On Saturday, February 27th, Ventura Education Partnership (VEP) proudly presents the 15th Annual production of the Festival of Talent – A Brand New Day. This memorable evening, supported in part by the Kiwani’s Club of Ventura, will showcase over 200 performers in 24 show-stopping acts featuring the best and brightest students, parents and faculty throughout Ventura Unified School District’s (VUSD) 28 schools.

This year’s theme, “A Brand New Day” honors the District’s new superintendent, Dr. Michael Babb, who word has it, will be joining former Superintendent Dr. Trudy Arriaga on stage for a truly unforgettable performance. Once again the show is being directed by multi-talented, award winning actor and director Brian McDonald of the Rubicon Theatre Company. Miriam Arichea is leading musical direction.

The show kicks off at 7:00 pm in the Ventura High School Auditorium. Doors open at 6:15pm where guests will be greeted by the stylings of the Ventura High School Jazz Band. For those looking for dinner before the show, the Ventura Unified Leadership Council, a joint-effort of VUSD high schools’ leadership classes, is holding a pasta dinner fundraiser, courtesy of Milano’s Italian Restaurant. Dinner reservations may be made at any high school associated student body office or by calling 641-5116 ext. 2312.

Festival of Talent tickets are available online at www.venturaeducationpartnership.org. Exclusive VIP Reserved Seats are going fast at just $25 per ticket. Open seating, general admission tickets are $10 and may be purchased online or with cash/check at any VUSD school site. Tickets will be available at the door for $15, as long as this popular event does not sell out in advance.

“Festival of Talent is our chief fundraiser for VEP Grants — small infusions of funds that allow teachers to provide enriching activities and much needed materials,” stated Sabrena Rodriguez, President of Ventura Education Partnership.

Ventura Education Partnership is the all-volunteer, community-based, non-profit foundation that supports and enriches education within Ventura Unified School District through grant funding for teachers. In 2015 VEP raised nearly $100,000 for grants to teachers providing educational enrichment programs in the classroom.

VEP would like to thank the VUSD community, the Rubicon Theatre and its many supporters and sponsors who make Festival of Talent happen every year. A special thank you goes out to the event’s Title Sponsors – Kiwanis Club of Ventura, the Summer Enrichment Academy, and Karen Reynosa. The Kiwani’s Club has been the Title Sponsor since Festival of Talent began in 2001. Bart Bleuel has chaired the committee for that entire time and serves on the Boards of both the Kiwani’s and VEP.

Events by Ana Baker

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.

Feb.18: Ventura Police Department Officer Marchetti will report on Gang Activity and Prevention in our city at the next monthly meeting of the East Ventura Community Council. The Council will meet at 7 p.m. at the First Assembly of God Church, 346 N. Kimball Road. Additional items on the agenda are reports on the Parklands Apartments project to be built at the corner of Telegraph and Wells Road, and updates on our water shortage, and the petition drive to place an initiative extending our expiring SOAR (Save Our Agricultural Resources) legislation on the November ballot.

The public is encouraged to attend and participate! Books in good condition may be brought for donation to San Buenaventura Friends of the Library. For more information, call 804-7558

Feb. 24: The Ventura Soroptimist Club welcomes realtor Sam Benner to their luncheon meeting at noon at the Ventura Marriott Beach Hotel. Sam will speak on Marketing and Social Media. Topics he will cover include: How to use content marketing to get your message out there, Social media best practices and Facebook 101. He will cover the basics of profiles, pages, groups, and its amazing advertising platform.

Sam works as a realtor for Keller Williams . If you are interested in attending this meeting or want more information about the Soroptimist club please call Cindy Daly at 701-0882 to RSVP by Monday, February 22. The cost is $15.

Feb. 25: – The local chapter of Portuguese Fraternal Society of America (Council #128) will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday at 11:30am.  This meeting is open to any person of Portuguese descent or interested in the Portuguese culture.  Held at Main Street Restaurant and Steakhouse, 3159 East Main St.  For more information and reservation, please call Yvonne Westervelt at  483-4168 or Cora Corella at  483-6285.

