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Vol. 16, No. 24 – Aug 23 – Sept 5, 2023 – A View from House Seats

by Shirley Lorraine

Enjoy the Glamour of The Golden Age

Annually, the Fractured Actors Theater Company presents an underground evening of theater and music. Situated in a black box Theater at Liminal Church on Palma Drive, Fractured Actors brings to life Sweet Jay’s Speakeasy, located in an inauspicious warehouse in Ventura. Each year brings a new theme, a new look and a thoroughly fun evening.

This year, the Company presents The Golden Age, a Speakeasy Project, a glimpse back to the glamour of the silver screen and Tinseltown of old. As noted in the dialogue, it is a “celebration of celluloid.” The theater is subdued in black and red décor with dimmed lighting. Libations are available to add to the atmosphere.

The very talented Ham family leads the action with writing, directing, producing, staging, performing and encouraging participation. The one-acts are written just for each production to fit with the theme. All of the actors, many of them familiar faces from last summer’s presentation of a foray into the mysterious Area 51, fully immerse themselves in the folly of this year’s offering with some eye-catching costuming and creative staging.

The event’s hosts, Anthony Elias Contreras and Cassie Kelso-Bucey, lead the action with clever banter, jokes and quick pacing. Appearing throughout, their charming, easy manner keeps the action moving and the laughs coming.

Employing minimal set pieces, the stage is easily reset for each of the four short plays, all of which take a tongue-in-cheek approach to what could have been issues of the day in the film business. Actors take on multiple roles throughout, reappearing in new personas. Interspersed with the plays are sultry singers keeping the audience fully in the era. Everyone seems to be having a wonderful time and their enthusiasm easily blankets the audience.

Each of the plays addresses a different aspect of what may have or could have taken place in the Golden Era. Each features opportunities to explore what-ifs and what-could-have-beens. It’s a fun ride of possible alternative endings.

From silent movies to telephone operators to “the town’s most awkward welcoming committee” with a sweet ending to put a bow on the evening, Fractured Actors brings a unique theatrical experience every summer. So dust off your Fedora, get out the pearls and boas and enjoy an evening of song, film and immersive original one-act plays. Catch this one if you can. If you’ve never been, go, then mark your calendar to watch for next summer’s offering.

Sweet Jay’s offers a limited opportunity to catch these engaging evenings. Performances continue August 25-27 and September 1 & 2. Fridays and Saturdays curtain is 8 p.m., Sundays at 5 pm. There is one extra matinee performance at 2 p.m. on September 2. Space is limited so reservations are a must. Most suitable for adults.

f[email protected] for additional information.

Vol. 16, No. 24 – Aug 23 – Sept 5, 2023 – Movie Review

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Jury Duty – Prime Video and Freevee

4 out of 4 palm trees

“Jury Duty” is a clever comedic series from the producers of “The Office” and “Bad Trip” that explores the American judicial process as seen by the eyes of the jury, except for the fact that of the 12 jurors, 11 are actors and the twelfth juror Ronald Gladden had no idea that it’s all fake. Actor James Marsden plays himself, however a much more conceited celebrity version that ends up getting the whole jury sequestered after paparazzi showed up to the courthouse. Everyone including the judge, bailiff, attorneys and defendants are also all actors and cameras film the whole thing under the pretense that they are doing a documentary about the American justice system which include personal interviews with all of the jurors as they move through the process.

The first episode was jury selection and the first day it appeared that a number of people were let out of serving due to what seemed trivial reasons. On the second day, a couple of the actors called upon tried the same excuses, but were denied and 11 ended up on the jury with Ronald while James was assigned as the second alternate, Juror #14. Judge Alan Rosen is played by actor Alan Barinholtz who is actually a seasoned attorney of 40 years practicing law in Ohio and Illinois and extremely believable in his role as judge.

