Fair was honored at Convention & Trade Show. Photo by Bernie Goldstein
The Ventura County Fair was honored at the Western Fairs Association’s Convention & Trade Show, in which roughly 125 fairs from throughout the Western United States attend to gather new ideas, attend seminars and participate in the annual Achievement Awards.
The Achievement Awards recognize the very best efforts that a fair puts forth for its community. This year, Ventura County Fair received 10 Achievement Awards recognizing everything from the Fair’s advertising to its Social Media Campaign.
“I am proud of our staff’s representation of our Fair and our community at the Western Fairs Association Achievement Awards.” said Barbara Quaid, CEO, Ventura County Fair. “Our awards speak to the quality of our overall marketing efforts and programs.”
At the WFA Achievement awards ceremony, Ventura County Fair collected a total of five 1st place, four 2nd place and one 3rd place awards. The First-Place Awards:
Vince Gerwe, Jill Forman and Martin Fletcher, reprentatives from Friends of the California Condor Wild and Free, educated a captivated audience at the lecture.
On the evening of Thursday, Jan. 26, more than 40 people joined the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy (VHC) for free community lecture entitled “The Comeback of the California Condor.” Experts from Friends of the California Condor Wild and Free discussed how in the early 1980’s this majestic bird was almost wiped off the face of the earth. Thanks to coordinated human intervention efforts, today there are 450 California Condors, 240 of which are flying wild and free over the mountains of California, Arizona, Utah, and Baja California.
The free community lecture is a part of VHC’s ongoing Environmental Speaker Series. The next installment in the series will take place on Thursday, March 23 at 7 p.m. at the Poinsettia Pavilion. Angela Rockett Kirwin, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology, will present “The Ethnobiology of Local Native Plants,” a discussion of how California’s indigenous people used many of the native plants found in Ventura’s hillsides for food, cultural practices and environmental stewardship. To RSVP, go to: www.venturahillsides.org/events.
Can Cheryl Heitmann now give bus passes to Sheldon?
Gold Coast Transit District (GCTD), Ventura County’s largest provider of public transit, has announced several changes in its Board of Directors and senior management team.
The City of Port Hueneme has appointed Councilmember Jim Hensley and the City of Ventura has appointed Councilmember Cheryl Heitmann to the Gold Coast Transit District Board of Directors.
Cheryl Heitmann replaces Ventura Councilmember Carl Morehouse who did not run for reelection last year after serving 18 years on the Ventura City Council and 5 years on the GCTD Board of Directors.
Cheryl told the Breeze “I am excited to join the Board of Directors of the Gold Coast Transit District. Public transit is an important resource for Ventura and I look forward to working with the Board and staff to continue to look for even better ways to serve the public transit needs of our community.”
“We are thankful for the input and perspective our outgoing Directors have given us over the years. With several major projects on the horizon, including construction of our new facility, we look forward to engaging and working closely with our entire Board to address the opportunities GCTD will face this year,” commented Steve Brown, Gold Coast Transit District’s General Manager.
The five-member Board of Directors represent nearly 4 million annual passengers who utilize GCTD’s fixed route and paratransit services in the cities of Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ventura and the County of Ventura.
Classes provide participants the opportunity to study with “teaching artists”.
Rubicon offers process-oriented acting classes for kids (beginning at age five) and adults. These programs focus on developing skills and technique, basic theatre terminology, building confidence and stage presence, learning proper voice techniques and developing an awareness of body language through character work, and other fundamental techniques through improvisation, scene study and theatre games. Participants are encouraged to increase their comfort zone and participate at their own pace.
Classes provide participants the opportunity to study with “teaching artists.” Teaching artists are working theatre professionals who hold a high level degree or experience in voice and speech, acting, playwriting, Shakespeare, movement or audition techniques. With an average class size of 16, these courses offer close interaction and individual attention and culminate with a final presentation of the student’s work for family and friends.
Acting (Ages 5-7): A perfect introduction to the world of theatre! Students play imagination games and learn the elements of storytelling.
Acting (Ages 8-12): This is an introductory class that exposes students to scripted scenes and monologues. Students will learn memorization techniques, stage presence, listening and working together with a scene partner as they work on contemporary scripted material.
Acting (Ages 13-18): These fast-paced classes are challenging and great fun. In a nurturing environment, students learn self-assurance while acquiring intermediate acting skills
Acting (Ages 19+): This very popular class looks to further student’s skills or try acting for the first time. Students focus on script analysis, character development, memorization techniques and stage presence while learning how to free the voice and body for individual expression.
Brian McDonald (Education and Outreach Director) is the instructor for the classes. He has directed many of Rubicon Theatre’s (and other theatre’s). As an actor Brian was honored to receive a Mayor’s Arts Award as “Emerging Artist” from the City of San Buenaventura.
Brian has been on staff at Rubicon since 2002 and served as Production Manager and Associate Producer before becoming the Company’s first Education and Outreach Director. Brian is a B.F.A. graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music, Dance and Theatre.
