Archives
December 2025
By Joan Lacktis
We had several opportunities to get together in November. There were some fun activities, like our Gratitude/Comfort Food potluck and a visit to the Thundering Herd Mandarin Ranch. But a group from the club also volunteered to conduct early voting for five days at a vote center in Auburn. While the work was challenging, it was fun spending time together learning something different.
This month we have a couple of big events coming up. We have 46 members signed up to ride on horse-drawn wagons to look at holiday decorations in the Fabulous 40s in Sacramento. And, of course, we have our dinner dance at Turkey Creek, which brings together members new and old from throughout the region.
The end of the year is a time for looking back and we have had some highlights we should recognize. Our membership grew to the point that we had to start having our business meetings in Presentation Hall. We took our first out-of-state trip on the Snow Train to Reno. And this was our first foray into working at the election polls.
We hope your year was filled with explorations and adventures that kept life interesting and that 2026 brings new joys.
Lavender Friends is a club for LGBTQ residents and their allies.
Holiday Dinner-Dance Recap
Turkey Creek’s clubhouse was packed once again Saturday night for our annual holiday dance. Besides the music and the dancing and the buffet dinner, the party honored Sharon Kurth and Marie Salers, who are retiring after 17 years of helping put on these dances. They were presented plaques by president Sandi Dolbee and given a standing ovation. Donna Rasmussen, who has partnered with them over all these years, is remaining on the dance committee and is mentoring new members.
Fab 40s Holiday Lights Wagon Ride Recap
What a great way to get into the Holiday spirit! Forty-one Lavender Friends piled into three wagons drawn by six beautiful draft horses for a ride through the enchanting light displays in the Fab Forties in Sacramento. We had a perfect winter night and we were cozy in our winter wear and blankets as we ooh'ed and ahh'ed through the streets. Thanks to Sara for planning a wonderful adventure and Sandi for keeping us on track with logistics. Here are a few photos.
November 2025
By Joan Lacktis
It’s November and our thoughts turn towards Thanksgiving and all we have to be grateful for before the hectic bustle of the holiday season. We have two fun activities coming up this month. On November 8, we are having a comfort food gratitude potluck. We will enjoy our favorite comfort foods and share thoughts of what we are thankful for. After the sharing and grazing we will play a brand-new game called “Family Food Feud: The Gratitude Version.” Be sure to sign up by the deadline given in the Weekly.
Then, on November 22, we will tour the Colwell Thundering Herd Ranch, a trip we enjoyed last year. And as always, we cap off our year with our 17th Annual Holiday Dinner and Dance at Turkey Creek. This event draws LGBT people from throughout the area so be sure to check your Weekly for the form to buy tickets, so you don’t miss out.
I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! We have so much to be grateful for here in Sun City Lincoln Hill. Lavender Friends is a club for LGBTQ residents and their allies.
Our recent Gratitude and Comfort Food Potluck drew fifty-something people for a terrific night of food and fun!
Mandarin Ranch Tour Recap
Fourteen Lavender friends spent an enjoyable morning touring the ranch, tasting, shopping, and socializing. And thanks to David for organizing this event again this year.
Election Poll Working Recap
An enthusiastic group of Lavender Friends spent five days conducting early voting at the Vote Center at the Recorder's Office in Auburn.
Barry White did the initial planning and scheduling of 12 other volunteers working on behalf of the club. Then he and Rob Lowry showed their outstanding organizational skills as they oversaw the voting each day — assigning tasks, troubleshooting, and making sure all required protocols were followed. The days were long but we enjoyed visiting and getting to know each other in between voters. Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen.
October 2025
By Joan Lacktis
We are looking forward to October’s bright blue weather and possibly some cooler temperatures to allow for more outdoor activities. We did get out to play cornhole at the end of last month.
This month, we are planning a walking tour of historic downtown Lincoln, and we hope for pleasant weather as we stroll. We have a lot of fun stuff planned for November and December that we will describe as they get closer. Club members also can go onto our newly redesigned website, which now includes members-only pages with event details and other useful information.
Coming up soon is National Coming Out Day, celebrated on Oct. 11 every year. Younger LGBTQ people have grown up in a more tolerant cultural environment but many of us Sun City-age gay people risked jobs, families and personal safety if we wanted live openly as gay people. Let’s take a moment to appreciate living in this community where Lavender Friends are welcome and accepted
Cornhole Recap
Everyone had a fun morning playing cornhole on Saturday, September 27! It was perfect weather to get together outdoors for some friendly competition. Great people and lots of laughs. Thank you to everyone who participated.
