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2024 Ventura County Fair Totallylocal VC Craft Beer Garden

TotallyLocal VC is hosting the Craft Beer & Wine Garden at this year’s 2024 Ventura County Fair. The Ventura County Fair runs from July 31 – Aug 11. The Totally Local VC Craft Beer Garden is located in the Floriculture /Landscape area at the Fair Grounds, directly across from the Agricultural building.

Totally Local VC Kicks is also raising funds for our 2024/2025 Scholarship Fund again at this year’s Ventura County Fair. Brewers from throughout Ventura County have graciously donated funds to the scholarship program. Funds raised throughout the year and early 2025 will be used to create a scholarship fund for students who are pursuing an education and career in agriculture, culinary arts and or food science.

Scholarships recipients will be decided by our Ag Ed Committee and awarded July 2025. If you’re interested in finding out more or donating to the scholarship fund email [email protected] or visit TotallyLocalVC.com.

Participating Breweries and Distillery:

  • Topa Topa Brewing
  • Institution Ale
  • Ventura Coast brewing
  • Made West
  • Rincon Brewing
  • Island Brewing
  • Tarantula Brewing
  • Transmission Brewing
  • Bell Ringer
  • Anna’s Ciders
  • Enegren Brewing
  • And Ventura Spirits

24th Annual Pooch Parade!

Fun, Sun, Sand, and Supporting Rescue Dogs!

Mark Your Calendars for the 2024 CARL Pooch Parade!
Sunday, August 18, 2024
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Pacific Time)
Ventura Harbor Village, 1583 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura, CA 93001

Gather your family and furry best friends and head to beautiful Ventura for the 24th Annual Pooch Parade! Canine Adoption and Rescue League (CARL) will host the event on Sunday, August 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join CARL and its adoptable rescue dogs for a day of fun in the sun at Ventura Harbor Village, 1583 Spinnaker Drive in Ventura. This year’s theme is “Fun, Sun, Sand, and Supporting Rescue Dogs!” Dress yourself and your pup in fun, beach-inspired attire to join the celebration!

Visit poochparade.org for updates and to sign up for the fundraising Pooch Parade walk. Interested in being a vendor or an event sponsor? Contact Sheila at [email protected].

Taste of Ventura Fair

Photos by Patricia Schallert

by Patricia Schallert

On July 30th, the 150 anniversary of the Ventura Fair was celebrated by having The Taste of the Fair which is a beloved annual event that captures the essence of the Ventura Fair’s vibrant food scene. Local chefs, restaurants, and vendors came together to offer a smorgasbord of culinary delights that showcase the area’s rich flavors and unique cuisine. From delectable vegetable dishes to savory street corn and tacos and everything in between, the fair is a true feast for the senses.

Guests were able to sample an array of mouth-watering dishes, sip on refreshing beverages, and indulge in sweet treats that highlight Ventura’s agricultural bounty. The fair is not just about food; it’s a celebration of community, creativity, and passion for good eats. Live music fills the air, adding to the festive ambiance.

As the fair opens, families, foodies, and friends come together to enjoy a day of delicious food, lively entertainment, and warm hospitality. The Taste of Fair is not just an event – it’s an experience that showcases the best of Ventura’s culinary delights and leaves a lasting impression on all who attend.

Island Packers Offers Summer Adventures to Channel Islands National Park

With summer in full swing, visitors can now board an Island Packers vessel to experience cruises and specialty trips as part of the company’s full transportation schedule to the Channel Islands National Park, in addition to popular summer whale watching.

