Kathy Fowler gets in the dunk tank to raise money for a new domestic violence shelter. Courtesy photo.

The event, which ran from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., featured several wineries from Lake County which poured their wines, along with food vendors, local artisans and music.

There also were games and a dunk tank. The resort's owners, John and Colleen McDonald, tried to convince businesswoman Kathy Fowler to go into the tank, an idea Fowler didn't take to at first.

But after the McDonalds went in, Fowler offered to follow if she could raise $500 for the Lake County Resource Center's Freedom House domestic violence shelter project.

The challenge proved irresistible to those attending the event, who pitched in to raise the $500, and Fowler went in.

It was the resort's chef who finally hit the paddle and sent Fowler into the water.

Kathy Fowler and Jeff Smith, winemaker at Napa Valley's Dusinberre Cellars, which was on hand to pour wine at the event. Courtesy photo.

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As a result, the bill next heads to the desk of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for his consideration.

Existing law (the California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989) required cities and counties to divert 25 percent of their solid waste from landfill disposal or transformation (through source reduction, recycling and composting activities) by Jan. 1, 1995 – and to divert 50 percent of their solid waste after Jan. 1, 2000.

The law also requires each city, county, or regional agency to submit annual reports to the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) summarizing their progress in reducing solid waste, and requires those reports to include calculations of annual disposal reduction, information on changes in waste generated or disposed, progress in diverting construction and demolition waste material.

Wiggins, who was a member of the CIWMB prior to her election to the Senate in 2006, said SB 1016 shifts the focus, from 50 percent diversion to 50 percent disposal reduction, of the current requirement that a local jurisdiction reduce its solid waste disposal over what it would have been given local growth factors.

“The benefits of moving to a disposal-based system include increased timeliness and accuracy, and a streamlining of the review process by allowing jurisdictions that are in compliance to be reviewed every four years instead of every two,” Wiggins said.

According to the CIWMB, California diverted more than 46 million tons of solid waste away from landfills into recycling, composting and transformation programs in 2005, for an estimated statewide diversion rate of 52 percent.

Diversion has increased nine-fold since the Integrated Waste Management Act was passed in 1989. The CIWMB notes that almost 70 percent of jurisdictions have received approval for their diversion rates while 30 percent have either been granted a time extension or are on compliance orders.

Among other things, the Wiggins bill:

• Requires that beginning Jan. 1, 2009, CIWMB will determine compliance with the diversion goals established by the 1989 act by comparing each jurisdiction's "per capita disposal rate" with the jurisdiction's "50 percent percent equivalent" per capital disposal rate on Jan. 1, 2007;

• Specifies that CIWMB consider the per capita disposal rate when determining compliance with the act (but also that the rate is not the only factor). Also requires the waste management board to evaluate the need for a review of a jurisdiction's program implementation should the rate exceed the 50 percent equivalent;

• Authorizes CIWMB to use an alternative per capita factor for developing the per capita disposal rate if a representative rate cannot be determined using the specified factors;

• Specifies how CIWMB determines the 50 percent equivalent disposal rate using years 2003-2007 waste generation information;

• Retains the waste management board's authority to establish an alternative per capita disposal rate for rural jurisdictions;

• Revises the 10 percent diversion "credit" for transformation to reflect the per capita disposal rate.

“SB 1016 creates a paradigm shift in the way California will identify its waste stream in the future by measuring disposal, because it is a real number that can be decreased with greater implementation of diversion programs,” Wiggins said. My goal is to ensure that recycling, reuse and reduction are the guiding principles of California’s future integrated waste management plan.”

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Included are Mendocino County projects that may impact Lake County commuters.

Caltrans will suspend work on Northern California highways from Friday, Aug. 29, through Monday, Sept. 1, in observance of the Labor Day weekend. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, it may be necessary for Caltrans Maintenance forces to respond to emergency situations.

LAKE COUNTY

Highway 20

– Mary Poppie of Litchfield Park has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for surveying near Main Street beginning Wednesday, Sept. 3. Work hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

– A roadway realignment project from 1.4 miles east of the North Fork Cache Creek Bridge to 1.6 miles west of Walker Ridge Road will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 20-minute delays. Contractor – Argonaut Constructors of Santa Rosa.

Highway 29

– A shoulder widening project from Hofacker Lane to 0.5 miles north of Hofacker Lane will continue. Work hours are 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., Sunday evening through Friday morning, and 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. Contractor – North Bay Construction of Petaluma.

– A paving project from the junction of Route 29/53 and Kelseyville Road will continue. Work hours are 7 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Sunday evening through Friday afternoon. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Granite Construction of Ukiah.

