KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum, operated by the Lake County Historical Society, will be closed Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5, in observance of the Easter weekend.

The museum will reopen Saturday, April 11.

Due to the closure, April’s Fiddlers’ Jam, usually held the first Sunday of each month, will move to Sunday, April 12, when it will be joined by the first-ever Ely Stage Stop Marketplace.

The marketplace, just outside the Ely barn, will feature local handcrafted goods and Ely surplus items for sale and will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

As usual, musicians will jam from noon to 2 p.m. inside the barn. Visit the main house and enjoy the newest display about the history of the dairy industry in Lake County.

The museum is located at 9921 Soda Bay Road (Highway 281) in Kelseyville, near the Clearlake Riviera. Normal hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.

Fiddlers’ jams occur the first Sunday of every month (except in April when it moves to the second Sunday due to the Easter holiday) from noon until 2 p.m.

Living history events featuring local historians are held on the fourth Saturday of every month, again, from noon to 2 p.m.

Contact number for questions about volunteer work, donations of old wood for barn construction, or docent applications is 707-533-9990.

Visit www.elystagestop.org or www.lakecountyhistory.org , check out the stage stop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elystagestop or call the museum at 707-533-9990.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The sixth annual Celebrity Who’s Who Lip Sync Revue comes to the stage at Soper Reese Theatre for three performances the weekend of April 18 and 19.

There will be two performances, at 3 and 7 p.m., on Saturday, April 18, plus a matinée at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 19, of “Take a Walk on the Wild Side.”

The Lake County Chamber of Commerce said it is thrilled at the response the event has had since its inception in 2010.

Program directors are Diana Schmidt and Sarah Dutra, who also act as choreographers for several of the acts. Additional choreographers are Larry and Zoe Richardson and Rod Rehe.

Makeup is being done by volunteers, Lyle Colburn of Your One Stop Party Shop and Janice Hornby of Skin Fitness. Hair styling volunteers are Michelle Price and Carolyn Fifer.

The 2015 show has almost 60 people in 19 different acts. It will be difficult for those in the audience to not recognize a friend, neighbor or colleague in the performances.

“Take a Walk on the Wild Side” features songs about animals, many different animals. You’ll see and hear songs such as: “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” “Beer for my Horses,” “Cold Hearted Snake,” “What’s New Pussy Cat?” and “Wooly Bully.”

“Celebrities” in the house for the show will be Tom Jones, Willy Nelson and Toby Keith, Paula Abdul, Katy Perry, Three Dog Night, Sam the Sham and Jimi Hendrix, to name a few.

Tom Lincoln will return for emcee of the two-hour performance. Classic cars will provide escort for our “stars” as they arrive to “walk the red carpet.”

Be sure to be at the theater early to watch all these great personalities as they arrive for their performances.

Please note, they can use some more classic cars, so contact the chamber at 707-263-5092 if you wish to help out on the red carpet arrivals. Every car will receive two free tickets to the performance of their choice.

Three years ago, the “People’s Favorite Act” perpetual award was instituted. The act that receives the most votes is presented with a souvenir trophy and is listed on the perpetual trophy that they get to display in their office. Voted Favorite Act of 2014 was “Funky Town” with an electric fish light show.

Seats for this fun two hour variety show are reserved at $25 per person for all performances, with a $20 special senior price at the Saturday 3 p.m. matinée.

A few VIP tables are available for Saturday and Sunday matinées at $300 each. These tables seat six and include appetizers and three bottles of wine.

Tickets are going fast. For tickets or more information contact the Lake County Chamber of Commerce at 707-263-5092.

EMERYVILLE, Calif. – The most comprehensive research ever conducted into teen crash found substantial evidence that distracted driving is a much more serious problem than previously known, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Video analysis finds that distraction was a factor in nearly six out of 10 moderate-to-severe teen crashes. This is four times as many crashes as official estimates based on police records.

 Researchers at the University of Iowa analyzed the six seconds leading up to a crash in nearly 1.700 videos of teen drivers taken from in-vehicle recording devices.

The results showed that distraction was a factor in 58 percent of all crashes studied including 89 percent of road-departure crashes and 76 percent of rear-end crashes.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, previously estimated that distraction is a factor in only 14 percent of all teen crashes.

Among the key findings in the study were that drivers manipulating their cell phone (calling, texting or other uses) had their eyes off the road for an average of 4.1 seconds out of the final 6 seconds leading up to the crash.

Researchers also measured reaction time in rear-end crashes and found that teen drivers using a cell phone failed to react more than half of the time before impact, meaning they crashed without braking or steering.

