Steele Wines to host Fantasy Fest
FINLEY — From 3 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Steele Wines will host the first Midsummer Fantasy Fest. Participants are invited to join in and step into the dreams, imaginary and the incredible.
There will be food, crafts, massage, actors and musicians. The featured wine is the Writer”s Block label, in the spirit of William Shakespeare”s “Midsummer Night”s Dream.”
Participants are invited to enjoy an afternoon and evening of fun, fantasy and festivities along with games, dancing, music, food, wine and creativity. Admission is free. Raffle proceeds will be donated to the Lake County Youth Center.
For more information, call 279-9475 and ask for Pam or email tastingroom@steelewines.com. Look for Midsummer Fantasy Fest on Facebook.
Singer Songwriter Festival is Sunday
LAKEPORT — The third annual Lake County Singer Songwriter Festival will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Soper-Reese Communty Theatre in Lakeport.
According to Jane Schadeck, a volunteer with KPFZ 88.1 FM, there is an all-new lineup of artists who have not performed at the festival before.
Tickets are available at Watershed Books in Lakeport, at the Soper-Reese box office on Thursdays and at www.soperreesetheatre.com. Cost of admission is $15 general and $12 for KPFZ members. Children younger than 11 will be admitted free.
Juried show accepts entries on Aug. 19
LAKEPORT — The Lake County Arts Council will accept entries for the last of its summer juried shows, “Still Life of Fruits and Vegetables,” 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 19. Entry information and forms can be picked up at the Main Street Gallery in Lakeport during regular business hours.
The “Lake County Landscape in Photography” juried show will remain on exhibit through the month of August.
The judge for the still life entries is Paula Strother of Santa Rosa, who has been an exhibitor at the gallery and is also part of Lakeside Art in the Village Arts community in Lucerne.
Strother has been involved in art making most of her life. According to Strother, “I know of no other activity as captivating and focused as being involved in the painting process and even though there is frustration, defeat and pain, sometimes the magic happens and the struggle to reach that moment has great reward.”
Strother has a master”s degree in art theory and a secondary teaching credential in art. She has taught art to middle- and high-school students for 20 years.
Taste of Lakeport takes place on Main Street
LAKEPORT — Taste of Lakeport takes place from 5 to 10 p.m. Aug. 19 on Main Street in downtown Lakeport, between First and Fourth streets. A registration table will be set up at Museum Square.
Participants are invited to experience the fine quality and variety of Lake County wines along with hors d”oeuvres from local restaurants and caterers ? all in the open air and summer beauty of downtown Lakeport.
Live music to accompany participants” tasting takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. by Lake County bands, the Blind Monkeys and Blue Collar.
After 8 p.m., the party turns into a lively street dance under the stars with the LC Diamonds, playing classic rock.
Tickets cost $30 in advance and $35 at the event. Presale tickets are available at the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, Hillside Honda and The Kitchen Gallery, all in Lakeport; and at the Lake County Wine Studio in Upper Lake.
Taste of Lakeport is a benefit for the Lakeport Main Street Association. For more information contact Carol Hays, LMSA executive director, at 263-8843 or info@lakeportmainstreet.com.
?Evening Under the Stars” to benefit Soper-Reese
KELSEYVILLE — Soper-Reese Community Theatre is hosting its annual fundraiser, Evening Under the Stars, on Aug. 20 in Kelseyville. All proceeds will go to the historic theater in Lakeport.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. with live entertainment, appetizers and wine tasting at the Saw Shop Gallery Bistro.
At 7 p.m. the event continues at Taylor Observatory for traditional Pomo dancing, storytelling, mountain men entertainment, a night sky show and a silent auction.
Participants are invited to enjoy a gourmet dinner under the stars. Tickets cost $50 and are available at www.soperreesetheatre.com or by calling 263-0577. Advance registration is required.
Cobb Mountain Artists to hold tour
COBB — Cobb Mountain Artists (CMA) will have its annual studio tour on Aug. 20 and 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
CMA is a cooperative artists” association founded in 2004 that is open to artists and craftspeople of all skill levels. The mission of CMA is to encourage the highest standard of excellence in the work of its members, foster an appreciation of that excellence in the community, provide mutual support, encouragement and education for its members, promote the common interest of local artists and craftspeople by providing shows and events and serve as a professional liaison to the public.
A portion of the proceeds from shows and events will be donated to schools and/or other nonprofit organizations in the form of grants or gifts.
This year, the open studios will feature art glass, pottery, water color, jewelry, paintings, felted purses, bird houses, sculpture, enamel glass, photography and more. Each artist will host his or her own art in his or her own studio.
A special raffle will give viewers a chance to win a piece of art from one of the artists. The proceeds will go to local schools for art supplies.
At the first studio they visit, viewers can purchase a V.I.P. card for $5. When viewers get their cards stamped by two thirds of the artists, they will qualify to win. Maps to each studio will be available at Mountain High Coffee in Cobb and Hidden Valley Lake and at the Loch Lomond Market and Deli. For more information, call 928-8565.
Poets and Writers renews grant for Writers Circle
LAKEPORT — The Lake County Arts Council and former Lake County Poet Laureate Mary McMillan have again been awarded a grant to fund the Writers Circle, a free public workshop held at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Main Street Gallery.
The grant supporting the Writers Circle comes from Poets and Writers, Inc., through a grant it has received from the James Irvine Foundation. According to McMillan, many emerging writers, as well as more seasoned authors, come to the Writers Circle to build their skills and connect with other writers.
People from all over the county, ages 19 to 90, have benefited from the opportunity to listen to other writers and share their own work. Some people come only one or two times and others show up every month.
Many participants have been writing books and other long works. Others share short stories, memoirs, essays or poems.
