13 minute read
Happenings
Happenings includes community events, meetings, classes, resources, needs and Arts Listings. To submit an item for inclusion email to: happenings@vcreporter.com
THURSDAY
TRANSFER OF WEALTH IN VENTURA COUNTY
| 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. FREE, Zoom event. The Ventura County Community Foundation commissioned a study on the Transfer of Wealth in Ventura and the information will be presented and discussed by panelists including Vanessa Bechtel, president and CEO of VCCF; Jamshid Damooei, professor of Economics, Director of Economics Program and the Executive Director of the Center for Economics of Social Issues (CESI) at California Lutheran University. The discussion will examine the donor landscape in the county and how nonprofits can be prepared and positioned for the largest generational transfer of wealth in our nation’s history. FREE. RSVP required. https:// bit.ly/3BVuoTT
FRIDAY
BILINGUAL STORYTIME AT THE MUSEUM | 3-4
p.m. FREE, in person. Gather after school for story time, then play and learn in the Chumash Garden and Evelyn and Howard Boroughs Children’s Garden. Partnership between the Ventura County Library and Museum of Ventura County, 100 E. Main Street, Ventura. www.venturamuseum.org/event/story-time/
THE VENTURA GEM AND MINERAL SHOW | Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday,
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. The Ventura Gem and Mineral Society brings over 50 exhibits of gems, minerals, fossils, lapidary and jewelry arts; on-going demos of lapidary arts, jewelry making and gold panning; silent auctions and a raffle for great prizes. Other highlights include a “Second Hand Treasures Store” and plant sale, 15+ dealers, children’s activities and free resources for teachers. FREE. Parking fee. Ventura County Fairgrounds, 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura. www.vgms.org
SATURDAY
BEACH CLEANUP WITH TREE FACTORY | 9-11
a.m. Tree Factory in Port Hueneme is hosting a beach clean up event at Surfers Point in Ventura. All participants will meet at the parking structure at 9 a.m. Vendors including Unrivaled Distribution and Korova will support these efforts. Details @treefactoryca. Meet at parking structure at Surfers Point, Harbor Blvd., Ventura. www.treefactory.com.
BACK STACKS BOOKSTORE SALE | 10 a.m.
- 2 p.m. All proceeds benefit the Blanchard Community Library. Explore the back stacks of fiction, non-fiction and children’s books. 1000s of used books from 50 cents to $2. There are collectible books starting at $4. 50% off all fiction books. The Back Stacks Bookstore is also open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Friday at noon. Blanchard Community Library, 119 N. 8th St., Santa Paula. (North parking lot, through the roll up door in the back.)
OUTDOOR SURVIVAL SKILLS WITH CHRISTOPHER NYERGES AND LANNY
KAUFER | 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Learn to identify local edible and medicinal plants, make cordage and soap, learn primitive fire-starting and more. $85. Ojai location details with registration. Call 805-646-6281, www.HerbWalks.com. LOS FEST | 12 noon to 11 p.m. Multiple bands on three stages bring together an eclectic mix of sounds into one power house show: From 70s power pop/punk sounds of local band TV Party to Chicano Soul and Afro-centric house music of DJ Legacy. The full lineup includes Los Hurricanes, Mystic Misfit, Cola Boyy (DJ set), Head Cut, the Panes and more. This is an all ages family friendly event with local artists, food, speakers workshops and hands-on activities. $20. Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard. www.oxnardperformingarts.com/ los-fest.html
CAR CULTURE EXHIBIT DEBUT AND
ARTIST RECEPTION | 6-8 p.m. Thomas Hardcastle’s oil and pastel bright and bold works are featured through the end of April and tonight the public is invited to meet the artist. The Ojai Art Center, 113 S. Montgomery St., Ojai. https://www.ojaiartcenter.org