The colorful cast playing the other jurors are an eclectic cross-section of interesting personalities and most of the dialog is actually improvised by the actors. In the second episode, the juror the judge assigned as foreman became injured in the deliberation room after a cabinet fell on him, so the judge assigned Ronald and the new foreman and James Marsden moved to first alternate. Ronald had a very positive personality and was always very conscientious toward the other jurors, though had no idea what kind of wrangling he was in for now that he was foreman.

Ronald’s first challenge was to keep juror Barbara Goldstein (Susan Berger) from not going to sleep while court was in session, and Judge Rosen stopped the proceedings several times to tell Ronald to do his duty as foreman and keep Barbara awake. Ronald was actually a James Marsden fan and brought DVDs of his movies to have him sign as well as running lines with him back at the motel were they were sequestered without outside contacts or even the use of their cell phones.

Halfway through the series, the judge and jury take a field trip to the site involved in the case and of course get themselves in various sorts of trouble. Even though some of the stunts the other jurors pulled were sometimes outrageous, Ronald always kept a calm demeanor and offered help and advise whenever he could since the whole jury viewed him as their leader after being assigned as foreman. Since half the jury was at a different motel than Ronald and James Marsden, they all gathered under the supervision of bailiff Officer Nikki Wilder (Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola) at a Mexican restaurant to share some time together but the excursion mainly became a babysitting job for Ronald.

After closing arguments, the jury got sent to the deliberation room to decide on a verdict. It was Ronald’s job as the foreman to lead the jury through deliberations and arrive at a unanimous verdict; but the jurors’ petty issues and personal drama threatened to derail everything. Eventually Ronald helped guide the group into a unanimous “not guilty” verdict and when he presented the verdict back in court he finally learned that the whole thing was fake. To his surprise, Ronald Gladden received $100,000 for his participation and the series has received 4 Emmy nominations.

Runtime: 8 – 30m episodes

Autism Society Ventura County

Autism Society Ventura County (ASVC) has been serving Ventura County since 1994. Our mission is to create connections, allowing everyone in the Autism community to live fully. Our Board of Directors are comprised of individuals on the Autism spectrum, Parents, Service Providers and Community members. 1 in 36 babies born today will be diagnosed with Autism according to the CDC. At ASVC, we work to make sure that individuals with Autism and their families have access to the best that Ventura County has to offer.

Some of our year-round programs are: Parent and Caretaker Support Groups, Young Adult Support Groups, Young Adult Social Groups at fun locations like Zander’s Game House in Camarillo, Virtual Art Classes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults, Everyone has a Story: Bookclub and Writing Workshops, Advocacy trainings and informational seminars, and so much more! You can find us at community events around the county providing support and information to individuals and families who need us, and the community at large. We have many ongoing initiatives, including a health equity program and an active advocacy committee.

We hope you will join us at our World’s Largest Jigsaw Puzzle Marathon at Pacific View Mall from September 15-24! Tickets are on sale now at tinyurl.com/asvcpuzzlemarathon. Complete this 60,000 piece puzzle with us over 10 days. The puzzle is split into sixty 1,000-piece puzzles, so gather your team and spend a few hours with us! This fundraiser allows us to expand our programs to meet the needs of our community in Ventura County.

Here are some of our other upcoming events that you won’t want to miss: Our 2023 Awesome in Autism Awards on 10/19 at Wood Ranch Country Club in Simi Valley. Nominations are accepted through 9/4- help us recognize the heroes in our community. In January 2024, join us for the first ever Celebrating the Autistic Mind Art Show at the Museum of Ventura County. From January 11-14, we will be showing art from our wonderfully diverse and talented community. Join us in April 2024 for our 12th Annual Aut2Run!

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to stay up to date with our programs and events. For more information about Autism Society Ventura County, check out www.Autismventura.org, or e-mail [email protected]. For sponsorship and donor information, reach out to [email protected].

Vol. 16, No. 24 – Aug 23 – Sept 5, 2023 – Mailbox

Breeze:

Great job Sheldon. As always, thanks for the support!

Darin Schindler Ventura Chief of Police

Mr. Editor:   

Please no awards for city until they fix roads…… worse now than ever…     Nice to see you are a Trojan, I am class of 56…….  and your comments on Community Colleges is right on.

