Susanville’s Fall Solstice in 2020 from high above the Elks Lodge

For just a few minutes following sunrise buildings on both sides of Main Street are illuminated equally and odd shadows parallel the street from the Elks Lodge all the way down to the big bend at Mesa Street.

It’s a unique event that happens twice a year just by natural coincidence – depending on the year it occurs on October 29th or 30th and then again on February 10th or 11th.

A screengrab from The Photographer’s Ephemeris showing Saturday morning’s alignment.

“But the Winter Solstice isn’t until December,” some people feel the need to point out. But this is not that, this is the Susanville Solstice. Relax.

When you think back over time, the hardest, worst winter storms always seem to happen between the end of October and the middle of February, so these two solstices are actually a pretty good bookend for our Susanville winters.

So, what do you do on a Susanville Solstice morning? Well, lots of us meet uptown to take pictures. The show only lasts a few minutes and there are so many unique things to photograph during the alignment.

In past years photographers, including world-famous-outdoor-adventure-photographer Randy Robbins, showed up with their cameras to shoot the unique scene about ten minutes before sunrise. It’s like a fun, very short, party to celebrate the occasion.

Necessarily short, because it gets pretty cold standing around on Main Street waiting for the sun to come up.

The weather experts at the National Weather Service office in Reno are saying we should have partly cloudy skies tomorrow, and we might get a beautiful sunrise to take pictures of so grab your cameras and come join us at the top of Main Street. See you there!

Lance Monath photographs the alignment

Time Change Next Week

When we first started SusanvilleStuff.com twenty years ago I would remind people each year to set their clocks back and to check the batteries in their smoke detectors. But then technology advanced and everybody’s clocks started updating themselves! And then they started making disposable smoke detectors with batteries that last for ten years.

Advancement in technology is slowly making me obsolete. I can see the handwriting on the wall. But if you need a reminder, the clocks will be moving next Sunday, November 6th. Whether you tell them to or not.

Thank You Mr. Muttera

Bill Muttera, longtime Susanville State Farm Insurance Agent, is such a nice guy and he does things for this community whenever he sees a need arise, whether or not it garners attention for his business or him personally. He just does things that need doing.

Bill Muttera to the rescue, donating food and bleach to the animal shelter. -photo appropriated

This is a picture of him delivering pet food and bleach to the Lassen County Animal Shelter because they put out a call for these items. Bill is very illustrative of a community member who actively seeks out needs and addresses them without requiring fanfare or applause.

Lassen CrimeStoppers Raffle

Our big Lassen Crime Stoppers raffle fundraiser is going on and the deadline to buy your tickets is today at 4:00p.m. The winners of the raffle items will be drawn live on the air Saturday afternoon at 4:00 on Lassen CrimeStoppers’ Facebook page.

A sheet of tickets to enter to win items are $10 each and with each sheet you get 25-chances to win. You can pick which items you want and enter to win multiple items.

Click here to download the raffle flyer with photos and descriptions of all sixteen raffle items.

Buy your tickets at Lassen County Federal Credit Union on Riverside Drive or call 1.530.502.TIPS.

There is neat stuff donated by local businesses and all of the money raised goes to CrimeStoppers primary mission of giving out monetary rewards to help reduce crime in Lassen County.

Have a great weekend everybody! 

Tickets are available at Margie’s Book Nook, Susanville Dental Care or you can click here and purchase them online.

“These new requirements are expected to improve the ability of Californians to manage future droughts and help prevent catastrophic impacts on drinking water for communities vulnerable to impacts of climate change.”

The bill outlines the new requirements for small water suppliers, county governments, DWR, and the State Water Board to implement more proactive drought planning and be better prepared for future water shortage events or dry years.

The Public Hearing is scheduled for November 16th, 2022, at approximately 5:15p.m., during the regularly scheduled City Council meeting.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend the Public Hearing and provide input.

Written comments may also be submitted to the city of Susanville by emailing Marci Rojas at mrojas@cityofsusanville.org. Public comments will be accepted through November 18th, 2022.

The Urban Water Management Plan 2020 Update is available on the city’s website.

Everyone is invited to come down to see what local crafters are offering.

On Saturday there will be hot food served from the 4-H kitchen and drawings for gift baskets, decorations and more.

All funds support the Standish 4-H Club.

For more information, please call Virginia 1.530.310.1993 or Melinda at 1.530.310.3178.

Lassen Advocate Publisher Ted Friend and Sheriff Olin S. Johnson

in front of the Susanville post office ~ LIFE Magazine, 1944.

Susanville Officers Arrest Theft Suspects

October 28, 1943

Sheriff Olin S. Johnson has arrested Floyd Jackson Hudson, 39, an alleged inmate of Folsom prison as one of the alleged night prowlers who broke into several Susanville homes on Tuesday, October 19, stole a number of valuables and terrorized the victims. Also jailed is Robert B. Wilson, 34, another alleged Folsom prison inmate, held as a suspect of complicity.

The prison convicts held here are part of a group of forty-seven prisoners from Folsom prison camped at Coppervale ranger station on road work. At the request of Sheriff Johnson the Coppervale station and the prisoners returned to Folsom.

Hudson and Wilson are confined to the Lassen county jail pending charges of grand theft.