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VCAAA TAI CHI classes start up again in August

The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging and the Ventura County Elderly Fall Prevention Coalition’s award-winning Fall Prevention Program has a new set of Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance classes starting up in August.

There are six options at four different sites in Ojai, Oxnard and Ventura:

HELP of Ojai (108 S. Montgomery Street) – Tuesdays & Thursdays – August 8 through October 26 – 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Oxnard Performing Arts Center (800 Hobson Way) – Tuesdays & Thursdays – August 8 through October 26 – 9 a.m to 10:30 a.m. OR 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

County of Ventura California Room (669 County Square Drive) – Wednesdays & Fridays – August 9 through October 27 – 9 a.m to 10:30 a.m. OR 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Ventura Church of Christ (5401 N. Bryn Mawr Street) – Wednesdays & Fridays – August 9 through October 27 – 10:45 a.m to 12:15 p.m.

Classes, which are free, are designed for individuals 60 and up. For additional information visit vcaaa.org/falls. To register for most classes, call the VCAAA at (805) 477-7300, option 6, or email [email protected]. For the Tai Chi class being hosted by HELP of Ojai, call (805) 646-5122.

Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance is an exercise program developed especially for older adults using modified practices designed to improve and strengthen balance and mobility. Classes are intended for beginners. Canes and walkers are welcome. This class is proven to reduce falls by 55 percent.

Individuals concerned about falls or those who have recently experienced a fall, as well as those who are interested in improving balance, flexibility, and strength, are encouraged to participate. Nationally recognized research shows that one in four adults over the age of 65, and half of the population over the age of 75, fall each year. One out of every five falls results in a serious injury, and about three million older people are treated at emergency departments for fall injuries each year. Approximately 32,000 older adults die each year as a result of falls.

The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging, a division of the County of Ventura’s Human Services Agency, is charged with the responsibility of promoting, developing, and implementing a comprehensive coordinated system of care that enables older individuals, children and adults with disabilities, and their caregivers to live in a community-based setting. The VCAAA advocates for the needs of those 60 years and older in the county, providing leadership and promoting citizen involvement in the planning process as well as in the delivery of services.

Ventura County Fire crews respond to multiple vehicle collision

On July 13, the Ventura County Fire Communication Center received multiple calls regarding a traffic collision at Kimball and Thille. Fire personnel arrived within minutes of the initial call and found multiple vehicles involved and 1 person trapped.

The vehicle was stabilized, and extrication equipment was deployed to remove the victim and transport the victim to the Emergency Room. The cause of the incident remains under investigation and the Ventura City Fire Department would like to remind the public that seatbelts save lives.

Museum of Ventura County welcomes Angela Sanchez

The Museum of Ventura County is pleased to welcome longtime community leader Angela Sanchez to the team as its Director of Finance and Operations. Sanchez brings over two decades of fiscal management experience and a thorough understanding of market dynamics. Along with a natural ability to navigate complex business challenges, she will contribute significantly to the Museum’s continued growth and sustainability.

“Angela will play a pivotal role in driving the Museum’s financial success and operational efficiency,” said the Museum of Ventura County’s Barbara Barnard Smith Executive Director Elena Brokaw, “I’ve known Angela for years and have watched as she has led organizations through financial and operational success. I look forward to working with Angela and our entire team as we continue to elevate the Museum’s mission of preserving and celebrating Ventura County’s rich cultural heritage.”

Born and raised in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, Sanchez’s connection to her community has fueled her drive to make a positive impact in her career and personal life. Currently residing in Ventura County with her husband and two boys, she wholeheartedly dedicates herself to serving and uplifting her local surroundings. “The Museum is a cornerstone of our community and I’m excited to do my part to drive growth, enhance efficiency, and cultivate enduring success,” commented Sanchez, “Our community depends on the work and passion we are each willing to put into making it a wonderful place to live and remember.”

Mystery at the Ventura Memorial Cemetery

by Richard Senate

Few of the many graves are marked today at the park-like old city burial grounds. It holds the remains of the rich, the poor. the well known and unknown individuals who built Ventura into a city. Many were veterans of the Civil War, a few from the Spanish American War and some from the bloodbath of World War One.