Here’s a preview of what’s planned for the warmer months ahead:

  • Anacapa Shoreline Cruise: This 3.5-hour tour offers views of the rugged coastline, historic lighthouse, and arch rock. Highlights include sightings of sea lions, seals, island birds, and other potential marine life during the crossing.
    • Adults: $45
    • Seniors: $41
    • Children: $32
  • Specialty Trips – Painted Cave and Prisoner’s Harbor, Santa Cruz Island: Enjoy direct service to this popular destination with a coastal tour culminating in an “in the island experience” at Painted Cave. The trip is followed by a landing ashore at Prisoners Harbor for a couple of hours to picnic, hike, snorkel, or lounge, with the option for a naturalist-led hike or self-guided exploration.
    • Adults: $86
    • Seniors: $79
    • Children: $60
  • Cueva Valdez or Fry’s Harbor Day Trips: These trips feature shore access on The Nature Conservancy property on Santa Cruz Island via small boats, with possibly wet landings. Island Packers staff share the natural and human history of the area, with approximately two hours to picnic, hike, snorkel, or lounge.
    • Adults: $87
    • Seniors: $82
    • Children: $68
  • Summer Whale Watching: The Santa Barbara Channel, newly designated as a Whale Heritage Area and one of only two in the United States, is renowned for its biodiversity and thriving marine ecosystem. Over the summer months, visitors can witness humpback, fin, or blue whales, and view resident groups of seals, sea lions, and dolphins, with occasional sightings of sharks, sunfish, or swordfish. A six-hour day spent on the ocean in the company of these creatures can be awe-inspiring and memorable.
    • Adults: $79
    • Seniors: $74
    • Children: $64

To learn more, visit IslandPackers.com.

24th Annual Pooch Parade!

Fun, Sun, Sand, and Supporting Rescue Dogs!

Mark Your Calendars for the 2024 CARL Pooch Parade!
Sunday, August 18, 2024
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Pacific Time)
Ventura Harbor Village, 1583 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura, CA 93001

Gather your family and furry best friends and head to beautiful Ventura for the 24th Annual Pooch Parade! Canine Adoption and Rescue League (CARL) will host the event on Sunday, August 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join CARL and its adoptable rescue dogs for a day of fun in the sun at Ventura Harbor Village, 1583 Spinnaker Drive in Ventura. This year’s theme is “Fun, Sun, Sand, and Supporting Rescue Dogs!” Dress yourself and your pup in fun, beach-inspired attire to join the celebration!

Visit poochparade.org for updates and to sign up for the fundraising Pooch Parade walk. Interested in being a vendor or an event sponsor? Contact Sheila at [email protected].

14th Annual Throwdown Cornhole Festival

Photo courtesy of The Throw Down Cornhole Festival

New features include a World Axe Throwing League Tournament and an Expansive Food Court

The Throwdown Cornhole Festival returns to beachside Ventura County Fairgrounds on August 23 – 25.  Celebrating its 14th year, the tournament draws the sport’s best players from the lower 48 plus Hawaii as well as teams from Canada, Mexico, England, Venezuela, and Sweden.  With 1,088 teams competing for over $350,000 in cash prizes The Throw Down Cornhole Festival has grown to be the world’s largest and most popular cornhole tournament.

Sponsored by local favorite Spencer Makenzie’s seafood restaurant, fans of this family-friendly sport, car enthusiasts, music lovers, and foodies will want to mark their calendars to descend upon the Ventura County Fairgrounds to watch masters of cornhole and send off summer in style.  This multi-day party features the west coast’s best food, drinks, retail vendors, and live music, as well as DJs spinning tunes throughout the tournament.

This year brings new features and events.  The World Axe Throwing League (WATL), and sponsor The Mighty Axe, have teamed up with The Throw Down to bring the SoCal ThrowCal tournament to the fairgrounds. A WATL Tier 1 Tournament, the three-day event attracts some of the top ‘throwers’ in the sport and includes thrilling-to-watch competitions in hatchet, big axe, and knife throwing categories.

Attendees are also invited to go on a culinary adventure at the new Throw Down Food Experience on Sunday.  With over 25 innovative food trucks and pop-up restaurants that are curated for variety and quality, there will be something to tempt everyone’s taste buds.

Now in its second year, a highlight of the festival is Saturday’s Throw Down Truck Show that showcases classic vehicles from the 1960’s through the 1980’s – with a special emphasis on vintage ‘square body’ body types including early Broncos, Jeeps, Scouts, Suburbans, Blazers and Chevrolet C10 pickups.  Car clubs from throughout California will be participating and prizes will be awarded in many categories.  Ventura-based Crown Classics will be bringing over 60 high-end cars, trucks and exotics that will be available for purchase.

