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LAKE COUNTY – Local veterans groups will hold commemorations this weekend in honor of service men and women who have served the United States during peace time or in war.
Memorial ceremonies will begin with a 9 a.m. event on Saturday at Kelseyville Cemetery. Also on Saturday, the United Veterans Council's Military Funeral Honors Team will participate in the Lakeport Memorial Day Parade, according to firing party commander Rich Feiro.
On Monday, Feiro reported that ceremonies will take place at all the county's cemeteries. At 7:45 a.m. the flag will be raised at Lakeport's Hartley Cemetery; and a 9 a.m. ceremony will take place at Lower Lake Cemetery followed by another ceremony at Veterans Bridge, also in Lower Lake.
An annual Memorial Day Wreath Ceremony with prayers and taps will be held at 9 a.m. at the Middletown Cemetery at 16357 Butts Canyon Road. David Neft will supply the music. Call 987-0511 for more information.
The Upper Lake Cemetery's services will start at 11 a.m. Monday, and the Hartley ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m., according to Feiro. The day's final service, a retreat ceremony, will begin at 4:15 p.m. at Veterans Circle at Hartley Cemetery.
As part of the county's commemoration of its veterans, the Avenue of Flags will be flown at Hartley, Lower Lake and Upper Lake cemeteries on Memorial Day, according to Frank Parker of the United Veterans Council.
The Avenue of Flags Association officially formed in May 1976, according to information furnished by Parker. Its first flying took place on May 30, 1976, at Hartley Cemetery.
Parker said among the three participating cemeteries a total of 800 flags – which once decorated the caskets of veterans – will be flown. The avenue is flown twice a year – Memorial Day and Veterans Day – with veterans' families loaning the flags to the Avenue of Flags Association for the display.
The flags will go up at 7 a.m. and be taken down at 4 p.m., said Parker. Community members and groups are invited to take part.
“We'd like to have the public come out and give us a hand putting the flags up,” he said. “It's a lot of fun.”
An honor guard will stand by during the day to keep watch on the three avenues, Parker explained.
For more information or to volunteer contact the following Avenue of Flags organizers: Frank Parker, Upper Lake Cemetery, 274-9512; Dean Gotham, Hartley Cemetery, 350-1159; Joel Moore, Lower Lake Cemetery, 994-5342.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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The Summit Fire began early Thursday morning and already has burned 3,000 acres, according to Cal Fire officials. Its cause is under investigation.
Cal Fire reported Thursday that a strike team consisting of 16 personnel and five engines, three strike teams of crews totaling 37 people, and a strike team of two bulldozers and three personnel were dispatched from the Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit to the fire, which is located in both Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.
A retinue of red Cal Fire trucks and personnel could be seen driving along Highway 20 toward Williams at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
Santa Cruz County spokesperson Dinah Phillips reported that as of Thursday night the Summit Fire had resulted in 336 mandatory and 1,400 voluntary evacuations, closed numerous roads, and resulted in downed trees and widespread power outages.
The fire, which Phillips said is moving toward the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, caused area schools to be closed Friday due to air quality concerns.
About a dozen people and 200 horses were being sheltered at area fairgrounds, Phillips added.
Santa Cruz County issued a proclamation of existence of a local emergency, with the proclamation sent to the governor and to the state Office of Emergency Services Thursday morning, according to Phillips.
Cal Fire reports that the fire is 15-percent contained. Phillips added that two smaller fires nearby were contained earlier.
Firefighting resources working to contain the scene include more than 500 firefighters, four fire crews, 65 engines, seven air tankers, three helicopters, 15 bulldozers and nine water tenders, according to Cal Fire. Approximately 500 homes and 20 businesses are currently threatened.
According to Cal Fire, its resources are coordinated on a statewide basis and can be moved at a moment’s notice to locations across the state.
In an initial response to an emergency, the agency reported that it uses the closest resources and backfills by moving personnel and equipment from unaffected areas of the state (move up and cover).
Cal Fire reported that, in anticipation of an early start to the fire season, the Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit made the decision to bring resources to match fuel and weather conditions. This includes seasonal employees such as firefighters to staff engines and staff the Sonoma Air Attack Base.
Since opening on May 14, Cal Fire reported that its aircraft have responded to local fires (Geysers and the “Tar” off St. Helena Road) as well as fire activity in neighboring counties.
The Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit currently has nine engines, four bulldozers and three fire crews available locally, and has placed orders for additional equipment, Cal Fire reported. The Sonoma Air Attack Base is currently reloading air tankers in support of the Summit Fire and others.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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Parades are planned in Lakeport on Saturday and Lower Lake on Sunday.
