by James F.  Gray

Juan Aleman, mid-twenties, plays guard for the Ventura Special Olympics ten member, SLAM, basketball team. He and teammates took the gold at the recent Santa Barbara Special Olympics Regional Tournament.

He’s a force to be reckoned with on the court, using superior strength and agility. He has a good work ethic, being prompt for all practices for the last two plus years on his present team.

Juan was especially thrilled when viewing a full-length poster the team had at an event depicting him, arms crossed and smiling.

According to his coach, Tom Henry, Juan always goes the extra mile for his team. He brings food to share at his own expense to practice sessions. His coach and teammates appreciate these extra efforts.

Juan is self-sufficient, has a fulltime job at a local Vons Market, an apartment close by and a girlfriend.

He also plays Special Olympics softball.

The 5th Annual Ventura Farm Day, set for Saturday, November 4, is seeking sponsors. During Farm Day, more than 20 Ventura County farms open their doors and invite the public to learn how their food is grown.

“We are looking for sponsors who want to be part of this free, fun and informative event that connects the community with local farms,” says Mary Maranville, founder and executive director of Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG), the nonprofit that organizes Farm Day each year. “Farm Day is an excellent demonstration of the successful partnership between farms, community leaders and businesses to further agricultural awareness.”

The night before Farm Day, on Friday, November 3, the 2nd Annual Ventura County Farm Day Film Festival will be held. The time and venue will be announced soon.

New this year is a Farm Day kickoff breakfast at The Collection in Oxnard. The Collection and Whole Foods are sponsors. “It’s a great way to start Farm Day,” says Maranville. “The breakfast will include many of the produce grown right here in Ventura County.”

Finally, to cap off Farm Day, a barbeque will take place in the evening that features live entertainment, games for the kids and locally-sourced food and beverages.

Ventura County Farm Day is also looking for an animal to be its official mascot. “It could be a miniature pony, calf, piglet—an animal that loves being with children and who can attend Farm Day kid events,” explains Maranville.

For more information about Ventura County Farm Day sponsorship opportunities, visit www.VenturaCountyFarmDay.com or call 805-901-0213. For mascot inquiries, call or contact Mary Maranville, [email protected].

On Saturday, April 29, from 9 a.m. – 12 noon, the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy will host “Monarch Madness” – a family-friendly milkweed planting event at the Big Rock Nature Preserve along the Ventura River. This 2nd annual free, open-to-the-public event is made possible by funding from SoCalGas.

VHC will provide attendees with gardening gloves, shovels, native milkweed and other pollinator plants and demonstrate the proper planting technique. Special guest and monarch butterfly expert, Juliana Danaus from Monarch Arch, will show how to make milkweed seed balls that attendees can either plant onsite or take home to plant in their own gardens.

“The Conservancy is committed to restoring and preserving the wildlife habitat that animals, birds and insects need to survive,” said Derek Poultney, VHC executive director. “Thanks to generous support from SoCalGas, we will create a beautiful oasis near the Ventura River that attracts monarch butterflies and human visitors alike.”

Milkweed habitat is essential to the survival of the monarch butterfly. Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed and monarch mothers lay their eggs on the milkweed plant. The monarch is the only known butterfly to make a two-way migration like birds do.  Monarchs travel between 50 – 100 miles per day and it can take them up to two months to complete their 3,000-mile journey. Milkweed habitat loss is the biggest short-term threat to the migration of monarch butterflies.

This event is appropriate for people of all ages but children must be accompanied by an adult. Attendees should wear sturdy closed-toe shoes, long pants, a hat, sunscreen and bring a water bottle.

The Big Rock Nature Preserve is located off Highway 33 along the Ojai-Ventura Bike Trail, just south of Foster Park.  To RSVP, go to www.venturahillsides.org/events. For more information and directions, visit www.venturahillsides.org/big_rock or call VHC at 643-8044.

Rubicon Theatre Company, in association with Music2Life, presents a weeklong series of events bringing together three generations of artists from different genres to celebrate the power of music to effect positive change. The festival is curated by five-time Grammy Award-winner Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul, and Mary, who lives part-time in Ojai and has appeared in solo concerts at Rubicon.

