Officers Veronica Ross and Nick Nunez were dispatched to the fifth story of the hospital parking structure to check the well-being of an individual seated on the top floor ledge. They saw him leaning over the edge and wasted no time quickly leaping towards him to pull him back before he slipped entirely off the edge.
Nick and Veronica were honored as our 2023 Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Officers of the Year for their patience, skill, and compassion in de-escalating crises and ensuring community safety.
New Art City Theatre, Ventura County’s newest professional theatre, is pleased to announce Festival ’24, the company’s inaugural festival of new works. Festival ’24 runs April 25th through 28th at The Museum of Ventura County. Beverly Ward and Kirby Ward, the founders and Co-Producing Artistic Directors, are especially thrilled to bring renowned actress Sally Struthers to Ventura to join the cast of Drowned Cats, one of four brand-new plays presented as part of the four-day, jam-packed schedule of staged readings and discussion panels.
The mission at New Art City Theatre (also know as NACT) is unique. As an emerging nonprofit, NACT serves two groups: writers and audience. “Our goal is to support the work of established and emerging playwrights as well as to expand the audience who attends professional performing arts events,” states Kirby Ward. “By keeping the readings free, we’re saying, everyone is welcome!” adds Bev Ward, Kirby’s wife of nearly 40 years.
“It’s a win-win. Writers who develop new works need an audience, and audiences crave affordable, live entertainment.” she adds. Key to the company’s mission is to attract less typical attendees, like young people with modest means and older people who may be on a fixed income.
The Wards bring decades of professional theatrical practice to their roles. Ultimately, their work as writers shapes their vision as they cultivate relationships with playwrights across the country. As part of their annual programming, NACT will open a submission portal each year and accept scripts of all types, from comedy to drama, and musical theatre, too. For this year’s festival, 175 scripts were submitted from playwrights and composers across the county. With the help of volunteers, each submitted script is read by multiple readers, narrowing the selection to a handful of projects, eventually settling on four. The four writers participating in Festival ’24 hail from Maryland, Long Island, Seattle and Chicago
Each show will have two presentations (matinee and evening) involving professional actors, including Ms. Struthers. The Wards first worked with the star of stage and screen on the east coast, and she later performed in a Manhattan reading of Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime, a musical written by the Wards. “Sally is incredible! Not just funny, but as fine an actress as I’ve ever seen on stage. Her role in Drowned Cats will benefit from her sublime sense of humor” gushes Bev.
The Wards spent the first two weeks of March on casting and are confident all the talent will rise to the level set by Struthers. “We saw nearly 150 actors in L.A. and Ventura and there were so many wonderful auditions. We can’t wait to bring these new scripts to life at The Museum of Ventura County.” beams Kirby.
The plays:
Swimming Up The Sun – April 25, 1 & 7 PM
Reconciliation – April 26, 1 & 7 PM
Drowned Cats – April 27, 1 & 7 PM
Imitating Life – April 27th, 5:00 PM
Blowhole – April 28, 1 & 5:30 PM
About New Art City Theatre
New Art City Theatre (NACT) is a groundbreaking theatre company based in Ventura. Founded in 2023 by Kirby and Beverly Ward, renowned theatre professionals, the company is dedicated to the development of new works and offers a platform for emerging playwrights to showcase their talents. By giving equal access to diverse voices and inviting a broader audience to participate, NACT aspires to elevate all that is compelling about original theatre. For more information, visit www.newartcitytheatre.org, email [email protected] or connect on Facebook or Instagram.
Symposium held at the CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) campus.
Housing Trust Fund Ventura County (Housing Trust Fund VC) welcomed community leaders to its Annual Meeting and “A Home for Education” symposium February 29th at the CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) campus. The symposium was presented in collaboration with the County of Ventura, CSUCI, Ventura County Office of Education, Ventura County P-20 Council, and Housing Trust Fund VC to an audience of key decision makers in education, government, land use planning, and affordable housing development.
