LAKEPORT, Calif. — Thanks to a partnership between the Lakeport Rotary and the city of Lakeport, an important piece of history is about to be added to the new Xabatin Park.

The historic Lakeport “curfew” — or “hooligan” — bell is slated to be the focus of a new monument at the park, which opened in October.

The Lakeport City Council gave its seal of approval to the project when it met on Tuesday.

Lakeport Public Works Director Ron Ladd said the curfew bell “is a fun project” they’ve been working on for over a year.

“The curfew bell has been a part of Lakeport history for a long time,” Ladd said.

His written report explained that Public Works “has collaborated closely” with the Lakeport Rotary Club to place the bell in the newly finished Xabatin Park. “The Rotary Club has generously agreed to fund the construction of a concrete pad and the installation of two benches at the designated location within the park.”

Ladd said in his report that the bell is “a treasured piece of local history dating back to the early 1900s. It rang every night at 10 p.m. to alert children that it was time to return home. This bell is a symbol of the community's past and a testament to Lakeport's rich heritage. Preserving and displaying the bell in Xabatin Park will allow current and future generations to connect with a tangible piece of the City’s history.”

Ladd credited Public Works Superintendent Jim Kennedy for finding the bell on the Lake County Fairgrounds property.

When the city was designing Xabatin Park, they thought it would be cool to incorporate the bell into the design, Ladd said.

However, due to facing a lot of budget challenges for the park, Ladd said the bell project was set aside.

Now, however, the situation has changed. “I’m really excited to see this project move forward,” Ladd said.

Mark Lipps, president of the Lakeport Rotary, explained the club’s efforts to preserve and showcase the bell.

“History is community,” said Lipps.

He said the bell project is part of responding to an increased interest people have for walkable towns and embracing history. Young people particularly are interested in learning the history of places they visit.

Lipps said the Rotary wants to use history to help the downtown thrive. “We need to embrace it,” he said, adding he’s a historian at heart.

The bell, he suggested, was an early form of texting, and notified people that they were supposed to be off the street at 10 p.m. Some places rang their bells at 8 p.m.

The goal, Lipps said, is to use the bell to create a destination. Rotary ordered two benches, one of which will have the Lakeport Rotary logo. They were set to arrive on Friday.

“That’s a very exciting first step,” Lipps said.

The bell display and benches will be located near the parking lot and the bathrooms. Lipps said the benches will face the lake with the bell in the middle on a concrete platform and a plaque with historical elements. There also will be a plaque on the bell base with the names of the Rotary Club board members. Clearlake Redi-Mix is donating the concrete.

Lipps said he hopes people will say, “Meet me at the bell.”

He also hopes that it will encourage others to promote the city.

The total cost of the project — benches, plaque and construction — is around $25,000. Lipps said the Rotary is paying for the entire project.

Like Ladd, he credited Kennedy for saving the bell when the fair wanted to get rid of it. At that point, the bell was taken to the city’s Public Works yard for safe keeping.

He said Jonathan Bridges of Bridges Construction shared that his mother had, at one time, lived above the fire station, and was given free rent in exchange for ringing the curfew bell.

Lipps thanked everyone and said he’s looking forward to seeing them at the ribbon cutting, the date of which has not yet been set.

City Manager Kevin Ingram said he’s grateful to Rotary for the bell project, adding that the city was sorry to have to remove it from the original park plan.

Like Lipps, Ingram said he hopes the bell will become a place to meet.

Councilman Brandon Disney suggested the bell might be rung at night again. “That park is getting great use and that is a perfect spot for the bell.”

He moved to approve the bell’s placement and acknowledge Lakeport Rotary for its contribution, which Councilwoman Stacey Mattina seconded. The council unanimously approved Disney’s motion.

To support the project, donations can be sent to the Rotary Club of Lakeport, P.O. Box 937, Lakeport, CA 95453.

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.