Individual attention is given to each student and each class culminates in a final presentation for parents, family and friends.
Prices of classes range from $180-$240. To read more about specific class information, such as dates, pricing and class descriptions, and to register for classes please visit the Education and Outreach section at www.rubicontheatre.org or call 667-2912 ext. 234. Classes start on March 4.
Tickets are on sale now for the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy’s (VHC) 8th annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival (WSFF). Held high on the hill at Ventura’s Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Rd., on Friday and Saturday, March 3 and 4, the WSFF offers audiences the chance to enjoy a series of award-winning short films that celebrate the beauty and bounty of our natural world.
This very popular annual event brings a national tour of award-winning independent short films to Ventura for two nights only. Highlights of this year’s film lineup, which differs each night, include: river rafting with President Jimmy Carter, swimming upstream with a wild salmon, scaling the Seven Summits with a female Bangladeshi adventurer and the hiking 60 miles in Utah’s back country with Genghis Khan, an articulate “desert dawg” and his owner.
In addition to viewing films, attendees also enjoy live music, special guests, popcorn, home baked cookies, food, beer, wine and the chance to win high-end raffle items that include original artwork, outdoor gear, dining-out certificates and more.
“The Wild and Scenic Film Festival helps connect the Conservancy’s work to the greater global environmental movement,” said Derek Poultney, VHC Executive Director. “The films are beautiful, educational, inspirational and just plain fun.”
Ticket prices are $20 for General Admission or $35 for “Silver Circle” seats. “Silver Circle” tickets include reserved seating plus one drink ticket for a glass of beer or wine. The festival also serves as a membership drive for VHC. For $50, purchasers receive a one-year VHC membership plus two General Admission tickets or for $100, they receive a one-year VHC membership plus two “Silver Circle” tickets.
The WSFF is supported by donations from several local businesses and community organizations. To purchase tickets, visit www.venturahillsides.org/events. For more information or to become an event sponsor, call VHC at 643-8044.
Scientists have begun their research and preservation of the mammoth skull that was excavated in September on Santa Rosa Island.
The public is invited to attend, and will also have opportunities to observe researchers who will be working on the mammoth skull every Saturday and Monday afternoon, from 1:00 to 5:00 pm, throughout the month of February, at the at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
“The museum is excited to share this intriguing discovery. This mammoth find is of high scientific importance as it appears to have been on the Channel Islands at nearly the same time as humans,” stated Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History President and CEO Luke Swetland.
U.S. Geological Survey geologists have dated charcoal samples adjacent to the specimen to approximately 13,000 years. The dating is significant, since it coincides with the age of Arlington Man, the oldest human skeletal remains in North America. Similar soil samples will also be analyzed to give researchers more information.
The National Park Service, The Mammoth Site, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History are working in close partnership to protect and preserve the mammoth specimen and conduct a multidisciplinary research process, which is expected to occur over the next few years.
Channel Islands National Park Superintendent Russell Galipeau said, “The National Park Service is very grateful to be working in partnership with the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and the Mammoth Site to conduct research on this rare mammoth skull, in an effort to uncover some mysteries associated with mammoth migration, the downsizing to a pygmy form, and the eventual disappearance of mammoths from the Channel Islands.”
Mammoths roamed the continent of North America beginning approximately two million years ago, with Columbian mammoths appearing a million years later. It is believed that the Columbian mammoths migrated to the Channel Islands during the past two ice ages when sea levels were lower and the island land mass was closer to the mainland coast.
On Wednesday, February 1st the Ventura County Museum hosted the first installment of its “Speaking of Ventura County” series, an 8 week program featuring local scholars discussing matters related to the county’s past. Among the future lectures are presentations on agricultural water use, travel writing, Ventura County’s Mexican-American community in the 1920s, and a talk on the Ventura School for Girls.
The series commenced with a session entitled “The Real Thing: The Value of Primary Resource Material in Research Today,” Charles Johnson, the Research Library Director at the Ventura County Museum, Michael Redmon, Director of Research at the Santa Barbara County Museum, and Frank Barajas, Chair of the History Department at CSU-Channel Islands, took turns addressing their own careers, the importance of primary source materials, and some of the challenges they have encountered in preserving history in Ventura County.
Johnson noted that without primary source research the public would rarely get new insights into the past as historians would simply repeat other authors instead of delving into new sources or new interpretations of historical events. Johnson and Redmon also lamented that aspiring scholars and even accomplished researchers have become accustomed to conducting all of their research on the internet. In fact, much of the historical record has yet to be digitized due to the immense cost of digitizing materials and the time involved in converting records into new formats,
Barajas spoke of how his passion for primary source research helped connect him to Alice McGrath, a communist civil rights activist who fought for the rights of Mexican-American youth during the infamous Sleepy Lagoon Trial during World War II. Redmon talked about a collection he acquired and processed from an early 20th century diabetes researcher who did some of the initial work using insulin to treat the disease. His clinic eventually evolved into the world renowned Samsung clinic.