The Annual Meeting highlighted accomplishments by Housing Trust Fund VC, including $27.5 million in funded or committed loans since 2013 and $40 million raised, resulting in 1,177 affordable apartments and homes committed, funded, and produced throughout Ventura County. The meeting also provided an opportunity for community members to provide comment about Housing Trust Fund VC’s products and service.
The symposium was held to inform attendees of current issues surrounding the development of affordable housing on educational properties, providing an opportunity for discussion and questions. The event began with keynote presentations from Abraham Galvan Sanchez of Best, Best, and Kreiger LLP, and Al Grazioli of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The keynotes were followed by a panel moderated by Linda Braunschweiger, CEO of Housing Trust Fund VC and Housing Land Trust VC, and included Sanchez and Grazioli as panelists with Scott Kolwitz, City of Thousand Oaks, Ken Triguerio, People’s Self-Help Housing and Chelsee Russell, Office of Ventura County. The event continued with local affordable housing case studies presented by Dr. Kimberly Hoffmans of Ventura College, Sabrena Rodriguez of the Ventura Unified School District, and Laurie Nichols from CSUCI.
An event highlight was a guided tour of two developments adjacent to the campus, University Glen and the currently under construction Anacapa Canyon. Both developments were built on educational properties owned by CSUCI [lc1] and will be home to nearly 2,000 residents including CSUCI employees, educational allies, alumni, seniors, and the public[lc2] . “These developments remind us that discussions like today have the potential of becoming homes tomorrow. Today we took an important step towards ensuring more homes for all as a community.” said Linda Braunschweiger, CEO Housing Trust Fund VC and Housing Land Trust VC.
For those interested in developing solutions and adding their support for affordable housing in Ventura County, the next step is to attend Unlocking Affordable Housing – Reshaping Housing Solutions,” presented by Housing Trust Fund VC on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at Walnut Grove at Tierra Rejada Farms in Moorpark. Purchase tickets here.
Sig Schmalhofer’s quest to fulfill the American Dream began in 1956 as a five-year-old German immigrant. The sum of the family’s possessions were stuffed into two suitcases when they landed at LAX. The first English words he learned became a lifetime mantra, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” His mother had memorized the Benjamin Franklin proverb and recited it often to the family. After graduating from Newbury Park High School in 1969, he married his high school sweetheart, Beverly.
Schmalhofer worked his way through college by working in plumbing shops. After he earned a degree in English from CSUN, he was an elementary teacher in Thousand Oaks. Three years later he capitalized on his knowledge of plumbing industry and made it his career.
In 1993, he was diagnosed with Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, a debilitating genetic disease which robs victims of muscular strength. “That’s when the list of tasks I could do by myself got shorter, and things I needed help with, got longer. Thank God for Bev. She’s flawlessly stepped in to help me do things that need to be done.” The couple raised three children and have seven grandchildren.
After they built a successful career in Riverside, Sig and Bev moved back to Ventura County, where it all began. “I’d planned to play golf every day of my retired life,” Sig says. “But when my physical challenges made the game that I love an exercise in ‘Hit the ball, drag Sig’, I turned my attention to other hobbies. The centerpiece of that list is writing.”
Sig has published two novels, Jelly Beans in Life and Jelly Beans in Life 2; a business book, The Reputable Rep; and a memoir: Never Really Normal. Coming soon is the first of a series of mysteries.
The Ventura resident is living proof that retirees should be armed with a manageable list of hobbies beyond asking children and grandchildren questions they really don’t want to answer. His favorite pastime is playing enthralling, winner-take-all, games of Cribbage with Bev. “We’re super competitive. We play two or three games a day and record the results of every game in what we dubbed The Book. The ultimate goal is to win a ‘World Series Championship’ which takes about six months.”
Sig and Bev also post Wordl and Connections scores on a family text, daily, and each of them maintains their own exercise program. Sig has six ‘exercise stations’ in his home where he completes a list of daily routines prescribed by Dr. Selvey, his physiotherapist.
