Lindsey Boubel and her basset hound George will visit the Ojai Library every second and fourth Wednesday from 3 to 4 p.m. Lindsey and George will also visit the Meiners Oaks Library every first and third Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m. George is a certified therapy dog and will be available for children to read to as part of their new Paws for Reading program.

Shirley Waxman will visit the Ojai Library at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 24, to deliver a talk entitled “POP Art and the American Dream.” This talk explores the works of the most celebrated American Pop artists, including Andy Warhol, James Rosenquist, Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns, and Wayne Thiebauld, who all boldly experimented with new media and the American Dream.

At 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 17, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) will visit the Ojai Library to host a screening of the documentary film The Occupation of the American Mind. After the screening there will be a discussion facilitated by members of WILPF.

The Occupation of the American Mind explores the media-driven perception of Israel in the United States. This event is free and open to the public.

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.

Celebrity photographer Guy Webster returns to Ojai Photography Club with a presentation on “Second Look.” The event will be held on February 20, 7 p.m. at Help of Ojai’s Kent Hall, 111 Santa Ana St. The general public is always welcome to attend. Find more information at www.ojaiphotoclub.com/

Herb Walks with Lanny Kaufer and the Ojai Valley Green Coalition (OVGC) will present renowned fire ecology expert and author Richard Halsey on Saturday, February 17, in Ojai for a workshop on how to create resilient gardens and homes in Southern California as residents go forward in the post-Thomas Fire era. The day will begin at 10 a.m. with a morning walk and continue at 1:00 p.m. after a lunch break with a slideshow talk.

The cost for the full workshop is $25 for adults, $20 for seniors 62-up, and $15 for students 13-18 as well as those who lost residences or landscapes in the Thomas Fire. Admission for the afternoon session only is $15 for the general public or $10 for OVGC members. Scholarships also are available for the afternoon lecture through OVGC. For more information visit HerbWalks.com or call 646-6281.

The Ojai Mardi Gras Wake-Up! Krewe is excited to host the 28th Annual Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball, Saturday March 3rd, 7:30 pm till 1:00 am, at the Ojai Art Center, 113 Montgomery St.

This year’s theme is “Moulin Rouge – Too Loose to Trek.” There will be dancing, a costume contest, a traditional bead toss, can-can dancers, and the coronation of this year’s Royalty, a ménage à trois: Queen Luce (Lucy Roadarmel), Queen Too (Nancy Nazario) and King Trek (Bruce Smith). Winners will receive a free ticket to next year’s Mardi Gras.

Tickets for Mardi Gras are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Advance tickets are available on-line at ojaimardigras.com, or can be purchased in Ojai at Studio Sauvageau, Cardinali Bros. Music, Ojai Coffee Roasting Co, and Ojai Creates. For more info call the Ojai Mardi Gras Hotline at 646-7843.

Events by Ana Baker

Ventura Poinsettia Dance Club Monday nights 7:30 – 9:45p.m. Poinsettia Pavilion. Ballroom, swing, Latin and line dancing. $10 members, $12 non-members. Dance lessons 6:45 – 7:15 $5 for couple $3 for single. Call Rick 415-8842 for more information.

There will be a regular Ventura Discussion Group meeting at Main Street Restaurant 3159 Main St., Wednesday from 4 – 5:45 p.m. Several people usually stay for a drink and a bite to eat afterward. Bring an interesting topic to discuss if you can.

Ventura’s ACBL Duplicate Bridge Club offers games for all levels of play.  Learn the game, play with your peers, and earn master points while you are having fun.  There is a game every day of the week.  Check out their website at www.vcbridge.org

The Ventura Retired Men’s Group welcomes interested men to their semi-monthly Tuesday lunch ($15) meetings at the Ventura Elks lodge. This regular congenial social event, besides a healthy, satisfying meal, supplies a welcome atmosphere to talk and joke, hear a speaker on a variety of relevant topics. Hear more from Steve at 642-1359

Country Western Line Dancing every Tuesday 7 – 9 p.m. Instruction every night. Located at the Moose lodge, 10269 Telephone Road. More information at countrylovers.com.

