CAMARILLO — Percy Jackson is just 12 years old and faced with pursuing a villain across the United States to retrieve the original weapon of mass destruction – the lightning bolt of the Greek god Zeus.
The public is invited to join in on the adventures of the young hero in the CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Performing Arts department’s musical production of “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.”
Our annual Community Interfaith Thanksgiving Service will be held on Tuesday, November 21st, at 7:00 p.m. at the historic, downtown First United Methodist Church.
The Greater Santa Barbara Area Clergy Association, sponsor of this event, includes clergy and religious leaders from over 100 local faith communities. We come together to celebrate and reflect upon unity, peace, hope, prayers and blessings from our diverse religious traditions.
SANTA BARBARA — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Audra McDonald in Concert on Thursday, November 30 at 7 p.m. at UCSB Campbell Hall. The winner of a record-breaking six Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards and an Emmy, Audra McDonald is as stunningly eloquent in song as she is acting a role. She’s been named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people and received a National Medal of Arts for “her rich, soulful voice [that] continues to take her audiences to new heights.” Enjoy an intimate evening with a national treasure as McDonald performs works from Broadway, the Great American Songbook and more.
SANTA BARBARA – UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Seong-Jin Cho on Friday, December 1 at 7 p.m. at UCSB Campbell Hall. Pianist Seong-Jin Cho returns with an eclectic program demonstrating his remarkable range and subtle approach to the repertoire. Cho captured the world’s attention in 2015 when his flawless performances earned First Prize at the Chopin International Competition in Warsaw. His thoughtful yet assertive style drives an impressive natural sense of balance. His latest solo album, The Handel Project, was released in February 2023.
VIRTUAL & IN-PERSON
Homebuyer Workshop
Saturday, December 2 – In-person, Santa Maria (in partnership with the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara)
Friday, December 8 – Virtual
Saturday, December 16 – Virtual
If you want to learn what it takes to buy a home of your own and what resources are out there, our HUD-approved Homebuyer Workshops is a class you won’t want to miss! There is no cost for you to attend and you’ll enjoy hearing from a variety of expert speakers who will give you the latest and greatest on credit, money management, real estate, mortgage loans, insurance and more! Register for FREE today!
SANTA BARBARA — Just in time for the holiday gift-giving season, more than 50 arts and crafts faculty and students from the SBCC School of Extended Learning will be selling their wares at Wake Campus from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2. Community members are encouraged to stop by and view and/or purchase one-of-a-kind works including ceramics, jewelry items, fabric arts, cards, glass art and more — crafted by their very own friends and neighbors.
Shoppers can also enjoy a catered lunch during the Fair, available for purchase by Chef Rene’s Cuisine.
hiatus due to the pandemic! Join us at the Camarillo Animal Shelter, 600 Aviation Drive, on Saturday, December 2nd, 2023, from 10:00am to 12:00pm for a festive professional photo session with the one and only Santa Claus!
Capture the magic of the season with your furry friends at the most anticipated holiday photo event of the year! Embrace the holiday spirit and come dressed in festive attire, casual wear, or even matching pajamas – it’s all about capturing those heartwarming moments!
CAMARILLO — Trinity Church Camarillo is presenting its “Christmas Craft Fair” fro 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3 at 2304 Antonio Ave, Camarillo.
We are hosting this Craft Fair/ Tree Lighting as an inexpensive way to spend an afternoon for all! Booths are free for artists, crafters, vendors with a 10 percent donation to MEAL SHARE CAMARILLO recommendation from anything sold.
VENTURA — Dementia Friendly Ventura County’s next one-stop workshop to help people living with a dementia-related disease and their caregivers is scheduled for Wednesday, December 6, at Oxnard Family Circle.
The public is encouraged to stop by anytime during the “Living Well, Caring Well” event and meet with many local providers who can assist with dementia-related issues, including adult day centers, adult protective services, the Alzheimer’s Association, caregiver resources, financial resources, in-home care, health insurance counseling and advocacy, legal and advanced planning, long-term care ombudsman, neurology, and public benefit programs.
CONDADO DE VENTURA – – Los eventos «Ilumina una Vida» de Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice brindan alivio, consuelo y una oportunidad para que quienes han perdido y honren la memoria de sus ser queridos. Para aquellos que perdimos cerca o lejos, que se fueron recientemente o hace mucho tiempo, «Ilumina una Vida» es una forma considerada y sentir desde el corazón para honrar sus recuerdos y esparcir un poco de alegría en estas épocas festivas.
