​July 11, 2018
Article in Chester Progressive
by Jerri Lee Nielsen, Director Lake Almanor Chamber of Commerce

Wow! This year’s 4th of July in the Lake Almanor Basin was the best yet. If you’re
reading this, hopefully you made it up here to see it - if not, start making plans for next
year!
 
The Almanor Recreation and Park District’s Chester Classic Fun Run and 5K saw a
record-breaking turnout of 678 participants, all coming together for a fantastic event.
The Lake Almanor Elks Lodge hosted a successful pancake breakfast and served 700
hot dogs during their sponsored Arts and Crafts Show in Chester Park. The art show
hosted over 70 vendors, and drew huge crowds to enjoy the wide variety of arts and
crafts displayed by artisans from all over the state.
 
The parade organized by the Lake Almanor Area Chamber of Commerce was a great
event, with even more entrants than last year.
 
And let’s not forget to mention the Fireworks Extravaganza over Lake Almanor! This
year the fireworks show was a spectacular and dazzling display of pyrotechnics, with
many fun and new fireworks to see. The show costs approximately $20,000 for the
Chamber to put on each year, which is raised through donations. Please consider
donating today for next year’s event by visiting www.lakealmanorarea.com.
A huge shout out and “Thank You!” to all of our local businesses, organizations, and
individuals who donated time and money to help make this year’s 4th of July an
extraordinary success.
 
And “Thank You!” to all who came up to participate in the festivities. All of us at the Lake
Almanor Area Chamber of Commerce hope to see you again for next year’s 4th of July
in the Lake Almanor Basin - your basecamp to the Northern California outdoors.
 
Upcoming events:
07/12/18: Thursday History Chat at the Chester Library
07/14/18: Guided hike to Mill Creek Falls in Lassen Park
07/15/18: Lake Almanor Country Club 2018 Concert Series
07/16/18 (weekly through 08/02/18): SPICE Summer Camp
07/16/18 - 07/22/18: St. Andrew’s Academy Choir Camp
07/17/18 (weekly; ongoing): Preschool Story Time at the Chester Library
07/18/18: ‘Is Collage for the Birds?’ Workshop at the Blue Goose Gallery
07/18/18 (weekly through 08/08/18): Summer Reading Program at the Chester Library
07/21/18: Gold Discovery Days at the Plumas Eureka State Park
07/21/18: Watercolor Plein Art in Lassen Park
07/21/18: ‘Painting Through Prisms’ (Photography 101) Workshop at the Blue Goose
Gallery
07/22/18: Lake Almanor Country Club 2018 Concert Series
07/26/18: Thursday History Chat at the Chester Library
07/27/18: ‘Leave No Trace’ Special Event in Lassen Park
07/28/18 - 07/29/18: Arts & Crafts Show at the Bidwell House
07/28/18: ARPD’s 2nd Annual Poker Paddle
07/29/18: Lake Almanor Country Club 2018 Concert Series
08/03/18 - 08/04/18: Dark Sky Festival at Lassen Park
08/04/18 - 08/05/18: Friends of the Chester Library Annual Book Sale
08/04/18 - 08/05/18: Quilts of Lake Almanor at Chester Jr/Sr High School
08/04/18 - 08/05/18: Almanor Art Show at the Collins Lawn
08/04/18: Lake Almanor Country Club 2018 Concert Series
08/04/18: Third Annual Plumas Grown Farm Crawl

 Road work continues 89/70, 36 & 32 if you are traveling from the valley to Almanor plan on delays and perhaps even multiple delays some lasting 20 to 30 minutes.  
​
Lake levels are beginning to drop, while Almanor is currently full, as water level recedes we will begin to see navigational hazards appear. Water clarity remains in the 20 to 23 foot range and water temps continue to rise. I checked the water temp yesterday in 60’ of water and found the following 73 degrees on the surface, 73 at 5 foot, 72.8 at 10 feet, 72.8 at 15, 72.7 at 20, 72 at 25, 71 at 30, 68.6 at 35, 60.6 at 40, 54.3at 45, 52.3 at 50, 51.4 at 55 and 50.2 at 60. Use this information as you see fit, we targeted fish in 35 plus feet of water.

Fishing was tough this past week as fishermen struggled to catch fish after the sun hit the water. Yesterday we started off with three smaller fish (two rainbows and one salmon) had three other grabs lost a nice salmon at the boat and went an hour without a grab before heading to the barn at 9:30. Crawlers and gulps were our baits of choice, we had two dodger’s out and two naked lines all on a size 8 hook trolled at 1 MPH. Hamilton Branch, A-Frame, Rec # 2, East Shore, Rocky Point and Almanor West are all good places to start.

I spoke to a couple of bass fishermen this past week and both said the bite was tough. Fly fishing pressure in the evenings has dissipated with a few float tubers targeting fish keyed in on Hex’s. I did see lots of Hex casings at Hamilton Branch yesterday there is just no consistency to the hatch this late in the season.
​
I have attempted to avoid the issue of boating etiquette and I seriously doubt that any comments made here are going to change or influence anyone’s boating habits, but after witnessing a boat at full throttle run through the fishing fleet yesterday I would be remiss for not using this opportunity to address a couple of boating practices that should be common sense. First; minimize time at the boat ramp, be prepared, pull your boat forward or move it back to allow for the next boat to load or unload, remove straps, attach bumpers, load ice chests, chairs, fishing gear and check plugs prior to backing down the ramp. Keep the ramp clear, Bryan Roccucci posted a picture yesterday that shows multiple safety hazards and violations at the USFS Public ramp on the west shore. When boating take a wide berth around fishing boats, most fishing boats are trolling slow, close to shore. Please go around the fishing boats, as mentioned the boat yesterday traveling at full throttle went down the middle of a large group of fishermen (between my boat and Doug Neal’s and within 50’ of both) this is at least the 10th time this year that I have witnessed such behavior. Lastly if you see someone struggling offer a hand (especially at the ramp) we have all had times when things just aren’t going as planned and a helping hand would be appreciated.

