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The 2018 Music Festival is on its way

Nuvi gave a short violin recital prior to speaking about this year’s VMF.

On Tuesday, January 23 Nuvi Mehta, the VMF Janet & Mark L. Goldenson Artistic Director, introduced the large audience gathered at the Museum of Ventura County to the artists appearing at the 2018 Ventura Music Festival. He was assisted by Executive Director Susan Scott. Refreshments and entertainment were provided at the free event.

THE VMF reminds all that “The fires have left members of the Festival staff along with numerous friends and neighbors in need of basic resources like food, clothing and shelter. Many people and organizations are rallying to meet those needs and, in time, they will be met.”

“We are reminded that music is also an important healing tool after a disaster because of its ability to help people process emotions and because in many ways music is a community activity. Thus we look forward to presenting a special free “Concert for Ventura” to continue the healing through music, to thank first responders, to solace those who have lost so much and to celebrate the best in our community as we come together to listen and share the experience.”

Each year, the Ventura Music Festival fills venues across the city with top-tier music for two weekends of multi-genre music, dance performances and world-class culture. This summer, the festival is returning with a lineup that promises to be bigger and better than ever. In the hands of renowned conductor Nuvi Mehta, the 2018 musical lineup consists of:

American Gypsy Jazz featuring star guitarist John Jorgenson at the historic Olivas Adobe

Latin Grammy-winner and “fire breathing guitar hero” vocalist and composer Diego Garcia (“El Twanguero”) alongside his trio at the Ventura College Performing Arts Center

“Rollicking, multi-lingual, around-the-world musical adventure” and festival headliner Pink Martini at the Oxnard PACC

Dynamic classic music ensemble Trio Céleste at the Ventura College Performing Arts Center

Celebrated and imaginative Akropolis Reed Quintet at the Ventura College Performing Arts Center

Stunning singer-songwriter Perla Batalla will present her “Frida Kahlo song cycle”, inspired by the works of Kahlo and Diego Rivera at the Ventura College Performing Arts Center

Pas de deux series depicting the ups, downs and sideways of relationships – Malashock Dance at the Ventura College Performing Arts Center

Additionally, the festival will host a “Tea & Trumpets” at the Ventura Pierpont Inn

As well as a free public concert with electrifying mariachi-meets-American classics ensemble Jarabe Mexicano at Mission Park.

On Sunday, February 25th, 3:00 to 4:30 pm a feel good free Concert For Ventura will be presented.

The line-up includes jazz fusion all-stars Tom Scott & the LA Express, sublime singer-songwriter Perla Batalla, VMF’s Nuvi Mehta, and additional guest artists in process. Downtown venue to be confirmed.

Since 1994, the mission of the Ventura Music Festival has been to bring world-class music to the community, build audience-Festival and audience-artist relationships, and enhance the joy of music through diverse education offerings for all ages. For more information, please visit www.venturamusicfestival.org or call 648-3146. Tickets go on sale April 16.

Ventura Women’s March one year anniversary

Marchers came from all over the county. Article and photos by Richard Lieberman

Over 1,500 people gathered in downtown Ventura’s Plaza Park to participate in Ventura County Rising, the second annual Women’s March. A chilly Saturday morning in Ventura, marchers were bundled up in winter coats, scarves and hats. Marchers came from all over the county including seniors to toddlers. The Marchers gathered at Plaza Park before the event. Pink Hats worn by marchers symbolizing solidarity and empathy with marchers from around the country were plentiful and dotted the crowd. Entertainment provided by Johnny and the Lovehandles rocked the crowd with old time rock and roll and reggae songs. Over 30 local organizations had tables set up providing information about their various causes. Environmental groups from the Sierra Club, the American Civil Liberties Union and many others displayed information on how to get involved with the various groups.

Opening remarks were made by Kathleen Shore one of the organizers of the Ventura March. Shore opened the march giving a mission statement to the gathered participants “Last year, the naysayers said, “What good is a march? Shore said. “Well this year we are showing you what good is a march, it bring us together, it energizes us and it reminds us of all the good that we have done this year.”

After Shore’s opening remarks the Reverend Madfdie Sifantus of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Santa Paula gave a benediction to the gathered marchers. The vice mayor of Ventura Matt LaVere spoke about the resilience of the marchers comparing and connecting them to the recent Thomas Fire that ravaged the county.

“Being here this morning and seeing this energy and the enthusiasm really makes me realize that no natural disaster is going to take away our spirit to stand up and fight and rally for those rights that mean so much to us,” LaVere said.

Assemblywoman Monique Limon, Democrat Santa Barbara getting to Ventura via train due to the closure of the 101 addressed the crowd. Limon stated, “Thank goodness for public transportation”. “As a community and as a state, we have stood up for the values protecting women, immigrants, our LGBT community, the environment and many more issues,” Li mon added. “California continues to push back on your behalf. We don’t do this alone, we do this together,” she added.

