Category: Events

Bilingual report — The latest news from the County of Ventura

by Community Contributor • May 1, 2025 • Comments Off

CARE Act Town Hall Meeting on Mental Health and Support Services

Join the County of Ventura and the Ventura County Superior Court for an upcoming *CARE Act Town Hall Meeting* to learn about a new program offering voluntary support and treatment for individuals facing serious mental health and substance use challenges.

This informative session will cover eligibility, the petition process, and how the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act is being implemented locally to connect people with the care they need.

Date: Thursday, May 15, 2025

Time: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Location: Ventura County Government Center

Hall of Administration – Lower Plaza Assembly Room, 800 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura, CA 93009

Or Join via Zoom:

Meeting ID: 814 194 7530

Passcode: 484640

Download Zoom at: zoom.us/download

**Spanish interpretation will be provided.

Speakers include representatives from the Ventura County Superior Court, County Counsel, Public Defender’s Office, and Behavioral Health, all working together to support residents through this new state program.

LEARN MORE

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara — LA Art Trips & Artist Opportunities

by Community Contributor • May 1, 2025 • Comments Off

There are still a few spots left to join us on Saturday May 3, departing Santa Barbara at 9:00 am.

Our LA adventure begins with a Pace gallery director guided tour of legendary Light and Space artist Robert Irwin In Los Angeles, an exhibition of work produced between 1960 and 1971, marking the first exhibition of Irwin’s work mounted by Pace since the artist’s death in 2023 and his first posthumous presentation in California. We’ll enjoy our boxed lunches in the gallery garden then head to Marciano Foundation for Lightscape: Doug Aitken, and a special screening of Aitken’s FRONTIER followed by a conversation between Ed Ruscha and Aitken. A very full and rewarding day of art and ideas – register here!

UCSB — The Current — ‘Coralations’ Q&A with author Melody Jue and more news, events

by Community Contributor • April 30, 2025 • Comments Off

Author Melody Jue, an associate professor of English, departs from common coral narratives in her new collection of essays.

Ventura Harbor Village launches Seaside Vacay Giveaway 2025

by Community Contributor • April 28, 2025 • Comments Off

VENTURA — Ventura Harbor Village is thrilled to announce the Seaside Vacay Giveaway for 2025! One lucky winner will receive a coastal getaway experience at Ventura’s seaside playground – Ventura Harbor Village valued at over $1,000, and packed with seaside fun, a two-night harbor stay, waterfront dining, shopping, and on the water adventure.

Bilingual report Allan Hancock College hosts art, music, dance and film events (and ?Folklórico Invitational Concert) May 1 through 19

by Community Contributor • April 28, 2025 • Comments Off

Hancock will host the 2025 Folklórico Invitational concert and dance performance on May 1-3 at 7 p.m. in Boyd Concert Hall (bldg. F) on the Santa Maria campus. Performers include Hancock students, as well as talented dancers from Righetti, Pioneer Valley and Santa Maria high schools, as well as members of the community. Tickets are $10 each and are available at https://www.hancockcollege.edu/pathways/creative-arts/tickets.php.

Strawberries Rule at 39th Annual California Strawberry Festival, May 17 and 18

by Community Contributor • April 28, 2025 • Comments Off

VENTURA — More than a million and a half strawberries will be eaten over two days during the 39thAnnual California Strawberry Festival, May 17 and 18 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds(10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura, CA 93001).

Many of the 50 food vendors at the festival will serve strawberry-themed offerings. Festival goers can treat themselves to such treats as chocolate-covered strawberries, strawberry-topped funnel cakes, strawberry pizza, strawberry nachos, deep-fried strawberries, berry kabobs, strawberry tacos and strawberry beer, margaritas and smoothies.

Ventura Music Festival — Tickets on sale now for Ottmar Liebert in concert on June 27, more upcoming events

by Community Contributor • April 28, 2025 • Comments Off

Friday, June 27 at 7:00 PM
The Majestic Ventura Theater
One of the most successful instrumental artists of the past decades, Ottmar Liebert has been entertaining audiences around the world for decades with his unforgettable, signature Nouveau Flamenco sound that blends elegance, passion, and global rhythms. Don’t miss this world-renowned guitarist as he creates a spellbinding atmosphere with every note!