VENTURA — Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice’s “Light Up a Life” events provide comfort, solace, and an opportunity for those who have lost someone to honor their loved one’s memory. For those we’ve lost near or far, recently departed or long ago, “Light Up a Life” is a thoughtful and heartfelt way to honor their memories and spread some joy this holiday season. The dates and times for this year’s Light Up events are:
Constitution Park, 1287 Paseo Camarillo, Camarillo
Saturday, December 9th from 4:30 pm – 5:30pm
Sunday, December 10 | 5:00-6:30 PM
Ventura Missionary Church, 500 High Point Drive, Ventura
Join us at 4pm before the concert for a complimentary Merry Little Mixer – Refreshments, drinks, and holiday cheer!
In conjunction with the SBMA exhibition Inside/Outside(on view until February 18), Prof. Caroline Arruda will give a talk that combines philosophy with art to think about how artists show us what a life well lived might look like. Contemporary culture sees artists as being authentic because many pursue their creative goals above all else, sacrificing family or a stable life to realize their dreams. While few of us doggedly pursue our goals with this intensity, artists still do have something to teach the rest of us about living authentically and living well.
SANTA BARBARA — First United Methodist Church of Santa Barbara will present its 32nd Annual Living Nativity at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, 22 at 305 E Anapamu St (at Garden), Santa Barbara.
Once again the congregation of the First United Methodist Church presents its beautiful Seasonal gift to the community by staging a silent re-creation of the Holy Night. Under a redwood tree and adjacent to the church, a grassy area is transformed into a humble wooden stable, complete with a serene Mary, Joseph and tiny baby Jesus asleep in the manger. Three majestic kings stand by with their gifts to the Holy Child, attentive angels appear nearby, and lowly shepherds tend to their flocks. Live camels, donkey, sheep and goats surround the manger taking in the wonder of it all.
CAMARILLO — The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology (WFVZ) Bird Museum and Research Center in Camarillo will hold a Holiday Open House from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27 at 439 Calle San Pablo, Camarillo.
This world-class professional research center and museum is used by scientists from all over the globe. It houses the largest bird’s egg collections in the world from the early 1800s to the present, more than million eggs.
¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! (Viva) is back in 2023 for the first time since 2020! Since its establishment as a free community arts program in 2006, Viva has brought together people of diverse backgrounds from across Santa BarbaraCounty to celebrate the music and dance of Latin America.
Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar
THREE FREE PUBLIC PERFORMANCES!
Friday,Jan 13 | 7 PM | Isla Vista School, 6875 El Colegio Rd, Goleta
Saturday, Jan 14 | 7 PM | Guadalupe City Hall, 918 Obispo Street, Guadalupe
Sunday, Jan 15 | 7 PM | The Marjorie Luke Theatre, 721 E Cota St, Santa Barbara
Kaiser Permanente’s 2023 Rose Parade® float theme, “All of us for all of you,” celebrates the impact that a connected, compassionate care team supported by research, technology, and innovation, can have on individuals and communities. This theme is depicted through the inspiring stories of the float participants riding and walking alongside the float. They are a combination of dedicated Kaiser Permanente physicians, nurses, and employees, and Southern California patients who have overcome health challenges.
This year, Kaiser Permanente’s 17th annual float entry embodies the 2023 Rose Parade presented by Honda theme, “Turning the Corner.” The parade theme celebrates the potential that each new year brings as we prioritize health. The 55-foot-long float features a series of real-life vignettes highlighting the ordinary and extraordinary moments made possible by next-generation care:
For over twenty years, our caring supportive service teams have responded with compassion, expertise, and a friendly smile to ensure that all residents have the opportunity to be at their best. Whether it’s a visit from a social worker, help with homework, or connections to the community, our counselors, educators, and advocates are alongside in moments of need.
With the winter solstice debuting this month, what better time than now to take a midweek/weekend getaway to view a spectacular winter sunset on California’s Central Coast.
Here are Lompoc California’s Top 4 Picks to view a tranquil one-of-a-kind winter sunset:
Last month, food systems took the global stage as a legitimate solution to the climate crisis. For the first time ever, COP27 hosted a Food and Agriculture Pavilion where local, national, and global farmers and food system stakeholders convened to develop solutions for how we can ensure the path from farm to table is more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable.
Top line solutions included funding and financing, inclusive policy-making, and innovative approaches implemented by a diverse group of food producers. While global leaders play catch-up, SBCFAN is already helping implement these solutions by:
connecting food system projects to accessible, affordable, and equitable funding and financing opportunities
facilitating food policy coordination, navigation, and advocacy
supporting the development of new and innovative food system projects by a diverse group of stakeholders
This year was marked with so much success because of strong partnerships, faithful support and visionary investments from people like you. Thank you for every part you played through your advocacy, goodwill and generous support.
