LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Wine Studio is hosting a wine tasting event featuring a line up of award-winning wines from Brassfield Estate with winemaker Ryan Boomer and artist reception with Susan Saunders on Friday, Feb. 3, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 4, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Musical guest on Feb. 3 will be MAJIDE! and on Feb. 4 will be acoustic guitarist Stephen Holland.

Brassfield Estate Winery and Vineyard is located in the High Valley American Viticultural Area of Lake County with vineyard blocks ranging from 1,800 feet on the valley floor to nearly 3,000 feet elevation up on the surrounding volcanic ridges.

The varying microclimates, soils and temperature changes among the vineyard sites provide remarkable growing conditions for well over a dozen varietals.

In 2009, renowned winemaker David Ramey became the consulting winemaker for Brassfield Estate, working closely with their winemaking staff to take the exceptional estate-grown fruit from harvest to the best expression in wine.

Affirmation was sweetly offered last month, when Brassfield Estate’s entries of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Serenity, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel grandly swept up silver medals and the Eruption proprietary red blend took a double gold at the 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

The $12.50 wine sampler with paired appetizers designed by Cache Creek Catering will feature 2010 Pinot Grigio with Dungeness crab and sourdough, 2010 Serenity with butternut squash soup, 2010 Pinot Noir with mushroom pâté, 2008 Eruption with roasted vegetables and the Elevado dessert Zinfandel with Lake County red walnut on date with honey drizzle.  

Susan Saunders is the artist on show for the month of February at Lake County Wine Studio, with display of her figurative and bird subjects in oil on board and canvas, as well as a new line of whimsical and weird sock monsters.

Born and raised mostly in Washington DC, she spent a few formative years in Florida, having dropped out of high school at 16 and going right into working at a variety of jobs – hospital X-ray department, waitressing, as a cook, office manager, designer and bookkeeper.

Saunders arrived in Southern California in 1976 with the intention of lining swimming pools in mirrored mosaic art. While she became acquainted with many Hollywood luminaries, she never actually completed a job. She married, raised two sons and ended up living in the Bay Area.

Inspired by an artist named Lulu Stanley who lives in Emeryville, she began studying painting at the College of Marin with Chester Arnold, another painter who inspired her. Saunders then decided to complete her general education classes, was accepted at UC Berkeley and also chosen for the once yearly scholarship to the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI). She opted for the once yearly scholarship at SFAI where she received her BFA in painting in 2005.

Saunders was already showing her works while at SFAI.  She presently has work on display in the Linda Penzur Gallery, in San Anselmo, Elsewhere Gallery, in Fairfax, and the Gallatin River Gallery in Big Sky, Montana. Davidson Middle School in San Rafael is home to a 6-foot by18-foot mural that she painted, and she has been published in Bay Nature Magazine as well.

Saunders began visiting Lake County in 2006 to help her partner, Thomas Gibbs, remodel his house. In 2009 a small shop space became available on Main Street in Upper Lake and she made a snap decision to open her own gallery and studio, Lightning Rod Gallery.

In addition to displaying her own fine art and handcrafted arts, she enjoys showcasing other artist’s work. The gallery is evolving from fine art only to include all things handmade.

On view and available for purchase are paintings, small wall sculptures, silver, natural stone and pearl, and flamework glass jewelry, handmade recycled glassware, beeswax candles, weird sock monsters, original art cards, and fragrant glycerin soaps.

Lake County Wine Studio is located on the corner of First and Main Streets in Historic Upper Lake across from the famous Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing Saloon & Café.

For more information, call Susan Feiler at 707-293-8752.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Lake County Republican Women Federated will meet on Saturday, Feb. 11.

The meeting begins at 11 a.m. at the at the Riviera Hills Restaurant and Lounge, 10200 Fairway Drive, Kelseyville.

The group's guest speaker will be John Munn, a Republican running for the state's Fourth Assembly District. His topic will be redistricting in California and its impact.

For more information call Mary at 707-739-7068 or write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Visit the group's Web site at www.lakecountyrwf.org.