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara — The Art Awards Are Back on July 13, more news

by Community Contributor • April 28, 2025 • Comments Off

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara Presents
The 2025 Art Awards

Mary Heebner
Dr. JoAnn Kuchera-Morin
Gabriela Ruiz
Manjari Sharma
Diana Thater

UCSB — The Current — ‘Alcohol marketing ushered in a golden age of drinking in America’ and more news, events

by Community Contributor • April 24, 2025 • Comments Off

Cultural historian Lisa Jacobson’s new book tells the complicated and fascinating story of how alcoholic beverages morphed from disreputable habit to ubiquitous facet of American life.

Join us outside the Santa Maria Strawberry Festival on April 27 – Justice Can’t Wait

by Community Contributor • April 23, 2025 • Comments Off

This May Day, we’re showing up loud and clear in solidarity with farmworkers at the Santa Maria Strawberry Festival, and we want you there with us.

While the festival celebrates strawberries, it leaves out the very people who make the harvest possible. Farmworkers power a multi-billion-dollar industry in California, yet they’re still fighting for wages they can live on.

This isn’t just about fairness – it’s about people power. And when we show up together, we shift what’s possible through our collective voice and power.

May at the Santa Paula Art Museum

by Community Contributor • April 23, 2025 • Comments Off

Premiere Party:

“Plein Air Visions”

Presented by the California Art Club

Saturday, May 10, 2025, from 4 PM to 6 PM

$5 Members, $10 Non-members

The prestigious California Art Club was established in 1909 by early California Impressionists to promote the practice of traditional fine arts in the fields of painting, drawing, and sculpture. “Plein Air Visions” will feature 35 contemporary plein air paintings by two dozen current CAC members. The group exhibition celebrates the immediacy and spontaneity of the plein air technique in capturing the ever-changing light, colors, and moods of the California landscape. All of the paintings will be available for purchase.

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara celebrating Earth Day with Cole Sternberg

by Community Contributor • April 22, 2025 • Comments Off

“In 1969, the devastating images of a massive oil spill from an oil platform off Santa Barbara’s coast galvanized California into action and caught the attention of the rest of the nation, including Senator Gaylord Nelson, founder of Earth Day, who visited Santa Barbara shortly after the spill. The resulting swell of outrage and concern gave rise to the first Earth Day in 1970” (and our colleagues at the Community Environmental Council).

CSUCI hosts its first-ever Datathon for Ventura County college and high school students on April 26

by Community Contributor • April 21, 2025 • Comments Off

CAMARILLO — High school or community college students who would like to learn more about data collection and analysis are invited to a free “Datathon” at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) on Saturday, April 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.…

Bilingual contribution— Post-Action Momentum Continues: April 19 Community Gatherings in Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Isla Vista

by Community Contributor • April 18, 2025 • Comments Off

SANTA BARBARA — Following the powerful momentum of the recent Hands Off! action, local organizers are calling on residents to come together again—this time to deepen connections and organize at the community level.

On Saturday, April 19 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM, simultaneous Community Gatherings will be held in Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Isla Vista. These events are designed to create space for real conversations, grassroots strategy, and mutual support as we build a stronger, people-powered movement.

RSVP today at https://t.ly/apr19 to join one of the gatherings.

UCSB — The Current — Giovanni Batz wins book prize for ‘The Fourth Invasion’ for more news, events

by Community Contributor • April 17, 2025 • Comments Off

Distilling more than a decade of ethnographic research, the book examines ongoing resource exploitation in Guatemala by multinational corporations that fund and operate hydroelectric projects.

69th Annual Conejo Valley Days seeks vendors; Application deadline is June 1

by Community Contributor • April 17, 2025 • Comments Off

THOUSAND OAKS — Vendor slots are now available for the 69th annual Conejo Valley Days (CVD), June 19 through June 29 (dark June 23 and 24) at Conejo Creek Park South (Janss Rd./23 Freeway) in Thousand Oaks. The deadline for vendor application submissions is June 1.

