Lake Almanor Area Chamber Hires Executive Director
The Lake Almanor Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce Tina Davis as the new Executive Director. Tina comes to the Chamber from Reno, Nevada and brings a wealth of experience and talent in community engagement and development, and non-profit volunteerism.
Tina moved to Lake Almanor in April for this exciting opportunity, after living in northern Nevada for 20 years. She has a degree in English Literature, and broad experience in technical writing and marketing. During most of her time in Nevada she lived in Carson City where she served for many years on the Board of the Friends of the Nevada State Museum and was a member of the Carson City Rotary Club. Moving to Reno after a run for Nevada State Senate in 2018, Tina worked at the Desert Research Institute and was continued her non-profit work in Reno both as a volunteer and Board member.
Having spent the past month settling into her new home with her two Dachshund-mix dogs, Tina is pleased to find the community ready to engage, build a strong foundation for economic development and community partnership, and open to all the potential the area has to offer new businesses and residents. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with Tina at the Chamber office and help her get to know more about Lake Almanor!
Town Trivia
Oh my . . . Town Chatter stumped our readers again with last week’s answer: The first business on Main St., Chester that is still standing. The correct question: What is the Corner Store?
This week’s answer: 92 Feet
 This week’s sponsor is Tantardino’s Pizzeria & Pasta offering a $10 gift card. Thank you!
Please send your question to Trivia@lakealmanorarea.com. We are always looking for sponsors for Town Trivia. If interested, please contact katherine@sansoneplus.com.
Our Newest Chamber Members & Sponsors
We are pleased to share several new members to the Chamber Community, as well as those signing on as Community Partners or Platinum Sponsors. Our members support the work we do for our businesses and create an active, thriving community.
Welcome to Our Newest Chamber Members
RACHEL BETZLER
Koninkrijk Koffiehuis
MICHAEL CAREY
Professional Artists and Crafters
BOB AYERS
Waypoint Charters
MELANIE WESTBROOK
Sierra Desert Properties, INC
JILLIAN AND JOSEPH HOWER
Mill Creek Resort
Thank you to our $1,000 Platinum Sponsors
RYAN NEWELL
Ayoobs Intermountain Hardware
TAMI AND DUANE DE JONG
Lake Almanor Ace Hardware
STACY ANDERSON
Tantardino's Pizzeria and Pasta
Thank you to our $2,500 Community Partners
TIM O'BRIEN, Coldwell Banker Kehr/O'Brien Real Estate
Tim brought on his entire Coldwell Banker crew!
SHAWN MCKENZIE, Seneca Health District
Shawn brings with him the entire staff of Doctors, PAs at Seneca
LINDA AND BOB ROULAND, Rouland Insurance
Linda and Bob are proud to become a sustaining partner of our work
JANICE WHITE AND THE CREW AT COLLINS PINE are happy to be supporting the work of the Chamber and let all know that the Collins Museum will be open for appointments in May.
Learn more here about becoming a member, or how to sponsor or become a partner of the work of the Chamber in our Community.
About Us
Chamber Board Meetings are at 8:30 am on the 2nd TUESDAY of each month in the Chambe r office at 278 Main Street. All are welcome. Zoom is available.
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Bits & Pieces
The annual Blood Drive is May 26 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Elks lodge, 164 Main St., in Chester. All blood types are needed and you must make an appointment. Please call Nancy Foote at 530.259.4647 or visit www.bloodhero.com and use sponsor code: CHESTER. Thank you for participating!
 The Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce (IVCC) is hosting its annual community wide yard sale on Saturday, May 15, beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing throughout the day. Maps are available at the Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce office at 408 Main St. in downtown Greenville. A sandwich board will be visible to direct people to the chamber office where members will be handing out maps and bottles of water to treasure seekers. Several businesses will have maps available as well. For more information call 284-6633 or go to www.indianvalleychamber.org
 Register now to participate in the 7th Annual Courage Triathlon to be held September 11, 2021 at Lake Almanor Country Club. Routes estimated to be a 2.9-mile run, 5.6-mile bike ride and the 3.1-mile kayaking leg. To register or to become a sponsor, please visit www.CourageRun.org/Triathlon.com
 Turner Excavating, Inc Presents Sips & Stones
Hamilton Branch's very own paint and sip!