The Ventura County Philatelic Society meets on the first and third Mondays each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Foothills, 6279 Foothill Rd. Admission and parking are free. Come for a great evening.

Contact: Bill Garner / 320-1601 or [email protected]

Mended Hearts of Ventura. Come share if you have had heart surgery or stent implant. Group meets the first Tuesday each month at noon at Lemon Wood Mobile Homes, 850 Johnson Dr. Excellent speakers leading Cardiologists, Nutritionists, and Dietitians etc. from our area.

Contact Richard Hatcher at 644-2733.

Are you a stamp collector? The Ventura County Philatelic Society meet on the first and third Mondays each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Foothills, 6279 Foothill Rd. Admission and parking are free. Come for a great evening. They are a fun group. Contact Bill Garner 320-1601 or [email protected].

Feb. 15: The regular monthly meeting of Assistance League of Ventura County will be at the Chapter House, 913 East Santa Clara St.  Doors open at 9:30 a.m., meeting begins at 10 a.m., with guests and new members welcome. Assistance League is creating “A Brighter Tomorrow for Today’s Children” through several philanthropic programs. The Bargain Box Thrift Shop helps fund these programs.

Find more information assistanceleagueventuracounty.org or [email protected].

Telephone: Monday – Thursday 8 – 2 p.m. 643-2458 

Feb.15: East Ventura Community Council meeting a representative of the Ventura Police Department will give an update on crime and safety. Development Chairperson Dan Cormode will present information about development and water issues. Other topics may be added to the agenda, so be sure to check the group’s Facebook page for updates. The council represents those who live east of Victoria Avenue. Books in good condition are always accepted on behalf of Ventura Friends of the Library.

The meeting starts Thursday at 7 p.m. at the First Assembly of God Church, 346 N. Kimball Road.

The public is encouraged to attend and participate.

Feb. 17: Ventura Friends of the Library will hold a Book Sale at the Topping Room at E.P. Foster Library, 651 E. Main St. All genres, many Large Print titles and Children’s books, books individually priced

Members admitted 9 – 10 a.m. Open for all 10 – 3 p.m.

Feb. 18: The Ventura and Santa Barbara County chapter of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) will meet Sunday, in the Campus Student Center of Ventura College, 4667 Telegraph Road. The regular meeting starts at noon and at 11 a.m. there will be an informal workshop where a topic on clocks or watches will be demonstrated and discussed. There will be a mart where items will be for sale followed by lunch and an informational meeting and a program at 1 p.m. The program this month will be a presentation by Ken McWilliams on “Banjo Clocks”. Anyone interested in watches and clocks, (modern & antique) is invited to visit and join our chapter. There is a $3 admission charge. Lunch is available for $5 more. Watches & clocks will be on display. Monthly meetings are held on the 3rd Sunday of each month at the Ventura College location. More information about chapter 190 can be found at www.nawcc-ch190.com.

Feb. 20:  Speaker Antonio Sanchez Inviting California to Dinner: Bringing California native plant foods into your life and the future of native plant agriculture. This one of a kind presentation, led by native food enthusiast Antonio Sanchez, discusses the ancient and emerging field of California native foods and their cultivation. With an eye on the past and the many living traditions that have been passed down by local indigenous peoples, this unique lecture explores how old ways can combine with new ways to find a place in local gardens and kitchens. Doors open at 7 p.m., lecture from 7:30 – 9p.m., Topping Room, E.P. Foster Library. Website: http://www.cnpsci.org/ Email: [email protected] Co-founder of Nopalito Native Plant Nursery in Ventura.

Feb.20: Retired men with some spare time. Drop in for a Tuesday meeting of the Ventura Retired Men at the Elks lodge. It’s better than a movie, sure beats a bar and we’ll pick up the tab for your lunch. Call Steve Carroll for all the fine print at 642-1359

Feb.22: Portuguese Fraternal Society of America – The local chapter of PFSA (Council #128) will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday. This meeting is open to any person of Portuguese descent, or, interested in the Portuguese culture. The meeting will be held at Main Street Restaurant and Steakhouse, 3159 East Main Street. We will gather at 11:30 a.m. for a 12 p.m. no host luncheon/meeting. For more information and reservation please call Cora Corella at 483-6285.

