LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Despite a year that saw Lower Lake devastated by fire, residents of the town had reason to celebrate on Sunday as officials and organizations came together to present the gift of a community-wide party.
State Sen. Mike McGuire headed up the efforts that resulted in the “Christmas in Lower Lake” event at the Brick Hall, which has served as a key gathering point for fire survivors.
The Clayton fire tore through Lower Lake in August, destroying 300 structures – about 200 of them homes – and burning more than 3,900 acres.
It burned historic structures – the Lower Lake United Methodist Church, the old fire station, old Victorian homes – as well as a large area of the downtown business district, with the Tuscan Village and Terrill Cellars, Pioneer Realty and Habitat for Humanity among the businesses and organizations that were hit.
The hard-hit areas of the town are now close to being cleaned up, and while the damage is still visible a few blocks away from the Brick Hall, the Sunday gathering was festive and upbeat, with the atmosphere less one of looking back than moving ahead.
The hall was decked out in holiday decorations and Christmas lights. Hundreds of people crowded into the building to enjoy lunch and numerous offerings including an appearance by Santa Claus and gifts for the children.
Initial estimates of attendance put it at well over 200 people, with possibly many more having taken part as people came and went during the late morning and early afternoon.
Also making an appearance was Lightning, the mini horse who was burned in the fire and spent time in the care of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
One of the main attractions on Sunday was the visit from Santa Claus, with children lined up to spend a few minutes with him, letting him in on their Christmas wishes and having their photo taken with him.
Santa was assisted in handing out toys by a robust group of helpers that included the Lower Lake High School cheerleading squad and the Kelseyville High School wrestling team. The high schoolers also helped with set up and clean up, and served food.
The wrestling team also announced that it was making a donation to Lower Lake High School.
Children who lost their homes each received a new pair of pajamas, a toy, a Christmas ornament, a $250 gift card to make their own purchases, and a book, said McGuire.
The selection of books included everything from Star Wars topics to classics by Roald Dahl, the Nancy Drew mysteries, and Beverly Clearly – the latter known for her characters including Ramona, Beezus and Ribsy.
Adults got to leave with goodies including See's Candies, raffle prizes and happy children.
The gifts, books and clothes were purchased from the Lake County Fire Victims Fund that is a result of the partnership between McGuire, Redwood Credit Union and the Press Democrat, McGuire said.
Lisa Rogers, a teacher at Lower Lake Elementary, headed up the ornament drive. She said she put out boxes for donations at nine area businesses and as a result collected hundreds of ornaments.
McGuire said there was a total of $2,500 donated in goods and gift cards from local merchants for the raffle at Sunday's event.
Additionally, Pasta King of Santa Rosa – which had previously donated food for Valley fire survivors – once again stepped up to help Lake County, McGuire said.
Pasta King's owner, Art Ibleto, now 90 – and known for his humanitarian efforts not just for those on the North Coast but as far away as Nepal – called up McGuire and told him he wanted to provide the meal at Sunday's event. Ibleto even was on hand Sunday.
The event was great, said Board of Supervisors Chair Rob Brown, who bore a striking resemblance to Santa Claus and just happened to show up after Saint Nick left the building.
District 1 Supervisor Jim Comstock also lauded the event, calling it “fantastic.”
“It's been a really tough year,” said McGuire, who partnered with Redwood Credit Union and the Press Democrat to present the Sunday celebration. “People are still not back in their homes.”
Just how long rebuilding the community might take is anyone's guess, but the debris cleanup – the first step for many in the process of going home – is now in its final weeks, and McGuire said it's scheduled to be completed by Christmas.
McGuire said he was grateful that people came out and attended the event, which he said was meant to offer a break in thinking about what the community has been through this year.
And with the holiday season now here, “We wanted to be able to provide some normalcy for the community,” McGuire said.
With McGuire at the event was Brett Martinez, president and chief executive officer of Redwood Credit Union.
Before the wildfires hit Lake County last year, Redwood Credit Union was accustomed to being a donation site for disasters elsewhere in the country.
But the Valley fire, which began on Sept. 12, 2015, “changed everything,” Martinez said.
