LAKEPORT, Calif. – Cub Scouts, Boys Scouts, Sea Scouts and Venture Crew Scouts are out and about in Lake County.

They are hoping that you will support their efforts to raise money for activities such as “Pinewood Derby” cars, Scout Camp, Cub Day Camp, backpacking trips and achievement awards to name a few.
          
Every year for many, many years Lake County BSA Scouts have been putting on a “hometown” style carnival for kids and families in our area.

It will again be on the second Saturday in March, March 14, at the Lake County Fairgrounds on Martin Street in Lakeport.

The doors are open from noon to 5 p.m. and the door prize drawings start at 4 p.m.

Admission is free. Activity tickets are available at the ticket booth for five for $1.

The scouts and their families work hard to create and gather fun and sometimes crazy games like Free Willy, chicken fling, toilet bowl tosses and car bashing.

Scouts also learn about food service by making pulled pork sandwiches, Indian tacos, nachos, and of course snow cones and cotton candy.

The Lake County scouts hope that you will bring your family and enjoy the carnival. But even if you cannot make it, the “carnival ticket” is a great deal.

If you eat pizza, presale tickets pay for themselves. Each ticket is only $1 and it has a pizza coupon for a $2 discount on a large pizza at almost all of the pizza restaurants in Lake County.

The same dollar includes a coupon for five activity tickets at the carnival and a chance to win a door prize. So even if you don’t go to the carnival you can still help support your local scouts and get a $2 coupon for $1.

This year’s door prizes will be this 2005 Hyundai Accent from Guy Strohmeier’s Auto center, a new recliner from Allen’s Furniture, a matted hummingbird photo by Deanna and Lyle Madeson, a steel roller coaster sculpture created by Matt Gaulden and more than 20 additional prizes. You do not need to be at the carnival to win the door prizes.

Scouts in your part of the lake have tickets they would love to sell you. If you need help finding them, or would like more information about scouting in Lake County, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-279-2129.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – How can you use your time to get your needs met, contribute to the community, make new friends and learn about a cool “new” alternative to money?

Come find out at the Middletown Methodist Church, 15851 Armstrong St., from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, March 21.

Time banking communities have formed around the world. Members connect in practical ways – people helping people – and get necessary services by using time as a currency, exchanging time instead of cash.

Every hour is valued the same, regardless of the service performed. Time banking forms connections that strengthen a community and its local economy.

The Time Bank of Thrive Lake County began about four years ago, and has grown to 454 members with more than 12,000 hours exchanged.

The Middletown event will feature fun and interactive activities designed to help you get started, learn more, and keep you going with time banking. The formal session will be followed by a yummy potluck and social.

Everyone is welcome – from curious community resident to seasoned time banker.

The Special Events group also will meet after the formal session. This group is made up of all volunteers who are involved with any Lake County community event who would like to explore getting hours from the time bank for their services.

Special Events volunteers include vendors, musicians, technical support, event planners, and site staff.

Time Bank membership is open to any Lake County resident, business, or organization.

For more information about Time Bank of Thrive Lake County, visit http://timebanklakeco.org , email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 707-413-0220.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Clear Lake Trowel and Trellis Garden Club (CLTTGC) is excited to offer a drawing for this bright and cheerful quilt which was created by expert quilt maker, Julie Nodine. 

In keeping with Nodine's history of donating quilts, her husband, Richard Nodine, has donated this beauty to CLTTGC in her memory.

It is a full, double bed size duvet cover with a scalloped border in the double wedding ring pattern.

She used Kaffe Facett fabrics in the arch and named it “Yellow Submarine.”

The proceeds from the quilt drawing will benefit CLTTGC's two scholarships offered to high school students pursuing a degree in horticulture and related fields, as well as local school district student
gardens.

The quilt can be viewed at Kerrie's Quilt Shop in Lakeport.

Tickets are $1 each or six for $5. They can be purchased after March 15 at Kerrie's Quilt Shop or at Flowers by Jackie in Lakeport.

The drawing will be held at the close of the upcoming CLTTGC Garden Tour on May 30.

For further information, contact CLTTGC President Marva Brandt at 707-279-1625.

The club meets at noon on the third Tuesday of the month (except July and August) at the Scott's Valley Women's Club, 2298 Hendricks Road, Lakeport.

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

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Have you ever wished you had a greater understanding of the inner workings of a computer? Is there a lobe of your brain that should be labeled computer geek?

