KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum is host to the California Old Time Fiddlers’ Association on the first Sunday of each month.

In April, the Stage Stop held its first marketplace in conjunction with that month’s Fiddlers’ Jam and it was a rousing success.

Eleven vendors and 250 attendees enjoyed music, refreshments, and the opportunity to browse and purchase the wares of local craftsmen and artists.

The next Ely Marketplace will be held during the Oct. 4 Fiddlers’ Jam.

In addition to local arts and crafts, food will be available for purchase on site from the Cactus Grill in Clearlake.

Donations made during the Fiddlers’ Jams typically benefit both the Ely Stage Stop and the Old Time Fiddlers Association District 10.

In October all donations made during the jam will benefit Valley Fire victims through the Lake County Wildfire Relief Fund created by North Coast Opportunities (NCO) and MendoLake Credit Union (MLCU).

Money raised through the rental of vendor spaces for the marketplace that day will also be donated by Ely.

NCO is the community action agency for Lake and Mendocino counties. The Lake County Wildfire Relief Fund was officially set up at MLCU by NCO as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. One hundred percent of funds raised will go directly to fire victims. NCO and MLCU donate all staff time and administrative fees.

You can donate in advance of the marketplace event by checks payable to NCO (North Coast Opportunities) with “Lake County fire relief” in the notes field and mail to Ely Fundraiser, 8420 Duffy Court, Kelseyville, CA 95451.

If you would like your donation acknowledged during the festivities on October 4 please note that on your envelope.
     
Join the museum volunteers and docents for a fun-filled day of music, food and local crafts supporting our friends and neighbors in their time of need.

The Marketplace, just outside the Ely barn, will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Musicians will jam from noon to 2:30 p.m. inside the barn.

The Lake County Historical Society’s Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum is located at 9921 Highway 281 (Soda Bay Road), Kelseyville.

For more information, check out www.elystagestop.com , www.lakecountyhistory.org ,  www.facebook.com/elystagestop or call 707.533.9990, during museum hours, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. has signed into law legislation by state Senator Lois Wolk (D-Davis) enabling county law libraries to charge a fee to recoup for the cost of providing an array of modern services to their patrons.

County law libraries provide Californians with access to information about the state’s legal system, and have expanded the services they offer in order to address the modern needs of library users and the broader community.

Senate Bill 711 adds services such as electronic delivery and other delivery services, educational programs, special events, and provision of supplies or food services to the list of services for which county law libraries are authorized to provide and charge.

“County law libraries are not supported by state or local tax dollars, and continue to experience diminishing operations revenues. In fact, over the past 5 years county law libraries have seen a nearly 32 percent decrease in revenue,” Wolk said. “This new law won’t solve this funding shortfall, but it will enable libraries to recover the costs of providing some of these services to the public and insulate them from lawsuits alleging they have no authority to charge a fee for these services.”

SB 711 also defines county law libraries as public libraries, allowing the State Librarian to work with county law libraries and create partnerships among libraries throughout the state

The bill, which received bipartisan support and had no opposition, was supported by the Council of California County Law Librarians and numerous county law libraries, including those in Contra Costa, Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo County.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A new hotline has been established to help provide Lake County residents with updated Valley Fire information and support, including completing a damage assessment survey.

The hotline can be reached at 1-888-565-2787.

Residents also are encouraged to review www.lakecountylac.com for updated news and information before calling.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Middletown’s Gibson Museum & Cultural Center has suspended operation “until Middletown is on its feet.”

The projected opening date currently under discussion is Nov. 11, with its special Veterans Day exhibit.

Four of the museum's dedicated volunteers lost homes, and all volunteers have urgent concerns in helping friends and family rebuild.

The historic Gibson building remains unscathed. It will be opened for viewing or for searching its historical data files by appointment.

Interested parties may call Nina at 707-987-2349 or leave a message at the museum, 707-809-8009.

Volunteers are saddened by all the losses, but particularly the loss of some of Middletown’s earliest homes that had survived the 1918 fire.

The Armstrong House, built by W.J. and Oscar Armstrong before Middletown was founded, and the Wardlaw House, built by B. R. Wardlaw who prepared the map for the town’s platting, were destroyed. Both were private residences at the time.

And, of course, the hundreds of homes with long histories in the resort communities between Middletown and Cobb and Kelseyville, as well as Harbin – Lake County’s first resort – and Hoberg’s.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake Transit has updated its bus schedules effective Sept. 22 to include Route 3 from Clearlake to Deer Park via Hidden Valley, Middletown and Calistoga.

Passengers wanting to get off of Route 3 at the Twin Pines Casino must be registered evacuees.

Effective on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 22, Lake Transit will operate the following schedules:

Regular schedules:

– Routes 3, 4, 4A, 7, 10, and 11.

Regular schedules, but some evening service suspended:

– Route 1 Westbound – Clearlake to Lakeport via Highway 20 operates regular schedules until 6:43 p.m.
– Route 1 Eastbound – Lakeport to Clearlake via Highway 20 operates regular schedules until 6:50 p.m.
– Route 5 Clearlake Extended Hours Service operates until 9:07 p.m.
– Route 8 Lakeport operates regular schedules until 5:46 p.m.
– Route 12 Clearlake/Lower Lake South Loop operates regular schedules until 7:21 p.m.
– Dial-A-Ride will operate from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Clearlake and Lakeport.

No service:

– Route 2 – Kit’s Corner to Middletown via Loch Lomond and Cobb.

Lake Transit is offering free service through the remainder of September, and continues to support Valley fire recovery efforts.

Call 707-994-3334 if you have questions about service in your area.

Lake Transit also is posting regular service updates at www.laketransit.org in the wake of the Valley fire.

SACRAMENTO – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris on Monday applauded Gov. Jerry Brown’s signing of Assembly Bill 556, legislation authored by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) and sponsored by Attorney General Harris that will help increase consumer confidence in charitable giving.

“I applaud Gov. Brown for signing AB 556, our legislation to increase transparency and accountability in charitable fundraising,” said Harris. “This law empowers Californians to donate wisely by providing clear information about how charities use their donations. I thank Assemblymember Irwin for introducing the legislation and for her leadership on this important issue.”

AB 556 closes loopholes in disclosure laws for paid commercial fundraising campaigns by modifying the definition of “commercial fundraiser” to include fundraising counsel that use deceptive tricks to evade registration and fundraising transparency requirements.

Fundraising campaigns involving these for-profit companies will now have to disclose whether a portion of donor contributions will be directed to the paid fundraiser. 

The bill also expands the existing 10-year statute of limitations for charitable enforcement cases to include for-profit fundraising firms and other third parties who engage in misconduct, extending the window of time to investigate and prosecute violations of charitable law by for-profit fundraisers.

“I’m pleased that Governor Brown signed AB 556, a collaborative effort with Attorney General Kamala Harris to increase transparency in charitable donations,” said Assemblymember Irwin. “This bill will support consumer confidence for the more than 70,000 active nonprofit organizations doing great work in California.”

The bill was supported by a diverse coalition of nonprofits operating in California and received unanimous support in both the Assembly and the Senate.

Attorney General Harris’ office recently released a report summarizing the results of charitable solicitation campaigns conducted by commercial fundraisers in 2013, which found that commercial fundraisers collected approximately $361.5 million in charitable contributions in 2013, an increase of $67.2 million over the amount reported in 2012.

Read the report here: https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/charities/publications/2013cfr/cfr2013.pdf .