All of the scholars agreed that capturing and maintaining digital documents and resources will be a challenge for future archivists, and the lack of space and resources are always problems in the public history business. The librarians continued with a discussion of some of the frustrations they encounter with individual researchers, with a common theme being that the public and scholars themselves are often unaware of the service librarians provide.
Members of the public can be indirect and vague when asking about what they are seeking in the collection. The panel, moderated by Ventura County Museum Education Director Megan Gately, encouraged the audience to appreciate the value of primary source material in providing fresh interpretations of the past. Approximately 50 people attended the event.
Mental Health First Aid is a public education program that can help individuals across the community understand mental illnesses, support timely intervention and save lives. Whilst many people already go to physical-based first aid courses, this is hoped to bridge the gap and address the other side of health that is less discussed. The two part 8-hour course, hosted by the Ventura Police Department and Ventura County Behavioral Health, will be held March 7 & 8 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Ventura Police Department located at 1425 Dowell Drive in Ventura.
Participants will learn about common mental health and substance use disorders, warning signs and symptoms of mental health problems, potential risk factors, local resources and support. The course also introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health concerns, builds understanding of their impact, and overviews common treatments. The course uses role-playing and simulations to demonstrate how to assess a mental health crisis, select interventions and provide initial help. It also provides information on how to connect persons to professional, peer and social supports as well as self-help resources. Remember it’s always important to connect a struggling person to the correct professional instead of leaving it to yourself or another untrained individual, which is why it’s important to get in touch with a mental health therapist.
Mental Health First Aid allows for early detection and intervention by teaching participants about the signs and symptoms of specific illnesses like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and addiction. The program offers concrete tools and answers key questions like “What can I do?” and “Where can someone find help?” Participants are introduced to local mental health resources, national organizations, support groups, and online tools for mental health and addictions treatment and support.
There is no cost for the course. Funding comes through Ventura County Behavioral Health. To register please email Mary Ellen Collins, Certified Trainer: [email protected] or call 657-4408. To learn more about Mental Health First Aid visit: www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org .
Osborne was the first woman to ride China’s Qiantang River tidal bore.
Champion long boarder and professional surfer Mary Osborne will serve as Grand Marshal when the annual Ventura County St. Patrick’s Day Parade marches up Street for the 29th time in downtown Ventura on Saturday, March 11.
The theme of this year’s parade, which begins in front of Mission San Buenaventura at 10 a.m., is “The Sporting Life: The Games We Play.”
While best known for her athletic endeavors – in 2010 the Ventura resident became the first woman to ride China’s Qiantang River tidal bore, the largest and fastest bore in the world – Osborne also is a women’s sports advocate, environmentalist, writer, model, TV personality and businesswoman. She has been ambassador to the United Nations Environmental Safe Campaign, the 5 Gyres Institute, Project Save Our Surf, a Patagonia ambassador, and in 2015 was guest of honor at the Women’s Sports Foundation’s annual event.
The whole county will be turning out in green on Main Street. Last year’s parade drew over 90 entries, including floats sponsored by civic groups, nonprofits and local businesses and restaurants; marching bands; car clubs; horses; clowns and the Biggest Green Pig in the World. There also will be high school pep bands, youth groups and fun-loving adult groups entered in the parade.
In the spirit of this year’s parade theme, the organizing committee also encourages Ventura County teams from all sports and from every age group to join in the parade. That includes school teams, Little League and adult league baseball teams, football, softball, soccer and basketball teams. Individual sports enthusiasts such as skateboarders, golfers, bowlers and swimmers also are invited.
The Ventura County St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which ends at Laurel Street, is presented by the Ventura Elks Lodge #1430. The event’s committee is accepting entries for the parade. For entry forms or more information about the parade, visit www.venturastpatricksdayparade.com, email Jim Monahan at [email protected] or call him at 643-4275 or email Nan Drake at [email protected].
The Ventura Shellfish Enterprise (VSE), a collaborative group seeking to grow sustainably-cultivated mussels in the Santa Barbara Channel will hold the first of a series of public information workshops at 7 p.m. on February 16. The workshop, in coordination with the Ventura Port District, will provide an introduction to the benefits of shellfish aquaculture; how this crop is grown worldwide; and the specifics of this exciting new project proposed for Ventura.
The workshop is free and open to the public. No RSVP is required. It will be held at the Channel Islands National Park Visitors Center, 1901 Spinnaker Drive, in the Ventura Harbor. Attendees may sign up at venturashellfishenterprise.com (click on the “Get Involved” link) or email [email protected] to be added to the mailing list or register for a workshop.
Supported by a $300,000 grant to the Ventura Port District from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the National Sea Grant College Program, it is anticipated that the Ventura Port District, as a member of VSE, will obtain all the permits and entitlements needed to cultivate mussels on leases that will be farmed by commercial fisherman and landed at existing fish off-loading facilities in the Ventura Harbor.
The project has generated considerable interest in the harbor community. “The aquaculture effort will bolster commercial fishing activity in the harbor and stimulate the local economy,” said Ventura Port District General Manager Oscar Peña.
