April 13 — Southeast Ventura County YMCA Hosts Free Healthy Kids’ Day

WESTLAKE VILLAGE — The two branches of the Southeast Ventura County YMCA are holding “Healthy Kids’ Day,” a free community event to inspire kids to keep their minds and bodies active during the summer. The Simi Valley Family YMCA Healthy Kids’ Day is Saturday, April 13 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and the Yarrow Family YMCA Healthy Kids’ Day in Westlake Village is Saturday, April 20 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

April 13 — Spring 2024 Local Authors Showcase at the Oxnard Main Library

OXNARD — The Oxnard Public Library announces the return of their Annual Local Authors Showcase on April 13th, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Downtown Main Branch (251 S. A St., Oxnard).

This year’s event will fill the Main Library’s second floor with authors selling and signing their books. Aspiring authors of all ages can also participate in the Library’s new panel discussions with authors who write within the three major age demographics (Adult, Young Adult, and Children). Engage with published authors and learn about the writing process and how one gets published.

April 15 — Oxnard Film Society to present screening of ‘The Promised Land’

Denmark’s Submission to the Academy Awards for Best International Film.
In 18th century Denmark, Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) – a proud, ambitious, but impoverished war hero — sets out to tame a vast, uninhabitable land on which seemingly nothing can grow. He seeks to start farming crops, build a colony in the name of the King, and gain a noble title for himself. This beautiful but forbidding area also happens to be under the rule of the merciless Frederik De Schinkel, a preening nobleman who realizes the threat Kahlen represents to his power. Struggling against the elements and local brigands, Kahlen is joined by a couple who have fled the clutches of the rapacious De Schinkel. As this group of misfits begins to build a small community in this inhospitable place, De Schinkel swears vengeance, and the confrontation between him and Kahlen promises to be as violent and intense as these two men.

April 17 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents legendary jazz keyboard player Herbie Hancock at The Arlington Theatre

SANTA BARBARA — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Herbie Hancock on Wednesday, April 17 at 8 p.m. at the Arlington Theatre. Experience a night under the spell of Herbie Hancock, jazz’s most versatile and influential keyboard player. As pianist for Miles Davis in the mid-1960s, Hancock helped pioneer a groundbreaking new sound in jazz. A trained engineer, he was among the first bop players to explore the potential of electric instruments and combine jazz with funk and rock. Hancock has garnered a Kennedy Center Honor, an Academy Award for his Round Midnight film score and 14 Grammys, including a prestigious Album of the Year for his 2007 tribute River: The Joni Letters.

April 17 — Angel City Football Club Executives Share Insights into the Business Side of Sports

THOUSAND OAKS — When people think of professional sports, they envision the competition: the games and matches that happen on the field of play. But there is a vast network of behind-the-scenes leadership and staff who manage the players, control the finances and promote the games. At California Lutheran University’s Business of Sports Event, Angel City Football Club (ACFC) executives for the professional women’s soccer team will sit down with Mark Orlando, director of the sports management program at Cal Lutheran’s School of Management, for an in-depth discussion of the business side of sports. The free event for students and the community will be from 5:45 – 7:30 p.m. on April 17 at the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center on the California Lutheran University campus.

April 17 — CLU School of Management to present ‘The Business of Sports.’ Other event on May 1

Join us for an in-depth discussion about the business of sports with executives from Angel City Football Club of the National Women’s Soccer League and Cal Lutheran’s Sports Management Program Director Mark Orlando.

Angel City FC players will participate in a question-and-answer session. After the event, they will be on-hand for photos and an autograph signing.

April 18 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents the Emmy Award-winning pop culture icon and international drag superstar RuPaul at The Arlington Theatre

SANTA BARBARA — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents RuPaul on Thursday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. at The Arlington Theatre. If we’re all born naked and the rest is drag, this is RuPaul stripped bare. Pop culture icon and international drag superstar RuPaul invites you to a spiritual awakening to celebrate the release of his new memoir, The House of Hidden Meanings. Allow your mind, body and soul to be enveloped in RuPaul’s lyrically poignant stories on life, love and finding your voice. During this special event, RuPaul offers fans a manual for living – a personal philosophy that testifies to the value of chosen family, the importance of harnessing what makes you different and the transformational power of facing yourself fearlessly. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear RuPaul’s extraordinary story as told by RuPaul.

