LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Local authori Tamara Brigham has released her first book, “White Pawn: Book One of the Kestrel Harper Saga.”

Elyri. ágdháni. Miracle-worker. Saint. Outcast. All Kavan desires is to be normal, the harper he trained to be. But prophecy thwarts the best plans and intentions.

From the moment he meets Arlan of Enesfel, Kavan’s imagined path is overthrown by forces beyond his control.

When a man of dubious heritage assumes the crown, it falls upon Kavan to aid Prince Arlan in reclaiming his birthright. Kavan’s quest for acceptance, from others, from himself, becomes entwined with politics and Faith and not even prophecy can guarantee his destiny.

At an early age, Tamara Brigham took on the challenge of rewriting childhood stories to end as she believed they should have ended.

This passion for the creativity of words and the fluidity of language blossomed into fashioning worlds, characters and tales of her own.

The desire to explore the capacity of fantasy and science fiction to foster people’s understanding of others, of events, ideas and emotion, has culminated in the release of “White Pawn: Book One of the Kestrel Harper Saga.”

Brigham has been a resident of Clearlake for 11 years, moving from Colorado to be nearer to her West Coast family.

“White Pawn” is her first publication. The second book in the series will be available later this year.

For more information or to contact the author, visit online at www.agdhani.com.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Hundreds of members of our community have had their lives touched by the fires that have ravaged our county in the last few years.

We all know someone who has experienced the fear and the sudden trauma of fire. But unfortunately, the resources available to our family and friends have been limited; especially resources that address the emotional distress that can remain after the fires go out.

Sunrise Special Services in partnership with the Lake County Arts Council has moved to fill that gap with their project, “‘Restorative Arts for Fire Victims,” made possible with a mini grant from Lake County Behavioral Health.

The project assisted those traumatized by the fires to express the emotions which cannot always be conveyed in words but may be reached through community art practices and therapeutic counseling.

Janet Taylor, a certified peer, and Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster counselor coordinated with other professional counselors to facilitate art workshops that helped relieve anxiety and stress for fire victims and their families.

Artist Linda Kelly, with the Lake County Arts Council, contacted galleries to provide artists who were qualified to facilitate the classes.

The success of the project is due to the collaboration and partnerships of all the following who provided the artists: Richard Seisser, gallery coordinator with the Main Street Gallery; Lisa Kaplan, executive director of the Middletown Art Center; and Stephanie Figeroa, owner of The Art House Gallery in Clearlake.

The Main Street Gallery in Lakeport, the Middletown Senior Center, the Clearlake Senior Center and Cobb Mountain Elementary School provided locations around the county.

Counselors Barbara Nuckols, Chloe Karl, Anne Newport and Melissa Morin coordinated the first and final in the series of 20 classes to introduce the participants to the concept of art to express their emotions.

Art instructors Lisa Kaplan, Sandy Stillwell, Linda Fielding, Glenneth Lambert, Richard Seisser, Linda Kelly and Janet Taylor taught a variety of art programs which included drawing, painting, clay, collage and creative writing.

The interaction through the art experience as well as the opportunity to discuss their feelings with others who had similar experiences gave participants a sense of community support and new tools to continue the healing process.

Sunrise Special Services is a nonprofit health and social services agency. For more information 707-274-9121.

The Lake County Arts Council is a nonprofit organization providing a professional venue for the creative arts in the community. For more information contact Linda Kelly at 707-263-6658.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County and beyond is invited to the Big Valley Rock & Reggae Fest on Sunday, June 10.

You can join the fun between noon and 5 p.m. at the Big Valley Hall, 1510 Big Valley Road between Finley and Lakeport.

Children of all ages are welcome. Ages 12 and under are free, 13 to 21 cost $5, and children from 22 to 99-plus cost $10. Bring your ID if planning to drink.

This outdoor festival will feature three bands plus crafts by local vendors and stores, horseshoes and activities for children. Bring your blankets or lawn chairs so you can relax under the trees near the orchards, and bring cash for refreshments and shopping.

The afternoon will begin with a groovy repertoire of classic rock by Lake County's own "Without a Net." An up-and-coming reggae band from Cobb and Ukiah, "Rising Signs" will be vibing on stage between 1 and 3 p.m.

From 3:30 to 5 p.m., "Weekend at Bernie's" will bring their classic rock and R&B stylings from Santa Rosa. You may remember the soulful voice of lead singer and keyboardist Adam Bernie from his days with Levi Lloyd.

You can hear band interviews this week on Lake County community radio KPFZ 88.1 FM. Members of "Without a Net" will meet with Deb and Q for "Rockin' the Lake" on Wednesday, June 6, between 3 and 5 p.m. Lex Krauss of "Rising Signs" will call Doc's "R&B Review" on Tuesday, June 5, between 3:30 and 4 p.m. Adam Bernie of "Weekend at Bernie's" plans to chat with Pop on his "Lost Treasures" show, which airs from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 7.

In the Kids Corner near the back tree, there will be face painting by Cabernet's Canvas, self-protection demonstrations by Damsel in Distress, and gifts and jewelry for all ages by Tina's Jewels.

Activities being coordinated by Children's Museum of Art & Science include: making pinwheels, giant bubbles, bean and print art. Children of all ages can also put on glitter tattoos, practice their coloring or play under the water sprinklers.

For those needing some down time, Aquarian Body Harmonics will be offering chair or table massages behind the tree at the end of the listening area.

