It’s that time again when you hear jingle bells ringing and children singing songs of joy everywhere you go. The Ventura County Fairgrounds is ready to celebrate with you as we welcome Santa Claus and all of our friends and neighbors to the second annual A Fairgrounds Christmas on Saturday, December 14 from 9AM until5PM. The event is free and parking is $5.

Jolly old Santa Claus will be on hand all day to visit with the children and to listen to their Christmas dreams. Bring a camera because Santa loves to have his picture taken and you will want to cherish that adorable moment forever. Santa’s photo opportunities are free!

More than 80 vendors will be on hand with unique and affordable gift ideas for your Christmas Shopping pleasure. You’ll find something for everybody on your list, even those who are the most difficult to buy for!

Santa’s Fun Zone will amuse you and keep your children jumping for joy! Unlimited Jolly Jumps and the Magic Castle Fun House are available for only $6 per child. It is a child’s wonderland with carolers singing, dancers dancing and more Christmas entertainment to make your day merry and bright.

A variety of food and drink items will be available including everything from a delicious holiday snack to a hearty meal.

In the true Christmas spirit, we will be collecting donations for Food Share, Ventura County’s food bank. Bring canned food items and help set a table in Ventura County homes this year!

There’s no need to worry about the weather! It may be winter outside but indoors at A FairgroundsChristmas you will enjoy yourself in comfort. Jolly Jumps, Fun House, Shopping Boutique and Santa Claus and all are indoors where it’s safe and warm.

So gather the family and head to the Fairgrounds. We’re your fun zone all year long and we are looking forward to making your Christmas season a very special one.

For more information about A Fairgrounds Christmas please visit www.venturacountyfair.org or call (805) 648-3376.

The Ventura College Jazz Band, directed by Leslie Drayton, will present its fall concert on Thursday, December 5, 2013, at 8 p.m. featuring the music of Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, and more. Special guest trombonist, Abdullah Ebrahim, a Jazz Studies major at California State University-Northridge, will perform. Tickets: $10 General Admission. Location: Ventura College Performing Arts Center-Main Auditorium, 4667 Telegraph Road, Ventura, CA 93003. Contact Leslie Drayton at Ldrayton@vcccd.edu for more information

Laurie Rubin
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THOUSAND OAKS, CA - Critically acclaimed singer Laurie Rubin will present a free concert from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, in the William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art at California Lutheran University.

The program will feature songs from movies represented in the gallery’s exhibit of vintage film posters, “Gotta Dance!” Accompanied by pianist Jenny Taira, Rubin will sing pieces from such films as “An American in Paris” and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” in the concert, which is being presented in collaboration with the New West Symphony.

Rubin will also share her story, which is depicted in her memoir, “Do You Dream in Color? Insights From a Girl Without Sight.” The 2012 book chronicles her against-all-odds rise from a blind musical prodigy to an accomplished international opera singer. A companion CD includes the recording of Bruce Adolphe’s “Do You Dream in Color?” that was inspired by Rubin’s experiences. She received the 2010-2011 Yale Alumni Ventures grant to develop a curriculum to dispel stereotypes by allowing people to share in the experiences of blindness.

Rubin is a mezzo-soprano classical vocalist. Recent career highlights include solo recitals at Weill Recital Hall inside Carnegie Hall and at London’s Wigmore Hall. She has also sung at the White House and the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. She has performed a number of operatic roles and new music concerts.

She is the recipient of many prizes including The Music Center’s 1997 Spotlight Award in classical voice, the 1997 Panasonic Young Soloist Award and the 2003 Horatio Parker Memorial Prize from the Yale School of Music.

She and Taira founded Musique à la Mode Chamber Music Ensemble and the Ohana Arts festival and school. Rubin is also a founding member of the baroque ensemble Callisto Ascending.

“Gotta Dance!” spotlights the film poster as an underappreciated art form and explores the diverse ways in which dance has been used as a dominant image. The free exhibit, which runs through Feb. 8, features 40 posters selected for their artistic and historical significance by movie producer Mike Kaplan from his collection. The majority of the works date from between 1930 and 1950, a golden age for movie poster design. Many are from overseas, where designers made extensive use of illustrations rather than photos.

The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and by appointment. For more information, contact curator Jeff Phillips or assistant curator Rachel Schmid at 805-493-3697 or rollandgallery@callutheran.edu.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University students and staff will join with community members to re-enact the Christmas story in the Mexican tradition of Las Posadas from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15.