As a growing sport with a worldwide following, Cornhole games are unique in that champion players as young as 6 years old will be seen playing against adults as skill in the game can be mastered at almost any age.  The sport and The Throw Down tournament have garnered the attention of ESPN Networks, which will be streaming live coverage on all three days, including the finals on Sunday.

For those who want to play cornhole just for fun, all festival attendees are invited to play for free on the open-to-the-public courts, in the midst of the excitement but without the high stakes.  Players can also join non-tournament cash blind draw games to try their luck.  A big hit with Throw Down enthusiasts is “Cornhole Trebuchet” where players buy tickets for the chance to launch giant bean bags 150 feet at an oversized cornhole board.  Accuracy at that distance is challenging, but the lucky winner takes the ‘pot’ which can add up to thousands of dollars.

For more information, visit https://thethrowdowncornholetournament.com/

Urgent Call for Dog and Cat Foster Parents

Image by Freepik

Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS) Shelter Beyond Capacity

Our local VCAS shelter is full and in desperate need of animal lovers willing to take a shelter animal into their home. Foster Parents in the VCAS Foster Care Program provide an essential role as a temporary home for shelter pets while they await adoption. Animals that make good foster care candidates may be experiencing anxiety, are shy, healing from medical problems, are pregnant, injured, older, terminally ill, or simply need a quiet place to rest and rejuvenate.

Foster Parent Requirements

  • Provide a safe, clean, and caring environment
  • Provide food, water, toys/enrichment, and shelter
  • Provide exercise and socialization if appropriate
  • Monitor their physical and mental wellbeing
  • Able to transport for vet appointments, adoption events, or evacuating them in case of an emergency
  • Actively marketing your foster dog for adoption – make regular AdoptMeApp diary entries.
  • Screen and meet with potential adopters; be responsive and courteous towards potential adopters; follow VCAS adoption protocols

Fostering is Flexible

The length of time you foster an animal is up to you. If you are having difficulty finding an adopter, you can reach out to VCAS, who will help you market them. You can also send photos or videos for VCAS to post on social media along with the best way you wish people to contact you. Timelines might differ depending on the type of animal you are fostering and their needs:

Adult dogs: From one day to several months. Foster parents can take dogs for day trips or weekend sleepovers. These experiences can be very beneficial for long term or stressed dogs. Fosters can also choose to foster dogs longer term; from a couple of weeks to even months. Some foster parents choose to foster dogs until they get adopted.

Adult cats: From one week to several months. Some cats are frightened or sick and may just need a week or two in a foster home to heal and feel safe. Other cats who have a very hard time living in a kennel, may need a foster parent who can keep them until they find an adoptive family.

Kittens: From one – eight weeks. Kittens only need to stay in foster homes until they are 1.5 pounds and/or eight weeks old. These are the two important requirements for spay or neuter surgery. Another requirement is health. Cats who appear sick cannot be placed under anesthesia for spay or neuter surgery.

How to Become a Foster Parent
Go to www.vcas.us/foster and fill out/submit an online application. If you have difficulty with the form or have questions, email [email protected]. Next, check your email for a link to the foster and volunteer orientation videos. If you don’t receive an email, be sure to check your spam folder. All prospective foster parents are required to watch all foster and volunteer orientation videos. These videos will cover the goals and policies of VCAS, as well as explain foster and volunteer opportunities. Please note: You do not have to become an on-site shelter volunteer to become a foster parent.

After watching the Adult Dog or Adult Cat videos, you will sign-up for a ‘Matchmaking Appointment’ with the Foster Care Coordinator to select your first foster animal! Those interested in fostering kittens must sign-up to attend the Underaged Kitten Training session with the Foster Care Coordinator. These appointments can be made through links you will have received in your welcome email. All VCAS Foster Families are required to follow all guidelines for animal handling set forth in the Foster Orientation Training and Volunteer Training materials.

If you also wish to become an on-site volunteer, please go to www.vcas.us/volunteer to access the VCAS Volunteer page.

