LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Public Service Director Caroline Chavez announced that the Eastlake Landfill will be closed Monday, Oct. 8, in observance of the Columbus Day holiday.  

The Landfill and Public Services office will reopen Tuesday, Oct. 9.

Normal operating hours at the landfill are 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. The Public Services office is normally open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If you have any questions regarding this subject or any of the solid waste issues in Lake County, please call 707-262-1760.

LAKEPORT – The Lakeport English Inn is in preparation for the 10th annual Victorian Christmas Fair.

Innkeeper Karan Mackey, her mother Ruth, and Mackey’s sisters Jill and Marlene present this year’s event between Nov. 17 and Dec. 16 at the bed-and-breakfast inn, 675 N. Main St., Lakeport.

“Lake County residents and visitors are invited to ring in the holidays. Enjoy strolling carolers, shop rooms of ornaments and decorations, smell and taste edible creations, and join friends for a proper English Victorian Tea,” said Mackey.

“England celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee earlier this year, and all of London cheered the world’s athletes during the Summer Olympics. We are thrilled to mark our 10th annual event in the same year,” the innkeeper noted.

English Victorian High Tea is served to the public every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday during the Christmas Fair.

Seatings are at noon and 2:30 p.m. However, groups of more than 15 people may schedule tea on other days during the run of the holiday fair.  

A three-tier platter of “scrumptious delights” is planned for the “Mad Hatter Tea Party.” For reservations, call the inn at 707-263-4317.

High tea guests and inn visitors will find common rooms and halls of the bed-and-breakfast inn filled with holiday ornaments and colorful decorations, garland, tinsel, lighted trees, wreaths and varieties of gifts available for purchase.

They include handmade candy canes, soaps, candles, tea pots, saucers and cups, table decorations, wall hangings, yard enhancements, and holiday ornaments hanging on trees and displayed among many decorative settings.

“We have the largest selection of ornaments in all of Lake County. For this year, we have expanded the china and antiques sections,” said the inn’s owner.

During the Victorian Christmas Fair, the Lakeport English Inn is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, except Thanksgiving Day.

Innkeepers and tea servers help transport you to a different era as they appear in full Victorian costume. Carolers, too, dress in the theme of the day and stroll throughout the inn’s Christmas Fair and Tea Room to serenade visitors.

“The Victorian Christmas Fair is a celebration of Christmas traditions of long ago,” said Mackey. “Many magical trees are full of ornaments, carolers are singing of joy, friends are visiting with friends, gifts are being selected, and High Tea is being served by ladies in Victorian dress. In celebration of the 10th year, we will have at least one room decorated in silver and blue – 10th anniversary colors.”

A world class, traditional English High Tea is presented by the three sisters and staff. In honor of the Diamond Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II has been invited to tea. “We will share the queen's personal scone recipe, handwritten, this year in the introduction to the tea menu,” said Mackey.

Delicious scones, tarts, tiny sandwiches, Devonshire cream, desserts, shortbread cookies, all prepared with care and attention to detail, complement the tea. “It is like having tea at the London Ritz,” said Marlene.

For a glimpse at the tea menu, visit http://lakeportenglishinn.com/high-teas/christmas-fair.asp .

“Come enjoy a glimpse of England,” said Mackey, who takes pride in presenting her English High Teas in traditional fashion.

She has visited many tea rooms in England, and she is unrelenting in making her tea experiences as true to the English tea as possible. Only a few tea rooms exist in Northern California, and she visits those when she has the opportunity.

Karan and Hugh Mackey’s Lakeport English Inn is a bed-and-breakfast located in the downtown area along Main Street in Lakeport.

A special rate is offered this year for individuals who would like to stay at the inn and enjoy the Christmas Fair “without the crowd.” The rate is $175 for a room with king bed and a double Jacuzzi; $155 for rooms with queen-size feather beds.

“We are also serving complimentary wine, appetizers, and a spectacular after-dinner dessert, in addition to our fantastic breakfasts,” said Karan Mackey. “It is magical being in the inn when the lights take over each room. Most folks decide to shop in their Lakeport English Inn robes!”

For details and reservations, call the inn at 707-263-4317.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Servpro of Lake and Mendocino counties has agreed to be the primary sponsor of the 2012 Bass Bowl, according to Bass Bowl Executive Director Phil Smoley.

The Bass Bowl is the name given to the longstanding, historic rivalry football game between Clear Lake High of Lakeport and Kelseyville High.

This year's game is to be held on Friday, Oct. 26, at Kelseyville High, when the Kelseyville Knights will attempt to win back the Bass Bowl trophy from the defending champion Clear Lake Cardinals.

Because high school athletic funding has all but disappeared, the Bass Bowl Committee was formed to help by leveraging the rivalry game into a fundraiser for the two schools.

“Our primary mission is to make the game more memorable so to drive more people to the game and buy a ticket, and give sponsors an opportunity to show the community they are helping with local athletics,” said Smoley.

Servpro specializes in the cleanup and restoration of residential and commercial property after a fire, smoke or water damage according to company Chief Executive Officer Doug Bridges.

“We see this as an opportunity to support our community and announce that we are the new owners of Servpro of Lake County,” Bridges said. “This relationship is a win-win-win for us, the kids and the Bass Bowl.”

Having a primary sponsor is critical to the success of the Bass Bowl.

“We are thrilled to have Servpro on board as our primary sponsor,” said Smoley. “The new owners have deep roots in Lake County, the oldest two children having graduated from Kelseyville High, another attending there now. By virtue of their generous donation, this year’s game will be known at the 2012 Servpro Bass Bowl.”

