Registration is open for fall recreation and arts classes and tours offered by the City of Ventura Parks, Recreation & Community Partnerships Department (PRCP) – with 135 new classes joining 200 popular returning activities that begin in late September.  To register or have a “My Ventura” catalog mailed to you call 658.4726.

Ventura residents will receive the new full-color fall “My Ventura” catalog in their mailboxes. Customers may view flip book or downloadable PDF versions online at www.cityofventura.net/recreation. To request or pick up a printed copy, call 658.4726 or visit PRCP offices at Ventura City Hall, 501 Poli Street, Room 226, M-F 8-5 (closed alternate Fridays).

Classes of interest to all abilities and ages include; lessons to swim, sail, kayak and paddleboard, youth and adult sports, lacrosse, surfing, tennis, golf, yoga, martial arts and bocce, as well as canine, leadership development, robotics, 3D printing, LEGO®, game design, science, visual arts, photography, dance, music, language and theater programs. Bus and walking tours cover SoCal local culture, culinary and history destinations including the new “Art Ventures Bus Tours” led by artist guides.

The City of Ventura’s calendar for August to December includes free and special events and important city services such as the opening of the new “Eastside Café” senior lunch program, remaining “Music under the Stars” concerts and “Fairy Tales in the Park” theater performances, new “Land & Sea” Food Truck Festival at Marina Park, “Pumpkin Plunge” at the Ventura Aquatic Center, “Artisan & Crafters” Fair at Barranca Vista Center, “Pier under the Stars” benefit and holiday “Olivas Adobe Candlelight Tours.”

View and mark your calendar for free tennis clinics, Ventura Water gardening classes, police and environmental programs as well as new fall and winter break camps, Volunteer Ventura opportunities and information on Cornucopia community garden, City Hall and Olivas Adobe rentals, photo contest, libraries services and VYBA tryouts schedule.

For more information contact Community Partnerships Manager Denise Sindelar at 658-4793 or [email protected].

Events by Ana Baker

Free admission stage show, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. First Sunday of every month.  Old Time Country Bluegrass Gospel Music Assoc. Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Rd. For more Information call 517-1131.

Ventura Poinsettia Dance Club meets every Monday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. at the Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill. Ballroom, swing, Latin, mixers and line dancing. Members $10, non-members $12, first time dancers are free. Call Rick at 415-8842 for more information.

Aug.18: Meeting of the East Ventura Community Council will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the First Assembly of God Church Coffeehouse, 346 N. Kimball Road. Iain Holt, Principal Planner of the City of Ventura’s Community Development Department, will talk about land development issues, growth, economic development, adaptive reuse and planning for Ventura. Dr. Michael Babb, Superintendent of Ventura Unified School District, will address the issue of the effect on schools of the new housing developments in East Ventura. Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios, candidate for Ventura City Council, will also speak to the group. For more information call 804-7558 or visit the group’s Facebook page. The public is encouraged to attend and participate.

Aug. 20: Choral Evensong on Sat. at 5 p.m. celebrating the joy of late summer sunshine amidst the impending rays of Autumn’s glow.  Schubert’s cheerful yet profound Mass in C major is paired with Mendelssohn’s brooding yet ecstatic Kyrie in D minor while Buxtehude’s ebullient Erfreue dich, Erde (Rejoice, O Earth) rounds out this program of choral treasures. Our singers and chamber orchestra feature well-known.  Conducted by Helen Farson.  Admission is free.  Ventura Seventh-day Adventist Church, 6300 Telephone Rd.  Call 641.9646 for more information. Program lasts approx. 1 hour.

