The seminar will be held at the United Methodist Church's Community Room at 15833 Armstrong St., Middletown.

Attorney Dennis A. Fordham will speak on revocable trusts, durable powers of attorney and advanced health care directives.

There are planning opportunities and pitfalls to consider. Fordham will give a free 30-minute PowerPoint presentation, followed by a 20-minute question and answer discussion. Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP by calling the Law Office of Dennis A. Fordham, 263-3235.

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LAKE COUNTY – The Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce reports that several more nominations for this year's Stars of Lake County Awards have been submitted.

The following is the updated list for this year's nominees.

For more information on the awards, call the Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce, 263-5092. Nominations also can be submitted online at www.lakeportchamber.com/stars/default.asp.

MAN OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by: Lake County Record-Bee

1. Andy Weiss, Lakeport

2. Duane Furman, Lakeport

WOMAN OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by: Northlake Medical Pharmacy

1. Yvonne Cox, Nice

2. Linda Fergusson, Hidden Valley Lake

3. Cheryl Robbins, Lakeport

4. Shirley Crawford, Kelseyville

5. Tammi Silva, Lakeport

6. Elizabeth Larson, Lucerne

LARGE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by: Bruno’s Shop Smart

1. Umpqua Bank, Lakeport & Kelseyville

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by: Food’s Etc.

1. Ting's Thai Kitchen, Hidden Valley Lake

2. Furry Tail's Pet Boutique, Kelseyville

3. Lake Event Design, Lakeport

4. Solo Flight Academy, Lakeport

5. Middletown Florist, Middletown

6. Studebaker’s Coffee House & Deli, Kelseyville

7. Marie’s Lakeshore Feed, Clearlake

8. McAtee’s Marine Repair, Lakeport

9. Lakeport Transmission, Lakeport

YOUTH ADVOCATE/VOLUNTEER

Sponsored by: Polestar Computers

1. Lorna Sue Sides, Kelseyville

2. Kaj and Else Ahlmann, Lower Lake

YOUTH ADVOCATE/PROFESSIONAL

Sponsored by: Umpqua Bank

No nominees reported

MALE STUDENT OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by: McDonald’s-Lakeport

1. Benjamin Mullin, Lucerne

2. James Green, Kelseyville

FEMALE STUDENT OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by: Piedmont Lumber

1. Amanda Meuller, Kelseyville

2. Emmalena Illia, Clearlake Park

3. Stephanie Tregea, Upper Lake

4. Karin Elaine Vandraiss, Kelseyville

AGRICULTURE AWARD

1. JoAnn Saccato, Clearlake

2. Barrett Farms, Finley

ARTS AWARD/AMATEUR

Sponsored by: Shannon Ridge Winery & Vineyards

1. Patsy Mitchell, Kelseyville

ARTS AWARD/PROFESSIONAL

No nominees reported

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by: Barry Parkinson, Attorney at Law

1. Dick Michaels, Kelseyville

2. Bill and Carolyn Tobin, Middletown

3. Jan Parkinson, Lakeport

4. Myra Wendt, Lakeport; Pat Norcio, Lakeport; Bill Knoll, Lakeport; Beth Truman-Nunes, Clearlake Oaks; Barbara Lee, Lower Lake.

5. Brondell Locke Jr., Clearlake Oaks

MARLA RUZICKA HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by: Cliff and Nancy Ruzicka

1. Faith Hornby, Lakeport

2. Mina Pierce, Clearlake Oaks

SENIOR OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by: WestAmerica Bank

No nominees reported

BEST IDEA OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by: Kathy Fowler Auto Dealerships

1. Creative Expressions-Mary McMillan, Kelseyville

2. Ageless Dream Day-Orchard Park Assisted Living,Clearlake

ORGANIZATION-VOLUNTEER

Sponsored by: Strong Financial Network

1. Operation Tango Mike,Kelseyville

2. Soroptimist International of Clear Lake, Clearlake

3. KPFZ Radio, Lakeport

4. Interact Club of Middletown High School, Middletown

5. VFW Post 2015, Upper Lake

ORGANIZATION-NONPROFIT

No nominees reported

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT-WOMAN

Sponsored by: Lakeview Market & Deli

1. Dr. Frances Crary, Lakeport

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT-MAN

Sponsored by: Orchard Park Assisted Living & Memory Care

1. Ed Robey, Lower Lake

HERO OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by: U. S. Representative Mike Thompson

1. Mike Botto, Clearlake

NEW BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

1. Harbor Village Artists, Lucerne

2. Lake County Wine Studio

3. Chic Le Chef, Hidden Valley Lake

4. Lake County Wine Studio, Upper Lake

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD

Sponsored by: Lake County Land Trust

1. Holly Harris and Chuck Lamb, Clearlake Oaks

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The meeting will begin at 6 p.m., an hour earlier than its normal time, in the Redbud Library Community Room, 14785 Burns Valley Road, Clearlake.

