The residents of the South Lake Fire Protection District have been through a great deal since the 2015 fire season.

From one extreme to the other, you’ve seen devastating wildfires, pouring rain, mudslides, rockslides, flooding, falling trees and snow. I think all would agree that you’ve endured more than your share of hardship.

Throughout those hardships, you’ve been fortunate to have people and groups working to assist your community. One of those groups has dedicated itself to your well-being since 2002.

The South Lake Fire Safe Council, a group I’m proud to support, has worked to provide fire safety education to the young and not-so-young in the South Lake community for 15 years. Along with their education activities, SLFSC has also provided an exceptional chipping program.

Each year, for a modest membership donation, they’ve offered chipping services within your fire protection district.

They contribute thousands of dollars in donated time to administer and organize this service. Money is spent only on a professional chipping crew – other expenses are covered by the donated time and efforts of this all-volunteer organization.

The Valley fire was a tragic event where evacuation was a necessity rather than an option. Some were fortunate – others were not.

Two of the directors of SLFSC lost their homes, as did many of you. The other directors evacuated their homes, just as you did, and because of a very active 2015 fire season – it happened more than once. 

In the aftermath of the Valley fire, many came to your aid with the assistance of funding from charitable groups or government agencies.

The directors of SLFSC, despite their own personal losses, subsidized their chipping program to help fellow residents clear debris after the fire.

SLFSC contributed over $20,000 to help their community during this tragic time. Before others came to do the same work and get paid for it – the South Lake Fire Safe Council was there to support you.

They helped you as much as they could, as long as they could, and they kept going until their funds were nearly exhausted.

Now, in order to continue assisting you as they have in the past, they need your help. Times are tough and money is tight, but dollars add up.

Please, if you can help in any way, donate to a group who has given so much to you. With your assistance, they’ll be able to continue working for your community.

They meet the first Wednesday of each month at 2 p.m. in the South Lake Fire Station in Middletown. They welcome new members and volunteers. 

If you can help in donated time or money, you’ll also be helping your own community. Please send donations to the South Lake Fire Safe Council, P.O. Box 1773, Middletown, CA 95461.

Any amount is welcome. As a nonprofit organization, your donation is tax-deductible.

Linda Juntunen lives in Lakeport, Calif.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – As you read this article Carlé High School is on spring break.

Spring break starts April 3 and ends April 10. After break only one week remains in the fifth grade period. Be sure to make as many credits as you can before we enter the last grading period of the year.

At Carlé we feel it’s important for the students to know where they are and what they need in particular to achieve graduation.

That is why Carlé offers 12 grade and credit checks throughout the year to give students an opportunity to assess when they could possibly graduate and what is required for graduation.

Carlé feels by putting students, with the aid of an advisor, in charge of their own credits that it helps train students in the responsibilities of adulthood.

Five new students entered Carlé during the fifth grading period; we at Carlé would like to give them a warm welcome. Bienvenue Marshall Gotschall, Jessie Hampton, Marco Anguiano, Eric Marks and Michelle Steele. We hope Carlé offers you great opportunities to graduate.

A trip to Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus in Clearlake is scheduled to take place on April 11. During this trip the students of Carlé will tour the majority of the Woodland campus.

We will visit and be served by the culinary program they have at Woodland run by the wonderful Chef Robert who has supported and worked with Carlé students and staff for quite a while.

We would also like to thank Bruno Sabatier and Pamela Bordisso for their devotion to the Carlé students.

Carlé students will tour various building including the library and even the administration office. Since Woodland Community College is so close to Carlé, and many of our graduates do take and will take classes there, touring the college is extremely advantageous for students to be exposed to what opportunities the college has to offer.

On Saturday, March 25, Carlé attended the Rotary reforestation community project at Middletown Trailside Park.

After the Valley fire more than 76,000 acres were scorched. Concerned with the burning of all these trees the Lake Area Rotary Club Association, or LARCA, quickly sprang into action.

