LAKEPORT – What’s big, bright, beautiful and full of hot air? It's the amazing 100,000 cubic foot hot air balloons on display at the fun-filled Memorial Weekend presented by the Lakeport Kiwanis at Natural High School May 29 and 30.

Don’t miss any of this exciting weekend full of events for the whole family – a pancake breakfast, craft fair, parade, live music and food vendors – all at Natural High School this Memorial Weekend with a special treat on Sunday … hot air balloons and a glider on display.

The fun kicks off Saturday morning with the Kiwanis cooking up a delicious “all you can eat” pancake breakfast with ham, sausage, scrambled eggs, juice and coffee, served-up by the local 4-H club from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m., just in time for the big Lakeport Chamber of Commerce Parade on Main Street at 11 a.m.

All day Saturday and Sunday you will be able to browse all that sparkles and shines, twinkles and twirls and try all the tempting treats at the 20th annual craft fair. And this year, on Sunday, there will be lots of live music and beautiful hot air balloons and a glider on display. The place to be Saturday and Sunday this Memorial Weekend is Natural High School.

Thank you for supporting this annual fundraiser. It benefits your community with support to the local 4-H Citizenship Program and Lakeport Kiwanis Scholarships.

For additional information see the Kiwanis Web site at www.kiwanislakeport.org.

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

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

LAKE COUNTY

Highway 20

– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from Ogden Road to 0.2 mile east of Long Valley Road. Work hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

Highway 29

– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from Nice-Lucerne Cutoff Road to the junction of Route 20/29. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

Highway 175

– AT&T of Sacramento has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility maintenance from 0.1 mile east of Forest Lake Drive to 1.5 miles west of Socrates Mine Road Beginning Monday, May 24. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

Highway 1

– A culvert replacement project 0.8 mile south of Little Valley Road will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Kapel Construction of Willow Creek.

– Pavement repairs at Blue Slide Gulch, just south of Westport, will continue. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Mercer-Fraser of Eureka.

– A culvert rehabilitation project 0.7 mile north of the Hardy Creek Bridge will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays. Contractor – Paulson Construction of Albion.

Highway 20

– A culvert replacement project from Gravel Pit Road to Parlin Fork Camp Road will continue. 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. Contractor – Kapel Construction of Willow Creek.

– A drainage repair project 0.6 mile west of Forestry Station Road will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Kapel Construction of Willow Creek.

Highway 101

– A drainage repair project from the Rosetti Creek Bridge to 0.2 mile north of the El Roble Overcrossing will continue. 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. Contractor – Quimu Contracting Inc. of Dixon.

– PG&E of Eureka has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for tree trimming from 0.5 mile south of the Jitney Gulch Bridge to 0.4 mile south of Confusion Hill. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

Highway 222

– Replacement of the Russian River Bridge will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays during work hours and five-minute delays at other times. Contractor – CC Myers of Rancho Cordova.

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).

LAKEPORT – A tool sale will be held rain or shine this Saturday, May 22, at Clear Lake High School.

The sale will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the school's Industrial Arts Wing of CLHS, 350 Lange St., toward the end of the high school in the back parking lot, in Lakeport.

There will be a large variety of tools for sale, mostly auto-related. All tools were in working condition when removed from service, unless obvious defects show otherwise.

Tools are sold “as is, where is” and no guarantees are offered. Tools may be plugged in and powered up for inspection.

Auto tools include hand tools as well as shop equipment. Highlights include jacks/jackstands, valve grinder, electrical test equipment, battery chargers, tire machines, alignment machines, tune up machines, Lincoln arc welder, portable air tanks, lubrication equipment, air/pneumatic arbor press, woodworking tools include a large radial arm saw and 15-inch planer.

Items will be priced to sell. A list of most of the tools is attached, some of the small hand tools may no longer be available.

If you have questions about a specific piece of equipment, contact John Moorhead at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Clear Lake High School Woodshop also will host a sale of student work as a fundraiser. Student projects include furniture, work benches, cutting boards, small boxes and more.

LAKEPORT – A free educational seminar on estate planning will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 3, at the Lakeport Senior Center.

The presentation, which will begin after lunch, will include viewing of a 20-minute educational movie titled “Taking Charge: How to Identify and Avoid Estate Planning Scams.”

Open discussion will follow the DVD movie and refreshments will be provided.

“Educating Seniors” is a program offered by the Trust & Estate Division of the California Bar Association, and facilitated by Attorney Dennis A. Fordham.

Fordham is a board-certified specialist attorney in estate planning, probate and trust law. Surprise guest speakers involved with helping victims of financial fraud may also participate.

RSVP is appreciated (but not required) to the Law Office of Dennis A. Fordham at 707-263-3235 or JJ Jackson of the Lakeport Senior Center at 707-263-4218.

The Lakeport Senior Center is located at 527 Konocti Ave.

CLEARLAKE – A meet the candidates event and barbecue will be held Friday, June 4, in Clearlake.

The event will begin at 6 p.m.

Come meet candidates for local offices and discuss your issues with them before you mark your ballots on June 8.

Live entertainment will be offered by “Off the Hook,” with wine poured courtesy of Tulip Hill Winery.

Donations will be accepted.

The event will be held at Sunset Fishing Resort, 13961 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake.

RSVP by calling 707-994-6642.

LOWER LAKE – Can native plants coexist with non-natives? How land managers can use environmental heterogeneity to protect native species diversity in California grasslands will be the subject of a lecture on Saturday, June 5, at the McLaughlin Reserve.

The lecture will take place from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., with an optional mini field trip from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Angela Brandt, a Ph.D. student at Oregon State University, will present the lecture.

Brandt will discuss how environmental conditions, such as rainfall and soil characteristics, can vary dramatically across time and space.

Many plant species may take advantage of these heterogeneous conditions in the environment to coexist with their competitors. For example, one species might perform best in wet years, thus another species that competes with it for resources can do better in drier years.

Understanding how native and nonnative species could use this environmental heterogeneity to coexist is critical to both ecological understanding and management of invaded ecosystems, such as the California grasslands.

Over 9 million hectares of grasslands in California are currently dominated by Eurasian annual grasses and forbs that primarily invaded in the mid-1800s.

Are nonnative species outcompeting and displacing all native species, or do we see some plants coexisting by responding to environmental heterogeneity?

Brandt is conducting grassland community research at three University of California natural reserves – McLaughlin, Hastings and Sedgwick. She is interested in exploring spatio-temporal patterns of plant community diversity and how these patterns can inform our understanding of how species coexist.

The goal of her work is to tie these ideas in with biological invasions to determine whether native and nonnative species interact differently with the environment and whether native species can persist in areas that are heavily invaded with nonnatives.

After the talk, Brandt will lead a mini field trip to two of her plots for those interested in continuing discussion of the results and ideas she has presented. This will also be a great opportunity to see how different two areas of "grassland" can be, even when they are located near to each other.

Registration is required. Registration closes Friday, June 4.

Contact Cathy Koehler at telephone 707-995-9005 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to register.

The McLaughlin Reserve is located at 26775 Morgan Valley Road, Lower Lake.