But, the old cemetery also hold many mysteries, one of which came to my attention recently. A new technology can now use sound waves transmitted into the earth to show what is buried below. This ground penetrating radar is a great tool for archaeology because it can revel things without disturbing them. This new technology was used at the old Saint Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, the west end of Memorial Park and at the burial plot of the prominent Olivas Family. There a discovery was made.

At the marked grave of Teodora Lopez Olivas, the wife of Raymundo Olivas and the mother of his twenty-one children, they found a casket buried there using the ground radar, confirming records that this is her burial site. Next to her they found a second casket, that is believed to be the grave of her husband Raymundo who died before her, but no records exist to confirm this so his grave could not be marked with 100% certainty that he rests there.

That was the tradition of that era and its a good bet that he rests beside his beloved wife. The scan of the Olivas Plot also discovered a third casket and that is the mystery, who is buried there? No records exist to tell who it might be, but the list of possible candidates isn’t long. It might be the final resting place of Dominga Olivas, a cousin who lived in Santa Barbara, who married Raimundo Jr. The youngest son of Don Raymundo (yes, they spelled their names differently). She died at the Olivas Adobe in Childbirth in 1891. The child she bore died as well three weeks after birth. Her husband was out of town on business in Santa Barbara when the baby came early. He was devastated by her death. She had been a popular singer in Santa Barbara that earned her the title of “The Songbird of Santa Barbara.” but she gave it all up to become Raimundo’s wife. She was looking forward to her new baby before everything went wrong. He would have begged to have her buried close to him so as to visit her grave.

Other candidates might be Maria Dolores Olivas, born in 1851 and died as a child. She may have been buried at the Adobe before being moved to Saint Mary’s when it opened in the 1860s. Another might be Jose Epitacis del Refugio born in 1847. He too could have been re- buried to be closer to his father and mother. We may never know the full list of who was placed where at the Memorial Park cemetery due to many records being lost over the years. A mystery exists, who rests in the Olivas Plot? We can only be assured it was some very special to Raymundo and Teodora Olivas.

Vol. 16, No. 22 – July 26 – Aug 8, 2023 – A View from House Seats

by Shirley Lorraine

Richard III Reimagined in “Teenage Dick”

Imagine a world in which everyone was respected for who they are and what they can contribute to humanity. Now imagine a highly hormonal group of high schoolers as they traverse the challenging path of becoming comfortable with themselves and establishing their own identities. These two factors, while seemingly contradictory, are the basis for the Elite Theater Company’s current production of “Teenage Dick” now playing on the main stage.

Written by Mike Lew, the story is a loose reimagining of Shakespeare’s Richard III from the viewpoint of a disgruntled disabled teen and the injustices he perceives to avenge. He, himself, is contradictory, sometimes using his disability as a shield to gain extra perks and sympathies, yet sometimes using his perceived failings to fuel his insecurities and ultimately as a way for him to justify his vengeance.

An excellent student, Dick is also manipulative, bitter and self-serving in his quest to oust the current student body president, a snarky popular jock named Eddie. Eddie clearly thinks the world revolves around him and actively dismisses anyone he feels doesn’t measure up to his greatness. To add to the mix there is Clarissa, a young lady who relies on her faith to guide her in all she does and Anne, a pretty, popular, dance enthusiast who has her own sad story to tell.

Dick’s wise-cracking friend Buck is wheelchair-bound yet carries a quite different attitude about life. She accepts her limitations, collaborates well with them, and simply wants to be friends with everyone. Her wheelchair manipulation skills are impressive.

In other words, a typical day in a high school, filled with angst, doubt, insecurity and braggadocio.

Richard’s character delivers an admirable froth of Shakespearean quotations (some mildly paraphrased), firmly establishing yet another way he is different from the rest of the students.

The production, directed by Hayley Silvers, is partly double cast, giving many young actors an opportunity to take the stage. Check the company’s website for specifics of who plays whom on various performance dates.

Opening night’s cast featured AJ Ma as Richard, Rey Sailer as Buck and Kyra McConnell as Clarissa. Tatiana Juarez as Anne, Theo Liscotti Rodriguez as Eddie and Dolores Dyer Castellano as teacher Elizabeth remain constant throughout.

The play provides an interesting viewpoint of Shakespeare’s dastardly disabled villain in a light of introspection and the questioning minds of youth.

Castellano’s solid portrayal of the harried junior class teacher provides numerous opportunities for laughter, highlighting the thin line a teacher must tread interacting with students of all types, abilities and temperaments.

