LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport Christian Center is planning several Christmas events this month.

The events are as follows:

• Thursday, Dec. 15, 7 p.m.: LCC Preschool Christmas Program.

• Sunday, Dec. 18, 10:30 a.m.: Christmas concert featuring world-famous musician, Bob Kilpatrick, composer of the popular gospel song “Be Glorified” and many more.

• Sunday, Dec. 18, 6 p.m.: Christmas communion and carols.

• Sunday, Dec. 25, 10:30 a.m.: Casual Christmas morning service.

The church is located at 455 S. Forbes St. Visit the church online at http://www.lcchub.com/ .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – One hundred twenty members and affiliates of the Lake County Association of Realtors had dinner at Boatique Winery during the association's annual installation of the Board of Directors.

Dinner was provided by Chic Le Chef and musical entertainment by Gator Nation Lite.

The theme chosen by 2017 president Bobby Dutcher, broker associate at RE/MAX Full Spectrum, was “New Orleans/Mardi Gras.”

Attendees agreed by applause that Dan Fossa from Fossa’s Backhoe Service was the clear winner of that costume challenge.

Current Secretary/Treasurer Victoria Gindele of Morgan Lane Real Estate was honored by the Realtor membership as Realtor of the Year 2016, because of her efforts and accomplishments which improved LCAOR and their statewide standing.

Leana Teschner of Stearns Home Loans, which is a mortgage and refinancing lending service
Realtors frequently utilize, was chosen Affiliate of the Year.

Teschner is a member of the Lake County Realtors Scholarship and Community Fund organization and formally worked at First American Title.

The Outstanding Customer Service Award went to John Ussery of Farmers Insurance, Ussery Insurance Agency. Ussery’s customer service went well beyond the “call of duty.”

Scott Knickmeyer, association executive and master of ceremonies, kept the dinner meeting lively, and the incoming board of directors were installed, pledging to keep the ethics of the association to high standards and the services to their membership expanded.

Joining Dutcher as LCAOR directors for 2017 are: Mary Benson, Realty 360 Wine Country; Christie Burris, Noble Realty; Elizabeth Davis, Coldwell Banker Towne & Country Realty; Mike Damiata, Shore Line Realty; Victoria Gindele, secretary/treasurer, Morgan Lane Real Estate; Heidi Johnson, Broker Network; Melissa Chapman, president-elect, Broker Network; and Erin Woodward, past president, RE/MAX Lake County.

Noteworthy also, the ongoing scholarship committee sponsored a silent auction and raffle at this dinner event, which raised more than $6,500 and will be added to the scholarship money distributed to each of the five high schools in Lake County annually.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Save the date of Saturday, Dec. 17, for the Ely Christmas Marketplace with Santa.

Local artists will be selling their handcrafted goods in the barn from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day.

Crafted items for sale will include handmade jewelry, cards, poetry books, cutting boards, handbags, up-cycled and re-purposed items, bath and beauty products, reclaimed furniture and crafts, toys, pencil art, outdoor wood furniture, honey and wax products, and pickles from the Pickle Man. Snacks will be available for purchase from A Passion for Food.
 
Join the museum volunteers and docents for a wonderful day on the museum grounds with Santa. He will be taking a much-needed break from the North Pole to roam the grounds and join hayrides with the kids - weather permitting. Bring your cameras.

The Lake County Historical Society’s Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum is located at 9921 State Highway 281 (Soda Bay Road) in Kelseyville, near Clear Lake Riviera, just north of Highway 29-Kit's Corner. Current hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday. Private tours can be arranged by appointment.

Facilities are available to support events, conferences, or family gatherings. Celebrate a wedding, reception, special anniversary, or family reunion.

Note that the museum will be closed both Saturday, Dec. 24, and Sunday, Dec. 25, for the Christmas Holiday.

The Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum welcomes more docents to greet visitors and share information on our history, our current displays, and our planned events. Volunteers for maintenance and construction projects are also needed.

Visit www.elystagestop.org or www.lakecountyhistory.org , check out the stage stop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elystagestop or call the museum at 707-533-9990.

Linda Drake is a volunteer with the Ely Stage Stop.

KELSEYVILLE, Calf. – The December monthly meeting for the Redbud Audubon Society will be the traditional bird identification program.

This is a popular program and is great for both beginners and veterans of birding. It is a wonderful way to get ready to participate in the upcoming Christmas Bird count scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 17.

Join them on Thursday, Dec. 15, for Brad Barnwell’s bird identification presentation.

Refreshments will be offered at 7 p.m. and the program at 7:15 p.m. in the Glebe Social Hall, St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 4085 Main St., Kelseyville.

The program is free and are open to the public.

The bird identification program, presented by local photographer and naturalist Brad Barnwell, is a great way to learn about the common and not-so-common birds of Lake County, especially if you are planning to participate in the Christmas Bird Count.

Even if you are not participating in the bird count, learning about common birds is very fun and gratifying.

Barnwell will give a power point presentation featuring amazing images of many of Lake County’s birds. The program emphasizes the field characteristics of birds likely to be seen during the count.

