All posts by admin

Vol. 12, No. 15 – Apr 24 – May 7, 2019 – Ventura Music Scene

by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com

It’s always a treat when Noel Paul Stookey from the iconic folk trio, Peter, Paul & Mary, performs at the Rubicon Theatre. Stookey brings his dry wit and love of humankind in a show called “In These Times” on Sunday, April 28. His appearances always sell out, and this one did as well, so I’m happy to report there will be a second concert on Monday, April 29. I wonder what he’ll talk about. Hmmm.

The local crew from Army of Freshmen have new music available this month, it’s an EP called “At the End of the Day” featuring acoustic tunes. That one drops April 26; the next day, they’ll perform “unplugged” up in Goleta at The Imperial sharing the stage with Nerf Herder.

Eco Fest not only provides over 80 exhibitors, green education ideas with helpful tips, and children’s activities, but they also offer great music throughout the day. This year they’ll have two stages of music with D.on Darox and the Melody Joy Bakers, Ventucky String Band, Anchor & Bear, Shay Moulder, the Midtones and more. The annual event will be held at Plaza Park (Santa Clara and Chestnut) on April 27 from 10 am to 4 pm. Eco Fest is free to the pubic with a bike valet available for those doing their part to reduce their carbon footprint.

Gigi’s will be hosting a couple of shows featuring bands from out of the area. First on Monday, April 29, it’s Radio Active (Tokyo, Japan), The Wankys (Leicester, UK), Eel (Pittsburgh, PA) and No Divide (Santa Barbara); and then on Friday, May 3, they’ll have MOB 47 (Sweden), along with Phobia, Wichaven and Zoloa. I’m glad to see promoters taking advantage of this space again for live music.

Quick Notes: Amber Olive of Amber & Smoke has a new side gig with the band Mini Driver; Margarita Villa has live music every weekend now, Friday through Sunday; Ray Jaurique and friends play The Blue Room on Wednesdays in the Harbor; Show Me the Body from New York play with Enemy on Thursday, April 25, at the Tavern; Norman Baker out of Seattle plays Namba on Friday, April 26; playing the Sewer for the first time, it’s The Guitar & Whiskey Club on Saturday, April 27; The Popravinas perform Saturday, May 4, at Dargans; Club 805 hosts The Darkside (Cosplay) on May 4; and Robin Trower plays the Ventura Theater on Sunday, May 5.

Congratulations to Adam and Josh for getting the Planning Commissions unanimous approval during their public hearing April 10. It was a standing room only crowd with so many people speaking in support of opening The Grape Jazz Club. Now, a little construction upgrades and hopefully the next time I write about the Grape will be to give their opening date. Well done boys!

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

First 5 encourages parents and caregivers to talk, read, and sing with young children

2019 marks First 5 Ventura County’s 20th Anniversary of helping young children and families in our local community. On Friday, On May 3 at 10 a.m., more than 55 celebrity readers will be reading to young children throughout Ventura County to kick off the fourth annual Take 5 and Read to Kids campaign, a partnership between the Ventura County Star and First 5 Ventura County to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood literacy.

“We know that the first five years of life lay the foundation for a lifetime of learning. For young children, early exposure to books – including being read aloud to each day – is critical for long-term academic success,” said First 5 Ventura County Executive Director Petra Puls. “Reading aloud, telling stories, and singing actually build the pathways in the brain that will later be used to learn letters and to read and think critically,” Puls adds.

First 5 encourages parents and caregivers to talk, read, and sing with young children ages 0-5 to support their early language and literacy development. Studies have proven that when you talk, read and sing to children from birth on, you promote and support early language and literacy development. 90% of a child’s brain is developed by age 5, and children are affected by experiences from early on, even before birth.

In Ventura it will be held at the Ventura Police Department, 1425 Dowell Drive.

Vol. 12, No. 15 – Apr 24 – May 7, 2019 – Ojai News and Events

MediCannaCon the Ojai Medical Cannabis Conference on May 4, 2019, will present current information to health professionals and the general public

Presented by the Ojai Herbal Symposium and Sespe Creek Collective, the conference is intended for health professionals as well as those of the general public who would like to be informed by the latest science on the subject of medical cannabis. The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ojai Valley Woman’s Club, 441 E. Ojai Avenue.

For information and registration, visit OjaiHerbal.org or call 805-646-6281.

Ojai chef and author Randy Graham has a new book, Ojai Valley Grill It Cookbook. It is available on Amazon for $14.95.You will find recipes for a panko encrusted Portobello burger, a balsamic and garlic glazed mushroom kabobs and recipes that wet your whistle. All, except for the drinks, are for your gas or charcoal grill.

