LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The 2014 Lunar Calendar starts Jan. 31 and will be celebrated as the “Year of the Horse.”

In Chinese astrology, the horse year is considered a fortunate year that brings luck and good things. The Magical Horse has supernatural powers, is heroic, strong, and can even fly.

It has long been known that the bond between horse and rider is perhaps the most sophisticated and intriguing example of cooperation between man and animal.

The Lake County Horse Council commends all horse enthusiasts and their equine partners.

Entering its fourth year in Lake County as a nonprofit, all-volunteer membership organization, the LCHC continues to promote the equine industry and recreation through coordination and support of local events, trails, equine facilities and related interests.

Horses are not only a joy to those who care for them, they bring thousands of dollars into our local economy – through feed, supplies, equipment, boarding and events. The equine industry was named second only to the wine industry in neighboring Sonoma County.

A complete calendar of events can be found on the LCHC Web site, www.lakecountyhorsecouncil.com , including the acclaimed Fiesta of the Horse in June, and the Horse Faire at Kelseyville’s Pear Festival in the Fall.

Rodeos, parades, trail competitions and more are included on the calendar, in an effort to give Lake County residents the opportunity to experience the wide array of equine happenings in and around the county.

Surveys have shown that a large percentage of riders in our county enjoy trail riding. This year, several Horse Council board members are involved in the county’s Konocti Regional Trail Committees, advocating for more riding trails in Lake County, and safety for all multi-use trails.

Read more about the specific areas they are studying at http://www.konoctitrails.com/ .

The LCHC board unanimously approved sponsorship of the Clearlake Junior Horsemen Gymkhana Series this year. A sponsorship enables the group to award prizes and encourage excellence in horsemanship and competitive skills. These young riders are amazing.

The LCHC encourages the public to attend these shows, coming up Feb. 1 and March 1 at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St., Lakeport.

The council's 2014 join/renew drive is on now. Community members are urged to join or renew to ensure continuation of benefits, including 10 percent discount at Ag Unlimited in Finley for all your feed and supplies.

You can renew on line using PayPal, or send a check to LCHC, P.O. Box 1551, Kelseyville CA 95451.

Membership prices include $25 for family, $10 for an individual or $75 for an organization.

Visit the council's Web site or call 707-245-9091.

NORTH COAST – Caltrans reports that the following road projects will be taking place around the North Coast during the coming week.

Included are Mendocino County projects that may impact Lake County commuters.

LAKE COUNTY

Highway 29

– PG&E of Ukiah has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for utility repairs 0.4 mile south of Konocti Forestry Camp on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Work hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

Highway 175

– AT&T of Santa Rosa has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for utility repairs from the Cobb Post Office to Anderson Springs Road. Work hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

– AT&T of Santa Rosa has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for utility repairs from Anderson Springs Road to Bush Street through Friday, Jan. 31. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

Highway 1

– Replacement of the Greenwood Creek Bridge will continue. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. Contractor – Golden State Bridge Inc. of Martinez.

– Will Jackson of Warren, Vermont, has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit to pave a driveway 1.1 miles north of Abalobadiah Creek beginning Monday, Feb. 3. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

– Replacement of a culvert with a bridge at Dunn Creek will continue. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. Contractor – Shasta Construction of Redding.

Highway 101

– Caltrans will perform slide repairs near the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge (near Frog Woman Rock). Northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

– Bridge rehabilitation at the “green” Russian River Bridge will continue. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays. Contractor – J. McLoughlin Engineering of Rancho Cucamonga.

Highway 128

– Vegetation removal in preparation for culvert rehabilitation at various locations from Wendling Street to 0.7 mile east of Mountain House Road will continue through Friday, Jan. 31. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

Highway 253

– PG&E of Ukiah has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for tree trimming from Slide Creek to the junction of Routes 101/253 beginning Monday, Feb. 3. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

– Willow Creek Water District of Ukiah has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for utility repairs near Stipp Lane through Friday, Jan. 31. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

Work on all these projects is weather permitting and subject to change. Caltrans advises motorists to drive with caution when approaching work areas and to be prepared to stop at traffic control stations.

The Caltrans Traffic Operations Office has reviewed each project and determined that individual project delays are expected to be less than the statewide policy maximum of 30 minutes, unless noted otherwise above.

For information pertaining to emergency roadwork or for updates to scheduled roadwork, please contact the California Highway Information Network (CHIN) at 1-800-GAS-ROAD (1-800-427-7623).

SACRAMENTO – The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) extended its thanks to key California Congressional leaders for passing the Farm Bill Conference Report in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday.  

Through the Farm Bill, federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding will be extended for FY 2014, providing resources for rural California counties to provide critical government services.

“Federal PILT funding is critical to California’s rural counties, and RCRC is grateful to key Congressional leadership for voting to secure this one-year extension,” said Nate Beason, RCRC chair and Nevada County supervisor. “Now that we’ve secured the reauthorization for FY 2014, it’s time to work with Congress to enact a multi-year funding reauthorization, as was the process in years past.”

As part of the federal PILT program, California counties are due more than $41 million in annual funding to provide critical local government services, such as law enforcement, search and rescue, health care, environmental compliance, firefighting, and parks and recreation.

The payments would total $133,836 annually for Lake County.

The Farm Bill is expected to be heard in the U.S. Senate in the coming days, and if passed, funding will flow to California counties before October 2014.