Atmospheric Scientist and author Peter Kalmus who authored the book “Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution,” addressed the gathering about the impact of climate change on the local level and what can be done to stop it.

After the opening remarks the march began in earnest, with marchers traversing about a mile of downtown Ventura marching Westbound on Thompson Boulevard, then North on Oak, West on Santa Clara Street, then again North to Main Street. Passing cars honked horns favoring the march, and sometimes honked in protest of the march. Rampant chants echoed all along the march route. “No hate, no fear, everyone is welcome here.” Marchers shouted along the march route.

As one of the organizers of the march Kathleen Shore added, “Change happens at the local level,” “to me, the power of this event is signing up for those organizations that have been on the ground, have been doing this hard work day to day, showing up to city council meetings, showing up to their own meetings.” “It’s a lot of work to create social change, and these organizations here are the ones who have been doing it,” she added.

A Seaside Delight – Tall Ships sail into Ventura Harbor

Tours of the Tall Ships are a chance to meet the ship’s crew.

Tall Ships, Hawaiian Chieftain and Lady Washington, commence their annual voyage along the California coast and sail into Ventura Harbor on Tuesday, February 13, 2018 at noon until Monday, March 5, 2018. The historical vessels will dock in front of the Ventura Harbor Village Promenade.

Catch the mystical sight of the Tall Ships Grand Arrival in full parade-style entrance, as the crew “manning the yards” at noon on Tuesday, February 13, 2018. A photographer’s delight, the ships depart for Battle Sails throughout February and March, 2018 out of the Ventura Harbor.

The visiting Tall Ships are rich in history and seaside lure. Hawaiian Chieftain was built in Hawaii in 1988 and originally designed for cargo trade among the Hawaiian Islands. Launched in 1989, Lady Washington is a full-scale reproduction of the original Lady Washington, which was built in 1750s and was one of the first U.S. flagged ships to explore the west coast of North America.

Open to the public, the Dockside Tours (Vessel Tours) offer a living history experience. The tours focus on an authentic 18thCentury sailor’s view of traveling by Tall Ship, as well as a chance to meet the ship’s crew and learn what it took to adventure to new lands.

Looking for more adventure? Three-Hour Battle Sails or Two-Hour Adventure Sails, complete with firing cannons and hoisting of the main sails are just the ticket! Battle Sails are available every weekend day from 2 p.m. -5 p.m. and feature a recreation of a naval skirmish with close quarter maneuvers.

For Battle and Adventure Sail ticket reservations call 800-200-5239 or visit www.historicalseaport.org. Tickets are on sale now.

In addition, live entertainment and roaming pirates can be enjoyed throughout Ventura Harbor Village on select days, and visitors can also send a Tall Ships postcard for free, join in a Tall Ship Scavenger Hunt.

Added to the Ventura Harbor visit, a special Valentine’s Day Tall Ship Sail on Wednesday, February 14 from 4 to 6 p.m. This special sail is reserved for adults only, and will highlight festive sea shanties and desserts for ticketed guests. Tickets are $55 per person, but couples can save $10 by purchasing tickets in pairs for a flat $100! Tickets are available by calling 800-200-5239 or visit www.venturaharborvillage.com for more details.

The Hawaiian Chieftain and Lady Washington travel down the West Coast stopping in ports and harbors for historical and educational visits. These ships host over 8,000 school children a year. Educators should contact the Historical Seaport education office, 1-800-200-5239 to arrange dockside, or on-the-water programming while here in Ventura Harbor February 13- March 5, 2018.

Tall Ship schedule can change due to weather and unforeseen circumstances, please check VenturaHarborVillage.com for the most up to date information.

Share your Tall Ships photos @VenturaHarbor on Instagram! For more Tall Ship information visit www.venturaharborvillage.com or Facebook Ventura Harbor. Admission and parking free daily at Ventura Harbor Village. For a complete schedule: www.historicalseaport.org or call 800-200-5239.

Male student of the year

Stephanie Caldwell, Chamber President & CEO, Kiernan Rickard, Nan Drake, Citizen of the Year and David Creswell, VUSD Superintendent celebrating Kiernan’s award. Photo by Richard Lieberman.

by Amber Hansen

The 20th Annual Poinsettia Awards Luncheon, presented by the Ventura Chamber of Commerce, was held on January 19th of this year at the Ventura Beach Marriott. Kiernan Rickard was this year’s recipient of the Ventura Unified School District’s Male Student of the Year award. Kiernan is a senior at Ventura High School with a history of academic dedication and an impressive repertoire of achievements. His packed schedule includes running for Ventura High’s cross-country team and acting as a senior officer in the music department.

