About 60 guests attended this exclusive event. Photos by Randy Encinas

On July 25th, Water’s Edge Restaurant hosted the first “Dine & Delight” – a private Winemaker’s Dinner, benefiting Rubicon Theatre Company, Ventura County’s leading not-for-profit professional theatre company.

The special 5-course dinner by award-winning Executive Chef Alex Montoya was expertly paired with wines from one of Napa Valley’s most celebrated vintners, Caymus Vineyards.

Chef Alex took pride in locally sourcing ingredients to provide the freshest products while supporting Ventura’s local fishermen, farmers, and ranchers. The perfect harmony of flavors elevated the dining experience, delighting wine enthusiasts and food connoisseurs alike, leaving them talking about the evening long after the final glass of wine was served. From oyster delight, sweet & sour pork belly and mango halibut aguachile to grilled Korean short rib before topping off with apple tarte tatin, diners were wowed by the expertly paired exquisite wine with each course.

About 60 guests attended this exclusive event, some Ventura locals, and some drove in from Ojai, Thousand Oaks and Santa Barbara. During the main course, guests enjoyed a live musical performance by Broadway veteran and Rubicon artist Jennifer Leigh Warren (Big River and Marie Christine on Broadway, Dark of the Moon and Lonesome Traveler at Rubicon) accompanied by Musical Director Gerald Sternbach.

This exceptional culinary event was a successful evening of exquisite flavors, delightful wine pairings, live musical entertainment, and an opportunity to support the artistic and educational programs of Rubicon. It marked Rubicon’s first of many fundraising events to come!

Guests who attended “Dine & Delight” directly contributed to the growth and success of Rubicon’s artistic and educational initiatives, enabling the theatre to continue inspiring and enriching the Ventura County community through the transformative power of theatre.

Rubicon Board President Doug Halter stated, “Guests not only savored the local culinary delights but also enjoyed musical entertainment, creating an immersive experience that celebrated the intersection of gourmet cuisine, exceptional wines, and the arts.”

Sunday, July 23, was the conclusion of the 2023 X Games held under Ventura’s most beautiful weather. Many thousands visited Ventura to enjoy and celebrate the X Games.

They also stayed at our hotels, motels and ate at our restaurants and spent money at our wonderful stores and shops. The $250,000 that the city invested in the games was well worth it. It was much less than other cities have spent.

The games drew some of the biggest names in skateboarding, BMX and Moto X to the Ventura County Fairgrounds for three days of fierce, but friendly competition.

The large range of alternative transportation options made for easy access to the Fairgrounds for many. Others enjoyed the games on KABC and ESPN.

Both Amtrak and Metrolink announced special X Games schedules for the weekend, with extra trains running Friday night through Sunday as part of plans by the city of Ventura and its partners to ease the traffic conditions.

Other alternate transportation was Gold Coast Transit Bus, VCTC Big Blue Buses and Pacific Surfliner.

For those that took their bikes or skateboards to the games there was a Bike Valet and a Skateboard Valet to store them while enjoying the day.

In her Breeze column Pam Baumgardner wrote ‘I’m happy to report Ventura survived the X Games. The traffic was no worse than it is for the fair, in fact, it was better. Great traffic control and I was amongst those who chose to ride their bikes.”

These were the first summer finals held in front of large crowds since 2019. Saturday

was sold out before the three-day games even began. It was estimated that Saturday attendance was 15,000. The fairgrounds’ parking lot was also sold out.

Headline events on Friday’s opening day include the BMX dirt elimination, the BMX street finals, the men’s skateboard vert and the motocross best trick.

Ventura Mayor Joe Schroeder stated “ From the drone show on Thursday to finials on Sunday we witnessed a well-organized, wildly popular X Games for the ages. I was so impressed with how polite everyone was, how well traffic was managed and the incredible talents that were on display the entire weekend. Congratulations to the X Games staff and the Visit Ventura team for putting on a first-class event. The world saw why we all love living in Ventura.”

Marlyss Munguia Auster, President & CEO Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau proudly stated “We did it! Ventura stepped on stage and shined bright! I am so proud of the community, partners, and Visit Ventura team! Thank you to everyone, you were part of making history in Ventura with X Games 2023!”

Fifty-eight retirees were invited to the annual retiree reception.

VUSD held a Retiree Reception to recognize 2022-2023 school year retirees. Fifty-eight retirees were invited to the annual retiree reception, which was held at the District’s Education Service Center. Among the retirees were employees who devoted many years to serving in Certificated (teaching) and Classified (non-teaching) positions. In their positions, they provided support, care, and inspiration to the students, staff, and families of VUSD. Five of them held a longevity of over 35 years. Collectively, the Retiree Class of 2022-2023 has served the VUSD community for 1,389 years.

One member of the VUSD team retiring after 38 years of service is Mr. David Hess, Athletic Director for Ventura High School. Mr. Hess stated, “Too many things to name” as his reason for dedicating many years to VUSD. He shared that he immediately felt a sense of a great community, and Ventura High School felt incredibly connected to its members.”

