Ojai City Manager Robert Clark announced that he is resigning for personal reasons effective on March 1, 2016. Clark expressed his appreciation for the support of the City Council over the past five years. Clark said: “It has been a privilege to work side by side with a highly dedicated group of City employees who continuously do everything in their power to make Ojai the best place it can possibly be for its residents and guests.“ Mayor Paul Blatz said: “On behalf of the entire City Council, I want express my appreciation for everything Clark has done during his tenure to bring the City back to financial health, and put us in a position to pave our roads and refurbish our recreational facilities.”

Mayor Paul Blatz has announced that the Ojai City Council has appointed Steve McClary as Interim City Manager for a six month term. McClary had been serving as acting city manager since the resignation of Robert Clark on March 1. “The City Council believes Steve is an excellent choice to be our Interim City Manager,” said Mayor Blatz. “Steve has served our city and our citizens extremely well in the past and we look forward to his leadership at City Hall in the future.”

The Ojai Photography Club welcomes Ojai based photographer Logan Hall as its March presenter. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 15, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. at Help of Ojai’s Kent Hall, 111 Santa Ana St. Specializing in real estate, portraiture, events and advertising, Hall was voted Best Photographer in the Ojai Valley News, Best of the Ojai Valley contest, for three consecutive years, 2013 through 2015.

The theme of Hall’s presentation will be “Architectural Versus Real Estate Photography.” His extensive background will allow him to probe into questions that reveal the characteristics of each genre.

The Ojai Photography Club, meets on the third Tuesday of each month, February – November. Only members may submit images for review. For additional information please visit: www.ojaiphotoclub.com/

Rev. Karen S. Wylie will offer her Mid-Month Devotional Retreat at Meditation Mount on Saturday, March 26, when the theme will be “Opening to Joy.” The retreat is from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is by donation; $10 is suggested.

Meditation Mount is located at 10340 Reeves Road. For more information, contact Rev. Karen at 310-968-8928, or register online at www.karenswylie.com.

The Ojai Studio Artists are pleased to announce that no-cost, monthly mini-studio tours will be held the second Saturday of each succeeding month through September.  Each mini-tour will feature five to eight OSA artists whose studios are within a three-mile radius. Studios will be open from 10am – 3pm.

The upcoming mini-studio tours are scheduled for April 9, May 14, June 11, July 9, August 13 and September 10.

Mini-tour artists and maps are on the website at OjaiStudioArtists.org. For information on artists and the full schedule of Second Saturday Mini-Tours, visit the OSA website: ojaistudioartists.org.

Sunday, March 20 Neighbors at the intersection of 111 Rincon St. and Matilija St. invite the community to a free interactive City Repair Intersection Experience noon to 4 p.m. A cob bench will be built in the public right away along with a chalk mandala in the intersection. All with the blessing of the Ojai Public Works department.

For further details visit www.ojaivalleygreencoalition.org or contact Heath Perry at [email protected].

Ojai Valley Green Coalition to host Mark Lakeman and the City Repair team – Sunday, March 20, 6:00- 9:00 p.m. at Chaparral Auditorium, 414 E. Ojai Ave., Mr. Lakeman will entertain and educate with Placemaking Storytelling. City Repair facilitates artistic and ecologically-oriented place making through projects that honor the interconnection of human communities and the natural world.

There is a suggested $20 donation, but no one will be turned away. For further details visit www.ojaivalleygreencoalition.org or email Heath Perry at [email protected].

The 13th Annual April Fools Run Car Show sponsored by Boy Scouts of America Troop 503 is happening this April 3rd. Come participate for a day in Ojai, showing cars and relaxing with other car enthusiasts. All proceeds go to the scouts and Troop for annual scouting activities like summer camp, Scout Camporee, and monthly outings.

The Ventura County Master Gardeners Program is offering a free gardening class, ”All About Tomatoes,” from 9:15-11:30 a.m. Saturday, March 19 at the ARC, 210 Canada St.

Attendees will learn the different classes and types of tomatoes, how to grow the plant, seeding to transplanting, fertilizing and harvest, and common pests and diseases.

The class is taught by Master Gardener Julian Hoyle.

There is a limit 75 attendees. Please register online at https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=17471

Any questions email Teri Reid at [email protected].