Robert Lombardi

Robert: Even better some community colleges are going to offer bachelor degrees.

Breeze:

I have been reading all the accolades and patting on the back that has occurred since the X Games have come and gone. Perhaps there is much to this fanfare. Perhaps there is a missing element that hasn’t been addressed. Working as a vendor (not a restaurant) in downtown I’m questioning this success. From a small store vendor stand point the Games seemed to have a very negative impact. There wasn’t a huge up tick in shoppers during the regular daytime hours in fact, numbers dropped, considerably. 

What might have caused this? Perhaps because daytime hours coincided with X Game activities and no one ventured up to downtown until afer regular business hours ended?

Perhaps the woes threats and worries about traffic and parking were deterrent to those who weren’t interested in the event?

Perhaps the X Game vendor outreach was only given to restaurants and excluded the other vendor stores?

I do not purport that I speak for all vendors but the word that spreads like small town gossip was how their X Game experience wasn’t a “rousing success”. 

Thought for future: if you want vendor inclusion how about do just that, afford ALL vendors a presence at the event (County Fair included). Perhaps a pop tent set up in a designated Downtown Vendor area. Info, coupons, samples on the ready.

Success should be summed up by all, not just the top tier. 

George Smith

“The only one who can tell you ‘you can’t win’ is you and you don’t have to listen.”
~ Jessica Ennis

Vol. 16, No. 24 – Aug 23 – Sept 5, 2023 – Ventura Music Scene

by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com

I cannot believe Labor Day is almost here and with it what most call the “end of summer.” Of course, nothing could be further from the truth as summer doesn’t official end until Friday, September 22, and even then, we typically have warm gorgeous weather up until the middle of October. But I’m not a weather person and all I care about is that we have live music all year round! So, let’s get started…

Spencer Makenzie has outgrown their original location on the public street next to their restaurant and they’re now hosting their annual Throw Down Cornhole Festival at the Ventura County Fairs. Along with all the competition will be live music featuring Morie & the Heavy Hitters, Acoustic DNA, and Prince Again on Friday, August 25; then on Saturday the 26, it’s Highway Starr and Whiskey Business. This is a ticketed event.

There’s free admission for the Hueneme Beach Fest, but do plan to spend money on parking ($10, though a free shuttle will be provided as well) and carnival rides and of course all the delicious food offered by all the food vendors. Along with all the arts and crafts vendors and chalk art exhibition, there will be plenty of live music both days with Morie and the Heavy Hitters, Joyas Prestadas (tribute to Jenni Rivera), and Led Zepagain on Saturday, August 26, then it’s Always Tina, Anything for Selena and Britain’s Finest on Sunday, the 27 of August.

The Rubicon Theatre hosts The Platters, Many Voices ONE name, for five shows over the weekend of August 25 through the 27 with two shows on Friday and Saturday. You’ll enjoy timeless classics such as “Only You,” “The Great Pretender,” “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” My Prayer,” and more. Find out more at RubiconTheatre.org.

Oh! And don’t forget the Oxnard Jazz Festival falls over the weekend of September 9 and 10 at Oxnard State Beach. Secure tickets at OxnardJazzFestival.com.

Quick Notes: adding to the list of venues offering open mic/jam nights is Café Fiore on Tuesdays; As of press time, only the first of two nights has sold out for The Offspring at the Majestic Ventura Theater (Tuesday, October 17, and Wednesday, October 18); Rock the Collection kicks off their summer concert (while others are wrapping theirs up) with Bruno and the Hooligans on Wednesday, August 23; City of Caterpillar, the Discussion and Head Cut play Gigi’s on Saturday August 26; Music Under the Stars wraps up the summer season with Lisa Haley & the Zydekats on Saturday, August 26; Neon Blonde plays Sans Souci on Saturday, August 26; Bell Arts Factory hosts Juan D. Mendoza on Sunday, August 27; The Trivle Omdobble plays Topa Topa Brewing on Sunday, August 27; and there’s an extra night of music at Leashless on Tuesday, August 29 with Spring Loaded Band;

Do you have any music-related news or upcoming shows you want help publicizing? Please send all information short or long to [email protected], and for updated music listings daily, go to www.VenturaRocks.com.

