LAKE COUNTY, CA – Lake County Wine Studio is hosting a wine tasting event featuring wines from Steele Winery, and artist reception with a collection of pastel works of art by Richard Seisser on Friday, Oct. 4, and Saturday, Oct. 5.

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

Musical guest during the Friday reception will be Mel Taylor on keyboard, and during the Saturday reception will be Stephen Holland on acoustic guitar.

The Saturday event will include an optional progressive four-course winemaker dinner at the Tallman Hotel following the appetizer course at the studio.

Steele Winery owner and winemaker Jed Steele will be at the studio and Tallman Hotel for the reception and the special Saturday dinner event. The musical duo Majide! with Paul Kemp on keyboard and vocals by Machiko will appear at the winemaker dinner.

The $12.50 ($10/pp for studio club members) wine sampler and appetizers presented at the studio will showcase the 2012 Shooting Star Riesling with a Thai Pad Kra Prow Chicken appetizer from Chalerm Thai Bistro, the 2012 Writer’s Block Counoise with bacon wrapped water chestnut, 2011 Shooting Star Barbera with herbed and marinated roasted mushrooms and the 2010 Outcast Red Blend with a chocolate caramel truffle.

The wines and menu prepared by guest chef Mark Linback at the Tallman Hotel on Oct. 5 will showcase 2012 Shooting Star Sauvignon Blanc with Butternut Squash soup with apples and fried ginger, 2012 Steele Viognier with a salad of seafood sausage with coconut, lime and chili over noodles, 2011 Writer’s Block Malbec with the entrèe course of J&S Ranch Bison short ribs with sweet and sour berry jus, pumpkin bread pudding, and the Shooting Star Black Bubbles Sparkling Syrah with a dessert gratin of fresh berries and seasonal fruits.

Working in a cellar at Stony Hill Winery in Napa during the harvest of 1968 led Jed Steele to choose his career.

After obtaining a master's degree in enology from UC Davis, Steele started the Edmeades Winery in Anderson Valley, both managing the vineyard and making the wine for ten years.

In the early 1980s Steele became the starting winemaker for Kendall Jackson, achieving tremendous success for the Kendall Jackson wines and their popularity. In 1991 Steele left K-J and opened Steele Wines in Lake County.

Steele Wines sources their grapes from the finest grape growing regions in California as well as featuring Lake County fruit. Their award-winning and high-rated wine production includes five different label brands, each of which, in most vintages, are specialty lot bottlings of less than 1,000 cases.

“This reflects my never ending fascination with many different varietals and vineyard locations. This approach allows us to maintain the practice of true craftsmanship in the production of our small lot bottlings.” said Steele.

Reservations for the Saturday tasting at the Studio and dinner at the Tallman are $75 plus tax and may be obtained by calling the Tallman Hotel at 707-275-2244, Extension 0.

The featured artist for October is Richard Seisser.

After graduating from art school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Seisser spent his early years perfecting the specific medium he had learned in school; sketching, drawing in pen and ink and working with water colors, oils and acrylics. He entered various art shows and received awards for his pen and ink artwork.

After many years working in industry, Seisser retired in 2000, moved to California and settled in Grass Valley. While there, he became involved with local arts and began concentrating on watercolor media. Again, he entered competitions and received awards for his work.

In 2005 Seisser moved to Lake County, California. He joined the Lake Arts Council and exhibited at the Main Street Gallery. At that time he became interested in working with pastels. Pastels soon became his favorite artist medium and he worked hard to perfect his skills painting with them.

“I am obsessed with pastel painting. My passion grew to the point that I started teaching workshops in 2006 and I have continued since then. Teaching has broadened my outlook on my artwork by continually experimenting with newly acquired materials and techniques with my students. I am still growing and progressing with my pastel art. My dream is to capture a vision of nature and translate it into a work of art for the viewer to enjoy,” he said.

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 gallery is located at 9505 Main St. in Upper Lake and is open Monday, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and Friday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The Seisser art exhibit will be on display for the full month of October.

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

UKIAH, Calif. – Ukiah's PumpkinFest is just around the corner, and parad applications are now available.

The event takes place Saturday, Oct. 19.

