The Ventura Chamber of Commerce presents the 6th Annual “Taste” at the Museum of Ventura County on Thursday October 20th.

More than 40 of Ventura’s finest restaurants, caterers, wineries, breweries, bakeries and confectioners will be featured at this popular event. Live music, mixology and cooking demos will complement the mix, as guests mingle in the courtyard and main space of the Museum of Ventura County.

Doors open at 5:30pm and the event goes until 8pm.

The advance ticket purchase cost is $40 for Ventura Chamber members and $50 for the general public. Tickets can be purchased by going to www.venturachamber.com/taste2016 or by calling  643-7222. Pre-registration is encouraged; guests can receive an additional $5 discount per ticket if purchased by October 15.

Event sponsors include Museum of Ventura County, Ventura Auto Center, Ventura Rental Party Center, Kaiser Permanente, WSPA, Union Bank, Gold Coast Acura, Ventura Community Bank, Ventura County Star, CAPS Media Center, Gold Coast Broadcasting, Luners Production Services, VC Reporter and the Ventura Breeze.

The Ventura Chamber of Commerce is a membership based organization that advocates on behalf of the business community. With nearly 700 members, representing more than 25,000 employees locally, the Chamber engages on a variety of issues that help to drive a strong local economy as The Voice of Business.

The greatest golfers on the PGA TOUR Champions schedule are set to descend upon Sherwood Country Club October 28-30 for the inaugural PowerShares QQQ Championship, the first event in the new season-ending Charles Scwab Cup Playoffs series. Fans are sure to witness exciting competition as these legends of golf compete for their spot to further advance in the Playoffs, when the field of 72 golfers is cut to jst 54 that move on to the Dominion Charity Classic in Richmond, VA.

Equally compelling for spectators, the tournament will offer a multitude of events and venues to experience while watching the action. It all kicks off on Thursday with the “Community Champions Day”, an event that’s open to the public as a public celebration to the week ahead. The day will feature a tennis exhibition (9-11 a.m.) with Andy Roddick, James Blake, Jim Courier and Mark Philippoussis, a free golf clinic (1-2 p.m.) with PGA TOUR Champions players and a chance to experience some of the premium food and beverage available during tournament week.

From seafood to the classic grilled cheese, the tournament has it covered all week with a host of options from local food trucks including Baby’s Badass Burgers, The Grilled Cheese Truck, Good to Go Juice and Shrimp vs. Chef. Fans are also encouraged to stop by the StoneHaus Wine Lounge, which is slated to be the place to be once competition rounds start. Located at the driving range, the lounge offers prime viewing of the players as they practice.

What’s even more rewarding is the access that the tournament is offering to youth and military. All youth 18 and younger will receive complimentary Grounds admission when accompanied by a ticketed adult. In addition, the PowerShares QQQ Championship is offering complimentary Grounds admission and hospitality during the tournament for all active duty, reserve military members, military retirees and their dependents along with complimentary admission for veterans.

While at the PowerShares QQQ Championship, all military guests will be treated to complimentary food and beverages and up-close views of the action in the Patriots’ Patio presented by Frontier Communications, a military-exclusive venue located on 9 green.

There will also be a Military Recognition Ceremony held Saturday, October 29 at 7:00 a.m that will also be open to the public.  The ceremony on 1 tee will feature a national anthem and color guard to honor military in the Thousand Oaks and Ventura County areas.

The tournament has made great strides in offering access to these great events to the public, but also to local organizations and deserving charities. The PowerShares QQQ Championship started the “Buy Now, Give Back” program to offer a ticket to charities through the Sherwood Cares Foundation, with every ticket purchased by fans.

“We’ve had the vision of making this a truly community-centric event,” said O.D. Vincent, Executive Director of the PowerShares QQQ Championship. “With venues and events that celebrate the best of our area, we really do have something for everyone.”

Tickets are available on PowerSharesQQQChampionship.com.

Opera Santa Barbara will open its 2016-17 season with a colorfully electrifying production of Carmen, Georges Bizet’s enduring tale of love and jealousy set amid the vibrant, unruly streets of 19th century Seville. Performances will take place at 7:30 pm on Friday, November 4, and at 2:30 pm on Sunday, November 6, in the historic Granada Theatre. Ranging in price from $29 to $204, tickets can be purchased at www.granadasb.org or by calling 899-2222.

Directed by Octavio Cardenas, Opera Santa Barbara’s production will feature three of the region’s most celebrated Flamenco dancers – Wendy Castellanos-Wolf, Pamela Lourant, and Marcela Aguayo – and will mark the inaugural appearance of the company’s new Youth Opera chorus for singers ages 8 to 18.

