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Volume XVIII Issue 54
Thursday, October 16th, 2025
| | At the 1914 Lassen Harvest Festival in Uptown Susanville | |
The Good Stuff by Shelley Bennett
It has officially been Fall for a few weeks here in Lassen County, but the cold temperatures, rain, and changing leaves are the proof I needed to finally accept it.
It just feels a little “blah” to me, maybe because two of my favorite fall events aren’t happening this year: the Rails to Trails Festival and Dancing for a Brand New Me.
I was sad to hear this news. Our family has always enjoyed spending the day down at the depot, watching the races, tasting the chili, and enjoying the beautiful fall weather.
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Being a fan of Dancing with the Stars, I fell in love with D4ABNM from the beginning. I was honored to be a “Star” in 2019 and got further involved in the planning for a few years after.
Luckily, two new events sprang up to take their place.
To kick off the fall season, LARP (Local Area Revitalization Project Co-Op) held the Harvest Hootenany, on October 4th at Wemple’s Pumpkin Patch. Vendors and local farmers showcased their goods and the evening ended with a farm to table dinner and music under the stars.
This coming weekend (10/18), Lassen Family Services debuts their Hometown Hoedown, a night of line dancing, Chuckwagon dinner, auctions, and cake walk. There will be a costume contest and you might even get locked up in “jail” for a good cause.
Held at the Vets Hall 4:00-11:00, there will also be a Wild West Saloon where you can purchase your favorite spirits. This is a 21 and over event, tickets are $20 and can be purchased at Lassen Family Services, Margie’s Book Nook, Plumas Bank, Zaengle’s, and The Gaming Zone or at the door for $25.
According to Rhonda Fuller of LFS, "Our fun board members just came up with an additional idea… we will have three poker tables. One downstairs next to the Miss Kitty Saloon and two upstairs to add to the Wild West adventures. Each table will be set up playing cards, poker chips and No Cheat-in' donation jar! Just sit down and challenge that shady looking cowboy to play a game of poker."
LFS relies on their fundraisers to provide their vital services to Lassen County. Please support this event by attending, donating a prize, or becoming a sponsor. Contact Rhonda Fuller at 530-257-5459 for more information.
Thank you to all of the volunteers who spend countless hours planning and executing our community events. If not for you and your enthusiasm, creativity, and energy, they would all go the way of the Harvest Festival advertised on that black and white illustration of our Main Street.
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A group of Susanville ladies at the 1914 Harvest Festival
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.”
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Be a Part of the Chamber of Commerce’s
Uptown Halloween Costume Contest!
As part of the Lassen County Chamber of Commerce’s big Safe N’ Sane Halloween event on Friday, October 31st, the organization is sponsoring a costume contest for kids of all ages.
Whether you are dressing up as a superhero, a ghoul, a goblin or a fairy princess, you could win some neat prizes just for stopping by Pancera Plaza at 4:00p.m., and entering the free contest.
Fun prizes, from sponsors like Margie’s Book Nook, will be awarded in a variety of age groups and categories and Miss Lassen and her court will be there to help.
Always popular, last year’s contest featured more than one hundred fantastic entries. Click here to see our gallery of costume contest entries from last year.
The Chamber’s Halloween party starts at 3:30 p.m. and, in addition to the costume contest, will feature trick or treating, music, dance performances from J and J Performing Arts and a pet costume contest.
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Susanville Man Arrested After IED Discovered in Campbell Road Residence
A 45-year-old Susanville resident was arrested and booked into the Lassen County Jail on Monday after Susanville Police officers discovered an improvised explosive device inside a residence on Campbell Road.
Bryan Richard Trumbull, 45, faces multiple felony charges stemming from the investigation, including possession and manufacturing of a destructive device.
The incident began on Monday, October 13th, at approximately 1:45p.m. when officers from the Susanville Police Department responded to a call for service in the area of Campbell Road.
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According to Susanville acting Public Safety Chief Allen Sobol, the subsequent investigation led officers to the discovery of the IED inside the residence and Trumbull was taken into custody.
Trumbull is currently being held at the Lassen County Jail on the following felony charges:
18710(A) PC: Possess destructive device
18720 PC: Make destructive device without a permit
30305(A)(1) PC: Prohibited person own/possess/etc ammunition/etc
1203.2(A) PC: Probation violation: rearrest/revoke
Chief Sobol extended gratitude to the regional team that assisted in rendering the device safe. “The Susanville Police Department would like to extend its gratitude to the Washoe County Consolidated Bomb Squad for their prompt and professional assistance in safely handling and mitigating the potential threat,” Chief Sobol said.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
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Susanville Future Farmers Hosting Halloween Fun 5K at Ranch Park
Get ready for a spooky good time at the second annual Susanville FFA Halloween Fun Run on October 22nd. Held at Ranch Park, this family-friendly event is open to all ages and will feature a costume contest, free candy and a fun-filled run.
The race will start anytime between 4:00 and 5:30p.m., allowing participants to choose their own pace. There will be no official timing, making it perfect for runners of all levels.
“We would love to see people in costume and will have goodie bags for people to collect candy along the track,” explains organizer Elizabeth Ammon.
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The FFA students are also looking for local businesses to help donate items or baskets to give as costume prizes.
“If your business has an item or items or would like to donate a basket, please let me know,” says Ammon. “If anyone would like to donate bags of candy it would be much appreciated! We need 5,000 pieces minimum.”
Don’t forget to wear your best Halloween costume! The first 100 people to finish the run will receive a commemorative shirt. Water will be provided throughout the event, and you can trick or treat along the way.