LARCA hosted an event in which more than 300 people gathered and reforested a portion of Trailside Park in Middletown. During this reforestation more than 3,000 baby tree saplings were planted to assist in this campaign against the thousands of acres that were burned in the Valley fire.

We would like to give a special mention to the student and staff of Carlé who attended. Thank you to Angie Siegel and Rayven Baldwin-Riggs for contributing to this wonderful event held by the Rotary Club.

The Carlé S.B.E. program is holding an art contest of sorts, in this contest students may take their own original art and the S.B.E. program will press the art onto a key chain, mouse pad or mug. Good luck everyone and we hope to see a lot of cool artwork.

There are multiple students of the week to celebrate this week. the people who were rewarded: Anthony Bigness, Lloyd Bridges, David Jones and Johnnye Melvin.

Sherry Hoeckendorf our school secretary nominated Bridges. She said, “I nominated Lloyd because he always is willing to help and he has a very positive demeanor toward both students and staff.”

Angie Siegel nominated Bigness. “Anthony is an amazing student, he always does top-quality work, he’s polite, cooperative and very respectful in class. We really enjoy having him at Carlé.”

Siegel nominated Jones as well. “Davis has really improved his attendance and shown us what a great student he is, all the staff members of Carlé are proud to see that he’s committed to his education.”

She also nominated Johnnye Melvin. “Johnnye is also a very bright and excellent student that always does her very best on every assignment and remains focused on her education.”

The cardboard car races as mentioned in the last article will be continuing on Friday, more on the winners and designers in the next issue of the Carlé Chronicle. Students put in way more effort than we expected them to and the hand designed cars came out very unique and interesting.

On March 28, the Student Council gave a presentation on Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACES.

This presentation highlighted the ways that both negative and positive childhood experiences affect the health of an individual. It also addressed how knowing this information could help change how people respond to stress and thus improve their interpersonal relationships.

Carlé students attended this presentation along with the teaching staff, some Lower Lake High School staff, Healthy Start, members of the Probation and Clear Lake Police Department, and Woodland Community College staff.

Lilli Edson, a Carlé staff member, helped the student council create this event. “The student council put a lot of effort and time into learning the information they presented, doing research and developing a power point,” said Edson. “They were excited to share what they had learned and wanted to present again, with the opportunity.”

Edson spoke of how helpful Alan Siegel and the students were when it came to setting up for the event and making sure all technology was running properly.

Wednesday, March 29, marked teachers Angie and Alan Siegel’s 30th anniversary. Thirty years and you still seem to share deep feelings of warm personal attachment, which I think is something every human longs for. Congratulations on 30 happy years and many more to come.

Nicholas Phipps is a student at Carlé Continuation High School.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Easter See’s Candies sales by Delta Iota Tau Sorority will be made at Bruno’s Shop Smart from Monday, April 10, through Saturday, April 15, from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. each day.

Delta Iota Tau, a Lake County Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, sells See’s Candies all year through North Lake Medical Pharmacy located in the Bruno’s Shop Smart Center on Lakeport Boulevard.

Due to the huge volume of customers for Easter, the Sorority sets up this special table in Bruno’s to relieve the pharmacy staff during this time.

The money raised through these sales enables Delta Iota Tau to make a variety of community donations all year long. All monies raised are donated to Lake County residents and organizations only.

Groups receiving annual donations have included Clear Lake High School scholarships, Operation Tango Mike, Wreaths Across America, Sponsoring Survivorship, Miss Lake County Pageant, Lakeport Senior Center Meals on Wheels and Clear Lake High School Sober Grad Night to name a few.

When the public purchases See’s Candies from Delta Iota Tau please remember that the purchases provide far more joy than to the person who receives the candy.

“Many deserving people benefit from your purchase of See’s Candies, far more than you may imagine,” said Chapter President Dana Kearney. “Thank you for supporting our community giving.”

