Ojai Studio Artists Second Saturday Open Studios - Free Event on January 14, 2017

The Ojai Studio Artists Second Saturday mini-tours begin on January 14 with four open studios in downtown Ojai. Featured this month are Andrea Haffner, Rex Kochel, Marta Nelson and Iris Williams. Studios will be open from 10am - 3pm. Admission is free, and the studios are all located within a few miles of each other.

With enthusiastic response from the community to the Second Saturday tours, OSA is scheduling mini-tours from January through July. "It gives people a chance to spend some in-depth time with each artist," Ms. Moran says. "With over 60 artists on the October Studio Tour, people really have to pick and choose who to see. This is a more leisurely tour."

A professional artist for the past 18 years, Andrea Haffner's resin cast pieces are unique and delicate. Inspired by the natural form - from yucca capsules to maple samaras, Haffner assembles and suspends bits of natural material in resin colored with transparent dyes. With a background in both photography and glass, light is a primary consideration in her work. Elegant yet abstract, she encases her assemblages within small sterling silver or larger steel frames. She creates jewelry pieces as well as large commissions. Haffner has exhibited extensively across the country and recently completed numerous large-scale commissions for hospitals, hotels and private residences.
After 34 years as an educator in the Ventura School District, Rex Kochel is now a full-time artist. His whimsical style evolved primarily from the use of blind continuous line drawings. He begins his watercolors on location, then continues to modify them in his studio before he begins to paint. His work reflects his travels to Mexico, Peru, Panama, Argentina, as well as time spent in San Francisco and Ventura County. He maintains a strong compositional focus in all of his artwork, frequently moving in the direction of abstract realism. His work can be seen at the new Remax Building in Ventura, for which he created 54 paintings which are part of their permanent collection.

Marta Nelson is a painter, printmaker and sculptor and a founding member of Ojai Studio Artists. A lifelong artist, she won her first art scholarship at 10 years old, and attended her first figure drawing classes at Chouinard Art Institute. She later taught at Bakersfield College, teaching painting and sculpture. Her art often reflects her interest in dance, her garden in Ojai as well as exotic scenes from her travels around the world. Her paintings and prints hang in private collections across the United State, Mexico and Japan. Marta is also deeply committed to the International Peace Movement. Incorporating peace doves in all her work, Marta was instrumental in establishing the first Peace Pole in Ojai.

Iris Williams sees art as a silent language. Her oil paintings are often mischievous and whimsical and also involve some aspect of storytelling. “Art was the agent that allowed me to speak,” she explains. She uses her art to explore her imagination and dreams. In all her work, whether still life, landscape or figurative work, she aims to elicit a feeling of wonder. As co-owner of Ojai Creates along with her husband Kirk Lowry, Williams sells art supplies to the community and has a longtime association with the Ojai Art Center.

A map for the January 14th event can be printed from the OSA website: ojaistudioartists.org. Any changes or additions to the list of artists will be posted there.

The Super Run 5K in Ventura on Saturday, April 22, 2017

The Super Run 5k at San Buenaventura State Park in Ventura on Saturday, April 22, 2017 is a superhero themed run where you become a real life superhero!  Grab your cape and fly over to for a 5k fun run, music, festivities and more.  

Every participant gets an authentic event SUPERHERO CAPE and collectable run bib.  The finishers get a super finishers medal!

The run starts at 9am. Registration at 8am. More details and sign up at thesuperrun.com/locations/ventura-ca-superhero-5k-run.

 

18th Annual Pleasant Valley Lions Club 5K Peel Out in Camarillo on Sunday, April 30, 2017

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The Camarillo-Somis Pleasant Valley Lions Club in partnership with the Pleasant Valley School District is proud to present the 18th Annual 5K Peel Out, 1 Mile Bananarama Run (14 and under) and 1/4 Mile Cub Run (10 and under) on Sunday, April 30, 2017. The event will be held at the beautiful Camarillo Ranch House on a flat course with plenty of post-race giveaways. There will also be a Wellness Expo.

