LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – In partnership with The Time Bank of Thrive Lake County and other community volunteers, Spotlight On Productions has planned two benefits this spring for Lake County fire relief.

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MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – This Saturday, Feb. 24, Middletown Art Center offers a full day of art and culture to the community.

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MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – There’s no better time to be current than Oscar season.

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The GenX Cinema series presents the 1985 adventure-comedy, “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure,” starring Paul Reubens, on Wednesday, March 7, at 7 p.m. at the Soper Reese Theatre in Lakeport.

Entry is by donation.

Directed by Tim Burton, with script by Phil Hartman and Paul Reubens, and score by Danny Elfman, this is an engaging, very funny film for both kids and adults.

Reubens’ famous man-child character, Pee Wee Herman, is off on a country-wide search for his stolen bicycle, meeting a bizarre cast of characters along the way.

The film features delightful walk-ons by Milton Berle, Jan Hooks and Twisted Sister.

The film is rated PG with run time of 1 hour 31 minutes. It is sponsored by Redwood Empire RV, and presented by the Lake County Theatre Co. and the Soper Reese Theatre.

The Soper Reese Theatre is located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport, 707-263-0577, www.soperreesetheatre.com.

"How do I know what I think until I see what I say?" has been attributed to a half dozen different writers.

It can be helpful in encouraging people to write, but also in describing poetry that arises out of meditation.

Greg Kosmicki is a Nebraska poet whose work is deeply thoughtful but also cordial and conversational.

Here's an example from his new book “It's as Good Here as it Gets Anywhere,” from Logan House Press.

You Never Get One Thing

This notebook is so old the paper is yellow.
I wonder where the tree grew.

Seems like you never get one thing without losing another.
There's some sort of law about that
to do with finite resources.

Somewhere some guys have figured out to the exact ounce
how much my life has cost the earth,
how many people have died that I might live.

Start with my parents, and theirs, and all who died
because of them. It's like we drip in blood.
Who can wake up then tomorrow morning,
do the tasks set out before them
as if it was their work and their work only?
Who has the courage to look out to the east again
at someone else's sun?

American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2016 by Greg Kosmicki from It's as Good Here as it Gets Anywhere, Logan House Press, 2016. Poem reprinted by permission of Greg Kosmicki and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2018 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Lake County Rural Arts Initiative has donated $500 to the Clearlake Wildlife Youth Art Project, sponsored by the Children’s Museum of Art and Science and the Art House Gallery in Clearlake.

The initiative, or LCRAI, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is a proponent of art education and supporting economic success by making Lake County an “arts destination.”

The group strives to be the catalyst for arts and culture as a driving force in Lake County’s economic development and enrichment.

LCRAI is dedicated to supporting the future success of the children in Lake County by bringing the arts back into education. The $500 donation toward the project will aide in the funding of materials and supplies for students to begin their project.

The Clearlake Wildlife Youth Art Project hopes to encourage youth to nurture their interest for the visual arts, expand wildlife awareness in Lake County and add public art around the community.

Art education has been known to increase test scores across every subject area, lower dropout rates and close the achievement gap regardless of socioeconomic status. Most importantly, it is the basis for developing the number one attribute sought by today’s and future employers, innovation and creativity.

LCRAI is partnering with Lake County schools to help fund the expanded arts program the schools want and need; utilizing art teachers, local artists and combining the arts with more traditional subjects.

In LCRAI’s mission to make Lake County an arts destination, it will partner with the community and work to support and fund current and new art spaces and studios, build economic clusters (“hiveries” – cultural/arts facilities linked with local businesses), create unique art installations with the Mural Trail Project and promote a strong accessible arts community with an interactive art map, artist directory and events calendar at www.LCRAI.org.

“We are proud to support the Clearlake Youth Art Project and will continue to partner with organizations in Lake County to help fund art programs. Supporting the success of the children in our county is a high priority for us,” said Conni Lemen-Kosla, co-founder of LCRAI.

“We want to thank the Lake County Rural Arts Initiative for recognizing the Clearlake Wildlife Youth Art Project from the Children’s Museum of Art and Science and the Art House Gallery. We now have 11 youth murals in Clearlake. The donation from LCRAI, will help us purchase more paint and supplies, so our talented youth can continue the Clearlake Wildlife Art Challenge and create more murals for Lake County.” said Stephanie Figueroa, president of the Children’s Museum of Art and Science.

LCRAI was nominated for the 2018 Lake County Chamber of Commerce “Best Idea of the Year” Star Award.