The theme of the 2013 PumpkinFest Parade is “Ole! It’s a Pumpkin Fiesta.”

Parade applications are now available online at www.cityofukiah.com and at the city of Ukiah Civic Center Annex at 411 W. Clay St.

Applications will be accepted through Friday, Oct. 4, for an entry fee of only $20.

A late fee of $5 will be added to applications received after Oct. 4 through Tuesday, Oct. 8.

No entries will be accepted after Oct. 8.

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. from the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds on Oct. 19, rain or shine.

For more information, please call 707-463-6231.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Senior Activity Center hosts weekly bingo games.

The games take place every Wednesday beginning at 1 p.m.

The center is located at 527 Konocti Ave.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Two hundred quilts will be on display at the Lake County Fairgrounds when the 12th annual Falling Leaves Quilt Show comes to town Saturday, Oct. 5, and Sunday, Oct. 6.

The show takes place 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the fairgrounds, 401 Martin St. in Lakeport

The Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild (LLQG) invites quilters, quilt lovers and their friends to this show that crams Lewis Hall to the rafters with color and beauty.

The quilts range in style from traditional to innovative to art quilts, in sizes from miniatures to king-size. The colors span the spectrum from delicate pastels to bold and bright.

A “first” for this year’s show is a display of 3-D quilts by Donna Hodges and her daughter Lyn Nunn.

Hodges and Nunn used fabric that looks normal to the unaided eye but, when viewed through 3-D glasses, fish swim off of the quilt, planets orbit and butterflies float.

LLQG will provide 3-D glasses for viewing these quilts.

The show also includes 20 patriotically themed Wounded Warrior quilts made by LLQG members and destined for wounded military members returning from combat.

Cara Gulati, the show’s featured quilter, will display a number of her distinctive quilts and will attend the show both days to meet show guests. Gulati is known for her large art quilts such as her 3-D Explosion series.

Local VIP judges Rich Hinchcliff, chief deputy district attorney; Mandy Feder, editor of the Lake County Record-Bee; Stephanie Wayment, from the Lake County Office of Education; Steve Estrada, owner of the Chapel of the Lakes; and Jennifer Taylor of Umpqua Bank will select their favorite quilts for special awards.

The VIPs may not be quilters, but they “know what they like.” VIP Award ribbons will mark the VIP quilts.

Vendors will be selling quilt-related merchandise and demonstrating various quiltmaking techniques both Saturday and Sunday.

The demonstration schedule is posted at www.LLQG.org under the Falling Leaves Quilt Show tab.

Other show attractions include the Country Store boutique, an opportunity quilt, a door prize, themed gift baskets and a silent auction.

Guests can vote for their favorite quilts, one of which will receive the Viewer’s Choice award. Drawings will occur on Sunday afternoon.

Angelina’s Bakery is returning this year to serve lunch in the “Open-Air Café” on the east side of Lewis Hall each day.

Discount pre-sale tickets are available at Kerrie’s Quilting, 1853, N. High St. in Lakeport, Shelley’s Quilted Treasures, 5300 Second St. in Kelseyville and Bird Brain Designs, 3925 Main St. in Kelseyville now through 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 4.

For more information about the Falling Leaves Quilt Show, contact Marj Sweeney at 707-994-1186.

Information also is available on the Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild Web site at www.LLQG.org .

NICE, Calif. – A dinner dance with the local favorite band “Twice as Good” will be held at Sons of Italy Lodge on Saturday, Oct. 12.

The fun starts at 6 p.m. at the lodge, located at 2817 E. Highway 20 in Nice.

It will be a family style dinner prepared by guest cooks Deb and Duane Clarke.

The meal will include red, green and white sauce bow tie pasta and meat tortellini, salad, french bread, coffee, tea, or ice water for just $20.

The bar is open for socializing at 5 p.m.

Everyone, including children, are welcome.

For tickets, call Donna at 707-263-5476 or Karen at 707-357-4488, or on the day of the event call 707-274-2244.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – On Thursday, Sept. 19, the Konocti Lioness Club inducted three new members to its rapidly expanding service club.

New members are Marge Horn, Patty Lyndall and Katherine Alger, who were sponsored by club members Lonny Rittler, President Anna Jones and Sharon Higgins, respectively.