CLEARLAKE – Wild About Books will host a book signing on Saturday, Jan. 16, featuring the work of local author Steve Bartholomew.

The event will start at 2 p.m.

Bartholomew is author of “Gold: A Tale of the California Gold Rush,” “Chapel Perilous” and “The Terrorist Plot at Gopherville.”

He will share from his three books and will be available for book signings. Whether you enjoy mystery, history, satirical humor or fiction, you will enjoy Bartholomew's books.

Wild About Books is located at 14290 Olympic Drive, Clearlake, telephone 707-994-9453. Visit the store online at www.wildaboutbooks.net .

UPPER LAKE – Bottle Rock Blues & Rhythm Band will play for diners and dancers at the Blue Wing Saloon & Café on Monday, Dec. 21, from 6:30 p.m. until 9 p.m.

Bottle Rock features the "blue velvet" voice and percussion stylings of Neon as well as leader/guitarist/vocalist Mike Wilhelm, who is the author and performer of two songs on the Grammy-nominated Rhino Records four-CD boxed set “Love Is the Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965 – 1970.”

Also featured are the hot tenor sax solos of James "Jimmy the Lion" Leonardis.

The Blue Wing is located on Main Street, Upper Lake adjacent to the Tallman Hotel and is open every day from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m.

For further information go to www.bluewingsaloon.com . For further information about Mike Wilhelm go to www.flyingsnail.com/Scrapbook/Mike_Wilhelm.html and for live performance videos go to www.youtube.com/themonkeybeat .

LAKEPORT – The Lake County Arts Council will offer a one-day abstract painting workshop from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010.

The class will be held at the Main Street Gallery, located at 325 N. Main St. in Lakeport.

The workshop will be led by John Eells and participants will complete one large, colorful, acrylic abstract painting measuring 18 inches by 24 inches in the course of the day.

Cost of the workshop will be $35 per person plus some materials.

The workshop will be limited to seven participants so that individual attention can be given.

A signup sheet and a list of materials will be placed in the Main Street Gallery. They will approach the workshop in a spirit of relaxation and play.

For more information, please call the gallery at 707-263-6658.

LAKEPORT – John Parkinson, director and conductor of the Lake County Symphony, plans to deliver a Christmas concert that will rival anything seen and heard north of the Golden Gate, according to Paul Brewer, president of Clear Lake Performing Arts (CLPA), the orchestra's sponsoring group.

The concert will take place at 3 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 20, at Lakeport's Clear Lake High School on Lange Street.

Brewer of CLPA, which underwrites the symphony, says he's aware that many local residents do not even know Lake County boasts one of the finest such orchestras in Northern California.

“Many people think they need to go to San Francisco or Santa Rosa for great symphonic music, when all they need to do is visit the Marge Alakszay Auditorium at Clear Lake High School on Dec. 20,” he said.

Parkinson has chosen a mostly-secular program of holiday favorites opening with a trio consisting of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Winter Wonderland."

This will be followed by what is likely one of the most popular Christmas classics ever composed, "The Nutcracker Suite."

The 60-plus members of the orchestra will render all seven numbers of Tchaikovsky's fairy tale about Little Clara and her Christmas dreams – or are they dreams?

They are "The March of the Nutcracker," "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," "Trepak," "Arabian Dance," "Chinese Dance," "Danse of the Mirlitons" and "Waltz of the Flowers."

Returning to more contemporary music, Parkinson will then lead the orchestra through "Frosty the Snowman," "A Charlie Brown Christmas Medley," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas medley" and "March of the Toys" from the movie "Babes in Toyland."

After intermission it's the turn of Lake County's young people to show off their musical abilities starting with the sister-brother duo of Laura (fiddle) and Darin (cello) Smith playing a Christmas medley, followed by the CLPA Youth Orchestra, under the direction of Wes Follett with "Holiday Hoedown" – their own Christmas medley.

In what is becoming a symphony tradition, Conductor Parkinson will then provide a baton, which will be auctioned off with the winning bidder earning the right to use it in conducting the full symphony in a rousing rendition of "Stars and Stripes" by John Phillips Sousa.

The winning bidder may choose to delegate conducting duties to another person, perhaps an aspiring member of the CLPA Youth Orchestra, or even to Parkinson himself.

Popular jazz vocalist Paula Samonte will then join the orchestra in singing four more holiday standards, including "Christmas Time is Here," "The Christmas Song," "White Christmas" and "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow."

Following "Greensleeves" another Lake County tradition kicks in, with audience sing-a-longs of a medley of holiday favorites. Then comes Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride" (complete with horse whinny and crack of the whip) and the concluding Hallelujah Chorus with the audience joining the orchestra in rendering Handel's music from "The Messiah."

"The Christmas concert is always a family favorite" Brewer says. "We encourage everyone to come and bring the kids.”

Admission for young people under the age of 18 is free. Admission for members of the general public is $20, and $15 for CLPA members.

For more information call Connel Murray at 707-277-7076.