Feb. 25: The River Community Church is hosting a “College Preview” meeting at 859 E. Santa Clara Street at 6 p.m.  TRC has partnered with New Hope Christian College to bring a Bible College to Ventura. Please attend the college preview meeting and learn about Admission Standards, Financial Aid, Student Expenses, Online Associate of Science in Ministry Leadership, Christian Leadership Certificate (CLC), and much more. For more information call TRC at 648-7955 or visit their website at www.TheRiverCommunity.org .

Feb. 26: Elizabeth H. Morrison-Banks, MD, MS Ed. (Neurology and Neuroimmunology), who is affiliated with Anacapa Surgical Associates in Ventura, will be the guest speaker at the Friday MS Lunch Club meeting.  This multiple sclerosis self-help support group will be meeting at 11:30 a.m. at Carrow’s Restaurant at 2401 Harbor Blvd. The Last Friday MS Lunch Club welcomes all people living with multiple sclerosis and family and friends. Please call Tammy at 648-6402 or Donna at 646-3750 for more information.

Feb.26: The second-longest running Off Broadway musical by Joe DiPietro is back for a second time around at the Elite Theater. In the hilarious musical comedy, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change the central theme of love and relationships brings us the stories about dating, romances, marriage, death that includes all of the ups and downs that come along with them.

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change will be presented February 26- March 26, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. with an additional Thursday night show March 24 at 8 p.m. Performance tickets are $20 for adults and $17 for students, seniors, and military. The Elite Theatre is located in the Channel Island’s Fisherman’s Wharf at 2731 S. Victoria Ave. For more information please visit http://www.elitetheatre.org or call 483-5118.

March 1: Mended Hearts of Ventura Group meets the first Tuesday each month at the

Community Memorial Hospital on the 8th floor from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Come share if you have had heart surgery or stent implant. Hear excellent speakers, leading Cardiologists, Nutritionists, Dietitians, etc. from our area who give excellent information. Contact: Richard Hatcher 644-2733

March 5: Altrusa Of San Buenaventura will host a fundraiser fashion show and luncheon at the Courtyard by Marriott in Oxnard. Proceeds from this event will support Altrusa’s community projects such as Family to Family, nursing scholarships, supplies for Westpark’s after-school program, Veterans Home of California, Blanchard Library’s teen scene program, and more. Cost is $45 per person and reservations must be made prior to February 29. Contact Sharon Knapp at  654-0545 for additional information.

March 5,6: The 54th Annual Gem, Mineral, Fossil & Lapidary Arts Show of the Ventura Gem & Mineral Society (VGMS) takes place at the Ventura County Fairgrounds 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to  4 p.m. on Sunday.  Admission is free. With a focus on kids and education the Ventura Gem & Lapidary Arts Show has been a fun family event for 54 years.  At the pre-show dinner on Friday, March 4, two Scholarship Awards to Ted Brown (Ventura College) and Sean Curran (Santa Barbara City College) will be presented.

The show is the society’s major fund-raising event helping to underwrite educational activities, including their annual college scholarships.  For further details, call VGMS President Diane Cook 312-8467, email [email protected], or visit www.vgms.org.

March 6: The 1892 Dudley Historic House Museum will be open for docent-led tours from 1 to 4 p.m. accompanied by period music in the parlor and upstairs library landing. Admission is free. 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.

March 7,21: The Ventura County Philatelic Society will have stamp trading and camaraderie.

Located at the Church of the Foothills, 6279 Foothill Road from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Admission and parking are free. Come for a great evening.
Contact: [email protected] or 320-1601

The Ojai Art Center will hold open auditions for a staged reading of Christine Rosensteel’s new play, “Clarity,” which is being funded by a grant from the City of Ojai.

Auditions are at 2 p.m. Feb. 20 and 21 and 7 p.m. Feb. 22. Roles include a couple in their 40s, their two boys aged 12 – 15, an aunt in her 60s and a middle-aged hunter. The reading will be April 9. For an appointment, call 816-4099 or email: [email protected]

Ojai Raptor Center is dedicated to the rehabilitation and release of birds of prey and other wildlife, and to providing educational programs to teach communities about wildlife and our shared environment.

Sunday April 10th, 2016, ORC will open its doors to the public for a rare opportunity to meet our non-releasable “ambassador” raptors, and tour the Center which is home to the largest flight aviary in CA.

Hawks, falcons, and owls will be on hand to greet guests along with stage presentations the entire afternoon.  Please visit www.ojairaptorcenter.org for more information.

