How important are the arts to a community? The arts surround us every day in ways we may not realize; the design of our cars, the organization of our community and the style of the buildings we build.

The arts are reflected in the style of our dress, which reflects our own artistic expression of self. The arts are reflected in the movies we attend, the books we read, and the music we enjoy. The arts are the conduit by which our more inner and personal selves are expressed.

When we admire the artwork at the Lake County Arts Council’s First Friday Fling, enjoy a poem at a writers’ workshop, appreciate a quilt made by our ancestors, mother or a friend, or when we watch dancers at the Soper-Reese Theatre, we experience the arts at a personal level.  

The arts express the personal artistic side in all of us, bringing us together through their various mediums.

The significance of the arts to a community and to the individual cannot be underestimated. Without art, a community – and individuals – cannot thrive.  

When a community comes together to celebrate the arts, the flood of negative information from world conflicts, personal tragedy or political discourse may be seen in a different perspective.

The arts play an important role in the development of our young.  Whether learning to create art, appreciate art, or studying art forms, their lives are enriched and their communities benefit.  

In our Lake County schools the arts are integral to children’s development. Music, dramatic and literary exposure help them to grow and develop into interesting adults.

Coming events at the Soper-Reese:

• New Vintage Productions’ presentation of “Night at the Speak Easy,” Saturday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m.
• Second Tuesday Classic Movies presents “Pillow Talk,” Tuesday, Feb. 12. Matinée, 1 p.m.; evening showing, 6 p.m.
• Third Friday Live presents “Blue Collar” Friday, Feb. 15, and “The Funky Dozen” on Friday, March 15, 7 p.m. both nights.
• The Lake County Arts Council annual Winter Music Fest on Saturday, Feb. 23, 7 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 24, 2 p.m.
• Lake County Live, live onstage radio broadcast on KPFZ 88.1 FM, Sunday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m.
• Professional Pianists’ Concert, benefit for the Lake County Friends of Mendocino College Sunday, March 10, 3 p.m. Featuring: Elena Casanova, Tom Ganoung, Tom Aiken, David Neft, Elizabeth MacDougal and Spencer Brewer.
• Bob Culbertson, “Celtic Waters” CD release, featuring special guests, Saturday, March 16, 7 p.m.

Finally, the Soper-Reese Community Theatre had the honor of hosting a celebration of 30 years of Bill Noteman and the Rockets.

Out of retirement for this event, Bill and the Rockets rocked the house, reminding us of the importance of the arts and relationships in a community.

Congratulations Bill, and thank you for enriching our community. We look forward to a return performance in January 2014, since we have now dubbed January “Bill Noteman and the Rockets Month” at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre.

Tickets for events are available at The Travel Center in the Shoreline Shopping Center, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The theater box office is always open 2 hours before show time on the day of any event, and will be open again on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., starting on June 22. Tickets also can be purchased online at www.soperreesetheatre.com .

For all the latest in information, tickets and more go to www.soperreesetheatre.com , and we’ll see you at the theater.

Kathy Windrem and Mike Adams are part of the large volunteer group that run the Soper-Reese Community Theatre in Lakeport, Calif.

Recently Team DUI delivered its vital message through presentations to seventh and eighth grade students at Lucerne Elementary School.

Team DUI’s facilitator, California Highway Patrol Officer Kory Reynolds, and our messengers, Karen Petz, Kathy Testa and Wendy Jensen, reached out to these students with their efforts to teach our youth the dangers and consequences of driving under the influence.

This young audience listened with their minds and their hearts.

Each speaker reached deep into their hearts to help secure the future safety of the students.

As one speaker said, “It is not easy for us to stand in front of this class, reliving painful memories that expose our painful tragedies due to bad decisions.”

Officer Reynolds spoke with the students about what they can do in the event they are ever in a situation involving alcohol and how to be prepared beforehand with an exit strategy.

He encouraged the students to have conversations with their parents in order to prevent undesirable situations should the students end up in a potentially dangerous situation involving alcohol.

He also shared with the students the affects poor decisions have on many lives including first responders.

He helped the students to understand that even though first responders are trained to respond to various situations; it does not mean that they are not affected by the tragedies they see as many of the casualties of DUI will stay vivid in the minds of first responders forever.