Feb. 23: Ventura County Bell Arts Song Circle 4th Friday of each month, 7-10 p.m. Like to play acoustic music? Songmakers.org welcomes all lovers of acoustic music, instrumentalists, singers, and singer/songwriters of all levels to join in a free song circle at the Bell Arts Factory Community Room, 432 N. Ventura Ave. Listeners are welcome. Mike Wittlin, 750-8281.

Feb.24: Open House for Hokuloa Outrigger Canoe Club. Saturday, from 10- 1p.m.

Adults and children ages 9 and up are invited to try outrigger paddling. We are located at Ventura Harbor Cove Beach. Wear clothing that can get wet, sunglasses, hat, and sunscreen. You must be able to swim. Check us out at Hokuloaoutrigger.com

Feb.24: Free Landscape Class- Regrowing from the Ashes: An Opportunity to Reestablish & Reclaim Our California Landscape. Come join us as we focus on understanding local fire ecology, and how to maximize this critical time’s opportunities to transform our burnt and ash-blanketed landscapes back to their vibrant, lush, and resilient natural states. Saturday, from 9 a.m. to Noon at Oak View Park & Resource Center at 555 Mahoney Ave, Oak View. RSVP at [email protected] or 469-2251 Ext. 105.

March 3,4: The Annual Gem, Mineral, Lapidary and Fossil Show of the Ventura Gem and Mineral Society (VGMS)  takes place at the Ventura County Fairgrounds 10 – 5 p.m., Saturday 10 – 4 p.m., Sunday admission is free. Fairgrounds charges $5 for parking. This show will feature 60+ displays of gems, minerals, fossils, and award-winning handcrafted jewelry.  Among these will be educational exhibits of fossils collected locally in and around Ventura County. The show is the society’s major fund-raising event helping to underwrite educational activities, including their annual college scholarship. For further details, call VGMS President Diane Cook 312-8467, or i[email protected], or web site at www.vgms.org.

CI professor Clare Steele will visit the Ojai Library at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 10 to deliver a presentation titled “Ocean Litter and Microplastics: A New Wave of Research.” Dr. Steele comes from CSU Channel Islands (CI), and is the first speaker in this season’s CI Library Lecture Series.

This talk will explore recent advances in the problem of microplastic pollution and discuss how changes in consumer choices, policy, and legislation can reduce the impact of microplastics on the Southern California coast.

California author Obi Kaufmann will visit the Ojai Library at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, February 10 to present a book signing for his 2017 epic, The California Field Atlas. Kaufmann—a poet, painter, and naturalist—sees California as a magical network of living systems that connect in a grand, quilted array of ecology and beauty.

Shortly before the Thomas Fire changed life so dramatically for local residents, the Ojai Women’s Fund (OWF) held its year-end event to honor and award 11 Ojai nonprofits with $64,000 in community grants. The funds raised during 2017 via OWF membership donations will help support Ojai programs serving five focus areas: arts, education, environment, health, and social services.

The OWF is a collective of hundreds of Ojai women who pool donations to create and gift grants to local nonprofits that serve Ojai through a wide variety of programs: from those that meet critical health and social service needs, to those that further education, provide environmental protection, or simply to enhance the human spirit through arts.

In its first two years as a local grant-funding philanthropy, OWF has raised and gifted $124,000 via generous donations of nearly 400 members. All women who live in the Ojai Valley are welcome to join the Ojai Women’s Fund. Visit www.ojaiwomensfund.org for more information.

Aria Elan and Eden Edwards will visit the Ojai Library at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 3, to deliver a concert entitled “An Afternoon of Jazz and Storytelling.” Singer/songwriter Elan has spoken and performed at women’s conferences, colleges and universities, libraries, and more. Edwards, a Grammy scholarship recipient, is a sophomore at Camarillo High School, an artist, and an environmentalist.