The festival includes three readings of a new musical (as part of Rubicon’s Play-In-Progress) — The Folk-Rock Project; a National Songwriting Competition for those 18-38 and a Top 10 Concert and Awards Ceremony; a master class; a one-night-only concert starring Stookey and Peter Yarrow that takes the audience on a musical journey through their lives as activist artists; and a culminating Saturday night event featuring music related to issues of the environment, peace and social justice, with Stookey, Yarrow and others including Nuvi Mehta (Artistic Director of Ventura Music Festival musicians of The Lonesome Travelers and more. Music For Changing Times: Looking Back/Moving Forward begins Monday, May 8 and runs through Saturday, May 13.

Schedule of Events:

• The Folk-Rock Project Mon., May 8 @ 7:00 p.m. Tues., May 9 @ 2:00 & 7:00 p.m.
• Master Class and Showcase Wed., May 10 @ 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Songwriting Top 10 Finalists Concert and Awards Announcement Thurs., May 11 @ 7:00 p.m.
• Open Mic Night at the Rubicon Pub Thurs., May 11 @ 9:30 p.m.
• Looking Back/Moving Forward: Peter and Paul in Concert Fri., May 12 @ 7:00 p.m.
• Music for Changing Times Benefit Concert Sat., May 13 @ 7:00 p.m.

Rubicon Theatre Company Ventura’s Downtown Cultural District
1006 E. Main St.
Tickets: $20-$150  ($4 processing fee)
Series Pass: $225 Patron Pass: $500.
For a complete schedule, go to www.rubicontheatre.org or call  667-2900.

Many people who have inherited a stamp collection, bought one in a garage sale or run across one they started as a child and wonder what, if anything, it’s worth.  They’ll have a chance to find out and learn more about stamp collecting at an by the Ventura County Philatelic Society on May 6. The event is aimed at developing new or returning stamp collectors and helping people who need information about collections they own.

The Adult Education Stamp Collecting Seminar and Free Stamp Collection Review & Evaluation will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bonaventure, 10949 Telegraph Road.

The classes will be presented from 9 a.m. to noon and will run for about 45 minutes with time for questions. The classes will be What to Collect, 9 a.m.; How to Collect, 10 a.m.; and Understanding a Stamp Catalog, 11 a.m. A lunch break will run from noon to 1 p.m., and the evaluations will be from 1 to 3 p.m.

The classes are $8 for people who register by April 30 and $10 for those who pay at the door. To register, send your name, address, a postal mail or email address so you can be contacted if plans change, and an $8 check made out to VCPS (Ventura County Philatelic Society), to John Weigle, P.O. Box 6536, Ventura 93006. Weigle’s email address is [email protected].

The Ventura County Philatelic Society meets on the first and third Mondays of each month at the Church of the Foothills, 6279 Foothill Rd. The doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the meetings start at 7:30 p.m. Guests are welcome.

The Player Developmental League (PDL) has released the 2017 regular season schedule and despite sixteen new franchises and league wide realignments VC Fusion remains in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. The 2017 PDL season will see 72 teams from United States and Canada compete for the championship. With PDL regular season kicking off the weekend of May 5-7.

The first 2 games of the 2017 PDL season for returning Coach Rudy Ybarra and the VC Fusion are at home. The season kicks off for Fusion hosting SFCFC , May 6th at Ventura College Sportsplex with kickoff time of 7 pm.. Followed by a visit from Southern California Seahorses on Saturday May 13th at VC Sportsplex. After that, the “Orange and Blue” will travel up and down California for their next four games.

The final game of the 2017 regular season will be at home against the always tough Fresno Fuego on July 15th.

In addition to PDL regular season games the Fusion will participate in the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for a PDL record 8th consecutive time and host a first round match, on Wednesday May 10th  vs Moreno Valley FC (UPSL) at VC Sportsplex with kickoff time 7:00 PM.

Tickets to all VC Fusion home games are available immediately and can be purchased on Fusion’s website VCFusion.com or by calling the Fusion Ticket Office at 830-8005. Single match tickets cost $10 for Adults and $5 for Youths, but fans are encouraged to purchase 2017 Fusion Season Tickets, which cost just $65 for Adults and $35 for Youths, and include a free VC Fusion scarf. Season tickets allow entrance to all Fusion matches in 2017, including PDL & US Open Cup games, as well as all exhibition matches.