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- Written by: Lake County News reports
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Upper Lake will celebrate its Western heritage at the annual Wild West Day on Saturday, June 2.
In its 19th year, the celebration features barbecue, Western wear contests, antique tractors, a parade, street dancing and even an opportunity to ride “Rocky” the mechanical bull.
The Blue Canyon Gang will perform their gunslinging Western show at high noon and again on the hour until 4 p.m.
Upper Lake is noted for its authentic Western feel with covered sidewalks, antique stores and a hotel that was a stage stop in the 1800s.
The festival is popular with the community and visitors thanks to the wide array of merchants, as well as the tri-tip barbecue and pancake breakfast by the Northshore Fire Support and the Upper Lake Community Council.
The Upper Lake FFA will have strawberry shortcake dessert and root beer floats crafted by the members of the North Shore Business Association.
Wild West Day was started in 1993 by a group of merchants and community members to help the volunteer fire department with the purchase of the jaws of life while concurrently celebrating the Upper Lake post office’s 135th anniversary.
The event has continued and is now sponsored by the Northshore Fire Protection District, the Upper Lake Community Council and the Northshore Business Association.
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Along with millions of others, Lake County residents were looking up on Sunday thanks to the annular eclipse.
For just over an hour – from about 5:30 p.m. to a little after 6:30 p.m. – the Moon passed in front of the sun, coving up to 94 percent of it.
While it wasn't safe to look directly at the eclipse, resourceful sky watchers used welding masks and special glasses to capture images of the event.
The effects of the eclipse also were noticeable in the crescent-shaped sunbeams on the sides of homes and on the ground, and an eerie dimming sky.
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – It was another big year for the annual Catfish Derby, with a record turnout and participants coming from nine states to take part.
The 29th annual derby – billed as the biggest event of its kind west of the Mississippi – took place this past Friday through Sunday, sponsored by the Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Business Association.
Dennis Locke, a member of the organizing team, said the derby was “a huge success,” with near-perfect weather and fishing conditions, and more than $8,500 in cash and merchandise awarded to derby contestants.
Carla Meza of Yuba City won the adult division and took home a $4,000 cash prize, according to Locke.
She brought in a 23.82-pound fish she caught at Clear Lake State Park using cut mackerel as bait, Locke said.
Meza would later return her fish to Clear Lake, according to derby records.
Triton Marlowe of Clearlake Oaks won the children's division – and took home a Nintendo Wii gaming system – for bringing in a 16.26-pound fish that he caught in the Clear Lake Keys using chicken livers, Locke reported.
Locke said there were 693 entries – 580 for the adult event and 113 for the children's derby – which he said was easily a record turnout.
This year's contestants weighed 276 fish totaling approximately 3,574.10 pounds, which Locke said also was a derby record.
He said some contestants reported catching and releasing as many as 10 to 15 smaller catfish in one day.
Visitors made up the largest number of participants, with 419 out-of-county entries – or 60 percent – coming from nine different states, and as far away as Massachusetts and Mississippi, to fish in Clear Lake, Locke said. Approximately 274 entries came from Lake County.
The annual catfish derby is the major fundraiser for the Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Business Association.
All proceeds are given back to the community in the form of donations, scholarships, grants and funding for the annual July 4 fireworks.
The list of winners in the two divisions follows.
ADULT DIVISION
1. Carla Meza, Yuba City; fish caught May 18 at 11:07 p.m., weighed 23.82 pounds
2. Joel Giusti, Yuba City; fish caught May 20 at 8:52 a.m., weighed 23.10 pounds
3. John Bybee, Yuba City; fish caught May 19 at 2:43 p.m., weighed 21.80 pounds
4. Bryan Van Lingen, Kelseyville; fish caught May 20 at 11:02 a.m., weighed 20.44 pounds
5. Joe Anderson, San Pablo; fish caught May 18 at 7:37 p.m., weighed 20.07 pounds
6. Matthew Ross, Clearlake; fish caught May 20 at 11:44 a.m., weighed 19.62 pounds
7. Tim Zanolini, Santa Rosa; fish caught May 19 at 1:25 p.m., weighed 19.42 pounds
8. Owen Sunke, Forestville; fish caught May 20 at 9:10 a.m., weighed 19.21 pounds
9. Cory West, Yuba City; fish caught May 20 at 8:03 a.m., weighed 18.46 pounds
10. Brandon Holt, Elk Grove; fish caught May 20 at 8:02 a.m., weighed 18.39 pounds
11. Jack Scott, Gerber; fish caught May 18 at 2:40 p.m., weighed 18.14 pounds
12. Kristal Harris, Clearlake; fish caught May 20 at 11:44 a.m., weighed 18.10 pounds
13. Tim G Bybee, Yuba City; fish caught May 19 at 9:49 a.m., weighed 18.01 pounds
14. Gregory Walker, Richmond; fish caught May 19 at 5:34 p.m., weighed 17.93 pounds
15. Alan Brobst, Napa; fish caught May 19 at 1:13 p.m., weighed 17.73 pounds
16. Frederick Stewart, West Sacramento; fish caught May 19 at 12:14 p.m., weighed 17.41 pounds
17. Mathew Reed, Taylorsville; fish caught May 18 at 10:26 p.m., weighed 17.20 pounds
18. Edward Black, Clearlake; fish caught May 20 at 11:44 a.m., weighed 17.18 pounds
19. Zack Zanolini, Santa Rosa; fish caught May 18 at 9:07 p.m., weighed 17.02 pounds
20. Robert Cummings, Lakeport; fish caught May 18 at 2:41 p.m., weighed 16.99 pounds
CHILDREN'S DIVISION
1. Triton Marlowe, Clearlake Oaks; fish caught May 19 at 9:41 p.m., weighed 16.36 pounds
2. Kaya Albrecht, Santa Rosa; fish caught May 20 at 12:10 p.m., weighed 15.89 pounds
3. Jason Meza, Yuba City; fish caught May 18 at 11:07 p.m., weighed 15.72 pounds
4. Parker Kenner, Lakeport; fish caught May 19 at 3:57 p.m., weighed 15.71 pounds
5. Dominic Lane, Hood River, Ore.; fish caught May 19 at 2:30 p.m., weighed 15.68 pounds
FISH STATISTICS
Friday, May 18
Total fish caught: 60
Total fish kept: 30
Total weight of fish caught: 768.80 pounds
Total weight of fish kept: 372.28 pounds
Largest fish released: 23.82 pounds (derby winning fish)
Largest fish kept: 17.93 pounds
Saturday, May 19
Total fish caught: 90
Total fish kept: 23
Total weight of fish caught: 1159.8 pounds
Total weight of fish kept: 287.64 pounds
Largest fish released: 19.42 pounds
Largest fish kept: 21.80 pounds
Sunday, May 20
Total fish caught: 53
Total fish kept: 20
Total weight of fish caught: 737.71 pounds
Total weight of fish kept: 247.82 pounds
Largest fish released: 23.10 pounds
Largest fish kept: 16.60 pounds
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The latest reports on unemployment show some good news for Lake County, California and the nation.