Kathy Testa recounted how her son grew up in an environment of alcohol and drugs which ultimately resulted in his poor choice to drink and drive, causing a man to die as a result of that decision. She spoke about how his poor decision affected so many lives in so many ways.

Students heard from the heart of a mother of the consequences of a tragedy she and her son will live with for the rest of their lives. Kathy said she will tell this painful story everyday of her life if it would save just one child.

Wendy Jensen drove two hours to deliver her presentation to these students. Her presentation was emotionally powerful, having been a prior teacher’s assistant at Lucerne Elementary.

Wendy made a poor choice about drinking and driving.

In 2007 she drove 100 miles per hour the wrong way on the freeway. Her blood alcohol level was .20, which is more than twice the legal limit. She hit her victim’s vehicle head-on, nearly killing an innocent man. Her victim spent an entire year in the hospital.

Wendy was sentenced to jail and lost everything that mattered to her in her life. She told the students it all began at a very early age, sipping alcohol as a child and continuing to conceal her drinking throughout her childhood.

She shared with them her enduring struggle to rebuild her life all because of a bad decision.

Karen Petz, retired from the Northshore Fire Protection District, brought to life the painful memories of the death of her son on his 25th birthday due to an alcohol-related tragedy.

She and her husband, Ken, EMTs with the fire department at the time, were among the first responders on the scene, only to discover their own son.

Twenty-six years have passed, but through the everlasting grief within this mother’s heart, students saw and heard first hand the devastation that will never go away because of a wrong decision.

These four speakers bared their souls in order that these students could have a chance at life. It is not easy to do this, as each time a messenger speaks; the wounds in their hearts grow deeper.

No one is immune from DUI. You don’t have to be driving to be a victim. Everyday innocent people are injured or lose their lives at the hands of a DUI driver.

Drinking and driving is no accident; it is a poor choice that is completely preventable.

Alcohol is the No 1 cause of death among teenagers.

For readers who are parents, please have that important conversation with your child before tragedy strikes.

Share with them the exit strategy that could save their lives. Make a plan that can save their lives.

Lake County is fortunate to have the dedication and courageousness of all the members of Team DUI. Because of the message Team DUI delivers, lives will be saved; maybe even your life.

Team DUI welcomes speakers and volunteers. For more information about Team DUI call 707-994-4886.

Judy Thein is founder of Team DUI. She lives in Clearlake, Calif.

You may have wondered how Medicare works with other insurance coverage, such as a group health plan from a former employer or union.

It’s an important issue because it determines whether your medical bills are paid correctly and on time.

If you have Medicare and other insurance, always be sure to tell your doctor, hospital, and pharmacy.

When there's more than one insurance payer, certain rules determine which one pays first.

This is what’s called "coordination of benefits."

The "primary payer" pays what it owes on your bills first -- and then sends the balance to the "secondary payer" to pay.

In some cases, there may also be a third payer.

The primary payer pays up to the limits of its coverage. The secondary payer only pays if there are costs the primary insurer didn’t cover.

But keep in mind that the secondary payer (which may be Medicare) may not pay all of the uncovered costs.

If your employer insurance is the secondary payer, you may need to enroll in Medicare Part B before that insurance will pay. (The Part B premium for most Americans in 2013 is $104.90 per month.)

Here’s who pays first in various situations:

If you have retiree insurance (coverage from a former job), Medicare pays first.

If you’re 65 or older, have group coverage based on your or your spouse’s current employment, and the employer has 20 or more workers, your group plan pays first. (If the company has fewer than 20 employees, Medicare pays first.)

Your group plan also pays first when you’re under 65 and disabled, have group coverage based on your or a family member’s current employment, and the employer has 100 or more employees. (Medicare pays first if the company has fewer than 100 employees.)

If you have Medicare because of end-stage renal disease (permanent kidney failure), your group plan pays first for the first 30 months after you become eligible for Medicare. Medicare pays first after this 30-month period.

Medicare may pay second if you’re in an accident or have a workers’ compensation case in which other insurance covers your injury or you’re suing another entity for medical expenses.

In these situations you or your lawyer should tell Medicare as soon as possible. These types of insurance usually pay first for services related to each type:

• No-fault insurance (including automobile insurance);
• Liability (including automobile and self-insurance);
• Black lung benefits;
• Workers’ compensation.