Schmalhofer also rides around the neighborhood in his souped-up wheelchair he calls his Sigmobile. He watches baseball, golf and football but not the news. “Watching news,” he says, “is the ideal way to make yourself act like a grumpy old man.” Because I’ve been blessed to live a life well worth living with friends and family well worth having,” Sig said. “The first words out of my mouth every day are, “Thank God, I’m still alive.”
Pamela Klebaum found a new passion during her retirement years in Ventura. She found a love for glass art and created the art in the heart of her home. Her work is inspired by nature and her latest work deals with climate change and its effect on our earth. She is working on a new piece that references plastics in the ocean.
When Pamela was 55 years old, she was looking through old boxes and came across a diary that belonged to her dad. Her father was in the navy while on a voyage to Greenland and the diary described his journey, the icebergs, and life at sea. This was when she decided to start making art based on the diary. In order to take on this project Pamela attended Ventura College and took an art class each semester to learn life drawing and life painting. She wanted to learn the basic principles of art since she never had any formal instruction when she was young.
Pamela retired in 2010 and after she redid her kitchen she wanted to put glass figurines inside the cabinets. At the stain glass store, she found a new process and started studying all over the country taking workshops. She was invited to do residencies and fell in love with the process. In 2018, she was also invited to attend a professional artists’ residency on the northeastern shore of Scotland. It was only nine artists with two mentors, and she was able to feel at peace with nature as she fell “back in that time”.
According to Pamela, it takes 6 to 8 weeks to make glass art. It takes multiple firings and when it comes out of the kiln it is very rough and must be finished with a chemical polish to bring out the shine. After the Thomas Fire destroyed several homes in her neighborhood, she felt compelled to create Project Phoenix which is a small glass house for each neighbor who needed to rebuild their home. Each glass house was different as well as unique and she wrote in a note to each returning family, “…to hope that the glass house would bring beautiful light into your beautiful new home.” In August of 2023, she finished her final Project Phoenix house which was number 112! Out of all her beautiful art pieces her favorite is called Glaciers Disappearing which shows the ice melting. She says, “You can see through her work what we are doing to the earth.”
Pamela loves to keep herself busy and started playing soccer for the first 3 years of her retirement. She also continues to study the piano since starting retirement. She enjoys walking around her neighborhood and staying active. One piece of wisdom that Pamela always likes to think about is gratitude as it “becomes a way of our life.” She loves to think about smaller graces every day and people spreading kindness to each other. She loves to go to Yosemite every year for her and her husband Nohl’s anniversary. She loves to read and started reading the Pulitzer Award winner The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk. She said it was a very compelling story and similar to her dad’s diary illustrating life on a ship and how intimate it can be. My conversation with Pamela was compelling and fascinating as she has so much ambition and passion for what she does. I loved listening to her story and journey as she has a big heart to help others and make the world a better place.
Editor: If you are a senior (over 70-years), or know of one, who would like to share their retirement, or job, with us please let us know at [email protected].
Rotary Club of Ventura is excited to offer the Staci Johnson Ingram Memorial Perspectives on Peace Scholarship for Ventura Unified 12th graders who will be pursuing higher education and/or career training. In the 6th year, the scholarship asks students to provide an artistic response for their thoughts on peace.
The Perspectives on Peace Scholarship embraces a broad spectrum of artistic expression, inviting students to submit entries in various formats such as video, photography, dance, music, poetry, digital art, industrial art, paintings, sketches, multimedia work, and more. According to Ken Leandro, Youth Services Director for the Club, “Past submissions have showcased the diverse talents and innovative approaches of students in envisioning and advocating for peace.”
This year, the first place award is $5,000 scholarship with 5 additional Artist of Distinction Awards available at $1000 each.
Applications for the Staci Johnson Ingram Memorial Perspectives on Peace Scholarship are open now through March 27, 2024. For application and more information please visit perspectivesonpeace.org.
For each Farm Lab field trip, SEEAG gives schools $300 for bus expenses.
Each year, elementary school students travel by bus to Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture’s (SEEAG) free Farm Lab program at Petty Ranch in Ventura and Allan Hancock College’s Demonstration Orchard in Santa Maria. While at the farms, students learn about the farm origins of their food. Funds raised through SEEAG’s current “Bus Bucks” fundraiser will help offset school bus expenses so that field trips remain entirely cost-free to students, teachers and schools.
