Lakeport Rotary President Pam Harpster stands next to the spot where the time capsule was to be buried at Xabatin Park in Lakeport, California, during a ceremony on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Photo by Lingzi Chen/Lake County News.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — Rotarians and community members gathered in Lakeport on Wednesday evening to build a bridge between the present and the future.
The Lakeport Rotary Club celebrated the burial of a community time capsule at Lakeport's Xabatin Park.
The time capsule, to be covered by a layer of concrete, is located near the park’s North Main Street entrance next to the curfew bell, a project Lakeport Rotary finished last fall.
With the time capsule, the club — celebrating its 100th anniversary this year — is looking toward 2050. That’s the year that the time capsule will be reopened.
Rotary President Pam Harpster credited numerous individuals for their help in the project, including city of Lakeport staff Jim Kennedy, Ron Ladd and Kevin Ingram, and many Rotarians.
“It’s been a group effort,” she said.
Harpster also explained the reason for a time capsule.
“Why a time capsule? What the heck?” she asked.
A group of youngsters with the Rotary time capsule. It’s hoped they will be around to help open it in 25 years. Photo by Nathan Powers. The time capsule up close. Photo by Nathan Powers.
For one, it will say hello to the future, and will preserve a bridge between now and 2050, Harpster said.
The time capsule will contain numerous items that she said represent the community, including letters, mementos and objects with sacred importance, such as a medicine bag gifted to the effort by Les Miller of the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, containing soil from the grave of his grandmother, a tribal matriarch.
Miller called the time capsule a “super idea,” adding he is proud of Lakeport, the city where he grew up.
Harpster said a 5-foot-tall eagle statue also is planned to be located near the time capsule.
She said she and the club are looking forward to working with the city more.
Rotarian Jennifer Strong said being a Rotary president during a centennial is a tall order, but Harpster, who has had health challenges in the midst of it, met the moment.
“This park is a gift,” said Strong, who also grew up in Lake County.
The park represents the past, present and future, Strong added.
The time capsule up close. Photo by Nathan Powers.
Rotary has clubs in Kelseyville, Clearlake and Lakeport, with a satellite in Middletown. Strong said the club’s mission is to give back, and leave things better than they found them.
Strong said it’s overwhelming to think about all that volunteers do, and it’s a gift to be part of it.
Rotary welcomes new members with the motto, “Service Above Self.” However, Strong said she thinks it’s more accurate to say “service feeds self.”
“We get more out of it than we give,” Strong said.
Rotary invites the community to take part in their centennial celebration, set for Saturday, Aug. 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the Soper Reese Theatre, 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the Rotary Club of Lakeport's website at www.lakeportrotary.org.
Below is the list of items included in the time capsule.
Lakeport Rotary members at the site of a new time capsule at Xabatin Park on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.
Rotary Club of Lakeport: Time Capsule 2025
*Rotary Club of Lakeport Polo shirt with logo Polo shirt — Centennial logo 1925-2025 Tote bag — Rotary Youth Exchange 2024 (Strong Financial Network) District Conference Lake County 1952 Membership Classification List Sources of Revenue 1992-1993 Polio Plus Society Certificate x2 District 5130 Newsletter June 2025
Packet from Pam Harpster – President Letter to Future Presidents Power Point Prez of last meeting, June 18, 2025 Time Travel – Capsule Invitation District Grant Proposal for Time Capsule District 5130 Letter from Governor Sample of Rotogram
Letters to People (from Pam Harpster) City of Lakeport Jacob Glenn Thomsen Clara Luchsinger Kennedy and Quin Karkin Colton and Connor Todd Future Community Members
Letters from Rotary Members April Leiferman Dennis Fordham Greg Scott John Lawson Faith Hornby Pam Harpster
Club Brochure Meeting Attendance List n.d. Invocation Songs-Lyric Book A History of 57 Years of Service (booklet) Manual of Information for Presidents and Secretaries Banner Golf Ball with Rotary logo Wine Bottle-Crab Feed 2025 Time Capsule Flier
Letters from Students Upper Lake Elementary School-Teachers Fourth Grade Classes: Heather Hunt, Payton Conrad, Kathy Verstoppen, LanaVanBuskirk Fifth Grade Classes: Chelsie Gracia, Morgan Psalmonds, Allison Pivniska-Clouse
Book of Why Thank You Letters from Upper Lake Elementary School Third Grade Class of Jasmin Harwell
*Rotary Club of Kelseyville Sunrise -Membership -Projects -Challenges Banner x2 Rotary Pin – The Magic of Rotary + Thumb Drive 2024 Lincoln Penny Gold Bell with Mount Konocti “K”
*Pins City of Lakeport Lake County Fair Mendocino College Mendocino College Foundation Lake County Office of Education