A pop-up art gallery featuring works by local artists Susan Griffin – artist, chef and teacher; Gretchen Greenberg – painter, sculptor and mask maker; Mariana Periano – award-winning figurative artist; and Tom Hardcastle – nationally renown pastel and oil painter; will be held at Delilah Salon in downtown Ojai only Saturday, June 29th. The opening reception is Friday night, June 28th, 7-9 p.m., light refreshments will be served. Come by to meet the artists and view their latest works.

Delilah Salon, 323 Matilija St.

Fourth-generation Ojai Valley author John Selby will visit the Ojai Library at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, 2 to deliver an informal talk on his new novel, Murrieta’s Leap.

Murrieta’s Leap takes place in 1961 and is inspired by local Ojai stories and Chumash myths that Selby’s grandfather told him 60-70 years ago as the author was growing up on the Selby Ranch

He can be reached at [email protected].

At 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) will visit the Ojai Library to host a screening of the 2006 documentary A World without Water. The screening will be accompanied by group discussion. Filmmaker Brian Woods asks the question, “Is water a human right, or a commodity to be bought and sold?”

Author Kimberly Davis Basso will visit the Ojai Library at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, to present her inspirational book, I’m a Little Brain Dead. Basso’s book is a thoughtful and humorous take on her experience as a stroke survivor.

The Ojai Library is located at 111 East Ojai Ave. Hours of service are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Chamber On The Mountain presents the Busch Trio on Sunday, May 5, at 3:00 pm. Named after the legendary violinist Adolf Busch, this young piano trio has emerged as one of the leading piano trios among the new generation.

Celebrating its Sixth Season, the chamber music series brings internationally recognized musicians to Happy Valley in Upper Ojai – home of the Besant Hill School, the Happy Valley Cultural Center, and the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts. For more information visit www.ChamberOnTheMountain.com.

Villanova Preparatory School will host its annual Wildcat Classic golf tournament on Monday, May 6 to raise funds to support athletic programs.

The event will be held at the Ojai Valley Inn. It will include lunch, an 18-hole scramble, and dinner with an awards ceremony. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m., and tee-off is at 12 p.m.

Villanova’s Wildcat Classic golf tournament is part of the annual campaign to raise funds to promote and support all athletic programs; to provide state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for student athletes.

“We are thrilled to bring the Wildcat Classic back to the Ojai Valley Inn,” Head of School, Nancy O’Sullivan, said. “The golf tournament is a wonderful event to gather the community together for a great cause.”

For more information on the golf tournament, please contact the Development Office at 805-646-1464 or visit: http://villanovaprep.org/golf

Ventura author featured at EP Foster Library

John is working on a third book of short romance stories.

Local author, John Darling, had two books added recently to the shelves of the E.P. Foster Library in downtown Ventura.

The first book, entitled In A Million Years, is a science fiction novella told in three interweaving parts where each show the results of what can happen when man meddles with time.

The second book, entitled Into the Dark Desolate Night: The Detective Anderson Mysteries, is comprised of 11 short mysteries revolving around Detective Anderson and his assistants as they tackle a variety of tough cases. In the book, Anderson starts out as a low-paid 20-year homicide detective in a small town in California to being the owner of the largest Private Eye firm in Miami.

He is working on a third book of short romance stories, which is almost complete, entitled Anticipating Sunrise.

He will also be giving some talks at local libraries on the subject of what inspires his creativity and why he is a multi-genre author. The first one is scheduled for Saturday, June 8, from 1 to 3 PM in the Ojai Library where the public will have a chance to win a prize by playing, “Stump The Author”.

All of his books are available on Amazon.com in electronic and paperback formats.

To find out more about Mr. Darling, visit his author website at: http://johndarlingauthor.com/

Vol. 12, No. 15 – Apr 24 – May 7, 2019 – A View from House Seats

by Shirley Lorraine

Coping and Compassion Help Heal

Getting older is not for sissies. Unfortunately, aging happens, if we’re lucky. When it does, often the entire family is pulled in to its sphere. Author Kate Hawley’s “Complications from a Fall” now playing at the Santa Paula Theatre Center recognizes and celebrates the trials, challenges and efforts required for families to weather the aging of loved ones.

The catalyst is Elizabeth, an older woman who has some dementia and is currently recovering from a recent fall. Nothing was broken, but the body doesn’t work as well as it used to. As a result, her daughter Helen has moved in to care for Elizabeth full time. Being a caregiver is hard work. Helen desperately needs a break.