In the university’s annual tradition, students representing Mary and Joseph will travel by donkey through campus seeking shelter for the birth of their son. Other students, staff and visitors holding candles will walk with them from the Ahmanson Science Center to the Lundring Events Center. The evening will conclude with a piñata and refreshments of hot chocolate and pan dulce (sweet bread). This festive Mexican tradition dates back to the 16th century.

The Ahmanson Science Center is located at 3260 Pioneer Ave. near Memorial Parkway on the Thousand Oaks campus.

CLU’s Office of Multicultural Programs and International Student Services, the Latin American Student Organization and the Department of Languages and Cultures are sponsoring the free event. For more information, contact Daniel Lawrence at lawrenc@callutheran.edu.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University annual Kwanzaa celebration will feature food, performances and a ceremony from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, in Gilbert Arena.

CLU students will perform a Kwanzaa ceremony and NAACP Saturday School students will make presentations. The celebration will also include authentic African and African-American food, gospel music, dancers and vendors selling arts and crafts.

Millions of African Americans observe Kwanzaa from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 each year. It is a special time when families and friends unite to strengthen and encourage one another.

Gilbert Arena is located in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center at 130 Overton Court on the Thousand Oaks campus.

The NAACP Saturday School, the Afro-Centric Committee of Ventura County, and CLU’s Black Student Union and Office of Multicultural Programs and International Student Services are sponsoring the free event. For more information, contact Daniel Lawrence at lawrenc@callutheran.edu.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University’s dramatic annual Sankta Lucia Festival will be held at 11:25 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 12, in Samuelson Chapel.

The Swedish ceremony, which has been part of the university’s holiday celebrations since its early years, pays homage to the Christian martyr who died at the stake on Dec. 13, 304 A.D. Swedish immigrants brought the tradition to America. The festival honors the character traits of mercy, humility and purity of heart, as seen in the Beatitudes written in the Gospel of Matthew.

CLU’s undergraduate students select five female and five male representatives whose depth of character and faith make them leaders in the CLU community. Lucia, her attendants and their escorts will enter to an ancient hymn and read an adaptation of the legend then the attendants will light the candles in Lucia’s crown.

CLU’s Office of Campus Ministry, the CLU Scandinavian Club and the American Scandinavian Foundation of Thousand Oaks are sponsoring the free event.

The chapel is located at 165 Chapel Lane near the corner of Olsen Road and Campus Drive in Thousand Oaks. Parking is available in the lot at the corner of Olsen Road and Mountclef Boulevard. For more information, call the Office of Campus Ministry at 805-493-3228.

Little things mean a lot, especially in the new exhibition “In the Detail: Small Works,” at the Blackboard Gallery of Studio Channel Islands Art Center. Including only art that doesn’t exceed 12 inches in any direction; the juried show opens with a free artists’ reception and awards presentation on Thursday, December 5 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. It closes December 28. Works in the exhibit are of various media, including paintings, ceramics, stone sculptures and mixed media pieces.

The Blackboard Gallery at Studio Channel Islands Art Center is at 2222 Ventura Boulevard in Old Town Camarillo, open Tuesday 11:00 - 3:00, Wednesday through Friday 11:00 - 5:00 and Saturday 10:00 - 3:00 p.m. As many as 40 resident artist studios behind the gallery are open to the public every First Saturday of the month from 10 - 4 p.m. For more information, go to www.studiochannelislands.org or call 805-383-1368.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks will present its annual holiday gift to the community with the free Christmas Festival Concerts slated Dec. 6 through 8.

The choral ensembles and University Symphony will perform “Gift of Winter” at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, and Saturday, Dec. 7, and at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, in Samuelson Chapel.

The university’s longest-running annual event will feature a narrated performance of Christmas music. The program will include traditional carols sung by the audience.

The University Symphony will perform Vivaldi’s “L’inverno (Win¬ter),” featuring violin soloist Antonio Foreman, a senior music major from Agoura Hills.

The choirs will sing “Lo, How a Rose e’er Blooming,” arranged by Los Angeles Master Chorale composer-in-residence Shawn Kirchner, and “The Chelsea Carol” by Eric Whitacre. The program will also include premiere performances of “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” by Kevin Isaacs and “Saw You Never in the Twilight,” arranged by university organist Kyle Johnson.