The Bookmark About Libraries and Friends

by Mary Olson

The Ventura County Library has announced its sixth annual One County, One Book community reading program. One County, One Book aims to unite the Ventura County community around a common narrative, spreading interest in and facilitating discussions about the selected book.

This year’s One County, One Book selection is Solito, by Javier Zamora. Solito is Zamora’s memoir of his migration from El Salvador to the United States at the age of nine. To participate in One County, One Book, pick up a copy of Solito from one of the 12 library branches or Mobile Library. In addition to regular holdings, each library branch will have an Honor Book Shelf set up with additional copies.

Throughout September, 2023, people across the county will have a chance to attend discussions and other special events related to the themes of the selection.

Cal Lutheran will present a panel of professors— Dr. Julia Fogg, Dr. Jamshid Damooei, and Dr. Jose Alfredo Torres—who will talk about border crossings, the criminalization of immigration, and the economic impact of immigrants in Ventura County. This event will take place in Cal Lutheran’s Lundring Events Center at 7 pm on Thursday, September 21. For more information about the panel, contact Michaela Reaves at [email protected] or (805) 493-3381.

Hill Road Library’s Book Club will discuss Solito at the September meeting, 5:00 pm on Tuesday, September 26. For more information on this Book Club, please email [email protected].

The One County, One Book capstone event will be an author presentation by Javier Zamora that will be held as part of the Ventura County Celebration of Books and will take place on September 30 at 2 pm on the campus of CSU Channel Islands. The presentation will be in English, with Spanish translation available.

The 2023 One County, One Book program is sponsored by the Ventura County Library Foundation

The Ventura County Library Foundation is hosting an author reception prior to the author talk featuring A Taste of Central America.  Attendees enjoy lunch, complimentary paperback copy of Solito, and book signing with the author. Tickets are required for the author reception and can be purchased for $75 each at www.vclibraryfoundation.org. Proceeds support the Library Foundation.

E.P. Foster’s Young Readers Book Club meets on Saturday, August 26, 1:00 to 2:00 pm to discuss The Human Kaboom by Adam Rubin & create a character sheet (DND style)
For children ages 9-12 (4th or 5th grade reading level).

Ventura Friends of the Library invite you to visit our Bookstore in E.P. Foster Library Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm and Sunday 1:00 to 4:00 pm

We also invite you to browse anytime at our Online Bookstore for local sales.

https://venturafol-107753.square.site/s/shop In August, Notable Books for Youth are 10% off! Just order and pick up at the bookstore in E.P. Foster in as few as two days.

The Topping Room in E.P. Foster will be a stop in Art Walk Ventura, September 23 & 24. Ventura Friends of the Library will be participating. In 2019, the Friends received a generous donation of original watercolors and photographs from the family of Hank and Susan Stoutz. A selection of these works will be offered for sale at the Art Walk, along with a selection of Art, Architecture and Photography books.

Vol. 16, No. 24 – Aug 23 – Sept 5, 2023 – Music Calendar

For more listings, additional times and genres go to VenturaRocks.com

Aqua Beachfront Bar (Crowne Plaza)
450 E. Harbor Blvd., Ventura
Sat 9/2: Rey Fresco

Bell Arts
432 N. Ventura Ave., Ventura
Sun 8/27: Juan D. Mendoza

Bellringer Brewing Company
472 E. Main St., Ventura
Fri 9/1: Déjà vu Three

Boatyard Pub
1583 Spinnaker Dr., Ventura
Music 6-9; except Sundays 4-7
Mondays: Jason Ho
Wednesdays: Frank Barajas
Thursdays: Jim Friery; Bluegrass Jam
Fri 8/25: Mack and D
Sat 8/26: Flattop Tom
Sun 8/27: Ken Devoe
Tues 8/29: Karen Eden & the Bad Apples