Learn more and sign up at runsignup.com/Race/CA/Camarillo/PleasantValleyLionsClub5KPeelOut

1st Annual Ron Stillwell Memorial Golf Tournament Benefiting TOHS Baseball on February 6, 2017

The 1st Annual Ron Stillwell Memorial Golf Tournament is planned for Monday, February 6, 2017 at the Spanish Hills Country Club.

Benefiting Thousand Oaks High School Baseball, this inaugural golf tournament features pro baseball players on each hole, games and contests. There is also a dinner and live and silent auctions featuring baseball memorabilia and other items. Golf and dinner $190/person.

For information, call 805-300-3317 or email daycampk@gmail.com. Visit tohsbaseball.com for registration form. The tournament starts at 9:30 am.

Kwanzaa Celebration at Cal Lutheran Thousand Oaks on Thursday, December 8, 2016

Cal Lutheran to host Kwanzaa celebration

Free event includes ceremony, food, music and dance

California Lutheran University’s Black Student Union is hosting a Kwanzaa celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8.

The free community event featuring food, performances and a ceremony will be held in the Kingsmen Room of the Student Union on the Thousand Oaks campus.

Cal Lutheran students will present the principles and symbols of Kwanzaa. The celebration of heritage will include authentic African and African-American food, a libation ceremony, arts and crafts, music and dance.

Millions of African-Americans observe Kwanzaa from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 each year. It is a special time when families and friends unite to strengthen and encourage one another.

The Student Union is located at 3391 Mountclef Blvd

Cal Lutheran’s Black Student Union and Office of Multicultural Programs are sponsoring the event. For more information, contact Linda Boberg at lboberg@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3323.

Sankta Lucia Service at Cal Lutheran Thousand Oaks on Thursday, December 8, 2016

Cal Lutheran to hold Sankta Lucia service

Student elected by classmates wears crown of candles

California Lutheran University’s dramatic Sankta Lucia Festival, in which a student wears a crown of lighted candles, will be held at 11:25 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, in Samuelson Chapel.

Undergraduate students select five female and five male representatives whose depth of character and faith make them leaders in the Cal Lutheran community. In the festival, Lucia, her attendants and their escorts enter to the accompaniment of an ancient hymn and read an adaptation of the legend. Attendants then light the candles in Lucia’s crown.

The Swedish ceremony pays homage to the Christian martyr who died at the stake on Dec. 13, 304 A.D. and symbolizes the spirit of a centuries-old legend of Christian service. The tradition, which was brought to America by Swedish immigrants, has been part of the university’s holiday celebrations since its early years. The festival honors the character traits of mercy, humility and purity of heart, as seen in the Beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew.

The Office of Campus Ministry at Cal Lutheran is sponsoring the free event.

The chapel is located at 165 Chapel Lane on the Thousand Oaks campus. Additional parking is available in the lot at the corner of Olsen Road and Mountclef Boulevard. For more information, contact Elizabeth Lohr-Myers at campusministry@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3228.

Hanukkah Celebration at Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks on Monday, December 5th

Cal Lutheran hosts Hanukkah celebration

Hillel students organizing service activity, ceremony

California Lutheran University is hosting its annual Hanukkah celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5.

Organized by students in the university’s Hillel club, the event will be held in Lundring Events Center on the Thousand Oaks campus.

The ceremony will feature the lighting of the candles on the menorah. The community can also join faculty, staff and students in enjoying traditional food and activities.

For the first time this year, participants are invited to bring a toy and assemble holiday packages during the event for children served by Many Mansions. Hillel members are volunteering for the nonprofit throughout the year.

This year Hanukkah takes place from sundown on Dec. 24 through Jan. 1. Every year, Jewish people around the world celebrate Hanukkah to commemorate the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees defeated the army of the Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanies and won their religious freedom.