Music professors Daniel Geeting and Wyant Morton will conduct.

Donations will be accepted.

The chapel is located at 165 Chapel Lane near Campus Drive. Additional parking is available in the lots at the corner of Olsen Road and Mountclef Boulevard. This is always a popular concert so arrive early for the best seating and parking.

For more information, call the Music Department at 805-493-3306 or visit http://www.callutheran.edu.

Camarillo, CA - The Art Program at CSU Channel Islands (CI) will present Material World, an exhibition of student sculpture and ceramic works, at the Palm Gallery in downtown Camarillo. The exhibition opens with a free, public reception on Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. and runs through Monday, Jan. 20. The CI Ceramic and Sculpture Club will host a holiday sale at the opening reception, offering the public a chance to purchase an original holiday gift and support a budding artist.

Material World showcases an eclectic display of functional and sculptural art, demonstrating thrown forms, unique surface treatments, delicate slip casting, rich glazes, cast bronze, and sculptural installations. The show allows select CI art students to explore issues of tradition and materiality in expressive and innovative ways.

The Palm Gallery, located at 92 Palm Dr. in Old Town Camarillo, is a cultural outreach partnership between CI’s Art Program and Camarillo dentist Dr. Michael Czubiak, who provided the gallery space. In addition to affording CI students the opportunity to exhibit their art, the gallery also presents curated shows of regional artists – allowing the campus and surrounding community to come together in the appreciation of art.

Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Works are for sale. For more information, visit http://art.csuci.edu/, or contact the Art Program at 805-437-2772 or art@csuci.edu.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI’s Social Media.

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WHAT: Frank Bauer, Ceramics/Mosaics/Public Art
WHERE: Ventura Senior Center, 420 East Santa Clara Street, Ventura
WHEN: Monday, November 25, 2013
Doors open at 7 pm
Program begins at 8pm

Contact: Cecile Gurrola-Faulconer
805-985-5038

Monday November 25th, Frank Bauer, a Mosaic and Mural Artist, will speak about his handmade tiles, mosaics and public art installations at Oxnard's new shopping complex The Collection at Riverpark. Bauer hand constructs hundreds of colorful tiles, both formed and free formed, for his works. He creates urns, benches, fountains, planters and murals for both indoor and outdoor use. Examples of his work will be on site. You can also visit his Ventura Studio or see a sampling at Oxnard's Carnegie Museum thru November 24th.

Free. All are welcome! Refreshments.

FOR MORE INFORMATION & ADVANCE TICKET PURCHASE PLEASE VISIT:
http://www.api-coastal.org/wine_tasting_2013

-A Limited Amount of Tickets Will be Sold at Door-

*Shuttle service will run from the Ventura Marriott to the Museum throughout the evening

Questions? Contact Jeanne Orcutt, (805) 933-0076 Ext. 291

WINE TASTINGS PROVIDED BY:

MITCHELLA (Paso Robles) CANTARA CELLARS (Camarillo)
HUG CELLARS (Paso Robles) INDIGENE (Paso Robles)CLASSICWINES OF CALIFORNIA OPOLO VINEYARDS
(Ventura) (Paso Robles)

HOSTED BY:

AC Pipe & Equipment, AC Pumping Unit Repair, Baker Oil Tools, Baker Petrolite, Black Gold, Cannon Associates, C D Lyon Construction, Central Fishing Tools, Cyphers Electric, Excalibur Well Services, Interact, John Guzman Crane Services, Kings Chemical, National Oilwell Varco, Nov Tuboscope, Ocean Blue Environmental, Oilwell Services, Pacific Process Systems, Plains Exploration & Production, Reliable Equipment, Schlumberger, Sinclair Well Products, Sturgeon & Son, Tiger Cased Hole Services, Tmg Transportation, T & T Truck And Crane, United Well Services,
Ventura Crane, Ventura Pipe & Supply, W. D. Phillips, Weatherford.

California Oil Museum
1001 East Main Street
Santa Paula
(805) 933-0076
www.oilmuseum.net
jorcutt@spcity.org

SANTA PAULA, CA – On Sunday, November 17, the Santa Paula Art Museum will host a “Champagne and Shopping” event in the Museum’s gift store from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Museum visitors are invited to enjoy champagne, delicious hors d’oeuvres and music as they find gifts for everyone on their holiday shopping list. Admission to the event is free for everyone.