TWISTED GYPSY, FLEETWOOD MAC
REIMAGINED TRIBUTE | 7 p.m. Part of the 2022 Winter Concert series from the Camarillo Fiesta Association. $15. Rancho Campana High School, 4235 Mar Vista Dr., Camarillo. https://bit.ly/3M5lBDx
MONDAY OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE -
SPRING SESSION | Registration starts today for these fun, college level courses - but with no grades or tests - tailored for adults over 50. Some classes are virtual, some are being offered in person. Topics include: Sicily
at the Crossroads of Civilization, Language Speaks Volumes about Aging, The Civil War in California and the West, Sensing Our World – It’s All About Our Senses, The Supreme Court Interpretations of the US Constitution. Registration and full catalog of classes is online at: go.csuci.edu
A HERO | 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. screen-
ings This Iranian film follows a man in prison because of a debt he couldn’t pay. During a two-day leave, he tries to convince his creditor to withdraw his complaint against the payment of part of the sum. But things don’t AD PROOF go as planned. In Persian with English subtiClient: Three Star Books Ad Executive: Jon Cabreros tles. Rated PG-13. $11.25 general. $8 seniors and children. Plaza Cinemas 14, 255 W. 5th (805) 648-2244 Street, Oxnard. www.oxnardfilmsociety.orgPlease check this proof over carefully and indicate all corrections clearly. You will have a “1st Proof”, “2nd Proof”, and “Final Proof”. If we receive no proof after the 1st or 2nd Proofs, AD WILL RUN AS IS. If this proof meets your approval on the 1st proof, check off “FINAL PROOF (APPROVED)” box, date and sign at the bottom. TUESDAY NOTICE: PLEASE FAX THIS PROOF TO (805) 648-2245 ASAP OUTDOOR LGBTQ+ PARENT SUPPORT ISSUE: 10/14/21 GROUP | 10 a.m. Are you looking for parents to build community with? Bring your kids and get to know other families. Thille Park, 5144 Thille Street, Ventura. www.diversitycollective.org
TALK ON CAREERS IN TELEVISION
WRITING AND REPORTING | 7 p.m. The Ventura County Writers Club is hosting several experienced television news reporters. Hear from Amy Johnson, LA CBS news anchor/ reporter, who will be speaking about her TV news career, and Greg Elliott who has written for Star Trek: Voyager, and worked as a story editor on the WB series Charmed, and has taught screenwriting at UCLA. Elliott’s presentation is titled “Speed Bumps Roundabouts and Dead Ends, Ways to Drive Yourself to Better Dialogue.” FREE and open to the public. Community Center Park, 1605 Burnley, Camarillo. www.venturacountywriters.com TWILIGHT GATHERING | 7 p.m. In person and virtual. Come together for an evening gathering with sound, silence and spoken word led by Kate English, with musicians Evan Holt and Giselle Lozano. Settle after your busy week while listening to inspiring music and soothing silence. Contributions encouraged for the musicians. Unitarian Universalist Church of Santa Paula, 740 E. Main Street, Santa paula. www.uucsp.org
WEDNESDAY
TAXED TO DEATH WITH DAVID KLINE
| 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The first in a new educational series sponsored by Ventura County Coalition of Labor, Agriculture and Business (COLAB) and the Ventura County Taxpayers Association this lunchtime conversation. David Kline, Vice President of Communications and Research with the California Taxpayers Association, will present an in-depth discussion about 2022 tax issues. $30, includes lunch. Los Robles Golf Course, 299 S. Moorpark Rd., Thousand Oaks. Tickets online at: https://bit.ly/35tzr1D
AFTERNOON ORGAN RECITAL SERIES |
12:30-1 p.m. California Lutheran University organist Adan Fernandez will perform music from Bach, Buxtehude, Widor and Vierne as well as improvisations on popular themes. Donations will be accepted. Audience members must show proof of full vaccination for COVID-19. For information, call the Music Department at 805-493-3306. Samuelson Chapel, 165 Chapel Lane, Thousand Oaks. www.CalLutheran.edu/music.
