Those vying for prize money will be properly outfitted for the occasion.
A Scottish/Celtic Festival called the Seaside Highland Games is about to invade the Ventura County Fairgrounds once again as they have done for each of the past fourteen years! On one magical weekend—this year on October 14 & 15—the entire seaside Fairgrounds becomes the re-creation of a giant Scottish village with all the activities going on just as they would have in times of old. And the entertainment to be experienced is endless! And you may participate to the level that suits you. Come in full Highland dress—kilts and hose for the gentlemen and kilted skirts and tartan sashes for the ladies—all the way down to shorts and flip-flops if the weather permits. It doesn’t matter!
Those vying for prize money in one of the judged competitions will be properly outfitted for the occasion. Kilts are a must for the giant Scottish athletes, whether laddies or ladies, and Highland and Scottish Country Dancers will look every inch the part as they would have before the dukes and duchesses of old. The Seaside Games is well known for their generous purses and scholarships assisting students of the Celtic arts to further their education toward professional prowess. Observing these young competitors as they strive for excellence is a special privilege reserved for those who attend the Festival.
Festivities begin Friday evening at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel with a grand Single Malt Scotch Tasting at 5pm followed by a fine buffet supper and an elegant Scottish Fashion Show.
Gates open Saturday and Sunday at 9am for your enjoyment of all venues on the field. Four entertainment stages with great local and long distant talent, bagpipers and drummers, of course, alone and in the many bands marching and competing. Fiddles and harps—an actual Harp Glen with Harp Petting Zoo—the amazing herding dogs demonstrating their sheep-herding skills and an endless array of Clan and Societies stretching along Clan Row where you will be welcomed and feted by the tent you choose to visit.
Beautiful Scottish and Celtic products displayed for sale at a wide array of top vendors for your consideration (excellent for Christmas/Holiday giving) and a fine selection of authentic British food and beverage when you are ready to take a welcome break. The two days will fly by so quickly that you will want to take in both so as not to miss anything. Beautiful Opening Ceremonies on Saturday and a fine and emotional Closing Ceremony Sunday as well-deserved prizes are granted. A solid two days of culture and camaraderie. Make plans now to be there on that special weekend in October. www.seaside-games.com
October 1, 8:30 a.m. Laguna Tams – Linda Easter 818-519-2833
The tamarisk trees at Laguna Rd are a migrant hot spot. Migrating birds mostly warblers are attracted to the insects in the trees and a number of uncommon to rare birds often show up at this location. Call Linda Easter if this location is unknown to you.
October 7, 8:00 a.m. Work Day Hedrick Ranch Nature Area.- Sandy Hedrick 805-340-0478.
Arrive at 8:00 for self-guided birding which usually yields some interesting birds. Work from 9am – noon. Long pants and boots or closed shoes are required. Bring water, gloves & sun protection.
October 14, 8:30 a.m. Canada Larga- Neil Zeigler 805-983-7207
We will walk and drive the canyon. Always a great walk! Some birds we may see are Western Bluebirds, Road-runners, sparrows, swallows, Phainopepla, Red-tailed Hawks & perhaps a barn owl.
October 16, 8:30 a.m. Ventura Settling Ponds- Adele Fergusson 805-415-4304.
Enjoy a morning of mostly waterfowl birding. Spotting scopes are always welcome.
October 21, 8:30 a.m. Lake Casitas Joint trip with CVAS.- Kay Regester 805-258-1025 Co-Leader: Dee Lyons
Join us for a walk by the lake. We will be looking for hummingbirds, grosbeaks, gnatcatchers as well as ducks, geese and waterfowl. Target birds will include the resident Bald Eagles, Green Heron, Chipping and Lark Sparrows, Common Merganser and Spotted Sandpiper. Park out front of the Lake entrance and we will walk into the park.
October 28, 8:00 a.m. Carpinteria Salt Marsh- Rob Denholtz will be our guide. There will be a limit of 25 people.
This is a joint CVAS/VAS field trip to the restricted part of the Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve and approved by UCSB. This is a unique opportunity to have a guided tour of the private part of the salt marsh that is used by UCSB and affiliates to study the ecology of one of the last coastal salt marshes in Southern California. Please contact Linda Easter at 818-519-2833 or [email protected].
•SPAN Thrift Store is providing $10 spays and neuters for low income cat and dog friends.