Lakeport’s Annual Memorial Day Parade will commence at 11 a.m. sharp on Main Street on Saturday, May 24.
The very warm and familiar voice of Paul Reading will be heard as parade announcer, according to Chamber President Kenny Parlet. Judges this year are Ted Mandrones, Piedmont Lumber Marketing Director; Chuck Holder, owner of Holder Ford Mercury; and Leslie Firth, owner of The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport and president of the Lakeport Main Street Association.
Entering Main at Martin Street and traveling north to Clear Lake Avenue, the parade is anticipated to have more than 60 entries reflecting the theme “Celebrate America’s Heroes.” The 2008 winners of the Stars of Lake County Community Awards have been invited to be the grand marshals for the parade.
The parade is sanctioned by the California State Horsemen’s Association, which presents an opportunity for equestrians to earn points for the CSHA annual award. Kim Cipro of Hidden Valley Lake is the sanctioned CSHA judge for the parade.
The event is sponsored by Westamerica Bank, Holder Ford Mercury and the Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce and Piedmont Lumber and Nursery, who once again is providing the Judges Stage in front of the Lake County Museum as they have done for over 15 years.
The chamber requests members of the public honor the “No Parking” signs, which will be posted on Main Street from First Street to Fourth Street, calling for no parking during the hours of 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday. This area will allow unobstructed views of the parade for spectators.
The annual 4-H Pancake Breakfast at Natural High School on Main Street will be hosted again this year from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday by the Lakeport Kiwanis who also sponsor a two-day craft faire at the same location. Also at Natural High, the Early Lake Lions will have their hamburger barbecue.
On Sunday May 25th, the Lake County Corvette Club will have a Corvette Only Show on Park and 2nd Streets between 1st and 3rd Streets, next to Library Park.
Lower Lake holds its Lower Lake Daze Parade on beginning at noon on Sunday, May 25. Activities will take place in town all afternoon, ending at 4 p.m.
The Lower Lake Community Action Committee's plans include a petting zoo, food and craft vendors, face painting, kids games, pony rides, a barbecue, music during the afternoon and a raffle. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit community projects.
Following the parade, all activities are in the park behind the new firehouse. Call Lonne Sloan at 995-2515 for more information on the Lower Lake activities, or the Lakeport Chamber at 263-5092 for more on Saturday's events.
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On Wednesday, James Doyle Henson, 52, received a sentence of eight years in state prison from Judge Steven Hedstrom for failing to register as a sex offender, according to a report from Deputy District Attorney John DeChaine, who prosecuted the case.
In 1987, Henson was convicted in Sacramento County of committing a lewd or lascivious act on a child under the age of 14, requiring him to register, DeChaine reported. Prior to his sentencing date, Henson was held in custody on bail set in the amount of $100,000.
State authorities were not aware that Henson was residing in Lake County until April 2007, when he was discovered living in Clearlake, according to DeChaine. State law requires that certain convicted sex offenders, including Henson, register within five working days of changing residences.
DeChaine said that, despite Henson’s initial denials, the investigation – led by Detective Martin Snyder of the Clearlake Police Department – revealed that Henson was residing in Lake County since approximately December 2006 without having properly notified authorities. The investigation further revealed that Henson was not registered anywhere in California.
Henson’s failure to register is, according to DeChaine, arguably the most serious type of registration violation because his failure to comply with the law prohibited law enforcement from monitoring his whereabouts, a key safety component of the law.
On March 21 Henson pleaded no contest to failing to register as a sex offender, and he admitted that he had suffered a prior strike conviction and two prior prison terms, DeChaine reported. One prior prison term resulted from Henson’s 1997 felony conviction in Yolo County for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The second prior prison term arose from the 1987 felony conviction in Sacramento County that is the basis for his registration requirement.
Judge Hedstrom sentenced Henson to the maximum term of three years in prison for failing to register. However, because Henson admitted the prior strike conviction, his prison sentence of three years doubled to six years, DeChaine explained. Furthermore, because he admitted to suffering two prior prison terms, his six-year sentence was enhanced to a total of eight years.
The admission of the prior strike conviction also mandates that Henson will not be eligible for parole until he serves at least 80 percent of his eight-year prison commitment, DeChaine said. Had Henson not been required to admit a prior strike conviction, he would have been eligible for parole after serving only 50 percent of his time.
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