Enjoy wine, snacks, music and art on the patio. You can go on a treasure hunt to find your own rock, or they will select one for you. Paint anything you want, or follow their selected theme. They will provide inspiration and paint! All events are from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Friday, May 28, 2021: Theme - Memorial
Friday, June 18, 2021: Theme - Garden
Friday, July 2, 2021: Theme - Patriotic
Friday, August 6, 2021: Theme - Summer
Friday, September 3, 2021: Theme - Fall
Please call (530) 596-3953 to reserve your spot. Limited spots available.
$25 per participant
Vendors present: Scentsy Consultant & Lake Bum Lake Wear
Face Masks & Hand Sanitizer Delivery Distribution for Chester/Lake Almanor Area Businesses
Disposable masks and hand sanitizer allocated by the State are available to small businesses in Plumas County at no cost.
Date: May 12, 2021
Time: 9am-12pm
To schedule delivery, contact Terri Hiser-Haynes at thaynes@ncen.org or (530) 616-0902
It’s the Season for Burning – Permits Required!
Spring has arrived (or so we think) and it is time to begin cleaning up our yards. With that, comes lots of debris to dispose of, i.e., burn. Please follow these guidelines and the need to purchase a burn permit as required by CAL FIRE.
https://www.facebook.com/653956128141055/posts/1558592401010752/?d=n
Lake Almanor Chamber Embraces the Connected Communities Passport Program
 The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship is developing a Trails Master Plan (TMP) for their Connected Communities Passport Program. TMP will create a recreation-focused blueprint through community investment, shared stewardship, economic opportunity and new local jobs to benefit economically disadvantaged communities in California’s Plumas, Sierra, Butte and Lassen Counties. The Passport Program, an innovation of the Stewardship to bring visitors off the trails and into the communities, is the brainchild of Tiffiney Lozano, a Quincy resident, business owner and representative of the Stewardship.
The Passport Program:
The passport has a map of towns that are part of the Connected Communities of the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship Project. To participate, businesses along the trail will purchase a passport stamp for around $30. (Final cost still under consideration.) Visitors can order a passport through the Connected Communities website. Once registered, the Lost Sierra Trails Guide publication will be mailed to them and visitors will fill the passports with stamps from the businesses they visit. https://sierratrails.org/connected-communities/
When travelers have filled their passport with stamps across the entire region, they become part of drawings for a variety of prizes with some very high-ticket and desirable items. The more stamps on the passport, the more chances to win prizes.
The Lake Almanor Chamber and several local businesses are placing ads in The Lost Sierra Trails Guide to promote travel to the greater Almanor Basin. The Chamber ad is sponsored by our Community Partners - Seneca Health District, Coldwell Banker Kehr/O’Brien Real Estate, Rouland Insurance, and Collins Pine.
The Guide is an annual publication of the Sierra Buttes Trails organization. Out-of-county distribution includes Reno, Sacramento, Bay Area, and Chico, locations of potential visitors who are looking for hiking and biking trails, OTA, horseback riding, fishing and more experiences in the uncrowded outdoors.
For more information check out this film about the Connected Communities project https://sierratrails.org/watch-a-trail-for-everyone/
First Town Hall in the 2021 Series
The Lake Almanor Area Chamber was pleased to host the first in our planned series of Town Halls. We are grateful to the Mt. Lassen Theatre for lending their wonderful location for this first event.
The May 10 Town Hall topic was Project 2105 and Lake Almanor. Presenters Mike Willhoite of the original 2105 Working Group, and Save Lake Almanor Committee Chair Wendi Durkin shared information with topics focused on:
- What is Project 2105?
- History of Project 2105 and re-licensing efforts
- Current issues and potential effects on our community
- How to advocate for positive outcomes
Many community members turned out in-person and via zoom, and viewed our live Facebook feed of the event. We thank all for their interest and apologize that some questions were left unanswered due to time constraints. Those who would like to know more, or would like to participate in the community effort "to be heard" during this period, are encouraged to visit our information website www.lakealmanorarea.com/lake-information. There you will find detailed information on Project 2105, sample letters that can be used to lobby the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), as well as opportunities to volunteer in some capacity to help on this issue should the need arise.
