Photos by Patricia Schallert
On May 19, the Ventura Land Trust celebrated a milestone at their 20th anniversary birthday party! It was held in the beer garden at Topa Topa Brewing Company at 4880 Colt St. All enjoyed a piece of cake, games, and a gathering of friends and supporters who have been a part of VLT’s success.
The morning crew Steve Shaw, Patrick D. Pothier, Stan Yates. Joe Siddens and Charlie Burnham setting up flags.
Jim Monahan, Former City Councilman started the tradition of honoring America back in the late 1990’by having the American Flag displayed in the Downtown Ventura area including the Ventura Pier, the Promenade, Ventura Avenue, Main Street, California, Poli, and Thompson.
One of the groups responsible for the flags along the Ventura Promenade is the Ventura Downtown Lions Club, and they started the tradition with Past President Ken Cozzens in 2009 when he was asked personally by Mr. Monahan if he would be interested in this honor. The Club places 88 American Flags from the pier to surfers point on 3 major holidays: Memorial Day, July 4th and Veterans Day,
October 2021, Kathrin and Dave opened their Paddle Board Store directly across the public launch pad in the newly built complex called Portside Ventura Harbor.
At Focus SUP Hawaii – Ventura, their first love is offering experiences to people’s lives, no matter if it is buying a SUP board or offering activities on and off the water.
Kathrin and Dave come from completely different business backgrounds. Kathrin is an architect and was born and raised in East Germany. Dave is a retired Police SWAT and lived most of his life in California. Both are certified yoga teachers, SUP yoga teachers and paddle instructors for several years.
An opportunity arose to start their own paddle board business representing a brand they have been using and believing in for years. Just recently they added Himiway e-bikes to their collection. You do not know if paddle boarding is for you or what type of board is right for you? You are thinking about buying an e-bike, but you have never ridden one before and are unsure if it is what you are expecting it to be? Focus SUP Hawaii – Ventura is your place to go!
They also offer SUP yoga classes, paddle board tours, paddle board workshops and Yoga on Yoga Balance Boards that can be booked privately, semi privately or for groups up to 10 people. Gentle Yoga is available on land for all levels every Sunday Morning from 10:00 AM – 11:15 AM and bookable online.
One of Kathrin’s specialties is working with people that have physical challenges of any kind. She teaches yoga based on people’s abilities and needs. As an energy healer, she feels you and will make sure your needs are met. Feel free to contact her in order to discuss any worries and concerns.
Dave and Kathrin are a great team and complement one another. They are not selling you a product or class. They are making sure you have all background knowledge needed to make the best choice for you. No matter what you are going to book or buy, both will make sure you feel confident about your decision.
When the Pierpont Racquet Club opened in 1977 it was one of the first multi-purpose athletic clubs in the nation. Tennis was increasing in popularity and racquetball was the fastest growing sport in the U.S. As fourth generation Venturans, brothers Scott and Spencer Garrett seized the opportunity to create a facility that would attract not only racquet enthusiasts but also cater to swimmers and fitness enthusiasts.
Over the past 46 years, the private athletic facility has continued to expand its facilities to meet emerging trends. When the Club first opened it offered 8 tennis courts and 4 racquetball courts. Within a few years 4 more tennis courts, 2 more racquetball courts and a second pool were added. Then, in the 1990s as interest in racquetball waned, the Garretts began converting some of their six racquetball courts to fitness areas. Today, the fastest growing sport in the nation is pickleball.
To meet the increasing demand for pickleball, the PRC is converting another of its tennis courts to pickleball. By this summer, the Club will offer 8 pickleball courts. Pickleball and tennis clinics are offered to non-members as well as members under the guidance of James Jensen. With the addition of more courts, the PRC will begin league and interclub play as well as be able to host pickleball parties such as the one recently auctioned off to benefit Interface Children and Family Services.
