UPPER LAKE, Calif. – On July 1, 1863, two giant armies collided near the little town of Gettysburg, Penn.

After three days of fighting, and over 50,000 casualties, the biggest battle ever in the Western Hemisphere ended with the Confederate army of Robert E. Lee retreating after being defeated by the Northern Federal army of Gen. George Meade.

Commonly known as the Confederate “High Water Mark,” it began a slow decline of Southern fortunes that led to their final defeat two years later.

This epic battle will be the headline topic at the next Redwood Empire Civil War Roundtable on Tuesday, July 2, 6:15 p.m., at the Tallman Hotel in historic Upper Lake.

Local historian Zane Jensen will review the three-day battle and lead a discussion on various “what-ifs” that could have changed the outcome of the battle, and by extension, the future of the country.

Jensen has visited the battlefield numerous times and has done exhaustive research on the battle and it's participants. He combines personal photos with archived pictures, animated maps, and video to give a full multimedia presentation.

The Redwood Empire Civil War Roundtable was formed to honor the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War and meets on the first Monday of each month to review the events that month 150 years ago.

Admission is free, all are welcome. For more information, contact Zane Jensen 707-349-6390 or Phil Smoley at 707-264-4905.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – On Friday, July 19, and Saturday, July 20, Legal Services of Northern California will provide two free legal clinics to residents of Mendocino and Lake Counties wanting help with their U.S. citizenship applications.  

Lawful permanent residents (green card holders) can meet with trained community volunteers and immigration attorneys for assistance with their naturalization applications and for information about the naturalization process.

This is LSNC’s third annual Path to Citizenship Day, and the first year a clinic will be offered in Lake County.  

The clinics will be held on Friday, July 19, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the offices of LSNC, located at 421 N. Oak St., Ukiah, and on Saturday, July 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the United Methodist Church, located at 3810 Main St., Kelseyville.

Appointments are strongly encouraged but are not necessary to attend either event. For an appointment or any questions regarding what documents participants should bring, call 707-513-1026.

The Path to Citizenship Day Legal Clinics are hosted in cooperation with Congressman Jared Huffman, Congressman Mike Thompson, State Senator Noreen Evans, Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro, Assemblymember Mariko Yamada, MendoLake Credit Union, Savings Bank of Mendocino County, and North Coast Opportunities Inc.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Lake County Rockhounds will meet on Wednesday, July 3.

The group's meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Redbud Library, 14785 Burns Valley Road in Clearlake.

The July program will include sharing members' most unusual, interesting or favorite rocks.

Interested members of the public are welcome to attend. For those wishing to join the Rockhounds, annual club dues are $15.

For more information contact J. Anderson at 707-995-1189.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Green Knights will be gathering on Thursday, June 27.

The group will meet from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Round Table Pizza, 821 11th St. in Lakeport,

There will be no host food and drinks available for purchase.

The Green Knights are dedicated to doing good in their community to make it a better place to live.

No membership fees are required, everyone is welcome.

For more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-263-3391.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Lake County Horse Council is proud to present the second annual Fiesta of the Horse on Sunday, June 30.

Parking opens at 1 p.m., the show begins at 1:30 p.m. at Rancho de la Fuente, 2290 Soda Bay Road, between Lakeport and Kelseyville.

Like last year's debut entertainment, there will be musical acts involving dancing horses, the Clear Lake Junior Horsemen Drill Team, adorable mini horses performing a musical quadrille, exciting equestrian sports such as jousting, exotic breed demos, colorful costumes and a Wild West comedy act featuring legendary sharp-shooter Annie Oakley, all packed into 90 exciting minutes.

There is no admission charge for this fun, family-oriented event.

Some chairs and awnings are provided to shade the audience, but since the crowd might be large, consider bringing your own lawn chairs or umbrellas for shade. Please do not bring dogs (or other animals).

For additional information, contact Deb Baumann at 707-275-9234.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On April 24, as part of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Lake Family Resource Center’s Rape Crisis Center sponsored “Denim Day-Lake County.”

SayNoToViolence.Org explains that “Denim Day grew out of a 1998 Italian Supreme Court decision that overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore skinny jeans. The judge reasoned the victim’s tight jeans meant that she helped her assailant remove them, implying consent. People all over the world were outraged, and wearing jeans became an international symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes and myths surrounding sexual assault, thus, Denim Day was born.”

Lake Family Resource Center would like to thank all of the “Denim Day-Lake County” participating organizations for their support of sexual assault victim/survivors  and making it a huge success.

Those organizations include Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Twin Pine Casino, the Lake County District Attorney's Office and its Victim-Witness Division, Lake County Administration, County Counsel's Office, Lake County Board of Supervisors, courthouse employees, Kathy Fowler Chevrolet, Healthy Start, St. Helena Hospital, Lake County Probation, Yuba College, First Five,  Konocti Vista Casino, Tribal TANF, Lucerne Senior Center, Clearlake Senior Center, Umpqua Bank - Lakeport, West America Bank - Lakeport, National Bank of the Redwoods - Lakeport, Bank of America - Lakeport, Mendo Lake Credit Union - Lakeport, Washington Mutual Bank - Lakeport, Bank of the West - Lakeport, Dr. Dhanda’s office, Clearlake Dental, Mendocino Community Health Center, United Christian Perish, Taco Bell - Lakeport, Kentucky Fried Chicken - Lakeport and Lower Lake.  

Altogether 2,056 pins, 299 flyers and 57 posters were distributed to the community.

Lake Family Resource Center also received a cash donation from Umpqua Bank in Lakeport and from Mendocino Community Health Center.  These organizations playfully “fined” staff for “break(ing) the dress code and break(ing) the silence (the Denim Day tag line).

Lake Family Resource Center Rape Crisis Center offers free services including a 24/7 Community Crisis Line (1-888-485-7733) answered by trained sexual assault advocates.  

The Rape Crisis Center provides individual counseling, support, education, safety plans, hospital /law enforcement accompaniment and advocacy for all victims of sexual assault.

If you would like to make a donation or have any questions regarding Denim Day please contact Gina Pilat at 707-279-0563, Extension 203, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Gina Pilat is a Rape Crisis Center advocate for Lake Family Resource Center in Lake County, Calif.