KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The California Old Time Fiddlers Association continues its monthly First Sunday Fiddlers’ Jam sessions in the Ely Stage Stop barn.

On Sunday, Feb. 5, the groups members will perform beautiful Americana music and continue the tradition of Fiddler’s Jams at Ely.

Come ready to clap your hands and tap your toes. They'll even make room for those who want to get up and dance.

This is a free, family-friendly event for all to enjoy, young and old alike.

The fun begins at the museum at 11 a.m. with the fiddlers playing in the barn from noon through 2 p.m.

Come early to enjoy all of the newest museum acquisitions and displays. Take a hayride or stroll the barn trail. Enjoy the music with beverages and tasty treats provided by the docents. Bring your own wine and sip it in Ely Stage Stop wine glasses that are available for purchase.

Even though the Super Bowl is scheduled on the same day, the Fiddlers’ Jam wraps up well before the game starts, so come and enjoy the music before the game.

This event will help promote the growth of the Ely Stage Stop Blacksmith shop and further the interaction of the local community with the history of Lake County and the Ely Stage Stop.

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.

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.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – There is important news from 2 Women Traders in Middletown.

The eclectic shop at 21168 Calistoga St. will host a two-week moving sale before relocating just down the street to 21330-A Calistoga St.

The shop's owners, Rita Caroni and Dayle Marshall, love the community and what they do, and are excited about the upcoming changes.

Because they need to do a lot of sorting and packing, they are putting the entire store on sale at 50-percent off from Feb. 6 to Feb. 20.

Stop in and pick up some real bargains – original artwork, greeting cards, clothing, housewares, jewelry, books and more.

After the moving sale, Caroni and Marshall will close the store from Feb. 21 to March 1 for the move, and will reopen on March 3.

Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information call 2 Women Traders at 707-987-3870 or visit https://ispiritual.com/2womentraders .

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – Bill Nichols of Hidden Valley Lake passed peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016, at the age of 91.

Born in Ellenboro, West Virginia, Bill lived in Lake County for 30 years.

Bill is survived by his daughter Linda Tunnicliffe, six step-children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Maria Nichols; brothers, Parley, Everett and Wilber; his mother, Orpha; and father, Wilber Norman Nichols.

A US Coast Guard veteran, Bill started his military career in 1943 aboard the USS Bayfield APA33, being awarded four Bronze Stars for service in World War II.

He served in Normandy at Utah Beach, Southern France, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He was also a Peoples of France Appreciation Medal recipient.

He manned the Trinidad lighthouse for a time. After his military service, he decommissioned military buses for use in the public sector.

An entrepreneur, Bill ran his own businesses, and worked for glass manufacturing plants, the logging industry, Clover Creamery and Kaiser Sand & Gravel.

He retired in 1988 and moved to Hidden Valley Lake where he enjoyed the Fire Sirens and the Car Club, as well as fishing, tending to his awesome garden and spending time with his family.

Graveside services will be held at the Middletown Cemetery on Friday, Feb. 3, beginning at 11 a.m. Military honors will be rendered by the United States Coast Guard and the Lake County Funeral Honors Team.

He will be remembered as a man who loved his family, garden and his country.

Arrangements under the care of Jones & Lewis Clearlake Memorial Chapel. Please share your loving memories of Bill Nichols by signing his online guestbook at www.jonesandlewis.com and www.legacy.com .

LUCERNE, Calif. – California Water Service’s (Cal Water) supports an array of local organizations throughout the year as part of its ongoing commitment to improving the quality of life in the communities it serves.

The Redwood Valley District – serving Lucerne, Duncans Mills, Guerneville, Dillon Beach and a portion of Santa Rosa – donated a total of $3,350 to local charitable organizations in 2016, ranging from schools to emergency services, to community organizations, and more.

Cal Water’s Redwood Valley District made a number of contributions either during the year or as part of Operation Gobble, the company’s Thanksgiving effort. Organizations received contributions to make the holidays brighter for local residents in need.

Cal Water selected several local charities to support in 2016, including Dillon Beach Emergency Response, Friends of Guerneville School, River to Coast Children’s Services and the Northshore Community Center in Lucerne.

The funds were donated by the company’s stockholders as part of the company’s philanthropic giving program and not paid for by ratepayers.

In addition to supporting the community through monetary contributions, office leadership serves as Vice President of the Wine Country Waterworks Association, a nonprofit organizations that sponsors student scholarships and holds inexpensive trainings, trade shows and continuing education unit opportunities for water industry operators.

Leadership also supports organizations assisting wildfire victims in Lake County, the Clearlake Police Department’s K-9 program and Clearlake Senior Center Meals on Wheels.

“At Cal Water, we are not just committed to providing high-quality, reliable water service, we are also part of the community, proudly serving Guerneville residents and businesses since 2000,” said Local Manager Darin McCosker. “We believe that supporting worthy organizations that improve the quality of life in this city is part of our promise to provide quality, service, and value.”

Cal Water serves approximately 1,900 service connections in the Redwood Valley area and about 2 million people through 480,300 service connections in California.

The company, which has provided water service in the area since 2000, was ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Water Utilities in the West” in 2016 by J.D. Power in its inaugural Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.

Additional information may be obtained online at www.calwater.com .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Thursday Morning Breakfast Group that meets weekly in Clearlake has announced its lineup of invited guest speakers for February.

The group meets at 7 a.m. at Main Street Café, 14084 Lakeshore Drive.

The lineup is as follows:

• Feb. 2: Lake County Fire Protection District Chief Willie Sapeta, Measure D.

