ALDI grocery has opened its newest store at 4717 Telephone Rd. ALDI operates more than 2,000 stores in 37 states and is on track to become the third-largest U.S. grocery retailer by store count by the end of 2022.

by Jill Forman

Note from Online Bookstore manager Leslie Bellmore

Did you know our Friends Online Bookstore offers you the ease of browsing and ordering online, then quick and easy pick up at the Foster Bookstore?  Volunteers with backgrounds in teaching and library administration carefully select these books to be not only engaging, worthwhile reading material but in great condition. We update offerings weekly: newer fiction and non-fiction, audiobooks, children’s picture books, youth fiction and non-fiction, puzzles, and some gardening and language titles. Orders placed Monday through Thursday will be available Saturdays; orders placed Fridays through Sundays will be available Tuesdays. The Foster bookstore is open 11am to 4pm Tuesdays through Saturdays, but the Online store is always open.

Craft Kits at your local branch

Craft kits are available at the branches on varying schedules. There is everything needed for some project, art creation, or who knows what the kids might find! Check with the staff at your local branch to find out when they are available.

Libraries Branching Out

Libraries offer so much. Our beloved Ventura libraries have activities from STEAM projects to ukulele jams, poetry groups, art lessons and so on. As life gets back to normal (we hope) they will once again offer speakers, concerts and other in-person events.

Here is a sampling of what libraries in other areas are offering:

Seed sharing – to teach people about regional flora, expand seed access and help preserve biodiversity (Gardiner, N.Y.)

Tool Lending – garden, carpentry, even kitchen tools (Berkeley.)

Health Visits – schedule, complete pre-visit check-in, even attend a telemedicine appointment (Pottsboro, Texas.)

Memory Kits – for a family member with memory problems, these are based on “reminiscence therapy,” using familiar items to call up deeply-held memories (no location given.)

Sporting Goods – (15 libraries in Southeast Michigan, partnering with local groups like the YMCA.)

DIY Home Energy Savings Toolkits – A great opportunity to learn and get the tools you need to become energy-efficient

A demonstration of kits available from 3C-REN and the Ventura County Library – at the Hill Road Library

Javier Saucedo of Ventura County’s Green Business Program will visit the Hill Road Library at 1pm on Thursday, September 23, to explain and demonstrate the contents of the DIY Home Energy Savings Toolkit.

3C-REN and the Ventura County Library have partnered to create the DIY Home Energy Savings Toolkit. The toolkit includes tools, equipment, and a guide to help you save energy and increase the comfort of your home. There are items for you to keep, like LED light bulbs, outlet gaskets, weather-stripping, and water leak detection dye tablets; and tools to return, like an infrared laser thermometer and a Kill-A-Watt meter. Join this event for a demo of the kit, and to learn about sustainability programs in your area.

This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Linda Cherry, Librarian, at (805) 677-7180.

The Hill Road Library is located at 1070 S. Hill Road in Ventura, CA.

Looking for a way to give back to the community? The Auxiliary at Community Memorial Hospital is looking for volunteers. This group provides many services throughout the hospital and there are openings in most areas for new recruits. Though the time requirements are minimal, the contribution made by volunteers is great. Interested in joining us? Leave a message at 805-948-4299, or pick up a brochure and information at the CMH booth at the Farmer’s Market at the Collection every Saturday.

October 3: Richard Senate, long known as Ventura County’s “Ghost Hunter” and other docents will lead tours of the 1892 Dudley Historic House Museum on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Senate will be signing his books including the booklet, “Are There Ghosts at the Dudley House?” for sale in the gift shop.
Tour group size will be limited. Admission is free.

October 9: Plant & Collectibles Sale; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The monthly plant sale continues at the Dudley House with collectibles added. The usual bromeliads, orchids and succulents will be on sale along with “treasures” donated to the museum through the years. Plant and collectibles vendors please call Charlie at 805-746-4317 for details.

October 23: 31st Annual Youth Stamp Fair. 10 A.M. TO 3 P.M.
Everyone is welcome: the young, young at heart, those who inherited a
collection and those who ran across their own old collections. Learn how
to start a collection, how to identify your stamps and more.
Sponsored by The Ventura County Philatelic Society (established in1928).
For further information see website http//venturacountyphilatelicsoc.org
or call (805) 667-8042

The museum is located at the corner of Loma Vista and Ashwood streets (197 N. Ashwood) in Ventura. For information please call (805) 642-3345 or visit the website at dudleyhouse.org.

The Ventura County Library is proud to announce its fourth annual One County, One Book community reading program. One County, One Book aims to unite the Ventura County community around a common narrative, spreading interest in and facilitating discussions about the selected book. One County, One Book 2021 is truly a countywide initiative, and aims to spark community discussion, foster a stronger sense of community, and promote a love of reading and literature. The 2021 One County, One Book program is sponsored by the Ventura County Library Foundation.

