Eight new Honeylocust trees (thornless variety) have been planted in empty tree wells on Main Street in midtown Ventura. When you see a new street tree with a Gator bag, it is being watered with recycled water. Honeylocust canopy trees line Main Street from downtown to Five Points, providing summer shade and yellow Autumn foliage.
Ventura Tree Alliance
www.venturatreealliance.com
Some of the incredibly inspiring local creatives who share their work with the community.
Living in Ventura, residents appreciate that a large part of what makes Ventura so unique are the incredibly inspiring local creatives who share their work with the community. Ventura Harbor Village has launched a DIY Meet the Makers Tour – taking you on a journey to meet soap makers, fine artisans, ceramists, and chocolatiers while also being surrounded on the way with kelp and Channel Island artistic inlays in the ground, tile murals, and wind sculptures. Makers and artisans at the Ventura Harbor Village make up cooperative spaces, boutiques, galleries, and stores where even the customer becomes the maker.
Such is the vision of Shana Elson, owner and head chocolatier of Top This Chocolate, the first customizable on-the-spot chocolate store where customers can design their own chocolate bars from a selection of 40 toppings. Each creation is made with 100% cocoa butter, Fair Trade Certified, is non-GMO and gluten free! This chocolate shop pulls out all the stops to provide the ultimate chocolate experience and can be ready in less than 10 minutes.
Harbor Village Gallery & Gifts nearby, features a collaboration of resident artists from the Buenaventura Art Association, a 66-year-old foundational non-profit connecting artists to the community and each other. This gallery and store highlights fine art and crafts ranging from photography, painting in all mediums, jewelry, textiles, glass, prints, greeting cards, local seascapes, and much more to feature that local vibe in your home.
Ventura Pottery Gallery just around the corner, is home to more than 40 local ceramists. When visiting the gallery you will discover a wide variety of ceramic art, from functional and sculptural, hand built to wheel thrown, and earth tones to vibrant colors. You may even catch one of the artists in action inside this colorful and vibrant gallery and boutique.
Tina O’Brien, resident artist and owner of the Mermaid Gallery, can be seen painting in the store regularly. Mermaid Gallery, which is a combination art studio, gallery and gift shop, features whimsical watercolors of mermaids, sea creatures, sea turtles, while capturing scenes of the beautiful Ventura Coast in her original art pieces – plus the store offers beach and mermaid décor galore! Customers can work with O’Brien to have a piece commissioned for their home as well.
Lemon & Lei is a unique boutique soap and bath shop by local maker Katie Adams, featuring her Ventura body collection line that is both fun and whimsical. Popular bath bombs with a variety of themes, and soap that almost looks good enough to eat, are some of the products that provide a colorful bath experience in the store and at home. Her bath and body products are free from harmful chemicals and ingredients, environmentally safe and cruelty free. Shoppers can catch a glimpse of the soap process in her store.
Recently joining the Ventura Harbor Village family in early 2021 are the owners and bakers of Sugar Lab Bake Shop, a mother-daughter team Kelly Shirk and Alison Kenis, bringing their scratch-baked goodness to the seaside. Their handmade, small batch process ensures a high-quality product that is baked fresh daily.
To watch the DIY Meet the Makers Tour or to and to learn more about these creatives themselves visit VenturaHarborVillage.com.
Opera Santa Barbara is thrilled to close its unexpected 20|21 Season with the company premiere of its first Richard Wagner opera, Das Rheingold. The only performance will be Sunday, June 27 at 2:30PM at the Lobero Theatre. This production marks the first for the company inside a theatre in more than a year.
Graham Vick and Jonathan Dove’s version of the Ring Cycle captures the mighty essence of Wagner’s masterpiece in an abbreviated time frame of 1 hour and 50 minutes, with just 12 singers and 18 orchestral players. The pocket-sized miracle premiered in Birmingham, UK in 1990, and has been presented by dozens of opera companies around the world. Described by reviewers as “ear opening” and “imaginatively fresh”, the “Dove Ring” has made it possible for smaller companies to introduce this much admired but often intimidating work to new audiences in an accessible way, while still satisfying Wagner fans. The plot unfolds with cinematic pace, character interactions become more intimate, and Dove’s masterful orchestral reduction beautifully reflects the splendor of the original score, while bringing out musical motives and details.