It is well known that passengers and cell phones increase the risk for teen drivers. That risk is made worse because young drivers cannot draw upon past driving experience to manage unsafe conditions.

Utah’s graduated driver licensing law addresses the most common causes of teen crashes and gives teens time to practice in a safe environment.

“Parents can play a vital role in preventing their teens from engaging in distracted driving and learning to be a safe driver,” said Cynthia Harris, AAA Northern California spokesperson. “Before parents begin practice driving with their teen, they should create a parent-teen driving agreement that includes strict ground rules related to distracted driving.”

AAA offers help for parents of young drivers at www.TeenDriving.AAA.com . There, parents can find a comprehensive driver education program, where teens can learn specifically how using a cell phone affects driving abilities and increases crash risk.

A full research report and b-roll video of teen driver crashes is available on the AAA Foundation’s Web site, www.AAAFoundation.org .

NAPA COUNTY, Calif. – Caltrans and its local stakeholders will realign the railroad tracks on Highway 29 near Whitehall Lane in Napa County in preparation of the SR-29 St. Helena Channelization Project.

The project will rehabilitate the pavement, provide a continuous two-way left turn lane and reconstruct the adjacent bike path.
 
Approximately four weeks of overnight closures are scheduled.

For the safety of workers and the public, northbound and southbound Highway 29 must be completely closed between Whitehall Lane and Zinfandel Lane starting Sunday, April 12, until Wednesday, April 29.

Highway 29 will be closed each night Sunday through Wednesday at 7 p.m. until the following mornings at 6 a.m. All work is weather permitting.
 
For the week starting Sunday, May 3, Highway 29 will be closed each night Sunday through Tuesday at 7 p.m. until the following mornings at 6 a.m.
 
Detour routes

Northbound Highway 29 detour starts at Highway 128/Rutherford Road.

Northbound Highway 29  motorists will be detoured onto Highway 128/Rutherford Road, Conn Creek Road, northbound on Silverado Trail, westbound on Zinfandel Lane, then back onto Highway 29. Detour signs will be posted.
 
Southbound Highway 29 detour starts at Zinfandel Lane. Southbound Highway 29 motorists will be detoured onto eastbound Zinfandel Lane, southbound on Silverado Trail, southbound on Conn Creek Road, then onto Rutherford Road, and back onto Highway 29.
 
Local access

During the work, Highway 29 between Highway 128/Rutherford Road and Zinfandel Lane will be for emergency and local access only. Residents may need to show proper identification.
 
See the project Web page at http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/projects/NAP29Channelization/ or follow Caltrans on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CaltransD4 .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Channel Cats swim team's annual Family Bingo Night will take place on Saturday, April 11.

The event will take place at the Lakeport Senior Activity Center, 527 Konocti Ave.

Doors open at 4 p.m., with dinner and snacks available at 4:30 p.m. Bingo starts at 5 p.m.

Dinner will include pulled pork sandwiches, cole slaw, vegetarian beans and nachos.

The cost is $15 for a pack of 12 games, and $10 for additional packs for paying adults. Children accompanied by a paying adult can get a pack of 12 games for $5. Credit cards will be accepted.

All proceeds will go toward the ongoing effort to sustain the Lake County Channel Cat swim program and to support the Clear Lake High School and Kelseyville High School swim teams.

For more information call 707-263-3131 or visit www.lakecountychannelcats.com .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With taxes due at midnight on April 15, Assemblyman Bill Dodd (D-Napa) reminded constituents that assistance is available for many of those needing help with their tax returns.

The California Franchise Tax Board sponsors a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and a Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program to help individuals with limited income and seniors complete their income tax returns.

Additionally, the United Way offers assistance through its “Earn It! Keep It! Save It!” program.

“People often run into difficulties or become lost in the maze of rules and forms when preparing their income tax returns,” said Dodd. “I am partnering to promote these programs to help constituents navigate tax filing, and ensure eligible taxpayers take advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit.”

Every year, millions of federal dollars go unclaimed by people and families that don’t apply for the Earned Income Tax Credit, a benefit for working people who earn low or moderate incomes.

The amount of the tax credit can reach thousands of dollars and varies depending on your income and number of dependents.

There are VITA and TCE sites throughout the area and many offer special assistance, such as bilingual services. Constituents who believe they may qualify are encouraged to contact the VITA or TCE programs nearest them. Some service locations have limited availability and reservations book quickly.

You can find a list of events and links to the programs at www.asmdc.org/dodd/tax .

Dodd represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all or portions of Yolo, Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Solano and Colusa counties.