TV Corner: NBC TV showcases programs on its Summer Day Tour  

Like the good old days of rental car company Avis, the NBC Universal television conglomerate tries harder, at least by promoting its upcoming shows with the “Summer Press Day” held every spring for the edification of television critics.

You could say that the range of panel discussions run on the eclectic side, with a mix of programming bouncing around from traditional NBC programs to the offerings of cable offshoots, including the Golf Channel and Bravo.

For sports fans, the Golf Channel presents “Jack,” a three-part event beginning on April 9th capturing the spectacular career of Jack Nicklaus, one of the all-time greats who won a record-setting 18 major championships.

“Jack” will feature a collection of interviews from other sports legends such as Wayne Gretzky, Richard Petty, Nolan Ryan, Jerry Rice, Roger Federer and Bill Belichek. For good measure, presidents past and present, George W. Bush and Donald Trump, appear in the film.

The NBC network’s most ambitious offering won’t come until late July and it arrives with the kind of graphic intensity you would expect on a cable channel, such as the El Rey Network or even NBC Universal’s own Syfy Channel.

“Midnight, Texas” hardly has the feel of a typical network show, though its slot in the 10 o’clock hour puts it out of reach of the traditional family period. That’s a good thing, considering the steamy scenes and brutal violence skirt the boundaries for network standards.

This supernatural thriller takes a journey into a remote Texas town where nothing is what it seems. Where being normal is strange and only outsiders fit in. It’s a sanctuary city for misfits seeking a safe haven.

The central figure is Manfred (Francois Arnaud), a psychic who communicates with spirits and surrounds himself with both human and supernatural allies. Dylan Bruce’s Bobo runs the local pawn shop and Parisa Fitz-Henley’s Fiji runs the town’s wiccan shop.

Olivia (Arielle Kebbel) is a mysterious assassin with more lethal weapons than a rebel army, while Jason Lewis’ Joe is a winged angel who’s been around for millennia and Peter Mensah’s Lemuel is a vampire with a long history.

Everybody has secrets in the town of Midnight, but they have to band together as reluctant allies to fight off deadly biker gangs and other outside pressures. The series is based on books by Charlaine Harris, the same author who inspired the “True Blood” series on HBO.
I don’t know if they are the next Kardashians, but the Cyrus clan is expanding its cultural presence, so to speak, with “Cyrus vs. Cyrus: Design and Conquer.” This time, it is matriarch Tish Cyrus and daughter Brandi (sister to the infamous Miley) with a reality show on Bravo.

The mother-daughter design duo embarks on an adventure making over luxurious homes in Nashville in need of a facelift, and the rest of the family, including Billy Ray, Miley, Noah, Trace and Braison, get in the act with special appearances.

TCM Classic Film Festival preview

It’s that time of year again for the TCM Classic Film Festival, as fans from around the world descend on the heart of Hollywood for screenings of wondrous films over the four-day period of April 6 through April 9.

The theme this year is “Make ‘Em Laugh: Comedy in the Movies,” an exploration of funny business from lowbrow to high, slapstick to sophisticated comedies of manners, showcasing cinematic achievements of lone clowns, comedic duos and madcap ensembles.

A festival of classic films suggests homage to vintage comedies. As such, there won’t be a retrospective of “The Hangover” trilogy. A classic comedy on display is Frank Capra’s beloved “Arsenic and Old Lace,” starring Cary Grant dealing with insanity in his family.

Cary Grant was also in fine comedic form in the screwball comedy “The Awful Truth,” playing opposite Irene Dunne, with the two of them as a divorcing couple at odds with one another, though still very much in love.

Peter Sellers’s “Dr. Strangelove” gets a well-deserved festival treatment, but the gem on display could be his little-known British comedy “I’m All Right Jack” (1959), a satire of the working class industrial life in England.

