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A must-see Parisian-style circus production

Circus Vargas channels the “City of Lights”

Circus Vargas presented another outstanding, mega-hit entertainment experience in Ventura at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. It is now at the Santa Barbara at Earl Warren Showgrounds until June 19 and at the Madonna Inn starting June 23.

Join us for a brand new big top adventure with Performers from all over the globe! Featuring The “Last Ringmaster,” Johnathon Lee Iverson – classically trained opera singer-actor adds another dimension to their newest stellar production, “Bonjour, Paris!”

Circus Vargas channels the “City of Lights” in an all-new high-energy, action-packed extravaganza! In this latest, greatest production Circus Vargas delivers the ultimate live family entertainment experience for 2023!

A must-see Parisian-style circus production featuring world-renowned performers, aerialists, acrobats and more! Audiences are immediately immersed in an ambience of glitz and glamour reminiscent of the famed Lido de Paris. A must see! This extravagantly flashy, fun-filled circus spectacular is guaranteed to excite and delight audiences of all ages! An amazing adventure, not to be missed! Join us for two unforgettable hours under the big top …where memories are made to last a lifetime! Circus Vargas’ “Bonjour, Paris!” _C’est magnifique!

For Circus Vargas performance dates, times and to purchase tickets, visit www.circusvargas.com, call 877-GOTFUN-1 (877-468-3861) or visit the box office at each location. Follow Circus Vargas on Facebook and Twitter for updates, discounts and behind the scenes video.

Ventura Townehouse Movie Night is a smashing hit.

Senior residents gather for a nostalgic movie night in tribute to Hollywood legend.

by Ross Williams

In a delightful celebration of cinema and the golden era of Hollywood, the residents of Ventura Townehouse Senior Living Community unveiled their much-anticipated movie event with a red carpeted grand opening ceremony. The inaugural screening honored the memory of the late actor Ernest Borgnine and his 1972 classic The Poseidon Adventure.

As I ascended to the magnificent Vista room, perched atop the seven-story building, the elevator doors gracefully slid open, and the delightful aroma of freshly popped popcorn enveloped the air, instantly transporting me to the enchanting world of movies. The grandeur of the occasion was evident as I stepped into a scene reminiscent of a glamorous red carpet event.

The hall buzzed with excitement and energy, elegantly decorated, tables adorned with a delectable array of hors d’oeuvres and mouth watering desserts. A photo wall, reminiscent of the glitz and glamor of Hollywood premieres, beckoned residents to capture the magical moments of this unforgettable evening. The ambiance was further enhanced by the transformation of the space into a full-fledged movie theater, complete duel grand pianos, glistening buckets of popcorn, and a mesmerizing big screen that hung tall and proud.

With anticipation building in the air, residents eagerly converged in the Vista room for the highly anticipated first screening. The staff of Ventura Townehouse, dressed in exquisite suits and elegant gowns, gracefully navigated the room, their warm smiles radiating genuine care and affection for those in attendance. It was a heartwarming sight to witness the staff members offering warm embraces, engaging in heartfelt conversations, and demonstrating their unwavering love and support for the residents. Their dedication and commitment to creating a memorable experience for everyone present was palpable, fostering an atmosphere of warmth, comfort, and a true sense of community.

Movie nights will provide the senior community with an opportunity to relive cherished memories and connect through the power of film. Ernest Borgnine, an Academy Award-winning actor known for his incredible talent and captivating performances, has a personal connection to Ventura Townehouse Senior Living Community. His daughter, Nancee, is one of the cherished directors of the community, and the event served as a heartfelt tribute to her late father’s cinematic legacy.

Residents and staff members expressed their excitement and gratitude for this new addition to their activities calendar. The movie events will feature a variety of classic films and modern favorites and is scheduled to take place every few days, providing a regular source of entertainment and camaraderie for the community’s residents. “Tuesday Romcom’s, Wednesday Westerns and Saturday Turner Classics are the plan,” said Nancee between salutations.