Selecting Animals to Foster
The good news is, most shelter animals are excellent candidates for foster! The only caveat is that foster candidates are only animals who need foster care. VCAS doesn’t need foster parents for little fluffy animals who will likely get adopted quickly! The Foster Care Coordinator will assist you in selecting shelter animals who need placement.

Remember – “Goodbye” is the goal!
Fostering is a temporary situation and letting go of one foster animal means you’ll be able to help another. But it can still be hard to say goodbye. Thankfully, the VCAS foster team will be there to help you through it. Every adoption saves one life, but a dedicated foster parent can save lots of lives by caring for many animals who need extra help to find their own new homes. Goodbyes are tough, but oh-so-rewarding too!

For more information, visit www.vcas.us/foster, email [email protected] or call 805.388.4341.

Ventura College Mural Project

$3000 PRIZE! Ventura College will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2025. The Ventura College Art Department is excited to announce a call for artists to design the painting of a mural for the campus. The mural will be painted by students and Muralism.org with supervisory assistance from the artist whose design is selected

Submissions must be emailed to: [email protected]. Include your full name and cell phone number for contact.

Submission Details

  • File size must be no larger than 20mb
  • Format must be either a JPEG or PDF
  • Include short description of the work presented and how it meets the Mural Details section
  • Eligibility: Artists residing in Ventura County

Mural Details

Mural must include elements celebrating:

  • Ventura College and its history
  • Ventura College’s 100th anniversary
  • Diversity and inclusivity of our students

Project Specs

  • Location: VC New Media Gallery exterior wall
  • Mural size: 16′ high x 20′ wide

Due Dates

  • Submission Deadline: Friday, August 2nd by 5:00pm
  • Date of Mural Completion: October 2024

For any questions about the project, contact: Sharla Fell at [email protected] or 805-289-6265

Ventura Community Councils

Reasons to get involved with your Neighborhood Community Council:

  1. Connect with your neighbors
  2. Learn what’s happening in your area
  3. Get updates and information from City staff
  4. Participate in projects that make a difference in your neighborhood

College Area Community Council:
https://caccventura.com
Next meeting:  Wednesday, July 24 at 7 PM at CAPS TV, 65 Day Road (east side, Ventura College Campus). CACC will be hybrid (face to face and on Zoom) quarterly in January, April, July and October each year. The remaining months will be on Zoom.

Downtown Ventura Community Council:
https://downtownventura.org

East Ventura Community Council:
https://eastventura.org
The East Ventura Community Council (EVCC) will meet virtually on July 18 at 7 PM. Visit the EVCC website for the Zoom meeting link. The agenda includes the East Ventura police report, followed by a presentation from Jeff Hereford, the City Transportation Engineer, on project details of grant funding to design and construct a “neighborhood greenway” along Thille/Medford/Waco and Darling. This project was identified as a high priority project in the city’s recently adopted Active Transportation Plan.

The purpose of the EVCC is to encourage residents to understand East Ventura problems, needs and expectations, and to recommend, initiate and/or participate in the development and implementation of programs or solutions. The EVCC facilitates communication between the community and government or other service agencies.

Midtown Community Council
https://www.midtownventura.org/
Next Meeting: July 11, 2024, 7PM, Cooper Hall at Grace Church, 65 MacMillan Ave.

Pierpont Bay Community Council:
https://pierpontcouncil.org
Meeting times: 7PM, Ventura County Credit Union, 2575 Vista Del Mar Dr, Ventura, CA 93001, 7:00 PM Pacific. Meetings will also be live on zoom – see website.

  • Thursday, July 18, 2024
  • Thursday, September 19, 2024
  • Thursday, November 21, 2024
  • Thursday, January 16, 2025
  • Thursday, March 20, 2025
  • Thursday, May 15, 2025

Montalvo Community Council:
https://montalvocc.wordpress.com/

Westside Community Council:
www.westsidecommunitycouncil.org
Meetings: First Wednesday of every month. Bell Arts Factory – Community Room, 432 N. Ventura #101, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.