LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Friends of Mendocino College Governing Council will meet on Thursday, Aug. 7.

The meeting will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Room 7050 at the Mendocino College Lake Center, 2565 Parallel Drive in Lakeport.

Invited guests for the meeting include Dean of Students Dr. Ketmani Kouanchao and Jessica Silva, the college's director of Community Relations and Communications.

Items on the agenda include the organization's financial report; a special presentation by Eugena Bernabe regarding the High School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall; and an informational presentation from Director of Institutional Research Minerva Flores.

There also will be discussion about an Aug. 13 welcome back barbecue at the Lake Center; Mendocino College Foundation report by Executive Director Katie Fairbairn; reports on literary programs, special events and the March 8, 2015, pianists concert at the Soper Reese Theatre.

The group will next meet from noon to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 4.

The Lake County Friends of Mendocino College Governing Council includes Chair Wilda Shock; Vice Chair Gloria Flaherty; Peggy Campbell, treasurer; members Judy Conard, Dave Geck, Jamey Gill, Wally Holbrook, Lori McGuire, Trena Pauly, Cameron Reeves, Margaret Silveira, Rebecca Southwick, Christopher Taliaferro and John Tomkins; and ex officio members Katie Fairbairn and Steve Hixenbaugh.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Caltrans reports that the following road projects will be taking place around the North Coast during the coming week.

Included are Mendocino County projects that may impact Lake County commuters.

LAKE COUNTY

Highway 20
 
– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from Gravel Plant Road to Walker Ridge Road. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays. LC#M20CA
 
Highway 29

– Electrical work from the Hill Road Overcrossing to the Park Way Overcrossing will begin Tuesday, Aug. 5. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.
 
– Pavement repairs from the Lucerne Undercrossing to the junction of Route 20/29 will continue. Work hours are 4 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
 
MENDOCINO COUNTY
 
Highway 1

– Culvert rehabilitation at various locations from Collins Viaduct to 1.1 miles south of Elk Creek will continue. Work hours are 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
 
– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from Iverson Road to Road 8063 through Friday, Aug. 1. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
 
– Replacement of the Greenwood Creek Bridge will continue. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
 
– Guardrail installation and paving along the Navarro Grade will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
 
– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from Albion to Comptche Ukiah Road beginning Tuesday, Aug. 5. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
 
– Bridge repairs at the Blue Slide Gulch Bridge will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
 
Highway 20

– Culvert rehabilitation from near Two Rock Lookout to the west Broaddus Creek Bridge. Work hours are 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
 
Highway 101

– Caltrans will perform slide repairs near the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge (near Frog Woman Rock). Northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.
 
– Highway construction from 0.8 to miles south of the North Willits Railroad Crossing to Reynolds Highway will begin Tuesday, Aug. 5. Work hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., weekdays. Intermittent full road closures will be in effect to allow trucks to enter and exit the highway. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
 
Highway 128

– Guardrail repairs at the junction of Routes 1/128 will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
 
– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from the junction of Routes 1/128 to the entrance to Paul M Dimmick Park on Tuesday, Aug. 5. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
 
– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from Flunn Creek Road to Navarro Ridge Road on Friday, Aug. 1. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
 
– Culvert rehabilitation at various locations from the Ornbaun Creek Bridge to the Sonoma County line will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
 
Highway 253

– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from the junction of Routes 128/253 to the Butler Ranch on Wednesday, August 6. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

The Caltrans Traffic Operations Office has reviewed each project and determined that individual project delays are expected to be less than the statewide policy maximum of 30 minutes, unless noted otherwise above.

For information pertaining to emergency roadwork or for updates to scheduled roadwork, please contact the California Highway Information Network (CHIN) at 1-800-GAS-ROAD (1-800-427-7623).

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Just about anything you can make or grow at home is eligible for entry into competition at the annual Lake County Fair, but the deadline for returning entries to exhibit items at the Lake County Fair is approaching rapidly.

Entry for all divisions of exhibits must be in the fair office by 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6.

The fair office will close promptly at 6 p.m., and late entries are not accepted.

All entries into the Lake County Fair are made online at http://lakecountyfair.com/fair/online-entries .

All entries have been made online since 2005.

The fair provides computers and high speed internet service for the purpose of entering exhibits. The computers can be found during regular business hours in the fair office at the fairgrounds through Wednesday, Aug. 6.

Internet access also can be found in a number of other public places, including libraries and at Umpqua Bank branches.

Exhibitor contest handbooks are available on the fair’s Web site and in a variety of locations around Lake County, including the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, the 4-H Office, Kelseyville Drug, Bird Brain Designs, Cobb Mountain Hardesters, Red and White Market, Riviera Foods, Rainbow Ag, Middletown Feed, Lakeshore Feed, the Clearlake Chamber of Commerce, Pet Acres, Sentry Market and various senior centers.

The Lake County Fair Board has chosen “Hot August Family Fun!” for the theme of the 2014 Fair.

The Lake County Fair traditionally occurs Labor Day weekend each year at the fairgrounds in Lakeport.

The 2014 fair dates are Thursday, Aug. 28, through Sunday, Aug. 31.

The fair is one of Lake County's favorite summertime events enjoyed by nearly 40,000 people each year.

For more information please visit the fair on the Internet at www.lakecountyfair.com .