Medicaid and TRICARE (the health care program for U.S. armed service members, retirees, and their families) never pay first for services that are covered by Medicare. They only pay after Medicare, employer plans, and/or Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) have paid.

For more information, visit www.medicare.gov/publications and read the booklet “Medicare and Other Health Benefits: Your Guide to Who Pays First.”

You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and ask for a copy to be mailed to you. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.

If you have questions about who pays first, or you need to update your other insurance information, call Medicare’s Coordination of Benefits Contractor at 1-800-999-1118. TTY users should call 1-800-318-8782.

You can also contact your employer or union benefits administrator. You may need to give your Medicare number to your other insurers so your bills are paid correctly and on time.

David Sayen is Medicare’s regional administrator for California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Trust Territories. You can always get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Through the trees and broken clouds I could see the stars twinkling brightly against the black November sky, and thought to myself, “How beautiful, this is the last thing I will ever see.”

I was slipping into unconsciousness as I made this somewhat peculiar observation, lying flat on my back on the driveway in front of my house, clad in only my underwear.

This unplanned predicament came as the result of my neighbor going on a meth and booze binge of epic enough proportions that, unbeknownst to us, his wife had left him earlier in the evening, and with my spouse and I being the next closest people to share his displeasure with he did just that – by bombarding our home deep in the Santa Cruz Mountains with rocks at 3:30 in the morning.

Though I wasn’t looking for a fight when I confronted him I wasn’t ruling out kicking some ass if I had to, as I had fought him once before and quickly subdued him even though he had the size and weight advantage.

He was shouting all sorts of bizarre things and was obviously drug-impaired, and it alarmed me that his wife hadn’t come out to quiet him down, as I knew this was a very bad sign and feared for her safety.

When our yelling match took an ugly turn I soon realized my cocky assumptions were no longer valid, as this time my opponent had strength that was unimaginable, and the fight was going badly fast.

I had been in probably more than my share of brawls but this one was different, it quickly became clear to me that this wasn’t someone just trying to teach me a lesson – this was serious.

I had known this man for well over a decade and we had been friends, but this wasn’t the neighbor I knew, it was a raging madman with superhuman strength of a kind I had never encountered before-or since.

The beating intensified, and I was tossed like a rag doll first against a car and then to the ground, where the back of my neck came down on the edge of the pavement.

The thought of killing another human being never had crossed my mind before, but I now came to the terrible conclusion that my only chance was to try with every ounce of strength I had to kill this man.

But it was no use, it seemed like five men against one and it was then, with him sitting on my chest beating my face to a pulp, that I realized I was done.

Suddenly my assailant leaned back and his eyes rolled-up in his head, and out of the corner of my eye I could see my wife holding something and hear her screaming at him, then just as suddenly they were both gone.

As my head began to clear I slowly rolled on my side and drug myself into the bushes next to the house, the only thing I knew at that point was I couldn’t take any more fighting.

The next sounds I heard were those of furniture being smashed, and my thoughts were instantly focused on whether or not my wife had retreated back inside the house. The destruction continued for another minute or so until I heard a sort of cracking noise – then it was suddenly dead quiet again.

After a minute, I managed to get myself upright and hobble to the front door and looked in to see the entire living room trashed, but to my great relief my wife emerged from the bedroom, and though terrified and shaking she was intact except for a nasty gash to her hand.

On the other hand I had not fared nearly so well, as I realized when the volunteer fire department I belonged to showed up a few minutes later.

It was a considerable shock to me when the friends I had lived next to and worked with for years with walked up to me and asked me who I was, it was only then that I realized how bad I looked.

When I checked a mirror to confirm my suspicions my first thought was, “WHERE THE HELL IS MY MUSTACHE?,” as the area between my eyes and mouth was nothing but ripped meat, my upper lip was in shreds.

The list of damage I had suffered was long, virtually every inch of my entire body was bruised, scraped or bleeding. All of my lower front teeth were damaged, all of my upper front teeth were gone, my nose was badly broken, my hip bone was visible through a hole in my side, and later I found out the terrible pain in my neck was because my fifth cervical vertebrae was broken clean in two.

That was over 25 years ago but the reminders are still there every time I look in the mirror – the bent nose, the different shaped nostrils, the chipped teeth and the faint series of diagonal scars between my mouth and nose. I have limited ability to turn my head, the vertebrae is still broken and sometimes my neck makes awful sounds when I move it.