• Feb. 9: Anne Rubin, Planned Parenthood.

• Feb. 16: Denise Loustalot, Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce.

• Feb. 23: To be announced.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Women’s Civic Club had the first planning meeting for its annual Mad Hatter event happening on April 29.

The theme will be “Rhinestone Cowgirl” and the ladies are practicing their line dancing and shining their rhinestones already. 

The Mad Hatter luncheon is just one more way that the LWCC earns money to share with many charitable foundations such as Westside Community Park, Victim Witness Program, United Veteran’s Council Military Honors Team, Friends of the Library and Fire Relief Fund, just to name a few. 

A silent auction, a fashion show featuring OAK (a charming new boutique in downtown Kelseyville), an excellent meal and lots of line dancing will round out the fun filled afternoon.

Tickets go on sale in March. Call Cheryl Robbins at 707-533-9375.

If you would like to join the Lakeport Women’s Civic Club and become involved in this very worthwhile endeavor you should join them at Riviera Hills Country Club Restaurant on Friday, Feb. 3, at 11:30 a.m.

The speaker will be Erin Dailey of Konocti Senior Solutions who will be speaking on senior peer counselors, their role with seniors and how to become a volunteer.

An outstanding lunch and dessert is still just $15 per person. Please don’t forget your canned or dry goods donation for the Lakeport Food Bank.

You may call Geri Williamson at 707-263-6476 to make a lunch reservation or Membership Chairman Carol Jordan to discuss membership at 707-900-5046.

SACRAMENTO –State Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) recently introduced new legislation to support public libraries by giving local communities more flexibility to approve library bonds.
 
“Our public libraries provide critical services to our state, educating future generations, promoting lifelong learning and providing cultural enrichment,” said Dodd. “That’s why we need to empower local communities to better maintain and expand the accessibility and capacity at their public libraries.”
 
Currently, local library bond measures require a two-thirds vote. Dodd’s measure would allow voters to approve library bonds with a 55 percent vote, which is the same threshold currently in place for school and community college bonds. Library bonds can be used to construct, expand or rehabilitate public libraries.
 
“We are simply not keeping pace with the construction needs of our libraries at the state level, and consequently we must give local voters the tools to decide if they want to support these special and vital community centers,” said Helen McAlary, president of the California Library Association. “That is why the California Library Association strongly supports, and is sponsoring, SCA 3 by Senator Bill Dodd.”
 
California’s 1,114 public libraries are used by nearly 22 million registered borrowers. According to the California State Library, there are nearly 160 million library visits each year.

The California Library Association conducted a needs assessment in 2016 to determine the construction and renovation requirements for public libraries throughout the state. 

The assessment found a staggering $4.1 billion in needs. Projects range from seismic retrofits, to ADA compliance, to the addition of more space to meet growing demand.
 
Dodd’s library measure follows his introduction of Senate Bill 135 in January to add media literacy education to our state’s school curriculum.

Dodd represents the Third Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yolo, Sacramento, and Contra Costa counties. He previously served in the California Assembly and represented Lake County. Visit his Web site at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd .

Youth hunters have a special opportunity coming up the weekend of Feb. 4 and 5.

Youth Waterfowl Days will provide young licensed hunters an extra weekend to hunt after the regular season ends.

Each year, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) opens many of their wildlife areas for these special hunt days, as allowed under federal regulations.

Last year an estimated 2,000 youth hunters took to the field to try their luck waterfowl hunting on state, federal and private lands.

Federal regulations require that hunters must be 17 years of age or younger and accompanied by a non-hunting adult 18 years of age or older. All hunters must have a valid license and stamps as required by state and federal law.

The daily bag and possession limits apply along with all other waterfowl regulations for the 2016-17 waterfowl season. The regulations can be found online at www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/waterfowl .

This year, some state and federal areas normally open for the Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days may be closed due to flooding.

The main portion of Grizzly Island Wildlife Area is closed, though the Island Slough and Gold Hills units remain open. Some refuges may limit the number of young hunters being admitted for each day of hunting. Many private clubs normally hosting youths on this hunt also face water problems.

For updated information on state and federal land closures, please see www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/area-alerts .

“This is a great opportunity for young hunters to have the fields and marshes to themselves, learn skills and techniques from their mentors and share a wonderful experience,” said Melanie Weaver, CDFW Waterfowl Program biologist.

This is only one of the special Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days and Junior Waterfowl Hunts held during the 2016-17 season.

The Northeastern Zone Federal Youth Waterfowl Hunt days were held Sept. 24-25, and Sacramento and Delevan National Wildlife Refuges have held special junior hunts where all blinds were reserved for junior hunters.

Private organizations like the California Waterfowl Association, chapters of Ducks Unlimited and private clubs provide special youth hunting opportunities throughout the season.

“Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days are something California Waterfowl really looks forward to as a chance to pass on the tradition of waterfowl hunting to another generation,” said the California Waterfowl Association’s Vice President of Conservation Jake Messerli.

In the Central Valley, Delevan, Colusa and Sacramento National Wildlife Refuges are scheduled to be open for the youth hunt days while Sutter National Wildlife Refuge will remain closed. Gray Lodge Wildlife Area will be completely open. Little Dry Creek will have a limited quota if no new flooding occurs.

Each of these hunt areas are part of the CDFW reservation system and may fill for the opening Saturday. Gray Lodge Wildlife Area is not expected to fill by reservation and will offer walk-on opportunities. Last year at Gray Lodge, 55 young hunters averaged four ducks each.