Winners are Sharon Burger of Lakeport; Lara Mitchell, 10 years old; Sabrina Hoffman-Kirkham, 5 years old; Cayden Abreu, 5 months old; and Corey Crom from Orangevale, 15 years old.

Sharon Burger won gift certificates to The Game Shop, Meals on Wheels Thrift Shop and Golden Pear Wellness Spa.

Lara Mitchell won gift certificates from Penny Lane Emporium and Main Street Bicycles as well as a Kincaid print from Inspirations Gallery.

Sabrina Hoffman-Kirkham won gift certificates from Main Street Bicycles, Roy's Backyard BBQ and Your One Stop Party Shop, as well as a mahogany towel holder from Prisco.

Cayden Abreu and her mother, Shadow, won gift certificates to Watershed Books, Main Street Bicycles and Campos Casuals, as well as coffee mugs from the Main Street Art Gallery and a Kincaid Nite Lite from Inspirations Gallery.

Corey Crom won gift certificates from Main Street Pizza, Pieces Boutique and Bella Salon.

The Elf Hunt was sponsored by the Lakeport Main Street Association, which thanks all of the participating businesses for helping to make Very Merry Main Street and the Elf Hunt a great success.

“The benefits these projects bring to California are a huge boon to the economy today,” said acting Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty, “and the investment in our transportation system will continue to serve travelers for generations to come.”

Proposition 1B, the 2006 voter-approved transportation bond, will supply $327 million in funds to 10 projects, including $42 million toward the purchase of 42 new passenger rail cars.

They will be put into service on all three state-supported Amtrak California routes – the Capitol Corridor, San Joaquin and Pacific Surfliner.

This supplements $168 million from other sources, including $68 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

To date, the state has allocated more than $11 billion in Proposition 1B funds for transportation purposes statewide.

Highlights of the funding allocations include $21,000 in Lake County for a bridge replacement project on Cole Creek Bridge near Kelseyville; $930,00 for a safety project on that will repave 1.7 miles of Highway 101 near Pepperwood in Humboldt County; and $2.35 million for a project that will reconstruct a metal beam guardrail at 244 locations along Highways 1, 20, 128, 162, 253 and 271 in Mendocino County.

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

LAKE COUNTY

Highway 20

– Metal beam guardrail repair from 1.2 to 0.9 miles west of Gravel Plant Road will continue through Friday, Dec. 16. 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 – Stewart Dirt and Aggregate of Fairfield.

Highway 53

– Highway widening from 40th Avenue to the junction of Routes 20/53 will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Sierra Equipment Rental of Glenn.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

Highway 101

– A pavement repair project from the Robinson Overcrossing to Uva Drive will continue. Work hours are 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – Granite Construction Inc. of Ukiah.

– PG&E of Eureka has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for utility work 0.4 mile south of the Forsyth Creek Bridge on Sunday, Dec. 18. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. A shoulder closure will be in effect. Motorists are advised to drive with caution through the area and may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

– Construction of retaining walls from Bell Springs Road to 0.7 mile south of the Cummins Road Undercrossing will continue. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – J F Shea Construction Inc. of Redding.

– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from Confusion Hill to the Humboldt/Mendocino County line. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

Highway 271

– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from Confusion Hill to the Humboldt/Mendocino County line. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-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).

The biggest delivery of CanTree food was to the Lakeport Senior Center. From left to right, senior center Head Chef Jose Plata, Miss Lake County Jennifer Humble, Lakeport Senior Center Administrator Jonathan Crooks and CanTree Coordinator Phil Smoley. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The 2011 Realtor CanTree was a big success this year, raising $3,000 and collecting 1,500 cans of food for the Lakeport Senior Center and North Coast Opportunities.

During its 23-year existence in Lake County, the Realtor CanTree has collected the equivalent of more than 110,000 cans on behalf of local food cupboards, according to CanTree Coordinator Phil Smoley.

Besides Smoley, this year's CanTree team included CPS Realtor Diana Dahl, Bruce Dahl, Rob Foglestrom, CPS Realtor Ruby Martinez, CPS Realtor Tom Pelandini, 2012 Miss Lake County Jennifer Humble and 2012 Miss Teen Alice Crockett.

