The Ventura County Concert Band is a community band in Ventura. The band was founded in 1964 and operates as a community service under the auspices of the Ventura Adult and Continuing Education Office. The band’s members are volunteer musicians from widespread personal and professional backgrounds.

Larry Weiss served as the band’s musical director and conductor from 1974 to 2008. For thirty-four years, Larry instilled a high standard of musical excellence and audience interaction; all for the pure love of music.  It is from that perspective that the VCCB continues on after Larry’s passing sustaining his legacy of high caliber community musical concerts.

This year, under the musical direction of Dr. Julie Judd, the band celebrates its 59th Anniversary Season. Dr. Judd obtained her Masters in Music Degree in Wind Conducting from the University of South Florida and her Doctorate Degree from Pepperdine in 2015. Dr. Judd serves as the Chief Technology Officer for the Ventura County Office of Education.

Over the past fifty-nine years a lot of great music has been performed including traditional band repertoire, light classics, music from modern concert compositions, marches, standard “pops” selections, popular tunes of the day and big band selections.

The real story behind the VCCB is its dedicated membership. Many of the volunteer members have been with the Band for over thirty years. Howard Leach, playing clarinet, is a local architect with offices in Ventura and a founding member having played with the Band for 59 years.

Its members are truly dedicated to the Band’s mission of playing music at a very high standard for the benefit of the community at large free of charge. The Band rehearses weekly and performs four times during the Ventura Unified School District academic year.

As the VCCB looks forward to its 60th anniversary season, they do so at a time when sadly, in a difficult economic climate, music and art programs often are cancelled barely surviving. We believe that our story will be inspiring to other people involved with community service organizations, especially those in the performing arts.

The Band will next perform on Sunday, June 4th, at 3:00 at the Ventura High School auditorium. The June concert will be a “Pops” concert including music from Disney, Rodgers and Hammerstein, The Beatles, Henry Mancini, Stevie Wonder, Stephen Sondheim, Louis Armstrong, and George and Ira Gershwin.

VMF announces diverse, star-filled 28th festival set for July 28-30 and August 4-6.

“Live events are back and we are beyond excited about the artist line-up for this summer,” says VMF Executive Director Susan Scott.

5-time Grammy Winner, Dianne Reeves, one of the pre-eminent jazz vocalists in the world today, headlines. Also, Mark O’Connor, a musical genius considered by many to be “the most influential fiddle player ever.”

There is the sublime artistry of guitarist Ana Vidovic, and the Grammy-nominated jazz supergroup, Special EFX All-Stars, featuring guitarist, bandleader and 3x Emmy winner Chieli Minucci, joined by Elliott Yamin, Brian Bromberg, Jeff Kashiva, Lao Tizer and Gene Coye.

The Moanin’ Frogs sextet, (Covid-beset in 2022) finally arrives to perform this summer featuring all six saxophones from soprano to bass in an electrifying, delight-producing program.

And to expand the programming even further, we kick things off (pun intended) with choreographer and tap prodigy Caleb Teicher who joins piano virtuoso Conrad Tao. Together, they create magic onstage. In their second national tour, they bring “Counterpoint,” an artistic collaboration exploring the intersections between their artistic worlds.

Program schedule and details, along with video clips are online at www.VenturaMusicFestival.org. Ticket prices range from $15 to $65. A 15% Early Bird Discount is available May 1-21, accessed with the discount code: CELEBRATE.

Calling all wine lovers, mark your calendars for Saturday, July 8th, for the 17th annual Pine Mountain Club Wine in the Pines, festival in the Pine Mountain Village Center. From 1pm to 4pm (noon to 4pm with a VIP ticket), you’ll be able to taste exciting wines from the world’s top wine-growing regions, with dozens of premiere wineries to choose from. If you need a break from too much fine wine, then enjoy some cold craft beer from several wonderful breweries. And then there’s the food, many favorite restaurants will be on hand serving everything from classic gourmet finger food to good-ole western barbeque. Great live music and artisan vendors will complete this wonderful heavenly mountain setting.

You must be 21 or older to attend and purchase tickets. IDs will be checked at the front gate. General Admission tickets are $60 in advance and $70 at the door. VIP tickets allow for an intimate early noon entry and are only $80 (must be purchased in advance as they are not sold on the day of the event). This event usually sells out, so buy your tickets early. Admission includes wine & beer tasting from noon to 4pm, a logo glass, and fabulous food.

Tickets for Wine in the Pines can be purchased online at the event website, www.wineinthepines.com. This annual fundraising event is hosted by the Pine Mountain Club Commercial Property Owners and its volunteers. The PMCCPOA is a non-profit, whose mission is not only to help to improve our local community, but also to help local non-profits flourish in their missions. Our proceeds will continue to go toward community projects and various non-profits.