He said the night the fire broke out, he got a call from McGuire, and from that point on the credit union got to work actively collecting donations for Valley fire – and later Clayton fire – recovery.
To date, the fire relief fund has received $2.5 million in donations for the Valley fire from 12,000 donors all over the United States, Martinez said.
“There's a lot of people thinking about this community,” said Martinez.
For the Clayton fire, Martinez said about 700 donors have contributed more than $260,000, with funds still coming in but slowing down. The largest single donor, contributing $100,000, was the Sonoma County-based Kendall-Jackson Wines, which got its start in Lake County.
Those funds are being put to work in a variety of ways, in addition to efforts like the Sunday event.
Redwood Credit Union reported that more than $130,000 has been disbursed to fire victims to support their post-fire needs. That includes everyone who lost a home receiving a $1,000 check, McGuire said.
A total of $19,600 in the form of gift cards for the replacement of clothes and school supplies has been distributed to students, teachers and school employees who lost homes in the fire, it was reported on Sunday.
Additionally, McGuire said $20,000 was provided for Lower Lake business recovery grants, which are available through the Lake Area Rotary Club Association.
The credit union reported that still more assistance is planned.
Another way the money will benefit the community is through a donation to the Lake County Fire Protection District of between $32,000 and $35,000, which McGuire said will be used for new turnouts for firefighters, who had been using old Cal Fire gear.
Martinez said his board had just voted on that donation last week, and Lake County Fire Protection District Chief Willie Sapeta said he got the word of the donation Sunday morning.
Sapeta said the funds will be used to buy 20 new turnouts, which is the personal protective gear worn by firefighters when they're at work.
Such gear is both critically important and extremely expensive. Sapeta said turnouts for fighting structure fires are about $1,000 per set, while those used for wildland fires are $3,500 per set.
With Sapeta explaining that he has 22 paid staff and 25 volunteers – who cover a 165-square-mile district and respond to 5,000 calls annually – providing such equipment in the course of the critical task of firefighting quickly adds up.
It's recommended that turnouts be replaced every five years, but Sapeta said if his department can replace them every 10 years, they're doing good.
He said the donation from the fire fund is particularly good news in light of the fact that the district expects to lose significant property tax revenue for at least two to three years as the rebuilding process takes place and property values recover.
“Finances are tough,” he said.
While the fire season appears to be over, Sapeta said they don't consider there to be an end to the work of firefighting, which even with wetter, cooler conditions remains a year-round effort. Rather, he said they call this time of year “winter preparedness.”
On the recovery side, Comstock said the work in the Clayton fire area is moving quickly thanks, in part, to the fact that the county gained experience in dealing with the Valley fire last year and so knew how to get under way as quickly as possible.
With the Community Development Department preparing to roll out a new software system for permitting, Comstock is hopeful that the county will be better able to facilitate the rebuilding process.
He said that, anecdotally, he's getting feedback from community members that leads him to conclude that Clayton fire survivors are planning to rebuild at an even higher rate than their counterparts impacted by the Valley fire.
“I feel very confident that Lower Lake is going to rebuild,” said Comstock, who retires from his seat at the end of this year.
He added, in talking about Lower Lake community members, “They're resilient,” and getting back on their feet.
Lake County's hard-earned experience in dealing with wildland fires also is being shared across the country in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
Since Nov. 23, the Gatlinburg area has been devastated by fires that killed 14 people, injured 100 others, destroyed or damaged more than 1,600 structures, burned nearly 18,000 acres and led to the evacuations of thousands of people, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and Tennessee media outlets.
Sapeta said his heart goes out to the Tennessee residents who have been hit so hard by the fires, and haven't seen anything like them before.
Brown said he has been in contact with Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters and a journalist in that area and is offering advice and guidance based on what he has learned in dealing with Lake County's fires.
In the midst of tragedy, however, communities pull together, and neighbors help each other. That's what Lake County has seen, and what the hard-hit Tennessee communities are reporting as well.
And then there are the precious signs of hope for the future that shine forth at the Christmas season.
On Sunday afternoon, as a tiny girl stood nearby – wearing a headband with Santas on it, holding her dad's hand and clutching in her other small hand a gift she'd received at the Christmas event – Martinez pointed at her and said, with a smile, “That's what it's all about.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.