Our attacker was never punished. He was involved in a solo vehicle drunk driving crash two weeks before his trial and eventually died of his injuries, meaning no restitution was ever paid.

It turned out the object my wife had struck him with was, of all things, a waffle maker, her gash to the hand was from smacking him in the head with it.

But the waffle maker was not enough to permanently deter him, as the cracking sound I had heard was that of my pistol being fired inside the house, after which he beat a hasty retreat.

My four-and-a-half month pregnant wife had once again saved the day when she fired a warning shot in the general direction of the intruder, it was the only thing that could have possibly ended the attack and it’s quite possible that three people’s lives were saved by that one gunshot.

I don’t want to live in an armed camp where everyone walks around with guns strapped to them, but do get rather annoyed with people who think we’d all be safer with no guns in civilian hands, as with me it’s not a hypothetical question.

It’s also annoying and saddening to see a quarter century later right here in Lake County meth is still doing tremendous damage, with a whole new generation of young soon-to-be-old faces on the booking sheets at the county jail.

This is why I love guns and hate meth, and always will.

Philip Murphy lives in Finley, Calif.

Stan Musial was before my time. But in a way he is the reason I fell in love with the game of baseball.

You see, Musial was my father's baseball hero. My Dad was living in Missouri during those all-important years in a baseball fan's life, the pre-teen years when lifelong fans are molded from the clay of boys and girls.

Musial played for the St. Louis Cardinals during those years. In fact, he played for the St. Louis Cardinals for his entire 22-year career.

They called him Stan The Man, and he was the greatest Cardinals player ever, and one of the greatest all-time, period. The numbers are golden: seven National League batting titles, lifetime .331 hitter, 475 home runs, 24 all star appearances.

In 1963, Musial was 42 years old and almost done, and my father had recently moved his young family from San Francisco out to the suburbs that were then metastasizing in the walnut groves of Contra Costa County.

Musial had announced his intention to retire at the end of that season, and fans in every National League city turned out to bid the future Hall of Famer adieu. And that was the moment that my father chose to introduce me to the game that would be a part of my life thereafter.

Who knows? Maybe my Dad really just wanted to see his hero Stan The Man trot out to the field one more time, to look out onto the field and somehow see his own boyhood in Musial's batting stance, his swing, a tip of his cap.

Baseball does that to men, I know that now. So, surely my baptism into the church of baseball wasn't the only reason we went to Candlestick Park that summer of 63 to see the Giants play the Cardinals.

I was 5 years old that summer. I don't remember the exact date. I don't remember Stan Musial. I remember what every 5 year old remembers from his first big league baseball game – that first bright glimpse of impossible green as you ascend from a dark stairway to your section of the stands, holding your Dad's hand – and suddenly the diamond takes shape in front of you, the white lines glinting in the sun so perfectly, almost painfully true.

And I remember Willie Mays. How could you not remember the first time you saw Willie Mays play baseball? I don't remember exactly what he did that day. I just remember looking out and seeing him in centerfield, like a shining Lamborghini, looking fast just standing still. I was instantly in awe of the man.

Looking through the box scores from that year, I like to think it was July 5. On that day, the Giants were down five runs to four, but tied it up in the bottom of the ninth inning, and won it in the bottom of the eleventh. Mays went two for four, Willie McCovey hit one out, and Musial got a hit too. Nice day at the ballyard.

But it doesn't really matter what game it was. It was my first game, that's what matters. As my father was watching the hero of his boyhood take a final bow, I was experiencing the first day of my formative years as a baseball fan. I was new clay ready to be molded by the grand old game.

Baseball wasn't on the television all season then. Nothing was on the television then as much as everything is on the television now.

Baseball then was a game that happened on transistor radios with telescopic chrome antennas, set out on workbenches in garages with the doors open to the summer streets of the neighborhood.

Baseball happened in the sports section of the San Francisco Chronicle. It was too big for me to open and hold up, but after my Dad was done with it, I would spread out the pages next to my trucks and my green army men on the big corded rug in the living room, and try to study the secret code of the box score.

