New Art City Theatre’s (NACT) inaugural playwrights’ festival will be held April 25 – 28, 2024 at the Museum of Ventura County. NACT is dedicated to the development of new theatrical works.

Festival ’24 is free to the community. “Too often, professional theatre is out of reach of people who’d love to see it. Keeping the festival free is critical to our mission,” adds NACT cofounder Beverly Ward.

For the festival, 175 works were submitted from all over the country. From a careful screening process, four plays were selected. The selected writers will engage in a week-long residency, collaborating with professional directors, actors, and dramaturges The plays will be cast and rehearsed with equity actors.

Each show will have two staged reading performances (matinee and evening). All works will be presented to live audiences who will provide structured feedback to the writer.

SWIMMING UP THE SUN – April 25, 1 & 7 PM
Written by Nicole Burton
A warm-hearted and inspiring journey into the heart of an adopted woman’s experience with relinquishment and the rollercoaster ride of a family reunion. Adapted from the author’s memoir.

RECONCILIATION – April 26, 1 & 7 PM
Written by Dan Noonan
In the face of triumph and tragedy, Tim struggles with faith. His surprisingly funny, achingly beautiful story will leave you breathlessly praying for his salvation

DROWNED CATS – April 27, 1 & 7 PM
Written by Greg LoProto
A regular family is living their regular lives when a devastating storm brings them together and helps them forge deeper connections. Powerful yet intimate, this is a story for now.

BLOWHOLE – April 28, 1 & 5 PM
Written by Aly Kantor
A nautical, radical, silly, scintillating, laugh-out-loud adaptation of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, set in a struggling whaling village during the doldrums of the American suffrage movement. A lark!

Audiences will have the unique and exciting opportunity to peek behind the curtain and witness the birth of theatre in the making. This program has been made possible in part through the sponsorship of The Field, and with funding provided by the generous donors who support the mission and vision of NACT.

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.

To reserve your free ticket, go to: https://newartcitytheatre.org.

by Mira Reverente

Friendly and upbeat, Mike Christie can easily put strangers and acquaintances at ease with his ready smile and his repertoire of jokes.

He readily talks about his day and what brought him to Neuroboxing Fight Camp at Portside

Ventura Harbor. “A friend told me about these no-contact boxing classes for people with Parkinson’s, back in 2020. I was one of the first students ,” says Mike, 75.

More than three years later, he’s still attending classes five times a week, with one class solely devoted to strength training. The Camarillo resident looks forward to the classes and meeting like-minded people going through the same thing – Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and other neurological conditions.

He adds, “I no longer feel alone. Here I am surrounded by people who are in the same boat as I am and there’s so much support out there.” He even started attending monthly support groups where there is a lot of talking and sharing of coping mechanisms like Tai Chi.

Mike recalls being diagnosed in 2020 although the tremors started ten years prior. The tremors progressively got worse and he eventually sought and received a diagnosis from a neurologist at UCLA.

Pre-Parkinson’s, Mike was inspecting vehicles upon arrival at Port Hueneme, a job he had for 13 years. Prior to that, was managing a cabinet shop in Orange County. He retired at 62 and didn’t think another job was in the cards for him.

This Oregon transplant finds the SoCal coastline equally breathtaking and led to his fondness for collecting sea glass, which he finds immensely relaxing and satisfying in its simplicity. He says, “You walk amidst these rocks and you find these simple, beautiful pieces. You can get lost in the process and not notice that several hours have gone by.”

“It’s an outdoor activity I enjoy doing. I can spend hours or an entire day on a beach by the rock formations, just searching for sea glass,” he says of his decades-long hobby. He likes the local beaches like Silver Strand Beach in Oxnard but also looks forward to the pristine beaches of Maui, which he usually visits once or twice a year.

While he doesn’t do much with sea glass except to collect them for decorative purposes and careful storage, he has on occasion had the more vibrant pieces turned into necklaces and gifted them to close friends and family members.

His PD diagnosis hasn’t stopped him from traveling. Aside from Maui, he has visited Israel and Australia. “I still live life the way I want to and it hasn’t stopped me at all. I’ve gotten used to it that sometimes I no longer notice the tremors,,” says the father of one and grandfather of six. He does practice great care in navigating staircases and curbs, but very simple modifications. He also finds enjoyment in going out to dinner occasionally and not having to whip up home-cooked meals.

His neurologist in Oxnard was trying to convince him to do surgery when he was ready but he decided it wasn’t for him, after much thought. He credits his spirituality and his past stint as a pastor for his current mindset of acceptance and contentment.

When asked what he would tell folks who get a PD diagnosis, Mike put it simply – “If you experience the usual symptoms, try to get an early diagnosis so you have access to more treatment options. Don’t put it off and continue or start exercising to get a handle on it right away.”

It’s time to mark your calendars! The Parkinson’s Foundation and the Ventura County Neurofitness Center are hosting a Bingo/Talent Show to support fundraising efforts for the Parkinson’s Foundation. The event will be held Friday, March 15th from 7-9pm at the Ventura Marina Community Clubhouse located at 1215 Anchors Way in Ventura. The event will include 5 regular games of Bingo, a talent show, desserts, coffee & water.

Doors open at 6:00pm with regular bingo games starting promptly at 7pm. Entry fee is $10 per person plus $5 buy-in for bingo. Every game has a minimum $100 prize value (Amazon, Wood Ranch gift cards). Talent show starts at 8pm immediately following the bingo games and will feature the many talents of our local community.

This event is open to the public and 100% of the proceeds go directly to support the Parkinson’s Foundation and its mission to improve care and advance research toward a cure.