For each Farm Lab field trip, SEEAG gives schools $300 for bus expenses. Currently, SEEAG is scheduled to host 70 field trips in 2024. To ensure there are enough funds to pay for transportation, the Bus Bucks’ goal is to raise $20,000.
“High transportation costs often prevent schools from offering field trips,” says Mary Maranville, founder and CEO of SEEAG. “We don’t want transportation to be an obstacle. If we receive enough donations during the Bus Bucks campaign, thousands of Ventura, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara county students will be able to travel from their schools to one of SEEAG’s Farm Lab locations.”
In the 2022/23 school year, SEEAG educated 7,547 students from 21 school districts about local agriculture during 58 field trips to its two Farm Labs. That number is projected to increase to 10,600 students from 83 school districts in the 2023/24 school year. Most students have never been to a farm. Many who attend are low-income, Title 1 students.
To make a Bus Bucks donation, go to https://www.seeag.org/bus-bucks. For more about SEEAG’s ag education programs, go to www.seeag.org. To watch a video about how donations are used, go here.
Founded in 2008, Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that aims to help young students understand the origins of their food by bridging the gap between agriculture and consumption through its agricultural education programming. SEEAG’s “The Farm Lab” program teaches schoolchildren about the origins of their food and the importance of local farmland by providing schools with classroom agricultural education and free field trips to farms. Through this and other SEEAG programs, over 100,000 elementary school students in Central and Southern California have increased their understanding of the food journey. For more information, visit www.seeag.org or email Mary Maranville at [email protected].
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel
Sunday, March 10 on ABC
Dolby Theatre, Hollywood
2024 Oscar Nominations
Most Nominated Categories: Oppenheimer 7 Oscars– 13 nominations Poor Things 4 Oscars – 11 nominations Killers of the Flower Moon 0 Oscars – 10 nominations Barbie 1 Oscar – 8 nominations American Fiction 1 Oscar – 5 nominations
Best Picture Oppenheimer
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
Best Actress Emma Stone, Poor Things
Annette Bening, Nyad
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
(*1st Native American woman ever nominated for Best Actress)
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Best Actor Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
Best Supporting Actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
America Ferrera, Barbie
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Best Supporting Actor Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things
Best Director Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall
Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest
Best Original Song “What Was I Made For?” Barbie (Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell)
“The Fire Inside,” Flamin’ Hot
“I’m Just Ken,” Barbie
“It Never Went Away,” American Symphony
“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People),” Killers of the Flower Moon
Best International Feature The Zone of Interest
Io Capitano
Perfect Days
Society of the Snow
The Teachers’ Lounge
Best Animated Feature The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best Animated Short War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
Letter to a Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderme
Best Live-Action Short The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
The After
Invincible
Knight of Fortune
Red, White and Blue
Best Documentary Feature 20 Days in Mariupol
Bobi Wine: The People’s President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill a Tiger
Best Documentary Short The Last Repair Shop The ABCs of Book Banning
The Barber of Little Rock
Island in Between
Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó
***Additional Categories not listed in print issue
Best Original Screenplay Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet and Arthur Harari)
The Holdovers
Maestro
May December
Past Lives
Best Adapted Screenplay American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
Best Cinematography Oppenheimer (Hoyte van Hoytema)
El Conde
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Poor Things
Best Original Score Oppenheimer
(Ludwig Göransson)
American Fiction
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Killers of the Flower Moon
Poor Things
Best Editing Oppenheimer (Jennifer Lame)
Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Poor Things
Best Production Design Poor Things (James Price, Shona Heath and Zsuzsa Mihalek)
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Best Costume Design Poor Things (Holly Waddington)
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Best Makeup and Hairstyling Poor Things (Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston)
Golda
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Society of the Snow
Best Sound The Zone of Interest (Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn)
The Creator
Maestro
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
Best Visual Effects Godzilla Minus One (Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima)
The Creator
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon
2024 Oscar Nominations Trailers To view full playlist, click on the playlist icon in the right top corner below
Cazita Backyard Cabana on display at the Fairgrounds
Looking for a tiny house, kitchen remodel or total home makeover? Find these and much more at the Ventura Home Improvement & Outdoor Living Expo, taking place Friday, Saturday and Sunday, February 23, 24 and 25 at Ventura Fairgrounds. Admission is free for this fun and informative expo, which highlights the latest in decorating, remodeling and landscaping.
