All posts by admin

“Teaming Up Against Domestic Violence”

A powerful evening was held at the City Center’s domestic violence event.

It was an amazing night at The City Center’s 3rd Annual Domestic Violence event – “Teaming Up Against Domestic Violence” held in The River Community’s main auditorium.

The evening was filled with heartfelt music by Kris Simeon, Jermarie Dizon, Monse Casmiro, Charleen Morla and Unko Henry.

Words of support from dignitaries and local celebrities included Ventura City Councilmember Mike Tracy, Ventura County Assistant Sheriff William Ayub and KVTA radio celebrity Tom Spence.

There were powerful testimonies by domestic violence survivors and City Center residents Andrea Farfan, Trisha Willard, and Maria Lopez and Special Guest Erica King

Master of Ceremony’s Jim Duran and Jeanne Benitez thanked the event sponsors: Title Sponsor Oxnard Monday Club, Event Sponsors: Community Presbyterian Church, Jill Olivares Insurance, Aloha Steakhouse, Missy’s Cupcake Creations and The River Community Church

The City Center Mentor Coordinators Rick and Cheri Carney stated “Thank you to all of you that were able to attend the “Team Up Against Domestic Violence” event. It was a very powerful, moving evening with several of our residents speaking and sharing. It brought to light many of the horrors of domestic violence, but it also highlighted the courage, strength and hope that many of our residents possess. Just surviving and being able to move away from their abusers is a tremendous step in their recovery.”

The City Center Transitional Living
837 E. Thompson Blvd. 628-9035

Kids & Families Together celebrating new center with ribbon cutting

The new center houses children’s therapy rooms, training facilities and room to grow.

Kids & Families Together and the Ventura Chamber of Commerce celebrate the opening of their new center with a ribbon cutting and open house at 864 Santa Clara St. This celebration is on Thursday, Nov. 9, from 4:00-5:30 pm.

In addition to the headquarters for Kids & Families Together operations, the new center houses children’s therapy rooms, training facilities and room to grow. Some of the services offered by Kids & Families Together include support groups, individual and family therapy, workshops, training, therapeutic visitation and kinship care. With this extra space, Kids & Families Together will be able to expand their programs and serve more families.

Kids & Families Together is a not-for-profit support, education and counseling resource center that provides services for individuals and families in foster care, kinship care and adoption, for the preservation of families and the physical, emotional and mental health of children. Kids & Families Together provides services through its collaboration with the Ventura County Human Services Agency and Ventura Behavioral Health Agency as well as other family serving organizations throughout Ventura County.

Their mission is to strengthen relationships by providing safe, supportive help that keeps family members emotionally connected to one another. Parents and caregivers need specialized education, and support that will enhance their ability to raise safe, and healthy children.

In addition to the new Santa Clara Center, Kids & Families Together has a Training Center in Camarillo and a Therapeutic Visitation Center in Ventura.

The celebration will also include tours of the center. Wine and appetizers will be served.

For more information about how to get involved with Kids & Families Together or utilize their services please contact: David Friedlander, President/CEO & Co-founder (818) 643-1446 x 100 or email [email protected].

Over 100 military veterans ride San Francisco to Los Angeles to benefit veterans and first responders

Photo by Murray Robertson

More than 100 military veterans road from San Francisco to Los Angeles during the 2017 United Healthcare California Challenge, benefiting veterans and first responders with PTSD and other injuries. Veterans, community leaders, supporters cheered cyclists during the sixth-day ride features including a 72-mile route from Solvang to Ventura.

The California Challenge is a collaboration between UnitedHealthcare and Project Hero, a national nonprofit organization that helps veterans and first responders affected by injury, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury achieve rehabilitation, recovery and resilience in their daily lives.

After spending the night in Ventura on Saturday, Oct. 21 they continued their ride from Ventura to Los Angeles.

Holiday Boutique at Buenaventura Gallery and Harbor Village Gallery & Gifts

Like Santa’s helpers, the creative elves at Buenaventura Art Association have a busy holiday season planned, with events until the new year at the downtown Buenaventura Gallery and Harbor Village Gallery & Gifts.

