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Vol. 9, No. 12 – March 16 – March 29, 2016 – Two on the Aisle

Addams Family Musical at Ojai is Altogether Kooky
by Jim Spencer and Shirley Lorraine

The well-known Addams Family cartoon is brought to life on the Ojai Art Center Theater stage in a fresh new musical comedy. If you are a fan of the cartoon series, you will enjoy seeing your favorites live on stage. Be prepared to snap your fingers along with the memorable theme song.

All the quirky characters we have come to love, Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester and the rest of the gang are full of life in their own unique and macabre way. Director Gai Jones has seen to it that each cast member fully embraces and maintains the cartoon quality overall.

The Ojai Art Center Theater Branch has a history of introducing and welcoming youth and newcomers to its stage. This production is no exception. An “adult” cast performs Friday and Saturday evenings, as well as Sunday matinees, while a youth cast performs the show on Saturday matinees. Many of the players can be seen in both productions.

The premise of the show involves a grown Wednesday (Hayley Silvers) inviting her fiancé Lucus (Steven Silvers or Michaels, depending on which page of the program you are reading) and his normal parents (Brittany Danyel and Ezra Eels) to the family manse to spring the news of the impending wedding on Morticia (Tracey Williams-Sutton) and Gomez (Shayne Bourbon). Hijinks and hilarity ensue as the two polar-opposite families come to terms with their offspring’s intent to marry and ultimately rediscover the sparks that initially drew them together.

Side-plots involve Uncle Fester (newcomer Michael McCarthy), the creepily ever-present and mostly silent butler Lurch (Nelson Fox), feisty little brother Pugsly (Sophie Massey) and colorful nut-case Grandma (Mary Ellen Gridley) who all contribute dimension to the fairly thin story line.

Musical numbers are performed to a well-balanced, prerecorded accompaniment, which works very well in this instance. The musical abilities of the cast vary throughout, although all numbers are high-energy and entertaining. Special note is given to the vocal talents of Shayne Bourbon and Sophie Massey whose solo vocal performances stand out.

The characterizations of Gomez and Morticia provided by Shayne Bourbon and Tracey Williams-Sutton anchor the piece well. The outright enthusiasm award goes to Brittany Danyel who really delivers in the dinner party scene at the end of the first act.

The costuming throughout is particularly notable and creative. The 21-member chorus of Addams Ancestors provides a visual treat as its members drift in and out of the action.

This year the Ojai ACT has inaugurated a new start time for ALL evening performances. The curtain rises at 7 p.m., rather than the traditional 8 p.m.

The Addams Family plays weekends until April 3, 2016 at the Ojai Art Center Theatre, 113 S. Montgomery St., Ojai. Curtain: Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Prices: $18-Greneral. $12-Seniors/students/Art Center members. $5-Under 13. Tickets on line at www.OjaiACT.org or call  640-8797.

Vol. 9, No. 12 – March 16 – March 29, 2016 – Forever Homes Wanted

scamp to adopt VCAS2What a sweet, good girl Callie is. She loves walks, treats and toys, especially her tug toy. She is affectionate and social and our volunteers report that she’s easy to handle and walks nicely on a leash. Callie loves having the undivided attention of her person, so she would like to be the only dog in your home. This would make her so happy because it would allow her to have you all to herself! Come meet this lady who’s been called “pleasure” to be with. Ventura County Animal Services Camarillo location – 600 Aviation Drive

 

 

 

Adoptable Luna is whispering an important message to her best friend, Prince: live rabbits, chicks and other animals are not Easter toys or gifts. Prince agrees, and he wants everyone to remember that rabbits are an 8- to 12-year commitment requiring daily care.

Easter is for one day, but pets are for life. Ventura County Animal Services urges families to choose chocolate or plush gifts instead. The agency is committed to ending the cycle of impulse rabbit purchases and subsequent abandonments that occur each spring.

In the weeks leading up to Easter, VCAS turns its focus towards public education and outreach about rabbit care and commitment rather than promoting adoptions. Those interested in a house rabbit are invited to visit VCAS at 600 Aviation Drive in Camarillo to learn more about proper bunny care, determine if a rabbit is right for their home, and then return to the shelter after Easter to adopt a rabbit in need. Visit tinyurl.com/princeluna to see Bunny Ambassadors Luna and Prince in action.

scamp to adopt CARLHi: I’m Chato a very handsome looking 3 1/2 year old Chow, just look at the picture my foster mom took of me. I was a ranch dog for 3 years and although I am great with other dogs, I am quite shy of people. I’m lucky to be in a foster home where my foster mom reports that I am making progress every day, and I’m a model dog in the home. I have evolved quickly to being out and about amongst people and in 3 weeks have gone from hiding in the corner and not looking at my foster parents to sleeping on their bed and following my foster mom from room to room.

If you would like to see my progress and beauty (My foster mom says I’m very photogenic.) or want to smile every day by seeing my latest adventures, please check out my Facebook page that my foster mom created just for me! www.facebook.com/AdoptChato

I’m so grateful to have foster parents who are so patient and loving who have been able to bring out the warm loving Chow that I know that I can be.

Ventura schools held mock city council meetings

To help celebrate Ventura’s 150th anniversary students from Lincoln Elementary and De Anza Academy of Technology and the Arts schools held mock city council meetings on March 11 at city hall. It was nice to have young city council members with fresh ideas. They were able to make 2 major decisions in less than an hour (maybe because they had to be in bed before midnight).