Thank you for continuing to build so much more than housing with us.
Dear Friend of the Museum,
If you have already made a contribution to the Museum of Ventura County – THANK YOU for your support!
If you would still like to give a gift, thank you for helping the Museum serve our Ventura County community with:
In-person and virtual school tours
Free events for ALL of the community
In-person and virtual discussions and interviews
Historical articles, lectures and videos
Innovative exhibits
FREE ADMISSION at the Museum of Ventura County downtown and at the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula
The Wedding Room in the Ventura County Clerk and Recorder’s office was officially named in honor of retiring County Clerk-Recorder, Registrar of Voters Mark Lunn, following the Ventura County Board of Supervisors’ approval this month. The public and media are invited to commemorate the dedication of the “Mark A. Lunn Wedding Room” on Dec. 29 at the Ventura County Government Center – Hall of Administration, 800 S. Victoria Ave. in Ventura.
Supervisor Matt LaVere, chair of the Board of Supervisors, made the recommendation to name the wedding room in honor of Mr. Lunn at the Board’s Dec. 13 meeting.
Enrollment is now open for the upcoming session of the Community Environmental Council’s (CEC) Climate Stewards certification course, designed to empower local community members to take action on climate change. CEC is proud to be the first and only nonprofit on the Central Coast to deliver the Climate Stewards certification program, and one of only a handful across the state.
“The climate crisis is too big and complex to be solved by a single organization, policy, or system. We must mobilize people and resources to ensure that the climate crisis is seen as an immediate, real, and present danger that affects just about every issue we care about. That’s why we are building a committed corps of volunteer leaders ready to effectively engage in transformative local solutions to promote community and ecosystem resilience in a changing climate,” said CEC CEO Sigrid Wright.
Jordana Ybarra-Telias was honored by Ventura College and the Ventura College Foundation on December 13 in a “Legacy Celebration” on the college campus. Ybarra-Telias was the coordinator of the Ventura College Veteran Resource Center and president of the Ventura College Classified Senate until her passing in May 2022.
Ybarra-Telias was in the process of establishing an emergency grant program for veterans to receive “mini-grants” to help pay for emergency expenses. The Ventura College Foundation took on the fundraising efforts. The grant program was established and named in Ybarra-Telias’ honor.
It’s that time of year when the expectations we place on ourselves can be unrealistic, especially when faced with the absence of a loved one. Livingston Memorial’s Grief and Bereavement Program can offer compassion and understanding during this difficult time of year. Livingston offers multiple support groups that focus on restorative activities, seeking meaning and purpose, identifying changes to self, and receiving support in making life good again.
During this holiday season, we have been asking our community to tell us their favorite highlight from the Museum. Elena Brokaw, The Barbara Barnard Smith Executive Director of the Museum of Ventura County, recently shared her favorite MVC highlight and her son added his emphatic favorite as well.
We would love to hear what you love about the Museum. Please consider enhancing the cultural life of our region with your support for our exhibits, collections, and programs. You can donate by clicking on the button below. Please be sure to note your favorite MVC highlight on the donation page.
All year long, The Collection at RiverPark has been bringing excitement to the community with grand openings, community events, shopping, dining and entertainment for all ages. As The Collection looks ahead to 2023, it is celebrating the successes of one of its best years yet.
“Here at The Collection, our goal is to bring people together, offering all their favorite shops, services, restaurants, entertainment destinations and events in a single location that provides a sense of community,” said The Collection’s Marketing and Business Development Manager, Juliana Finberg. “As we reflect on another terrific year, we look forward to what’s to come in 2023 — and we’ve got tons of exciting plans lined up already.”
Thanks to your continued and generous support, we are encouraged to be ending 2022 strong! Though many challenges came along this year, there has been much to celebrate:
Construction Pipeline: Taking advantage of all possible solutions to the continuing housing crisis, we put 1,300 units into our pipeline. We built new units, substantially rehabilitated existing ones, and secured several new tracts for ‘self-help’ owner builders.
Creative Collaborations: The brick-and-mortar of construction is only part of the multi-faceted challenge of development. The quest for buildable land saw us creatively collaborating with state and local governments, private owners, and faith-based partners.
Lumina Alliance is launching ReDefine Parenting: An educational program focused on improving the social, emotional and physical well-being of children and pre-teen boys.