Last October, the Pierpont Racquet Club celebrated its 45th Anniversary with a dance party on the tennis court that attracted 350 guests. PRC General Partner Spencer Garrett is already looking forward to celebrating 50 years in 2027. When the partnership was formed in 1975, the term of the agreement was 50 years. Not much thought was given to what the club would be like in 20 years let alone 50. Very few family owned and operated businesses last 50 years, but the PRC is still going strong.
What the hot new thing will be in 2027 is anyone’s guess, but the PRC is betting that pickleball will still be going strong. Tennis has certainly stood the test of time and pickleball offers many of the desirable elements of tennis – plus it is easier to get started playing when in the company of friends. Making friends at the PRC has been one of the hallmarks of the Pierpont Racquet Club since its inception.
Drop in and check out our amazing facilities, services, friends, and experience the PRC lifestyle!
by Richard Lieberman
During a recent surgical procedure at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, I had run into a series of coincidences that brought me under the care of Neurosurgeon Katherine Wagner who had recently joined the practice of Dr. David Westra and unbeknownst at the time a small series of coincidences brought me back 74 years and a continent away.
Originally, I had been scheduled to see another Neurosurgeon, but the wait time was measured in months. Got an unexpected call from the same neurosurgery office. A new surgeon had joined the practice and asked if I would like to see her. Yes of course I said and was scheduled for just a day later. This turned out to be coincidence number one.
After doing my due diligence on a Dr. I did not know and was new to Ventura when I discovered she went to medical school in the state and city where I was born. Later I was to discover Dr. Wagner was born and lived in New Jersey and had attended Rutgers Medical school in my hometown. This turned out to be coincidence number two.
“A logical choice for me was to go to Rutgers Medical School, my home state school with an excellent reputation in my field of study’” Wagner said. “When I was a third-year medical student, I rotated with the neurosurgeons on my neurology clerkship. One thing I loved about neurosurgery is that it married some of the aspects of medicine that I enjoyed like doing something for a patient that would help deal with a problem in the more short term. Found it really gratifying that we had patients leave the hospital without that brain tumor they had been suffering with,” she added. When you are a neurosurgeon, it really is the center of your life and a lot of decisions you and your family make are based on that, A lot of my and my family’s decisions are based on my career,” she said.
Some time after our first meeting I was scheduled for neurosurgery and Dr. Wagner would be the surgeon.
“One thing about Neurosurgery is that there are only so many places you can work, just so many places that have a job opening at the time you are looking,” So what I really liked about Ventura, I really fell in love with the community here. I love the scenery, the downtown scene, it really has a small city vibe it just cannot be replicated in other places,” she said. There is a devotion to the town that you really cannot find anywhere else, people are really, really proud of their community, she added.
After being admitted to Community Memorial one evening Dr. Wagner stopped by my room and we chatted for a bit. As we talked, I mentioned that I had been born at Beth Israel hospital in New Jersey some 74 years ago. She smiled and said, “I worked at the same hospital, I did rotations there” Coincidence number three.
We continued to chat for some time, and I don’t know why I even mentioned this, but I asked her if she had ever seen a Netflix Documentary called “Lenox Hill” (it is a documentary series about neurosurgery and surgeons at a New York hospital) She visibly perked up for a minute then said “Oh I was in the documentary” and coincidence number four found it’s way to a small hospital room in Ventura, California.
by Patrick D. Pothier President, Ventura Downtown Lions
The Ventura Downtown Lions Club is celebrating its 100th Birthday this year. It was chartered on April 27, 1923, by 51 outstanding local businesses and community leaders. One of them was Fred W Smith who went on to become President of Lions Clubs International for 1947 – 1948, and another was Charles Rea, the then Mayor of Ventura. Another was Erle Stanley Gardner, an attorney who became famous as the author of Perry Mason detective stories.
Our Club and its members have a rich history of civic service and of service to the community and beyond. There have been 10 Members over the years who have been the mayor of Ventura, and at least 20 who were city council members. Many have served as public officials on various public boards and commissions, on private boards and nonprofits, and as public officials in a wide variety of capacities.
