Boot Juice will perform this evening at Lassen College – photo provided

Lassen College Featuring Awesome Band at This Evening’s Concert

Lassen College will welcome the acclaimed northern California band Boot Juice for a special one-night performance this Friday, August 11th, as part of the college’s Student Onboarding Day.

Everyone from the community is invited to the show, which starts at 5:00p.m., immediately following the new student workshops.

The featured act, Boot Juice, is a seven-piece band that has been stirring up the West Coast music scene since 2016 with electrifying original sets that blend rock, blues, bluegrass, folk, and country genres. The band promises a unique, dynamic live act that is sure to get the crowd moving.

In addition to the performance by Boot Juice, the event will feature a free barbecue to welcome new and returning students to the LCC campus. All students registered for Fall classes are eligible for a free BBQ dinner.

Lassen College will also host food vendors, Riots, Areli’s Taco Taquiza, and Kona-Ice. To engage the community further, various campus departments, local agencies and organizations will set up booths to familiarize students and attendees with available resources.

“We are thrilled to host Boot Juice and provide an opportunity for our students and the community to come together,” said Roxanna Haynes, VP of Student Services Lassen College.

“We look forward to a memorable event filled with great music, food, and community engagement.”

This concert is free to the public, with attendees encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets as seating will be limited. This event is drug and alcohol free. Mark your calendars and come ready to shake it down with Boot Juice at Lassen College!

For more information about the concert, visit the Lassen College Facebook page.

Ruth McElrath, Shannon Cook, Seanne McElrath, and Ellie Brown in their Hollywood best

– photos courtesy of Celeste Wiser who took the pictures during Stephanie Blakeman’s photo shoot.

Gary McCoy and Dean Growden are

coming back to dance for a good cause

New choreographer Morgan

Whitlow brings a fresh perspective

With the help of choreographers Celeste Wiser and Tara Bias, Seanne has assembled a cast of 20-30 stars and professionals from every year of production.

Celeste says, “The 10th annual will not be a competition, but a celebration” of our past stars and choreographers.

Local dance studios will showcase their numbers between the three acts performed by the Dancing for a Brand New Me ensemble cast. Each act will include new dances and crowd favorites from the past ten years. There will be some partners, trios, and group choreography packed into each act.

According to choreographer Nicomi Reed, the acts will all have a tone or emotional impact with the first part of the show bringing back upbeat dances from previous years. Instead of an impact speaker, the next act will open with an impact dance, which is a gorgeous modern piece integrating many genres and generations of dancers.

This will lead into several dances full of emotion to really tell the story of what Dancing for A Brand New Me is about. The third act will bring it all back together with fun new and old pieces to show our celebration and appreciation of the last ten years.

We have already started practicing our Opening Number, which has an “old Hollywood glitz and glam” vibe. Over the next two months, the cast will learn and perfect more choreography and fundraise at least $2000 apiece to go back to Lassen Family Services and their many programs they run to benefit Lassen County.

In addition to me, you’ll also see local stars Stacy Bauer, Sheriff Dean Growden, former CHP Kristen Wilburn, Elizabeth Darley, Ellie Brown, Shannon Cook, Ruth McElrath, Gary McCoy, Prairie Burt, and more onstage! There are also many choreographers back to show off their creativity, such as Nicomi Reed, Aimee McCoy, Morgan Whitlow, Luke Petersen, Jillaine Singleton, Nicole McCoy, Doria Dalu, and Alex McElrath.

Behind the scenes, you’ll see Kassie Satica, Karen McDaniel, Terra Avilla, and many others making sure this event runs smoothly.

Wiser goes on to mention, “You won’t want to miss the 10th annual Dancing for A Brand New Me… we have over twenty past dancers participating, ready to their hard work as well as raise money for a great cause.”

Former partners Elizabeth Darley

and Luke Petersen get caught up

The great cause she refers to is Lassen Family Services, which offers many programs to survivors of domestic violence and/or sexual assault as well as victims of child and elder abuse. First there is the 24-hour crisis line (530-257-5004 or 1-888-289-5004) which will help the caller by connecting them to the resources they need.

They have an emergency shelter, peer counseling, and will accompany the survivor in court and during medical appointments. In addition, Lassen Family services offers classes on parenting, cooking on a budget, and self-defense. They have a community closet where you can find anything from prom dresses to attire for an interview. This is just a sample of what they offer!

Lassen Family Services exists on donations, volunteers, and grant money. Please support them with sponsoring events, attending their fundraisers, or giving your time.

I think I speak for all the local stars when I say we are thrilled to be back raising money for Lassen Family Services. In our careers and everyday lives, we have all been impacted by domestic violence in some way and this is our effort to make a difference.

Nicomi Reed, choreographer, will graduate

from nursing school a week before the show

Veteran choreographer Alex McElrath

looks ready to step into the Ballroom

I remember a day in my classroom when I was upset that a student did not make an important deadline. She seemed a little flippant to me and I called her on it. Later she shared with me how a fight between her parents had escalated into a violent scene ending with her calling 911 and her father being taken to jail. I was speechless.

How insignificant my deadline seemed compared to what this sweet student had been through.