Having discovered an aptitude for computer programming at a young age, Kiernan is a leader on the Ventura High robotics team- an accomplishment that earned his nomination for the first Robotics Dean’s List. He plans on pursuing a career in computer programming and hopes to enroll in Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science.

When asked how he felt about receiving the award, Kiernan said he was surprised because he’s surrounded by intelligent peers. He expressed immense gratitude and acknowledged that he could not have done it without the support he’s had from family and teachers.

Free income tax assistance from AARP Tax Aide

“After reading the 1,700 pages of the new tax code we may still need to call Trump.”

AARP Tax Aide, in conjunction with the IRS, will provide free income tax preparation assistance and e-filing for seniors and low-to-moderate income adults of any age from February 5 through April 12, 2018. AARP membership is not required. Assistance will be available at the following Ventura and Ojai locations:

In Ventura, the service is at the Ventura Avenue Adult Center, 550 North Ventura Ave, on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and at the Area Agency on Aging, 646 County Square Drive, on Mondays and Wednesdays from noon to 3 p.m. Appointments are not required at either site.

In Ojai, tax assistance is available starting February 1 by appointment only at Little House of Ojai, 111 West Santa Ana Street, on Thursdays from noon to 3:15 p.m. Call (805) 646-5122.

Taxpayers must bring Social Security cards for themselves, spouses and any dependents, picture ID, copy of 2016 tax return, and 2017 documents showing income from all sources, including wages, Social Security, interest, dividends, investments, self-employment, and pensions. If the taxpayer itemizes deductions, they should bring total figures for each category of deduction, including medical, charitable contributions, property tax, mortgage interest, etc. Please also bring ACA (Obamacare) year-end statements as well.

(Some) Fundraisers Raising Eyebrows

Be on the lookout for fraud.
by Jennifer Tipton

There has been an overwhelming response to raise funds for the Thomas Fire Victims. Organizations and individuals alike have come forward to help Ventura recover and although most have good intent, they are not the same. Much about these fundraisers is unclear … where do the proceeds go? and how are they distributed?

Here’s what you need to know, for a fundraiser to offer a tax deduction for your tickets or that big fat check you wrote, they must be a legitimate nonprofit organization with a 501c3 letter from the IRS.

“You’re not legally allowed to say you’re a nonprofit unless you have the paperwork in hand and this takes at least a year”, Kat Merrick tells me. Kat of course, has her very own “Totally Local VC”, a nonprofit organization established before the Thomas Fires and although she lost her beloved Wicked Wire Ranch to the heartless flames, her heart remains focused on helping others with her now “Local Love Project”. This is dedicated to those victims of the Thomas Fires that need the most help, they can email their information to [email protected] to be added to the list and from there, clothing and items requested are donated specifically for them and gift cards are given based on the size of the family; Kat and her volunteers do the distribution themselves.

Once a nonprofit has been established, the individual or organization can choose where the money will go from their event. Kat did a “Cheers for Charity “event on January 19th and she chose FOOD Share, The Totally Local VC Local Love Project and Catholic Charities to disburse the funds.

Here’s what a lot of potential recipients don’t seem to know – these charities don’t know who you are, you need to sign up with each individual charity to be included!

There are also those that do not have a nonprofit in place but may partner with one to put together a fundraiser, and although they appear to have good intent, accountability for money brought in can be questionable.

Mark Hartley, along with Downtown Ventura, the California Beer Festival, Surf Rodeo (many pulled together for this one) have coordinated the Thomas Fire Benefit Festival to take place on February 3rd at Plaza Park. Mark tells me a group helping to plan this event spent a tremendous amount of time determining where the money would go and that 100% of the ticket revenue will be spread out to include, the Ventura Unified School District to replace student’s textbooks and musical instruments that were lost in the fires and to help several low-income families that are still seeking permanent shelter. Money will also go to our neighboring Ojai and to the World Central Kitchen.

Kevin Clerici, the executive director of Downtown Ventura Partners and a voluntary staff member for the Downtown Ventura Organization (DVO) a 501c3, tells me the DVO is the fiscal sponsor for this event and fire victims can REGISTER for a one-time monetary gift at thomasfirebenefit.com, registrations must occur online by February 17th. According to Kevin, Pacific Western Bank has generously agreed to waive the cost to produce cashier’s checks for those who register, this means even more money will go directly to the victims.

If there are concerns with where your contributions are going, and you want to ensure they stay local, be sure to check out who you’re giving to.

Phil Gilley imagined a room full of musical instruments

EP Foster School student Ethan Gaona, “almost 9”, piano student with Notes For Notes local program director Fernando Franco.