In the SPAN Thrift Store parking lot 110 N. Olive St. (behind Vons on Main) Friday, October 13th.
Please call to schedule an appointment 584-3823.
•Who Let the Dogs Out 5K on Sat. Oct. 7, 4-8 pm in the Ventura Harbor.
Calling all runners for the 1st annual Who Let The Dogs Out 5K. 100% of net proceeds goes towards the Ventura Police Department K9 Unit. Specifically, the money will be used to purchase medical insurance for all of the VPD K9’s. The VPD K9 Unit is not covered by taxpayer funding and relies exclusively on fundraisers and donations.
The 5K is more of an adventure race as it is run on the sand in Ventura Harbor at sunset! All participants will receive a free event shirt, post-race meal provided by the Harbor Cove Cafe, live music, and a beautiful oceanfront course on the sand. There will also be over 30 vendor booths, good food, and family fun! See the ad in this issue for more information.
•One of the most difficult tasks veterinarians must perform is telling people when their pets have a serious disease, especially when the owner has recently experienced the loss of a loved one, says veterinarian Sean Owens, a professor of clinical pathology at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Research published in the Veterinary Record found pet owners caring for a sick animal have elevated stress levels, general symptoms of depression and anxiety, and poor quality of life similar to people caring for sick human loved ones. It didn’t take research to discover this.
•A bill requiring pet stores to only sell certain rescue animals could make California the first state to do such a thing as the legislation headed to Gov. Brown’s desk Thursday.
California could be the first in the country to ban the sale of animals from puppy mills or mass breeding operations. Animal rights groups cheered the bill, which was written by Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell (D-Long Beach).
Private breeders would still be allowed to sell dogs, cats and rabbits directly to people, but pet stores would be required to work with shelters and rescue operations to sell those same animals.
The bill would also require the stores to keep public records that show where each dog, cat or rabbit came from. A violation would mean a $500 fine.
Supporters of the legislation said it will encourage families and individuals to work with breeders or adopt pets in shelters as well as ensure the animals are healthy and sold humanely.
But not everyone supports the bill. Dustin Siggins, director of communications for Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, said businesses could lose money or even their livelihood if the law is enacted. He also said some consumers are worried they won’t have protections that pet stores can offer.
Thirty-six cities in California, including Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Francisco already have similar bans in place, but no statewide bans exist.
•Meet the dogs of Wildwood Correctional Center in Kenai.
“Taz, can you sit down? Do you want a treat?” said Ernie Rogers, an inmate at Wildwood, to his dog, Taz. “Can you sit? Can you give me a paw?”
He and staff said having Taz around for the past seven months has made Rogers more patient, calm, and responsible. He said he’s even kept his cool at the most trying times, like when the dog accidentally broke the TV he saved up for 6 months to buy.
It was frustrating, but he knew 114-pound Taz didn’t mean it, so he learned to forgive.
The new friendship is helping Rodgers counteract the effects of his negative childhood.
The Special Pet Obedience and Training program started at Wildwood in 2013.
The dogs are rescue animals, and inmates pay for the animal’s food and medical care themselves by selling things like food and personal items to other inmates through internal organizations.
Most research on dog training programs in prisons, including a large analysis published in the Prison Journal, shows that they have positive impacts on inmate behavior and help them increase their self-control.
That’s the effect dog training had on Jonathan Norton, who learned to work with the animals when he was an inmate at an Arizona prison years ago and is one of the main trainers at Wildwood.
“I come with a positive approach regardless of how the person is coming at me,” Norton said. “Then, it’s very less likely that anything negative will happen.”
Wildwood superintendent Shannon McCloud started the program because she wanted to keep people busy, and she loves dogs.
She said having them around makes everyone happy, including the staff. She’s seen how the dogs can completely transform inmates, which improves the overall environment in the prison.
“I mean they’re so respectful because they don’t want to lose the dog,” she said. “They’re very good with staff. Very tuned in with the dog. They know the life the dog has had probably wasn’t good, and they want to make their life better.”
Research supports McCloud’s observations, too. Though studies on the programs have limits because of the small sample sizes and few control groups, they found that dog training in prisons reduces recidivism and improves the behavior of long-term prisoners.