These events are free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Ron Solórzano, Regional Librarian, at 218-9146.

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.

Herb Walks with Lanny Kaufer has arranged with author Obi Kaufmann for an intimate event in Ojai on Saturday, February 10th, 10: 00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Ventura River Preserve and a downtown indoor location. Obi will join Lanny on a nature walk in the morning and then share the process of creating his 2017 book, The California Field Atlas, in an afternoon slideshow presentation. The indoor session will include an on-the-spot, live painting in the watercolor-and-calligraphy style of the book’s illustrations.

$25 for adults; $20 for seniors 62 and older; $15 for students 13-18

Register at www.HerbWalks.com or call 805-646-6281.

The Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Ojai is pleased to present an exhibition featuring members of the Ventura County Handweavers Spinners Guild, March 3 – April 15. Every Saturday and Sunday, members will present free demonstrations of fiber processes in conjunction with the Center’s educational programming.

Founded in 1970, the Ventura County Handweavers & Spinners Guild is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to the education and promotion of fiber arts, with a focus on weaving and spinning.

The public is invited to attend the Reception on Saturday, March 3rd, from 2 – 5 pm.

Events by Ana Baker

Ventura Poinsettia Dance Club Monday nights 7:30 – 9:45p.m. Poinsettia Pavilion. Ballroom, swing, Latin and line dancing. $10 members, $12 non-members. Dance lessons 6:45 – 7:15 $5 for couple $3 for single. Call Rick 415-8842 for more information.

Ventura’s ACBL Duplicate Bridge Club offers games for all levels of play.  Learn the game, play with your peers, and earn master points while you are having fun.  There is a game every day of the week.  Check out their website at www.vcbridge.org.

The Ventura Retired Men’s Group welcomes interested men to their semi-monthly Tuesday lunch ($15) meetings at the Ventura Elks lodge. This regular congenial social event, besides a healthy, satisfying meal, supplies a welcome atmosphere to talk and joke, hear a speaker on a variety of relevant topics. Hear more from Steve at 642-1359.

Country Western Line Dancing every Tuesday 7 – 9 p.m. Instruction every night. Located at the Moose lodge, 10269 Telephone Road. More information at countrylovers.com.

The Ventura County Philatelic Society meets on the first and third Mondays each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Foothills, 6279 Foothill Rd. Admission and parking are free. Come for a great evening.
Contact Bill Garner 320-1601 or [email protected].

Mended Hearts of Ventura. Come share if you have had heart surgery or stent implant.
Group meets the first Tuesday each month on the 8th floor at Community Memorial Hospital. They have excellent speakers leading Cardiologists, Nutritionists, and Dietitians etc. from our area.
Contact Richard Hatcher at 644-2733.

Audubon events:

February 3, 9 a.m. Work Day Fillmore Fish Hatchery. Sandy Hedrick 340-0478
This is a new venue for restoration planting for the balance of this work season. Planting native plants for a future interpretive center on 5 acres at the entrance to the Fish Hatchery. .

February 10, 8:30 a.m. Canada Larga. Linda Easter 519-2833.
Drive and walk this beautiful canyon road and one of the best birding hotspots.
Target birds will include: Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Nuttall’s Woodpecker and White-breasted Nuthatch.

February 19, 8:30 a.m. Barranca Vista Park. Adele Fergusson 415-4304
Hope to see Townsend Warblers, Nuthatches and Red Shouldered Hawks.

February 24, 8:30 a.m. Ormond Beach. Tevin Schmitt (661) 904-1563
Will look for a variety of waterfowl.

Feb. 3: The Channel Islands Chamber Orchestra, KuanFen Liu Artistic Director celebrates its 15th Season “Sounds of Generation Z” concerts Friday Saturday at 7 p.m. at First United Methodist Church 1338 E Santa Clara St. The concerts will highlight solo student musicians Peiming Yang, Petite Suite by Claude Debussy. Donations of $20 are appreciated. Youth 18 and under are free. For more information call 484-8000 or visit website www.CHICOVC.org.