Vol. 9, No. 12 – March 16 – March 29, 2016 – Mailbox

Dear Venturans and others:

An article today (Mar 8)  in the “Wealthy Doctor” by Sarah Huebscher finally exposes the criminal acts of local surgeon Aria Sabit and his pleading guilty to many charges of gross negligence in his surgery procedures and massive fraud. It is one sorry tale, except for the two MD whistle blowers, Drs. Carry Savitch and Gary Proffett. Thank you sirs.

Many local Venturans were damaged permanently by Sabit; then he went on to Michigan to repeat his crimes. Incredible.

This amazing article is a necessary read for all of us, to understand how a major hospital and profession can sink into criminal and cruel activities and keep it under raps for so long. We need local investigative reporters in our media to keep our public and private service providers honest and serving the public good. A small town like ours can have major scandals kept quite by the powers that be. We need the light of day shed on them to stay healthy and safe.

Read and be amazed:

http://wealthy-doctor.com/doctor-receives-439k-kickback/

Bob Chianese

opinion robertsonBreeze:

I see that there are new large trash cans in Marina Park.  Do you know whether they are locking so that vagrants can’t get into them?  If so I would like to suggest that State Parks and the City use them in all the parks and along the promenade.  If they lock it will go a long way toward discouraging vagrants from dumpster diving.

Murray Robertson
A Very Concerned Ventura Resident

From Nancy O’Connor, CPRP , Parks Manager  City of Ventura

The cans have locking mechanisms on them. It is our goal to continue to purchase these cans and install them where we can. We have this project as one of our high priority Capital Improvements.

Thank you

Publisher Sheldon

Page 5 opinion ” In our last issue, I spoke about the large amount…….”

Use amount if you  weigh it, use number if you count it. Did you weigh the decisions or did you count them?

Doctor Luke

Maybe I did both, but probably just used the wrong word. Good thing that we have such smart readers.

Dear Sheldon

What a wonderful surprise to see our little press release (for Parkinson’s Disease )get such special attention! Thanks so very much – you just always go above and beyond, bless your hard working heart! And I got a call last night from a dear lady in Ojai who had seen the article in the Ventura Breeze; I had not yet seen it and she said “Oh, it is a really nice article with a great picture and everything!”

BTW – LUV that caption under the brain – “Just what is going on in there?” – we always wonder that, don’t we for Parkinson’s Disease purposes. What we know for certain is that the substantia nigra cells just die off and that’s why PWPD (People With Parkinson’s Disease) need dopamine so the message can get from the brain to the muscles for bodily movement to happen. Thankfully we have at least one drug (carbi-dopa/levo dopa) that can help keep PWPD moving for many years more than they would otherwise be able to do so. As much as having this disease is beyond a bummer, at least we do have some treatment available that helps, which cannot be said for many other debilitating diseases such as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The Ventura Parkinson’s Support Group meets every second Wednesday of the month at the Lexington Assist Living in Ventura. All of your Breeze readers are welcome to come join us.

Patty Jenkins
Coordinator – Ventura PD Support Group

 

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.”
~ Will Rogers

Team VFD Firefighters to climb Columbia Center in downtown Seattle, Washington to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

On Feb.20 the Greek Restaurant hosted a fundraiser for Team VFD. Which included a buffet style lunch, Greek dancers, silent auction, raffle prizes and a performance by the Ventura City Firefighters Pipes and Drums. For the fourth year, Team VFD and the Ventura Fire Foundation will be participating in the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb. 14 members of Team VFD will be climbing the Columbia Center in downtown Seattle, Washington to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Ventura Legacies and the 150th

Legacy family members Jim and Myron Harrison with Suz Montgomery at CAPSTV. 
Photo by Michael Gordon

By Elizabeth Rodeno

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the City of Ventura is in the forefront of our minds these days. It’s the countdown to April 2nd for the grand party to be held at Plaza Park and later at Mission Park.

Venturans have been celebrating since November with many events have been held throughout the city. We were at the kickoff event at the Ventura County Museum where we all were introduced to some of the Legacy families; the Harrisions, Chaffees, Tumamaits and the Smith-Hobsons.

CAPS and crew, along with Suz Montgomery, invited several of the Legacy families including the Foster and Dudley families into our newly refurbished studio. We enjoyed learning about the history of Ventura through the eyes and ears of those who were there or from stories told to them.  We have made the history of Ventura and its’ legacies an important part of our programming. Our member’s continue to provide vibrant content that is Ventura centric all the while touching issues that are important to everyone.

Ventura’s party continues with the State of the City, the new West Park open house and Kellogg Park groundbreakings and launch of the Corporate Games. Check out channel 15 for coverage and stories on these events and much more. These events are all a run up to the big celebration on April 2nd.  Plaza Park will be filled with activity and CAPS Media will be there. We will be ready to hear your stories and share your memories with CAPS Media viewers. Look for our truck and film crew. We will ready to record your own special story. The day ends with a concert in Mission Park featuring Big Bad VooDoo Daddy.

Check out our new website and become a member for $25, seriously.  You can sign up and reserve your space in a class, enroll your kids in our Summer programs and get information on and support our new venture, CAPS Radio. CAPS Media is everywhere, on Vimeo, Channels 6 & 15 and live streaming at www.CAPSMedia.org. Thanks to Donald for the great new website, and the staff, crew and members who make CAPS Media the best media center around. Heading down Day Road you’ll catch sight of our sign and that means you need to drop in and say hello.