September 2025
By Joan Lacktis
Lavender Friends has welcomed 10 new members in the last couple of months! I guess people are coming to appreciate the small-town appeal of Lincoln combined with the many perks and benefits of Sun City Lincoln Hills.
The policy of SCLH requires that any recognized club be open to all residents, which assures us that Lavender Friends will be welcome in any club from Bridge to Hula, just as we welcome all residents to Lavender Friends.
While it is energizing to have so many new members to meet and get to know, it means that our activities fill up faster. Club members, if you see an activity you want to participate in, be sure to RSVP promptly so you’re not left behind on the wait list.
And we have some fun stuff lined up this winter. In November, we are planning a comfort food potluck with the theme of gratitude. In December, we’ve reserved wagon rides to tour the Christmas lights in the Fabulous Forties in Sacramento. Don’t miss out!
August 2025
By Joan Lacktis
Summertime and the livin’ is easy — but then the livin’ is always easy here in Sun City, isn’t it? Lavender Friends is taking things a little easy during August after a busy July. We had our bi-monthly birthday breakfast at Meridians and a Trivia Night, not to mention ending June with a mini-golf outing.
And we like to mix business with pleasure, so we followed our July business meeting with a gathering in the Solarium for food, beverages and mingling. We gained three new members in the past couple of months, so we have a few more people to mingle with.
This month we are planning another trip to Red Hawk Casino — using the free shuttle service — to spend the day in air-conditioned comfort as we enjoy the amenities there. Going even farther afield, we have a few members planning to attend the National Gay Rodeo Final in Reno in October. There’s something for everyone with Lavender Friends.
Red Hawk Recap
Our third annual trip to Red Hawk this week made history when two of our members bravely donned helmets to become the first Lavender Friends to climb into go-karts and race around the two-story track.
The two racers issued this challenge for next year: let’s recruit enough members for go-karts to take up one whole race heat (about seven drivers). Members also bowled, shot pool, and hung out in the casino until it was time to gather for dinner in a private dining room at the Koto Buffet. It was a blast. Put it on your calendar for next August!
July 2025
By Joan Lacktis
Our June All-members Mixer is always a highlight of our year and this year was no exception. About 70 Lavender Friends dined on barbecued beef, chicken and veggies while we caught up with friends, played games and enjoyed entertainment provided by the energetic ukulele players, the Strummin’ Sistas, which included one of our own talented members. Great prizes were the icing on the cake.
Later in the month, we played mini-golf at Sunsplash in Roseville — a perfect evening activity for the warmer weather.
This month we will be attending to club business at our bi-annual meeting on July 26 in Presentation Hall. Members, be sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend so you can be part of our decision-making process. We always go out for some social time after the meeting, which makes the meeting more fun.
June 2025
By Joan Lacktis
A trip to the Medical Museum in Sacramento recently was one of the more unusual outings we have gone on lately. Lavender Friends went on a tour led by enthusiastic and knowledgeable retired doctors to view the exhibits showcasing medical history in the local area from the 1800’s. Artifacts included an iron lung from the time before the polio vaccine and amputation kits from the Civil War. Fascinating stuff!
This month will bring one of our favorite annual events — our members-only Mixer at the Sports Pavilion. We will dine on barbecued tri-tip and chicken and veggie kebabs with a variety of sides, washed down by a no-host bar. A highlight is always the entertainment provided by our talented members. Tables will have rainbow-themed decorations in honor of Pride month.
Gay Pride celebrations are held in June throughout the free world to celebrate the rights we have gained in the past 50 years — and our Mixer, begun originally for members to get a chance to meet and greet, is our own version of this celebration. Roseville held its Placer Pride celebration in May but there’s still time to plan an outing to Sacramento on June 14-15 for their parade and festival.
May 2025
By Joan Lacktis
We have a lot of activities planned for our members in the next few months, but we also plan to participate in several outside events.
Placer Pride 2025 is scheduled to return to Royer Park in Roseville, on May 17. This is an inclusive and family friendly event for all ages. There will be a performance by the Sacramento Gay Men’s Choir as well as other gay and ally performers. It’s always fun to be in a gay-friendly space enjoying food, games and music with friends from the area. And in October, some of us will make the trip to Reno for the World Gay Rodeo Finals.