CVD is accepting applications from local businesses and craftspeople wanting to show off their products or services in booths along CVD’s Main Street

Registration open — Senior Concerns’ Love Run returns for 31st Year on June 1 to Support Meals On Wheels in Westlake Village

by Community Contributor • April 16, 2025 • Comments Off

This annual fundraising event supports Senior Concerns’ Meals On Wheels Program, which provides over 65,000 meals per year to over 450 homebound seniors in Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Westlake Village, Oak Park, and Agoura Hills.

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB) — Join us on the LA Art Tours!

by Community Contributor • April 16, 2025 • Comments Off

Travel from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles with our MCASB Team & Supporters like you! Immerse yourself in a curated tour of the LA Arts Scene and make new friends. $250/ person, transportation & box lunch included.

We will depart from Santa Barbara at 9am & return 5pm.

Special Ventura pick-up & drop off for our friends in Ojai/Ventura/Oxnard.

Spring Fever at the Museum of Ventura County!

by Community Contributor • April 16, 2025 • Comments Off

vor Davis: Up Close and Personal with Paul Harris

Thursday, April 17
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
@Museum of Ventura County
100 E. Main St., Ventura

Enjoy a captivating evening featuring legendary photographer Paul Harris, interviewed by Ivor Davis. Doors open at 6 PM for refreshments.
From presidents to movie stars, rock legends to eccentric geniuses, Paul has been behind the lens for history-making moments. Now, he’s ready to share the fascinating inside stories behind his photographs.
?Tickets are on sale: free for members, $10 non-members, $5 non-member Zoom. For more information and to purchase tickets to this event, click HERE.

Announcing Community Environmental Council (CEC)’s 2025 Environmental Heroes

by Community Contributor • April 15, 2025 • Comments Off

The Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival will return to Alameda Park on Saturday, April 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 27 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., 2025. Now in its 55th year, the community-organized festival is one of the longest-running Earth Day celebrations in the country and is one of the largest Earth Day festivals on the West Coast. Presented by the Community Environmental Council (CEC) and produced by longtime festival partner, CarpEvents, the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival continues to serve as a beacon for environmental advocacy and education.

Santa Barbara Pickleball presents Kenny Loggins’ ‘Pickleball in the Danger Zone’ Tournament – A Star-Studded Benefit for The Unity Shoppe

by Community Contributor • April 15, 2025 • Comments Off

SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara Pickleball is thrilled to announce the return of its signature annual event—now rebranded as Kenny Loggins’ “Pickleball in the Danger Zone” Tournament. Celebrating its eighth year, this highly anticipated tournament was formerly known as the American Riviera Classic Pickleball Tournament and has grown into what may be the largest amateur athletic event in the city.

Set to draw over 400 registered players, the tournament will feature men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles divisions, showcasing top-tier amateur competition in a vibrant community atmosphere.

UCSB — The Current — ‘New microCT machine unites biologists and materials scientists’ and more news, events

by Community Contributor • April 15, 2025 • Comments Off

World Music Series
Wednesday, April 16
Los Catanes del Norte will perform music from different regions in Mexico including corridos, rancheras, and boleros norteños.

Santa Paula Museum of Art — Inbox Art Exhibit: “A Brush With Nature: Three Artists’ Perspectives”

by Community Contributor • April 14, 2025 • Comments Off

“A Brush with Nature: Three Artists’ Perspectives”

?
Sandy Fisher, Mardilan Lee Georgio, and Charlotte Mullich

On view now through May 4, 2025

Artists Sandy Fisher, Mardilan Lee Georgio, and Charlotte Mullich highly recommend joining your local arts organization. The three friends met through the Santa Clarita Artists Association and later formed their own modest alliance to trade advice and support one another. All three women began their professional fine art careers later in life after raising children, though Charlotte has been teaching art for many years, and all were encouraged towards the arts from a young age.

Ventura County Ethnic Studies Downtown Oxnard Walking Tour to be held April 18

by Community Contributor • April 11, 2025 • Comments Off

OXNARD — The Ventura County Ethnic Studies Downtown Oxnard Walking Tour will be held from9 a.m.to 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 18.