ST. PATRICK’S DAY IN IRELAND | Thursday, March 10, 7:30 p.m. An exciting treat for the whole family with a night of high energy song and dance featuring champion dancers from Riverdance, Celtic Fyre, Celtics Wings, Lord of the Dance and An Irish Christmas, with COMMUNITY NEEDS, OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES the Kerry Traditional Band and its troupe of fiddles, uil- FREE TAX PREP ASSISTANCE leann pipes, bodhrán, guitar and flutes. $48-$55. Box | Through April 30, 2022. Office: 805-449-2787. Scherr Forum Theater, Bank of Trained volunteer tax preparers America Performing Arts Center, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, bapacthousandoaks.com. with the United Way of Ventura County’s (UWVC) Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) are available to help working families and individuals file their state and federal tax return and access the tax credits to which they are eligible. Households earning up to $57,000 in 2021 are eligible to use the free services. This assistance is in-person and by appointment only. Call 211 or visit www. MyFreeTaxes.org to make an appointment.
SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY FOR PLEASANT VALLEY AREA GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS | deadline April
30. The Stan Daily Scholarship of $1,000 is offered to students living in the Pleasant Valley area, including Camarillo, Somis and the Santa Rosa Valley. The award is given by the Pleasant Valley Historical Society to the graduating senior who produces the best piece of original research (750 words) related to the history of the Pleasant Valley area. For further information contact pvhBill@gmail.com, 805-482-3660. https:// pvhsonline.org/scholarship/.
THURSDAY
THE SOMIS THURSDAY CLUB | 11:15 a.m.
A local women’s club monthly lunch meeting. Award winning sports journalist Woody Woodburn, creator of the annual Woody’s Holiday Ball Drive will give a talk about his work. Visitors and prospective members are welcome. RSVP to 805-469-5059 patti. dizazzo@gmail.com. Somis Clubhouse, 5380 Bell Street, Somis.
CHOCOLATE SOCIETY | 6:30 p.m. Where does chocolate come from? What’s inside a cocoa pod? Learn about wild vs domesticated chocolate and the history of chocolate in Brazil and taste chocolate created from wild stands of cacao in Brazil. Class fee $15. Chocolate Society Bundle $40. Registration and details online. Spicetopia, 576 E. Main St., Ventura. www.spice-topia.com
DINOSAUR WORLD | 7 p.m. A pre-historic world brought to life in an interactive show for the whole family. Meet a host of impressive creatures, including every child’s favorite flesh-eating giant, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Triceratops, Giraffatitan, Microraptor and Segnosaurus. And explore a meet and greet after the show. Fred Kavli Theater, Bank of America Performing Arts Center, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. www.toarts.org
“CONTAGION! THE FIRST MODERN PANDEMIC: SPANISH INFLUENZA | 8:30
p.m. The COVID-19 pandemic renewed interest in the global history of infectious diseases. This year’s lecture series presented by History Department faculty and other experts focuses on different periods in world history when societies faced pandemics and their consequences. Former Cal Lutheran President Chris Kimball, a history scholar, will address the influenza pandemic of 1918-20, known unfairly as the Spanish flu, which arrived near the end of World War I and killed tens of millions of people. FREE. Registration required. California Lutheran University, Lundring Events Center, 1-67 W. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks. https://bit.ly/3j2S2oh.
20 YEAR REUNION - ST. BONAVENTURE HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2000 | Sat. June
4, 2022. Members of the St. Bonaventure High School Class of 2000 are invited to attend the upcoming 20 year reunion. The celebration will take place at a local private location. Those who’d like to attend can RSVP to Julie Wouk, 619-888-7956.
OCEAN PROTECTION COUNCIL SUMMER PAID INTERNSHIP PROGRAM | Apply by
March 17. Current undergraduate college students (juniors, seniors) are encouraged to apply for this Sacramento-based (virtual depending on pandemic requirements) paid full-time internship that will provide an opportunity to gain hands-on-experience with a small state agency focused on protecting and enhancing the state’s coastal and ocean ecosystems and ensuring easy, affordable access to and along the coast for all Californians. Students of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply, including those who have overcome personal hardship that may complicate their continued progress in research careers, including financial, academic, and social barriers. Details, application information and requirements are online at: https://bit.ly/3srhWIr ♦
Los place to be
Oxnard-based Los So Lows will perform at Los Fest.