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Last Day to Enter to Win Tickets to the LFS Hometown Hoedown
Get your boots and ten-gallon hats ready! Lassen Family Services is hosting their largest fundraiser of the year, the Hometown Hoedown, on Saturday, October 18th at the Veterans Hall and we have tickets to give away to our readers!
The event kicks off at 4:00p.m. and promises a night of Wild West fun, all while recognizing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
This exciting event is for adults 21 years of age and older and is packed with entertainment. You can show off your best Western wear in the Wild Wild West-themed costume contest and compete for prizes in four different categories – man, woman, couple and business.
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You’ll hear live country tunes broadcast by KJDX DJs Aaron and Amanda, and later in the evening, the rock band Forgery will be playing hits that made other people famous on the Vets Hall stage. In between there will be line dancing lessons and more country fun. Kick up your heels with some lively Line Dancing or just enjoy the music!
Get ready to bid on lots of awesome items during the live and online auctions, thanks to generous local sponsors.
For dinner, you can feast on a hearty chuckwagon style meal featuring chili and cornbread and try your luck at the classic cake walk.
You can grab your favorite spirit at the downstairs saloon, and, for a bit of extra fun, you can even “throw your friends in jail” as part of the fundraising activities!
Get Your Tickets!
Don’t miss out on the fun and the chance to support a great cause! Presale tickets are just $20 and can be purchased at several local businesses: Margie’s Book Nook, Plumas Bank, Zaengles Floor and Home, Highway to the Gaming Zone or Lassen Family Services. Tickets will also be available at the door for $25. Remember, this is a 21-and-over event.
To purchase your tickets online head over to Lassen Family Services’s Donate Page and make sure you note that “These funds are for Hometown Hoedown tickets.”
Would you like to win a pair of tickets? Of course you would!
You can enter once per day, per email address, from now until midnight tonight, October 16th, to win a pair of tickets to Lassen Family Service’s big Hometown Hoedown. We will announce the name of our ticket winners Friday morning, October 17th. Click here for entry form and details at SusanvilleStuff.
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Dare to Enter: Best of Broadway’s “Frightmare Eternal Souls” Fundraiser
Get ready to embark on the Ultimate Haunted Adventure! The Best of Broadway is inviting everyone to its annual Halloween fundraiser, “Frightmare Eternal Souls,” which organizers call an unforgettable journey through darkness, danger and dread. Are you brave enough to cross the threshold into the realm of the afterlife?
Your quest begins when you pay the ferryman with a coin – your passage to the other side. You’ll navigate the shadowy waters of the Underworld before charging headlong through a treacherous purgatory where spirits linger.
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The final challenge is a harrowing battle through the Skinwalker Forest, home to mysterious creatures lurking in the shadows, where you’ll confront the legendary Spider Goddess whose web of secrets tests even the bravest souls.
This thrilling experience runs for four nights at the Lassen County Fairgrounds. Mark your calendars for October 28th, 29th and 30th and Halloween Night, October 31st.
No Scare Hours (Family-Friendly): From 5:30p.m. to 7:00p.m., they will turn down the scares for a gentler experience suitable for families. ($5 entry).
Full Scare Experience (Intense): From 7:00p.m. to 10:00p.m., the full intensity is unleashed for adrenaline seekers looking for a truly terrifying night. ($10 entry).
The event takes place at Gate 3 of the Lassen County Fairgrounds, located at 195 Russell Avenue. Tickets are available at the door.
Come face your fears and see if you have the courage to reach the afterlife—and return in one piece!
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Sheriff’s Office Handles Patrol of Federal Campground
October 16, 1975
THE SHERIFF’S CAMPGROUND patrol vehicle, pictured above, is used to patrol federal campgrounds in Lassen County. The patrols, instituted this summer for the first time, were made necessary by increased incidents of crime in the camping areas. The department receives some $14,700 to conduct the patrol from the federal government. Pictured, from left, are Deputy Galan Todd, Lt. Lino Callegari and Deputy Bruce Stelzer. (Sheriff’s Department photo).
Sheriff’s Patrol Cuts Campgrounds Vandalism
During the past summer season, the Lassen County Sheriff’s Department entered into an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service on the Lassen and Modoc Forests to provide police patrol in Lassen county federal recreation areas.
As a result of this program, Undersheriff Del Gorbet reports, incidents of vandalism, theft and unruly conduct in these recreation areas were reduced from an everyday occurrence to practically nil.
Another blessing of the program, at least in the eyes of beleaguered property taxpayers, is that they are being financed by the federal government at no direct cost to the Lassen county property taxpayer.
The program, which ran from July 1 to Sept. 26, included daily sheriff’s patrols of camping and recreation facilities at Eagle Lake, Bogard Recreation area, Butte Creek, Bidwell Springs and Silver Lake on the Lassen National Forest.
The Forest Service will pay the county $11,700 for conducting the patrols.
On the Modoc National Forest, which extends into northern Lassen county, the county will be paid $3,000 for patrolling the Blue Lake, Ash Creek and Willow Creek recreation areas.
Patrol of the Blue Lake area concluded Sept. 1.
Results of the program, according to all sources concerned, have been positive.
According to Gorbet, “two weeks prior to instituting the patrol, we had a man out (at the recreation areas) every day investigating incidents.
“Now the incidents of camp burglaries and vandalism have dropped to practically nothing,” Gorbet added.
Gorbet’s optimism was echoed by Fred Alberico of the U.S. Forest Service, who was instrumental in setting up the local program.
“There has been very little incidents of vandalism since the program started,” Alberico commented.
“People have commented that the patrols give them a sense of security,” Alberico added.
Preventive Program
Both Gorbet and Alberico cited the preventive nature of the patrol as being instrumental in the reduction of campground crime.
“I think when people see a patrol car it tends to straighten them out,” Alberico remarked. “It stops problems before they get started.”
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