As the clock neared 7pm the soft piano music that had filled the air paused and a round applause filled the air. “That was great Barbara.” a resident shouted and I realized that the music that had been filling the hall was in fact being played by one of the residents.

The event commenced with a heartwarming speech by Nancee Borgnine, who shared fond memories of her father and the first time he took her to a red carpet. “It was the GodFather. And he told me to stay close and keep my mouth shut,” she expressed with a laugh and a smile.

The room fell silent as the movie began, the opening credits played and the staff walked through the rows of residents offering popcorn and flutes of champagne. Nancee stood proud at the back of the room, proud of the evening’s success and her dad’s legacy. By celebrating the timeless art of cinema and honoring the legacy of Ernest Borgnine, they have brought a touch of Hollywood glamor to the lives of their cherished seniors.

Passing the Baton – The American Flag Program

Jim Monahan, Paul Nickolan, Jeff Bode, Doug Cavagnaro, Matt Valdez, Billy Magee, Dan Smith, David Soo Hoo, and Jim Duran volunteer to keep the flags flying.

Patriotism has been very important in the City of Ventura. That is why you see “Old Glory” displayed throughout our city. The American flag remains a living piece of history and a source of pride and unity for all Americans.

The flag was so important to Patrick Monahan, father of Jim Monahan our former Mayor, that in the 1930’s he made sure every polling station had a brand-new American Flag displayed throughout the County of Ventura.

Originally, the American Legion and the City of Ventura displayed the flags on Main St. and various other locations. But at some point, this tradition came to a halt.

Jim purchased flags and encouraged the other council members to purchase them as well. When it was time to display the flags in 1993, Corporal Ken Corney (former Police Chief of Ventura) carried the flags from pole to pole and Firefighter John Duff (former Fire Captain) climbed up the ladder to secure the flag to the pole.

A few years later, the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers (IBEW), asked if they could help. Jeff Bode, Business Manager of IBEW, has been organizing the volunteers for several years. Trucks were donated by Taft Electric and Oilfield Electric & Motor.

The Lyons Club, Pier into the Future and many volunteers are responsible for displaying the flags in the other areas of Ventura.

“After 30 years,” says Monahan, “I have decided to pass the baton to Councilmember Jim Duran. I could not think of a better person to continue this very important tradition. Jim has a heart for this country and loves our city.”

New flags are needed to replace the damaged ones. If you would like to purchase a flag for this program, you may do so at American Flags & Cutlery, 305 E. Main St. Ventura 93001. You can call Bryan at (805) 612-6400.

The Ladies Luncheon Ventura celebrates 14 years of networking

Ladies comes together for good networking and a delicious lunch.

by Carol Leish, MA

“The best networking comes from genuine relationships and friendships” –Gatehouse

Laurie Ann Meyer, a full time Real Estate Broker and owner of Lifestyle Listings with Realty One Group Summit in Ventura, said, “I saw an opportunity in 2009 to bring women together in a ‘Networking’ type of environment without all the commitment of a traditional networking group. I wanted it to be easy for women to attend, at a time in the day that would give them the chance to sit down and relax while having a meal and taking a deep breath away from all that they do during the rest of the day.”

“As a ‘No join group,’ the Ladies Luncheon does not have any monthly or annual fees. Women pay when they attend, and if they cannot attend one month, they do not pay for that month. This creates the opportunity that leads to no guilt, no commitment, and no hassling. I also wanted to make it available for unlimited categories of businesses. Not jut one per category, like other networking groups may have. Thus, there are other realtors in the group, besides me. The goal is to develop relationships.”

Through developing relationships and friendships, The Ladies Luncheon, has become a community. Through this community, the group has continued to follow the perspective that, “Networking is an enrichment program, not an entitlement program,” which Susan Roanne said.

Meyer emphasized the importance of community by saying, “We have been through many ups and downs over the years which has created a very close bond and support for each other. That is why our philosophy now is ‘Community, Connection, and Support.’