“We are partnering with the Parkinson’s Foundation to raise money for our relentless pursuit of a cure for Parkinson’s,” said Dr. Vanessa White, Director of the Ventura County Parkinson’s Support Group. Dr. White added that she would love for you to be a part of this fun-filled night you won’t want to miss,” and she “hopes to make this an annual event” held in conjunction with the Foundation’s Moving Day event (scheduled for Saturday, April 13th this year from 9-11am at the Ventura County Fairgrounds).

Seats are limited to 200 attendees and this exciting event will fill up fast—please arrive early with your friends and family and the bingo fun will start promptly at 7pm—all for a good time and an even better cause. For those unable to attend this event, but would still like to support the Parkinson’s Foundation, please visit the A-Team page (on the Parkinson’s Foundation website—Ventura County Moving Day—http://www3.parkinson.org/goto/ATeam_2024) to make donations directly through the Parkinson’s Foundation website.

by Patricia Schallert

If you drive, walk or bike down Anchors Way, you might happen to see a big red box and no, it’s not for old DVD’s or CD’s. It’s called a Baker tank and it is commonly used in construction  for the purpose of holding groundwater. It is large and durable red container designed to store water at construction sites or other areas where water supply is needed.

The Ventura Water Pure project is using baker tanks so that they can treat the water and test it to make sure that it is clean before  the water is released into the ocean.  They have a permit with the State of California that allows the  Project  to discharge clean groundwater Into the harbor through storm drains

Baker Tanks  are typically made from heavy-duty materials to withstand harsh conditions and have a high capacity for holding significant volumes of water. The Baker tank makes it a convenient and efficient solution for construction projects, as it provides a readily available water source.  Moreover, it aids in controlling groundwater levels, preventing excess water accumulation and potential flooding.

The Baker Tank on Anchors Way is being  utilized to treat and test water before it is discharged into the ocean by providing a controlled environment for various water treatment processes. The tank allows for the addition of treatment chemicals and allows any necessary reactions to occur. Furthermore, it enables the monitoring and testing of water quality parameters such as pH levels, turbidity, and contaminants. By using a Baker tank, water can be effectively treated and tested, ensuring compliance with environmental regulations before it is safely discharged back into the environment.

Overall, Baker tanks play a pivotal role in construction and groundwater management, facilitating smoother operations and healthier environments.

by Richard Senate

Perhaps a simple instructive sign should be installed on Main Street to let visitors and local residents know the importance of this small walkway, Just down from the Old Mission, it dates back long before the coming of the Spanish Padres. It was used by the Chumash people. It is named for Ramon Valdez, a Spanish soldier who built an adobe home here for his young Chumash bride in 1820. Remarkably the structure stood for many years and served many purposes. It was a livery stable and for some time a Mexican Restaurant called “El Viejo Adobe,”

Here Santiago Olivas, the son of Raymundo Olivas, worked as a cook. Before that it was our first polling place where, in the historic election of 1860, all nine eligible voters cast their ballots for Abraham Lincoln (he didn’t carry the county because all of Santa Barbara went for his rival Stephen  Douglas).  At that time Ventura was part of Santa Barbara, a union that mixed like oil and water. Then the alley went to a small brick building built by the Spanish to purify the local water and repurposed by the Americans into our  first jail. It served as the local lock-up from 1866 to 1869.  Perhaps a few signs could tell of the unique history of this narrow walkway in Ventura’s early years.

by David Goldstein

Book reuse, rather than book recycling, should be our first resort for discarded books. Books free of mold, mildew or water stains may be donated to thrift stores; sold on sites such as eBay, Craigslist, or OfferUp; given away to a Friends of the Library organization or through sites such as Freecycle or bookmooch.com; or brought to a bookstore, such as Abednego Books, in Ventura, which accepts used books and, in exchange, offers partial store credit toward book purchases. Through the Little Free Libraries non-profit organization, some people set up book swap enclosures in front of their homes.

For 200 or more books at a time, collection can be provided by American Book Drive, based in Simi Valley, which also picks up CDs, or DVDs. American Book Drive depends on receiving high quality items among the discards; their business model involves selling some items and donating funds to a charity chosen by their book donors in exchange for the books. Book drives can therefore also be conducted by schools or non-profit organizations. You can contact the company at (877) 870-7701 or Americanbookdrive.com.

However, all books eventually reach a point of no return. For recycling, rather than reusing, large numbers of books, Berg Mill offers an option in Ventura. The company picks up and pays for books stored in quantities of 20 or more gaylords. A gaylord is a large cardboard box capable of holding approximately 1,000 pounds. This option works for book consolidation sites, such as regional sorting centers for thrift store chains, school district warehouses, and large Friends of the Library sorting centers with sufficient storage space.

For curbside recycling programs and recycling in commercial bins in Ventura by Harrison Industries, soft cover books are acceptable, but hard cover books are limited. The guideline in these areas is “no more than 10 hard cover books at a time,” according to Danial Marks, with Berg Mills, which markets material sorted at Gold Coast Recycling, in Ventura. “Any more than that, and there is a chance it could end up in one bale, making it difficult to recycle,” he explained. The spines of hard cover books must be cut off with device called a “guillotine” before the paper can be recycled, and buyers balk at loads requiring too much labor to process.

On-line resources:

Ventura Friends of the Library:
https://venturafriendsofthelibrary.org
http://americanbookdrive.com
http://bookmooch.com/

David Goldstein, Ventura County Public Works Environmental Resource Analyst, may be reached at (805) 658-4312 or [email protected]