This upcoming 4th of July, the Museum of Ventura County will hold a free public celebration for the opening of their Martin V. and Martha K Smith Pavilion and new Front Plaza. The completion of the first part of their two-phased renovation at 100 East Main Street in Ventura also means that on Saturday, July 3, the museum will reopen at that address with a new exhibit, leaving their present temporary location on California Street.

The museum’s renovations will include a new Plaza with a water feature and open columned entrance facing Main Street, the new state-of-the-art Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Event Pavilion, a renovated tour lobby, new bathrooms, and a new parking lot. The Pavilion will be used for lectures, programs and a variety of events; it is capable of seating 200 for dinner, with the option to tent the front plaza for an additional 140 guests. The original museum building will be revitalized with reconfigured exhibit areas and the reopening of the Smith Gallery of George Stuart Historical Figures.

Phase two of the museum’s renovation, which includes new galleries, an education center, expanded library, new Museum Store, expanded collections storage, and offices, will begin when the museum has secured funding at a level that ensures completion, according to Museum of Ventura County Executive Director Tim Schiffer and Board Chair John Orr.

The Museum of Ventura County’s Farm Museum will open this fall in Santa Paula. Plans for an agricultural heritage museum have been in the conceptual stages for more than 30 years, and will soon become a reality.