“Last summer I promised our fans, donors, and workforce that Opera SB will raise its curtain within 30 days from the time restrictions to indoor performances are lifted. The time is here, we’ve been preparing for this a year, and our team is in top form. I can’t wait to work with some of my favorite artists on our company’s first Wagner opera, and to conduct my own first Wagner with the amazing musicians of the Opera Santa Barbara orchestra,” says Artistic and General Director Kostis Protopapas.
Designed by director Crystal Manich (Il Postino, 2020) and Projection/Lighting Designer François Pierre Couture (The Cunning Little Vixen, 2017), Opera Santa Barbara’s new production brings Wagner’s mythical world to life through a combination of powerful vocals, video projections, and 80’s rock-inspired costuming. Bass-baritone Kyle Albertson and baritone Timothy Mix make their Opera SB debuts as Wotan and Alberich. Opera SB favorite mezzo-soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen is Wotan’s defiant consort Fricka, while Anya Matanovich (The Crucible, 2019) returns as the beautiful Freia, the coveted goddess of love. Robert Norman returns as the cunning Loge, and the playful Rheinmaidens are portrayed by Christina Pezzarossi and Chrisman Studio Artists Brooklyn Snow and Max Potter. Nathan Stark (The Barber of Seville, 2018) and Colin Ramsey (Madama Butterfly, 2019) are the scorned giants, Fasolt and Fafner, Alissa Anderson the prophetic Erda, goddess of the earth, and LaMarcus Miller as the thunder god, Donner. Artistic and General Director Kostis Protopapas conducts his first Wagner opera, with 18 members of the Opera Santa Barbara Orchestra on stage.
Detailed health safety protocols will be issued to ticket holders a few days in advance of the performance according to the government and industry guidelines that are in effect at that time of the show.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, May 26 and will start at $79. For now, patrons can purchase VIP Premium Tickets with concierge service, Sponsorships, or get on a waitlist for pre-sales of General Admission tickets on May 24. Please visit the OSB website for more information.
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Feraud General Merchandise Store, also known as the 1903 Building, was built in 1903 on Main. Jules Feraud opened the Feraud Bakery and Grocery Store and the bakery stayed in the family until 1944. It is now Paddy’s Bar+Lounge.
by Jill Forman
Welcome Back to Your Library!
Events are changing too fast to keep up with. Check the library website, talk to your local librarian in person or by phone to find out the latest updates.
Summer Reading Program Launching June 1 (from library press release)
Ventura County Library urges families to get ready, get set, go to the library and sign up for Reading Colors Your World!
Over the summer, the library is hosting a range of free activities for children, teens, and adults to encourage and support a love of reading. Participants may win prizes for reaching their reading goals. “We’ve planned a wonderful program for kids to make the library a great place to read, learn, and discover what’s available for their enjoyment,” said Molly Krill, Youth Services Manager.
Themed events include weekly STEAM Kits and challenges, participation in the library’s online reading and activity log (register at vencolibrary.beanstack.org), themed Storytimes, and a presentation by the Ojai Raptor Center. This year Ventura County Library is giving away six Nintendo Switch Grand Prizes in addition to smaller prize drawings throughout the summer. Once a child has logged 500 minutes they may visit their local branch to choose a free new book to add to their home libraries.
There is also a serious side to summer reading. Research has shown that reading over the summer prevents reading loss. Studies also indicate students who read recreationally outperform those who don’t. Students read more when they can choose materials based on their own interests.
Nancy Schram, Library Director says, “Children who don’t read over the summer may lose up to two full months of learning by the time they return to school in the fall. To succeed in school and life, our children and teens need continuous opportunities to learn and practice critical skills. Your public library is a key part of the solution during the summer when school is out.”
