LAKEPORT, Calif. – Three boys, eleven girls and their pampered pets were judged to be the most creative and to have the best presentations at the Children’s Push Pull Pet Parade which took place on Saturday, March 30, at Library Park in Lakeport.

First place winners:

• Age category 0-3 and 4-6: Aliana and Camilo Salmon with their pet goat;
• 7-8: Nya and Layla Marcks dressed as Dorothy & the Wizard of Oz with their Chihuahua;
• 9-12: Anabelle Petty sporting a “Got Cheese” look with her Boston Terrier.

Second place:

• 0-3: Mavrik Nestwas with rainbow hat and pet dog;
• 4-6: Alexandra Hundley with her Labrador retriever decorated as an Easter egg;
• 7-8: Katrine Brasier dressed as an Easter bunny with her Boston Terrier;
• 9-12: Melissa Bill-Rosas dressed as an Easter bunny with her puppy.

Third place:

• 0-3: no entries;
• 4-6: Sofia and Sam dressed as boy and girl bunnies with their Boston Terrier (no last name given);
• 7-8: Benjamin Martin with his Chihuahua decked out in royal red;
• 9-12: Mercedes McComb who led her dog in an Easter-decorated wagon.

All winners received gift certificates from Furry Tails & Friends and Pet Country pet stores in Lakeport.

Lakeport Main Street Association, the parade’s presenter, thanked volunteer event organizer Alan Mathews of Bicoastal Media and sponsors Pet Country, Furry Tails & Friends and Northlake Vet Clinic.  

LAKEPORT, Calif. –  The Lake County Rodeo Association will hold its Rodeo Kickoff Dance on Saturday, April 27.

The event, a fundraiser for the 84th annual Lake County Rodeo, will take place from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. in Fritch Hall at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St. in Lakeport.

The doors and bar opens at 5 p.m., with a buffet style barbecue tri tip and chicken dinner served from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dancing to the Blue Rock Country Club band begins at 8 p.m.

A live auction has prizes including a two-person duck hunt, which includes food and lodging; Marlin Saddle Gun 336W 30/30 lever action; and a one week stay at a QM Resort in Lake Tahoe or Sparks, Nev. In addition guests will have the opportunity to win many great raffle prizes.  

Tickets are $25 per person and can be obtained at the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, 707-263-5092, credit cards accepted or Rainbow Ag at the front counter.  

For further information, call Dance Chair Angel Purdy at 707-349-1991.

The 84th annual Lake County Rodeo will be held at the fairgrounds in Lakeport at 7 p.m. Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13.

SAN FRANCISCO – Letter carriers care about the people in the communities they serve, and on the second Saturday in May for the past 20 years they have done a lot more than collect and deliver mail.

They have picked up nonperishable food donations left at mailboxes as they visit every home in the nation.

This year will be the 21st annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Food Drive — the largest one-day food drive in the USA.

The U.S. Postal Service and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association join NALC as official sponsors in this effort to “Stamp Out Hunger.” Other sponsors include Campbell Soup Co., Feeding America, Valpak, AFL-CIO and United Way of America.

It is a very simple and easy concept: the public is asked to leave non-perishable food in a sturdy bag by their mailbox on Saturday, May 11, 2013.

That food will be collected by letter carriers and distributed to local charities that provide it to people who need it – right in the same community.

Hunger and under-nutrition in America are much more serious problems than most people realize. With current economic conditions and high food prices, more families than ever struggle to keep food on the table.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual study measuring food security in the United States, the number of Americans living in food insecure homes is more than 50 million, with approximately one in every three food-insecure Americans being a child (17.2 million).

Through a lot of hard work, dedication and compassion, and the support of customers in the communities they serve, letter carriers collected over 70 million pounds of food last year – the ninth consecutive drive surpassing 70 million pounds collected.

The total donations received since the drive began in 1993 now stand at nearly 1.2 billion pounds of food. They are counting on the public’s generosity once again to help feed the hungry this year.

FORT BRAGG, Calif. – On March 27, five members of the U.S. Coast Auxiliary, Flotilla 88 of Lake County traveled to Fort Bragg to prepare a belated St. Patrick's Day lunch for the Coast Guard personnel at Station Noyo River.

Flotilla 88 was joined by members of Flotilla 87 of Mendocino County at the event.

In lieu of the traditional corned beef and cabbage lunch, pulled pork sandwiches on buns were served accompanied by sauce, beans, green salad, cold drinks and cake.

This was the 14th year that Flotilla 88 has prepared a St. Patrick's Day lunch for Station Noyo River and it has become a tradition that the Coast Guard personnel look forward to each year. They thanked all of the Flotilla members for their efforts in providing lunch.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Star Chapter 442 motorcycle club will hold a ride on Saturday, April 27.

The group will meet at the Northshore Fire Protection District Clearlake Oaks station, 12655 Highway 20, at 9 a.m. Kickstands go up at 10 a.m.

They will enjoy the “Granzella” run this time around, driving up Highway 20 east to Williams, stopping at charming Granzella’s Inn for lunch, then riding out Interstate 5 to 505 through Winters and around Lake Berryessa before returning to Lake County.

As always, all licensed and insured riders and all makes and models of motorcycles are welcome.

Visit the chapter on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Star-Chapter-442/146399068773126 .

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Lake County Historical Society will hold its general membership meeting at the Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center, 15500 Central Park Road in Middletown, on Sunday, April 28.

President Phil Smoley invites all of Lake County Historical Society members and guests to join them at 2 p.m. to relax and enjoy listening to speaker Nina Bouska, speaking on the fascinating topic, “Early Ranches and Land Grants of the South County.”

Refreshments will be served in the lobby area. Join them and bring your friends; everyone is invited. Donated cookies and cake to share would be appreciated.

Calpine Visitor Center is located off Highway 29 at the south end of Middletown. Turn on Central Park Road; the center is on your right after the first street (Pine Street).

If you have any questions please call Catherine Quistgard at 707-279-4775 or Bonnie Skee at 707-263-7142.