter Mobile Health team which will offer free health screenings. Also on hand will be a diverse community of caring, civic groups, including the Stonewall Democratic Club, Lake County PRIDE, Save The Lake, The Sierra Club, CLO/Glenhaven Business Association, the Clearlake Oaks Community Methodist Church, Clearlake United Methodist Church and many more.
Enjoy the arts and crafts and the delicious gourmet food by “Kim Young & Crew,” and join the silent auction of art and things, including a weekend getaway and raffle prizes, all of which will be awarded the same day.
“Without A Net,” a band composed of local educators, will provide the music.
AIDSWALK Lake County is produced by Community Care HIV/AIDS Program and The Drop In Center and the special Lake County communities.
For more information about AIDSWALK Lake County call 707-995-1606.
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LAKEPORT – National POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed annually across the nation on the third Friday in September.
This year the commemoration takes place on Sept. 17.
To mark the date and remember those who were or are prisoners of war or missing in action and their families, a gathering will be held at the gazebo in Library Park in Lakeport at 8 p.m.
The program will include a candlelight vigil, speakers Woody Hughes and Dan Christensen, and music by Robert Deppe.
The Military Funeral Honors Team of Lake County will also fire the traditional rifle volleys and play “Taps.” It is a rare opportunity to view a nighttime rifle firing.
More than 1,700 American personnel are still listed as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam conflict. There also are personnel not accounted for from the current conflicts.
Though National POW/MIA Recognition day is not a public holiday it is a national observance.
You are encouraged to take time to remember and honor our American POW/MIA service members.
Everyone is welcome. Please bring a candle to light.
For more information, please call 707-349-2838.
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The Anderson Family of Grass Valley mesmerized the crowd at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park in Lower Lake, Calif., on Saturday, September 11, 2010, for the fifth annual Old Time Bluegrass Festival. The group includes Mark and Christy Anderson and their four children, Paige, Aimee, Ethan (Bo) and Daisy. Photo by Terre Logsdon.
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Nationally known musicians once again graced the stages at the annual Old Time Bluegrass Festival held at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park on Saturday.
Anderson Marsh State Historic Park is well-known to Lake County residents as a preserved slice of the American West, with the property donated by the Anderson family, several of whom were in attendance on Saturday.
The park is now home to the annual Old Time Bluegrass Festival, now in its fifth year.
Jenny Ranger, a 9-year-old fiddler with the Konocti Fiddle Club, performs at the Old Time Bluegrass Festival on Saturday, September 11, 2010, in Lower Lake, Calif. Photo by Miguel Lanigan.
Several local favorites – including the Cobb Stompers, Clear Lake Clikkers and the Konocti Fiddle Club – kicked off the event, which was simulcast on KPFZ 88.1 FM, Lake County Community Radio.
“It's such a pleasure to work with everyone to put this magnificent event on,” said Gae Henry, a member of the steering committee and a driving force behind the event.
Henry spoke passionately to the event-goers about supporting Proposition 21, a state initiative which would create a designated funding source for California State Parks separate from general fund allocations.
Trevor Cleir of Clearlake, Calif., was the volunteer for the lemonade stand for his second grade booth at the Old Time Bluegrass Festival on Saturday, September 11, 2010, in Lower Lake, Calif. It was his first visit to the festival. Photo by Miguel Lanigan.
There also was a special presentation to the Lake County Volunteer Firefighters to thank local first responders on the ninth anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001.
“As always,” Henry said, “we've been given tremendous support form the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Children's museum of Art and Science to put on this event.”
She said they also received help from Carlé Continuation High School and Lower Lake High School.
KPFZ 88.1 FM members doing the all-day remote live broadcast of the Old Time Bluegrass Festival at the Anderson Marsh State Historical Park in Lower Lake, Calif., on Saturday, September 11, 2010. From left to right, Buck Bouker, MC of
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