Café Fiore
66 California St., Ventura
Tuesdays: Open Mic and Jam

Cantara Cellars
126 N. Wood Rd., Camarillo
Fri 8/25: Heathers on Fire
Sat 8/26: Cash Cats

The Cave
4435 McGrath St., Ventura
Wed & Thurs: Bobby Apostol
Fri & Sat: Warren Takahashi
Tues 8/29: Benjamin Hillel

Copper Blues
591 Collection Blvd., Oxnard
Wed 8/23: Checkered Past
Fri 8/25: Heller Highwater
Sat 8/26: Los Amigos (11 am); NDR CVR SPR GRP (7 pm)
Sun 8/27: Red Rhythm
Fri 9/1: Caliente 805
Sat 9/2: Strange Days

Copa Cubana
Ventura Harbor Village
Mondays: Glenn Bennett
Tuesdays: Blues Tuesdays
Sun 8/27: Freddie and Friends
Sun 9/3: The House Arrest Band

Deer Lodge
2261 Maricopa Hwy., Ojai
Fri 8/25: Daily Specials
Sat 8/26: Virtual Nobodies
Wed 8/30: Alabaster Deplume
Fri 9/1: Glenn Annie, Will Warden

Enegren Brewing Co.
444 Zachary St., Moorpark, CA
Thursdays: Glenn Bennett

Feros Ferio
310 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai
Sun 8/27: Two Tossers

Four Brix
2290 Eastman Ave., Ventura
(Fridays 6-8:30; Sundays 1-3:30)
Sun 8/27: Smokey & Friends
Sun 9/3: Cary Park

Garage
1091 Scandia Ave., Ventura
Fri 8/25: Buena Onda
Sat 8/26: Bombafiya

Gigi’s Cocktails
2493 Grand Ave., Ventura
Sat 8/26: City of Caterpillar, The Discussion, Head Cut

The Grape
2733 E. Main St., Ventura
Tues: The Gratitude Jazz Jam
Wed 8/23: Tom Rizzo Group
Thurs 8/24: Little Wooden Bridge
Fri 8/25: Phoenyx Big Band
Sat 8/26: Heart of Blues (2 pm); Jonathan Stout & his Campus Five (8 pm)
Thurs 8/31: Skip Spiro’s 10 Piece Jazz/Blues Project
Sat 9/2: Ray Jaurique Band (2 pm); Paul McCallum & Friends (8 pm)

The Greek
1583 Spinnaker Dr., Ventura
Fridays: Jim Seargeant

Harbor Cove Café
1867 Spinnaker Dr., Ventura
Saturdays 10 am: The Cool Hand Ukes
Fri 8/25: Sea Hunters
Sat 8/26: The Rincons
Fri 9/1: CocoKnots
Sat 9/2: Rising Son

Harbor View Park: Concerts by the Sea
3850 Harbor Blvd., Oxnard (4-6 pm)
Sat 8/26: Ignition
Sat 9/2: Brandon Ragan Project

High Street Arts Center
45 E. High St., Moorpark
Fri 9/1: Laurel Canyon Band
Sat 9/2: U2xPerience
Sun 9/3: Surf City Allstars

Hueneme Beach Fest:
E. Surfside Dr., Port Hueneme
Sat 8/26: Morie and the Heavy Hitters, Joyas Prestadas, Led Zepagain
Sun 8/27: Always Tina, Anything for Serena, Britain’s Finest

Keynote Lounge
10245 Telephone Rd., Ventura
Thursdays: Open Mic
Fri 8/25: Reign
Sat 8/26: The Balance

Leashless Brewing
585 E. Thompson Blvd., Ventura
Thurs 8/24: Singer/Songwriter Open Mic Night
Fri 8/25: Steph’s Rockin’ Roadshow
Sat 8/26: Mark Masson (2 pm); Grooveshine (7 pm)
Sun 8/27: Soul Majestic
Tues 8/29: Spring Loaded Band
Fri 9/1: Top Shelf
Sat 9/2: B-Foundation
Mon 9/4: One People