The California Employment Development Department's Friday report showed that California’s unemployment rate decreased to 10.9 percent in April from 11 percent in March and 11.8 percent in April 2011.
The report also showed that nonfarm payroll jobs decreased by 4,200 in California in April for a total gain of 385,600 jobs since the recovery began in September 2009.
Lake County's April unemployment rate was 15.6 percent, down 1.3 percentage points from the revised March rate of 16.9 percent and down 1.7 percentage points from the year-ago April 2011 rate, according to Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department's North Coast Region Labor Market Information Division.
The April rate earned Lake County a ranking of No. 43 out of the state's 58 counties, the same ranking as in March.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the United States' unemployment rate decreased in April to 8.1 percent from 8.2 percent in March and was down from 9 percent in April 2011.
Neighboring Colusa County ranked No. 57 with 22.6 percent, while Glenn came in at No. 45 with 15.7 percent; Mendocino, No. 19, 10.5 percent; Napa, No. 8, 8.3 percent; Sonoma, No. 9, 8.6 percent; and Yolo, No. 30, 12.3 percent.
In April Marin County continued to hold onto its No. 1 ranking for lowest unemployment, 6.4 percent. Imperial County had the highest unemployment, 26.8 percent, according to the report.
Mullins said Lake County's total wage and salary employment increased by 10 jobs between March and April.
Lake is up 490 jobs over the year with eight industry sectors gaining or unchanged and three declining, he said.
Year-over job growth occurred in farm, 410; trade, transportation and utilities, 100; professional and business services, 10; other services, 20; government, 40, according to Mullins.
He said the information, financial activities, and leisure and hospitality had no change over the year.
Industry sectors that saw decline over the year included mining, logging and construction, and private educational and health services, which lost 40 jobs, and manufacturing, which was 10 jobs down, Mullins said.
The Employment Development Department said in its Friday report that there were 552,163 people receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the April survey week, compared with 570,089 in March and 584,141 in April 2011.
New claims for unemployment insurance were 63,212 in April, compared with 55,393 in March and 63,739 in April of last year, the agency said.
State, federal surveys offer unemployment pictures
Nonfarm jobs in California totaled 14,237,000 in April, a decrease of 4,200 jobs over the month, according to a survey of 42,000 California businesses.
That state survey showed a year-over-year change – from April 2011 to April 2012 – of 175,600 jobs, up 1.2 percent.
A federal survey of 5,500 California households showed an increase in the number of employed people.
It estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in April was 16,476,000, an increase of 20,000 from March, and up 296,000 from the employment total in April of last year, the Employment Development Department said.
The number of people unemployed in California was 2,007,000 – down by 24,000 over the month, and down by 164,000 compared with April of last year, based on the survey findings.
The Employment Development Department's report on payroll employment – wage and salary jobs – showed that jobs in the nonfarm industries of California totaled 14,237,000 in April, a net loss of 4,200 jobs since the March survey, following a gain of 22,100 jobs in March.
The report showed that four categories – mining and logging; trade, transportation and utilities; professional and business services; and other services – added jobs over the month, gaining 19,100 jobs. Professional and business services posted the largest increase over the month, adding 12,700 jobs.
Seven categories – construction; manufacturing; information; financial activities; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and government – reported job declines over the month, down 23,300 jobs, the report showed. Construction posted the largest decrease over the month, down 6,700 jobs.
In a year-over-year comparison – April 2011 to April 2012 – nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 175,600 jobs, up 1.2 percent, the report showed.
Other findings in the report: Eight categories – mining and logging; construction; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; and leisure and hospitality – posted job gains over the year, adding 231,100 jobs.
Professional and business services posted the largest gain on both a numerical and percentage basis, adding 80,600 jobs, up 3.8 percent, according to the report.
Three categories – manufacturing; other services; and government – posted job declines over the year, down 55,500 jobs, the report said. Government posted the largest decline on both a numerical and percentage basis, down by 43,200 jobs, a 1.8 percent decrease.
Email Elizabeth Larson at