LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Channel Cats will host a Family Bingo Night Saturday, April 13, at the Lakeport Senior Center.

The center is located at 527 Konocti Ave.  

Doors open at 4 p.m., with games beginning at 5 p.m.

The cost for an adult is $15 for a pack of 12 games and $5 for children accompanied by an adult.  

Food will be available, including pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw and a bake sale.  

All proceeds will support the Clear Lake/Kelseyville High School swim team and the Westshore Pool.  

Call Jen Hanson for more information at 707-263-3131 or visit www.lakecountychannelcats.com .

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Lake County Theatre Co. will host three free lighting workshops.

The workshops will take place beginning at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 25; Monday, April 1; and Wednesday, April 3, at the Gard Street Theatre, corner of Park Avenue and Gard Street in Kelseyville.

The workshops will teach the ins and outs of lighting. Learn about the lights, lighting circuits, how to connect and care for them, the characteristics of lighting instruments and how to operate the lighting board.

You do not need to attend all workshops – come to one or all.

This is a great way to get yourself involved in the theater group and potentially put you in the action of a live LCTC production.

Call 707-355-2272 to reserve your spot in this “enlightening” class. Younger theater members are encouraged to attend (high school age with parental consent).

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Chi Council for the Clear Lake Hitch will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, March 27.

The group will meet beginning at 3:30 p.m. at the Lake County Agriculture Department, 883 Lakeport Blvd, Lakeport.

They will discuss the latest news on the Center for Biological Diversity’s petition to protect the hitch under the Endangered Species Act, and expect Ben Ewing from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to join them to provide an update.

The group also will discuss the season’s big question – when will the 2013 spawning migration begin?

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Wine Studio (LCWS) is hosting a wine release party and artist show event with Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill and painter, Ray Farrow on Friday, April 5, and Saturday, April 6.

The event will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.

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

Grower and owner Paul Manuel and winemaker Mark Burch will be at the Studio and Tallman Hotel for the receptions and the special Saturday dinner event.

The $12.50 ($10/per person for studio club members) wine sampler and appetizers by Cache Creek Catering presented at the Studio will showcase the 2012 Orange Muscat with a chicken Thai spring roll with mango and chili sauce, the 2010 Zinfandel with sausage, basil and sundried tomato brushetta on crostini, 2010 Malbec with a dried cherry chutney on a parmesan crisp and 2010 Petite Sirah with Five spiced beef.

Named 2012 Golden State Winery of the Year, Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill is located in Kelseyville.

Each of the 10 wines entered in the California State Fair Competition took a medal home along with four Best of Class awards and one Best of California award.

At the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition earlier this year the 2010 Red Hills Malbec earned a Double Gold.

Manuel gives credit to Burch for the exceptional and popular wines produced at Chacewater, and Burch gives a big nod to grower and vineyards manager David Weiss for connecting them with excellent Lake County fruit.

Together with wife Kellye, Manuel began developing the first 10 acres of a vineyard in Nevada County in 1988. Today that vineyard has grown to 31 acres and is the source of fruit for the award-winning Rosé and Merlot wine that will be featured at the dinner.

The two dinner wines originating from Lake County grapes are the 2011 Chardonnay and the recently-released 2012 Riesling.

Guest chef at the Saturday dinner at the Tallman will be Nicholas Heidemann, one of the most accomplished catering chefs in Northern California.

Chef Nicholas will feature Chacewater fine olive oils in his dinner dishes, which will include his special apple and walnut salad, braised beef cutlets and banana trifle. A link to the full menu can be found at www.TallmanHotel.com/winemaker-dinner .

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 April is plein air painter Ray Farrow. Farrow was born in England, educated in England, Canada and the United States and holds a bachelor of science degree in hotel, resort and restaurant administration from Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada.

He earned an Associate’s degree in fine art and graphic design from Al Collins School of Art and Graphics in Phoenix, Ariz.

Retired from a successful career in international resort management he now devotes his time to painting in his Kelseyville studio. His paintings can be found in many homes in Lake County and the United States, England, France, Germany and Japan.

Farrow’s medium is alkyds painted with a variety of knives and sponges. “I am basically a self-taught painter,” he said. “For me the painting process is a journey of discovery, sharing and joy. Discovery of the simple beauty in form and color of the natural world, whether that be the landscape or the sentient beings that occupy it ... after I have discovered that simplicity, I, in my way try to depict what I see and feel on the canvas. The joy comes in sharing my paintings and my thoughts on the process.”

Musical guest at both evening receptions will be Mel Taylor on keyboard. Taylor is presently the organist at St. John’s Episcopal Church and has played with the Lake County Symphony and at other venues in Lake County.

Lake County Wine Studio is a gallery for display of arts and a tasting room, wine bar and retail shop for the fine wines of Lake County. Artist’s 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. It is open Monday, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and Friday, 1 p.. to 8 p.m.

The Farrow art show will be on display for the full month of April.

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

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Upper Lake is celebrating spring with a new event,  Horticultural Happening, taking place on Main Street, Saturday, April 27, and Sunday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Under the auspices of the Upper Lake Community Council, the event is open to the public and free of charge.

The weekend event will celebrate the arrival of spring and Lake County’s horticultural abundance and diversity with an array of gardening experts from the North Coast region.

The historic red barn on Main Street will feature display gardens created by esteemed regional landscaped designers, juried gardening-related vendors plus a plant swap and kids gardening activities.

Next door, at Tallman Hotel’s Riffe’s Meeting House, a line-up of renowned experts will speak on topics ranging from creating bird friendly gardens and permaculture to succulents, biodiversity and composting.  

Garden sculpture, including an installation by Middletown’s Eco Arts, will be showcased in the courtyard between the Blue Wing Saloon and Tallman Hotel.

Event sponsors include Tallman Hotel, Redbud Audubon Society, Lightning Rod Gallery and Upper Lake Wine Studio.  

For more information call 707-275-2244 or visit www.growwithupperlake.tumblr.com .

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The old Middletown Library will be closed Tuesday, March 26, through Monday, April 1, to move into the new library.

If library patrons have questions about picking up, checking out or returning books during the transition, they are advised to call the library at 707-987-3674.

The library staff will be working even when the library is closed.