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52nd Annual Parade of Lights to continue as planned Dec. 9th

The 52nd Annual Parade of Lights, “Fairy Tales Afloat,” and daytime activities are planned to be held as scheduled on December 9th, the Ventura County Harbor Department announced today.

“After consulting with weather and public safety officials regarding potential impacts from the Thomas Fire, we have determined that we can proceed with this much-loved community tradition,” said Ventura County Harbor Department Director Lyn Krieger. “With this week’s tragic wildfires, we hope this event will bring some much needed holiday cheer to Oxnard and surrounding communities.”

Everyone is invited to enjoy a full day of holiday activities and watch festively decorated boats in the parade while listening to carolers sing holiday songs. Families can play in 36 tons of snow falling at the north end of Harbor View Park, located off Harbor Blvd. near Marine Emporium Landing, beginning at noon. Santa will be there from noon – 4 p.m. and will take pictures with families free of charge. There will also be holiday arts and crafts vendors starting at 10 a.m.

The Parade of Lights, themed “Fairy Tales Afloat,” will begin at 7 p.m. The lighted boat parade is visible from many Harbor locations, including parks and walkways that line the route along the west side (Harbor Boulevard) from Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club to Channel Islands Yacht Club, along the walkways on the west side of Peninsula Road (Peninsula Park to Porpoise Way), and Victoria Avenue from Hobie Beach to the Public Launch Ramp, as well as from most Harbor restaurants.  The boat parade makes two circuits to maximize viewing opportunities.

Paintings by Mike Tiné, with sculpture by Jo Anne Duby, Greg Kailian, and Chris Provenzano at Art City Gallery grand opening exhibition

Art City Gallery grand opening exhibition runs until Jan. 6, 2018. Paintings by Mike Tiné, with sculpture by Jo Anne Duby, Greg Kailian, and Chris Provenzano.

The walls of this exhibition show breadth and power in Ventura’s painter and sculptor, Mike Tiné recent work. He obtained a BFA in painting at the University of Tennessee and an MFA in sculpture at the University of Wyoming. Currently residing and painting at the WAV artists’ complex. Tiné also keeps a sculpture studio at Art City Gallery and Studios.

Displayed in clusters of thought and form throughout the large exhibition hall, we see and experience free-standing stone sculptures by Ventura artists JoAnne Duby, Greg Kailian and Chris Provenzano. These artworks span the artists’ careers; exclamation points, question marks and periods punctuating prolific bodies of work in stone.

Art City Gallery 197 Dubbers St., 648-1690. artcitygalleryandstudios.com

Chanukah

Every year Jewish people around the world celebrate the holiday of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights. Chanukah begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, but the starting date on the western calendar varies from year to year. This year it starts on sundown on Dec.12 and ends on Dec.20.

In the land of Judea there was a mean (boo) Syrian king, Antiochus. The king ordered the Jewish people to reject their God, their religion, their customs and their beliefs and to worship the Greek gods. There were some who did as they were told, but many refused. One who refused was Judah Maccabee.

Judah and his four brothers formed an army and after 3 years of fighting, the Maccabees were finally successful in driving the Syrians out of Israel and reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem.

When Judah and his followers finished cleaning the temple, they wished to light the eternal light, known as the N’er Tamid, which is present in every Jewish house of worship. Only a tiny jug of oil was found with only enough for a single day. The oil lamp was filled and lit. Then a miracle occurred as the tiny amount of oil stayed lit not for one day, but for 8 days

Jews celebrate Chanukah to mark the victory over the Syrians and the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple. The Festival of the Lights, Chanukah, lasts for eight days to commemorate this miracle of the oil. The menorah candles are lit to celebrate the 8 days that the oil stayed lit.

The spellings of Chanukah has caused some confusion. Part of the reason for this confusion may be due to the fact there is no exact English translation of the Hebrew word for Chanukah. So to help clear up some of the confusion here are just a few of the different spellings one might encounter. They all celebrate the holiday.

Chanukah, Chanukkah, Hanuka, Hanukah , Hannukah ,Hanukkah. In the United States it is most common to use the spelling Chanukah.

We wish a happy Chanukah to a few famous Jews:

Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, Gregory Pincus (birth control pill),

Leon Trotsky, Levi Strauss, Jonas Salk(polio vaccine), Henry Kissinger, Harry Houdini, SandyKoufax, Woody Allen, Irving Berlin( his compositions include White Christmas and Easter Parade),Mel Brooks, Carl Sagan, Mark Zuckerberg(Facebook), Larry Ellison(Oracle), Ruth Ginsberg (supreme court), Arthur Miller, Bob Dylan, Jesus of Nazareth, Betty Friedan, Marc Chagall, Gustav Mahler, Sergey Brin (Google)and Gertrude Stein.

Help BBSVC “Save The Bigs” in Ventura County!