First up are the Small Image Show and Holiday Boutique, Nov. 14-Dec. 30 at the Buenaventura Gallery, 700 E. Santa Clara St. The show will feature original artworks sized and priced for gift-giving, while the boutique centers on artisan crafts, jewelry and wearable art. The public is invited to an opening reception 5-7 p.m. Nov. 18 in conjunction with Ventura’s bi-monthly Arts & Eats self-guided tour.

On weekend dates in December, Harbor Village Gallery & Gifts, 1559 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 106, will team up with neighboring December Store & More to present a European Marketplace. Additional vendors, kids’ crafts, music and other holiday cheer will fill their village courtyard. The dates are Dec. 2, 3, 9, 10, 17 and 23.

BAA — a grassroots, 63-year-old nonprofit organization — also invites the public to its Holiday Charity Party featuring games and prizes at the downtown gallery, slated 3-6 p.m. Dec. 9.

Attendees are asked to bring donations of art supplies for homeless and/or underserved youths for whom art can be self-expression and an escape from daily difficulties.

Buenaventura Gallery is open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Harbor Village Gallery & Gifts is open seven days a week, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. For more about the group visit www.buenaventuragallery.org or call 648-1235 during gallery hours.

Vol. 10, No. 3 – Nov 8 – Nov 21, 2017 – Ojai News & Events

Aimee French will be at the Ojai Library from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 18 to facilitate a Collaborative Weaving Collage Workshop. This will be a three-hour, drop-in workshop with a short presentation about artist Christine Morla, whose work is the inspiration for this project.

Participants can create their own weavings and paper daisy shapes and mount them to background paper. The various pieces will overlap and contribute to the greater whole. Supplies will be left out after the workshop for others to come in and add to the collaborative, growing collage!

This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Ron Solórzano, Regional Librarian, at 218-9146.

The 7th Annual Ojai WordFest is coming to the Ojai Library from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, November 11 & 12. This literary festival will feature numerous local authors and voices who will share their experiences and work with the community.

WordFest is a celebration of words, ideas, and stories unfolding in one of the most beautiful settings in California: the majestic Ojai Valley. This literary nexus encourages readers and writers of all genres, skill level, and ages to partake in an extravaganza of events in and around the Ojai Valley. This year the Ojai Library will host speakers including Robert Ellwood, Michael Krohnen, Sam Ervin, Marilyn Miller, and many more!

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.

Celebrating their 5th Season, Chamber On The Mountain is most pleased to present the return of the magnificently flawless ensemble, the Arianna String Quartet, accompanied by the brilliant pianist, Michele Levin, on Sunday, December 3, at 3:00 pm. Performance will take place at Logan House in Upper Ojai. Audience members are invited to stay and meet the artists at a reception following the performance. Tickets: $25.00 at www.ChamberOnTheMountain.com.

Hailed for their outstanding musicianship, the Arianna String Quartet has firmly established itself as one of America’s finest chamber ensembles. Their performances have been praised for “tonal warmth, fastidious balance…expressive vitality”

Rev. Karen Wylie will offer her monthly half-day retreat at Meditation Mount on Saturday, Nov.18, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The topic will be “The Creative Energy of Gratitude.”

“Through awakened consciousness we discover that the more grateful we are for what we have, the more we have to be grateful for,” Rev. Karen says. “Appreciation appreciates.” Join her in this Thanksgiving season and tap into the wellspring of gratitude for the many blessings of our lives in the beautiful setting of Meditation Mount.

Randee Vasilakos, registered Science of Mind Practitioner, will be available to assist with prayers for personal healing. People of all faiths and traditions, or no tradition, are welcome to attend.

The retreat is by donation; $20 is suggested. Meditation Mount is located at 10340 Reeves Road, Ojai. For more information, contact Rev. Karen at 310-968-8928, or register online at www.karenswylie.com. Rev. Karen is the author of Into Me See: A Book for Daily Inspiration, available on Amazon and her website.

Focus on the Masters (FOTM) 5th annual Holiday Gift Shop at 83 Palm St.

Assemblage by Judee Hauer at Gift Shop.

Focus on the Masters (FOTM)Volunteers announce their 5th annual Holiday Gift Shop located at 83 Palm St. The Holiday Gift Shop always carries unique, hand-made and lovingly crafted gifts. From Nov.17-19. Nov.17 opening reception 5-8pm with wine, gifts and wish lists. Nov.18, from 10-5, Nov. 19 from noon-4. The Children’s corner on Saturday will feature children’s gifts and special sections.

