LAKEPORT, Calif. – The fourth annual Rodeo Kickoff Dance will be held on Saturday, April 26.

The event will be held in Fritch Hall at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St. in Lakeport.  

Doors open at 5 p.m. and the delicious barbecue tri-tip and chicken dinner will be served at 6 p.m. by the Scotts Valley Swine Club.  

Dancing to the Blue Rock Country Club band begins at 8 p.m.

The sponsor for the fourth annual dance is Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary in Lakeport.

Tickets for the rodeo kickoff dance can be purchased at CJS Ranch Supply in Middletown (sponsor of the Mutton Bustin' Contest at the Rodeo); Barreda's Lower Lake Feed; Rainbow Ag in Lakeport; Lake County Chamber of Commerce in Lakeport and Lakeview Market in Lucerne.  

In addition to a fun raffle with a variety of prizes, an opportunity drawing for a seven-night stay at a QM Resort in Lake Tahoe or Sparks, Nev., will also take place during the dance.

All proceeds from this dance will help the Lake County Rodeo Association put on the 85th annual Lake County Rodeo on July 11 and 12 at the fairgrounds.

The grand marshal for 2014 will be introduced at the April 26 dance.

A new event at the rodeo this year will be a reunion of all past queens and princesses that they can find.  If you know of someone or you are a past Queen or Princess, please contact Tami Graeber at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Graeber was the Lake County Rodeo Queen in 1968 and has taken on the task of locating as many of the past royalty as possible. They will be introduced on the evening of Friday, July 11, at the rodeo.

Young women interested in signing up for the 2014 Lake County Rodeo Queen and Princess competition can contact Rodeo Director Greg Scott at 707-263-5350 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The 2013 Lake County Rodeo Queen Joy Bennett and Princess Karissa Huggins will be on hand to greet guests and answer questions for the girls interested in joining the contest for queen and princess.  

The queen competition is open to young women ages 16 to 24; the princess competition is open for ages 9 to 15.

For more information about the dance contact Chair Angel Purdy at 707-349-1991.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On March 13 the Bachelor Valley Gourd Club hosted the first training class for the American Gourd Society’s apprentice judges to be held in California.  

Under the new AGS guidelines, these new apprentice judges will now proceed with their certification/training to become a certified judge.

Certified Judge Marilyn Crayton also took her first step in becoming a judge/instructor by participating in the training with a presentation of about what judges look for.

The American Gourd Society developed a standard for all gourd competitions in 2009 with the first training in Arizona of 33 certified judge/instructors from all over the United States.

Judging guidelines are now uniform throughout the United States and judges have used this training to judge gourds in gourd festivals and county fairs, including the Lake County Fair.  

The growing number of certified judges give all gourd competitions, if they choose, the opportunity to have a standardized set of guidelines to judge their gourds.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The third in a series of grants research and proposal writing workshops will be held at the Community Room of Umpqua Bank, 805 11th St., in Lakeport on Thursday, March 27, and Friday, March 28.

The workshop is geared to helping nonprofits become more skilled in proposal writing and researching public and private funding sources.

The two-day session is held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, with a maximum of 25 participants. Registration cost is $95.

Sunrise Special Services Foundation is presenting the workshop, conducted by Linda Mundel, who has delivered training programs and consultation nationally for organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control, The Grantsmanship Center, California Department on Aging, National Institute on Drug Abuse, the USC School of Education, Navajo Nation Health Foundation and others.  

Lake County organizations participating in recent workshops included Native American Tribes, senior services, a charter school, homeowners groups, individuals, faith-based groups, hospice, human service organizations, new nonprofits public agencies and others.

Comments of participants: “The stories and personal experiences which the trainer used to illustrate points were great!” “Terrific class interaction was encouraged and supported.” “I learned more than I thought I would.” “Wonderful information. Will recommend to others.”

For further information, contact Jerry Mundel at 707-350-1335 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Registration checks should be made out to SSSF and mailed to Jerry Mundel, 19725 Donkey Hill Road, Hidden Valley Lake, CA 95467.

When sending your registration check, please include the following information: name, organization, job title, telephone and email address.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Kiwanis Club of Lakeport is currently accepting applications from artisans, crafters and food vendors for the Memorial Weekend Craft Fair in Lakeport.  

Memorial Weekend kicks off the summer season in Lakeport with a pancake breakfast, parade, and the Craft Fair.

This is a juried two-day event, taking place Saturday, May 24, and Sunday, May 25, with booths being open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

The deadline to apply as a vendor is April 25 and confirmation letters will be sent upon acceptance.

Proceeds from the event are used for local high school scholarships.

For more information, please email Pat Cox at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-263-8326.

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – The annual 'Horse O Rama' will be held on Saturday, May 10.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hidden Valley Lake Equestrian Center, 20432 Powderhorn Road.

It will include horse breeds from around the world and U.S.

There will be riding/driving presentations featuring Friesians, draft horses, Arabians, Peruvian Pasos, gaited horses, miniatures and more.

Also featured will be a petting zoo, face painting and a youth stick horse race. Lunch will be available.

For more information call the stable office at 707-987-4075 or www.pashatingle.com .

SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Branch 133 of the Sons In Retirement will hold its next meeting on Friday, March, 21.

The group meets at the Greenview Room, Hidden Valley Lake Golf Course, 19210 Hartman Road, on the third Friday of each month.

The meeting starts at 11 a.m., with lunch served at noon.

Sons In Retirement is a social organization for men of retirement age who are pursuing the goal of enjoying their later years. It has 142 branches with 18,000 members throughout the state.

Anyone interested in learning more about Sons In Retirement is encouraged to contact Buddy Clayton, secretary, at 707-995-1673, or Bill Brewster, membership chairman, at 707-987-9352 or visit www.sirinc.org .