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County (BBSVC) is putting out a special call for BIGS – mentors who can benefit from the friendship of a Little Brother or Little Sister. There are 150 youth in Ventura County, “Littles,” who are anxiously waiting to meet their BBSVC program role model and friend. BBSVC intends to match more Bigs and Littles in Ventura County in an effort to break the cycles of adult complacency, and build stronger, more engaged communities.

There are youth in every city across Ventura County and some of these youth have been waiting for more than a year. Mentoring is not about changing one’s priorities or schedule, but many mentors find that it changes their lives for the better, forever.

As a part of this call to serve volunteers, BBSVC is also launching their “12 Kids of Christmas” campaign: BBSVC is looking for volunteers who are interested in getting started as a Big during the holiday season and continuing as a mentor for at least one year, with the goal of matching at least a dozen youth by the end of the holiday season.

All of the Littles on the BBSVC waitlist are primarily from single-parent homes, foster or kinship care, or a home that lacks two positive role models. Over 70% of the youth on the BBSVC waitlist are boys. All of the children on the BBSVC waitlist are ready for a mentor to step in as a positive friend and role model at this time in their lives.

Anyone interested in learning more or who is ready to become a mentor may visit www.BBSVC.org/MENTOR. Interested parties may also contact Danica Selvaggio at [email protected] or 484.2282.

Ventura fire crews respond to home at single family residence

A large fire broke out Sunday morning, Dec. 3, at 9:15am in the rear yard of a single family residence in the 1300 block of Aliso Place. The fire started in an outbuilding and completely consumed the structure in minutes. The fire quickly spread, involving an adjacent fence and created moderate damage to the primary house on the property. The fire was seen from many points all over Ventura, triggering multiple calls to 911.

First on scene engine companies conducted a coordinated fire attack and knocked down the main body of fire in 9 minutes and controlled the fire spread to adjacent properties. The surrounding neighborhood was inspected for possible hot embers that would be a threat to the hillsides. Ash and smoldering debris were noted up to a block away.

Kellogg Park in first phase of construction

The newest addition to the City of Ventura’s Parks, Recreation and Community Partnerships division, Kellogg Park, is currently in its first phase of construction. Kellogg Park began as a community driven project to increase park area on the Westside of Ventura, and although there were no available funds to build the park, the City and its partners secured $3.5 of the $4.5 of the funds needed to construct the park through grants and donations. The first phase of the 2.41 acre park will feature community gathering spaces, an amphitheater, playground area, outdoor exercise equipment, and a perimeter walking path.Installation at the park is moving right along and completion of the first phase is scheduled for April, 2018.

For more information, photos and videos you can visit the Kellogg Park website https://www.cityofventura.ca.gov/521/Kellogg-Park.

NSWC Port Hueneme Division to host industry day

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division (NSWC PHD) will host an Industry Day on Thursday, Dec. 14 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ventura Beach Marriott located at 2055 E. Harbor Blvd.

The event is free and open to all current and potential companies interested in conducting business with NSWC PHD.

During the forum, attendees will have the opportunity to formally meet NSWC PHD’s new leadership team—Commanding Officer, Capt. Ray Acevedo, and Division Technical Director, Paul D. Mann—who will each share their strategic vision for the command.

In addition, NSWC PHD’s Small Business Deputy, Chief of Contracting, and technical department representatives will shed light on command operations, the acquisition process, technology forecast, and other industry-specific information needed to conduct business with the Navy.

Areas of support include engineering (hardware/software), integrated product support, management services, industrial (shipyard), financial and technical services.

To attend the event, submit a registration form to [email protected]. Registration forms are available for download at NSWC PHD’s public web site.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol

It’s Christmas Eve, and Ebenezer Scrooge is visited in his sleep by the ghosts of three spirits who show him the error of his ways. This imaginative version of Dickens’ transformative tale, told in words and music, offers a revealing portrait of the yearning lost child inside the cold-hearted miser. The actors perform in the storytelling style of Nicholas Nickleby, playing characters, animals…even dressing gowns and doors! Broadway veterans Peter Van Norden (RTC’s “Copenhagen”) and Emmy Award-winner Joe Spano (“NCIS,” RTC’s “Bucky” and “Sylvia”), lauded for their “virtuoso performances”, head a remarkable and versatile 24-person cast.

Rubicon offers special 10 am student matinees throughout the school year. These performances are for productions with suitable content and educational appeal. The theatre experience is enhanced with access to a study guide.

December 6th- December 23rd– 1006 E. Main St. Box Office: (805) 667-2900

Santa Barbara Island is now open to public access.

Landings at the island will be restricted to the rocky ledge adjacent to the dock. In order to ensure a safe landing, boaters will need to carefully assess the weather conditions, particularly the tide and swell heights, prior to landing in this area.

The dock remains closed and is not expected to be repaired in the near future due to the severe nature of damage that occurred with successive storms the past two winters.

The island trail system has been stabilized following severe damage from storms this past winter.

Santa Barbara Island is the smallest and one of the least visited islands within Channel Islands National Park. It is located over 50 miles from Ventura and about 24 miles from neighboring Catalina Island.