by Mary Olson

Ventura County Library Summer Reading Program continues with Kyle Tiernan, Draw Along Art Kyle, a Visual Educator, will teach everyone (kids and grown-ups alike!) how to draw pictures in a hilariously fun and entertaining show. This free event is sponsored by the Ventura Friends of the Library and is open to the public.
Thursday, August 3rd at Saticoy Library, 1:30 pm
Thursday, August 3rd at Avenue Library, 4:00 pm
Friday, August 4th at Hill Road Library, 11:00 am
Friday, August 4th at E.P. Foster Library, 2:00 pm
For more information, contact Sienna Sydlaske, Youth Librarian Specialist, at (805) 648-2716.

Find Your Voice! Family Musicals Film Fest and Coloring at Hill Road Library final film of the summer:Tuesday, August 1, 3:00 to 5:00 pm: The Super Mario Bros. Movie

End of Summer Party
You completed the Summer Reading Challenge, so visit the library for an end of summer celebration with Kona Ice!
Free for kids and teens!
Wednesday, August 2nd at Avenue Library, 3:00 pm
Thursday, August 3rd at Hill Road Library, 3:00 pm
Tuesday, August 8th at Saticoy Library 3:00 pm
Tuesday, August 15th at E.P. Foster Library, 4:00 pm

Filmmakers Robin Rosenthal and Bill Yahraus will visit the Albert H. Soliz Library (2820 Jourdan Street in Oxnard) at 7:30 pm on Saturday, August 12, for a screening of their film Mariposas del Campo. The film will be shown outdoors in the library’s parking lot; limited seating will be available, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own seating as well if they wish. Mariposas del Campo shares the stories of indigenous Mixtec, Zapotec, and Purépecha teenagers from Mexico striving to change their families’ destinies in the strawberry fields of Oxnard. This screening is being put on as part of Ventura County’s celebration of its 150th Anniversary.
This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Ron Solórzano, Regional Librarian, at
(805) 218-9146 or [email protected]

Foster Library’s Young Readers Book Club
For children ages 9-12 (4th or 5th grade reading level). E.P. Foster Library, Saturday, Aug. 26, 1:00 to 2:00 pm
Discuss The Human Kaboom by Adam Rubin & create a character sheet (DND style)

Ventura Friends of the Library are able to fund summer reading program events through our sales of donated books.
We invite you to visit

Ventura Friends of the Library Bookstore in E.P. Foster Library
Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm and Sunday 1:00 to 4:00 pm
We have rows and rows of fiction, from $.25 paperbacks to current bestsellers and a comprehensive children’s section from board books for toddlers to novels for young adults. We have coffee table art books and vintage books, pre-1950, some much worn and beloved, and some with beautiful covers and gilt pages. Come and browse!
We also invite you to browse anytime at our Online Bookstore for local sales.
https://venturafol-107753.square.site/s/shop We are in the process of remodeling our online store, adding new categories such as Just Added! and Art, Architecture and Photography. Just order and pick up at the bookstore in E.P. Foster in as little as two days.

The Museum of Ventura County is pleased to welcome longtime community leader Angela Sanchez to the team as its Director of Finance and Operations. Sanchez brings over two decades of fiscal management experience and a thorough understanding of market dynamics. Along with a natural ability to navigate complex business challenges, she will contribute significantly to the Museum’s continued growth and sustainability.

“Angela will play a pivotal role in driving the Museum’s financial success and operational efficiency,” said the Museum of Ventura County’s Barbara Barnard Smith Executive Director Elena Brokaw, “I’ve known Angela for years and have watched as she has led organizations through financial and operational success. I look forward to working with Angela and our entire team as we continue to elevate the Museum’s mission of preserving and celebrating Ventura County’s rich cultural heritage.”

Born and raised in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, Sanchez’s connection to her community has fueled her drive to make a positive impact in her career and personal life. Currently residing in Ventura County with her husband and two boys, she wholeheartedly dedicates herself to serving and uplifting her local surroundings. “The Museum is a cornerstone of our community and I’m excited to do my part to drive growth, enhance efficiency, and cultivate enduring success,” commented Sanchez, “Our community depends on the work and passion we are each willing to put into making it a wonderful place to live and remember.”

by Richard Senate

Few of the many graves are marked today at the park-like old city burial grounds.  It holds the remains of the rich, the poor. the well known and unknown individuals who built Ventura into a city.  Many were veterans of the Civil War, a few from the Spanish American War and some from the bloodbath of World War One.

But, the old cemetery also hold many mysteries, one of which came to my attention recently.  A new technology can now use sound waves transmitted into the earth to show what is buried below. This ground penetrating radar is a great  tool for archaeology because it can revel things without disturbing them. This new technology was used at the old Saint Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, the west end of Memorial Park and at the burial plot of the prominent Olivas Family. There a discovery was made.

At the marked grave of Teodora Lopez Olivas, the wife of Raymundo Olivas and the mother of his twenty-one children, they found a casket buried there using the ground radar, confirming records that this is her burial site.  Next to her they found a second casket, that is believed to be the grave of her husband Raymundo who died before her, but no records exist to confirm this so his grave could not be marked with 100% certainty that he rests there.