Feb. 4: Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions will be holding their Monthly Meeting on Sunday from

3 – 5:30 p.m. The Age of Consequences film at E.P. Foster Library, Topping Room, 651 E. Main St.

Through unflinching case-study analysis, distinguished admirals, generals and military veterans take us beyond the headlines of the conflict in Syria, the social unrest of the Arab Spring, the rise of radicalized groups like ISIS, and the European refugee crisis – and lay bare how climate change stressors interact with societal tensions, sparking conflict. Following the film will be a discussion about our local responses to this global crisis. theageofconsequences.com.

Feb. 4: The 1892 Dudley Historic House Museum will be open for docent-led tours from 1 – 4 p.m. accompanied by period music in the parlor and upstairs library landing. The museum is located at the corner of Loma Vista and Ashwood streets. For information please call 642-3345 or visit the website at www.dudleyhouse.org.

Feb. 8: The Ventura County Professional Women’s Network (VCPWN), one of the county’s long standing organizations supporting the interests of women business owners and professionals, is hosting their monthly dinner meeting at 5:30 PM at Wedgewood Banquet Center Courtyard by Marriott Oxnard, 600 E Esplanade Dr.

VCPWN is excited to host author, speaker, and the founder of Zest Business Consulting and Miracle Manifestation Groups, Jennifer Martin. Jennifer will be presenting: Leveraging Your Personal Brilliance: Bringing the Best of YOU to Work and to Life”

For more information about the event log on to www.vcpwn.org. You can also get more information about joining this great group.

Feb. 10: The Ventura College Men’s and Women’s basketball teams, along with the Ventura Breakers Youth Basketball Club, will host the 19th annual barbecue fundraiser dinner and games on Saturday.

Tickets are $15. Barbecue dinner at the Ventura College Cafeteria will be served from 4-7 p.m.

Ventura College will play Moorpark College, with the Men’s game at 7p.m. and the Women playing at

5 p.m. Ticket prices include dinner and admission to both games. Proceeds benefit VC men’s and women’s basketball and the Ventura Breakers Basketball Club. Information and tickets: 289-6118, and www.vcweplayhard.com.

Feb.13: 7:30 pm Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Road.

We often hear how the Audubon Society began in response to the slaughter of millions of water birds. Join VAS chapter vice-president, Cynthia Hartley, for an overview of the origins of the Audubon Society 100 years ago. Then we’ll move forward in time and look at modern day least tern and snowy plover conservation work at Ormond and Hollywood Beaches. Learn about life and death in the dunes, and the work done by current day activists to help protect our nesting shorebirds.

She has a master’s degree in geographic information science (GIS) from the University of Maryland and teaches GIS (computer mapping) at CSUCI. She is also a member of the Ormond Beach Scientific Advisory Committee that advises The Nature Conservancy, The City of Oxnard and the California Coastal Conservancy as they plan for the Ormond Beach Restoration project.

club’s hardbound bi-annual anthology, newsletter and website. Go to venturacountywriters.com for more information, email [email protected] or call Sheli Ellsworth at 499-3490.

Events by Ana Baker

Ventura Poinsettia Dance Club Monday nights 7:30 – 9:45p.m. Poinsettia Pavilion. Ballroom, swing, Latin and line dancing. $10 members, $12 non-members. Dance lessons 6:45 – 7:15 $5 for couple $3 for single. Call Rick 415-8842 for more information.

There is a regular Ventura Discussion Group meeting at Main Street Restaurant 3159 Main St., on Wednesdays from 4 – 5:45 p.m. Several people usually stay for a drink and a bite to eat afterward. Bring an interesting topic to discuss if you can.

Ventura’s ACBL Duplicate Bridge Club offers games for all levels of play.  Learn the game, play with your peers, and earn master points while you are having fun.  There is a game every day of the week.  Check out their website at www.vcbridge.org .

The Ventura Retired Men’s Group welcomes interested men to their semi-monthly Tuesday lunch ($15) meetings at the Ventura Elks lodge. This regular congenial social event, besides a healthy, satisfying meal, supplies a welcome atmosphere to talk and joke, hear a speaker on a variety of relevant topics. Hear more from Steve at 642-1359.