– Bridge rehabilitation from the Adobe Creek Bridge to the Park Way Overcrossing will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect 24 hours per day, Monday through Friday. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – American Civil Constructors of Benicia.

– Installation of a changeable message sign and paving from Ackley Road to 0.5 miles south of Lakeport Boulevard will begin Tuesday, Sept. 2. Work hours are 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., Sunday evening through Friday morning. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. Contractor – Granite Construction of Ukiah.

Highway 281

– PG&E of Ukiah has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility work near Point Lakeview Road beginning Wednesday, Sept. 3. Work hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

Highway 1

– Mendocino Unified School District has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit to install a water line between Jackson Street and Lansing Street. Work hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays. Turns onto Little Lake Road will be restricted. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

Highway 101

– A paving project from the Mendocino/Sonoma County line to the Russian River Bridge will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – Eric Gutierrez of Sacramento.

– A pavement repair project from 0.1 miles north to 1.5 miles north of Comminsky Station Road will continue. Northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

– A paving project from Center Street to the junction of Route 101/253 will continue. Work hours are 7 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday evening through Friday afternoon. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. Contractor – Eric Gutierrez of Sacramento.

– Roadway repair due to pavement deterioration from 3.6 miles south of Ridgewood Ranch Road to 1.9 miles south of Ridgewood Ranch Road will continue. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

– A paving project from the CAL FIRE station to 0.3 miles north of Grider Road will resume. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – Mendocino Construction Services of North Highlands.

– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from the Outlet Creek Bridge to 0.2 miles north of Big Trails Drive beginning Tuesday, Sept. 2. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

– Bridge deck rehabilitation on the Long Valley Creek Bridge will continue. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel 24 hours per day, Monday through Friday. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – American Civil Constructors of Benicia.

– A paving project from Long Valley Creek Bridge to Harmon Drive will continue. Work hours are 6 a.m. to 12 midnight, weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Mercer Fraser of Eureka.

– A curve improvement project will continue. Work hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Argonaut Constructors of Santa Rosa.

– Redwood Construction Service of Trinidad has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for the Willie Nelson at Dimmick Ranch concert Saturday, Aug. 30 through Monday, Sept. 1. A shoulder closure will be in effect from Piercy in Mendocino County to Richardson Grove in Humboldt County. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

Highway 162

– Bridge deck rehabilitation on the Long Valley Creek Bridge will continue. Work hours are 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., Sunday evening through Friday morning. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. Contractor – American Civil Constructors of Benicia.

– A bridge widening project at Outlet Creek Bridge will continue. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal is in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Viking Construction Company, Incorporated of Rancho Cordova.

Highway 253

– A bridge widening project at Anderson Creek Bridge will continue. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal is in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Viking Construction Co. Inc. of Rancho Cordova.

– A bridge widening project at Soda Creek Bridge will continue. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal is in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Viking Construction Co. Inc. of Rancho Cordova.

For information pertaining to emergency roadwork or for updates to scheduled roadwork, please contact the California Highway Information Network (CHIN) at 1-800-GAS-ROAD (1-800-427-7623).

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Volunteers and farmers unite for the Lake County Community Co-op's first locally sourced Community Supported Agriculture box. Pictured left to right: Kenneth Breen, Lars Crail, Yukiko Sato, Dante DeAmicis, Adele Elwood and Chance Crail. Photo by JoAnn Saccato.

LAKE COUNTY – A milestone was reached last week when Lake County Community Co-op created their farm fresh Purist Community Supported Agriculture box from produce grown exclusively in Lake County.

The Co-op’s Community Supported Agriculture boxes are intended to support small local farmers. The Buying Club has been offering regionally supplied boxes for a few months with the goal of becoming more local as soon as possible.

“Localization of our food supply is vital to our overall vision of food security. By providing locally grown food to the community we are strengthening the local economy, protecting the small farmer, and helping to build a sustainable community,” said JoAnn Saccato, co-op chair.

Organic produce is provided by local farms and suppliers including Yoxagoi, Elderbroc, Barber's Country Farm, Leonardis Organics and Lake County Walnuts, all from Kelseyville, and Irene Farms in Lower Lake.

This week's Purist Community Supported Agriculture box included cantaloupes, pears, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, squash and "edible bouquets" of herbs and flowers.

"This is such a critical time for our future, and anytime we can meet our food needs locally, we save not only money (this week's box was the best value we've had so far for our members), but we save valuable resources by not having our food trucked in,” said Saccato. “Foods purchased in local grocery stores travels, on average, 1,200 miles to reach the shelves. By keeping our food supply local, we reduce pollution and provide more local jobs. Also, we get more nutrition and flavor in our food, because it is picked at its absolute peak.”