Sunday performance on July 30 features a special talk back time with the cast following the show. As in Richard III, the original, the play is harsh and disturbing, both in language and content.

Teenage Dick continues through August 21. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. and Thursday, August 17 at 8 p.m. www.theElite.org. Channel Islands, Oxnard.

General Services Agency to accept donation of memorial statues at County Veterans Memorial

The “Remembering” statue.

The two statues slated to be installed will honor the loss and sacrifice made by families and members of the military. The “Gold Star” statue is a life size rendition of a mother/wife kneeling holding her son, daughter, or husbands’ folded casket flag. The “Remembering” statue is a life size rendition of a kneeling soldier reaching out remembering his fallen brothers and sisters.

The Vietnam Veterans of Ventura County, Inc., which was founded in 1985 as a 501(c)19 non-profit corporation Fed id# 93-0966053 & CA state id #C1535008, along with a special partnership with high school students from Architecture Construction and Engineering (ACE) Charter High School, measurements and architectural placement of the statues were created.

“Memorials are built by those whose freedoms were protected by our veterans, and it is important for our students to feel that connection,” stated John Middleton, ACE Charter Principal.

Both statues are the emotionally stirring works of Sutton Betti, the son of the late David Betti, former VVVC president and former Commander of Ventura VFW Post 1679.

Supervisors Kelly Long added, “This will be a nice facelift to the Memorial that was originally put in place in 1985 and will provide a place of healing for Ventura County residents who have lost a loved one in a military conflict.”

The exact date of the installation is not yet determined. The installation of the statues are dependent upon the fundraising efforts of the various veterans’ groups, fraternal organizations & public and private donations.

If you would like more information about this project or how to contribute to support it, please contact:

Ron Fitzgarrald, [email protected]

Richard Camacho, [email protected]

Brian Miller, Chief of Staff for Supervisor Kelly Long at (805) 654-2276

Maruja Clensay, Chief of Staff for Chair of the Board Matt LaVere at (805) 654-2703.

Vol. 16, No. 22 – July 26 – Aug 8, 2023 – Movie Review

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Plane – Prime Video

Pilot Brodie Torrence (Gerard Butler) was a bit of a maverick as far as commercial pilots go and was piloting a flight on New Years Eve from Singapore to Hawaii with plans to see his daughter who was attending school there. The crew included co-pilot Samuel Dele (Yoson An) and the flight had only 14 passengers, one of which was Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter) who boarded the plane in handcuffs with a marshal for a fugitive extradition.

They flew through a storm and got hit by lightning causing the plane to loose power. While going down the turbulence killed one flight attendant and the marshal, and they eventually crash landed in a remote jungle area called the Jolo Islands. Having seen something that indicated Gaspare was ex-military, Brodie took his cuffs off and had him accompany him back to a building they had flown over while leaving co-pilot Dele with the rest of the passengers.

They got to the building and Brodie was able to rig a phone and called the corporate headquarters of his airline, but the woman who answered said that she had been getting lots of prank calls and didn’t believe it was actually him and hung up. He called his daughter and told her that they had crashed and that she needed to contact the airlines but the call was cut short so he was uncertain how much his daughter heard. They found some guns and also a truck outside that they used to return to the passengers and the plane.

A villager saw the plane go down and told the leader of the village who gathered a small army and headed toward the plane. They got to the plane before Brodie did and killed two passengers and took the rest hostage, driving away in a bus while Brodie and Gaspare had to watch helplessly nearby. The leader was Datu Junmar, who took the passengers to Dandulit village where they were kept in a warehouse to be taken on a boat down river. Brodie didn’t want to wait for help as he felt the passengers where his responsibility, so he and Gaspare headed to the village.

Back at airline headquarters they brought in a specialist named Scarsdale (Tony Goldwyn) who used satellite imagery to locate the plane in the Jolo islands in the Philippines. They came up with a plan to parachute in but that they would need assistance getting everyone out. Unfortunately there was no military on the Jolo Islands as it was run by militia and separatists and a dangerous area that not even the Filipino army would go into anymore.