This year’s One County, One Book selection is Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha. From the official description, Your House Will Pay is “A powerful and taut novel about racial tensions in LA, following two families—one Korean-American, one African-American—grappling with the effects of a decades-old crime.”

All members of the public are invited to join Steph Cha for the featured One County, One Book author talk and Q&A, which will take place virtually via Zoom. Additional details about this author talk, including how to register, will be posted on our website. In the meantime, save the date for this event, taking place at 2pm on October 30, 2021.

Other special One County, One Book programs include a Faculty Panel Discussion presented by California Lutheran University. University faculty and staff members will discuss the themes of Your House Will Pay, and participants may attend either in person or via livestream. Admission is free, but registration is required. This event will take place at 6pm on Wednesday, October 6, 2021.

To participate in One County, One Book, pick up a copy of Your House Will Pay from one of our 12 library branches or our Mobile Library. In addition to our regular holdings, beginning in September each library will have an Honor Book Shelf set up with additional copies.

Once you have read the book you will be ready for our October events. Visit our website at www.vencolibrary.org/library-events for more information as programs are scheduled.

The Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) is happy to announce its first film showcase event “Home Waters: Coastal Communities and Maritime Traditions,” a selection of four short films. Through animation, cinema verite, and classic documentary formats, four directors take us across North America and Canada to explore coastal indigenous lifeways.

In “Now Is the Time” and “Homecoming: Journey to Limuw” we see the revival of ancestral Haida and Chumash traditions after the impact of colonization. In “Lake” we watch a group of Metis women net fishing. Finally, in “Nibiising,” we see the importance of caring for the places we call home. This showcase serves to show that Indigenous traditions continue to thrive today. The showcase will be followed by a panel discussion

“Caring for our waters and maintaining strong relationships to place is not a thing of the past,” says CIMM Collections and Exhibitions Manager, Olivia Morris, who curated the film showcase. “If anything, it is even more relevant today as we face a wide variety of serious and challenging issues as they relate to The Ocean and environments we all share.” 

Home Waters will be presented on October 9, 2021, starting at 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum located at 3900 Bluefin Circle in Oxnard. Tickets for the event will become available on August 15 through the Museum’s website at cimmvc.org. Ticket Prices will be $10 for adults, $7.00 for seniors, $5.00 for youths aged 6-17 years. Museum members receive discounted ticket pricing of $7.00.

Founded in 1991 and located in Oxnard’s Channel Islands Harbor, the Museum’s galleries feature rare and beautiful maritime paintings dating back to the 1600’s, more than sixty world-class models of historic ships, rotating thematic fine arts exhibitions, and interactive exhibits that encourage visitors to expand their horizons about everything maritime. The Museum is open to the public Thursday through Sunday, Noon until 4:00 pm and Monday, 10:00 am until 4:00 pm.

Echoes of a Recent Past
at the Museum of Ventura County
September 22 @ 5-8pm

Join us for a special evening celebrating the opening of our new Sculpture Garden and the space’s first installation by artist Paul Lindhard. Enjoy live music by Jason Brock’s rock band, post-Celtic music by Maya Lumen, aerial performances by Fly Time Fitness, and participate in a silent auction!

Who: The Museum of Ventura County in collaboration with artist Paul Lindhard of Art City Studios debuts museum’s new Santa Clara Street Garden Installation, Echoes of a Recent Past.

When: On Wednesday, September 22, 2021, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. join the Museum of Ventura County for a special celebration recognizing the recent installment of Echoes of a Recent Past. The celebration will include introductions, special announcements, and a short video of the site’s history. The event will be followed by light refreshments and musical performances by Jason Brock and his band, post-Celtic musician Maya Lumen, and aerial performances by Fly Time Fitness. Guests can also enjoy food from local food trucks along with beer and wine for purchase.

What: The Museum of Ventura County announces and welcomes guests to attend the first official Santa Clara Street Garden art space event, Echoes of a Recent Past, a long-term art installation that incorporates repurposed, and reinterpreted materials found on developed lots in downtown Ventura. The artistic idea is to imagine a cultivated land experience, by using and showcasing the usefulness of discarded materials, space, and history. Artist Paul Lindhard’s theme is to use both historic and familiar concepts that can be found in our natural human habitat — in past, present, and fanciful. “Echoes of a Recent Past was an evolution of historic possibilities that all harkens for me to a future interaction for the museum and the community for that space to evolve,” stated artist Paul Lindhard.

Where: The Museum of Ventura County

100 East Main Street, Ventura, California 93001

The event will take place inside the sculpture garden, located on the Santa Clara Street side.