The Lake County Historical Society thanks its members and guests for attending its annual membership potluck picnic on June 30 at Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum barn.

Despite the weather being hot, hot, hot we had a packed “barn,” lots of great food to share, good company and lots of laughs.

Our speaker was great; Dr. Harry Lyons, professor of biology, spoke on “How Did Here Get Here: The Geology of Lake County.” Members and guest were spellbound hearing his stories and graphs showing how nature worked to produce Lake County.

Thank you to Bud Boyce for donating his barbecue, our team of Bob Chalk, Lee Cook and Randy Ridgel who worked in the heat to produce hamburgers and hot dogs; Carlos Fagundes, manager of Bruno’s Shop Smart for donating the hamburger and hot dog buns and the manager of Safeway for donating a $25 gift card for 5 cases of water. Boy, did we need that!

Thank you to Scholarship Chairman Tony Marchese for introducing our two 2013 scholarship winners, Cheyanne Holvath and Jacob Gill, and their families.

Thank you to all who came, brought a dish to share (we had lots of interesting delicious dishes) and to all who volunteered to set-up, serve food, cook and stay behind to help clean-up.

Our next event will be the Lake County Fair, Aug. 29-Sept. 1; come by our Historical Network booth in Lewis Hall and view our time-line of “Finding Great Historic Treasurers.”

Lake County has an incredible history. If you wish to join us, call Nick Voegtly at 707-349-7233. Annual membership dues are $15 a person or $20 a household per year.

Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum is worth a visit; they are open Saturday and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Randy Ridgel is a member of the Lake County Historical Society. He lives in Kelseyville, Calif.