NICE, Calif. – The Sons of Italy club will hold one of its popular dinner and dance events on Saturday, Feb. 8.

The bar opens at 5 p.m., with dinner and dancing from 6 to 9 p.m.

Dinner will be roasted chicken with all the trimmings, coffee and dessert.

After dinner, there will be dancing to the music of the High Notes.

Tickets cost $15 per person. Everyone is welcome.

The Sons of Italy Hall is located at 2817 E. Highway 20 in Nice.

Call 707-274-9952 to reserve a table or 707-274-2244 the day of the event.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Lake County Wine Studio is hosting a wine tasting event with Jim and Diane Fore featuring award winning wines from Fore Family Vineyards, and artist reception with a collection of engraved arts by Dayle Marshall on Friday, Feb. 7, and Saturday, Feb. 8.

The event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 7 and 4 to 7 p.m. Feb. 8.  

The $12.50 ($10/pp for Studio club members) wine sampler and appetizers presented at the studio will showcase the silver medal winning 2009 Pinot Noir, double gold medal winner and new release 2011 GSM Rhone Blend, gold medalist 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon and new release 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, which earned a double gold medal as well at the recent SF Chronicle Wine Competition.

In the late 1980s, Jim Fore won a first place award with his Pinot Noir in the Napa Town and Country Fair home winemaking division. The win gave him the drive to plant a small Cabernet vineyard in his backyard.  

Since then, the passion has grown to 60 acres between Napa and on Cobb Mountain in Lake County and Fore’s wife Diane, when not teaching kindergarten classes, also is very involved helping in all facets of their family business.  

They personally manage the Cobb Mountain vineyards and farm using sustainable techniques such as planting mixed blend cover crops that are tilled into alternating rows each year.  

Most of the vineyard production is sold to other producers and the Fore Family vintages that they produce under their own label are small quantities of 500 cases or less.

The artist for February is Dayle Marshall, a California native, born and raised in Los Angeles County.

Her first official job was soldering printed circuit boards at Continental Devices Corporation in El Segundo in 1962. It was in that factory that she entered her engraving trade.

She went from there to an engraving company and learned the different aspects of the marking industry – engraving, silk-screening, stenciling and stamping.
 
In 1976 Marshall opened her own engraving business and now has the distinction of being the only woman in her field to be considered a master engraver and who has continuously owned and operated her own company for more than 30 years.

Throughout those years she became involved in many creative projects including engraving track and nameplates for the New York subway control panels, silk-screening and engraving for the space shuttles, for movie props and various engraving jobs for celebrities and film companies. She still does custom lens engraving and cinematography equipment engraving for long standing customers in Los Angeles.
 
Marshall’s love of creativity has always been present in her life as she she has ventured into stained glass, jewelry making and even winning first place in an amateur photography contest. She considers herself an "artisan.”

She loves working with wood, canvas, plastics, metal and mixed media bringing her engraving trade into her creative niche.
 
The opening of her business 2 Women Traders in Middletown with her partner in 2011 has given her an avenue to display and market her unique artworks, many of which will be on show and for sale at the Wine Studio during February.

Lake County Wine Studio is a gallery for display and sale of arts and a tasting room, wine bar and retail shop for the fine wines of Lake County.

Artists' shows are held on a monthly basis with art and wine receptions held the first Friday and subsequent Saturday of each month.

The Marshall show will be on display for the full month of February.  

The gallery is located at 9505 Main St. in Upper Lake and is open Mondays, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 7 p.m.; and Fridays, 1 to 8 p.m.

For more information call Lake County Wine Studio at 707-275-8030 or 707-293-8752.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A series of new changes have been announced for local programs that help seniors stay in their homes.

After 25 years of service on the board of Konocti Senior Support, including 10 years as president, Hope Brewer wanted to step down, and fortunately for this nonprofit program, board member Pat Goodson, volunteered and was voted in as president.

Goodson has a fantastic background to succeed Brewer's dedication in overseeing Konocti Senior Support's two programs: The Friendly Visitors and Senior Peer Counseling Program.

Goodson already had served on the board for three years and had volunteered as Senior Peer Counselor for five years.

She has a degree in behavioral science, has lived in Lake County for 25 years and had worked for Lake County Mental Health for almost six years.

One of her first duties as president was to find a new director for the Senior Peer Counseling Program.

An excellent candidate was hired, Barbara Nuckols, who had been a guidance counselor for more than 20 years, working in nonprofits, schools and agency-based settings, assisting with clients in psychosocial rehabilitation, corrections, reentry and phase-of-life transitions.

Along with her strong experience, she has a master's in counseling psychology with a somatic emphasis and a master's in educational counseling psychology, as is a credentialed guidance counselor.

Nuckols feels her main strength is helping clients reconnect to the support and joy in their own lives. What may feel like a lonely path or an uphill battle can become a joyful dance and procession.
 
On Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to noon in Clearlake, Nuckols holds weekly meetings and training sessions for volunteer senior peer counselors.

Those trained will visit seniors in their home who may need grief counseling or emotional or psychological support.

Each week in a confidential setting they will receive guidance to help their clients. If you have questions, want to volunteer or know a senior who you think might benefit from peer counseling, please contact Nuckols at Konocti Senior Support offices at 707-995-1417.  

Visit the organization online at www.konoctiseniorsupport.com .