“We also have created a series of Wine Mixers, called ‘Radiant You Wine Mixer’ series. In support of local store front businesses, we meet every other month at a specific location from 5:30-7pm to share wine, conversation, and shopping. Our last one was at The Jelly Fish on Main St. On June 22nd we will be at Trystology on Main Street for some more ‘Spice.’

“In March 2020, the week before the pandemic hit, we had our first all day event called Radiant You, in which we had four speakers who gave different presentations about health, wellness, business, and self-love. We also had a luncheon, meditation, and dancing. It was a success with over 80 attendees. My vision is to repeat the Radiant You event in 2024!

“I am thankful to my side kick, Elaine O’Malia (owner of Laine Designs), who is our marketing director. She handles all the social media, evites, website and more. Her and I have been doing this project together for over 12 years. Elaine is significant to the success of The Ladies Luncheon, as are all the women who continue to attend, participate, and share their friendships. The relationships that have been created are what I can truly say are ‘Forever.’” My continued passion in life is to use my inspiration, enthusiasm, and knowledge to empower and encourage myself and others to accomplish their dreams and goals in life!”

Ladies, come join us for good networking and a delicious lunch on the first Thursday of each month at The Greek Mediterranean Steak and Seafood at the Ventura Harbor.

Phone (805) 650-5360. To join us for our next networking lunch meeting on July 6th, 2023 from 11:30-1:00, please register at: www.theladiesluncheon.com.

The event highlighted the incredible work that the Local Love Project provides

Top musicians from the county came together to support the Local Love Project.

Blues, BBQ and Portside views was the theme for this years Local Love Projects Fundraising event held at Portsside Ventura Harbor.

Top musicians from the county came together to support this year’s Local Love Project fundraiser. Attendees were treated to not only incredible blues music by Kelly’s Lot, the Bobby Hart Band and Scott Detweiler but also, had a fun filled day of sunshine, dancing and gorgeous Ventura Harbor views.

Nothing says summer like BBQ and there was plenty of it on hand from Big Man BBQ. Local breweries and wineries Poseidon Brewing, Flying Embers, Four Brix Winery and Strey Callers contributed to the day’s events and even the sun decided to make a grand appearance.

The event highlighted not only the incredible work that the Local Love Project does to help individuals impacted by disaster in the 805 but also, Portside Ventura Harbor’s local businesses and beautifully designed clubhouse space.

Ventura County Fire Dept’s Crystal Stratton was on hand to award an appreciate plague to the Local Love Project for all the efforts of their organization in assisting the community and the fire departments outreach programs.

Totally Local VC’s Local Love Project is to activate and organize members of our community in the aftermath of a disaster within our 805 communities and to provide relief and support to those affected by disaster.

From wildfire relief and recovery, assisting those financially impacted by the COVID crisis, to this year’s winter storm damage, The Local Love Project works to solve the immediate needs of those impacted by California disasters by providing items necessary to help our neighbors as they work to restore their lives. To find out more go to TheLocalLoveProject.com

Color blind visitors to Ventura’s Botanical Gardens get new views with a new viewer and glasses

Board of Directors member Barbara Brown explaining the glasses to color blind participants.

by Richard Lieberman

Recently the Ventura Botanical Gardens announced the installation of a new specialized viewer for color- blind visitors and also new specialized glasses available to borrow. The installation of a specialized scope viewer allows color- blind visitors to see the true colors of the gardens. The viewer is installed at the Mereweather site in the Chilean Gardens. Often color-blind garden visitors cannot see the vibrant reds, yellows and oranges in flowering plants that are on display. This newly installed special viewer allows color-blind individuals to see the vibrant colors that non-colorblind individuals see. Color-blind visitors now can borrow a limited number of special glasses at the Merriweather Welcome Center and experience the true colors of the gardens for the first time in their lives.