*Assorted Items Back Stage (magazine) May-June 2025 Belt buckle, city of Lakeport centennial, gifted by Lakeport Kiwanis Club Best of Lake & Mendocino 2025 Magazine Big Valley Rancheria – Medicine Bag; Sealed Envelope with Contents Business Design Services Brochures of service, Lake County Tribal Health Certified Tourism Ambassador – Pin, Brochure; Welcome Anglers Sign County of Lake – Business cards – Board of Supervisors, Administrators Cub Scouts Ganoung,Tom – CD, Laughter in the River General Aviation News – May 22, 2025 - Clear Lake Splash In Habematolel (Pomo of Upper Lake) – Arrow March 2025 Magazine Lake County Land Trust – Newsletter Spring 2025; Magnet; Brochure Lake County Theatre Company – Shows for 2024-2 Lakeport Events 2025 Lake Family Resource Center – Services Lake County Tourism Improvement District – Official Visitors Map, LAKELife 2024 Lakeport Unified School District – Spring/Summer 2025 Reports to Community Luchsinger, Clara – News Clippings, Sealed Envelope, Lake County Record-Bee, 4/4/2025 Mendocino College – 2024-25 Catalog, Fall 2025 Class Schedule, Degrees & Certificates, Assorted Brochures; Dual Enrollment Stole Shakespeare at the Lake 2025 Soper Reese Theatre – Shows, Classic Cinema Strong Financial Network That Ranch – Packet The Ripe Choice Farm Walk Through Time – CD, The Story of Anderson Marsh 100+ Women Strong Lake County One-Team One Dream Silver Foundation Sutter Health/Sutter Lakeside Hospital Skylark Shores Resort Lake County Fair – Lake County Rodeo 2025 poster Lake County Library & Bookmobile – services, summer reading program CLERC – Clear Lake Environment Research Center Lake County Winegrape Commission – reports Lake County Economic Development Corporation – rack card with services Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians – medicine bag
*City of Lakeport Xabatin Park – Big Water, Bold Vision – background on park planning/funding Guide to Doing Business in Lakeport Postcards – 7 City scenes Movement Moai April 2025 - flier Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee Members – rack card Tote Bag with City seal Public Works/Utilities – group photo plus accomplishments 2024-2025 City Manager’s Message; Budget Book FY 2024/2025
Email Elizabeth Larson at elarson@lakeconews.com. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.
Author Elizabeth Larson
Lakeport Rotary President Pam Harpster stands next to the spot where the time capsule was to be buried at Xabatin Park in Lakeport, California, during a ceremony on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Photo by Lingzi Chen/Lake County News.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — Rotarians and community members gathered in Lakeport on Wednesday evening to build a bridge between the present and the future.
The Lakeport Rotary Club celebrated the burial of a community time capsule at Lakeport's Xabatin Park.
The time capsule, to be covered by a layer of concrete, is located near the park’s North Main Street entrance next to the curfew bell, a project Lakeport Rotary finished last fall.
With the time capsule, the club — celebrating its 100th anniversary this year — is looking toward 2050. That’s the year that the time capsule will be reopened.
Rotary President Pam Harpster credited numerous individuals for their help in the project, including city of Lakeport staff Jim Kennedy, Ron Ladd and Kevin Ingram, and many Rotarians.
“It’s been a group effort,” she said.
Harpster also explained the reason for a time capsule.
“Why a time capsule? What the heck?” she asked.
A group of youngsters with the Rotary time capsule. It’s hoped they will be around to help open it in 25 years. Photo by Nathan Powers. The time capsule up close. Photo by Nathan Powers.
For one, it will say hello to the future, and will preserve a bridge between now and 2050, Harpster said.
The time capsule will contain numerous items that she said represent the community, including letters, mementos and objects with sacred importance, such as a medicine bag gifted to the effort by Les Miller of the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, containing soil from the grave of his grandmother, a tribal matriarch.
Miller called the time capsule a “super idea,” adding he is proud of Lakeport, the city where he grew up.
Harpster said a 5-foot-tall eagle statue also is planned to be located near the time capsule.
She said she and the club are looking forward to working with the city more.
Rotarian Jennifer Strong said being a Rotary president during a centennial is a tall order, but Harpster, who has had health challenges in the midst of it, met the moment.
“This park is a gift,” said Strong, who also grew up in Lake County.
The park represents the past, present and future, Strong added.
The time capsule up close. Photo by Nathan Powers.
Rotary has clubs in Kelseyville, Clearlake and Lakeport, with a satellite in Middletown. Strong said the club’s mission is to give back, and leave things better than they found them.
Strong said it’s overwhelming to think about all that volunteers do, and it’s a gift to be part of it.
Rotary welcomes new members with the motto, “Service Above Self.” However, Strong said she thinks it’s more accurate to say “service feeds self.”