The production also will mark the company conducting debut of Kostis Protopapas, who was named OSB artistic director in July 2015. “I’m very much looking forward to my conducting debut with Opera Santa Barbara, working with an absolutely fantastic cast and the Opera Santa Barbara Orchestra and Chorus on one of the world’s most treasured operas” he said.

Opera Santa Barbara’s 2016-17 season will continue with Leos Janacek’s the Cunning Little Vixen and Puccini’s elegant and poignant operetta La Rondine .

The Granada Theatre is located at 1214 State Street in downtown Santa Barbara.

To place a season subscription order, visit www.operasb.org or call 898-3890.

Subscribers can purchase season tickets for their children ages 17 and under for just $42. These discounted tickets allow for seating with parents in all sections of the Granada except the loge and boxes.

The Ojai City Council has selected interim city manager Steve McClary as Ojai’s permanent city manager. McClary had been serving as interim city manager since shortly after the resignation of Robert Clark on March 1. The city council voted 4-1 for a three-year contract, with Council Member Betsy Clapp voting no.

“Steve’s leadership skills and knowledge of the Ojai community clearly made him our best choice to be our City Manager,” said Mayor Blatz.

McClary began his service to the City of Ojai as the assistant to the city manager in 2009. He was promoted to the position of Deputy City Manager in 2013. Prior to his tenure in Ojai, McClary served 12 years in the city manager’s office for the City of Fillmore.

Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation and Ojai Valley Community Hospital Foundation has announced that Don Felder, a former legendary guitarist with the Eagles, will be performing at this year’s “At The Bowl” benefit concert on Oct. 22 at Libbey Bowl.

Felder, who played lead guitar with the Eagles for 27 years, originated the music on numerous Eagles milestones and co-wrote their biggest hit – the iconic “Hotel California.” The funds raised by this event will support Community Memorial Health System construction projects – the building a new Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura and a new Continuing Care Center in Ojai.General admission tickets and sponsorship packages are available at www.cmhsatthebowl.org.  Or call 667-2881.

The Ventura County Library’s Makerspace Librarian Antonio Apodaca will visit the Ojai Library at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 14, 2016, to deliver a presentation introducing a new eLibrary resource: PressBooks! Also at the Ojai Library, Opera Santa Barbara will return to present a Free Noontime Opera Concert on Thursday, October 13.

The Jewish Community of Ojai invites everyone to celebrate “Blessings,” six leaded-glass windows recently installed in the JCO sanctuary. These leaded-glass panels were commissioned in1993 by the Jewish Museum, New York, from glass artist and sculptor Susan Stinsmuehlen-Amend. In 2016, at the artist’s suggestion, they were generously gifted to the Jewish Community of Ojai. Artist Susan Stinsmuehlen-Amend, and curator Anca Colbert, will discuss the creative process behind the windows, a brief history of stained glass windows and their place in spiritual art.  The event will be held on Wednesday, October 19th at 7:30 pm. Dessert and wine reception will follow..

The Ojai Photography Club will host a presentation by photographer and master teacher Christopher Broughton on October 18, at 7:00 p.m. in Ojai’s Kent Hall. “Practicing Seeing,” is based on his experiences in Paris over the past five summers teaching a ten-week study abroad program in photography to Brooks Institute students.  After completing his BA and MS in photography at Brooks Institute, Broughton joined the faculty at Brooks and taught there for twenty years until the recent closure of the school. http://www.christopherbroughton.com

Monthly free presentations are part of the Ojai Photography Club’s community service outreach. Visitors are always welcome to attend. The Ojai Photography Club, which is devoted to education, inspiration, and camaraderie, meets on the third Tuesday of each month, February – November. For additional information please visit: www.ojaiphotoclub.com/

Come join over 100 players in the annual  Villanova Preparatory School golf tournament with a foursome. Come enjoy the Oktoberfest dinner and raffle. Families, friends, alumni, neighbors and public are all welcome! This year, our Wildcat Classic fundraising goal is to raise over $24,000 to use towards athletics and scholarships. Villanova is known for its sense of community and the involvement of its parents and supporters. The event promises to be an excellent opportunity to bring people together for a great cause, and great fun as this year’s event is aligned with Halloween. It will be a screaming good time for all!

Soule Park Golf Course
Friday, October 28
Registration 9:00 a.m. Tee Time 12:00 p.m.
Feast Time 4:30 p.m.