Country Western Line Dancing every Tuesday 7 – 9 p.m. Instruction every night. Located at the Moose lodge, 10269 Telephone Road. More information at countrylovers.com.

The Ventura County Philatelic Society meets on the first and third Mondays each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Foothills, 6279 Foothill Rd. Admission and parking are free. Come for a great evening.

Contact Bill Garner 320-1601 or [email protected].

Mended Hearts of Ventura. Come share if you have had heart surgery or stent implant.

Group meets the first Tuesday each month on the 8th floor at Community Memorial Hospital. Excellent speakers leading Cardiologists, Nutritionists, and Dietitians etc. from our area.

Contact Richard Hatcher at 644-2733.

Audubon events

Jan. 21: 8:30 a.m. Ventura Settling Ponds Leader: David Torfeh 647-3325, The settling ponds at the Ventura Harbor are a reliable place to find ducks, grebes, gulls and terns, as well as songbirds and raptors.

Jan. 28: 8:30 a.m. Camino Real Leader: Raeann Koerner 701-1919, Camino Real is a grassy park surrounded by pines and eucalyptus and is an excellent place to see birds. Meet outside the park.

Jan. 18: East Ventura Community Council meeting will be held on Thursday at 7 p.m.  A representative of the Ventura Police Department will give an update on crime and safety. The council represents those who live east of Victoria Avenue. Books in good condition are always accepted on behalf of Ventura Friends of the Library. First Assembly of God Church, 346 N. Kimball Road.

For more information, contact John McNally, Chairperson, EVCC 804-7558.

Jan.18: The regular monthly meeting of Assistance League of Ventura County will be at the Chapter House, 913 East Santa Clara St. Meeting begins on Thursday at 10 a.m., social beginning at 9:30 a.m. Guests and new members are welcome. Assistance League is creating “A Brighter Tomorrow for Today’s Children” through several philanthropic programs. For more information assistanceleagueventuracounty.org or email [email protected]. Telephone: Monday – Thursday 8- 2 p.m. 643-2458

Jan.20: Ventura Friends of the Library will hold a Bag o’ Books Sale at Hill Road Library on the patio. 1050 S. Hill Road from 10 – 3 p.m. Members of Ventura Friends of the Library can take home a bag of books for $1. For non-members, the price is $3 a bag.

Jan. 20: Ventura County Rising is a community gathering event to be held at Plaza Park at 10 a.m. To bring community members both awareness and inspired action items that can help heal the people of the county, can strengthen the stability of the state and especially the nation and earth.

Jan. 21: The Ventura and Santa Barbara County chapter of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) will meet Sunday, in the Campus Student Center of Ventura College. The regular meeting starts at noon and at 11 a.m. Also a mart where items will be for sale followed by lunch and an informational meeting and a program at 1 p.m. More information about chapter 190 can be found at www.nawcc-ch190.com.

Jan.24: The College Area Community Council will meet on Wednesday, at 7 p.m. A representative from the Ventura Fire Department will discuss the response to the Thomas Fire, lessons learned, recovery efforts and plans for the future. The meeting will include an update on the transition to city council election by districts and, as always, an officer from the VPD will be there. The Council meets in the Wright Event Center at 57 Day. CACC represents citizens between Mills and Victoria bordered by Foothill and Hwy. 126. Call 644-8695 for more information.

Jan.25: The local chapter of the Portuguese Fraternal Society of America (Council #128) will hold its monthly meeting. This meeting is open to any person of Portuguese descent or interested in the Portuguese culture. Main Street Restaurant and Steakhouse, 3159 East Main Street at 11:30 a.m. for a 12p.m. no host luncheon/meeting. For more information and reservation, please call Cora Corella at 483-6285.

Jan.25: The Friendship Connection, a group of retired women will be having lunch at Wicked’s Brew, 4561 Market St. at 11:30 am. Suz-Anne Shoblom, Director at Damsel in Distress, will speak about safety for women. Prospective members are welcome to join. Call 659-3460 for more information.