Five color-blind visitors gathered on a Tuesday morning to try out the special glasses that would help them see the rich colors of the garden they have never seen before. They were given the glasses to take home and use for personal use. The visitors for this demonstration were Trent Barnhart, Joshua Goodman, Jeanette Licea, Tom Raetan and Matthew Serrano. The group was aged from 9 to 70 years old, and when they tried out the glasses all were amazed at the newly distinguishable colors of the flowering plants. “The poppies really stand out,” said Serrano

Jeanette Licea 9, of Oxnard was amazed trying on the glasses and “I love them,” she excitedly gushed out seeing color clearly for the first time. “I like not having to ask my friends what color something is.”

Joshua Goodman, 47 of Ventura excitedly walked around the grounds putting the glasses on and off amazed at the difference. He talked about the difficulties of dressing and noted he has always dressed in neutral tones to avoid color matching mistakes. Goodman added that color coding “is the worst for me,” Originally a professional in high tech where everything is color coded, he added “And people really like to color code things’” Currently Goodman is a voice actor, where his color blindness is not an issue.

The glasses were designed and distributed by EnChroma, the company that invented the glasses. The company offers an accessibility program for museums, gardens and similar institutions that provides a matching pair of glasses for each one purchased by the organization.

The glasses are able to help most people who are color-blind see a greater range of color, which gives them the ability to see sharply, with a greater range of color, and the ability to make what was always a dull landscape pop out, according to EnChroma.

Barbara Brown, a spokesperson for the Botanical Gardens said all the participants get to keep the glasses they tried as a thank you for participating in the demonstration.

The gardens have two pairs of glasses available for visitors use and expects to have more shortly. The garden now has the scope previously mentioned about halfway up the trail that is adjusted for color-blindness Brown added.

Ventura High School Presents 41st Annual Reader’s Faire

Inspiring children to explore the power of reading.

Ventura High School (VHS) held its 41st Annual Reader’s Faire, a cherished event organized by the VHS 10th grade Honors English classes on Thursday, June 1, at Ventura High School. 

For over four decades, the Reader’s Faire has captivated young minds and fostered a love for reading among children. This unique event showcased the creativity and talent of Ventura High School students who write, illustrate, and publish original children’s books, which they present to our elementary student guests. 

This year’s Reader’s Fair theme was “Through Time and Beyond,” inviting children to embark on imaginative journeys and explore the wonders of different eras. The stories presented during the event featured characters who learn valuable life lessons and undergo personal growth as they progress on their adventures. 

Ventura High School welcomed approximately 1,000 students from nine elementary schools, including both public and private institutions. Students from kindergarten to second grade were able to immerse themselves in the joy of reading, promoting literacy, and encouraging the use of their imaginations. The elementary school students attending Reader’s Faire were treated to an enchanting experience as they encountered these captivating stories presented in specially designed and decorated habitats, bringing the narratives to life before their eyes.  

The Reader’s Faire is a testament to the dedication of Ventura High School students, teachers, and staff who strive to inspire and uplift the community through the power of literacy.

EPIC Leadership Center summer program needs volunteers

EPIC Leadership Center, a non-profit organization, is starting its Summer Program in Westview Village, Ventura.

Founded by Christine Wood, DMin about 15 years ago, the EPIC Leadership Center embarked on a mission to transform the lives of families in low income, higher risk neighborhoods in Ventura. Using the golden rule, “Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them”, as a guide to create “everyday leadership” regardless of age, education or ethnicity, EPIC created programs that offer children and youth activities that are coupled with character training that has and will transform their lives – one day at a time. In turn, transformed lives empower people to transform neighborhoods.

This summer, EPIC plans to provide summer programs to Westview Village three times a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The programming includes activities such as art, fieldtrips, sports, character and leadership training, and games. EPIC plans to offer parenting classes and summer tutoring or educational activities so students can stay fresh over the summer. EPIC would like to offer surf camp, bike club and style camp, activities that were on-going prior to the COVID pandemic. To meet their goals, volunteers are needed to augment the current volunteers and operational staff through the summer and beyond. EPIC has opportunities for Spanish speakers and translators, drivers, high school mentors and volunteers, with a passion to help transform lives. EPIC anticipates 8-30 kids will attend the summer programming.