​The second annual Spring Carnival is coming to the Ventura County Fairgrounds March 25-27 on Easter weekend.

Event hours will be Friday, March 25 from 3 until 9 p.m., Saturday, March 26 from noon until 9 p.m. and Sunday, March 27 from noon until 7 p.m.

The Carnival will feature 15 carnival rides ranging from the spectacular to kiddie rides, games of chance, traditional carnival foods, an Easter egg hunt, free photo opportunities with the Easter Bunny, live entertainment and more family holiday fun!

Presale carnival ride tickets (sheets of 40 tickets) are on sale for $20 at the fairgrounds administration office Monday through Friday 9 – 5 p.m. as well as Saturday and Sunday at the fairgrounds Derby Club from 10 – 5 p.m. Presale tickets will be sold until 3 p.m. on March 25. Rides will take 4-5 tickets each. Onsite tickets will be available during the event.

The Spring Carnival is produced by the Ventura County Fairgrounds Foundation.

The mission of the Ventura County Fairgrounds Foundation is to provide financial support for improvements to the grounds, capital projects, equipment and programs in order that the Ventura County Fairgrounds continue to be an exemplary multi-use community resource.

Admission is free, parking is $5.

Interested in lowering your carbon footprint and making your home healthier this spring? Visit emPower Ventura County at the 24th Annual Ventura Home, Garden and RV Spring Show March 18-20 for advice on how you can improve the efficiency, comfort and indoor air quality of your home, while saving money on utility bills.

Come learn how to take advantage of utility incentives up to $6,500, low-interest, unsecured financing that starts at 5.9% and sign up for a free home energy site visit with an emPower Energy Coach for a comprehensive look at your whole’s home energy performance.

Ventura County Fairgrounds
 $5, children 12 and under are free

For more information on the emPower program, call 654-3834  or visit https://www.empowersbc.org/.

Before his retelling of the Witches of Oz in Wicked, composer Stephen Schwartz took on a contemporary retelling of some of the most popular biblical tales known to man. Children Of Eden uses these stories and characters to strike a universal chord in all of us. Beautiful music, story, humor, and imagery remind us of Spring, filled with new life bursting all around. Children Of Eden opens on Friday, April 8th, playing until Sunday, April 17th,  at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd.

Every year, Cabrillo provides a delightful new show to surprise audiences. This year, meet the Children Of Eden! Based on the stories of Adam and Eve, and of Noah and the Ark, it’s actually the story of parents and children… of knowing when to hold on tightly to family… and of knowing when to let go. In other words, it’s the story of all of us. With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz  and script by John Caird it fills the stage with illustrious storytelling, dance, humor, and beautiful songs, including “Spark of Creation,” “Lost in the Wilderness,” “In Whatever Time We Have,” and many more. Tellingly, Stephen Schwartz has been quoted as referring to Children Of Eden as his favorite of his works.

The cast features over 50 of Southern California’s brightest theatre stars!

Events by Ana Baker

Mar. 17: The East Ventura Community Council will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by delving into Mayor Nasarenko’s recent State of the City address.

Also on the agenda is an update by Development Chairperson Daniel Cormode on Ventura’s water situation, as well as a report on the status of  the SOAR (Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources) renewal initiative by Norene Charnofsky.

The meeting will start at 7 p.m. at the First Assembly of God Church, 346 N. Kimball Road. For more information call 804-7558.

Mar. 17: Craig Werner, author of We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War, will do a book reading and signing with a question and answer segment.

The event will take place Thursday 7pm at the Bell Arts Factory, 432 No. Ventura Ave. This event will also feature a Vietnam photo exhibit provided by the Ventura County Museum.

Intimate and deeply informative, with a scope that encompasses both the war itself and the way that music has helped raise awareness of veteran’s issues long after its end.

For more information call  643-1960.

Mar. 19: Audubon 8:30 a.m. at Foster Park/Ventura River. Leader: David Torfeh 794-5334. The Ventura River flows through this green park with lots of shade trees. With winter rains, we may see some interesting species at the river, such as Green Heron or mergansers. Inside the park, we will see oak woodland species such as quail, bluebird and woodpeckers.

Mar. 19:  Ventura County Genealogical Society will hold their free monthly program, open to the public.