This year, there were 33 dropoff locations around Lakeport. But the primary focus has always been on the competition between the 23 county of Lake departments.

A former county employee himself, Smoley started a friendly competition in 1988 where the department that donates the most average per employee wins a pizza party. "It gets real competitive at times," Smoley said. "It gets them all fired up to donate so they can win a party. And it all goes to a great cause."

This year's winner was the Human Resources Department. It's the third year they've won.

"But Community Development came in a strong second, so they are getting a pizza party, too," Smoley promised.

The Lakeport Senior Center and North Coast Opportunities provide affordable meals and other needed services to Lake County senior citizens.

Justin Scott enjoyed visiting with Santa during the Saturday Christmas Open House at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park. Courtesy photo.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Saturday, Dec. 10, Christmas Open House at the Anderson Ranch House at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park saw almost 200 people visiting the park, enjoying Christmas music, free Christmas treats and hot coffee and cider.

The event is presented every year by the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association (AMIA), the cooperating association with the State Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR).

A cooperating association is an organization that works with DPR to provide interpretive activities (hikes, tours, programs, school field trips) and fund raise for the betterment of the park.

AMIA, made up of local volunteers, has taken on the task of working with DPR to keep Anderson Marsh State Historic Park open on a limited basis. This will require stepped up fundraising efforts and additional volunteers for a variety of projects that need to be accomplished.

Currently the park remains open, with the parking lot open on the weekends. A reasonable parking fee is required and these monies are used to help fund state parks.

The Saturday Christmas event is an example of the type of programs that occur at the park. A monthly walk and house tour is held every second Saturday, and school groups are welcome to enjoy tours. Also, the Children’s Museum of Art and Science has held its science camp at the park for many years.

Involvement of local schools is also encouraged. Each year a class from Lower Lake Elementary School comes to the ranch house on the Thursday before the event to decorate the Christmas tree, learn about the park, and join in with Tom Nixon singing fun and traditional Christmas songs. This year Nancy Langdon brought her class from Lower Lake Elementary School.

On Saturday, numerous well-known local musicians entertained for those attending, Santa greeted children, and AMIA volunteers enjoyed meeting the public as they hosted this popular yearly event.

For more information about AMIA, go to www.andersonmarsh.org or call 707-995-2658.

David Neft of Middletown and Anna McAtee of Hidden Valley Lake enjoyed entertaining at the recent Anderson Marsh Christmas open house. Courtesy photo.

SACRAMENTO – It's that time of year again – decorations that had been packed away are coming out once more to be displayed on mantles, shelves, and any other places that will demonstrate the spirit of the season.

Some of these keepsakes are new while others hold priceless memories of several generations … and yet very few of them have been properly protected from the threat of earthquakes.

In the latest episode from “Totally Unprepared,” Los Angeles viewer Heather Kram is concerned about how her collection of holiday snowglobes will hold up in the event of a quake. Well, there's only one way to find out.

Susan Jekarl, quake safety expert for “Totally Unprepared,” takes viewers back to the shake table at the University of California, San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering to show viewers what will happen.

The results are clear: Heather should invest in some museum putty and furniture straps before a quake decks the halls with her shattered collectibles.

A collaborative effort between the California Emergency Management Agency, the California Seismic Safety Commission (CSSC) and the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), “Totally Unprepared” is a unique and insightful multimedia campaign which aims to help Californians better understand their risk of earthquakes and how to prepare for them.

Connect with Totally Unprepared for the latest information and resources at the following Web sites: www.totallyunprepared.com, www.YouTube.com/weareunprepared, www.Facebook.com/totallyunprepared and www.Twitter.com/weareunprepared.

For more information about preparing for earthquakes and other hazards, visit www.calema.ca.gov.

The California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) coordinates overall state agency preparedness for, response to and recovery from major disasters. Cal EMA also maintains the State Emergency Plan, which outlines the organizational structure for state management of the response to natural and manmade disasters.