Cooks Racing Pigs will show off their speed at the 2011 Lake County Fair, which takes place Thursday, September 1, through Sunday, September 4, in Lakeport, Calif. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – There's a starting gate, an oval track and a finish line, but the porkers in the pig races are like no other speedsters.

Before each race, audience members pick a color, blue, green, yellow or red. Each of the pigs in the race wears a racing silk with one of the colors. After the race, everyone who picked the color of the winning pig is awarded a blue ribbon – that proudly declares, “My Pig Won!” – and entered in a drawing for hats and shirts.

“It’s a memory that we’re able to create for the spectators at the Lake County Fair,” said Charles Cook, owner of the pig racing company. “Some folks have never won a blue ribbon before.”

The pigs will show off their speed at this year's Lake County Fair, which takes place Thursday, Sept. 1, through Sunday, Sept. 4, at the fairgrounds, 401 Martin St., in Lakeport.

The fair theme for 2011 is "Make Some Magic!"

Cook raised pigs in the agriculture organizations 4-H and FFA when he was a youngster. At the age of 26, Cook was asked by a representative from the California State Fair if it would be possible to train pigs to race. Cook found that cookies and cream were a great motivator.

“They are very motivated by the dessert,” Cook said. “Whoever gets there first gets more, so that’s their incentive to outrun the others. They actually change positions and you can see that they’re trying hard to get there first.”

Cook’s racing pigs are different from the hogs in the livestock barns, he said. Instead of being muscular, the wild breed pigs he purchases are smaller and thinner. This ensures they can fit in the starting gates for as long as possible. Cook buys the pigs and starts training them after they are weaned from their mothers.

“In the first day of training they walk around the track until they realize they have that reward at the finish line,” Cook said. “Then the second day, they jog. And the third day, they run.”

Once the pigs are trained, they travel around the country, competing with one another for the ice cream and cookies at events all year long. Each pig’s career lasts “as long as they can fit in the starting gate,” Cook says. Usually, that's about one year.

A number of other activities are also planned for the Lake County Fair.

vents in the grandstand arena include the Lake County Lawn Mower Challenge Races on Thursday evening, a demolition derby on Friday evening, open mud bogs and a 4x4 truck pull on Saturday evening, and the California State Finals of the WGAS Motorsports Tuff Truck and Buggy Races on Sunday evening. All grandstand shows start at 7:30 pm.

Local participants are also encouraged in the demo derby, truck pulls, mud bogs and the tuff truck races, and entry forms are available at the fairgrounds office.

Live local entertainment occurs continuously on two stages.

The Sutter Lakeside Hospital Main Stage will host the likes of the Snake Alley Band, LC Diamonds, Bill Noteman and the Rockets, and the Mark Weston Band, among others.

The Mediacom Stage will host a variety of acts including Mike Wilhelm and Hired Guns, Travis Rinker, the Don Carter Quartet and Jim Williams on acoustic guitar.

Regular admission prices for the 2011 Lake County Fair are $10 for a regular ticket, $6 for a senior over age 60 and $6 for children ages 6 through 11.

Children under 6 years old are admitted free every day. Children through age 11 are admitted for $3 on Thursday, Sept. 1 only, for “Kid's Day.”

A Sonoma State graduate student holds a Western Pond Turtle at the Boggs Lake Preserve. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – It is not too late to reserve a space for the Sunday, Aug. 28, Boggs Lake Preserve fundraiser at the Moore Family Winery.

Tickets are $30 per person and reservations can be made by calling the Lake County Land Trust office at 262-0707 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Reservations must be received by noon Friday, Aug. 26; payment is taken at the door.

Please note the correct starting time for this event is 5 p.m.

Join the Lake County Land Trust and many supporters who are gathering to raise funds for projects at the Boggs Lake Preserve on Boggs Mountain.

The feature of the event is a presentation by biologist Nick Geist, a professor of biology at Sonoma State University who has studied the Western Pond turtles at Boggs Lake for several years.

Wine and appetizers will be served from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. followed by the presentation by Dr. Geist.

The Moore Family Winery is located at 11990 Bottle Rock Road.

Please join the Lake County Land Trust in this effort to support one of Lake County’s most unique areas.

The Lake County Fair traditionally occurs Labor Day weekend each year at the fairgrounds in Lakeport; this year's dates are Thursday, Sept. 1, through Sunday, Sept. 4.

The event is one of Lake County's favorite summertime events, and is enjoyed by nearly 40,000 people each year.

The fair features a variety of entertainment, food, exhibits, a carnival and livestock shows.

This year's theme is “Make Some Magic!”

Lake County Fair will sell tickets and admit patrons until 9 p.m. daily. Gates open at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 2, and at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3, and Sunday, Sept. 4.

Once admitted to the grounds, patrons will find exhibit buildings open from the gate opening time until 10:00 pm each evening.

All other areas of the fair are open from the gate opening time until 11 p.m., including the carnival.

Midway of Fun, the carnival company which debuted in 2009, returns in 2011 with all day ride wristbands on each day of the fair.

All day wristbands can only be purchased at the carnival ticket booths, and sell for $22 on Thursday, and for $25 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Midway of Fun took over the midway in 2009 when the previous carnival operator moved to the California State Fair.

Events in the grandstand arena include the Lake County Lawn Mower Challenge Races on Thursday evening, a demolition derby on Friday evening, open mud bogs and a 4x4 truck pull on Saturday evening, and the California State Finals of the WGAS Motorsports Tuff Truck and Buggy Races on Sunday evening.

All grandstand shows start at 7:30 p.m. Local participants are also encouraged in the demo derby, truck pulls, mud bogs and the tuff truck races, and entry forms are available at the fairgrounds office.