Saturday at 1p.m. at the Ventura County Public Health Auditorium, 3147 Loma Vista Rd.

Speaker, Barbara Randall, Professional Genealogist and Lecturer will discuss “Do You Really Know Your Irish Roots? Understanding 6,000 years of Irish History.”

Mar. 20: 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 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.

Admission charge $3. Lunch is available for $5 more. 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.

Mar. 22: Channelaire Chorus of Sweet Adeline, will present their competition music for free at 7 p.m. sharp. Located at the Center for Spiritual Living, 340 Mobil Ave. Camarillo. April 5, 13, 19 and 26^th   rehearsal time from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Contact:   557-4962 for more information. The ability to read music is helpful but not necessary.

Mar. 23: The College Area Community Council will be meeting on Wednesday. A representative from the Ventura Police Department will address recent crime trends in the neighborhood.  The Council, which represents citizens between Mills and Victoria bordered by Foothill and Hwy. 126, meets at 7 p.m. in the Wright Event Center at 57 Day Rd. on the Ventura College campus. 658-7225 for more information.

Mar. 23:  “Let’s Play Duplicate Bridge!” New games offered beginning Wednesday, March 23rd (FREE that day too) for 0 – 49 AND 0 – 1,250 master point players. 12:30 p.m. start at the Temple Beth Torah, Kimball & Foothill Road.  Meet new players, learn about our local ACBL Cub, and have fun!

For more information call Susan Lang:  340 – 7735.

Mar. 24: Portuguese Fraternal Society of America 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 St.  At 11:30 A.M. for a 12:00 P.M., no host luncheon / meeting.  For more information and reservation, please call Cora Corella at 483-6285 or Yvonne Westervelt at  483-4168.

Mar. 24: April Davis, a Ventura College student and winner of the 2015 La Estrella competition, will perform at the Friendship Connection 08’s annual membership luncheon at the NOM Tequila Grill, Crown Plaza Hotel, at 11:30 a.m. The FC is a group of retired ladies who like to have fun. Prospective members are invited. Call 218-6124 for more information.

Mar. 26.  Audubon 8:30 a.m. Ojai Meadow Preserve. Leader: John Pavelko 798-2571. The field trip to the Ojai Meadow Preserve will be a combined event with the Ojai Valley Land OVLC manages over 2,300 acres and 25 miles of trails with 9 employees in the Ojai Valley. Take Hwy 33 toward Ojai and turn left at the Y. The preserve is on the left side. Parking is available in front of the entrance and also at the nearby high school or church, if necessary.

Apr.8&9: This year’s Ladies’ Conference is Friday, April 8, 6:30 – 9:30 pm, and Saturday, April 9, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm.  Trusting God in Me, with teachings emphasizing trusting God. Registration begins on Friday evening at 6 pm at The River Community Church at 889 E. Santa Clara St.

The guest speaker, Rev. Janet Hattem, has been a long-time friend and associate of this church. Janet has served in many capacities as a leader in Women’s and Children’s Ministry.           The cost is $50, which includes lunch and a T-Shirt plus all supplies for Friday evening’s activity.  All registrations and payments must be made by Sunday, April 3; late registrations and walk-ins will be $60. For further information visit www.therivercomunity.org or call 648-7955.

Apr. 15&16: Kris Kringle Boutique presents Spring Fling, a two day event with over 30 vendors where you can find homemade springtime decor and crafts, clothing, jewelry, florals, up-coming holiday gifts and much more! This event is open to the public and is free admission. Located at the North Ranch Community Center 1400 N. Westlake Village, CA 91362. See their ad in the next issue for more info.

Friday 15, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 16, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Join your friends at the Tender Life Maternity Home Walkathon on  Saturday, March 5, at The River Church. The walk will start at 9:45. Registration begins at 9:00am.

The Tender Life Walkathon is a great way to involve your family and friends in a fun, charitable experience. The walk is less than 2 miles. Simply ask people you know to sponsor you in support of Tender Life Maternity Home, a nonprofit program that provides pregnant women with safe housing and supportive services.

For 30 years, Tender Life Maternity Home, a program of Project Understanding, has offered a loving and supportive environment for women who desire to carry their babies to term but lack the necessary means to do so. Download registration form by visiting www.projectunderstanding.org.