Hanukkah is referred to as the Festival of Lights because, according to tradition, a rekindled menorah burned for eight days although it only held enough oil to burn a single day. The holiday is a reminder to rekindle our spiritual lights and shine for the world.

Although Cal Lutheran has long hosted Hanukkah celebrations, the Hillel club in recent years has organized more events for the campus and the nearby community. In 2012, Rabbi Belle Michael took over as the adviser for Hillel and became the first Jewish member of the university’s Campus Ministry staff. The Oak Park resident also began helping to lead chapel services.

The number of Jewish students at Cal Lutheran is growing and currently stands at about 150. Hillel, led by president Briana Shneyder of Encino, provides a community for the Jewish students and opportunities to explore their identity with one another and community members. Celebrations draw students from many faiths and perspectives, and club members participate in the campus’s interfaith activities as well as social justice events. The club recently put together an advisory board made up of community leaders, parents, alumni, faculty and staff.

Lundring Events Center is located in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center, which is on the north side of Olsen Road between Campus Drive and Mountclef Boulevard.

Cal Lutheran’s Office of Campus Ministry is sponsoring the free event. For more information, contact Shneyder at bshnede@callutheran.edu or Michael at bmichae@callutheran.edu.

37th Annual "Santa Comes to Westlake/Agoura and Beyond" Food Drive on December 10, 2016

Santa may be the busiest guy you know around the holiday season, but he is taking his time out of his toy-making schedule to once again help the Westlake Village Junior Women’s Club host the 37th annual Santa Comes to Westlake/Agoura & Beyond food drive.

This year's non-denominational event takes place in the Agoura Hills’ DIY HomeCenter parking lot on Saturday, December 10, 2016, from 8:30am-11:00am. Participants can help bag collected food and assist in the deliveries.

Founded originally by George Annino and the Agoura Optimist Club, the annual food drive has helped over 21,000 Conejo Valley families. Its goal is to brighten the holiday season for predetermined local families in need by delivering bags of groceries directly to their door step. Numerous organizations including local churches, schools, the Boy Scouts of America, and the Girl Scouts of America participate in hosting food drives and sorting canned and packaged foods for delivery.  In addition, residents of the Conejo Valley help by donating money towards a bag of groceries for a family in need.

How can you help?

1. The Westlake Village Juniors encourage the community to join them on December 10 to sort and deliver the food. This is a great opportunity for groups, families with kids, and individuals to help their neighbors and spread the holiday joy.

2. Purchase a bag of groceries for a needy family. It is $20 per bag. Checks can be made out to the Westlake Village Junior Women’s Club and mailed to: P.O. Box 4412, Thousand Oaks, CA91359. 

3. Donate at one of the designated food drives.

Community Food Drives

Visit www.westlakejuniors.org/events/santa-comes-to-westlake-agoura/overview for updates on food drive locations.

For questions contact santa@westlakejuniors.org or visit www.westlakejuniors.org

Christmas Around the World Tree Exhibit at Reagan Library 11/12/16 to 1/8/17

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The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is pleased to announce that Christmas Around the World is back in 2016. The exhibit includes 26 exquisitely decorated trees representing the 26 countries that President Reagan visited while in office, as well as a White House Tree.

Decorations encompass the bright and festive colors of the Caribbean, the crystals of the Nordic countries and the traditional decorations of England and Europe. Of particular note is the Vatican tree decorated entirely with white ornaments featuring a life-size white peacock that adorns the tree’s branches. The featured tree is an elegant reproduction of President and Mrs. Reagan’s White House tree complete with “Reagan Red” decorations and dozens of hand-blown glass ornaments.

The exhibit is on display November 12, 2016 through January 8, 2017.

The Reagan Library is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  Museum fees are: $21.00 general admission, $18.00 for seniors 62 and over, $15.00 for children 11-17, $10 for children 3-10 and free for children 2 and under.  For more information,  call (800) 410-8354 or visit www.reaganlibrary.com. Located at 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley.