Friday, August 14, 4:00 - 5:30 pm
A Taste of Santa Paula History: Discover the History and Architecture of Santa Paula

Accompany famed local historian Mitch Stone on a one mile (more or less) stroll around Santa Paula, visiting architectural wonders, and hearing local lore. Tour includes a stop for beer tasting at Garman's Pub and a famous beignet from Rabelais Bistro.

Tour participants meet at the Agriculture Museum at 4:00 pm and proceed to the Depot, the St. Francis Dam Disaster Memorial, the Art Museum, the Oil Museum, Garman's, the Oddfellows Temple, and finish up at Rabelais Bistro.

You have to be rewarded for all that learning with a dessert!

Cost is $35 per person; $30 for members.

To reserve your spot, please call the Museum of Ventura County (805)653-1323, x315. The tour is limited to 20 persons.

Saturday, August 15 at 2 pm
Gallery Talk with collector Jim Bushong, "Jim's Dirt on Tractors"

Our monthly gallery talk at the Ag provides insight into our current popular exhibit "The Dirt on Tractors." Jim Bushong, a local collector who lent three pieces to the exhibition, tells us about his passion for antique farm equipment. A Vietnam vet who was raised on a farm in the Midwest, Jim settled in Oxnard almost 40 years ago and founded Southland Sod Farms. His training as a mechanic early in life gave him an appreciation and an "eye"
for exceptional engines and vehicles. Two of the tractors he loaned to the Ag Museum are rare: A 1930 John Deere Model D, the first to bear the John Deere name; and a 1931 Allis-Chalmers Rumely 6, the last of the Rumely line of tractors.

Jim's interest in these machines lies in the stories they tell. How did these inventors bring their ideas to life? What permanent influence did these dreamers have on the tractors of today? Can these tractors keep pace with the food demands of a growing population? Jim will tell you he has many of the answers!