This is a great chance to wind down from the work week, meet with artists and friends, and shop for those special people on your list where you can select from a variety of one-of-a-kind items including colorful quilts, jewelry, unique scarves, handmade paper lanterns, charming felted wool creatures, ceramics, photography and much more. All items are produced by FOTM volunteers, staff, and outstanding Ventura County artists including Staci Brown, Sonya Burke, Maria Erlichman, Cecile Gurrola Faulconer, Richard and Yvette Franklin, Aimee French, Judee Hauer, Karen Hoffberg, Mike Horwitz, Mady Julian, Camille King, Patty Kreider, JoEllen Lee, Joyce Lombard, Frank Massarella, Oats and Ivy Farms, Mariana Peirano, Gloria Rupio, Knitting in Recovery, Gayle Bentley Swanson, Cassandra Tondro, Elaine Unzicker, Mary Galbraith, Donna Granata and others.

Focus on the Masters is grateful to OFI Management LLC for their sponsorship of this event. Community partnerships are the heart of a healthy community.

Proceeds benefit FOTM acclaimed Learning To See and other outstanding arts education programs.

To learn more about Focus on the Masters, visit www.FocusOnTheMasters.com or call 653.2501.

Vol. 10, No. 3 – Nov 8 – Nov 21, 2017 – Ventura Music Scene

by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com

I can’t say it enough, I love this town, and I love our music scene. Thank you for supporting live music, it really brings life into our quaint beach community. To start off with, here are a couple of events you might want to secure tickets for before they sell out. First the highly popular “event of the year,” it’s the Winter Wine Walk and Street Fair. The street fair and music are free to the public and run noon to 8 pm, but if you want to take part in the wine walk, then you’ll need tickets at VenturaWinterWineWalk.com. Music this year features the Road Brothers, Adelaide and The Bomb.

And then the Ventura Theater just added Nardcore Punk Rock to Walk Me Home to their calendar. Headlining the night will be T.S.O.L. along with Nardcore favorites, Ill Repute, Stalag 13, Dr. Know, and more. This one’s scheduled for Saturday, January 6, with the first band playing at 4 pm (show ends at midnight).

Speaking of which, the Nardcore 8th annual Turkey/Toilet Bowl tournament falls on Saturday, November 18th at Harley’s Valley Bowl in Simi Valley. Monies raised help C.A.R.L. Just a couple of the bands playing will be The Hymen Blasters, Bad Samaritans, Channel 3 and more.

I spoke with Jerry McWorther of Hi Hat Entertainment about the return of Albert Lee to Ventura, and he’s really pumped up about this one. You may already know that Lee is an inductee to the Musicians Hall of Fame, he’s a two-time Grammy award winning artist, and is undeniably one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Normally when he plays here in Ventura, the band is arranged by Jerry, but this time he’s bringing his personal band to back him up. You won’t want to miss this one coming to the Hong Kong Inn on Friday, November 17. Tickets can be purchased at HiHatEntertainment.com.

Speaking of Hi Hat Entertainment shows, it was such a surprise when Wrecking Crew member, Don Randi, showed up when The Shari Puorto Band was playing on Friday, November 3. Jerry rallied everyone he knew and finally wrangled a keyboard for Randi who joined the band for their second set. They kicked off his appearance with the song Nancy Sinatra is most famous for and on which he played, “These Boots are Made for Walking.”

Quick Notes: the Ugly God show is cancelled at the Ventura Theater for November 16 and SuicideBoys on the 13th is sold out; Squashed Grapes welcomes back the Doug Webb Group featuring Danny Carey of TOOL on Friday, November 17; and finally, congratulations to Ill Repute! The hit Netflix show Stranger Things featured a snippet of “Clean Cut American Kid” on Episode 3 of their second season. It originally aired October 27, 2017.

