Santa Paula, CA – Agricultural crops have had a strong influence on the growth of Ventura County. Soon after California became a state, great numbers of farmers began arriving to establish farms and grow a variety of crops. A few towns grew slowly to support the agriculture industry and provide for the needs of farm families. But one crop has the distinction of being the sole reason for a Ventura County town’s birth and boom. According to the Museum of Ventura County Agriculture Museum’s Curator, Anne Graumlich, “without sugar beets, there would be no Oxnard.”

On June 13, 2013 at 2:00 p.m., Graumlich will share the history of “Oxnard’s Sugar Beet Bonanza,” during a Second Thursday Gallery Talk at the Agriculture Museum. How a field in the middle of a fertile plain became the site of the world’s second-largest sugar beet processing factory, and how the County’s soon-to-be fastest growing city grew there, will be illustrated with photographs from the Museum of Ventura County’s Research Library Collection. The agreements between area farmers and the Oxnard brothers, who were American sugar barons from the east coast and France; the construction of the sugar factory; the great human effort required to grow and harvest beets; and the overnight growth of the city that would be named Oxnard; are highlights of the talk. The 30-minute presentation will be followed by time for questions and answers.

Admission to the Gallery Talk is free for Museum members and is included with regular admission for the general public. No reservations are necessary. Admission includes entrance to all Museum exhibits including “From Field to Factory: Oxnard’s Beet Generation” and “Farm Fresh Quilts.” A Second Thursday Gallery Talk at Santa Paula Art Museum, located one block away, will follow, at 3:00 p.m. Free parking is available at both locations.

Anne Graumlich was hired to curate and design the exhibits for the September 2011 opening of the Agriculture Museum, and has continued to curate exhibits and plan exhibit-related events for the Museum since then. A native of Santa Paula and graduate of Oberlin College with a degree in art history and studio art, she was the Curator and Director of Exhibits and Public Programs at the Museum of Ventura County, from 2002 through 2009.

The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum is located in historic downtown Santa Paula at 926 Railroad Avenue. Hours are 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. General admission is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children ages 6-17. Free for Museum of Ventura County members and children ages 5 and younger. Paid events include free admission to the galleries, the first Sunday of every month is free general admission to the public, and the Second Thursday Gallery Talks are followed by an additional gallery talk at the Santa Paula Art Museum. For more information, go to www.venturamuseum.org or call (805) 525-3100.