UPPER LAKE
Carroll, Paule and the Blues Project highlight the 18th annual Blue Wing Blues Festival Labor Day weekend
Six well-known blues bands over three evenings highlight the 18th annual Blue Wing Blues Festival this Labor Day weekend. The Festival is held in the cool of the early evening under the sycamore trees between the Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing Restaurant in Upper Lake.
Headliners this year include the powerful Bay Area blues vocalist Tia Carroll, the big blues band sound of Anthony Paule and his Soul Orchestra, and a reunion of veteran members the well-known Blues Project Quintet.
The event starts at 6 p.m. each evening beginning on Saturday August 30 and extending through Labor Day Monday September 1. Patrons are seated around comfortable tables in the garden and served a delicious buffet supper while enjoying the music. A short video including clips from past festivals can be found on YouTube (Google YouTube Blue Wing Labor Day Weekend).
“This should be one of the best line-ups of musicians we’ve ever had here in Lake County,” commented KJ DeSoto of BW Blues Productions in Kelseyville. She and co-producer Brad White have been assisting the Tallman Hotel in putting together this Festival over the last few years.
Opening night on August 31 will focus on some of the finest female artists in the business. Tia Carroll and her band have headlined festivals all over the world and shared the stage with the likes of Ray Charles, Elvin Bishop and Tommy Castro. Opening for Tia will be the Women in Blues Experience with Otilia Donaire, Jill Dineen, Marina Crouse and Pamma Jamma on keys.
On tbe same night, the popular Red’s Blues Band from Sacramento will open for the big band sounds of the Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra, featuring the great Willy Jordan on vocals. With Paule on guitar and a full horn section to back him up, Jordan’s commanding stage presence and stirring vocals should produce a truly memorable evening.
Capping the Festival on Monday September 1, will be a reunion of members of the original Blues Project, that sold out venues from Greenwich Village to Bill Graham’s Fillmore Auditorium in the ‘60s and 70’s. Led by percussionist Roy Blumenfeld, the group includes guitarists David Aguilar and Mark Newman with Ken Clark on keys and Tim Eschliman on bass. Opening for the Project will be the talented vocalist Cathy Lemons with Phil Berlowitz and the Lucky Losers Band. TICKETS for the Monday show can also be purchased online or by calling the Tallman Hotel at 707-275-2244 ext. 0
—Submitted
OAKLAND
Upper Eel River Community Vision proposes a robust future for Lake County
Following an 18-month community engagement process involving more than 130 interviews and four in-person workshops with representatives of local Tribes, public officials and agencies, organizations and stakeholders, the statewide nonprofit CalWild today released A Community Vision for the Upper Eel River Watershed, a compilation of project descriptions and needed actions proposed by local communities to improve fire resilience, habitat values, recreational opportunities and Tribal cultural values in the 215,000 acres of the Mendocino National Forest above Scott Dam, including the footprint of the Lake Pillsbury reservoir.
Funded by the State Coastal Conservancy and Resources Legacy Fund, the report does not take a position on whether dams on the Upper Eel should be removed. Participants on all sides of this question were involved in helping to craft the vision, many of the recommendations of which can be implemented whether dams are removed or not, while CalWild served as a neutral convener and organizer for the project.
On July 25, 2025, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) submitted its formal Surrender Application and Decommissioning Plan for the Potter Valley Project to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The submission marks the official start of a federal and state environmental review process that will guide decisions about the potential removal of dams on the Eel.
The Community Vision for the Upper Eel River Watershed report will be submitted as a set of recommendations to PG&E and the FERC as it considers PG&E’s proposal to decommission the Scott and Van Arsdale dams, and will also serve as a springboard for local officials to seek funding to implement its recommendations, providing much needed support to the regional economy and adding amenities benefiting local residents and visitors alike.
“We have heard officials and local residents express that they felt shut out of many of the discussions about the future of the Upper Eel River and Mendocino National Forest,” said Mark Green, executive director of CalWild, “We were gratified to find that people on all sides of the question of dam removal were receptive, gracious and generous with their time and thinking as a part of this project.”
“I grew up here,” said Ryan Henson, Senior Policy Director at CalWild. “I have seen the region’s challenges and understand that people have often felt that wealthier surrounding counties have called the shots. This project is close to my heart because it gives a voice to people who haven’t felt like they had one.”
A Community Vision for the Upper Eel River offers a foundation for future planning, funding, and stewardship efforts that honor the region’s rich ecological, cultural, and recreational legacies.
Both FERC’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process will include opportunities for public comment in relation to whether dams should be removed and, if so, which mitigation measures PG&E should be required to provide.
For more information and updates on the Community Vision and to download the report, visit https://eelcommunityvision.org/
—Submitted