Libbey Bowl
210 S. Signal St., Ojai
Thurs 8/24: Belinda Carlisle
Sun 8/27: Ojai Pops Orchestra
Fri 9/1: Dionne Warwick
Sat 9/2: Gino Vannelli

Lucas Sellers Wine
330 Zachary St., Moorpark
Sat 8/23: Lauren & Silas

Majestic Ventura Theater
26 S. Chestnut St., Ventura
Sun 8/27: Atreyu & Memphis May Fire
Fri 9/1: Common Kings
Sun 9/3: De Parranda con la Banda

Manhattan
5800 Santa Rosa Rd., Camarillo
Wed 8/23: Robert Van
Fri 8/25: Tour Support
Sat 8/26: Jeanne Tatum
Wed 8/30: Warren Takahashi

Margarita Villa
1567 Spinnaker Dr., Ventura
Thurs 8/24: John Franco
Fri 8/25: Operation 90s
Sat 8/26: Crosscut 805
Sun 8/27: CRV
Fri 9/1: Dive Bar Messiahs
Sat 9/2: Vinyl Gypsies
Sun 9/3: Doc Rogers Band
Mon 9/4: Los Amigos

Music Under the Stars
Olivas Adobe, 4200 Olvias Park Dr., Ventura
Sat 8/26: Lisa Haley & the Zydekats

Namba Arts
47 S. Oak St., Ventura
Fri 8/25: The Listening Room Redux
Sat 9/2: Mary Scholz

Ojai Valley Brewing
307 Bryant St., Ojai
Fri 8/25: Jayden Secor Band
Sat 8/26: Kid Memphis
Sat 9/2: Beau Red and the Tailor Made

Ojai Underground Exchange
616 Pearl St., Ojai
Sat 8/26: Aurora

Onyx Bistro
2390 Las Posas Road, Camarillo
Fri 8/25: Nate Latta
Sat 8/26: Eliya Frantz

Oxnard Performing Arts Center
800 Hobson Way, Oxnard
Fri 8/25: Louie the Singer
Sat 9/2: Lisa Lisa

Peirano’s
204 E. Main St., Ventura
Thursdays: Mack and D
Sat 8/26: Frank Barajas
Sun 8/27: Mack and D
Tues 8/29: Olivia Mucha, Dylan Brehm, Michael Henszey, Dawn Lunsford, Gaby Montiel, Krystal Park

Poinsettia Pavilion
3451 Foothill Rd., Ventura
Sun 9/3: Old-Time Country Bluegrass Gospel Music Assoc.

Poseidon Brewing
5777 Olivas Park Dr., Ventura
Fri 9/1: Cocoknots

The Raven Tavern
1651 S. Victoria Ave., Oxnard
Fri & Sat 8 pm; Sunday 2 pm
Fri 8/25: Brandon Ragan Project
Sat 8/26: Black Mountain Thieves
Sun 8/27: Doc Rogers
Fri 9/1: Operation 90s
Sat 9/2: Delta by the Beach
Sun 9/3: Vinny Berry

Rock the Collection
2751 Park View Ct., Oxnard
Wed 8/23: Bruno and the Hooligans

The Rubicon Theatre
1006 E. Main St., Ventura
Fri 8/25: The Platters (2 shows)
Sat 8/26: The Platters (2 shows
Sun 8/27: The Platters

San Souci
21 S. Chestnut St., Ventura
Sat 8/26: Neon Blonde

The Shores
1031 Harbor Blvd., Oxnard
Fri 8/25: Doc Ventura & Eddie (4 pm); CRV (8:30 pm)
Sat 8/26: The Jazzmen Suites
Sun 8/27: No Biggee

The Six
419 W. Main St., Ventura
Mon 7/31: Stuuuu’s Open Mic
Fri 9/1: Twisted Gypsy
Sat 9/2: Kimo Moya & Da Island Style

