Swimmers prepare to start their race at the Aug. 13 meeting. Photo by Craig Eve.

LAKE COUNTY – The Lake County Channel Cats invited the Hidden Valley Sharks to participate in their second annual Lake County Channel Cats Swim Meet on Aug. 13 at the Westshore Pool.

More than 200 swimmers and family members participated. The “unofficial” meet is used as a practice ground for swimmers to gain valuable experience that they can then use at official USA Swimming meets.

“Official swim meets can be a little intimidating for first-time swimmers,” said team Vice President Shelly Bell. “Our meet is designed to introduce swimmers to ideas such as starting blocks, heats, lane assignments and starting buzzers.”

The Channel Cats have grown to more than 150 swimmers this season and meet practice is critical to a competitive team.

Community interest in the Lake County Channel Cats is at an all-time high, bolstered by the amazing achievements of the United States swimmers at this summer’s Olympic Games.

“It was nice to see so many community members from around the county at the pool on Wednesday,” added Bell.

The Channel Cats are wrapping up their summer season next week with a “Fun Night” on Tuesday and their annual Awards barbecue on Wednesday, Aug. 27. The community is invited to this event and it is expected that some of the individuals running for City Council will also be in attendance.

The Channel Cats also are hosting their second annual Family Bingo Night on Sept. 5 at the Lakeport Senior Center to raise funds for the team. Businesses are encouraged to sponsor the Channel Cats and those doing so will have signage at the pool.

The Lake County Channel Cats will begin their fall season on Sept. 2. Registrations are now being accepted for the fall team. The team fills on a “first-come, first-serve” basis.

For questions regarding bingo night, awards night, sponsorships or fall swim, please call Jen Hanson at 263-3131.

Matteo Merodio performs the breast stroke. Photo by Craig Eve.

Shannon Fronsman puts on a good show at the meet. Photo by Craig Eve.

Shao Jia Chang took part in the Aug. 13 meet. Photo by Craig Eve.

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Kelsi Alexander, Kelsey Sills and Sherry Falge visited Australia recently. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY – 4-H members Kelsi Alexander of Upper Lake and Kelsey Sills of Kelseyville recently traveled to Australia as part of the 4-H International Australia Exchange Program.

Chaperone Sherry Falge, a 4-H Volunteer from Upper Lake also traveled with the group, which included 20 other 4-H delegates from throughout the United States.

The group stayed in Australia for just under a month and their time there included going to Melbourne, Sydney and branching off into separate host families.

Kelsi Alexander stayed on a small farm in Simpson, where she learned about Australian home life, went to sporting events and met many life-long friends.

Kelsey Sills stayed on a dairy farm in Cobden, where she helped with the milking process, went sailing, and went to the college town of Bendigo.

Sherry Falge stayed on a sheep farm where she helped with the daily chores, worked cattle and sheep, and did some traveling. This trip was possible with the help of the Citizenship and Leadership 4-H Club, which is a group overseen up by Sherry Falge to promote older youth to stay in 4-H and is designed to prepare future leaders and good citizens.

This group has also sent many 4-H members to other Citizenship and Leadership conferences and programs such as:

– California Focus, which is a unique 4-H Citizenship educational experience that combines hands-on participation in workshops, debates, and simulations with outstanding speakers and visits to historical, cultural and governmental sites. California's capital city, Sacramento, becomes a "living classroom" for this five-day, action packed adventure that strengthens leadership skills.

– Washington Focus helps delegates to understand how their individual actions can make a difference in our world. This unique program, in the Washington D.C. area, combines visits to historical and cultural attractions with participation in educational workshops and simulations. Delegates have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with legislators, discuss contemporary issues, and learn how proposals are funded and public policy is administered. In the process, they have the chance to share concerns, ideas, and information with peers from across the country.

– Japanese Exchange Program, in which participants live with a family and see Japan through the everyday experiences. This is an opportunity to experience life in Japan from the inside, not as a tourist. Host families eagerly introduce California teens to life in Japan.

The Citizenship and Leadership club has been raising money for many years for these travel programs and continues to raise more money for future delegates. We would like to thank everyone in our community who has supported us over the years and who continues to support our program.

4-H Youth Development is a program of the University of California Cooperative Extension. For more information on the 4-H program contact U.C. Cooperative Extension, 883 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport, telephone 263-6838.

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Volunteers are needed to input data from the boat application forms that have come in this summer during the sticker and inspection portion of the prevention program.

The data entry will be basic and the work will take place in county offices at 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport.

If you are interested in helping with this important program and can spare a few hours a day, week or month, please contact Sarah Ryan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-485-2993 (cell) to sign up for a volunteer slot.