In recent weeks, a total of 26 SDF (Search Dog Foundation)trained Search Teams from across the country responded to hurricanes and the deadly earthquake near Mexico City.
•We don’t usually think of adorable puppies as disease carriers but they might actually be making people sick. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a Campylobacter outbreak in people and its link to puppies purchased from a chain of pet stores.
According to the CDC, at least 39 people across seven states have confirmed or suspected cases of Campylobacter bacteria, which can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever. While the investigation is ongoing, federal officials have linked it to contact with puppies sold by Petland, a chain of pet stores based in Ohio.
Twelve of the confirmed cases are in Petland employees, and 27 other people who fell ill either visited a Petland, recently purchased a puppy there, or visited or live in a home with a Petland puppy. According to the CDC’s announcement, nine people have been hospitalized and there are no reported deaths.
Petland is cooperating with officials in the investigation. In a statement, the company writes, “The CDC has not identified any failures of Petland’s operating system that would lead to any Campylobacter infection.” The company says that accordance with the CDC’s advice, they will continue their efforts to encourage handwashing after contact with puppies.
While the exact cause of this outbreak is not known, there are a few possible reasons the puppies could be sick. Shelley Rankin, an associate professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine, says that the biggest risk factor is that they’re puppies. Like small children, puppies don’t have a strong immune system and can more easily get sick. Rankin says that she’s seen many outbreak investigations, and it can be difficult to pin down the exact cause.
On September 10, at NAMBA Performing Arts Space artist Jane Peterson discussed her current solo exhibition, Circumstantial Evidence.
In this body of work, Peterson continues to explore the spectrum of human emotion, adopting a “forensic” approach to her subject matter. Each piece contains the elements of a story; objects in context with an environment.
Peterson aims to create a new form of realism, where narrative truth is found in the simple relationships of objects. Her deceivingly simple imagery and textual juxtapositions convey the temporal coexistence of these objects in both the real and the imagined world. By resisting any single cohesive meaning, Jane’s ensemble functions as a strategy that reveals her ultimate subject matter to be the viewer’s experience.
CAPS Media is offering a series of great opportunities to get a first-hand look inside CAPS Media with special tours, open houses and on site demonstrations over the next few weeks. The opportunities start on Wednesday, October 4 at 6pm when CAPS Radio (KPPQ, FM 104.1) hosts a community wide Open House at the CAPS Media Center at 65 Day Road. Everyone interested in, or even curious about, community radio is invited to tour the center and join the exchange of creative programming ideas and direction for the new radio station.
Art Walk on Saturday, October 7 provides a second opportunity to learn about CAPS Media. The CAPS Media Production Truck will be part of the Art Walk demonstrations. Set up at the corner of California and Santa Clara, the CAPS Crew will offer tours of the truck and front row seats to watch El Camino High School students produce segments for ECTV to air on CAPS Television and CAPS Radio – KPPQ 104.1FM. Drop by, take a tour of the production truck and see El Camino High School students in action.
On Tuesday, October 10 the tours continue at the CAPS Media Center at 65 Day Road, when CAPS Media welcomes Ventura College students and faculty for a special open house and tour of the facility starting at 6pm. The tour includes the studio, control room, editing suites, meeting rooms, production truck, the new KPPQ 104.1FM radio station and more. This is a chance to see the complete range of equipment, facilities and resources at the center and to meet the knowledgeable staff to explore media training opportunities offered at the CAPS Media Center next to the campus of Ventura College.
If you have ever thought about checking out CAPS Media to be part of the fun, these events offer great opportunities. Now that everyone is settling into the new school year, this is a terrific time for community members to become CAPS Media Member/Producers. CAPS Media offers new member orientation meetings on the first Thursday of every month. HD videography/camera classes are held on the 2nd Thursday, and Final Cut postproduction editing classes are on the 3rd Thursday. CAPS Radio (KPPQ, FM 104.1) holds training classes on the 4th week – Wednesday and Thursday evenings. In every training session Member/Producers receive hands-on instruction in videography, video editing, radio production and more. All classes begin at 6pm at the CAPS Media Center, 65 Day Road. Once trained member/producers may check out CAPS Media’s video cameras, tripods, audio gear and other production equipment to record their story and then book postproduction editing suites to craft the story they want to tell.