Registration continues through August 22, 2021. To learn more about the summer reading adventure at the library, please call your local branch or check out the library’s website at vencolibrary.org.
This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Molly Krill, Ventura County Library Youth Services Manager at (805) 218-3592
Friends of the Library Foster Library Bookstore
We are hoping to be open by July 1. Updates will be announced on our website venturafriendsofthelibrary.org. Or sign up for our newsletter at [email protected]. We anticipate needing volunteers; if you are interested contact us at [email protected].
Friends of the Library Hill Road Used Book Sale Shelves
We hope to be back in business by mid-June.
Online Bookstore
The Friends will continue their online bookstore. Pickup days and times will change but we plan to still have pickups at Hill Road as well as Foster Library. Details are being worked out and will be communicated when an order is placed.
Remember, all purchases support programs such as Summer Reading described above.
On Friday, May 21, Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) announced the 10 winners of the 2021 Spirit of Entrepreneurship (SOE) Awards at a virtual event celebrating outstanding women business owners from Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.
“The SOE Awards are a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge and honor these amazing women for the hard work they have put in to keep their businesses thriving. This year’s winners are even more inspirational when you factor in the challenges presented throughout the past year,” said Kathy Odell, CEO of WEV.
In addition to the 10 category awards, WEV also presented entrepreneur and activist, 92-year-old Lupe Anguiano with the 2021 Rock Star: Lifetime Achievement Award. Anguiano was honored for her more than seven decades of work on women’s rights, the rights of the poor, and the protection of the environment. This prestigious award is presented annually to an individual who has made an indelible impact on our community and who serves as a role model for women.
Major sponsors of the 2021 Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards include Aligned Pilates, Wellness and Physical Therapy, American Riviera Bank, City National Bank, Cox, County of Ventura, JP Morgan Chase & Co, La Arcada, LinkedIn, Lure Digital Agency, Montecito Bank & Trust, Pacific Western Bank, Tileco Distributors, and Ventura County Credit Union.
Winners by Category:
Arts & Entertainment: Devyn Duex, Nebula Dance Lab, nebuladance.org
Green & Social Entrepreneur: Pam Plesons, Plow to Porch Organics, Inc., plowtoporch.com
Health & Wellness: Jill Agonias, Divinitree Yoga, divinitreesantabarbara.com
Hospitality & Tourism: Gabrielle Moes, Seasons Catering, seasonscateringca.com
Media & Communications: Lynnette Coverly, Coverly Professional Services, coverlypro.com
Nonprofit: Mary Maranville, Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture, Inc., seeag.org
Professional Services: Laurice Tamura, Urban Planning Concepts, Inc., urbanplanningconcepts.com
Retail: Ashe Browne, Pura Luna Apothecary, puralunaapothecary.com
Science & Technology: Rashi Bahri Chitnis, Shoonya, shoonyadigital.com
Wholesale, Mfg, Online Retail: Reyna Chavez, Scrubs on the Run, scrubsontherununiforms.com
Women’s Economic Ventures is dedicated to creating an equitable and just society through the economic empowerment of women. WEV is a business resource network for anyone looking to start a business, grow a local business, or improve their business skills. WEV provides small business training, advisory services, financial literacy programs and small business loans in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. While WEV’s focus is on women, it welcomes people of all gender identities into the WEV community. Business courses, programs and loans are provided in both English and Spanish.
Linda Burroughs, Staci Brown and Susie Tucker enjoyed a walking tour of downtown Los Angeles. After visiting California’s largest used and new bookstore called “The Last Bookstore” they stopped at Angel’s Flight to read the Ventura Breeze.
by Molly Kohler Pei, Channel Islands Choral Association
Channel Islands Choral Association (CICA) presents a Virtual Choral Experience, streaming On Demand from June 4th – 20th. Into the Light: Celebrating Black Composers in Choral Music features the CSU Channel Islands University Chorus and the Pleasant Valley School District Chorus. The program is hosted by CICA Artistic Director Dr. KuanFen Liu and President Dean Butler.