The Redbud Audubon Society has been holding its annual Christmas Bird Count for decades; this year is the 42nd annual Christmas Bird Count for Redbud Audubon.

Redbud Audubon invites all birders and nature enthusiasts to join in the upcoming Christmas Bird Count; all skill levels are encouraged to participate.

If you are interested in participating in the bird count, call 707-263-8030, leave a message with your phone number and someone will return your call.

After the count, participants are invited to a pizza dinner at 5:30 p.m. at Kelseyville Pizza on State Street to join in the count compilation where the tally of the day’s sightings is compiled.

What would our lives be like if we didn't have imagination? Here's a poem by Rachel Richardson, who lives in California, from her book, Hundred-Year Wave, from Carnegie Mellon University Press.

Astronomer

A child climbs into a cardboard house,
shuts its doors and windows
to hold in the dark, and lies on her back
inside, looking up through its cut-out moon
and stars. She knows she is not looking
at the sky. But she calls out, still,
It's nighttime! I'm looking at the sky!

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 ©2016 by Rachel Richardson, “Astronomer,” from Hundred-Year Wave, (Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2016). Poem reprinted by permission of Rachel Richardson and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2016 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.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Economy Propane has provided propane service to homes, farms, and businesses to the communities it serves for many years. With the help of local residents, Economy Propane plans to deliver more than just propane this holiday season.

Economy Propane is collecting new and gently used costs, hats, scarves, and gloves this year and putting them into the hands of less fortunate members of our community.

Donations can be given to Economy Propane deliverymen or brought to the Economy Propane office at 2305 S. Main St. in Lakeport through Dec. 30.

At the end of the coat drive, Economy Propane will donate items collected to one or more local charities.

“Economy Propane is proud to provide a product that helps keep people in our community warm and provides some comfort in their lives,” said Andy Fellman, Economy Propane’s local director of operations. “But we realize that too many local residents will struggle to stay warm this winter because they don’t have an adequate coat. Our goal is to help provide one to as many people here as possible. Thanks to the generous members of our community, we look forward to doing just that.”

Fellman said local residents do not have to be customers of Economy Propane to participate in the coat drive.

More information about Economy Propane can be found at www.EconomyPropaneGas.com .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A group of Lake County residents is engaging in a new way to discuss the difficult topics of death, dying and planning for end-of-life events.

The group has organized two “death cafés” that come together each month in Lake County locations.

One café takes place the first Saturday of the month at Catfish Coffee Shop, 14624 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake, and the other café group gathers on the third Wednesday of each month at the Riviera Common Grounds Coffee House, 9730 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville.

Each group meets from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

The death café gatherings are open to the public, and there is no charge to join the discussion.

The informal get-togethers are facilitated by volunteer community members MJ McNulty, Laisne Hamilton, Henny Nouwen, RN, CMT, and Robert Rothemich.

Started in England, “death cafés” are spreading across the United States in an effort to normalize the discussion about death, helping people relax with the topic and make the most of their lives.

Each café is different, said Nouwen, “and talk can center on advance directive planning, funeral planning or philosophical insights.”

Gatherings are not morbid and typically draw people from all walks of life who want to talk about death to live life more fully.

Groups are not intended to be support groups; they are more about self-exploration. The cafés are about taking death out of the closet, said Nouwen. 

No one wants to talk about death over dinner, at a football game or at a party, says Lakeport resident and death café facilitator Laisne Hamilton.

However, there are times when people do want to talk about the “taboo” topic, and when that happens there may not be someone to listen, she said.

Doctors and scholars who study attitudes toward death say that for most people such conversations are healthy; talking about death can ease people’s fears and the notion that death is taboo.

“A major part of American society is very averse to thinking about dying,” noted David Barnard, a professor of ethics at the Oregon Health and Science University who has written extensively about the end of life.                                        

Local facilitators of each café have a depth of experience in the arena of death and dying, ranging from work with hospice agencies to serving as a “death midwife.”

For more information, call 707-279-8512 or 707-889-0751, or online, visit www.deathcafe.com .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – All branches of the Lake County Library system will be closed Dec. 23 through 27 to observe Christmas.

Normal hours at all branches will resume on Dec. 28.

Call your local branch if you have any questions.

All branches of the Lake County Library system will be closed Dec. 31 to observe New Year’s Day. Normal hours at all branches will resume on Jan. 3, 2017.

Even though the library will be closed you can still go online to the library Web site at http://library.lakecountyca.gov to download ebooks, audiobooks, movies, music and magazines.

You also can check on your account, renew any items you have checked out or requests books from libraries in Lake, Sonoma and Mendocino to pick up at your local branch when the library does reopen.

Lakeport Library, located at 1425 N. High St., is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The phone number is 707-263-8817.

Redbud Library, 14785 Burns Valley Road, Clearlake, is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday from noon to 7 p.m. The phone number is 707-994-5115.

Middletown Library, 21256 Washington St., is open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The phone number is 707-987-3674.

Upper Lake Library, 310 Second St., is open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The phone number is 707-275-2049.

The Lake County Library is on the internet at www.library.lakecountyca.gov and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LakeCountylibrary . The library’s calendar is found at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Lake_County_CA__Library/Calendar.htm .