For those interested in participating in the buying club, and particularly in the Community Supported Agriculture boxes, contact Ann Breen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more information about Lake County Community Co-op and its visions, go to www.lakeco-op.org.

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The AmeriCorps group which collected the most food during a food drive. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY – The Lake County AmeriCorps program has started it annual recruiting for members.

The AmeriCorps Program engages its members in direct service and capacity-building to address unmet community needs.

The program exists in partnership with our county’s schools, preschools and Healthy Start to assist with the compelling educational needs of literacy tutoring, mentoring, preventive health screenings and and school readiness.

AmeriCorps members also mobilize community volunteers and strengthen the capacity of the organizations where they serve.

During the 2007-08 school year, AmeriCorps members logged an incredible 17,500 hours of service within Lake County “Getting Things Done.”

Members tutored/mentored 300 students, helped prepared 250 preschoolers to enter kindergarten, delivered over 200 Second Step (violence prevention curriculum) and 190 health curriculum lessons.

When not in a classroom near you, members are busy participating in community events. Members logged more than 3,500 hours of community service at events such as Konocti Kids Day, Lake County Office of Education Preschool Picnic, Ceaser Chavez Day, Make a Difference Day, Mock Disaster Drill held in Upper Lake, food drives and several bicycle helmet/infant car seat fittings held around Lake County.

Like helping your community wasn’t enough, members receive a modest living allowance to offset living expenses and an education award upon completion of their service.

Visit the local AmeriCorps on the web at www.lakecountyamericorps.org for more information on how you can become a part of our team and make Lake County a better place!

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LAKE COUNTY – Each year the Board of Directors of the Lake County Fair chooses one member of the community to receive the honor of grand marshal by leading the fair parade and cutting the grand opening ribbon. All of the grand marshals have a history of years of service to the Lake County community. But until this year, none could boast of having worked at the fair every year since it moved to the fairgrounds in Lakeport.

A soft-spoken, pleasant man, Billy DeWaal of Kelseyville was a 15-year-old Lakeport boy with an interest in magic in 1948 when the first fair was held on what was then a brand new fairgrounds in Lakeport.

Billy's father knew the fair manager at the time, Phil Lewis, and managed to wrangle a slot on a stage for Billy to perform his magic act. At his first fair show, Billy performed a ventriloquist act and a magic show in which he used his sister as an assistant and performed an illusion where he floated his sister in mid-air. At that point, Billy had been studying and practicing magic for nearly 10 years.

After that, Billy began performing magic shows regularly at local service club meetings, including the Lion's Club, Rotary, the Odd Fellows, the Lakeport Women's Civic Club and Chamber of Commerce meetings. He also performed each year at the Lake County Fair, and has continued to do so every year since.

And after being "discovered" at the Lake County Fair, Billy went on to build a career around performing magic shows at fairs and festivals throughout the western United States and Canada.

Billy's acts have changed over the years, from ventriloquism and magic, to becoming William Wayne, Master Magician. In between, Billy spent more than 25 years performing as Wacky Willy the Clown, and in the 1980s he expanded his business to include Bilmar Puppets, a puppet theater which included his daughter Karen and granddaughter Becky as performers. Billy once made television commercial for AT&T which was aired in every English-speaking country in the world, and at various times performed with both Bob Hope and George Burns.

A few years ago, Billy changed his act once more and became William Wayne, Master Magician, the act he now performs several times each day at the Lake County Fair. Billy's wife of 55 years, Mary DeWaal, also works at the Lake County Fair, where she operates Aunt Mary's Art Center.

Billy DeWaal is a member of the Society of American Magicians. He has belonged to the Clowns of America #593, the Puppeteers of America, and the American Guild of Variety Artists.

In addition to traveling all over North America performing, Billy is also a Navy veteran of the Korean War, and was awarded two Silver Stars and a Presidential Unit Citation. Billy and Mary now live in Kelseyville, with two cats, 20 doves, two rabbits, and a huge collection of magic illusions and stage props, which Billy calls his "barn full of magic."

“Billy DeWaal has an amazing track record as a performer, and he is the only person around who has been employed by the Lake County Fair for 60 years,” said Lake County Fair Chief Executive Officer Richard Persons. “It's pretty astounding. The fair board found choosing the grand marshal pretty easy this year, and Billy definitely deserves the honor."

The Lake County Fair parade through downtown Lakeport takes place at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28, with the grand opening ceremony and ribbon cutting at the main gates at 6 p.m.

Anyone who enters the parade and fills out an entry form in advance will receive free admission to the Fair when the parade arrives at the fairgrounds. Parade entrants will be provided an entry wristband before the parade starts.

For more information, contact the fair office at 263-6181.

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