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The meeting will take place at the community center, located at 3000 Wolf Creek Road, Clearlake Oaks

(take Highway 20 west, turn left on New Long Valley Road and right on Spring Valley Road, then right on Wolf Creek Road.

The meeting will begin with the Pledge of Allegiance, a moment of silence of Lance Corporal Ivan Wilson, a Clearlake Marine killed in Afghanistan last month, and a welcome of new members and visitors.

The agenda is as follows.

Reading of the minutes.

OFFICER’S REPORTS:

1. Treasurer: Win Cary

2. Building Coordinator: Helen Mitcham

SPECIAL REPORTS:

1. Campground: Helen Mitcham

2. Pig Roast: Helen Mitcham

3. Sunshine Lady: Linda Mann

4. CSA2 (County Service Area District 2): Jim Hershey

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

1. Architectural Committee: Rob Christian

2. Bylaws Committee: Sonja Madden-Jones

3. CC & R Committee: Helen Mitcham

OLD BUSINESS:

1. 2007 Star of the Valley volunteer awards

2. Community Center tables

NEW BUSINESS:

1. Business Expo on Oct 25

2. Halloween Party on Oct 31

3. Alcohol sales procedures

4. Music system

Association officers include President Gayle Christian, Vice President Mark Currier, Secretary Win Cary, Treasurer Sonja Jones and Building Coordinator Helen Mitcham.

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Five-year-old Nina Jekel was the recipient of the "youngest fiddler" award at the Redwood Empire Fair Fiddle Contest. She also won second place in the pee wee class. Photo courtesy of Andi Skelton.

LAKE COUNTY – Konocti Fiddle Club members made a good showing at the Redwood Empire Fair Fiddle Contest.

These fiddlers play many styles of music, and most are also members of the Clear Lake Performing Arts orchestras and students of Andi Skelton.

Contestants are required to play three memorized tunes per round, and some classes play two rounds.

Clayton Rudiger and Edison Serena, who are also in the CLPA Youth orchestra, played their three tunes perfectly and each won a second place (Danish judging) in the Junior-Junior class. Edison also won an award playing the mandolin in the "any instrument" class.

Annie Perez, who is playing with the Lake County Symphony this summer and also a CLPA Youth Orchestra member, is now the 2008 Junior Fiddle Champion. Sue Condit, violinist in the symphony, won a fourth in the open class with tough competition.

Andi Skelton, concertmaster of the symphony, joined Condit for the Twin Fiddle class, and they took first place.

Patricia Jekel, who plays flute in the symphony, also plays good old-time fiddle and is now the 2008 adult champion. Her daughter, 5-year-old Nina, won a second place in the pee wee class and also the youngest fiddler award. Her dad, Darren Jekel, won third place in the "any instrument" class with his great old-time banjo tunes.

Symphony violinists, Greg Bushta and Andi Skelton were kept busy playing guitar accompaniment for all the entrants, and each won an accompanist award.

The Konocti Fiddle Club entertained the crowd between classes, with Lars Tisell from the CLPA Youth Orchestra joining in on his fiddle and Irish tenor banjo, and Natalie Jekel on rhythm. The contest is organized by well-known fiddler/violinist and teacher, Laura Smith of Potter Valley, who was a past Clear Lake Performing Arts Scholarship recipient, and member of the Lake County Symphony.

All entrants were rewarded for their hard work with ribbons and a check, but most agreed they just liked to play for fun and to support the music events in Lake and Mendocino counties.

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Assembly Bill 2149 would rein an increasingly popular gimmick used by sales people in which they claim to be “senior experts” offering advice, rather than sales people out to make a buck. The bill would regulate the use of “expertise” designations and require actual training of anyone who would seek to convince seniors that they have special knowledge about their needs.

The full Senate, voting during an afternoon session, approved the bill on a 26-9 vote.

“I’m very pleased,” said Berg, D-Eureka, “that so many senators share my belief that we can and should do what we can to protect older adults.”

Berg’s bill is designed to stop unscrupulous salespeople from using bogus titles to gain the confidence of older adults, who all too often lose their life’s savings to sweet-sounding pitches by so-called experts.

After Thursday’s approval, the bill needs a concurrence vote in the Assembly – where success is expected – before being sent to the governor.

Berg, who for years has been the Legislature’s key thinker on aging issues, has introduced a trio of bills this year, all designed to give seniors more information about the people they are dealing with when considering insurance or financial investments. The fleecing of older adults, known to police as elder financial abuse, is one of the fastest-growing segments of crime in the country.

The bills are sponsored by the California Alliance for Retired Americans and the Congress of California Seniors. The Gray Panthers of California and the Older Women’s League are also in support.

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