She is slated to present a paper at a conference out of state, so she enlists the assistance of her brother Teddy. Teddy is not at all familiar with nor comfortable in taking on the role. It’s complicated. It’s uncomfortable. It’s outside his circle of knowledge.

Elizabeth has been relying not only on Helen, but also on Lucy, a hired caregiver whom Helen has recently fired for allegedly stealing from Elizabeth. Teddy calls on Lucy to bail him out when he doesn’t know how to cope with mother. Through these three tough days, Teddy learns a lot about realities of aging, dealing with dementia, and his own capabilities.

Helen checks in frequently with Teddy as she worries about his ability to cope with the situation while she gets a much-needed respite from it all.

Directed by Taylor Kasch, Jill Dolan as Elizabeth, Cynthia Killion as Helen, Sean Love Mason as Teddy and Julie Fergus as Lucy form a tight family unit which highlights the difficulties of their tasks.

The play, like real life, has moments of hilarity and moments that tug at our heartstrings. No doubt the author pulled from her own experiences to capture the coping mechanisms and subtleties so well. Dealing with dementia requires more patience than many realize – until they are faced with a loved one’s confusion, repetition and altered state of reality. The person is still there, they’re simply on a different mental stratum where logic and reason do not reside.

As a caregiver myself, I found the subject matter all too familiar. I recognized the humor, the pathos and the underlying sadness in seeing a loved one decline. Others in the audience did too. It’s a challenging subject to depict, one that many of my generation are learning to cope with and to accept.

If you aren’t faced with this yet, the play will offer valuable insights you can use later. If you’ve already been there or are there now, you will find it validating. I do feel the ending was a bit abrupt as the loose ends in the story were tied up quickly and no epilogue was offered. I’d love to see the play again with an additional scene to soften the rapid wrap-up. And life continues.

Complications from a Fall continues through May 19. Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m., Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $24, seniors and students $22, children $18. Subscription packages also available. www.santapaulatheatercenter.org, 805-525-4645.

6th Annual Owl Festival

The sixth annual Owl Festival, a free family event, was held on Sunday, April 14, at the historic Olivas Adobe. The Ojai Raptor Society brought live owls and hawks for visitors to see and learn about. Olivas Adobe Historic Interpreters, who present the Owl Festival, lead costumed docent-led tours during the event, as they do every weekend, between 11 am and 3 pm.

Mary Thompson, Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Olivas Adobe Historical Interpreters (And Breeze staff member) was the “chairperson” for the Festival. She contacted and enlisted all the vendors, the food truck, etc. Organized the docent participation. Mapped out the courtyard to coordinate the booth layout for vendors. Purchased all needed supplies tablecloths, children’s craft items, etc. Coordinated and assisted in setting up the tables, canopies, signs, displays, and exhibits. Then just sat back and enjoyed the fruits of her labor.

Mary stated “It was a great event. Thanks to all the vendors showing their support. The children’s mariachi group was absolutely fabulous! The raptor show was also fabulous as usual! Even though we are short on docents we all came together including my friends showing their support to help make the owl festival a success. Everyone seemed to have a great time. More people attended than ever before. “

Evin Brown was proud of the pinecone owl that sister Viv made.

Blanche Reynolds’ Carnival May 10th in Rainbow Bridge Park

Everyone is invited to Blanche Reynolds’ biggest and most exciting Carnival yet! On May 10th in the Rainbow Bridge Park (located behind Blanche Reynolds School). From inflatable slides and obstacle course ,to free crafts, and more than 10 games at just $1 each! Karaoke, Face Paint, Hair Chalk, Photo Booth, Cake Walk, Silent Auction, Raffle, Food Trucks, Music, Scouts, VPD & Fire Dept, Martial Arts Performances and more with free entry!! It is not only about the kids – there is plenty of fun for the adults too – buy some yummy food at SoCal Comfort Food or Big Joes Tacos, enter the silent auction and shake your bones to the beat of the karaoke music. All funds raised go back into supporting the students.

Vol. 12, No. 15 – Apr 24 – May 7, 2019 – Opinion/Editorial

∙ Now that we have city council districts (four have been elected by district for now – but all council members will eventually be based upon districts when currents terms are up) – I think that these four should have quarterly townhall meetings to hear what the concerns (and likes) are from their constituents.

They are: Sofia Rubalcava, Deputy Mayor – District 1; Lorrie Brown, Councilmember – District 6; Jim Friedman, Councilmember – District 5; Erik Nasarenko, Councilmember – District 4.

