KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Kelseyville Lions Club is hosting a breakfast on Sunday, Feb. 27, from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The breakfast will be a fundraiser for Kelseyville Cub Scout Pack 145.

Breakfast includes biscuits and gravy, sausage, pancakes, eggs, coffee and orange juice.

The cost is $6 per person.

The Kelseyville Lions Club is located at 4335 Sylar Lane in Kelseyville.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

Terry Nieves, Mendocino County proprietor of Ocean Harvest Sea Vegetable Co., will speak at the Lake County Community Co-op meeting in Clearlake, Calif., on Saturday, March 5, 2011. Courtesy photo.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The public and Lake County Community Co-op members alike are invited to meet Terry Nieves, Mendocino County proprietor of Ocean Harvest Sea Vegetable Co., and learn everything there is to know about seaweeds and their nutritional value.

Nieves will show samples of the different varieties of sea plants she harvests on the Mendocino Coast and provide taste samples of her products.

The presentation is on Saturday, March 5, from 10:30 a.m. until noon at the Clearlake Library, 14785 Burns Valley Road.

This educational and fun, show-and-tell event is free.

Ms. Nieves also works as an educator, directing a countywide nutrition education and gardening program for students in Mendocino County schools.

“My life revolves around food,” she said. “I have to set good examples everywhere I go. My business and professional life let me do that with delicious ease!”

As part of her presentation, she will show how to use seaweeds in many ways, from eating them – to bathing with them.

Seaweeds are by far the most concentrated natural food source of minerals, electrolytes and trace elements around.

One of the LCCC’s goals is to educate Lake County residents on how to live more healthfully and sustainably by keeping it local and is proud to include these sea vegetable products as part of its Buying Club offerings.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn from an expert on the high nutritional value of vegetables from the sea, meet others of like interests, and even have an opportunity to purchase products direct from the source!

For more information, contact Lori Patotzka at 707-994-1618.

Celebrating over three years in community, the Lake County Community Co-op (LCCC) envisions cultivating an evolving community by nurturing values of social, economic and environmental responsibility. Member input and participation is encouraged for the continued success of its co-creation.

The LCCC supports and enhances the local food system while providing a forum for community activities.

For more information or to become a member of the LCCC, follow the links at http://lakeco-op.org or call 707-993-4270.

CALISTOGA, Calif. – Soroptimist International of Calistoga will hold its 10th annual crab feed on Saturday, March 5, at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga.

Guests can bid on a vast array of silent auction items during the “no host” cocktail hour beginning at 5:30 p.m. At 7 p.m. a delicious three-course “all you can eat” dinner is served featuring Caesar salad, Dungeness crab, dessert and coffee.

A spirited live auction and dancing top off the evening.

For 54 years the Calistoga Club of Soroptimist International has been improving lives in both local communities and throughout the world.

“We’ve sponsored scholarships, micro-loans, health clinics after school programs, girls’ athletics, Napa Emergency Women’s Services (NEWS), our community pool, numerous family services and ‘No Drugs Down the Drain,’ a collection program for expired pharmaceuticals,” said Soroptimist International of Calistoga President-Elect Su Sneddon.

“Among a few of the international beneficiaries include organizations in Haiti, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Latin America, and Central Asia,” said Ms. Sneddon.

“Having both the support of our community and the dedication of our club members will guarantee a successful and fun event! We hope you can join us on March 5th,” said Soroptimist International of Calistoga President Karan Schlegel. Silent auction items feature hard-to-find boutique wines, gift certificates from regional restaurants and retail stores, as well as special wine tours, museum visits and unique artwork and crafts.

Highlights from last year’s live auction included an assortment of highly prized wines from the Diamond Mountain appellation; a progressive dinner along Calistoga’s Lincoln Avenue for 12 guests to the best of the local restaurants, wine tours with luncheons at local wineries, cooking classes and poolside cocktail party for 20 at a local hotel.

This year’s auction items are shaping up to be just as innovative, including a three-night stay for two couples at a Santa Barbara vacation beach condominium, another progressive dinner along Lincoln Avenue and special wine lots, such as the highly prized Diamond Mountain AVA (American Viticultural Area).

“This is always such a festive event,” said Crab Feed Chair Gayle Keller. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to have a great time while supporting such good causes. The hard work that goes into this event comes back to us — and everyone here — in such wonderful ways. And always, the more the merrier!”

For tickets contact Suzan Shaw at 707-942-6754 or contact Toni Hunt at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For more information go to www.sicalistoga.org.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The second installment of the Redwood Empire Civil War Roundtable met Feb. 1 at the Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake.

Twenty people attended the event to hear Zane Jensen’s presentation of “The Secession Commissioners” and Phil Smoley’s presentation of “Attempts at Compromise.”

Jensen explained the situation that South Carolina faced when it was the first state to secede.

“They were desperate to get the other southern states to join them, so they sent out commissioners to spread fear of a slave rebellion if they stayed in the Union,” Jensen said.

Did the commissioners' tactics work? Jensen believes so.

“In many cases, within a day of the commissioners speaking to a state assembly, that state voted for secession,” Jensen said.

Smoley spoke of Sen. John Crittenden of Kentucky who proposed a series of Constitutional Amendments that promised to protect slavery where it was, to allow for popular sovereignty in the southern territories and strengthen the Fugitive Slave Law.

When Crittenden’s proposal got shot down, a peace conference was formed. It was made up by several former congressmen, governors, cabinet members, federal judges and even a former president. Ultimately, the peace conference also was a failure.

In the end, no compromise could be found. Level heads on both sides knew what that would mean. Crittenden’s own family was divided on the issue, one child fought for the north, and one for the south.

“Crittenden ruined his health trying to find a way to avoid the coming conflict,” Smoley said. “What it did to his family was devastating.”

So what caused the war: States rights or slavery?

“Folks have been debating this for over 150 years, and it can still create heated, passionate discussions,” Smoley stated. “It’s definitely a lot more complicated than is often commonly assumed.”

The next roundtable is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. Monday, March 7, at the Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake.

Deborah Lico, second from left, shown with her sponsoring Lionesses Elizabeth Burnside and Elsie Murrish and with Lioness President Carol Thompson on the far right. Courtesy photo.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – At its meeting on Jan. 20, the Konocti Lioness Club inducted a new member into their service club.

Deborah Lico officially joined the group during the meeting. Her sponsoring Lionesses were Elizabeth Burnside and Elsie Murrish.

The Konocti Lioness Club meets the third Thursday of each month at noon and is seeking new members.

Please contact Lioness Elizabeth at 707-279-8562 for additional information.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Funds are now available to help Lake County residents who are behind one month on their rent or up to three months behind on utility bills.

Funds also are available for residents in need of move-in costs, such as security deposit, related to a move to new permanent housing.

Catholic Charities is administering the Federal Emergency Shelter Grant (FESG) funds, and applicants must qualify and meet state and federal guidelines.

Needs and residency also will be verified.

To see if you qualify, go to www.srcharities.org/services and click on “Lake County services” to find FESG information.

You may also call 707-528-8712, Extension 126 or pick up an application at Catholic Charities Lake County Office, 21085 Bush St., Middletown.

Federal Emergency Shelter Grant for Lake County is funded by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), via CA Department of Housing & Community Development.