Bryce Hayes and his 4-H project pig. Courtesy photo.

KELSEYVILLE – Hi, my name is Bryce Hayes I am a member of the Kelseyville 4-H Club.

This is my fifth year in 4-H. I am also a three-year member of the C and L Club, which is a Citizenship and Leadership project. In my 4-H club, I have been the treasurer and vice president, and this year I was the secretary.

I love 4-H because it gives you opportunities to work with other 4-H members and be involved in my community.

The projects that I am involved in this year are swine, horse, cavy, shooting sports, leadership and poultry. For some of my projects I am the junior teen leader. This is when I get to plan and run a portion of the meetings.

The projects that I am junior teen leader of are cavy, horse and shooting sports. The animals that I am taking to fair are two market ready swines. For our poultry educational display I will have pheasant and p-foul, or peacocks.

It is a lot of hard work to raise animals for the fair. Your day starts off really early you have to clean, feed and work your animal for the fair. On top of all that, we need to keep track of the animal’s weight gain and all that fun stuff. You also keep records of every time you clean, water, feed and work with them.

Now all that work you did keeping records you get to turn it into a thing we call a record book. You also have to put everything that you have learned in the different projects that you are taking and how much money you have invested in. Now that’s a lot of paper work. When my book is complete I take it to our first club meeting of the new year where it will be judged by a panel of parents.

So when you are at the fair just remember not all the animals there are pets, some of them are projects and learning experiences that will last a lifetime. So come on down to the Lake County Fair and look for me, Bryce Hayes, from Kelseyville 4-H!

4-H Youth Development is a program of the University of California Cooperative Extension. For more information on the 4-H program contact U.C. Cooperative Extension, 883 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport, 263-6838.

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Items on the agenda include a public hearing and consideration of an application for a use permit to allow outdoor display and sales of used cars in a C-3 Service Commercial Zoning District. The subject property is located at 923 Parallel Drive; applicant is Vargo Car Saales.

Also scheduled is a public hearing and consideration of an application for a use permit to allow a vacation rental in an R-1 Low Density Residential Zoning District. The subject property is located at 650 Esplanade St., applicant is Deborah and Harry Rubin.

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County Air Pollution Control Officer Bob Reynolds reported no exceed of a health-based State or Federal Air Quality Standard is expected. Using the Federal Air Quality Index (AQI) for particulate matter, Lake County’s air quality is expected to remain in the good range. The AQI for particulate is expected to remain well below 101 where an unhealthy alert is given.

Smoke intrusions into the Lake County Air Basin, which last occurred on July 25 resulted primarily from the distant Yolla Bolly complex and remainder of the Lime complex. These uncontained wildfires continue to burn resulting in light occasions of haze but containment is improving and smoke output is believed to be considerably less.

Progress is being made on wildfires remaining on federal land, much of the Lime and Yolla Bolly complexes are in rugged and remote areas and are unlikely to be contained until the projected Aug. 15. The Soda and Mendocino Lightening Complex fires as well as the Butte Lightening Complex that started in late June are all contained. The Yolla Bolly which was lightning caused is now 60 percent contained. All fires in Lake County were contained last month.

Winds are expected to be the prevailing westerly and range from southwest to northwest through the next several days and with good upward ventilation, keeping smoke from these ongoing uncontained large wildfires to the north and east of the Lake County's Air Basin.

Residual smoke can be expected to remain throughout areas of Northern California on occasion, including Lake County, though at a much reduced level, until the Lime and Yolla Bolly Complex wildfires are contained.

Further updates of this status message are not planned unless a smoke intrusion is expected to occur.

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Kimo is a missing Rhodesian Ridgeback whose family wants to find him. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT – A Lakeport family is hoping to find their lost dog.

The male Rhodesian Ridgeback, who answers to the name “Kimo,” is around 90 pounds. He escaped from the yard at 250 Konocti Ave. on Aug. 10 at about 1:30 p.m.

The family's children miss the dog very much and hope to have him home soon.

If you have seen the dog please call Diane Allen at 334-3668.

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Victoria Hayes and her "market ready" turkeys. Courtesy photo.

KELSEYVILLE – Hi, my name is Victoria Hayes. This is my fifth year in the Kelseyville 4-H Club. For the first three years in my 4-H club I was the storekeeper and my fourth year I was historian. This coming year I am going to be vice president, working my way to the top has been a fun road to be on.

We have one club meeting a month. My other project meetings meet here and there throughout the month. I need to complete 80 percent of my club meetings and 100 percent of my project meetings to be able to go to fair.

Then there are my projects, which are poultry, shooting sports, sewing, and horse. The project that I like best is poultry. I am taking two broad breasted bronze “market ready” turkeys to the Lake County Fair, Aug. 27 through Sept. 2.

“Market ready” means that my turkeys make a certain weight by the time fair is here. For turkeys, the minimum weight is 14 pounds.

I also work on my showmanship skills, how to hold, walk and show all the parts of the turkey -- in turn being able to show off my knowledge to a judge in a showmanship class with other members of my age.

After the fair is over the paperwork begins. I log all my meetings and what we learned. An advanced livestock report is filled out on how much money I spent on my turkeys in feed and supplies. It helps me keep track and I am able to show a profit or loss in my project.

I do the same thing for each project that I am in. This is called a record book. I take my record book to my first club meeting of the year. Our club puts together a committee of adults to judge the books. If you get a Gold Seal in your book this means that, you can go on to County Level Record Book Judging. The judges are members of the Lake County community.

It is lots of fun to be in 4-H. It would be great fun to see you at the Junior Livestock Auction this year during the Lake County Fair.

4-H Youth Development is a program of the University of California Cooperative Extension. For more information on the 4-H program contact U.C. Cooperative Extension, 883 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport, 263-6838.

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Left to right, Rodney Silva, construction manager; Linda Shields, manager Bank of the West Clearlake Branch; future homeowner, Heather Cowen; future homeowners Nick Parsons and April Finch;and volunteer, Michaela Fiedler. Courtesy photo.

CLEARLAKE – Habitat for Humanity's 11th home in Lake County got one step closer to completion with a recent donation from Bank of the West for $1,000 to be used towards building supplies.

Bank of the West is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the communities they serve, so helping give a family a decent place to live through Habitat For Humanity's zero interest mortgage program was a perfect fit.

For more information on how to apply or get involved with Habitat for Humanity, call 994-1100.

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