Ready to downsize, add rental income or take your home on the road? The Tiny House Showcase offers future homebuyers a chance to experience full-size tiny homes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), casitas, homes on wheels, guest rooms and backyard cabanas. Meet with tiny home builders for specials and to learn more. Considering a kitchen or bath remodel? Local experts will be at the show to present renovation ideas from cabinets, countertops and center islands to tubs, vanities, shower doors, fixtures and accessories. Roofing, room additions, windows, doors, skylights, blinds/shutters and flooring/carpeting will also be available. Bring your plans and get ready to meet the pros.
For outdoor entertaining, see what’s new in pools, hot tubs, BBQ islands, patios, decks, outdoor furniture and artificial turf. Other products and services include gutter protection, home siding, concrete, paving stones, painting and coating solutions. Gardening enthusiasts can check out garden tools, soil additives, treatments, biochar and sustainable cooking units. Get advice from garden and landscape experts on plant care, soil health, pest control, composting and attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your backyard oasis. Energy and security products include heating/AC, solar, generators, alarms, security solutions and water filtration. Home decorating pros will also be on hand to help transform your space with storage, moving, organizing, kitchen accessories, bedding, mattresses and home décor products. For active aging and personal care, see what’s new in stairlifts, scooters, ramps, grab bars and self-defense products. Stay-at-home assessments for seniors will also be provided. Arts, crafts, gifts, sports apparel, collectibles, gourmet items and bakery products will also be on be available.
Attendees can learn about income property, homes for sale, managing rental units, and more from members of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles and Ventura County Coastal Association of Realtors. Show highlights will also include how-to demos, home improvement bingo and daily giveaways throughout the weekend.
The Home Improvement & Outdoor Living Expo – February 23-25, 2024, at Ventura County Fairgrounds, 10 W Harbor Blvd, Ventura, CA 93001. Show hours: Friday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Admission is free. On-site parking: $10.00. For information visit www.venturahomeshows.com.
Children will be seeing the positive impact that they had on seniors.
by Carol Leish, MA
“Since elementary school students last year wrote such heartwarming messages to seniors, we at Assisted Home Health & Hospice decided to continue our Project Love on an annual basis,” according to Natalie Uribe, the HospiceCare Specialist at Assisted Home Health & Hospice. This year, Ventura Elementary Schools, Portola, EP Foster, Will Rogers, Montalvo, Poinsettia, and Elmhurst Elementary Schools have participated again. New schools in Oxnard and Camarillo also participated in the Project Love Event this year.
‘We supplied 4-5 different color sheets, to give the children options of what to color. The cards said things, such as, ‘You are wonderful; and, ‘You are special,’ as well as a spot for their own message The Valentine’s Day Cards were delivered to various senior residential facilities in Ventura: Cypress Place Senior Living; Aegis Living; Cal Vet; The Palms of Buenaventura; Victoria Care Center; Ventura Post Acute; and, Coastal View. Some seniors were moved to tears of joy, after seeing the cards. They reminisced bout when their children were going to elementary school.”
Children will be seeing the positive impact that they had on seniors since Assisted Home Health & Hospice took videos of the kids coloring and of the seniors receiving the heartwarming messages, which they will be sending to the schools in March for teachers to show to the children who participated.
“We look forward to this event growing each year so it can touch more lives,” according to Uribe. “The event has grown by 25% with more schools participating each year. With all that is going on in the world, we need to realize the importance of loving one another. This event has created more caring within children by making them more aware of thinking about others, such as seniors, especially since some of them have grandparents.”
Let us continue to spread love and joy to others throughout the year.