Back at the plane several special ops military personnel landed in parachutes and found the plane empty, but found the note that Brodie had scribbled on a shirt in the cockpit to let them know where the prisoners were and what was happening. At the village Brodie and Gaspare quietly snuck around the village stealthily killing guards and made their way to where the passengers and crew were being held. They freed the passengers and crew and got on the bus at the same time the special ops team showed up.

After a gun battle they were able to flee the village and get back to the plane, but there would be no help to get them off the island for 24 hours so Brodie felt their only option was to return in the damaged plane. Due to the damage they couldn’t get above a few hundred feet so he asked to be guided to land on neighboring Siasi island. The plane was out of control as it tried to land on the runway with the wings tipping back and forth hitting the runway as well as the brakes and tires gave way, but Brodie was able to stop it at the very end of the runway rescuing everyone.

Rated: R (Violence and Language)
Runtime: 1h 47m

Vol. 16, No. 22 – July 26 – Aug 8, 2023 – Mailbox

Letter to the Editor.

I was at Vons and was surprised to see a woman and her husband and infant son shopping with the mother wearing a bathing suit. Now, the supermarket is close to the beach and it was a warm day but what surprised me was she was wearing a thong, with her cheeks exposed. What was interesting was the fact no one seemed to care or even gave the woman a second look. Now I know what my grandfather must have felt when he encountered a woman in a bikini for the first time in the 1950s. I guess I didn’t get the memo –this is the new normal.

Richard Senate

Richard: I’m afraid it is the new normal like parents with their kids at a restaurant and they are all on their cellphones

Totally Local VC to host the VC Craft Beer Garden at 2023 Ventura County Fair

Totally Local VC is proud to announce that we will be the official hosts for the Craft Beer & Wine Garden at this year’s 2023 Ventura County Fair.

We are excited to be working with the VC Fair staff and our local breweries to help design and develop the Totally Local VC Beer & Wine Garden. This is a great opportunity to promote local at the fair and to highlight the incredible breweries throughout our county as well as the farmers who make beer happen!

Each year the fair sees an average of 300,000 visitors in the two-week period of the fair. This provides an incredible opportunity to showcase Ventura County’s Craft Brew industry as well as provide a nod to the farmers who grow the ingredients needed to make beer and other drinkable products.

List of participating Breweries and Distillery

Topa Topa Brewing,Institution Ale,Ventura Coast brewing,Made West,Rincon Brewing,Leashless Brewing,Tarantula Brewing,Transmission Brewing,Ojai Brewing,Seaward Brewing ,Enegren Brewing and Ventura Spirits.

Brewers from throughout Ventura County have graciously donated funds to the scholarship program. Funds raised throughout the year and early 2024 will be used to create a scholarship fund for students who are pursuing an education and career in agriculture, culinary arts and or food science. Totally Local VC’s goal is to raise enough funds to offer at least one scholarship for both agricultural education and one for culinary arts/food science.

Scholarships recipients will be decided by our Ag Ed Committee and awarded March 2024.

If your interested in finding out more or donating to the scholarship fund please email us at [email protected]

The Totally Local VC Craft Beer Garden will be located in the Floriculture /Landscape area

Board Chair, Vice-Chair and New Board Members announced by Ventura College Foundation

At a June 28 meeting, the Ventura College Foundation Board of Directors selected a new board chair and vice-chair and approved two new board members for the 2023-24 term.

The new foundation board chair is Nicole Kreutz, vice president, senior portfolio manager at Montecito Bank & Trust. She has been on the foundation board for five years and is a Ventura College alumnus. “I am excited to lead the foundation’s efforts to help students at Ventura College thrive and prosper,” says Kreutz. “As a foundation, we remain focused and vigilant on what we do best, providing our students with a way to open doors for the future and provide a bridge to higher education.”

Vice-chair is Rob van Nieuwburg, business relations director at Ventura Toyota. He served as foundation board chair for five years until 2021 and has been on the board for nearly 20 years. “It’s all about the students,” says van Nieuwburg. “Every day, we see how the foundation impacts lives and gives students a path forward.”

Joining the board is Lydia Morales, a retired Ventura College faculty member, former chair of the Math Department and Academic Faculty Senate president. Also joining the board is Mark Huff, the newly elected Associated Students of Ventura County (ASVC) president who will serve through the 2024 academic year. Part of the ASVC president’s duties is to serve on the foundation board and provide student input.

Ellyn Dembowski is Immediate Past Board Chair.

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