LUCERNE, Calif. – The North Lake Garden Club will meet on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

The club meets at Lucerne Community Church on the fourth Tuesday of the month, September through May, as well as June and December when they have potluck dates yet to be announced.

The group will start at 6:30 p.m. with sharing plants and refreshments. The gardening workshop will follow.

If you are interested in joining, please come.

You can check other activities coming up on the club's Facebook page at North Lake Garden Club, www.facebook.com/pages/North-Lake-Garden-Club/191216670901307.

The club is a member of California Garden Clubs Inc., National Garden Clubs Inc. and Mendo-Lake District.

If you have a public place where a tree should be planted or need more information about our garden club, please call President Kimberly Marsh at 707-274-8775.

NICE, Calif. – Upper Lake High School will be having their Lights of Love fundraiser for solar lighting for their football field at the Sons of Italy club on Saturday, Feb. 11.

The night is an exciting community event with a poker run (5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.) and wonderful silent auction (5 p.m. to 8 p.m.) with items from local businesses. The bar will be open at 5:30. 

A tri-tip/chicken dinner will be served from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. then music from Jim Williams from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The tickets are $25 or reserve table of eight for $250.

Ticket and event information can be obtained by calling Ron Raetz at 707-275-2824 or Ana Santana, 707-342-9696.

Get your tickets early as it was a full house last year. Everyone is welcome.

There will be no other dances during February at Sons of Italy. Their regular dance schedule of second and fourth Saturdays will resume in March.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Nominations for the 2012 Stars of Lake County are now open.

The 2012 nomination form is available at www.lakecochamber.com or by contacting the Lake County Chamber of Commerce at 707-263-5092.

Copies also are available at the chamber office at 875 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport at Vista Point. The form also is posted below.

This year Stars will be held at the beautiful, spacious campus of PSI Seminars in High Valley above Clearlake Oaks on Sunday, May 6.

It is an event to honor all nominees for their contributions to Lake County.

After a delicious dinner, each recipient will be escorted to the stage after their name is announced, while their nomination is read by the category sponsor.

They are then presented with a Star Award trophy, made by the same company that makes the Academy Awards.

Congressman Mike Thompson presents the recipients with a certificate from his office and they are then escorted back to their seats.

It truly is an exciting evening for all those involved and would not be possible without the support of many businesses throughout the county.  

The selection committee charged with making the decisions is comprised of individuals from every part of the county, who receive copies of each nomination before meeting to choose the recipients in each category. Once they come together, each nominee is reviewed and then a secret ballot is cast.

The Stars of Lake County program was initiated in 1998 by Judi Pollace, past president of the Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce (now the Lake County Chamber).

The program was originally co-sponsored by Lake County Publishing and Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa, for the first 12 years.

The Lake County Chamber Board of Directors embraced the idea of providing recognition for the hardworking volunteers, businesses and organizations that do so much for Lake County.

The Stars of Lake County Community Awards are the result and it is the only recognition program of its kind in Lake County.

During the first 14 years, more than 1,500 individuals, businesses and organizations have been acknowledged by community nominations for their efforts to improve the quality of life in the community of Lake County.

The nominations are reviewed by the chamber staff and if it is determined that additional information would be helpful for the final decisions on making the award, the person writing the nomination is contacted for that information.

The program averages more than 100 nominations each year from throughout Lake County.

For more information on the Stars Community Awards program, please contact chamber Chief Executive Officer Melissa Fulton at 707-263-5092.

Stars Awards Nomination Form

NICE, Calif. – The Sons of Italy club will hold its next spaghetti feed on Sunday, Feb. 5.

The community is welcome to the dinner, which will take place from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the clubhouse, 2817 Highway 20 in Nice.

Come and enjoy homemade Italian sauce, garlic bread and salad. Sausages and meatballs sandwiches are available, too.

The bar will be open for socializing.

Sons of Italy hosts the spaghetti feeds on the first Sunday of the month.

For more information about the event or renting the hall call 274-9952.