Notes For Notes was the brainchild of Santa Barbara resident Phil Gilley about 11 years ago when, being involved in a Big Brother, Big Sister program he imagined a room full of musical instruments where kids could come in and play them, many for the first time. He had a kid who asked about how he could get to play an instrument. So, Gilley and others decided to create a program that would not only bring kids together with instruments, but also create an environment for teaching and letting the kids just play. The initial operation in Santa Barbara was piggybacked onto The Boys and Girls Club. Ventura, because of its fortunate placement between Santa Barbara and LA, became an early recipient of the programs expansion plans.

Since launching eleven years ago Notes For Notes is now operating these programs in over 20 locations around the country, including Ventura. Alex Kies is area director for Southern California and says “While they are not exclusive to Boys & Girls Clubs, 18 of the 20 are located within them. Like an embassy inside their space.” Ventura is the smallest market to be fortunate to have this program. Partially due to proximity to Santa Barbara but also because there was funding from local backers like attorney Jim Cole and later Squashed Grapes and others who formed a local “Soundboard” to fund financial support and generate activities like field trips to local music stores.

The latest extension of the program has been to create small recording studios within the club locations. The Ventura Club has such a studio located in the Boys & Girls Club at 1440 North Olive Street and managed by Fernando Franco, who is eager to welcome youngsters to their program. Everything is free, and tailored to the needs of the individual child. All you have to do to involve your child is to go there and sign up. Ventura’s program is aimed at kids 6-12. In other markets like LA, most of the participating kids are older.

Much of the financial support for Notes For Notes studio projects comes from Hot Topic, which donated an initial $25,000 for studios and the CMA Foundation has funded them east of the Mississippi. Included in recent developments are four new studios in the New York area and others in Chicago, Nashville, and San Francisco among others. Ventura is fortunate to be on this short list.

When a child comes to the facility on N. Olive Street, they determine their own plan for what they want to accomplish. If it is banging on drums, a very popular one, or writing a song, or recording one, they can get individual help and encouragement from Franco and the staff. “Kids here want to be loud, so there’s lots of drums and banging around”, says Franco. There is no rigid curriculum so freewheeling experimentation is just fine.

Looking to the future Franco and Kies hope to see a youth band evolve that could perform in the area comprised of kids under 18. Making a recording free is another enticing option for a kids group.

Sponsorships also play a role with major companies like Gibson, Fender, Zildjian and Sony all making donations. The primary instruments used in the program are “combo” type instruments. Guitars, bass, keyboards, drums and vocals are the focus. It was decided early on to leave band instruments like clarinets, tubas, horns and the like to school programs. Instruments used can be found on websites such as The Sound Junky.

So how can Venturans give their support to this worthy program? This community has been good so far in embracing Notes For Notes but more can be done. There is great potential for our youth here. Parents can bring their children to this location at The Boys and Girls Club and get familiar with the program. It is hoped to bring more teens into the program who could also play live. Locals can donate directly to the program through notesfornotes.org/donate. They can also donate instruments but they don’t have room for pianos. Quality microphones are needed. Think limited storage space when you consider donations.

An open house is planned soon but the studio facility is open for parents to bring their kids, take a tour of the studio, check out some instruments and sign up if desired any day, Monday through Friday from 2-6pm. It’s all inside the Robert Addison Boys & Girls Club, 1440 N. Olive Street in Ventura. Get loud!

John Lunsford “Buck Fifty” 1954 – 2018

John was a talented blues/jazz musician and gospel singer.

John Lunsford “Buck Fifty”, an iconic local musician, passed away this month. John was the owner of Realizations Recording Studio and Rising Force Sound as well as a talented blues/jazz musician and gospel singer. Playing flute and harmonica while wailing the blues with local musicians was his passion. His studio was open to all and all were received with love, compassion, the occasional spiritual scripture reading, and even fed from the “homeless grill” in the parking lot.

He led the Battle of the Bands Ventura in the 90s; was a sound and lighting engineer at many local hot spots; and built stages for Ventura Theater, Oxnard College, and local production companies.  His presence was felt in this great town and his spirit will live on in the music he was a part of.

Photography of Neal Barr, hosted by Union Bank at the Museum of Ventura County

Over 350 people attended the opening reception of the new Neal Barr exhibit, In High Style: The Photography of Neal Barr, hosted by Union Bank at the Museum of Ventura County. Breeze publisher Sheldon joined Neal at the wonderful celebration.

Attendees enjoyed an evening of high-fashion fun and art on a beautiful Ventura evening. Featuring the music of Studio 54 and fabulous food and refreshments from downtown Ventura merchants. More than $1,500 was raised in support of the United Way Ventura County’s Thomas Fire and Flood Fund.