LAKEPORT, Calif. – Members of Sons in Retirement Branch 168 and their guest will celebrate the holidays with a dinner dance on Sunday, Dec. 16, at the Lakeport Family Fun Center.

Cocktails will be at 5 p.m. with dinner being served at 6 p.m.

The menu includes a choice of prime rib or salmon. Disc jockey Tony Neves will provide the entertainment as he has in the past.

Next year’s schedule of activities include biweekly golf tournaments at North Bay courses and out of town tournaments in Reno and in Monterey.

The travel committee is working on plans for a trip to Reno on the Snow Train in February, a visit to the Asian Art Museum to see the “Terracotta Warriors” exhibit in March, a trip to the horse races in April or May along with trips to see shows and plays later in the year.

Sons In Retirement is a public benefit organization that provides for the welfare of retired men from all walks of life who are pursuing a common goal, namely, the enjoyment of their later years with dignity and pride, by assisting these senior citizens to renew former friendships and associations, and affording them the opportunity to make new friends through association with other retired men, who also face the particular problems that confront men upon their retirement.

Branch 168 meets on the second Friday of each month. Their next luncheon will take place at the

Konocti Vista Casino, located at 2755 Mission Rancheria Road in Lakeport at noon on Friday, Jan. 11.

Anyone interested in learning more about Sons In Retirement is encouraged to contact Larry Powers, chair of the membership committee at 707-263-3403 or visit the state Web site at www.sirinc.org .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – It is that special time of year again. A time for being thankful, spending time with friends and family, and giving.

Every year, Lakeport Grocery Outlet teams up with Evergreen Lakeport Healthcare to help make Christmas special for the Evergreen senior residents.

The store currently has a beautifully decorated Christmas tree in its wine department; the tree is loaded with ornamental tags. Shoppers are asked to stop by and grab a tag from the “angel tree.”

Each tag represents one of the senior residents at Evergreen. On those tags, you will find details such as the gender of the person and a few things they are wishing to receive for Christmas.

If you should find it in your heart to provide a gift for someone on our giving tree, please wrap the gift, attach the ornamental tag to the gift for identification of the recipient and either deliver to the Lakeport Grocery Outlet front office or to Evergreen Lakeport Healthcare no later than Friday, Dec. 21.

Your kindness and generosity will mean the world to a senior at Christmas.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Be sure to bring your kids or grandkids to visit Santa, enjoy Holiday goodies and listen to local musicians at the Saturday, Dec. 8, annual Christmas at the Ranch Open House at the Anderson Marsh State Historic Park near Lower Lake.

The event will take place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Santa Claus will be there to greet children and Christmas songs will be performed by local entertainers with the public invited to join in.

Music starts at 10 a.m. with members of the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association (AMIA) playing, followed by David Neft at 11 a.m. then Harry Lyons, Tom Nixon, Rick McCann, and others playing at noon. Joan Moss will arrive at 1 p.m. to close out the fun day of music and Christmas cheer.

This is a great opportunity to visit the historical ranch house at the park. This event has been a favorite holiday tradition for many years and is continuing this year with the help of many local volunteers and members of the AMIA who sponsor the event.

The public is warmly invited to attend this traditional, relaxed, and fun holiday event. Join the volunteers of the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association for an old-fashioned Christmas open house at the ranch.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The town of Upper Lake will hold its annual holiday celebration in downtown on Saturday, Dec. 8.

The free event will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Main Street.

The tree lighting will take place at 6 p.m., followed by a holiday light parade at 6:30 p.m.

The evening also will feature caroling, a 4-H barbecue and refreshments.

Santa also will arrive to take Christmas wishes and photos.

The event is sponsored by Westamerica Bank and the Upper Lake Community Council, and is a benefit for the Upper Lake Auxiliary Fire Department Toy Drive.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Continuum of Care is looking for volunteers to conduct an annual countywide homeless count on Friday, Jan. 25, 2013.  

Volunteers will work side-by-side with expert homeless service providers.  

They will drive and walk through assigned routes from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The goal is to canvass the entire service territory and seek individuals and families who have challenges securing permanent housing.

The purpose of the homeless count is so that the county can seek grant funding from state and federal agencies.  

This count of the county’s homeless population helps to confirm the need for these funds, and can be used to adjust service needs as appropriate.

For further information or to volunteer please contact Chris Taliaferro at the Employment Development Department, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or 707-262-3111.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Get ready for Christmas with the help of the Friends of Lake County Library.

The group will have gift bags for sale at the Lakeport Library, 1425 High St.

This is the perfect gift for friends and family members who enjoy reading mysteries, fiction, historical novels, romance, health and animal nature books.

The gift bags also can be designed to your specific taste. You need to allow a week to complete your order. Your purchase will be gift wrapped in a book bag with clear cellophane and nicely decorated.

The cost is $25 per gift bag.

Please stop by and view some of the samples. You will not only be giving a gift to remember, but will also be supporting your local library, which needs your participation and your help.

The library is a wonderful source of entertainment and information for children, groups and individuals. You can find practically anything you can imagine at the library.

The Our library system is designed to allow you to order books from your home base, at http://library.co.lake.ca.us or by visiting the library and browsing to your heart’s content.