                                          
 Dear Chamber or Community Member,
 
When I accepted an appointment to the Board of Directors this year I saw a need to improve communication in our community and felt the Chamber was the best place from which to do it.  I have often heard people say, “Somebody needs to do this, change that, or fix something in our community”, yet, when I look around I see many organizations and hard-working people doing just that.  Whether it’s events to entertain and bring visitors, infrastructure to improve the economy or quality of life, or needed community services, many hands are already working hard. What is needed is the ability to find them and connect.
 
REACH OUT • CONNECT • TAKE PART
 
For those of us who want to make a difference, we need a way to connect.  Facilitating these connections is a perfect fit for our Chamber.
 
FACILITATING CONNECTIONS
 
Existing Connections
 
Chamber Community Calendar.  We encourage all of you to use the Chamber Event Calendar to find out what is going on and to plan your own upcoming events.  Take a look, submission is easy.  www.lakealmanorarea.com/calendar.html
 
Chamber Visitors Center.  The Chamber maintains a display of visitor information at the Stover Landing Commons building, 278 Main Street. The Visitors Center is manned by B & B Booksellers staff 7 days a week during the summer.  Have info to share with visitors?
 
Chamber Website & Member Directory – Research has shown that when people begin to look for information about a community, the local Chamber is still the most trusted and one of the first resources that are sought. Our website has been recently updated and contains information on where to Stay, Eat, and Things to Do.  Chamber members are listed in our Directory with details and links to their services.  If not a member, your business won’t be listed in the Directory but may be listed on an information page (ie. Restaurants, Lodging) however without additional information or links to your services. www.lakealmanorarea.com
 
Making New Connections
 
Town Talks. This year we scheduled 4 Town Talks as mixer events for the community.  The first 2 took place this Spring in March and in May.  At these events we asked a small cross section of organizations to attend and bring information to share about their organization. Sharing took place in the form of Booth or Board Presentations that attendees could wander through and enjoy.   We thank the following organizations for attending, sharing and for the work they do within our community:  The Almanor Fishing Association; American Red Cross-Lake Almanor; Alliance for Workforce Development; Almanor Recreation & Parks District; Chester-Lake Almanor Museum: Courage Triathlon; Feather River Land Trust: Feather River Tourism Association; Lassen Volcanic National Park Service; and the Plumas Audubon Society.  Our 3rd Town Talk event will take place in September at Ace Hardware in Chester, with plenty of space outside for participants. Want to attend or take part?  Call us 258-2426.
 
Town Coffees.  Beginning this fall we will begin monthly coffee meetings at various coffee shops in the community.  Topics will be selected and leaders will be asked to share information, chat with us and answer questions.  Again, follow our calendar and look for info to come out.  Have a topic you would like covered?
 
RE-INVESTING EACH YEAR IN OUR COMMUNITY
 
The Chamber’s Main Street Development committee will begin work this fall on the next phase of planning for the eventual “remodel” of Main Street, Chester. The first phase began in 2007 and was completed in 2009 with a Development Plan that gained approval of the Board of Supervisors for inclusion in the County Plan.  We have learned that it is time to dust it off and take another step forward.  Want to take part?  Call 258-2426 or email lakealmanorarea@gmail.com
 
Fireworks Spectacular. We just had another spectacular Fireworks show over Lake Almanor on the 4th.  It takes approximately $19,000 to make this event happen each year.  We thank Jay Sabelman, Lake Almanor Brokers, for his work on the past 7 shows and Dennis Mason, Coldwell Banker Kehr/O’Brien for the 35+ years he put into past shows. Want to contribute?  Go to https://chamberorganizer.com/chester-lakealmanor/mem_FireworksLA or mail a check to P.O. Box 1198, Chester 96020
 
4th of July Parade. The 4th of July parade is an 80+ year tradition in our area. Several organizations have led it over the years: Lions Club, Chester Rotary and for the past 15 years the Chamber. This year, our parade chair, Rachelle Jilbert did a wonderful job of making it happen!  She worked tirelessly with many volunteers to execute an event that brings thousands of people to the streets of Chester each year. Want to take part next year?  Call 258-2426 or email lakealmanorarea@gmail.com
 
The Turkey Trot.  The Annual Lake Almanor Turkey Trot is in its 5th year and is becoming the newest Lake Almanor family tradition. Join the fun on Thanksgiving Day for a quick (but hilly!) paved 5k course at Bailey Creek. Want to help this year? Chair, Shannon Medici is always looking for assistance. Call 258-2426 or email lakealmanorarea@gmail.com
 
In closing, as a member of your Chamber Board, my hope is that you will have a ready response when you hear someone ask, “Where is this?”, “How do I find that?”, or say, “We need to fix this”, or, “We need to change that.”
 
My hope is that you will say, “Let me show you how to reach out and connect.”  If you don’t know the answer, call me.

Sincerely,
Susan Bryner
Lake Almanor Area Chamber of Commerce, President