CICA continues its commitment to present choral literature and composers that represent diversity in genre, style, racial, ethnic, and cultural heritages. The event highlights non-idiomatic choral music of some of the most famous and influential Black composers that have too long been neglected in the Western tradition. The Virtual Choruses perform music by Bobby McFerrin, Undine Smith Moore, Mark Miller, Victor C. Johnson and Ysaÿe Barnwell.
CICA in partnership with CSU Channel Islands and Pleasant Valley School District aims to promote choral music that raises awareness and celebrates the diversities among us. Southern California is shaped by the remarkable contributions of its residents. The program pairs the music with examples of individuals and communities that showcase the rich diversity of Los Angeles.
The CSU Channel Islands University Chorus is composed of students, faculty and staff and community members. A highlight of the weekly Zoom rehearsals are the dedicated segments for a community circle in which the participants engage in subject matter related to the music and the theme of the program. Dr. Raquel Baker, Assistant Professor of English at CSU Channel Islands, facilitated a Two-Way Conversation about performing the music of Black composers as well as other provocative issues. Highlights of this unique exchange is a part of the virtual program. Viewers will enjoy the robust dialogue covering topics such as how to use choral music to create equality and how a community can advocate for Asian Americans during this time when there is an upsurge of anti-Asian violence. Inspired by the interchange of heartfelt comments and calls to action for social justice, the students in the chorus created a video poem performance piece in which each reflects on how to be a part of change.
Virtual performances are mastered by Arts Laureate, an elite recording team that sets up virtual performances for groups such as the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and NPR’s JazzSet at the Kennedy Center.
Tickets are $15. Proceeds benefit the Virtual Choir programs sponsored by CICA. Information for the On Demand event and ticket purchase is available at cicachoir.org.
Richard Senate thinks his 6-year-old grandson Rigby Best is as cute (and smart) as they can be.
Photos by Michael Gordon
by Visit Ventura
If you live in Ventura you know the Trees. Many still call them Two Trees, no matter that Trees come and go. They are simply called Two Trees because we are a town without pretension. Paris has The Eiffel Tower. New York has the Statue of Liberty. Sydney, the Opera House. San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge.
For Ventura, Trees are enough.
Like so many seemingly innocuous things, our Trees are fascinating. Some say they were planted as a beacon for seagoing ships, to aid captains in making Ventura landfall. It is said that on certain sailing charts you can still find the Hill of the Trees, marking Ventura. Either way, it is a nice story. Ships ferry romance, and in this day and age of Google Earth the thought of scanning the horizon for trees has a lovely charm.
The Trees’ real story is fascinating, too. In 1898 Joseph Sexton, a horticulturist of note, planted 13 Blue Gum Eucalyptus saplings atop the hill. It’s said he did this for the best of reasons; because he thought they would look nice. Mr. Sexton had an eye for beauty. He had good sense, too. He hired his neighbor Owen Marron to do the planting and subsequent caretaking. In 1898 it was a hellish business hauling water, by horseback and burro, up the steep hillside.
On again and off again, the Trees have been part of Ventura’s story. One year, for their senior prank, the seniors at Ventura High School moved an entire classroom of desks up to Two Trees. One must salute such creativity.
People are drawn to our Trees, though not everyone brings their desk. Our Trees have a hypnotic quality, a far-reaching siren call. Once, after the Trees skirted a fiery disaster, our local paper printed a letter from a woman immensely relieved that the Trees were still there. “I scan the horizon so avidly that my eyes are nearly popping out of their sockets until I finally sight my favorite view …” the woman wrote from her home in Florida.
Trees come and go. This piece was first written when there were indeed Two Trees. But, regardless of number, our Trees remain Ventura’s icon.
Because, regardless of number, their whisper is the same.
It is a special town where the icon dissolves with the sunset.