All current and aspiring gardeners and farmers are invited to the 5th annual Ojai Valley Seed & Plant Swap on Saturday, Feb. 27 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Chaparral Auditorium, 414 E. Ojai Avenue.  Along with the free sharing of seeds and starts, there will be seeds, plants and garden products from local vendors for sale.

The Ojai Valley Seed & Plant Swap is hosted by the Ojai Valley Green Coalition with Food for Thought Ojai and the Center for Regenerative Agriculture.  There is a $5 suggested donation at the door, if not bringing items to share or sell. For further information contact Deborah at  669-8445 or [email protected].

The Ojai Mardi Gras Wake Up! Krewe is hosting their 26th Mardi Gras celebration on Saturday, March 5th, from 7:30 pm till 1:00 am, at the Ojai Art Center, 113 South Montgomery St. This year’s Mardi Gras will open with a traditional New Orleans Second Line Band Parade beginning at 7:30pm, so don’t be late!

This year’s theme, Psychedelic Neon Nights, embraces the 60’s & 70’s insanity of psychedelic and neon.

On Sunday March 6th from 12-3pm, the party continues with a Fais-Do-Do: Cajun Dance Party, a family oriented musical event with Mark Parsons & Crowfoot.  Admission is $5 adults, kids under 12 free.

Tickets for the Mardi Gras are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.  Advance tickets on-line at www.ojaimardigras.com

Advances in cardiovascular disease will be the focus of a free seminar that Community Memorial Health System is holding on Saturday, Feb. 27. Rishi Patel, M.D., who specializes in interventional cardiology, will lead the discussion during the seminar to be held from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the banquet room at Soule Park Golf Course, 1033 East Ojai Ave.

Dr. Patel will focus on the advances in cardiovascular care, including cardiac catheterization, transcatheter valve replacement and left ventricular assist devices.

Registration is free but reservations are required. To secure your reservations please visit cmhshealth.org/rsvp or call Brown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006.

On Saturday, February 27, from 2 to 3 p.m., local authors Joyce W. Magoulas and Jeff Kustal will visit the Ojai Library to read selections of their work. Joyce was born and grew up in the north east of England, in 2015, her book Ojai Impressions was published and is for sale on Amazon.

Starting in March, the Ojai Library will host a series of four coloring events for adults on the first and third Tuesday evenings of the month at 6 p.m. Join for an evening of coloring geared towards adult customers—it’s a great way to de-stress and be creative in a relaxing environment.

On Saturday Feb. 20, 7:30 p.m., The Ojai Art Center will present Epiphany Project, “a unique hybrid of world music, art song, Americana and avant-garde folk.

The band will perform songs from their new recording “The Poet and the Revolution” which celebrates the power of poetry in music with virtuosic vocals, piano improvisations, and percussion bringing texts from around the world to life.

Epiphany Project is based in Berlin and rarely performs in the United States. This is a unique chance to see the band on the West Coast. Catch a glimpse of their work at www.epiphanyrecords.com/epiphany-project-videos

“Escape to Treasure Island” is the theme for this year’s annual auction to celebrate the many treasures at Villanova Preparatory School. Villanova continues to rely on the generosity of businesses, families, alumni, and friends to assist in providing a quality education and programs for the students. This year, the auction fundraising goal is to raise funds to purchase a new school van.

Donors and sponsors will have their names and/or businesses proudly showcased in the printed program and on the school website for all to appreciate. The event will be held in the in the Clark Gymnasium, on the Villanova Prep , with silent auction viewing and appetizers from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.  Dinner and D.J. (Cover2Cover) will begin at the close of the silent auction viewing after 7:00 p.m.

All inquiries welcome! Please call Tessa Hottinger at Villanova Prep 646-1464 ext. 126.

“Fractured Fairy Tales” and that “Stinky Cheese Man” are two of the tales told by experienced youth actors at Ojai ACT’s Fifth Monday production, 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 29 at the Art Center, 113 S. Montgomery St. No reservations are necessary, but a $5 donation is appreciated because this is a fundraiser for the annual Summer Youth Acting Workshop and Production in July … no child left behind!

“The goal of the Art Commission’s Art Grants program is to promote the artistic enrichment of the citizens of Ojai and encourage a vibrant arts community,” said Arts Commissioner Roger Conrad, who chairs the Arts Grants committee.