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Lake County Wine Studio is hosting a wine release party and artist show event with Stephen Dilley of Lavender Blue Wines and artist Diana Constable on Friday, Aug. 1, and Saturday, Aug. 2.

The show runs from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday and 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday.

The $12.50 ($10/per person for studio club members) wine sampler and appetizers will showcase Lavender Blue Viognier with a pasta and seafood salad, Cabernet Sauvignon with Farmhouse White Cheddar, Petite Sirah with Chévre, bacon, caramelized onion and sweet cherries in Phyllo shell and the Tawny Syrah with dark chocolate and Marcona almond bark.

Known for her colorful and impressionistic paintings, Diana Constable has been painting all of her life, starting in oils and learning to paint like the old masters.

She now works with acrylics as they give her much more flexibility and allow her to experiment with bold, vibrant colors.  

Relating to the 19th and early 20th century painters such as Matisse, Van Gogh, Vlaminck and Monet, she paints with a vivid palette and brusque brushwork recalling both Fauvist and Impressionistic traditions.

Constable majored in art at the University of Illinois and Texas Woman's University. She moved to California in 1980 and continued her painting education at the College of Marin and studied under several well-known artists in the Sonoma/Marin area, and also traveled abroad to attend painting workshops in Southern France and the Italian Riviera.

After achieving success as a horticulturalist and in telecommunication sales in the eastern U.S., Stephen Dilley moved to California to earn his professional certificate in winemaking at Fresno State University and established his business in Lake County to make fine wines.

Citing the uniquely different and exceptional growing conditions for wine grapes in Lake County, Stephen enjoys working with wine grapes from the area's various microclimates and sub-appellations.

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 from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m.; and Friday, from 1 to 8 p.m.

The Constable art show will be on display for the full month of August.

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

LAKEPORT, Calif – Local author and mindfulness teacher JoAnn Saccato, MA will be the guest on the Taira St. John Show on Wednesday, Aug. 13.

The show begins at 2 p.m. on KPFZ 88.1 FM.

Saccato will be sharing about her recently-published book, speaking engagements and upcoming eight-week course, “Compassion-based Mindfulness for Stress Relief, Personal Clarity and Emotional Freedom,” slated to begin in Lakeport on Thursday, Sept. 11.

Taira St. John, a local psychotherapist, life coach, writer and producer, will interview Saccato, a native of Lake County, on how her book, “Companioning the Sacred Journey: A Guide to Creating a Compassionate Container for Your Spiritual Practice,” came about and how the simple tools of journaling, mindfulness and setting intention can lead to more authenticity, personal clarity and emotional freedom.

Saccato lived in voluntary simplicity for 10 years in the oak woodlands of Lake County with her dog, Shyla (now deceased).

“It was a profound journey that afforded the time and space for a deeper spiritual inquiry,” said Saccato.

The book arose after Shyla's passing, which occurred shortly after they left their chop-wood-carry-water lifestyle.

Saccato foresaw Shyla's decline and knew she needed to find a way that would afford Shyla comfort for her final days.
 
“Holding conscious, loving and compassionate space while losing my best friend and life companion was one of the most difficult things I've had to do, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world,” she reflected. “It was this process that really helped me see the true power and grace of these simple practices.”

“Many of the tools I write about and teach have proven time and again to create more spaciousness, meaning, acceptance, clarity, freedom and joy,” Saccato explained. “Mindfulness, a relatively recent phenomena in the United States, is a documented method to increase your focus skills, reduce stress and develop increased resiliency from stressful situations.”

The Taira St. John Show is broadcast live weekly on KPFZ 88.1 FM on Wednesdays from 2 to 3 p.m. and is streamed through LIVE 365, in real time ( visit www.KPFZ.org for directions).

The show will replay from 1 to 2 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 18.

This show is the second in the new year-long series on the Taira St. John Show on the topic of Love and Awakening. The series is available for free listening or download on www.TairaStJohn.com (see Radio section).

This series follows last year’s Elixir of Lake County: The New Wine Series of Northern California that ended on July 31.

For more information on Saccato, her book and upcoming courses, visit www.companioningthesacredjourney.com or call 707-350-1719.

For more information on Taira St. John, visit http://www.tairastjohn.com .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Sons In Retirement (SIR) Branch 168 will hold its monthly luncheon meeting at Konocti Visa Casino on Friday, Aug. 8.

The guest speaker will be Carol Cole-Lewis, founder and coordinator of the Time Bank of Thrive Lake County.

In January 2011, she and Steven Elias started the time bank as a way to promote community and build the local economy through an alternative currency.

The time bank now has 430 members who have exchanged almost 9,000 hours.

Sons In Retirement is a social organization for men of retirement age who are pursuing the goal of enjoying their later years.  

It has 142 branches with 18,000 members throughout the state.

Branch 168 holds a luncheon on the second Friday of each month at the conference room at Konocti Vista Casino.  

Among the many activities SIR is involved in are golf, travel and special events such as Christmas dinner dance, the annual picnic and the Valentine’s Day sweetheart’s luncheon.

Anyone interested in learning more about SIR activities can call one of the following members: golf, Jim Cary, 707-998-3004; travel, Bob Specht, 707-279-0187; special events, Frank West, 707-263-7144.

Anyone interested in learning more about Sons In Retirement in general are encouraged to contact Larry Powers, chair of the membership committee, at 707-263-3403 or to visit the state Web site at www.sirinc.org .