In 2023, Chris Wood stepped down as President of the EPIC Board of Directors. Dar Rosario, Ventura, is now the President and plans to work with the board of directors to continue what Chris started, “I am truly amazed at the impact that EPIC has had in Ventura.  I am convinced that EPIC can do more with exposure and more financial support.”   Funding comes primarily through private donations from individual donors. Grants come from local banks and foundations such as Pacific Western Bank, Bank of Sierra, The Haskell fund, the Ventura Downtown Lions Club, and the Rotary Club of Ventura.

EPIC is moving forward and is looking for you; the summer program will truly be transformative. If you want to be part of transforming lives and neighborhoods right here in Ventura, visit epicleadershipcenter.org. for more information, volunteer opportunities, and to donate.

 A Special Exhibition from the Focus on the Masters Arts Archive & Library

Michael Todd, Sculptor, by Donna Granata, FOTM Portrait Series, 2012.

Focus on the Masters Arts Archive & Library (FOTM) is proud to announce their participation in the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the incorporation of the County of Ventura.  FOTM will present History Is Now, 2023 an extensive selection of photographic portraits, by FOTM Founder Donna Granata, featuring artists from the organization’s extensive archives over the summer and fall of 2023.

History Is Now, 2023 will celebrate 150 artists who have made an impact in Ventura County over the past 150 years. From the cutting-edge work of Ojai artist Cassandra C. Jones to the emotionally charged abstracts of Gerd Koch.  Each image was created after in-depth documentation and study of the artist and their work as part of the Focus on the Masters Arts Archive & Library’s mission and educational programming.

Opening on July 10, 2023, 150 artists portraits will be on display at the Ventura County Government Center, along with a select number of artworks by FOTM documented master artists.  The exhibition will travel to the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza in September 2023 and remain through the fall. Both shows will include an extensive program of artist talks, gallery walks and school visits.

History Is Now, 2023 will include a comprehensive look behind the scenes of the FOTM Arts Archive & Library’s 30-year history.  A selection of unique objects from the FOTM archive will be on display offering the public a rare look at items collected and preserved for posterity.  Additionally, artwork from the FOTM’s Learning to See award-winning, in-school, cross-curricular program will be included in the exhibition allowing the public to see first-hand how FOTM integrates its research into lesson plans that emphasize critical thinking, innovation, and diversity.

The FOTM Portrait Series is part of a much larger collection of cultural artifacts relating to each artist on display.  Established in 1994, Focus on the Masters (FOTM) Arts Archive & Library is a non-profit, 501(c)(3), art appreciation program that documents, preserves, and presents the works and lives of accomplished contemporary artists. The archive includes oral histories, videotaped interviews, photographic portraits, and examples of the artists’ work.

Much admired for her penetrating interviews of artists, Donna Granata will give a special talk and discuss her development as an artist and historian, as well as address the growth and future of Focus on the Masters with her successor Chelsea Cody.

Guided tours of the exhibition are available by appointment, with priority given to youth groups. For exhibition dates and other information go to https://focusonthemasters.com.

 

MERITO stands for Multicultural Education for Resources Issues Threatening Oceans

They are committed to protecting the ocean by facilitating education, conservation, and scientific research opportunities to multicultural youth and their communities.

Recently the MERITO Foundation sponsored the 7th grade class from DATA Middle School to a 3-day camping trip to Santa Cruz Island. The students had the opportunity to experience and encounter dolphins, whales, tent camping, hiking, dish washing , scorpion hunting in the night, kayaking, cave exploring, and snorkeling!

‘The Avenue to the Channel Islands’ (ATCI) Program of the MERITO Foundation is funded by the Outdoors Equity Grant, created through AB 209 and administered by California State Parks, Office of Grants, and Local Services.