While our history is rich, and our present is just as rich. We are dedicated to providing assistance to individuals and community organizations that are in need and support. These efforts include, but are not limited to, providing camperships for deaf children, free eye exams for those in need, scholarships for local students, Thanksgiving baskets for families that are food insecure, as well as supporting the Salvation Army food pantries. We participate in both community and beach clean-up days and we recognize America’s hero’s – the Military Veterans and First Responders. We support those suffering from diabetes and the researchers seeking a cure, efforts to help and assist those dealing with mental health issues, and an active participant of the Rose Parade sharing the word to the world about giving back through Service, a wide range of other worthy matters.
While our past and present is exciting, our future looks even brighter. As we celebrate the past 100 Years of Service, we also begin to look forward to the next 100 years, and we are excited about what the future holds for us and the rest of the Lions around the world.
We would be honored if you wished to join us. If you want to become a Member of this great Service Organization, or would like more information about the services we provide, you can get more information at venturalions.org
The Ventura Audubon Society will be conducting a volunteer Beach Naturalist training workshop on Saturday June 3rd from 9am to 1:30pm at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum in Oxnard. Become a beach naturalist volunteer and help educate visitors on western snowy plovers and California least terns as part of the Shorebird Recovery Program. Attend this free half-day workshop where you’ll learn about beach ecology, plover/tern nesting and chick rearing, rules and regulations, and data collection.
After lunch ( included in the training) you will join our Biologists and Outreach Coordinator to practice what you have learned in the field. After finishing the training, volunteers will be asked to complete two beach shifts per month through September to share your knowledge with beach goers.
Funding for this grant program is made possible by sales of the WHALE TAIL® License Plate, donations to the Protect Our Coast and Oceans Fund on the California state tax return, and funds from the State of California. To register go to www.venturaaudubon.org/beach-naturalists or email [email protected]. Register by June 2nd.
Graduates of WEV’s Emprendimiento Program in Santa Paula, May 11, 2023. Photo by WEV
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV)’s Emprendimiento Program increases opportunities for historically marginalized individuals by providing entrepreneurial training and access to capital for limited English proficient (LEP) and Hispanic community members.
Graduation ceremonies were held May 2 – 11 in Oxnard and Santa Paula to celebrate 90 small business owners who completed Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV’s) Emprendimiento Program for entrepreneurial Hispanic and Indigenous Ventura County community members.
The 90 participants successfully completed WEV’s free, 8-week business training program taught in Spanish and are now each eligible to apply for a $7,500 microgrant award to grow their existing small business.
Emprendimiento is a unique program developed by WEV for low-English proficiency individuals and is funded by the state of California’s Employment Training Panel’s (ETP), Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development (SEED) initiative. Launched in 2021, WEV’s Emprendimiento program provides entrepreneurial training, technical assistance, and microgrants for small business owners to grow their enterprise in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. To date, 330 people have participated in WEV’s Emprendimiento Program, 261 have graduated, and $600,000 in microgrants have been awarded to entrepreneurs in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. This summer $337,500 in grants will be awarded to the recent Ventura County graduates.
Emprendimiento Program information, including enrollment for the fall 2023 Santa Barbara County cohort, visit www.wevonline.org/classes-resources/emprendimiento/ .
Women’s Economic Ventures is dedicated to the economic empowerment of women. WEV is a business resource network for anyone looking to start a business, grow a local business, or improve their business skills. WEV provides a full range of small business support – including classes, consulting, and funding – as well as financial literacy programs in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. While WEV’s focus is on women, it welcomes people of all gender identities into the WEV community. Business courses, programs and loans are provided in both English and Spanish.
Plants were distributed to families during Plantopia.