April 18 — SBMA presents FREE lecture on ‘Julien Levy: Maestro of the Art World by Beth Gates Warren’

Noted photography scholar Beth Gates Warren will present a fascinating lecture on Julien Levy (1906–81), who is best remembered today as the art dealer who brought Surrealism to the United States. His eponymous New York City Gallery (1931–49) was generally regarded as the best place to view cutting-edge work by such artists as Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, Alberto Giacometti, Arshile Gorky, Frida Kahlo, and Man Ray.

April 19 — Bilingual report — Allan Hancock College hosts Tim Burton film retrospective

SANTA MARIA — Allan Hancock College’s film and television program is celebrating the work of acclaimed director Tim Burton by hosting a retrospective of his work through the end of April. 

The film and television program is partnering with the Friends of the AHC Library to host a screening of “Beetlejuice” on April 19 at 6 p.m., followed by a screening of “Big Fish” on April 26 at 6 p.m. Both movies will be shown in the screening room of the college’s Fine Arts Complex (Bldg. F, Room 257).  

April 19 — CSUCI annual State of the University address will review enrollment, new construction, the Santa Barbara Zoo partnership, and more

CAMARILLO — Plans for a new conservation center at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) – to be built in partnership with the Santa Barbara Zoo — are progressing quickly with the conceptual design already complete.

Construction progress also continues for Gateway Hall, along with several other new initiatives, programs, and partnerships that CSUCI President Richard Yao will review on Friday, April 19 during the annual State of the University address, sponsored by the West Ventura County Business Alliance (WVCBA).

April 19 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Antonio Sánchez Birdman Live 10th Anniversary at the Arlington Theatre

SANTA BARBARA — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Antonio Sánchez Birdman Live on Friday, April 19 at 8 p.m. at The Arlington Theatre. After the success of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman, which won four Academy Awards including Best Picture, drummer/composer Antonio Sánchez performed his dramatic Grammy Award-winning score live around the world.

April 20 — Santa Paula Art Museum’s Fourteenth Anniversary Gala and Fundraiser

Don’t miss the Santa Paula Art Museum’s Fourteenth Anniversary Gala and Fundraiser this Saturday, April 20, 2024! In honor of the Museum’s Limoneira Building turning 100 this year, we’re going to party like it’s 1924! Join us inside the Museum for a Roaring ’20s evening of art, live music by Sophie Holt and Studio C, dancing, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a special painting demonstration, and more.

April 20 — Bilingual report — CSU Channel Islands to present Children’s Day/Día de los Niños

This free event is for all families, guardians, children, educators, and community members to join us for a day of activities, games, reading. Our special guest is children’s book author James Luna. James will be reading his The Runaway Piggy/El Cochinito Fugitivo book. The first 150 guests will receive a free copy of the book as well!

April 20 — The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula to present ‘3rd Annual Ventura County Wildflower and Weed Show’

Don’t miss this celebration of California’s diverse flora! At 12 pm, Antonio Sanchez will deliver a lecture, “Inviting California to Dinner: Bringing California Native Plant Foods into Your Life and the Future of Native Plant Agriculture.”

April 23 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents luminary folk musician Rhiannon Giddens at The Arlington Theatre

SANTA BARBARA — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Rhiannon Giddens on Tuesday, April 23 at 8 p.m. at The Arlington Theatre. Singer and instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens’ iconic brand of folk music spotlights people whose contributions to American musical history have been overlooked or erased, and advocates for a more accurate understanding of the country’s musical origins through art. A two-time Grammy Award winner, MacArthur fellow and composer, she was awarded the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her debut opera Omar. Her highly-anticipated new solo album, You’re the One, was released in August. For this show, Giddens will be joined by opening act Charly Lowry.