I apologized and later, when the story came out in the weekly newspaper I told her how proud I was of her. I firmly believed she saved her mother’s life.

This is just one of the times my students have taught me a valuable lesson in being a better teacher and person. We all have a story like that to tell and dancing is one of the ways we can share it with others.

You can watch Dancing for A Brand New Me on October 20 and 21. Lassen Family Services will have tickets on sale soon, email me if you would like to be a sponsor!

The furs are fake, we promise! Stacy Bauer, Nicole McCoy, Prairie Burt, and Shelley Bennett

Remember when news was ‘newsy’? When you read about weddings, family events and engagement announcements in the newspaper? If you have something that might be newsworthy, please submit it to shelleybennett24@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to include it here in “The Good Stuff.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic, my oldest daughter’s school was shut down, forcing us into distance learning. Christina became my saving grace. Our daughters were in the same class and Christina (who knew my husband and I worked full time) offered to help teach Peach until normal in person schooling could resume.

During that time, I was blown away at what Christina was able to do. I knew that she had a strong background in teaching due to her degree and experience, but it was obvious that Christina is extraordinarily gifted as a teacher. She has a natural ability that cannot be taught. Peach loved going over to “Ms. Christina’s” house and school time became a very fun time for her.

Flashing forward to this year, my wonderful second child, Pearl was really struggling with reading, letters and their sounds. I saw Christina make an online post, offering her tutoring/reading services and I immediately asked her if she could tutor Pearl.

Pearl, my wonderful, stubborn child who had outright told me that reading was boring, and she would sit in her chair, but we couldn’t make or force her to learn anything. I told Christina to try her best, as I dropped Pearl off for her first session.

Within fifty minutes, I received a video of my little student, sounding words out with a huge smile on her face. That night at dinner, Pearl could not stop gushing about “reading camp” and how fun it was. Over the past months as sessions have continued, I have noticed a huge improvement in my little reader.

Most importantly Christina has ignited something in my daughter where she is now excited to start school this August.

Through my conversation with Christina, she often discusses her techniques and practices and follow up, making detailed instructional plans detailed specifically to my daughter. However, I have to say the real magic is Christina. She has a God given talent for teaching and I am so thankful she has shared it with my daughters.

When Christina isn’t teaching, she is a very involved mother of three girls. (Our kiddos are all very close in age!). All three of her babies are just as wonderful as she is. And, as if she wasn’t busy enough, Christina also coaches soccer (she was quite the athlete in college!), does CrossFit, is an active member in her church and also somehow supports that husband of hers in his own very demanding career. She does all of this without ever flinching.

I am so thankful for her friendship, and our community lucked out when Christina (and yes, you too Josh), moved to town! Just ask Pearl – she’ll tell you why Christina is one of the reasons I love where we live.

Susanville from Inspiration Point around 1880

Honey Lake Matters

August 11, 1857

The fact that a collision has taken place between the Settlers in Honey Lake Valley and the Washo Indians, is fully established. A committee from the Settlers appeared a day or two since, with a petition quite numerously signed, asking for aid from the Executive of California. But we do not see how the Executive can act in the premises, if Honey Lake, as claimed by some of these same petitioners, not long since, is without the limits of California. California can only interfere to protect her own citizens; those citizens may volunteer to assist their fellow men in distress.

An attempt was made by the authorities of Plumas County, in August last, to organize a township in Honey Lake. The Board of Supervisors did organize a township; appointed two Justices and two Constables, and appointed an election precinct. Upon learning what had been done, a majority of the Honey Lake Settlers convened and passed a series of resolutions, which were copied into this paper from the North Californian.

After appointing a committee to correspond with the authorities of Plumas, the meeting adopted the following resolve: On motion it was Resolved, That the citizens of the Valley attend the place of voting on the day of election and prevent the polls being opened. The last resolution was literally carried out, as we understood that an attempt was made to open the polls, which was defeated by those who attended the previous meeting. Judges of Election were elected, a magistrate was present to swear them in, but those who declared that Honey Lake Valley was not in California, prevented the polls from being opened by force of numbers. We believe the Assessor went over to make a list of property in the Valley, but the anti-Californians there soon made the Valley so uncomfortable for him that be deemed it prudent to leave without making any assessments. The Justices and Constables were also notified that their services were not required in that Valley.

Not the least curious part of the proceeding is the fact that Mr. Williams, who is the bearer of the petition to the Governor, appears, from the proceedings, to have been the man who offered the series of resolutions before the meeting held in Honey Lake Valley in August last, from which we have quoted.

Under these circumstances, the Governor ought not to furnish aid, unless the petitioners acknowledge themselves citizens of California, and willing to abide the laws of the State, and the jurisdiction of the officers of Plumas county.

If Honey Lake is in Plumas county, and that is where all the maps we have consulted place it, the application for aid should, have come from the authorities of that county. The petition states that the women and children had been removed to Indian Valley, which lies west of the summit of the Sierra Nevada, and which, the Honey Lake Settlers admit is within the limits of Plumas county. The Indians will not follow them into that Valley. But they seem very much disposed to drive the independent settlers, (who have appropriated a section of land each,) out of the Valley of Honey Lake.