Aug 20: Dr. Vondie’s Ventura Singles, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Join Dr. Vondie Lozano, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, to talk about “First Date Do’s and Don’ts” with live demonstrations. Free. Ventura E.P. Foster Library, Topping Room, 651 E. Main Street. For more information go to http://drvondie.com/first-date-dos-and-donts/

Aug 21: Live Your Best Life Hypnosis Meetup, 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Join Dr. Vondie Lozano, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Hypnotherapist for, “What Would You Like to Attract into Your Life?” Group Guided Imagery/Hypnosis included. Free. Ventura E.P. Foster Library, Topping Room. For more information go to www.meetup.com/live-your-best-life-hypnosis/events/

Aug 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, 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. This month’s program will be a presentation by Dave Coatsworth on the very interesting history of the Deuber-Hampden Watch Company. Anyone interested in watches and clocks, modern and antique, is invited to visit and join our chapter. There is a $3 admission charge. Lunch is available for $5 more.

Sept. 5: The public is invited to celebrate Labor Day at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1679. Admission is free. The Canteen opens at 10 a.m.  Live entertainment by the band Action Down runs noon to 4 p.m. Food will be available for purchase beginning at 1 p.m.  Charitable drawings will be conducted throughout the afternoon. Proceeds benefit veterans and their families. Prospective members of the VFW and its Auxiliary are encouraged to attend and learn more about these organizations. Post 1679 is at 3801 Market St. For more information call 642-2674.

Sept. 5, 19: The Ventura County Philatelic Society’s Stamp trading and camaraderie. Located at the Church of the Foothills, 6279 Foothill Road. Monday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free. Come for a great evening. They are a fun group. Contact:[email protected] or 320-1601

Sept. 6: Mended Hearts of Ventura.
Come share if you have had heart surgery or stent implant.
Located at the Community Memorial Hospital – 8th floor from 7p.m. to 9 p.m.
Excellent speakers, leading Cardiologists, Nutritionists, and Dietitians from our area who give excellent information. Contact: Richard Hatcher 644-2733

At 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 20, and Saturday, August 27,  the Ojai Library will host a special set of short performances courtesy of the Ojai Art Center. These Ojai Art Center One Acts will take place in the main library space and will serve as a preview of the Ojai Art Center’s next production: One Act Laugh Track.

One Act Laugh Track will consist of short original one acts featuring local talent. At these special library preview events you will have a chance to meet the playwrights, directors, and actors.

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

From Sept. 16 through Oct. 2, One Act Laugh Track will run at the Ojai Art Center Theater, Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. The Ojai Art Center , 113 S. Montgomery Avenue, Ojai.

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.

As the 40-year anniversary season of Herb Walks winds down, Ojai nature guide Lanny Kaufer will lead his 4th annual Fall Equinox Nature Hike in the peaceful Mixed Conifer Forest on Pine Mountain (elevation: 7000 feet) at the time of year when the pine nuts usually are dropping. According to Craig Carey, author of Hiking and Backpacking Santa Barbara and Ventura, the Reyes Peak Trail along the northern slope of the peak is “quite simply one of the most beautiful stretches in the southern Los Padres.”

The outing will start at 9:00 a.m. with an optional carpool caravan of about 35 miles up Highway 33 from the Maricopa Plaza, to the Reyes Peak trailhead. The final 5.5 miles are on a narrow, winding paved road and the very last half-mile is dirt. Trucks or SUV’s are preferred for the last stretch but most passenger cars with high clearance can also make the drive.

The group will start walking into the Sespe Wilderness from the trailhead at about 10:30 a.m., stopping for lunch in the pines, and returning to the trailhead at 3:00 p.m., arriving back at the Maricopa Plaza by 4:00 p.m. They will hike on a well-used trail, stopping often to identify and discuss native plants, birds and wildlife. There will be some elevation gain and loss skirting the north side of Reyes Peak, sometimes traversing hillsides on a narrow trail. The total hiking distance will be about 3 miles.

This intermediate level hike is suitable for moderately experienced hikers or physically fit beginners. Weather and marine layer permitting, the group will have panoramic views of the Cuyama Valley to the north and the Channel Islands to the south.  There is no prepayment required, just a promise to notify Kaufer in a timely fashion if plans change. Registrants will receive a confirmation email several days before with all necessary info.

The cost is $25 for adults, $20 for seniors 62 and older, and $20 for full-time students. Lunch is not provided. Kids 5-12 can go free, one per adult, by prior arrangement. No dogs or smoking, please. [email protected].