Led by Professors José Alamillo and Frank Barajas, the 2.5 mile tour of the historic and cultural sites of downtown Oxnard will be followed by lunch and conversation.

A driving option is available for those with mobility issues.

RSVP to Patty Colman (pcolman@vccd.edu) by Wednesday, April 16 as space is limited.

Central Coast Alliance for a Sustainable Economy — We Deserve Clean Air. Safe Water. A Just Future

by Community Contributor • April 11, 2025 • Comments Off

Everyone deserves clean air, safe water, and a healthy community – no matter your race, income, or zip code. But right now, low-income communities and communities of color are still being hit first and worst by pollution and climate change.

Environmental justice means we don’t just survive – we thrive. It means organizing, speaking out, and demanding bold changes that put our health, our safety, and our futures first. And this month, you’ve got three powerful ways to take action with our community:

Speak Up at the State Lands Commission – Monday, April 14

Santa Barbara Museum of Art to open expanded educational space on April 13

by Community Contributor • April 11, 2025 • Comments Off

“Education is at the core of SBMA’s mission,” states Eichholz Family Foundation Director Amada Cruz. “The new expanded space for classes and workshops at the Museum is a game-changer. From the minute you walk into the light-filled white ART LEARNING LAB, you are immersed in a space for art-making with colorful pencils, crayons, sketch pads, and drawings on the wall.”

150 artisans will display their designs and crafts at 39th annual California Strawberry Festival

by Community Contributor • April 10, 2025 • Comments Off

While strawberry-themed foods and beverages are a big draw for the nearly 50,000 people who attend each year, the festival is well-known for unique handcrafted works by artists and crafters. Over 150 artisans showcase their original items including paintings, ceramics, children’s toys, wearables, photography, outdoor furniture, jewelry and specialty foods. Many incorporate strawberries into their creations.

“For many festivalgoers, their first stop is the arts and crafts booths to see what’s new,” says Dana Hale-Mounier, director of Pacific Fine Arts Festivals and coordinator of the festival’s arts and craft booths. “Meeting the artists at the festival makes the experience special. You learn about their inspiration and the creation process and appreciate what goes into every item.”

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara — Take a Look at What’s Coming Up!

by Community Contributor • April 10, 2025 • Comments Off

Join us for an evening of Cochineal Dye Demonstrations, Mezcal Tasting, and Delicious Oaxacan Cuisine at Sangre De Nopal artist Porfirio Gutierrez’s Studio in Ventura.

Funds raised will provide critical support for museum exhibitions and programs like Sangre de Nopal currently on view.

For further questions email hello@mcasantabarbara.org

Bilingual report — Peoples’ Self-Help Housing (PSHH) — Get your tickets for the 2025 Builder Games on April 26

by Community Contributor • April 10, 2025 • Comments Off

Saturday, April 26 | 3-7 PM | 1060 Kendall Rd, San Luis Obispo

Want to join the fun at the 2025 Builder Games? Reserve your spot now!

Cheer on teams as they race against the clock and face fun challenges to build one-of-a-kind playhouses for children. Enjoy Santa Maria style BBQ, local wine, beer, and music! All funds raised benefit the Supportive Housing and Camino Scholars programs of PSHH.

Last Chance! Register now for CEC’s Climate Stewards Course

by Community Contributor • April 10, 2025 • Comments Off

Are you ready to lead grassroots climate action?
CEC’s Spring Climate Stewards Course begins April 16.
CEC Climate Stewards are leading a groundswell of Climate Action across California’s central coast. If you are looking for ways to have a positive impact in your community, CEC’s Climate Stewards certification program can equip you with the skills and confidence to take individual and collective action.

Santa Barbara joins national “Hands Off!” Day of Action on April 5 to push back against rising authoritarianism and corporate greed

by Community Contributor • April 4, 2025 • Comments Off

The event, part of a nationwide protest movement, will take place at De La Guerra Plaza from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, with pre-rally sign-making starting at 12:00 PM. It is co-sponsored by Indivisible Santa Barbara and Women’s March Santa Barbara, and is part of a coordinated response to what organizers call an “ongoing crisis of power and greed” from Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and other billionaire elites.