Over 1,800 vegetable plants were distributed at Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture’s (SEEAG) first annual Plantopia U Pick Transplant Fundraiser on Earth Day. The fundraiser raised over $5,000 to help with SEEAG’s agricultural education programs that teach students about the farm origins of their food, water resources, soil health, entomology and locally grown fruits and vegetables.
Plantopia was held at SEEAG’s Farm Lab at Petty Ranch in Ventura and Plantel Nurseries in Santa Maria. In addition to tomatoes, zucchini, squash, basil and pepper seedlings, SEEAG provided 500 bags of potting soil donated by Agromin in Ventura County and Engel and Gray in Santa Barbara County to give plants a healthy start.
“We plan to make Plantopia an annual event,” says Mary Maranville, SEEAG’s founder and CEO. “It’s a great way to kick off planting season, remind people of the importance of our farmers and celebrate Earth Day.”
Other annual SEEAG events include Santa Barbara County Farm Day in September and Ventura County Farm Day in November.
For more about SEEAG, go to www.SEEAG.org.
2022 finalists in the annual EECCOA Challenge Awards Ceremony.
For the 8th year in a row, students from Ventura Unified School District will present proposals to reduce their schools’ environmental footprint and receive awards.
On Monday, May 22nd, the MERITO Foundation and Ventura Unified School District (VUSD) will host the 8th annual EECCOA Challenge Awards Ceremony. At this event, 7th-12th-grade student finalists will present their environmental business proposals to either reduce the carbon footprint of their school or advocate for the removal of the relic Matilija Dam from the Ventura River. The primary sponsor of this year’s EECCOA Challenge Awards Ceremony is Clean Power Alliance.
For the EECCOA Challenge, students had the option of choosing a project theme from 4 categories: water conservation, energy efficiency, or waste reduction at their school campuses, or outreach about the ecological benefits of dam removal. This multi-disciplinary competition is an opportunity for our youth to combine environmental science with business ideas, and practice environmental entrepreneurship. School administrators also benefit by hearing from students on how to improve their schools’ infrastructure and reduce utility costs.
The event will take place at the Poinsettia Pavilion, in Ventura, from 4 -7 pm. The keynote speaker for the event is Anna Cummins, Co-Founder & Executive Director of 5 Gyres, a leading organization in the global movement against plastic pollution, with more than 10 years of expertise in scientific research, engagement, and education. Representatives from the offices of Senator Monique Limón, and Congressman Salud Carbajal will be present to congratulate the students.
There are currently 86 teams competing in the EECCOA Challenge, from students attending Buena High School, Ventura High School, Foothill Technology High School, Anacapa Middle School, Balboa Middle School, or DATA Middle School. After two rounds of judging, the top 16 finalists will present their projects in person before judges at the May 22nd event. After presentations, the MERITO Foundation and VUSD will award cash or in-kind prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mention in each category. All participating students have been immersed since September 2022 in MERITO Foundation’s Ventura Action Network (V-RAN) Program or “From the Avenue to Channel Islands (ATCI) program in partnership with the VUSD.
The V-RAN program provides professional development, field training, and curriculum to science teachers, as well as hands-on field experience for ~700 middle and high school students throughout the Ventura River watershed and coast. Through the ATCI program, 660 students from DATA Middle School enjoy outdoor experiences at the Ventura River, State Beaches, and the Channel Islands. In addition to environmental education, students also participate in biking, hiking, kayaking, camping, snorkeling, sailing, and surfing, and learn leadership skills that they put into practice at outdoor community events.
Sponsors for the V-RAN Program include NOAA B-WET Grant, Ventura Water, and UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science. The ‘From the Avenue to the Channel Islands’ (ATCI) Program of the MERITO Foundation is funded by the Outdoors Equity Grant, created through AB 209 and administered by California State Parks, Office of Grants, and Local Services.
The MERITO Foundation is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization based in Ventura, CA, dedicated to protecting the ocean by facilitating environmental education, conservation, and scientific research opportunities for multicultural youth and their communities.