April 24 — Free LightGabler LLP Employment Law Webinar: ‘What to Say (And Not to Say) in Employee Documentation’

Most employers and human resources professionals know that keeping regular documentation in the workplace is critical to the employer’s protection. More important than just keeping documentation, however, is keeping the right documentation. The words used (or not used) in every employee communication can significantly help or hurt the employer’s position.

April 25 — Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) to present ‘Born-Porcelain or Flowers: Yassi Mazandi and James Glisson in Conversation’

In conjunction with the exhibition Made by Hand/Born Digital (on view through August 25), this free flowing conversation between artist Yassi Mazandi and SBMA Curator of Contemporary Art James Glisson will cover her explorations with new technology, including NFTs, and her tendency to work with traditional mediums, like painting and ceramics, against the grain.

April 26 — Bilingual report — Forum — City of Santa Paula Partners with Local Organizations to Address ADA Compliance Concerns Facing Small Businesses

“As a business owner in Santa Paula, I understand firsthand the challenges small businesses face, especially when it comes to navigating complex regulations like ADA compliance,” said Mayor Leslie Cornejo. “Our city and partnering organizations are committed to standing alongside local businesses, providing them with the resources and support they need to thrive.”

April 26 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Alonzo King LINES Ballet at the Arlington Theatre

SANTA BARBARA — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Alonzo King LINES Ballet on Friday, April 26 at 8 p.m. at The Arlington Theatre. Blurring the lines between classical and contemporary, San Francisco-based Alonzo King LINES Ballet is renowned for its impeccable technique, captivating dancers and rich visual works. Alonzo King’s newest creation, Deep River, uses spiritual music from Black and Jewish traditions alongside original compositions by Jason Moran to assert the power of hope in the face of seemingly impossible odds.

April 26 — Bilingual report — Allan Hancock College hosting 25th anniversary celebration for Lompoc Valley Center

“The Lompoc Valley Center was built to respond to the critical need to serve students in the Lompoc Valley, and 25 years later it continues that important mission,” said Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin G Walthers, Ph.D. “This celebration is an opportunity to honor the LVC’s past and look forward to its future.” 

April 27 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents the Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet at Campbell Hall

SANTA BARBARA – – UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Kronos Quartet | Five Decades on Wednesday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Campbell Hall. For 50 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet has challenged and reimagined what a string quartet can be, centering its work around the key issues of our time. Kronos has commissioned, performed and recorded works that engage with topics such as war and destruction, the climate crisis, social injustice and spirituality. Now, the multi-Grammy Award-winning quartet marks its anniversary with a program of new commissions, signature works from its vast repertoire and pieces from its Fifty for the Future project.

April 27 — SEEAG Hosts Earth Day Plantopia ‘U-Pick Your Garden’ Fundraiser

VENTURA — Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) will host its 2nd annual Plantopia “U-Pick Your Garden” fundraiser to celebrate Earth Day. The event, held on Saturday, April 27, will raise funds to support SEEAG’s agricultural education programs where students learn about the farm origins of their food, water resources, soil health, entomology and locally grown fruits and vegetables.

April 27 — The Kitten Lady returns to Ventura County as part of RescueCon 2024 at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center (OPAC)

OXNARD — RescueCon, OPAC’s one-day event bringing creativity and community together to celebrate and facilitate animal rescue and adoption, returns on Saturday, April 27 from 11 am to 4pm. Rescheduled from March 23 due to wind and rain, this year’s event features animal welfare influencer, the Kitten Lady (Hannah Shaw), and is free and open to the public. Festivities will be held at Community Center Park East, just behind the Oxnard Performing Arts & Convention Center. More information can be found at: theopac.org/rescuecon

April 27 — Empowering creativity: ReFrame Ventura County Arts and Culture Summit to be held in Camarillo

VENTURA COUNTY — TOArts and County of Ventura Arts and Culture proudly announce the inaugural ReFrame Ventura County (ReFrame VC) Arts Summit 2024; a first in the county event that centers arts and culture as creative and economic drivers for our region. Scheduled on April 27, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., ReFrame VC will inform, inspire, and empower attendees from across the creative and cultural arts.