Greg Bushta, who during the week is a computer and network systems analyst for the state of California, will be at the Upper Lake Library from 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 14, to share his passion of programming and demonstrate the very popular credit-card-sized Raspberry Pi computer.

This free demonstration is open to the public.

Pi Day is celebrated in many places each year on March 14 (3/14 in month/day format), because 3, 1, and 4 are the first three digits of pi in decimal form.

Some people are known to eat pie on this date, but in Upper Lake, the library will be going high tech with Raspberry Pi, a bargain micro PC.

Developed in the UK, it first became available for purchase in 2012. There are several versions currently selling for between $20 and $35, plus shipping costs.

Raspberry Pi computers can be used for surfing the net, playing games, robotics, doing homework, learning computer programming and more.

The public is invited to stop in and have fun interacting and learning at the historic 99-year-old Upper Lake Library, one of four branches of the Lake County Library.

Located on the corner of Main and Second streets, the library’s normal hours of operation are Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For questions about Pi Day or the operations of the library, the phone number to call is 707-275-2049.

The Lake County Library is on the Internet at http://library.co.lake.ca.us and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary .

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Feb. 21, 20 volunteers from The Environmental Club at the University of California, Davis and Pioneer High School spent their Saturday morning working hard to help restore the Blue Ridge loop at Stebbins Cold Canyon.

Tuleyome, a conservation nonprofit, and the UC Natural Reserve System – who own and manage the land – guided the group in three restoration projects all designed to divert and capture water in the right places.

With the morning fog receding down the canyon, the group started a steep half a mile hike up to the staging area.

Paul Havemann of the UC Natural Reserve System then explained the overall goal of the restoration project and our goals for the day.

Half of the hard work was simply carrying the heavy supplies up the trail to where they would be used.

Getting an unexpected workout, the volunteers carried 10 water bars and three long erosion blankets, weighing 50 pounds each up the trail.

If you’ve ever gone hiking after a heavy rain you will be familiar with how trails, with little to no natural resistance, become temporary rivers.

The water bars volunteers installed help divert flowing water to the sides of the trail, preventing deep erosion trenches and getting water to the plants that desperately need it.

The erosion blankets, made out of coconut fiber and straw, also help to prevent water erosion and hold water for the native seed bank to reestablish.

The group installed these biodegradable blankets where people who cut the trail have killed all vegetation and added to the erosion problem.

To help prevent further degradation of the area, please stay on designated trails at all times and politely tell others to do the same. 

The next round of trail work will happen from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 21. What better way to celebrate the first day of spring than to spend the morning outside, giving back to the trails you love?

Thank you to UC Natural Reserve System for organizing the projects, to Andrew Fulks and Bob Schneider of Tuleyome for the use of their tools, and to all of the hardworking volunteers.

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested in learning about Tuleyome’s upcoming events and community service projects.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Redbud Audubon Society program meeting on Thursday, March 19, features Hopland resident Bob Keiffer, who will present a program on “Birding in Hawaii.”

The meeting will take place at the United Methodist Church Social Hall, 16255 Second St., Lower Lake.

Refreshments begin at 7 p.m., followed by the program. 

Those who have seen Keiffer’s programs know the photography is stunning and his program provides interesting and educational facts.

The complete title for this program is “Birding in Hawaii, (and other ecological tidbits).”

Keiffer was born and raised in Mendocino County and has had a long-time interest in natural resources – specifically an interest in birds and mammals of the oak woodland habitats.

He followed his interest in wildlife by obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife management from Humboldt State University in 1979 and he is a certified associate wildlife biologist with the Wildlife Society.

He was the founder of the Peregrine Audubon Chapter in interior Mendocino County and has been the compiler of bird observations for Mendocino County, reporting to the North American Birds publication (Northern California region) for about 25 years.

Keiffer has been at the University of California’s Ag and Natural Resources Division – Hopland Research and Extension Center for more than 30 years, mostly as principal superintendent of agriculture.

There he has introduced and presented the topic of oaks and oak woodland habitat, wildlife, range managements, and many other topics to visitors, classes and groups.

Join the Redbud Audubon Society for this special program.

The chapter's programs are free and open to the public.

Visit the chapter's Web site at http://www.redbudaudubon.org/ .

Bonnie Thompson is a member of the Redbud Audubon Society.