Humphrey Bogart’s “Beat the Devil,” a genre spoof that is often described as a parody of films like “The Maltese Falcon,” is being screened, along with a 75th anniversary celebration of “Casablanca,” which, of course, is not a comedy.

For offbeat comedy, you can’t get more weird than “Harold and Maude,” a box office dud that later became a cult classic for its strange tale of a death-obsessed young man falling in love with a woman (Ruth Gordon) closing in on 80 years old.

For a madcap ensemble comedy, there may be few more classic than “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” starring a wide range of talent from Spencer Tracy to Jonathan Winters, Phil Silvers to Ethel Merman, and Mickey Rooney to Milton Berle, just to name a few.

A journey to the TCM Classic Film Festival looks promising for the die-hard cinephile.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Thursday, March 30, the Terrace Vikings hosted the Lake County Junior High Athletic League, or LCJHAL, Wrestling Championship Tournament. 

The Vikings entered 12 wrestlers to compete – 10 boys and two girls – and out of those 11 would medal.

The Vikings finished with three gold medals, six silver medals and two bronze medals.

Liam Wayment (177 lbs.) and Blake Moak (Heavyweight) each went 2-0 with two pins to win their gold medals.

Ashley Pyorre (95 lbs.) was 2-0 with one pin and a major decision to win her gold medal in the girls division.

Samuel Vanoven (98 lbs.) and Axel Alvarez (135 lbs.) each went 2-1 with two pins to win their silver medals. Liam Davis (110 lbs.), Jonathan Werner (173 lbs.) and Raymond Gonzales-Shoaf (Heavyweight) were each 1-1 with one pin to win their silver medals.

Kiley Bartell secured her silver medal in the 139 lbs. girls division.    

Nathan Pyorre (82 lbs.) went 1-2 to win his bronze medal and Landon Bethel secured his bronze medal in the 124 lbs. boys division.

Also wrestling some tough matches for the Vikings was Carlos Villanueva.

“It’s a great group of kids, everyone made improvements in just one month of this short season!” said Head Coach Steve Fisher.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The senior centers in Lakeport and Kelseyville have released their menus for the week of April 3 through 9.

The centers serve lunch from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with Lakeport also serving breakfast on the second Sunday of the month from 8 to 11 a.m.

This week's menu – which is subject to changes or substitutions – is as follows:

• Monday: Chunks of ham and pineapple over rice.
• Tuesday: Tamale pie.
• Wednesday: Greek lemon chicken with rice pilaf.
• Thursday: Spaghetti with Italian meat sauce.
• Friday: Birthday Friday – meatloaf with Yukon gold mashed potatoes.

The weekday luncheons include soup of the day, salad bar, entrée, dessert and beverage. Non-seniors pay $6 and seniors 60 and older pay a suggested donation of $5.

Soup of the day and salad bar – which includes two to three types of salads plus toppings and fruit – is $4.

The Kelseyville Senior Center is located at 5245 Third St., telephone 707-279-2175.

The Lakeport Senior Activity Center is located at 527 Konocti Ave., 707-263-4218.

Christine Henderson Yecny
Jan. 6, 1948 – March 19, 2017
                     
Christine Henderson Yecny passed away March 19, 2017, in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Criss was born Jan. 6, 1948, the middle daughter of Robert L. and Carolyn M. Henderson.

She grew up on a pear ranch in Kelseyville, Calif., where she attended local schools and was a member of the Clearlake Junior Horsemen, the Kelseyville 4-H Club, and various school organizations where she inevitably took a leadership role.

She learned a wide range of skills: raising 4-H sheep and steers; competing on her favorite horse, Bart, in horse shows; hunting, fishing and swimming; driving farm equipment and irrigating orchards; baking award winning yeast breads and sewing stylish wool outfits for competition.

However, the activity that won her heart was flying airplanes. With her pilot father’s encouragement, she began ground school training even before leaving for college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She earned her private pilot’s license at the San Luis Obispo County Airport in 1966 where she also enrolled in the Mustang Flying Club. It was the club president, Alan Yecny, who was destined to become the love of her life. 