Local vendors will be selling tie dye clothing, skin care items, jewelry, pottery, home decorations and gift items. You'll also be able to meet two new stores from Kelseyville: Lost Coast Leathers and the Tripp Shopp, also a sponsor for the event.

From Middletown Hardester’s, Shift Manager Monna Hull will be selling her handmade jewelry. Due to the recent fire that demolished the store, store employees and their immediate families can attend at no cost. They should bring a store ID or other proof of employment to the gate.

Big Valley Hall will be selling vegetarian chili, beef hot dogs, nachos, cole slaw, fresh fruit, cookies and water. Refreshments will be sold for Hope City and will include soda, powerades, beer and wine. Local wine will be sold from Kaz Winery, Mt. Konocti Winery, Parducci Wine Cellars and SIP Mendocino.

This is the 11th fire benefit produced by Spotlight On Productions in partnership with The Time Bank of Thrive Lake County along with community volunteers.

Proceeds go to NCO for Hope City to purchase supplies to rebuild homes lost in the 2015-17 fires and to Big Valley Hall for renovations to enhance future events.

For more information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-278-7126.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Stop by the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum on Sunday, June 3, to enjoy the monthly Fiddlers’ Jam in the barn from noon to 2 p.m.

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Back for another performance after their knockout concert last year, Occidental Gypsy, a red hot gypsy swing and fusion group, will appear on the Soper Reese Theatre stage on Wednesday, June 20, at 7 p.m.

Tickets are now on sale at $20, 18 and 15.

This nationally touring acoustic act championed by critics and fans, has played to packed houses at the legendary Nighttown in Cleveland, Green Mill in Chicago, Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis, World Cafe Live, Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, The Ark in Ann Arbor, the Blue Wisp in Cincinnati and many others.

This year, they will be headlining at the biggest Django Festival in the U.S.

Occidental Gypsy has shared the stage with greats like Rikki Lee Jones, Jorma Kaukenen, Stanley Jordan, Joe Sample, and David Bromberg. Bromberg said, “These guys have great singing, fantastic guitar and violin work, and high energy originals that leave the crowd crazy. An awesome band.”

Tickets are available at www.soperreesetheatre.com; at the theatre’s Box Office, 275 S. Main St., Lakeport, on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; at The Travel Center, 1265 S. Main St., Lakeport, Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; or at the theatre Box Office two hours before show time.

The theatre telephone is 707-263-0577; Travel Center phone is 707-263-3095.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Friday, June 1, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the public is invited to Lake County Art Council’s Main Street Gallery in Lakeport for the First Friday Fling and an opening reception of work created during the Resilience project.

The exhibit includes vibrant paintings from the Resilience project’s Soul Painting and Drawing the Inside Out classes, exhibited in half of the main gallery, as well as prints and photographs created during the project.

The Resilience chapbook of poetry and images will be available to peruse and pre-order. The exhibit will be on view until July 2.

The Main Street Gallery is located at 325 N. Main St. in Lakeport and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Inspired by Nature’s resilience as a mirror for our county’s recovery after devastating wildfires, the MAC’s Resilience project has provided opportunities for adults and teens, to reframe the fire experience, which impacted us all directly or indirectly, into creative expression and aesthetics.

More than 220 individuals ranging in age from 12 to 85 have attended affordable classes in photography, creative writing, painting and printmaking once or many times since June 2017.

“In addition to the healing and enriching aspects of art-making, a key goal of our project is to weave art into daily life throughout Lake County,” said artist and Project Director Lisa Kaplan. “To this end, we are opening Resilience project exhibits in multiple locations throughout the County, and publishing our chapbook called Resilience, a community reframes disaster through art, which includes powerful writings and images that were created or reworked during the Resilience project. It’s a moving and beautiful collaborative effort by participants that honors our collective recovery.”

MAC continues to spread and share the healing power of art with this new exhibit at Main Street Gallery, the 4th of 7 exhibits opening countywide.

On June 9, the Fore Family Vineyards Tasting Room in Kelseyville will host and open another Resilience exhibit from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Additional exhibits of Resilience work will be on view at Clearlake City Hall and at the Adventist Health Hospital Mountain View Café in Clearlake in the weeks to come.

On May 26, MAC opened its Resilience: Art In Dialogue with Nature exhibit at the art center, which is a hybrid of the EcoArts tradition and the resilience theme. The impressive exhibit is on view Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Earlier this month Resilience exhibits were installed at Lakeport City Hall and at the Lake County Courthouse. Both are open to the public during their regular business hours. Each of these exhibits further MAC’s goal of embedding art in public spaces and connecting distant corners of Lake County through the arts.

MAC is grateful to the California Arts Council, Adventist Health, Lake County Arts Council and other local partners, agencies and businesses for their support of Resilience and their ongoing commitment to assisting MAC in providing local, affordable, quality access to the arts and art-making.

The Middletown Art Center is located at 21456 Highway 175, at the junctions of Hwy 29 in Middletown.

Join the folks at MAC this weekend and throughout the year for a variety of community and cultural events including First Friday Art Walks, classes, musical performances, film screenings, dances, farmers market and more.

Registration for MAC’s Adventures in Art and Storytelling summer camp, an extravaganza of visual and performing arts for children kindergarten through ninth grade has also begun.

Visit www.MiddletownArtCenter.org to learn more about what’s happening at MAC and to be part of a burgeoning arts and culture scene in Lake County.