These are their emails if you want to contact them:
[email protected];[email protected];[email protected]; [email protected].

Email addresses for all city employees contains the first initial of their first name and their last name @cityofventura.ca.gov.

If you don’t know what district you are in, go to https://map.cityofventura.net/java/ccvd/ for a district map and enter your address to find out what district you are in.

∙ At a recent city council meeting, Peter Lyons was selected to be our Interim Community Development Director. The reason that this is important is because Ventura (and the school district) keeps losing department heads and key employees. I don’t know if they obtain better jobs/better pay, or something is problematic at City Hall, but this is detrimental to running our local government.

∙ Congratulations to our Building Official, Yolanda Bundy, for being selected Safer City Building Official of the Year (see article on cover). She has done an outstanding job running her department during these difficult times after the Thomas Fire.

∙ There is an ad in this issue for Music Under the Stars. Three of the concerts have already been sold out. If you haven’t attended you should. A great way to spend an evening under the stars listening to great music. And you can bring your own food and beverages.

∙ World’s smallest sports story (if you care). If the Lakers want to be great again, they should trade Jeanie Buss for Steve Ballmer.

∙Wow, amazing how this country is changing (all for the better in my opinion). Chicago has their first mayor who is:

A black female (she will be one of eight black women serving as mayor in a major city) and she is openly gay.

​∙ H. Parker Hospitality has decided not to continue negotiations with the Ventura Port District for the purchase of two parcels in the Harbor at the end of Spinnaker Dr. Their plans were to build a high-end hotel/spa and hybrid hostel.

The stated reason is that the District was not able to provide ‘clean’ title for land. There are probably other reasons, but this was their stated one.

These are great parcels and will certainly be considered by other developers (oh no, the dreaded word) as soon as the title situation is resolved. About 30-years ago, the District filed for bankruptcy which, apparently has caused some concerns about the ownership of the parcels and clear title.

The Ventura Harbor is operated by the Ventura Port District and a board of commissioners.

∙Things that I find humorous:

Two gas stations that I go to have notes on pumps saying, “We are lowering our gas prices for you.”  Gas prices went up over .50c in a week, maybe they don’t look at the pumps!

People paying for a large drink cup at fast food restaurants when refills are free. Maybe getting up from the table and walking to the drink dispenser is just too much work.

∙A new study by the EPA says “that by the end of the century the manifold consequences of unchecked climate change will cause the US hundreds of billions of dollars per year. Those costs will come in multiple forms, including water shortages, crippled infrastructure and polluted air.”

∙In a previous issue, I commented about the dysfunction of the Supreme Court. One of my concerns is the fact that there are so many 5-4 decisions made. The latest one is regarding an execution to take place in Alabama. I just don’t think major-major decisions should be made on 5-4 decisions.

∙ Only a skull and a pair of trousers remained after a suspected rhino poacher was killed by an elephant and then eaten by lions in Kruger National Park in South Africa. The incident happened after the man entered the park Monday with four others to target rhinos, according to a parks service statement.

An elephant “suddenly” attacked the alleged poacher, killing him. Moral of the story – don’t piss off an elephant.

∙ A large study finds no evidence that the vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella increases the risk of autism. The study of children born in Denmark is one of the largest ever of the MMR vaccine.

“The study strongly supports that MMR vaccination does not increase the risk for autism,” stated the authors. “We believe our results offer reassurance and provide reliable data.”

∙ Another bit of America will be biting the dust soon. Ford Motor Co. has announced that it will phase out Ford Taurus, Fiesta and Fusion sedans within a few years. What could be next? The closing of Sears stores and letting Lowes sell Craftsman tools? Oh, wait that is already happening.

∙There have been signs for years about plummeting insect populations worldwide. The extent of this crisis had not been well documented until now.

The first global scientific review of insect population decline was published recently in the journal Biological Conservation and the findings are disturbing.

More than 40 percent of insect species are dwindling globally and a third of species are endangered. The study analyzed 73 historical reports on insect population declines.

The total mass of insects is falling by 2.5 percent annually, the review’s authors said. If the decline continues at this rate, insects could be wiped off the face of the Earth within a century.

Of course, we all could be.

 

 

 

 

FOOD Share – Feeding Ventura County

Monica White is FOOD Share President, and CEO.