Regular admission prices for the 2011 Lake County Fair are $10 for a regular ticket, $6 for a senior over age 60, and $6 for children ages 6 through 11.

Children under 6 years old are admitted free every day. Children through age 11 are admitted for $3 on Thursday, September 1st only, for “Kid's Day.”

This year every day is Seniors Day, with a special $6 admission every day for anyone over the age of 60.

The Lake County Fair traditionally occurs Labor Day weekend each year at the fairgrounds in Lakeport. The 2011 fair dates are Thursday, Sept. 1, through Sunday, Sept. 4.

This year's fair theme for 2011 is “Make Some Magic!”

“Today's seniors are active and involved, and participate in activities throughout the Lake County Fair on a daily basis,” said fair Chief Executive Officer Richard Persons. “The pricing structure for anyone over 60 reflects that.”

Regular admission prices for the 2011 Lake County Fair are $10 for a regular ticket, $6 for a senior over age 60, and $6 for children ages 6 through 11.

Children under 6 years old are admitted free every day. Children through age 11 are admitted for $3 on Thursday, September 1st only, for “Kid's Day.”

Lake County Fair is one of Lake County's favorite summertime events, and is enjoyed by nearly 40,000 people each year.

The fair features a variety of entertainment, food, exhibits, a carnival and livestock shows.

Ceago Vinegarden in Nice, Calif., will be the venue for the 12th annual Lake County Wine Auction on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The 12th annual Lake County Wine Auction on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Ceago Vinegarden in Nice, will feature a theme of celebrating the bounty of Lake County through its wineries, food purveyors, farmers and their produce, and music.

A limited number of tickets are available for purchase through www.winealliance.org or by calling 1-866-279-WINE.

Two ticket prices are offered this year for the gala charity event.

The Grand Tasting ticket will include an afternoon of wine and food tasting in the Ceago courtyard, a commemorative wineglass and tasting plate, and participation in the silent auction for $75 per person.

Thirty Lake County wineries will pour their finest wines, and over 15 restaurants and caterers will offer tasty food pairings.

This portion of the event will begin at 3 p.m. and conclude at 6 p.m.

Members of the Fetzer family will lead tours of their gardens, while displays of products from Lake County growers will be available for tasting and viewing. Music will be provided by a local favorite, David Neft on the keyboard.

The Grand Tasting and Auction Reserve ticket will include all of the items for the Grand Tasting ticket as well as a gift tote, reserved seating for the served, three-course dinner, the live auction, and dancing for $150 per person. This portion of the event will start at 3 p.m. and end at 9 p.m.

Preparing the three-course dinner will be Park Place Restaurant, Saw Shop Gallery Bistro and Padi Kakes.

Twice as Good, a father-and-son blues and rock and roll duo and the 2010 Best Blues award winner for the Native American Music Awards, will provide music for dancing.

The attire for this year’s benefit is Wine Country chic. Attendees must be 21 years and older.

Shaun Hornby, owner of Hornby’s Furniture Restoration in Lakeport and vocalist and guitarist of the popular band, the LC Diamonds, will be the evening’s auctioneer. Hornby is an experienced and dynamic auctioneer, having conducted auctions in England and Lake County.

Stephanie Green will assist with auctioneering and provide wine information. A certified sommelier and owner of Focused on Wine, a wine bar and tasting room in downtown Kelseyville, Green is a wine educator, private wine consultant, and noted cellar master of wines.

Bill Brunetti, Lakeport businessman and property manager, is the honorary chair for this year’s Wine Auction.

While he was the owner of Bruno’s Foods, the buying, selling and displaying of wine became one of his passions. His current passion is the growing of grapes and making wine at his homestead winery, Quattro Fratelli, while becoming active in the wine industry as a member of the Lake County Winegrape Commission.

Barney Fetzer, vineyard manager and winemaker for Ceago Vinegarden, has been selected as this year’s cuvee winemaker.

A third generation grape grower and winemaker, he is following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Bernard Fetzer, and his father, Jim Fetzer.

Fetzer will use donations of Cabernet Sauvignon from Shannon Ridge Vineyards & Winery, Six Sigma Ranch & Winery, Steele Wines, and Wildhurst Vineyards to craft the 2008 cuvee.

The 2010 Sauvignon Blanc cuvee will be composed of donations from Ceago Vinegarden, Langtry Estate & Vineyards, Shed Horn Cellars, Six Sigma Ranch & Winery, Steele Wines, Tulip Hill Winery, and Vigilance Winery.

The live and silent auctions will feature special wine packages, large format bottles of wine, weekend and extended vacation getaways, fine art, and a variety of goods and services for wine and travel interests.

The original watercolor on silk painting by Lake County artist John R. Clarke, “Thankful in Lake County,” will be auctioned during the evening. Original art donated by Clarke has been reproduced every year by the sponsoring Wine Alliance as a fine art poster to promote the event.

The Lake County Wine Alliance, a nonprofit organization of Lake County wineries, wine grape growers, and allied businesses whose mission is to foster the arts, benefit health services, and support the community while promoting Lake County as a premier grape growing and fine wine region, has contributed over $831,700 to local nonprofit organizations and agencies in the past eleven years.

Beneficiaries for this year are, by category: in the arts, the fine arts programs at five high schools; in health services, Any Positive Change, Catholic Charities-Rural Food Program, and Meals on Wheels programs at five senior centers; and in the community, Lake County Council of Church Women United, Lake County Literacy Coalition, Military Funeral Honors Team, Northshore Fire Protection District, Operation Tango Mike, and People Services Inc.

Mailed requests for tickets and reservations may be sent to P.O. Box 530, Kelseyville, CA 95451.