Baseball happened on the backs of cards that smelled like bubble gum sticks and lived in shoeboxes under the beds of children. Entire seasons were played out in the whirring minds of sick boys sitting cross-legged on blue plaid bedspreads covered with carefully arranged baseball cards. Teams were formed, stats were compared, winners were declared.

And, when you turned on the radio, or spread out the sports section, or when you opened up that shoebox, memories came out. You could see the flashing green of the outfield in the sun, and smell the salty foam on the beers of the men in sport shirts. You could hear the fat guy yelling at the ump, “Hey Blue, try using both eyes.”

You could see Willie Mays rounding third base and headed for home as a roar climbed up the throat of the crowd. Or you could see Stan the Man stepping up to home plate, smiling out at the pitcher.

Stan Musial died Saturday, at the accomplished age of 92. Somehow, sadness doesn't seem to be that much in order here. Rather, it feels like a moment of recognition and gratitude.

Thanks Mr. Musial, for all the memories you gave to the game, for being the biggest reason I went to Candlestick Park for the first time.

Thanks for being the one tipping your cap for my father while I couldn't take my eyes off Willie Mays in the on-deck circle.

Roy Dufrain Jr. lives in Lakeport, Calif.

The Affordable Care Act strengthened Medicare in important ways. Signed in 2010, the federal health law already has provided free preventive health benefits to millions of people with Medicare, and saved billions of dollars for those who hit the gap in their Part D prescription drug coverage.

In 2013, discounts on prescription drugs for people who reach the Part D “donut hole” will increase, and Medicare will cover screenings and counseling for alcohol misuse, behavioral therapy for cardiovascular disease, counseling for obesity, and more.

If you reach the donut hole in 2013, you’ll pay only 47.5 percent for covered brand-name drugs and 79 percent for generic drugs. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, these discounts will gradually increase until the hole is closed in 2020.

In 2013, Medicare will cover one alcohol misuse screening per year for adults with Medicare (including pregnant women) who use alcohol, but don’t meet the medical criteria for alcohol dependency.

If your primary-care doctor or other primary-care practitioner determines you’re misusing alcohol, you can get up to four face-to-face counseling sessions per year (if you’re competent and alert during counseling). A qualified primary-care doctor or other primary-care practitioner must provide the counseling in a primary-care setting such as a doctor’s office.

Medicare also will cover one visit per year with your primary-care doctor to help lower your risk for cardiovascular disease. During this visit, your doctor may discuss whether taking aspirin is appropriate for you, check your blood pressure, and give you tips to make sure you’re eating well.

If you have a body mass index of 30 or more, Medicare will cover intensive counseling to help you lose weight. This counseling may be covered if you get it in a primary-care setting, where it can be coordinated with your personalized prevention plan.

In 2013, Medicare also will cover screenings for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and Hepatitis B. These screenings are covered for people with Medicare who are pregnant and/or at increased risk for sexually transmitted infection. Medicare covers these tests once every 12 months or at certain times during pregnancy.

In addition, Medicare covers up to two high-intensity behavioral counseling sessions each year for sexually-active adults at increased risk for sexually transmitted infections. Medicare covers this counseling only in a primary-care setting. Counseling in an inpatient setting, like a skilled nursing facility, isn’t covered as a preventive service.

You pay nothing for any of the above services if your primary-care doctor or other qualified primary-care practitioner accepts Medicare’s payment amount.

Medicare now covers one depression screening per year, too. The screening must be done in a primary-care setting that can provide follow-up treatment and referrals. You pay nothing for this test if the doctor or other qualified provider accepts Medicare payment, but you generally have to pay 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for the doctor’s visit.

Besides these services, Medicare covers a long list of preventive benefits – often at no cost to you – to help you stay healthy and detect disease in its most treatable stages.

Medicare-covered preventive services include tests and screenings for breast, prostate, cervical, and colon cancer; screenings for conditions that may trigger heart attack or stroke; checks for diabetes and glaucoma; and counseling to help you stop smoking.

You’re also entitled to a one-time “Welcome to Medicare” checkup during the first 12 months after you take Medicare Part B, and wellness visits with your doctor each year after that. These visits are free.

Shots to protect you against flu and pneumonia also are free.

The Affordable Care Act eliminated deductibles and co-pays for most Medicare preventive services in order to encourage people to use them more.

Please take advantage of them!

David Sayen is Medicare’s regional administrator for California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Trust Territories. You can always get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).