That was the tradition of that era and its a good bet that he rests beside his beloved wife. The scan of the Olivas Plot also discovered a third casket and that is the mystery, who is buried there?   No records exist to tell who it might be, but the list of possible candidates isn’t long.  It might be the final resting place of Dominga Olivas, a cousin who lived in Santa Barbara, who married Raimundo Jr. The youngest son of Don Raymundo (yes, they spelled their names differently). She died at the Olivas Adobe in Childbirth in 1891.  The child she bore died as well three weeks after birth.  Her husband was out of town on business in Santa Barbara when the baby came early. He was devastated by her death.  She had been a popular singer in Santa Barbara that earned her the title of “The Songbird of Santa Barbara.” but she gave it all up to become Raimundo’s wife.  She was looking forward to her new baby before everything went wrong.  He would have begged to have her buried close to him so as to visit her grave.

Other candidates might be Maria Dolores Olivas, born in 1851 and died as a child. She may have been buried at the Adobe before being moved to Saint Mary’s when it opened in the 1860s. Another might be Jose Epitacis del Refugio born in 1847. He too could have been re- buried to be closer to his father and mother.  We may never know the full list of who was placed where at the Memorial Park cemetery due to many records being lost over the years. A mystery exists, who rests in the Olivas Plot? We can only be assured it was some very special to Raymundo and Teodora Olivas.

At a June 28 meeting, the Ventura College Foundation Board of Directors selected a new board chair and vice-chair and approved two new board members for the 2023-24 term.

The new foundation board chair is Nicole Kreutz, vice president, senior portfolio manager at Montecito Bank & Trust. She has been on the foundation board for five years and is a Ventura College alumnus. “I am excited to lead the foundation’s efforts to help students at Ventura College thrive and prosper,” says Kreutz. “As a foundation, we remain focused and vigilant on what we do best, providing our students with a way to open doors for the future and provide a bridge to higher education.”

Vice-chair is Rob van Nieuwburg, business relations director at Ventura Toyota. He served as foundation board chair for five years until 2021 and has been on the board for nearly 20 years. “It’s all about the students,” says van Nieuwburg. “Every day, we see how the foundation impacts lives and gives students a path forward.”

Joining the board is Lydia Morales, a retired Ventura College faculty member, former chair of the Math Department and Academic Faculty Senate president. Also joining the board is Mark Huff, the newly elected Associated Students of Ventura County (ASVC) president who will serve through the 2024 academic year. Part of the ASVC president’s duties is to serve on the foundation board and provide student input.

Ellyn Dembowski is Immediate Past Board Chair.

The Board of Trustees of Ventura Land Trust has experienced a major shift, with the recent addition of five new members and the departure of two, bringing the current total number of trustees to 13.

The new trustees include Kate Larramendy, past Director of Design & Sustainability at outdoor company Toad&Co and current board member of The Conservation Alliance; John Krist, who retired in 2022 as CEO of the Farm Bureau of Ventura County; The Trade Desk Assistant Corporate Controller Meridith Thompson; Thousand Oaks City Manager Andrew Powers; and retired Ventura City Fire Marshal Brian Clark.

Each new trustee brings great depth of experience and a drive to protect open spaces in Ventura County.

“VLT has proven itself to be the most effective, trusted and visionary force working to protect Ventura’s considerable natural resources,” says Trustee Kate Larramendy. “I’m honored to serve on the board to bring my passion for open spaces, wild places and access for all to outdoor recreation to further build on VLT’s mission and accomplishments. This is exciting work.”

Andrew Powers describes joining the Board of Trustees in this period of VLT’s evolution as an “exciting moment.”

“After two decades of commitment, I am convinced that some of the most important conservation, stewardship, and public access work in California is happening right here with the Ventura Land Trust,” says Powers. “For me, this opportunity blends a career in public service with a passion for the great outdoors. I look forward to contributing towards VLT’s essential mission.”

The makeup of the Board of Trustees is further shifting due to the departure of Don Wood and Dennis Kulzer, both of whom served two three-year terms on the board. Wood and Kulzer joined VLT in 2017; during their tenures, VLT completed the acquisition and opening of the 2,123-acre Harmon Canyon Preserve, as well as the acquisition of 1,645-acre Mariano Rancho in the hills north of Ventura.

Wood was active in the organization’s financial management, governance, and community outreach efforts; Kulzer focused on VLT’s stewardship efforts, especially as the organization worked to get Harmon Canyon Preserve open to the public and expand its trail network. Both men supported the integration of outdoor education program Ventura Wild under the VLT umbrella. Wood and Kulzer will continue their service as members of the organization’s Advisory Council.

VLT Executive Director Melissa Baffa expressed a sense of poignant gratitude for the change in board composition she has seen. “When I joined VLT two years ago, we had nine strong, dedicated board members who had helped to guide VLT through a period of tremendous growth and achievement. Now, through the natural process of policy-defined attrition, we have seen nearly half those members term off the board, and added new Trustees as well.”

“These are some of the brightest and most dedicated members of our community, volunteering their time, treasure and talent to Ventura Land Trust. On behalf of the VLT staff, we are very thankful for their leadership and support, and deeply appreciate their partnership as we continue on the path of growth and development they set.”

Full bios for all trustees are available at www.venturalandtrust.org/board. Community members interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities at VLT should visit www.venturalandtrust.org/volunteer and those interested in learning more about joining a VLT committee or the Board of Trustees should contact Executive Director Melissa Baffa at [email protected].