Sustainability Now News
by Maryann Ridini Spencer (@MaryannRidiniSpencer)

“One in six people struggle with food insecurity in Ventura County,” said Monica White, FOOD Share President, and CEO. “Currently, our pantries feed approximately 75,000 people monthly. I wish I could say our number of clients was decreasing, but in these times, it’s challenging for even two working parents to make ends meet. When there’s rent or a mortgage to pay, utilities to run and a car to maintain and fuel, sometimes our food can provide that gap to provide fresh, nutritious food for the family.”

How FOOD Share Operates

Every month FOOD Share’s rescue process (food obtained from local food drives by various organizations and over 100 different retail outlets) takes in approximately a million pounds of food. Some 500 volunteers from a combination of organizations, corporations, the military, as well as individual community members, work in 2-hour shifts sorting, weighing, labeling, and boxing food staples collected from a conveyor belt.

“We discard anything with an expiration date over one year,” said White. “Our boxes are then delivered to the area of our Oxnard facility where approximately 190 local non-profit agencies shop.”

FOOD Share’s Community Market Distribution is a monthly mobile delivery program that provides a variety of fresh produce delivered free of charge to over 7,000 low-income families. Their USDA-funded Senior Kits (Commodity Supplemental Food Program), also provides monthly food assistance to low-income seniors aged 60 plus through county food banks.

“Once a month our seniors receive a 30-pound box filled with such items as pasta, cereal, peanut butter, canned food, cheese, and many other items. We also have a huge garden growing fresh produce that is tended to by volunteers, and that provides about 10,000 pounds fresh produce to homebound seniors.”

“Through a partnership with Port Hueneme and Wells Fargo,” continued White, “Our Mobile Pantry program travels around the county providing resources to individuals and families who may lack access to food pantries and other essentials. The program also connects community members to all types of housing and employment and income assistance programs.”

With a mission to teach local students about diet, FOOD Share’s Kids’ Farmer’s Market Program, is taught by nutritionists visiting local schools that teach students about nutrition, how food is grown, and how to prepare healthy recipes with food provided by Food Share.

FOOD Share, part of Feeding America, a national hunger alleviation network, distributes 12 million pounds of food annually (10 million meals a year) and operates on an annual budget of three million dollars, a third of which comes from individual donations, 25% from government grants, and contributions from foundations, organizations, and corporations.

“If we had to purchase that amount of food, the cost would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 32 million dollars,” said White.

FOOD Share never turns anyone away. All a person is required to provide is their name, address, and how many are in the household; providing any household income information is optional. A local list of pantries, locations, and hours can be obtained by dialing 211 or visiting foodshare.com.

“All our staff and volunteers work so hard for the same reason — for our hungry neighbors,” said White. “While it’s a constant battle to get the funding to fight hunger, it’s our mission to make sure that we continue to feed everyone in need, because, if not us, then who?”

Have you always wanted to tip a cop?

The Ventura Police Department will be sponsoring the Special Olympics “Tip-A-Cop” event on Thursday, May 9, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at California Pizza Kitchen at 3301 E. Main St. in Ventura (805) 477-9925. The restaurant is located at the Pacific View Mall.

Tip-A-Cop is a law enforcement fundraising event in which police officers assist with waiting tables at a local restaurant and collect “tip” donations for the Special Olympics.  For over twenty years the Ventura Police Department has been involved in the Tip-A-Cop program.

Community members are encouraged to come and support the event by dining out and meeting local Special Olympics Athletes and Ventura Police Officers as they act as “celebrity servers” while assisting California Pizza Kitchen servers throughout the evening. While tips to restaurant servers are encouraged, envelopes will be provided to dining patrons to give to the cause. Officers will also be accompanied by Ventura County Special Olympics Athletes who help serve food and sell t-shirts. Athletes are excited to meet community members and share their Special Olympics experiences.

“We look forward to another successful year and to our continued partnership with the Special Olympics of Ventura County. We appreciate our partnership with California Pizza Kitchen in supporting these special athletes,” said Officer Bernadette Compean.

For over twenty years, Ventura County law enforcement agencies have been raising funds in support of the Special Olympics Ventura County. The fundraising events support year-round sports training and competition to over 700 individuals with intellectual disabilities, ages eight years and up, free of charge, in seventeen sports at over forty training sites throughout Ventura County.

“The Special Olympians’ courage, perseverance and positive attitude while facing challenges has been very inspiring over these years. They are the ones that make this event so great. The athletes teach us all to accept and include each other. My next-door neighbor is a Special Olympian and this is the highlight of his year. It makes him so happy to spend time with our officers and participate in the event. It’s his attitude that really makes it so special for our team,” stated Community Outreach Specialist Ashley Bautista.