LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Sons In Retirement organization has announced two travel outings during the first quarter.

Both outings are open to the general public.

One of the planned excursions is the snow train trip to Reno on March 30, 31 and April 1.

There are two options available. The first includes a bus from Clearlake, two nights at the Eldorado, a cocktail party, a short excursion to Virginia City (weather permitting) a dinner/show “Foot Loose,” a great musical at the Eldorado.

Those who choose may include Amtrak through the snowy Sierras from Sacramento to Reno (one-way). The package cost is $204 per person double occupancy.

The second option is to take the bus only round trip, with the cost being $158 per person double occupancy.

The other outing is a day at the races and includes bus only round trip to the Golden Gate Fields races on Thursday, Feb. 25.

Again, the bus leaves Clearlake about 9 a.m., arrives at the “track” about 11:30 a.m., with lunch upon arrival at the exclusive Turf Club where they dine buffet style on meat and fish entrées while watching the thoroughbreds race.

The trip is $59 per person and the view of both bridges is fantastic.

Call Bob at 707-279-0187 or Bill at 707-277-8846.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Fair Board will meet on Monday, Feb. 22.

The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. at the fairgrounds administration office, 401 Martin St., Lakeport.

Action items include approval of the Livestock Auction contingency reserve percentage and setting the date of the appreciation dinner.

A discussion of the upcoming county fair – times, admission prices, carnival and grandstand entertainment – will be held.

There also will be committee reports, a strategic planning session followup, an update on the Lake County Fair Foundation and the chief executive officer's report.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The regular meeting of the Clearlake Planning Commission and Park and Recreation Committee scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 16, has been canceled.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for March 1.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – At the January meeting of the South Lake County Fire Sirens (SLCFS) the 2016 slate of officers were announced just prior to the installation luncheon held at the Middletown Senior Center earlier this month.

South Lake County Fire Chief Jim Wright was on hand to read the duties and responsibilities of each official SLCFS position.

Also in attendance were Fire Board Member Jim Comiskey and Administrative Assistant Gloria Fong from the South Lake County Fire station.

Pat Hallman will serve as SLCFS president; Carol Olsen was reappointed as second vice president; Jeanne Netherwood will continue to serve SLCFS as secretary and Fran Rand, new to the board, has accepted the position of treasurer. The first vice president position remains vacant.

Outgoing board members Jeanne Cordeiro and Ruth Angst were recognized for their commitment to SLCFS.

Cordeiro, former president of the organization, and her husband Al, lost their Cobb home during the Valley fire and have relocated to Sonoma County.

Angst, a Hidden Valley Lake resident, served as SLCFS treasurer for the past 10 years and has decided to retire from those duties. Both will continue as Fire Siren members.

Other business conducted included the awarding of the annual SLCFS Star of Excellence Award. It went to both Cordeiro and Netherwood for their outstanding service to the Fires Sirens and its mission.

“The mission of the SLCFS is to raise funds to purchase equipment and supplies and to assist the South Lake County Fire Department wherever we are able,” states Fire Sirens President Pat Hallman. 

Since its inception over 30 years ago, the SLCFS has raised more than $300,000 to meet that goal.

“The efforts of the members of this unique organization help to save lives daily, through their fundraising efforts, the Fire Sirens have made possible the purchase of life saving equipment so that this fire department can better serve the community,” said Fire Chief Jim Wright.

SLCFS also runs the Fire Siren Thrift Shop located at 21095 Highway 175, Middletown. The Fire Siren Thrift Shop, “Second Hand But Grand,” is open every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The next SLCFS meeting will be on April 4 at the Middletown Fire Station. All interested community members are welcome to attend.

SLCFS meetings are held monthly on the first Monday of the month. A coffee social kicks off the morning at 9:30 a.m. and the meeting begins at 10 a.m.

For more information contact Pat Hallman at 707-987-3991.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Tickets are on sale for the annual Soroptimist Spring Fling on March 12 at the Twin Pine Event Center in Middletown.

Doors open at 11:30 a.m. The event includes lunch, silent and live auctions, a basket raffle and a guest speaker. Proceeds fund local programs benefiting women and girls.

The featured speaker for this year’s event is Sandra Millers Younger, author of “The Fire Outside My Window: A Survivor Tells the True Story of California’s Epic Cedar Fire,” which has been acclaimed as required reading for residents of wildfire country, and adopted as a training text for top-level emergency response manager and incident commanders.

Younger lost her home, 12 neighbors and nearly her own life in the Cedar Fire – the biggest known wildfire in California history – which ravaged San Diego County in 2003, burning 280,000 acres, destroying more than 2,200 homes and killing 15 people.

Today, as a speaker and founder of ComeBACK Solutions Intl., Younger works with disaster survivors and emergency response leaders to promote resilience – the quality that transforms disasters, loss and trauma into growth, opportunity and global impact.

She and her husband Bob were featured in the NBC Dateline special “Escape: The Great California Fire.” She also was featured a speaker at the recent National Association of Foresters Conference.

Sponsor tables are available and individual tickets are $40 each. Lunch includes meat and vegetarian dishes, beverages and the Soroptimist famous dessert bar. Send payment to SI Clear Lake, P.O. Box 7167, Clearlake, CA 95422.

For more information, call President Olga Martin Steele at 707-998-1302.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Citizens Caring for Clearlake is inviting the public to a cleanup event on Sunday, Feb. 14.

Beginning at 8 a.m., the group will meet at Borax Lake on Sulphur Bank Road in Clearlake to clean up any illegal dumping in the area.

Work will take place along Sulphur Bank Road.