CAPS Media’s mission is to create an engaged and informed community through participation in electronic media. Go to capsmedia.org to see programming schedules, search the archives for past programs, get general info and sign up for classes. Anyone who lives, works or attends school in the city of Ventura may become a Member/Producer. Annual fees are only $25 for an individual and $75 for a non-profit organization. CAPS Radio DJs require an additional annual fee of $50. For complete information go to capsmedia.org.
Hi: I’m Rory a 4 year old Miniature Poodle / Chihuahua X who was rescued from Animal Services where I was relinquished by my owner when my owner lost his home. I lived with an adult male and four Chihuahuas. I don’t like loud noises and my typical response is to bare my teeth to unfamiliar people/dogs, when things are taken away from me and when I’m approached by another dog in the home while eating. I’d probably do best in a quiet adult/senior only home. My game of choice is fetch and playing with chew sticks. Canine Adoption and Rescue League C.A.R.L. CARL Adoption Center-call 644-7387 for more information.
Soon after arriving at Ventura County Animal Services as a stray bunny, Jackie O appeared to suffer from pain in her rear legs that was evident when she tried to hop. It turned out that she suffered from severe luxating patellas in both knees. Fortunately, Jackie O was able to receive life-changing double-knee surgery that will enable her to use her legs again once she recovers and receives the proper physical therapy. This sweet girl now has a chance at a wonderful life in a loving, permanent home. To learn more about Jackie’s story and donate to the cost of her surgery, please visit tiny.cc/vcasjackieo. Interested adopters can visit vcas.us and search for ID #A665895. For details about adoption hours, offsite events, bunny nail trims, and compatibility dates, visit facebook.com/VCASBunnyBrigade.
Ventura County Animal Services – Camarillo location – 600 Aviation Drive- Jackie O – A665895
The Ventura Fire Foundation has launched a crowdfunding campaign in support of recently retired Fire Captain John Van Mannekes.
Van Mannekes was diagnosed with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, in July 2016. He retired from the Ventura City Fire Department last month due to his illness.
After 21 years as a Ventura City Firefighter, John is no longer able to do the job he loves to do.
The Ventura Fire Foundation is sponsoring a crowdfunding campaign to help raise money to support John and his family. With the mounting medical bills due to his ALS diagnosis and with treatments, which are primarily experimental and not covered by medical insurance, his medical bills are multiplying.
Throughout his career, John helped countless members of our Ventura community. It’s now our turn to help John and his family including his wife Rebecca and two teenage sons, Johnny and Jamie.
Being a firefighter has meant the world to John, although the journey getting there wasn’t easy. After becoming a fire explorer, where he realized his calling was to a life in the fire service, John tested with over 40 fire departments across California, some more than once. He put himself through the fire academy, then paramedic school. Finally, in July of 1996, after a year working with a private ambulance company, he received the offer he’d been hoping for: Ventura City Fire Department.
Almost as soon as his probation ended, John became a relief driver. He earned his certification as a Fire Officer. He went to HAZMAT school. After only four years as a firefighter-paramedic, John received a promotion to Engineer Fireman. And then, even more quickly, he earned the title of Fire Captain – a position John held in Ventura for over 14 years.
“ As a Fire Captain, you lead by example,” John says. “You are in charge of and responsible for the engineer and the fireman at the station on that shift. You kind of set the tone… It’s a lot more responsibility.”
It is now our responsibility to set the tone and support John, his wife, and his sons through this difficult time. You can ease the significant financial burden of his care. You can give access to essential therapies to delay his symptoms and buy precious time as critical research evolves. You can change lives, the same way John changed lives throughout his firefighting career.
The Ventura Fire Foundation was established in 2014 to enhance the lives of our community members and enhance local charity and community activism within the Ventura Community. We are also focused on establishing a healthy benevolent fund to be used during times of crisis when one of our members becomes ill or injured in the line of duty.
Donations can be made by going to venturafirefoundation.org.
Ventura watercolorist Dean Seagren is exhibiting paintings featuring local scenes at Ventura City Hall, Room 117, through October 26th. He is a member of Ventura Watercolor Artists and the National Watercolor Society.
Seagren’s watercolors and drawings have received numerous awards at fine arts competitions in Ventura County including a watercolor awarded First Place in the professional division at the 80th Annual Art and Photography Show of the Santa Paula Society of the Arts
• As a reminder, our web site www.venturabreeze.com has a lot of additional content and goodies, plus some interesting information about some of our ‘Staff”.