Spencer Mackenzie’s Throw Down Cornhole Festival
Fairgrounds; 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura
Fri 8/25: Morie & the Heavy Hitters, Acoustic DNA, Prince Again
Sat 8/26: Highway Starr, Whiskey Business

Strey Cellars
951 N. Rice Ave., Oxnard
Sat 8/26: Vinyl Gypsies
Sun 8/27: Holgers Heros
Sat 9/2: Ignition

Taqueria Jalisco
4275 Tierra Rejada Rd., Moorpark
Tuesdays & Fridays: Jim Friery

Tony’s Pizzeria
186 E. Thompson Blvd., Ventura
Wed 8/23: Caught Red Handed
Thurs 8/24: Stoneflys
Sun 8/27: Heart & Soul

Topa Topa Brewing
2024 Ventura Blvd., Camarillo
Fri Aug 25: The Virtual Nobodies

Topa Topa Brewing
4880 Colt St., Ventura
Sun 8/27: The Trivle Omdobble

The Twist on Main
454 E. Main St., Ventura
Fri 8/25: Brobots
Sun 8/27: Jack Keough; Jetlemons, Chris Murphy

Vaquero y Mar
435 E. Thompson Blvd., Ventura
Sundays: Mariachi
Tuesdays: The Sea Hunter
Wednesdays: Tribal Me
Fridays: Conjunto Zacamandu

Ventura Music Hall
1888 E. Thompson Blvd., Ventura
Sat 8/26: Dogstar
Fri 9/1: Lil Rob

Waterside
3500 Harbor Blvd., Oxnard
Thurs 8/24: Déjà vu Too
Fri 8/25: Bushwackers
Sat 8/26: Goleta Sound
Sun 8/27: Tres CocoKnots
Thurs 8/31: Vinny Berry

Winchesters
632 E. Main St., Ventura
Music Thurs 5:30; Fri 7 pm; Sat 3 pm; Sun 3 pm
Thurs 8/24: Steve and Sally Williams
Fri 8/25: Doc Ventura
Sat 8/26: Blown Over
Sun 8/27: 4 on the Floor
Tues 8/29: Blues Jam featuring Bobby Hart
Thurs 8/31: Karyn 805
Fri 9/1: Brittney & Ben
Sat 9/2: Mack and D
Sun 9/3: Medicine Hat
Mon 9/4: Nautical Thrust

The Bright Horizons Foundation for Children opens Bright Space at The City Center

The Bright Horizons Foundation for Children will be opening a Bright Space at The City Center, 837 E. Thompson Blvd., Ventura, on Thursday, August, 24. Bright Spaces, the signature program of the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children, provide engaging environments for play that are cheerful, inviting, safe, and fun, and support non-profits like The City Center and the children and families in their care. The Bright Horizons Foundation has created over 300 Bright Spaces in the United States. This Bright Space will be a play space for families with young children who are experiencing homelessness.

The City Center provides a safe place for homeless families to learn the skills need to become productive members of society.

“Our goal with Bright Spaces is to give children the opportunities they deserve to develop resilience and form stronger bonds with their families and other caring adults. We strive to promote healing, offer nurturing and stimulating activities, and provide a stable, enriching environment for each child who walks through the door.” stated Yvonne Lynch, President of The Bright Horizons Foundation for Children.

Bright Spaces are customized based on the needs of the non-profit organization. The space created at City Center will allow preschool-aged and school aged children to experience a sense of normalcy and stability through play and learning. Through the collaboration between Bright Horizons foundation for Children, Amgen Foundation, The Rotary Club East, and a very special donor Fred C. Ferro, there is new furniture, toys, learning materials, and computers. Each area was intentionally designed to engage a variety of ages. The walls are adorned with beautiful candid photos of the children living at The City Center, courtesy of Tana Hayes Photography.