Photo by Alex Lira, @_bolillopower
Los Fest brings music, art, activities and more to OPAC on March 5
by Madeline Nathaus
Los Fest, the first music festival at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center (OPAC), will be partying out with local bands, artists, vendors and workshops on Saturday, March 5, from noon to midnight in an event for all ages.
“We’re really trying to celebrate the creative talent in our community,” said Carolyn Mullin, OPAC executive director. “It’s a chance for people to support their local independent music venues and local independent artists. Bringing on events like this is super important to the community’s viability. Artists, art and culture are the spirit and soul of a community.”
OPAC worked with Numbskull Shows, one of the largest independent music producers in Southern California, to present over 20 music acts – primarily from Ventura County – performing at three different stages throughout the day. Eclectic artists will be featuring music across diverse genres like cumbia, R&B, pop, soul, psychedelic rock, indie and punk among others.
“I want to see the local community as it’s expressed through these artists and musicians,” said Lauren Simon, a producer at Numbskull Shows and Los Fest coordinator who goes by the name Indigo. “We’re just here to arrange a structure and provide a platform for these creative, talented humans to shine and do their thing.”
Indigo has worked and toured with acts such as Alt-J, Two Door Cinema Club and Alanis Morissette. She said she is excited for the reemergence of live music after nearly two years of hindrances due to the coronavirus.
One artist Los Fest organizers are excited to showcase is headliner Tia Wood. A Vancouver native now based in Los Angeles, Wood is an Indigenous singer and dancer of Cree and Salish descent (the Salish are an Indigenous group native to the Pacific Northwest Coast) who uses her TikTok content to share aspects of her culture through song, informational videos and other fun and creative endeavors. In December 2020, she was featured in the Fashion section of Vogue (“Tia Wood Is the Cree and Salish Singer Fusing Music and Style,” by Christian Allaire) as one of TikTok’s “most inspiring, and most stylish, creators.”
The festival will also include interactive activities like tarot readings, make-your-own pins and patches, workshops on non-fungible tokens (NFT) and crypto, and live mural paintings on site. Traditional Mexican folk art, anime, vintage clothing, unique illustrations and photographs from local artists will also be exhibited and available to buy.
To feed the energy of the day, attendees can look forward to consuming meatless tacos and hot dogs from Fatty Vegan, all-natural sodas from DLC Craft Sodas, a pint at the beer garden (ages 21+, of course) and sweets from Dough Boy Cookies, just to name a few.
To encourage inclusivity through affordability, tickets are only $20 and can be purchased through Ticketweb.
“There is so much talent on every street of this city,” said Richie Guereca, the drummer of Oxnard-based band Los So Lows, who will be performing at the festival. “We wanted to do our part in helping this event become reality, with the intention of amplifying the beautiful voices our city has to offer. We’re excited to be a part of something great for our scene.”
Mullin said the name of the festival initially started as a running joke amongst the OPAC staff, as Guereca had pointed out that many local bands’ names started with “Los,” Spanish for “The.” Mullin said in the end the staff felt that there was something special about this concept, and the name inspired the event to come to fruition.
Mullin and Indigo hinted that Los Fest could become an annual event for OPAC if this year’s event proves successful and support continues into next year.
While two of the stages and some of the workshops are indoors, there is considerable airflow and staff will be wearing masks. There is also an outdoor stage and outdoor activities with plenty of room to spread out for those who are still trying to play it safe with COVID.
“We’re on the precipice of a really popping spring and summer when it comes to live music,” Indigo said. “Live music is more than just recreation and entertainment, these are spaces for people to work with their communities and meet each other. That’s how communities form, within these vortexes of creativity and culture.” ♦
LOS FEST LINEUP
Tia Wood (headliner) Bent Bonnie Bo Boy/Girl Cola Boyy (DJ set) Deepakalypse Dielectric Dummy Head Cut Kiah Victoria Legacy (DJ set) Los Cool Arrows Los Honeys Los Hurricanes Los Mixos Los So Lows Mystic Misfit Poncho and The Wizards Romper The Panes TV Party Velvet Lune VTB
Los Fest takes place on Saturday, March 5, starting at noon at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard. For tickets and more information, visit www.oxnardperformingarts.com/los-fest.html.