The Village is located between the Coastal Communities, Bakersfield, Santa Clarita and the San Fernando Valley. Pine Mountain Club is an easy and scenic 90-minute drive from Ventura, off Interstate 5. From I-5, exit at Frazier Mountain Park Road and follow the signs to Pine Mountain Club. No matter which direction you come from, it’s a beautiful mountainous drive. There’s truly nothing like the pine-scented air and the shade of tall pines to compliment the taste of good wine, food and live music. For a map and directions, hotel & cabin rental links and other details about the event, go to www.wineinthepines.com , or find us on Facebook.

May 1st marked the official opening of Portside Yoga located at 947 Schooner Drive – Unit 211 in Ventura. This beautiful second-floor studio directly overlooks the harbor and captures a perfect view of sailboats, wildlife, and a perfectly framed postcard sunset every evening.

Yoga classes for all levels, all bodies, and all abilities will be offered, as well as Barre Sculpt and Cardio Barre. Special Events will occur several times a month on the weekends, with Portside Yoga’s first Open House occurring May 6 at 7:30pm .

Portside Yoga’s owner Donna DiMeo Sorce, has been a professional Yoga Instructor for 23 years in the Los Angeles and Ventura County areas and is registered with the Yoga Alliance.

Donna is also a Master’s Level Reiki practitioner. For the past 8 years, Donna has led yoga classes at The Ranch Malibu, a world-renowned luxury fitness, health, and wellness retreat in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Prior to her “second career” diving deep into yoga, Donna was a Professional Dancer on Broadway. Donna traveled the world appearing in many noteworthy productions. Donna’s most memorable gigs included her run in the original cast of

Jerome Robbins’ Broadway and then a wild two seasons as a Weekend Update

Dancer on Saturday Night Live. Donna also toured with National and

International companies in the musical, West Side Story and appeared on the Tony Awards several times.

Donna is a proud Brooklyn-born New York City native who makes regular trips back East to see family, friends, and old dance partners. But these days, Donna is thrilled to finally call beautiful Portside Ventura Harbor her home, where she shares an apartment, and a 45’ classic yacht, with her fiancé, Michael – who she met in the Portside Hot Tub – no kidding!

Yoga has created a community for Donna no matter where her journeys lead her. She believes, “Once we’re on the mat, we all speak the same language!” Her intention for all her students and clients is to create a sacred space where a connection to our bodies and breath can occur. She strives to create space where everyone can unplug from distractions, find balance, and always feel a little better when they depart than when they arrived. Donna enjoys sharing her love and enthusiasm for the practice of yoga, and is fulfilled by every “aah-ha” moment that blesses her studio.

Events occurring monthly will include Sound Baths, Reiki/Restorative Yoga, Special Workshops, and Sunset and Full Moon gatherings and waterfront meditation.

by Richard Senate

He was the rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Ventura but  he was much more than a religious leader in the community. He was a fixture in town, always speaking up for the underdog on local radio and newspapers. Anyone who  attended his sermons will recall his dry humor and booming voice.  He had once been trained as an actor, even appearing in films in that era, before movies could talk.

That was before he received the call to the pulpit.   He was serving as a prison chaplain at Walla Walla, Washington State Penitentiary when he learned one of the convicts, Clarence Boggie, confessed he was innocent of the murder of a man that had seen him sentenced to life in prison.  He believed the man and took up the cause of reopening the case to see if his account of what happened was true. At that time mystery writer Erle Stanley Gardner had written that he was going to start a group to investigate people wrongly convicted of major crimes. He called it the “Count of Last Resort”.

Argosy Magazine saw it as a public relations stunt, but Garner believed it could make a real difference.  Reverend Gilbert made the long drive from Walla Walla to Temecula  where Gardner had his home then. He presented the facts of the Boggie case to the mystery author.  The two men became fast friends.  Investigators  were called in, the new lie detector used, and it was found that Mr. Boggie wasn’t even in the same town when the murder took place.

Gardner wrote up the findings in the magazine and the case was reopened, leading to the release of Clarence Boggie with a full pardon. It became the first of many cases that saw 100 men and women investigated with over half released.

It is interesting to note that not one of the released convicts ever went back to a life of crime.  Mr. Boggie himself, married his childhood sweetheart, built a cabin and then died of a massive heart attack three months after his release–but he died a free man.

When Gardner learned that a position was open for a new rector in Ventura, where he had once lived, he told Rev. Gilbert to apply. William got the job and moved his family to Ventura. He would continue to help with the Court of Last Resort and built the new church that still stands on Loma Vista. The two men worked together for many years, and when Erle Gardner passed away, Rev. Bill Gilbert gave the eulogy at this funeral service. After his retirement, and when Rev. Gilbert passed on to his reward, as was his wish, he was buried at the church he loved, a truly remarkable man.