The City Center is a transitional living center for homeless families with children in Ventura County, equipping them to rebuild their lives and become self-sufficient. Almost 100% of our graduates do not return to homelessness. We provide our residents with a safe place where they can receive support through counseling, mentoring, case management, financial coaching & employment assistance. They learn life skills necessary for self-sufficiency, acquire transportation, obtain employment, and no longer require government assistance.

Bright Horizons® is a leading global provider of high-quality early education and child care, back-up care, and workforce education services. For 35 years, we have partnered with employers to support workforces by providing services that help working families and employees thrive personally and professionally. Bright Horizons operates approximately 1,100 early education and child care centers in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, and India, and serves more than 1,400 of the world’s leading employers. Bright Horizons’ early education and child care centers, back-up child and elder care, and workforce education programs help employees succeed at each life and career stage. For more information, go to www.brighthorizons.com.

CAPS Media Studio “Artists in Exile”

Up next, the CAPS staff is gearing up for an Open House at the CAPS Media Center.

In June the CAPS Media Center reopened on a limited basis, by appointment, for existing CAPS Members. Among the first to take advantage of the CAPS resources are the self-described “Artists in Exile.” Under the guidance of Phil Taggart, CAPS’ “Artist in Residence,” the eclectic ensemble of musicians, poets and other artists gather one evening per week to record live performances in the CAPS production studio.

The summer months have kept CAPS Media crews busy with a variety of productions, highlights include recording and live streaming graduation ceremonies for Ventura, Buena, Pacific, and El Camino high schools and Ventura College as well as recording and live streaming the Ventura Unified School Board meeting.

For the City of Ventura, CAPS crews continue to provide weekly coverage, broadcasting and streaming of meetings at City Hall including City Council, Design Review, Historic Preservation, and Community Development. In addition, videographer/editors Gary Roll and Alex Uvari recorded, edited, broadcast, and streamed public information meetings for the City at the Westside Community Center and Pierpont Elementary.

CAPS crews continue collaborations with the outstanding staff at the Museum of Ventura County on engaging productions commemorating Ventura County’s 150th anniversary. The diverse projects include Interviews with Innovators – informative discussions on current and past events with Lucas Zucker from CAUSE, Carlos Ortega the MVC curator, and Regina Crawford from the NAACP Ventura County. Feast or Flop is a savory series of tasty recreations of historic Ventura County recipes cooked up from the MVC archives by host Renee Tallent, the MVC collections manager with chefs throughout the county. Thus far the menu has included lima bean loaf, avocado soup and other local creations prepared by Adam Hart, director of the culinary arts program at Oxnard College, and Luis Sanchez, chef, and owner of Mouthful Eatery in Thousand Oaks.

The CAPS/MVC collaborations for the 150th celebration also include Voices of Ventura County a series of historic interviews selected from the MVC archives by Deya Terrafranca, the research and archives director at the museum. The fragile cassette recordings were restored, digitized, and formatted into programs by CAPS staff members Elizabeth Rodeno and Manny Reynoso.

KPPQ – CAPS Radio’s DJ of the month is Kevin Wallace. Kevin is director of the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts as well as a singer/songwriter. He says his interest in visual art, conceptual work, design, storytelling, and poetry can all be traced to the albums that he collected, listened to, and studied as a young boy, rummaging through the remainder bins at his local record stores in Detroit. A member of KPPQ from the start, he has produced 2 shows: an arts and music show and his current venture, Ojai Dream. Kevin shares his passion for the musical arts on Ojai Dream, airing Mondays and Fridays at 8pm and Saturdays at Noon on KPPQ-LP 104.1 FM and streaming on MyTuner.

Up next, the CAPS staff is gearing up for an Open House at the CAPS Media Center in the coming months. The Open House is an opportunity for the public to drop in and discover all the media resources and talent available for everyone in Ventura. More information on the upcoming Open House will be available in the coming weeks on the CAPS website at capsmedia.org, on KPPQ, on social media, and elsewhere.

CAPS Membership will be open to anyone who lives, works, or attends school in Ventura. Annual membership fees are currently $40 for an individual or $100 for a nonprofit organization.