Click Here to view the live feed of the event.
Future Town Halls will cover topics of community interest and will take place the 2nd Monday of each month, September through June, from 5:15 – 6 pm. The June 14 event will feature Seneca Healthcare District with new CEO Shawn McKenzie and the new Almanor Foundation with Susan Bryner.
Town Halls are made possible by the contributions of our Community Partners: Rouland Insurance, Collins Pine, Seneca Healthcare District and Coldwell Banker Kehr/O'Brien
Weather, Lake Almanor & Fishing Report
John Crotty, Almanor Fishing Association 5/09/21
 The bite on Almanor remains tough. Insects remain the diet of choice with prolific hatches going off daily. Add a couple of ant hatches and these fish have no reason to chase a meal. The fish we are catching are fat, healthy and red hot. On calm days, you can see fish (lots of fish) grabbing insects on the surface as the insect hatches subside the bite will improve.
I was on the water five days this past week. There was no rhyme or reason to baits or speeds. We mixed up gear based upon weather conditions. When the winds are mild, I go slow, 1-1.3mph with crawlers. When the wind picks up, I change to hardware and speed up to 2.5-3 mph, and like most boats on Almanor, at least one of the rods will have red/gold speedy shiner on it. Arctic Fox or Jay Fair trolling flies at 1.5-2 mph also caught a few fish with Olive my top choice. We caught a couple of fish top lining a fly on our fifth rod right off the back of the boat. My set backs are running between 80-150’ depending on winds and baits; and I have been altering depths attempting to find some type of pattern. Most boats are targeting fish on the north/west section of the lake.
The bass are bedding up. I have heard of a number of four plus pound smallies caught. Bank fishing remains tough with Hamilton Branch your best shot. The USFS opened the Almanor West boat ramp on Friday. Lake level is still on the rise yet remains at near record lows for this time of year. There is no precipitation forecast for the next seven days and it looks like we could see 80-degree temperatures for the first time this year. Afternoon winds can make for difficult conditions.
May's Free Business Webinars with SBDC
Clint Koble 
Below is the schedule of FREE webinars for small businesses during the month of May 2021. All webinars are FREE but registration for the sessions is required. Register at https://www.sierrasbdc.com/calendar
- May 13, 2021: Starting Your Business: Part 1: 11:00am to 12:30pm.Brief introduction to entrepreneurship and steps to open your business.
- May 14, 2021: Starting Your Business: Part 1 & 2: 11:00am to 12:30pm. More information on steps to open your business.
- May 17 – 27, 2021: HACCP Training: 8 Class Program: 2:00pm to 4:00pm - every business day. Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point for food systems.
- May 17 & 24, 2021: How to Start a Winery in CA: 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Complete overview on how to Start a Winery in CA.
- May 19, 2021: Norcal SBDC Finance Center Presents: Restaurant Revitalization.10:30am to 12:00pm.
- May 20, 2021: Financing Your Business: 1:30pm to 3:30pm. Funding Foundations for your Business.
- May 25 – July 1, 2021: Business Creator: Transforming your Vision into Reality: 9:00am.
- May 27, 2021: Planning Your Business:1:30pm to 3:30pm. Create a Business Plan that meets your Needs.
- As of early May, the PPP Loan Program is out of funds; it was supposed to be funded until May 31, 2021. Please stay tuned for more information on the PPP in the event it is funded further.
The 6th and Final Round of the CA Small Business COVID-19 Grant Relief Program ended on May 4, 2021. No new rounds are planned at this time.
The Sierra SBDC also provides FREE one-on-one counseling for small businesses. To register for FREE counseling, go to sierrasbdc.com; open the Home Page, Click on Apply Now on the upper right, and fill in the series of information boxes. Please complete an intake interview and then you will be assigned to me or another Advisor. Clint Koble 775.843.4081; clint.koble@gmail.com
It’s the Season for Arts & Crafts Shows
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