Parents are tasked with an impossible job: Raise and educate children, while navigating life and family, with no guidance or resources, in the midst of a changing and turbulent world. ReDefine Parenting aims to support parents and caregivers by providing them the tools to tackle some of the most difficult and nuanced issues facing youth today.
Las Posadas
?Saturday, December 17th from 6-8pm
at the Agriculture Museum
Free
Las Posadas (The Inns in Spanish) is a Latinx traditional holiday that commemorates the biblical journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of lodging and a safe refuge for Mary to give birth to Jesus. After nine days of searching for lodging (Las Posadas are celebrated December 16th through 24th, representing the nine days), an Innkeeper gave Mary and Joseph shelter in a stable as there was no room at the inns.
We are excited to be holding our biggest fundraiser event of the year in person again! This year we will also be hosting a preview event online, as well as the in-person event.
Thank you for considering sponsoring our Festival of Hearts event, raising funds for low income seniors through our HEART program (Helping Elders at Risk Today)- for those who want to attend our program and are in need of financial assistance.
Former Ballet Hispánico leader Kiri Avelar takes a borderlands approach to understanding the American dance archive as a doctoral research fellow.
Many of our life-saving programs depend on donor dollars from the community. Please consider making Ventura County Animal Services your end-of-year charity. Visit www.vcas.us/donate to make an online donation to our non-profit Foundation. And make your donation before December 31, 2022 to claim the deduction on your 2022 Tax Return. Thank you for your support of our lifesaving mission!
Santa Barbara City College is pleased to announce that class registration for the Spring 2023 semester is now open to everyone in the community. Classes begin on Monday, Jan. 23. SBCC offers classes for credit for students looking to pursue an associate degree or certificate, including those needed to transfer to a four-year university. It also offers a variety of noncredit programs through its School of Extended Learning in areas including English as a Second Language, classes for older adults and career skills building.
Gather together with the entire family to celebrate the eighth night of Chanukah at the 20th Annual Chanukah Festival on Sunday, December 25, 2022, from 2:30-4:30pm at the Ventura Harbor Village presented by Chabad of Oxnard, Camarillo, Ojai, and Ventura. Kids of all ages can bring their hats, gloves, and scarves and enjoy tons of snow and warm up with sizzling hot latkes. Plus, the festival features a live demonstration ice sculpting a six-foot ice Menorah, with the “coolest” lighting at 4:00pm. Visitors to the Chanukah Festival can also enjoy a Judaica Boutique and musical entertainment all while spending time by the seashore at Ventura Harbor Village.
A collaborative, cross-disciplinary study on socially responsible augmented reality for human rights museums receives a National Science Foundation grant.
… During the lunch program, BBSVC CEO Danica Selvaggio shared the importance of youth mentoring in Ventura County, and the impact the agency has had on the community. Big & Little Sisters of The Year 2022 for Ventura County and California Statewide, Karyn and Marcie, shared their story of their long and happy mentoring relationship while sharing photos from the lifetime of their match.
All proceeds from the Bags, Bling & Bubbly champagne luncheon went towards providing the financial support BBSVC needs to help serve youth in Ventura County schools and the greater community.
SANTA BARBARA — ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! (Viva) is back in 2023 for the first time since 2020! Since its establishment as a free community arts program in 2006, Viva has brought together people of diverse backgrounds from across Santa Barbara County to celebrate the music and dance of Latin America. The program, which has been on hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, returns in 2023 with FREE performances and community outreach events from four stellar ensembles, including Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar (Jan. 13-15), Grandeza Mexicana (Mar. 17-19), Tres Souls (Apr. 14-16), and Las Cafeteras (May 19-21).
“At Arts & Lectures, we are thrilled to resume the exciting and deeply rooted ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! program at multiple locations throughout the region,” says Miller McCune Executive Director Celesta M. Billeci. “These free community events wouldn’t be possible without our partners The Marjorie Luke Theatre, the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, and the Isla Vista School Parent Teacher Association, and the many community coordinators and volunteers. From Carpinteria and Santa Barbara to Isla Vista, Lompoc, Guadalupe and New Cuyama, people will again enjoy the best ensembles from Latin America and the rich traditions they represent.”
Clinicas del Camino Real, Inc. will continue its annual holiday tradition to distribute toys to its pediatric patients during this year’s holiday season. This year Clinicas plans on distributing approximately 4,500 toys for its patients.
The holidays can be an especially difficult time for families in need and Clinicas is happy to help support the community. This annual tradition is very meaningful to Clinicas because it offers staff an opportunity to not only thank patients but also help create joy and contributes to patients’ health and well-being.