They were married in 1973 while circling in a plane over Clear Lake. The rest of their life together was built around flying. Criss went on to earn her commercial pilot’s license and then became a certified flight instructor.

Her second student was her sister, Diane, and it was Al who gave Diane all of her preparatory phase checks. Criss also became a charter member of the San Luis Obispo chapter of the 99’s, an all-women pilot organization.

Together, Criss and Al developed Air San Luis, a combination charter service, flight school, Cessna sales and aircraft maintenance center. They had been co-CEOs for 41 years.

With Al, Criss belonged to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the San Luis Obispo Pilots Association (SLOPA), the San Luis Obispo Elks Club and the San Luis Obispo Moose Lodge.

As they built their business, they also built their family. They raised two sons, Lee and Keith, who grew up experiencing the worlds of flying, pear farming, school sports, and outdoor sports like hunting, fishing, and camping. Criss’ life revolved around her boys and their activities.   

Criss always loved watching sports, whether it was her sons’ soccer or tennis games, NASCAR races or her beloved 49ers.

However, when it came to air races, she loved to enter the competition. She flew as navigator in the big Powder Puff Derbies with pilot friends like Wanda Strassburg and Marci Barnet. She piloted the plane in the shorter Palms-to-Pines Air Races with her mom, her sister or a friend serving as navigators. One year Criss and Diane competed in matching maternity smocks when son, Lee, was on the way.

Criss’s favorite partner, however, was Al. The last races she flew were with him in San Luis Obispo. They won the SLO 99’s Race three years in a row (1998, 1999, and 2000) after which they were barred from the competition and asked to help run the event!      

Criss will be remembered for her kindness, her quick mind, her ready smile and fun loving spirit, and her unswerving loyalty to her family and friends. She will also be remembered for her cooking and entertaining skills, her wicked pinochle playing, her love of crosswords, and her love of animals, especially her dear little dog, Mayly.

She was predeceased by her son, Keith Henderson Yecny; her father, Robert L. Henderson; her sister, Melissa Henderson; her sister-in-law, Cindy Yecny; and her niece, Lynn A. Patten.

Criss leaves behind her husband of 43 years, Alan K. Yecny; her son, Lee Alan Yecny (fiancé Renee Bell); her mother, Carolyn Henderson-Rohner (E.A. “Skip” Rohner); her sister, Diane L. Henderson (Sydney C. Stokes); and her brothers-in-law, Kenneth Yecny (Jane), Gerald Yecny (Pat), and Earl Yecny.  She also leaves her niece, Megan Brewster, and nephews, Earl Yecny Jr., Bill Yecny and Andy Yecny.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on April 22 at the Olson Barn, 4848 Caballeros Ave., San Luis Obispo.

A graveside service will follow at 2 p.m. on May 13 in Kelseyville.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Lupoyoma Parlor No. 329 of the Native Daughters of the Golden West will meet on Thursday, April 13, for a membership social and organizational meeting.

The group meets at 5:30 p.m. for social time and 6 p.m. for the business meeting at Round Table Pizza, 821 11th St. in Lakeport.

If you were born in California and are over 16 you are a Native Californian eligible for membership in the Native Daughters of the Golden West organization.

The Native Daughters is a fraternal and patriotic organization founded in 1886 on the principles of:

– Love of home;
– Devotion to the flag;
– Veneration of the pioneers;
– Faith in the existence of God.

All Native Daughters are welcome to attend.

For more information contact Parlor Worthy President Carla Dore, 831-524-5588, or V.P. Dee Cuney, 707-235-2902, or visit the Native Daughters of the Golden West, Lupoyoma Parlor No. 329 Facebook page.

For information about Lake County Konocti No. 159 Chapter of the Native Sons of the Golden West contact Tony Braito at 707-245-7663.