Archives - 2026
May 2026
By Joan Lacktis
Our club and its members aren’t just into fun and games. Sure, we enjoy a good time — like getting together recently for our first-ever pool tournament at Kilaga’s billiards room. We also are engaged with giving back to the wider community.
One of our members was recognized last month by the Lincoln Democrats after she spearheaded a diaper drive that collected more than 5,000 diapers for Lighthouse Counseling and Family Resource Center. Another member just finished training a dog to be part of a therapy companion team. Actually, it seems that most of our 104 members are volunteering somewhere: on local boards and HOA committees, in schools and food banks and thrift shops, and even doing taxes through the AARP program.
Our leadership recently visited the newly opened Placer LGBTQ+ Center in Roseville as we explore how we might build a connection with them. Among other things, the Center puts on the annual Placer Pride celebration, which this year will be May 16 at Royer Park in Roseville — and many of our members will be there.
But we still like to have fun. Our Activities Committee held an Adventures in Dining outing last month and is organizing a trip to a Lincoln Potters baseball game in June, along with our annual summer excursion to Red Hawk Casino (and its Apex entertainment center).
Lavender Friends is a club for LGBTQ residents and their allies.
April 2026
By Joan Lacktis
Lavender Friends is slowly awakening from our Winter hibernation with only a few items on our calendar-mostly old favorites. We had one of our bi-monthly birthday breakfasts in March and we also did a repeat of our Lincoln Library tour. There was something new, too, when a large group gathered in the Billiards Room at Kilaga Springs for our first-ever pool tournament.
A lot of energy right now is being directed at planning our June mixer at the Sports Pavillion, with small groups working to plan raffles, piñatas, icebreakers and other fun stuff. If you’re a member, be sure to watch the Weekly for sign-up details. And, remember that effective April 2, all members (and guests) will be required to sign liability waiver forms in order to participate in the club’s activities or events. The liability waiver forms are available on our website; please print one out and take it to your next event.
Lavender Friends is a club for LGBTQ residents and their allies.
Our Gift to the Placer LGBTQ Center
The club's Steering Committee voted unanimously recently to award the $1,000 charitable gift fund to the Placer LGBTQ+ Center. This was the fund created at the January biannual business meeting.
The committee was very impressed with the work these volunteers have done and how they are networking with other organizations, ranging from the local chapter of PFLAG to the Stonewall Alliance in Chico and the Sacramento LGBTQ Center. Read more …
March 2026
By Joan Lacktis
It’s not just all fun and games with Lavender Friends. While one of our main functions is to provide social activities in a safe environment for LGBTQ residents of Lincoln Hills, our bylaws include other goals as well. Among them are raising awareness of LGBTQ issues and providing help and support to our greater LGBTQ community.
Following some successful fundraising last year, we are in a position to offer a bit of financial assistance to such groups. At our January biannual business meeting in Presentation Hall, we designated an amount and discussed having the Steering Committee develop a process for identifying who might benefit from a little boost.
It was a packed agenda at that business meeting, with several major issues up for decisions. Among them: we are planning to move our very successful annual holiday dance to a larger venue next year; we also will start requiring participants in Lavender Friends activities to sign liability waivers; and, we are gathering volunteers to help staff a voting center in Placer County for this year’s elections. After all the hard work, we headed across the hallway for a pizza party and conversation because, after all, some of it is fun and games.
Lavender Friends is a club for LGBTQ residents and their allies.
Pool Tournament Recap
Connie and Barry won first place, Dusty and Noni came out a close second and Vicky and Sandi won third place. The pool room was packed with players and onlookers. We learned a lot on this first outing and when we do it again, we will tighten it up a notch — but still make it a game of fun!
If we had a prize for it, Rob would have won for most excited player when he got a ball in the pocket. I’m pretty sure they heard him all the way to Orchard Creek. Carolyn also got some good shots in; but she admits she practices a lot on a game on her phone.
February 2026
By Joan Lacktis
January is generally a quieter month for Lavender Friends. After the busyness of the holiday season, we got down to business at our biannual general meeting, which featured a packed agenda. We have started a tradition of following our business meeting with a pizza party to mix in a little pleasure. We also had our every-other-month birthday gathering at Meridian’s for a chance to get together and visit over breakfast.
But don’t worry, our ACE group is busy planning a full schedule of outings for the coming year, starting this month with throwing axes at Get Axed, which it’s been said is cheaper than therapy. Check the Weekly for announcements and sign-up opportunities.
And whether you love football, presidents or the one you’re with, February has something to celebrate. So, take the opportunity on one of these holidays to gather with friends, Lavender or otherwise, and show yourself some love this month. Lavender Friends is a club for LGBTQ residents and their allies.
January 2026
By Joan Lacktis
Another year finished and a new one to look forward to. We saw the year out with two repeats of holiday events from past years — dancing at our annual holiday dinner dance and sampling mandarins on a tour of Thundering Herd mandarin ranch. We also did our first horse-drawn wagon ride to see holiday decorations in the Fabulous Forties in Sacramento. There were about 40 of us in attendance and many of us are hoping this becomes one of our year-end traditions.
Now it’s time to get back to business. Our January biannual business meeting will be held on Jan. 24 at 3:00 p.m. Members, be sure to mark your calendar so you can be part of the decision-making process for our club. And stay for our post-meeting pizza party and partake of some food and conversation. Watch the Weekly for more details and the agenda.
As to the future, our Activities Committee Extraordinaire is making plans for more fun, food and friendship in 2026 (Will alpacas be involved? Wait and see). We wish you all a happy, healthy new year with new adventures awaiting.
Lavender Friends is a club for LGBTQ residents and their allies.
LF Members Meet with Councilwoman after Her Controversial Remarks Draw National Attention
A proud and passionate crowd of 72 Lavender Friends members packed into a City Hall conference room on Saturday, Jan. 10, to share their anger and their stories with Councilwoman Holly Andreatta. The issue: Her homophobic and abusive comments made during a speech to a right-wing Christian student club being formed at Twelve Bridges High.
Her talk has sparked a national backlash from a broad spectrum of citizens who not only took exception to saying a sexual trauma turned her daughter gay and marriage is between and man and a woman, but her revisionist history about the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., employment inclusion and white Christian nationalism.
Holly apologized repeatedly for the hurt she may have caused by what many considered hate speech — but the contrition did not come with any promises of accountability or change. The exchange was polite, emotional and adamant. Will it do any good? We shall see. As Dr. King used to say, change does not happen overnight but by steady persistence.
President Sandi Dolbee closed the meeting by suggesting what she admitted was an unusual but not unprecedented move: That at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, which is expected to be packed with contention, Holly step up and ask to be censured, acknowledging her conduct was unbecoming an elected official and a violation of her oath of office.
Afterward, the pride and energy among those who showed up and spoke up lasted beyond just that meeting. As one member wrote the next day: “For me, the biggest takeaway I took from the meeting is that we have such a wonderful group of people in the Lavender Friends Club. I feel very blessed and fortunate to be a member and to be associated with such wonderful people.”