Locally, we have our bimonthly birthday breakfast and a repeat of last year’s walking tour of historic Lincoln in May. It’s great to be retired — most of us anyway — and have time for so many different activities both near and far. There’s more coming in June and July, so members, be sure to read your weekly newsletter.
Lavender Friends is a club for LGBTQ residents and their supporters.
April 2025
By Joan Lacktis
All aboard Amtrak! Twenty-five Lavender Friends boarded the train in Roseville for a scenic trip through the mountains to Reno. There was plenty of time to visit and get to know people better as we passed through Gold Rush towns on our journey.
We enjoyed grand views of the snowy mountainsides and Donner Lake from our seats, or we could move to the observation car for better views. After a few delays, we arrived in Reno in time for dinner and a little casino action. Most of us headed back the next day and those that stayed another day toured the National Automobile Museum. We all agreed it was a great trip.
Now that the weather is warming up, we are starting to plan more outdoor activities. We had an afternoon of shuffleboard last month and this month we are planning an excursion to the Medical History Museum in Sacramento. Later this summer, we are planning a repeat of last year’s tour of historical downtown Lincoln, which was popular with those who attended.
Lavender Friends is a club for LGBTQ residents and their allies.
March 2025
By Joan Lacktis
We like to say, “there’s no friend like a Lavender Friend” and now we can add “there’s no meeting like a Lavender Friends meeting.”
Our recent business meeting was held for the first time in Presentation Hall, as we have outgrown the Multipurpose Room. Our business included a presentation on plans for an LGBTQ center in Place County and electing officers (Sandi Dolbee, president; Mary Jo Semmelmayer, vice president; David Black, treasurer, and Maureen Bauman, secretary).
We also are going to explore ways to get more involved with the LGBTQ community outside of Lincoln Hills. Afterward we crowded into the Kilaga Café for our post-meeting party, where we enjoyed Old Town pizza provided by our activities committee and bar service provided by the café. We spent time catching up with friends and writing down suggestions for future activities. It was a perfect mix of business with pleasure.
We already have plans for a hayride in the Fabulous Forties in December. Next month we’ll have a report on our snow train trip to Reno.
Lavender Friends is a club for LGBTQ residents and their allies.
February 2025
By Joan Lacktis
Lavender Friends didn’t have much in the way of outside activities in January. Like a lot of Sun City-ites, we were busy winding down from the holidays, visiting with families and kicking off 2025. Our only organized social activity was the bimonthly birthday breakfast, where we treat our birthday kids to coffee beverage as we eat and visit at Meridians. We also had our biannual business meetings — the Steering Committee and then the general membership meeting. We have gotten too large for the Multi-Purpose Room in Orchard Creek so we met in Presentation Hall. We elected officers, heard reports from the committees and made plans for the year ahead.
Part of the month also was spent planning for a trip to Reno later this February via Amtrak’s “snow train” over the Sierras. When it was first announced, more than a dozen households expressed interest. With the signups now underway, the turnout is expected to be many more than that. It’s bound to be an interesting trip.
And of course, we can’t forget that Valentine’s Day is February 14. While this holiday is usually considered a celebration for romantic partners, it is becoming more common for singles to show themselves some love with a nice dinner or a gathering with friends. However you mark the occasion, we hope you enjoy the day.
Lavender Friends is a club for LGBTQ residents and their supporters.
January 2025
By Joan Lacktis
Lavender Friends had lots of fun in December. Our 16th Annual Holiday Dinner Dance is always a highlight for those that like to get out for a festive evening. Earlier in December, we got outdoors with a visit to Colwell Thundering Herd Mandarin Ranch in Penryn.
In late November, we had a table at the SCLH new resident orientation where we signed up a new member. Two others joined separately that month, bringing our membership up 102.
Speaking of membership, our biannual general meeting is coming up January 25. We will elect new officers. We are fortunate that three of our four officers — president, vice president and treasurer — are seeking re-election, and the nominating committee has recommended them for another term. One of our newer members has been nominated to step into the secretary position. We love to see a new person getting involved with club leadership. SCLH requires recognized clubs to have approved bylaws and elected officers, so we couldn’t have a club without members willing to fill these roles. Thank you to our officers past, present and future.
As for the future, we are looking forward to more fun and friendship in 2025. We wish you all a happy, healthy new year. Lavender Friends is a club for LGBTQ residents and their supporters, who we call allies.