•The latest internet rumor had a rogue planet, dubbed either Nibiru or Planet X, striking the Earth on Sept. 23, wiping out mankind. It’s not the first time Nibiru has made its appearance in the world of online conspiracies, though it’s gained such traction this time that even the U.S. space agency NASA addressed the issue.
“Various people are “predicting” that the world will end Sept. 23, 2017 when another planet collides with Earth. The planet in question, Nibiru, doesn’t exist, so there will be no collision,” NASA said in a statement this week.
So I wasn’t sure if I should bother working on this issue but took the chance that the world wouldn’t end (it didn’t, but does seem to be falling apart).
•In 2004, Alice Rogoff (wife of billionaire David Rubinstein) bought the Anchorage Daily News for $34 million. Recently the paper was on the brink of closing down when a federal bankruptcy judge approved a deal selling the paper for $1 million. More than 125 newspapers have folded between 2004 and 2014.
This is why it is so important to support our great local advertisers and community in order to keep your “loved” Ventura Breeze thriving. Unless, of course you want to buy it for $1 million, then I’ll find something else to do (like even retire).
•We have a cover article regarding a community meeting for all Venturans to offer input as to how the city should approach the new pending marijuana regulations. It is about time for our City Council to take their heads out of the pot and deal with this issue.
I know that lots of folks use pot to just get high, and they have no problem getting it, it seems, but people who really need marijuana for their medical needs require an easier way to purchase it.
•Turkish prosecutors began laying out an indictment against turkey’s leading secular newspaper saying it is part of terrorist organizations. In reality, the case is just part of a crackdown against papers that are critical of the government. At least I just receive nasty letters (not from our City Council of course).
•Trump to Kim Jong-un: “your mother wears army boots”. That should shut him up. Maybe they should just exchange lollipops next to make up.
• “Make Argentina Great Again” – the U.S. Department of Agriculture has lifted the ban on importing lemons from Argentina for the first time in 16 years.
•Iran has banned women from dancing , cycling, listening to certain music, watching soccer matches and now…….Zumba. I’ll bet that they are still allowed to cook, keep house and have babies.
•Do you know the 11-states that seceded from the union that created the civil war? A good time to know what they were.
Convinced that their way of life, based on slavery, was irretrievably threatened by the election of President Abraham Lincoln (November 1860), the seven states of the Deep South (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas) seceded from the Union during the following months.
When the war began with the firing on Fort Sumter (April 12, 1861), they were joined by four states of the upper South (Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia).
Are you surprised that Oklahoma wasn’t one of them? During the Civil War, most of the area of present-day Oklahoma, was called the Indian Territory. The Five Civilized Tribes decided to support the Confederacy, and about 3500 of them served in Confederate units. Two major Oklahoma units were the Confederate Indian Brigade and the Union Indian Home Guard.
•A housing development project referred to as Northbank (located off Telephone Rd. at the end of North Bank Dr.), has been making its way through “the system” for more than twelve years. The Ventura City Council approved the project last year but because it is in Ventura’s “sphere of influence” and not in the city it also needed the Ventura Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) approval to turn the county land over to the city. They recently voted 6-1 to do that.
The city will be responsible for providing water, sewer and emergency services to the area’s future residents.
Obviously, water had been the last issue holding up the project. Commissioners approved the project based on the city showing it has the water. Assistant Ventura Water General Manager Joe McDermott told commissioners that he felt very comfortable Ventura can provide the necessary water.
The city’s Design Review Committee and Planning Commission have already approved it, but the project will require some modification to meet the conditions set down by LAFCo.
I am in favor of well controlled and monitored development. Cities become stagnant without it.
•I know that most of you feel that our homeless situation is getting worse, but it isn’t. LA County’s homeless population has increased by 23% over the last year even though there has been an increase in placing the homeless in to housing. Ventura County’s homeless population dropped to its lowest level since an annual survey began in 2007, which includes Ventura. The survey is mandatory for agencies to receive federal funds aimed at reducing homelessness.
Ventura has taken many steps to reduce its homeless population including approving an ordinance that allows full-service homeless shelters (in certain areas) that will provide overnight stays and the many services required to assist the homeless, which includes facilities that can accommodate dogs.