“We get more out of it than we give,” Strong said.
Rotary invites the community to take part in their centennial celebration, set for Saturday, Aug. 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the Soper Reese Theatre, 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the Rotary Club of Lakeport's website at www.lakeportrotary.org.
Below is the list of items included in the time capsule.
Lakeport Rotary members at the site of a new time capsule at Xabatin Park on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.
Rotary Club of Lakeport: Time Capsule 2025
*Rotary Club of Lakeport Polo shirt with logo Polo shirt — Centennial logo 1925-2025 Tote bag — Rotary Youth Exchange 2024 (Strong Financial Network) District Conference Lake County 1952 Membership Classification List Sources of Revenue 1992-1993 Polio Plus Society Certificate x2 District 5130 Newsletter June 2025
Packet from Pam Harpster – President Letter to Future Presidents Power Point Prez of last meeting, June 18, 2025 Time Travel – Capsule Invitation District Grant Proposal for Time Capsule District 5130 Letter from Governor Sample of Rotogram
Letters to People (from Pam Harpster) City of Lakeport Jacob Glenn Thomsen Clara Luchsinger Kennedy and Quin Karkin Colton and Connor Todd Future Community Members
Letters from Rotary Members April Leiferman Dennis Fordham Greg Scott John Lawson Faith Hornby Pam Harpster
Club Brochure Meeting Attendance List n.d. Invocation Songs-Lyric Book A History of 57 Years of Service (booklet) Manual of Information for Presidents and Secretaries Banner Golf Ball with Rotary logo Wine Bottle-Crab Feed 2025 Time Capsule Flier
Letters from Students Upper Lake Elementary School-Teachers Fourth Grade Classes: Heather Hunt, Payton Conrad, Kathy Verstoppen, LanaVanBuskirk Fifth Grade Classes: Chelsie Gracia, Morgan Psalmonds, Allison Pivniska-Clouse
Book of Why Thank You Letters from Upper Lake Elementary School Third Grade Class of Jasmin Harwell
*Rotary Club of Kelseyville Sunrise -Membership -Projects -Challenges Banner x2 Rotary Pin – The Magic of Rotary + Thumb Drive 2024 Lincoln Penny Gold Bell with Mount Konocti “K”
*Pins City of Lakeport Lake County Fair Mendocino College Mendocino College Foundation Lake County Office of Education
*Assorted Items Back Stage (magazine) May-June 2025 Belt buckle, city of Lakeport centennial, gifted by Lakeport Kiwanis Club Best of Lake & Mendocino 2025 Magazine Big Valley Rancheria – Medicine Bag; Sealed Envelope with Contents Business Design Services Brochures of service, Lake County Tribal Health Certified Tourism Ambassador – Pin, Brochure; Welcome Anglers Sign County of Lake – Business cards – Board of Supervisors, Administrators Cub Scouts Ganoung,Tom – CD, Laughter in the River General Aviation News – May 22, 2025 - Clear Lake Splash In Habematolel (Pomo of Upper Lake) – Arrow March 2025 Magazine Lake County Land Trust – Newsletter Spring 2025; Magnet; Brochure Lake County Theatre Company – Shows for 2024-2 Lakeport Events 2025 Lake Family Resource Center – Services Lake County Tourism Improvement District – Official Visitors Map, LAKELife 2024 Lakeport Unified School District – Spring/Summer 2025 Reports to Community Luchsinger, Clara – News Clippings, Sealed Envelope, Lake County Record-Bee, 4/4/2025 Mendocino College – 2024-25 Catalog, Fall 2025 Class Schedule, Degrees & Certificates, Assorted Brochures; Dual Enrollment Stole Shakespeare at the Lake 2025 Soper Reese Theatre – Shows, Classic Cinema Strong Financial Network That Ranch – Packet The Ripe Choice Farm Walk Through Time – CD, The Story of Anderson Marsh 100+ Women Strong Lake County One-Team One Dream Silver Foundation Sutter Health/Sutter Lakeside Hospital Skylark Shores Resort Lake County Fair – Lake County Rodeo 2025 poster Lake County Library & Bookmobile – services, summer reading program CLERC – Clear Lake Environment Research Center Lake County Winegrape Commission – reports Lake County Economic Development Corporation – rack card with services Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians – medicine bag
*City of Lakeport Xabatin Park – Big Water, Bold Vision – background on park planning/funding Guide to Doing Business in Lakeport Postcards – 7 City scenes Movement Moai April 2025 - flier Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee Members – rack card Tote Bag with City seal Public Works/Utilities – group photo plus accomplishments 2024-2025 City Manager’s Message; Budget Book FY 2024/2025
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.
LCNews
Award winning journalism on the shores of Clear Lake.
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