The Servpro Bass Bowl will be preceded by a series of fundraising events. The first event is Bass Bowling on Sunday, Oct. 21, at the Lakeport Family Fun Center.  

This event pits students from each school against each other in various competitions (bowling, lazer tag, dodge ball) with overall winning school earning $500 for their athletic department.

The next event is the Kiss My Bass/Bass Bowl Pageant on Saturday, Oct. 13, at the Konocti Vista Casino in Lakeport.

This event will have VIPs from each zip code compete against each other for the right to kiss a live bass, with people able to vote for their choice for a dollar per vote.  

In addition, a Bass Bowl king and queen will be determined from each school at the Bass Bowl Pageant portion of the event.

The day of the game will be the Bass Bowl Tail Gate Party, hosted by Lyndall’s Sports Stop and Grill in Kelseyville, from 3 p.m. until game time.

The big event of course, is the Bass Bowl itself, and both communities are encouraged to attend the game and by doing so, support local athletics.

For more information, contact Phil Smoley at 707-264-4905.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Are you a girl, age 14 to 17, who enjoys volunteering in your school or community?

Do you work to make your world a better place? Do you look on  the bright side of life and strive to make that true in other’s lives?

If so Soroptimist International of Clear Lake is offering you an opportunity to apply for the Violet Richardson Award.

This is a $500 cash award that honors teenage girls between the ages of 14 and 17 for volunteer action and leadership.

Volunteer activities can include such categories as fighting drugs, crime and violence, environmental issues and/or working to end discrimination and poverty.

Actions that benefit women and girls are of particular interest.
 
This award begins at the local level and Soroptimist International Clearlake will present a $500 award to the winner at a luncheon next March in Lake County.

The Soroptimist International Clearlake winners are eligible for one of 28 $1,000 awards. In addition, $1,000 will be contributed in honor of these winners to their volunteer organization.

One finalist will be chosen from the 28 winners to vie for an additional award including a contribution of $2,500 to the finalist’s volunteer organization.

For information about the Violet Richardson Award applications, please contact Fawn Williams at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The final deadline for  applications is Dec. 1.

The award program is named after Violet Richardson who was the first president of Soroptimist International of Oakland, founded in 1921. Richardson believed in personal responsibility and the motto, “It’s what you do that counts.”

Soroptimist established this award to honor her memory and her dedication to volunteer action.
 
Soroptimist International of Clear Lake was founded in 1964 and is part of the Soroptimist International of the Americas. Its mission is to improve the life of women and girls in local communities and the world.

Clear Lake members join with almost 95,000 Soroptimists in approximately 120 countries and territories worldwide to contribute time and  financial support to community based projects benefiting women and  girls.

The group meets the second and fourth Thursdays at noon for lunch at Howard’s Grotto and women who are interested in learning more about the organization are encouraged to contact President Wanda Harris at 707-987-9027 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – All are welcome to Stone House Historical Society’s presentation of the history of Rabbit Hill Nature Sanctuary on Tuesday, Oct. 2.

The presentation will begin  at 10 a.m. at 18174 Hidden Valley Road in Hidden Valley Lake.

Speakers include Middletown resident Dee Groves, niece of Hugo “Huck” Hamann who, with his wife Juanita “Skee” Hamann, lived on Rabbit Hill in Middletown until their deaths in 1975 and 1983 respectively.  

Their property, a 10-acre serpentine outcropping at 21281 Steward St. in Middletown, was developed as a nature preserve by the Hamanns and left to the Madrone Audubon Society in Napa. In 1999, it was deeded to Lake County Land Trust.

Susanne La Faver of Hidden Valley Lake transcribed Rabbit Hill’s oral history for the land trust and will speak of the endearing relationship the Hamanns had with Middletown children.

Botany, classical music, Scrabble, hiking and skiing are just some of the activities children enjoyed with the Hamanns.

In his lapidary on Rabbit Hill, Huck Hamann made gem stone rings for incoming kindergartens at the local school.

Also, Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association President Roberta Lyons, Lower Lake, and Board Member Anna McAtee, Hidden Valley Lake, will report on efforts to keep Anderson Marsh State Historical Park in Lower Lake open and available to Lake County residents.

Docent tours of Stone House Museum are the second Saturday of each month. October’s tours are Oct. 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors enter via Hartmann Road gate.

The Stone House Historical Society meets the first Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. in the activities center next to Hidden Valley Lake Association offices.

All are welcome. Refreshments are served.

Dues for membership are $5 per person. See www.lakecountystonehouse.com .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Clearlake Trowel and Trellis Garden Club will be offering a morning of fun and learning on the the second or third Saturday of each month at different members’ homes.

Members, their guests or potential members interested in taking part in fun garden-associated projects are welcome.

The first Kitchen Garden Saturday was held recently at CLT&TGC President Leanne Harvey’s home where attendees learned to make an incredible summer table centerpiece, a two and one-half tall ukulele- playing monkey out of garden fruits and vegetables.  

Harvey also showed the process of collecting local wild “Redbud” tree seeds and planting them to naturalize elsewhere.  

The members also tasted home grown tomatillos and were interested in the new flavor that could enhance many dishes.

Future Kitchen Garden Club Saturdays will offer fun and instruction in everything from raw food cooking, to making health and beauty products from plants found in your yard and garden.

The CLT&TGC welcomes new members; more information about the club is available at www.CLTTGC.org .

The club meets at noon on the third Tuesday of the Month (except July and August) at the Scotts Valley Women’s Clubhouse, 2298 Hendricks Road, Lakeport.

CLTTGC is a member of the Mendo-Lake District, California Garden Club Inc., Pacific Region and National Garden Clubs Inc.