LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — One of Lake County’s longest-running Memorial Day weekend celebrations is returning for 2021, with plans for its popular parade and a brand-new street fair .
Lower Lake Daze will take place in downtown Lower Lake from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 30.
Mike Dean and Kelley Slater, president and treasurer, respectively, of the nine-member Lower Lake Community Action Group Board, said they made the decision sometime in February or March to hold Lower Lake Daze this year.
“We want people to come and play,” Slater said. “Come join us in Lower Lake.”
Masks and social distancing will be recommended.
The parade will take place beginning at 11 a.m. This year’s Grand Marshal is longtime Lake County resident Judy Mullens. The Jago Bay resident is a volunteer firefighter, Lower Lake Museum board member, Soroptimist and community volunteer.
Retired firefighter Charlie Diener will bring an old fire truck for one of the parade’s highlights — a water fight with firefighters that also gets the crowd in on the action, the Deans said.
The annual celebration was one of the first big Lake County events to be canceled last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, it’s one of the first to come back.
Slater said she doesn’t know if the parade had ever been canceled before in the 100 years of it taking place.
The Lower Lake Community Action Group has been hard at work getting Lower Lake Daze together ever since it decided to move forward with the event earlier this year.
Dean said he’s been going to all the necessary state and county agencies to get the required permits.
They said the response has been positive, with support for the event to go forward. Lake County Public Works staff told them they were the No. 1 application for an event permit this year.
On Friday, they got the final permit from the California Highway Patrol, which Dean said will impact the county and Caltrans permits.
Those agencies are involved due to the parade’s impacts on the intersection at Highway 53 and Main Street.
The CHP, sheriff’s office and city of Clearlake will be offering assistance once more with traffic control. “We appreciate their ongoing support,” Slater said.
As the event makes its big return, it’s offering something brand-new — a street fair.
“We are having a street fair in lieu of having the barbecue in the park,” Dean said.
The organizers decided to offer the street fair — which will run from the post office down to Mill Street — rather than having hundreds of people crowd into the town’s little park. That will allow for more spacing.
“It’s a more cautious approach,” Slater said.
After the parade, the street will remain closed so the fair can take place for the rest of the event.
On Monday, Dean will be picking up 30 wine barrels donated by Bogle Vineyards, which will be used for placing umbrellas purchased by Redwood Credit Union in the downtown for the street fair.
He said if the street fair is well-received, they may start having more of them throughout the year, not just on Memorial Day weekend.
Already, they have more than 50 vendors lined up, with Jessica Chernoh and Rachelle Sapeta coordinating the street fair.
Slater said the offerings will be a mix of, “food, crafts and causes.” The Lions also will have a beer booth.
“So many people are looking forward to it,” she said.
They know they’re also a test case for big events. “We’re just on the cusp of everything,” Slater said, noting the event will be about two weeks ahead of the state’s planned reopening on June 15.
However, they’ve already gotten a lot of feedback from community members who are looking forward to Lower Lake Daze. “It should be an absolutely wonderful event,” she said.
Another new offering this year is that rather than doing the parade program, Dean said they’ve asked people to donate to advertise. Chernow and Sapeta went to businesses and received those support commitments.
In honor of those supporters, after school is out in June, when the banners featuring Konocti Unified’s seniors are taken down, new banners honoring the supporters will be placed on the light poles in downtown, Slater said.
“We so appreciate those people because we couldn’t do the parade without them,” she said. “It’s truly a community effort.”
The parade promises to once again be filled with classic cars, along with horses, pets and fire engines, she said.
To participate in the parade, pick up an application at locations including Rainbow Ag in Middletown, Main Street Tire and Small Town Ceramics. Those who want to participate also can arrive a little early on the day of the event and fill out the application there.
“People are really looking to enjoy community,” said Slater, noting the chance to connect with people after the past year of lockdown.
“Let’s find fun again,” she said.
For information on becoming a vendor, call Rachelle Sapeta at 707-349-0155 or Jessica Chernoh at 707-272-8823, or for the parade call Lonne Sloan at 707-995-2515.
For updates, follow the Lower Lake Community Action Group on Facebook.
A previous version of this story incorrectly gave Kelley Slater’s last name as Dean. We regret the error.
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.
Lower Lake Daze returns with annual Memorial Day weekend parade; new street fair to debut
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On