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

Vol. 10, No. 3 – Nov 8 – Nov 21, 2017 – A View from House Seats

by Shirley Lorraine

The Lark brings history to Elite

Rounding out the Elite Theatre’s 2017 season is the acclaimed “The Lark”, chronicling the trial, condemnation and ultimate end of Joan D’Arc. Written by Jean Anouilh then translated from French and adapted by Lillian Hellman, the offering first hit the stage in the early 1950’s starring Julie Harris and Boris Karloff in the leading roles.

For those unfamiliar with the historical figure, Joan was a teen peasant girl who lived in France in Medieval times. She heard voices and firmly believed that God was speaking directly to her. He was commanding her to lead a band of soldiers to help win the war in France.

After convincing the Dauphin Charles to give her an army Joan broke all conventions to move forward. Despite leading the troupe to victory, her methods were questioned and she was ultimately tried for witchcraft. She was sentenced and burned at the stake at the age of 19. Considerable controversy followed questioning the outcome. Though debate still exists, she is now considered one of history’s greatest saints, and an enduring symbol of French unity and nationalism.

Director Alexander Schottky has assembled a cast bursting with talent, both seasoned and budding. His staging is equally mixed, utilizing both period and modern dress as well as a ubiquitous set of moveable cubes used to form suggestions of scenes. The mix works very well and one quickly assimilates all the visuals into a cohesive whole. The ending leaves room for contemplation.

Brittany Danyel takes on the challenging role of the Maid of Orléans and delivers a solid characterization full of nuance. She is compelling to watch as she meets challenges and challengers head on.

The role of key player The Earl of Warwick is portrayed by theater veteran Howard Leader. The Earl becomes a narrator/director of sorts, leading the players to continue the story. He presents with a strong, commanding and confident demeanor.

Jake Mailey conquers the role of the complicated Cauchon with poise and ease. Steven Silvers delivers a consistently interesting and complex Dauphin Charles. Notable performances are also given by Hayley Silvers as the Little Queen, Stephanie Rice as Yolande, Cecily Hendricks as the mistress Agnes, Dan Tullis as The Promoter, Ken Jones as La Hire, Ted Elrick as the Archbishop, and Bill Waxman as The Inquisitor.

All roles, even the very small ones, are played well within their limited scope. Several of the roles are double cast to accommodate actors’ schedules so check the cast photos the night you attend.

The one aspect that was confusing, to me, was the choice of intermission music. Modern pop tunes were used which I was unable to connect to the action. In my opinion, they took away from the mood of the play rather than enhanced it. A minor point perhaps, but noticeable.

The night I attended the cast outnumbered the audience, which was a shame. This is a play worthy of higher audience participation. Here is hoping the attendance picks up as the run continues.

The Lark runs through November 20. Friday & Saturday eves 8 PM, Sunday matinees 2 p.m.
General admission $20. Seniors/Students/Military $17. Reservations are encouraged.
(805) 483-5118

Elite Theatre Company,
2731 Victoria Avenue, Fisherman’s Wharf,
Channel Islands Harbor
www.elitetheatre.org
2731 S. Victoria Ave

 

Ojai Photo Club hosts presentation by Donna Granata, Founder and Executive Director of FOTM

Beatrice Wood photo by Donna Granata

The Ojai Photo Club will host a presentation by Donna Granata, Founder and Executive Director of the Ventura based Focus on the Masters (FOTM), a highly respected non-profit educational program documenting contemporary artists. The event will be held on Tuesday, November 14th, at 7 p.m. in Help of Ojai’s Kent Hall, 111 W. Santa Ana Rd..

Focus on the Masters is recognized as one of the leading arts organizations in California. Founded in 1994, the goal of Focus on the Masters is to demonstrate the importance of the arts to society. Granata will present an in-depth look at her creative process in achieving this goal; including highlights and a behind the scenes look into the documentation process for the FOTM Portrait Series.


Recently she completed a Master’s Degree in Arts Journalism from USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism and is putting the new practices to good use.  

An accomplished artist in her own right, Granata is an internationally published and award-winning painter turned photographer. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree and Honorary Master of Science Degree from the Brooks Institute of Photography where she was an adjunct professor. For more information on this outstanding photographer and her award-winning arts organization, go to http://www.focusonthemasters.com

Monthly free presentations are part of the Ojai Photography Club’s community service and education outreach. The general public is always welcome to attend.

More information is available at: www.ojaiphotoclub.com/