Another staff member retiring after 36 years of service is Ms. Sheila Clow, Kindergarten Teacher at Poinsettia Elementary School. Ms. Clow, originally from Ireland, wanted to establish herself in the school district where she was hired.

Dan Larson, a US History teacher at Ventura High School, is retiring after 34 years of service. He expressed his gratitude for working for VUSD, stating that it has paid off numerous times. Mr. Larson said, “I couldn’t have made a better choice” about working at VUSD and feels fortunate to be a part of a united community with a strong culture.

“We cannot adequately express our appreciation to our retirees for their impact on our schools and community. They have served as mentors to new staff, modeled professionalism for their peers, and provided a source of continuity for the District. Most importantly, they have helped our students grow and prepare for their futures,” stated Dr. Antonio Castro, Superintendent.

Retirees mingled with each other and enjoyed refreshments and a photo station. They were given a small appreciation gift to use on their upcoming adventures, along with individual floral arrangements provided by the students of Ventura High School’s Floral Design Capstone Class.

In her congratulatory speech, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Gina Wolowicz noted, “Reflecting on the years of service these educators have given, we are reminded of the transformative power of education. Their unwavering belief in the potential of every student has led to our students reaching heights they may have never thought possible”.

“It was a lovely event in honor of their essential role in helping district students grow and discover who they want to become academically, personally, and socially. VUSD wishes the 2022-2023 retirees a happy, healthy, restful, and exciting retirement,” stated VUSD Talent Acquisition Specialist Jackie Lopez.

For more information on Dave Hess, Sheila Clow and Dan Larsen visit our News & Updates webpage, https://www.venturausd.org/about/news-updates.

Jack has a strong, determined attitude along with an almost businesslike work ethic.

by Joseph Seemayer

Jack Zoltan is an 18-year-old surfer who is a standout at Ventura County beaches including the Ventura Harbor and The Point to name a few. As a competitor, Jack is committed and focused. His goal is to continue to improve as an athlete while competing against some of the best in the nation. To help achieve this goal, Jack began working with a coach about two years ago. That coach is well known, former professional surfer and Ventura resident, Mike Lamm.

Mike Lamm competed on the US Bud Pro surfing tour in the 1980’s. His passion for coaching developed during his time as an amateur and professional. Today, some of Mike’s notable coaching achievements include world tour professional Lakey Peterson, who he has coached to two National titles, a U.S. Open Jr victory and a silver medal in the ISA surfing games. In addition to Lakey, Mike has coached professional surfer Tia Blanco, an ISA gold medalist and Nick Rozsa, who he coached to the number one position on USA team and US Open Pro Jr finalist.

Locally, Mike also coaches one Jack’s biggest role models and best friend, professional surfer and Ventura native, Dimitri Polous. Jack shares that Dimitri pushes him to be a better surfer and person every day.

Some of Jack’s strengths include his focus, determination and willingness to work hard. “Jack has made massive gains and improvements in his surfing skills during this last year”, Mike states with satisfaction. As Jack’s coach, Mike said it was evident that Jack has the natural athletic ability that a coach looks for in a new student. Mike explains that Jack possesses “the intangible X-factor that coaches look for to have to have students flourish”.

Jack has a strong, determined attitude along with an almost businesslike work ethic. Mike continued, “He’s there at the crack of dawn and on time. Jack would really listen and put in the maximum amount of effort into each of his sessions”, according to Mike. All traits that are necessary to help an athlete continue to grow and achieve competitive success.”

When Jack finishes his training in the water, he then continues with running and time at the gym. “Jack really puts in the work to consistently improve”, which is mandatory for Mike.

Mike continued with Jack’s improvement as a competitor, “Jack was the only Californian competitor, in an all-Hawaiian final at the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) US National championships this year.” Besides his finals appearance and eventual fourth place finish in National Championships, Jack finished this past season ranked 4th in the nation for the NSSA Explorer juniors division, 1st in the Gold Coast Explorer juniors division and 5th Southwest Open mens divisions. An impressive season finish for this young athlete.

Since 1978, the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) mission has been to encourage and assist its members in their interest to learn and develop the fundamentals and skills of surfing competition while competing in structured and quality events. Nationwide, there are more than 80 NSSA events that culminate with the annual National Championships, regarded as the highest profile youth surfing event in America.

The NSSA is one of the few national youth sports organizations that requires its participants to maintain academic standards in order to compete. Since the beginning of the NSSA program, the philosophy has been that athletics and scholastics go hand in hand.

Under his coach’s guidance and with the assistance of his sponsors, Body Glove, Roberts Surfboards, Smilyn Wellness, On a Mission and A Frame Surf Shop, Jack plans on continuing competitive surfing professionally in the World Surf League (WSL) North American qualifying series.

In addition to Jack pursuing a promising professional surfing career, Jack will also be joining the Sundowners Wildland Fire Crew out of Lake Casitas.

Photos by Michael Gordon and others

The Rotary Club of Ventura once again hosted the 4th of July Fireworks Show and Family Picnic at the Ventura College athletic fields. The event was held on Tuesday, July 4th with the fireworks
show beginning at approximately 9 pm. Begun in 1994, the Ventura Rotary Fireworks event marked its 30th Anniversary in 2023.