The guest speaker will be John Burton, former California Senate president pro-tem and a candidate for state party chair. His Web site is www.burton2009.com.

Meetings are open to the public and committee membership is open to all registered Democrats.

Contact the Democratic Party of Lake County at 277-0713 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The committee's Web site is www.lakecountydemocrats.org.

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2008 Lake County Rodeo Queen Stormie Shores and 2008 Lake County Rodeo Princess Ashley Johnson. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY – The Lake County Rodeo Association is proud to bring the 80^th annual Lake County Rodeo to Lake County on July 10 and 11.

Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino will be the Platinum Spur Sponsor again this year, said John Fulton, association president.

The association is looking for young ladies ages 14 to 22 years old to compete for the titles of Miss Lake County Rodeo Queen and Princess 2009.

Queen contestants must be ages 15 to 22 years old by June 30; princess contestants must be 12 to 14 years old by June 30.

The contestants compete in three areas: poise and personality, horsemanship, knowledge and promotion of the sport of rodeo.

The winners will be crowned at the Lake County Rodeo Friday on July 10 at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Lakeport.

The queen will receive a custom handmade saddle by Gene Kirkendall and Don McCown of Lakeport, a jeweled tiara, a custom breast collar, American flag saddle blanket, queen belt buckle, embroidered rodeo queen jacket, teeth whitening certificate from Dr. Keith Long and a custom white leather hand crafted sash.

The winner of the Lake County Rodeo Princess competition will receive an American flag saddle blanket, embroidered rodeo jacket, a custom breast collar, custom white satin sash and a jeweled tiara.

Contestants are encouraged to participate in local festivals and parades to help promote their campaign for rodeo queen and princess.

The contestants must reside in California High School Rodeo District No. 2, which includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties.

For information and a contestant information package, please call Jeannette Roush at 263-7177 or Melissa Fulton at 263-5092.

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Board member Allen Markowski shared his pruning knowledge and skills to a a small group of dedicated county residents who came from Lower Lake, Cobb and Kelseyville to brave the wet weather and cold temperatures for this unique opportunity.

Participants learned about pruning tools and tips at Jim Leondardis' farm and practiced on rose bushes and watched how to prune an apple tree, crepe myrtle and more.

Refreshments and networking were on order afterward in the barn while the group warmed up around a woodstove fire.

The group’s March 14 general meeting will include another local resident who will share her many years of experience in building and planting a home garden. Watch for details on this event to take place in Lower Lake. The public is welcome.

For more information on these exciting events or to offer your own expertise on different aspects of local food growing or other sustainable forms of living, contact Lori Patotzka at 994-1618.

Celebrating its one-year anniversary, the Lake County Community Cooperative envisions cultivating an evolving community by nurturing values of social, economic and environmental responsibility. The co-op wishes to support our local farmers and producers and provide a forum for community activities.

For more information or to become a member of the LCCC, follow the links at http://lakeco-op.org or call 993-4270.

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Since 2000 when the Habitat for Humanity Lake County was founded, 11 new homes have been built.

Would you like to volunteer with Habitat for a family in need? Well, here is how … You can either call the group's office to schedule and appointment, or you can visit their Web site and print out the volunteer application and send it by mail, fax it or bring it in yourself.

When you turn in an application Habit for Humanity would like to set up a volunteer orientation with you, which they old once every month. This is an opportunity for community members to learn more about how Habitat works and how to become a volunteer. Many people are unaware of Habitat and its purpose.

Volunteer orientations will be held at two different times: on Wednesday, March 25, at the Habitat office from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. the same day.

Come and learn more about Habitat — find out about plans for the future and how individuals and groups can get involved in supporting Habitat's work.

For more information contact Habitat for Humanity Lake County at telephone 994-1100, fax 994-1450, visit them online at www.lakehabitat.org, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit the group's office at : 15382 A. Main St., Lower Lake.

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