The Santa Paula Art Museum gift store offers a wonderful variety of products from books, bags and jewelry to original paintings, pottery and creative gifts for kids. In addition to fresh new merchandise in the museum store, the event will feature products from guest vendors like Chivas Skin Care, a mother-daughter duo who handcraft luxurious goat milk soaps and skin care products on their Fillmore farm. Also available will be Kathi Clower Artisan Jewelry, gorgeous conversation-pieces handmade from metals and gemstones, as well as paintings by Kathy Ikerd, which are perfect for that person who has everything.

Joining the event will be style expert Jayme Lindberg who will reveal the latest trends in fashion and home wares. Her scarf styling demonstration will also teach guests dozens of ways to tie their scarves this season. Plus, every purchase made in the Museum gift store supports the Museum and its programs.

Reservations for the event are not required. For more information, call (805) 525-5554, or email info@santapaulaartmuseum.org. The Museum is located at 117 North 10th Street, Santa Paula, CA 93060. The Museum gift store’s regular hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., and Sunday from 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. Admission to the Museum gift store is always free.

OXNARD, CA. - Join the race! More than 3,500 runners are expected to participate in this year’s 6th Annual Santa to the Sea Half Marathon, 2-person relay race, 5K run and 1K kids fun run on Dec. 8.

Santa to the Sea is a nonprofit event that helps collect toys for underprivileged children in Ventura County and raises money to provide students with scholarships to attend Oxnard College. Marathon participants are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy (of at least a $10 value) to the starting line. All proceeds and gifts will be donated to the 10th annual toy giveaway at Santa Park on Dec. 14.

All races start at 8 a.m. on Dec 8, except the 1K kids run which starts at 8:45 a.m. The half marathon begins at the giant Santa located at 2801 Ventura Blvd., Oxnard, goes through the strawberry fields in Oxnard and a new business park before heading to downtown Oxnard and the Historic District and ends at the Marine Emporium Landing in Channel Islands Harbor. The 5K run and 1K kids fun run start and finish at the Marine Emporium Landing. The 5K course goes along Oxnard Beach Park to Rehab Point, where runners turn around and then head back to the finish line.

All participants must register before the race; there is no race-day registration. Runners can register online at www.santatothesea.com.

All events are USA Track and Field certified and will be chip timed by Gemini. A computer chip is placed on the shoe of every runner. When the runner crosses the finish line, two electronic mats send a signal to the computer, which records the runner’s time to one-thousandth of a second (.000).

Several events take place within the race, including a Charity Challenge, Neighborhood Challenge, High School Challenge, costume contest and the Finish Line Festival where more than 5,000 supporters are expected to watch the racers and celebrate with them as they cross the finish line.

Charity Challenge
For a third year in a row, people participating in Santa to the Sea’s half marathon, two-person relay or 5K races can take the Charity Challenge and help raise funds for one of five local charities. And for the team that helps raise the most money: a two-foot tall perpetual trophy to display for one year. This year’s charities include FOOD Share of Ventura County, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme, Interface Children & Family Services, Gull Wings Children’s Museum and United Way of Ventura County.

Neighborhood Cheer Challenge
Five neighborhood schools along the race route will compete for most spirited by creating a festival-type celebration in their neighborhood to cheer on and entertain the runners during the race. Runners then vote for the most entertaining school and cash prizes ranging from $2,500 to $500 will be awarded to all schools in order of most spirited. The five schools competing along the race route include Rio Mesa, Pacifica, Oxnard, Hueneme, and Channel Islands High Schools. As a gold sponsor, NRG Energy will award the cash prizes.

For more information, or to register visit www.santatothesea.com, or call race organizer Mike Barber at (805) 485-7233.

2013 Sponsors: Gold level includes Gene Haas Foundation, NRG Energy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Marine Emporium Landing and Ventura County Star; Silver level includes Port of Hueneme, PowerBar, State Farm Insurance, The Collection RiverPark and Whole Foods; and Bronze level includes Premier TV, Rabobank, SoCal Gas, RoadRunner Sports, Quinn Power Systems and Vintage Marina Partners.

Other sponsors are Founders Sponsors which include CBC Federal Credit Union, BJ’s Restaurant Brewhouse, Costco, Earthborn Holistic, Travis Agricultural Construction, H&R Block, Opolo Vineyards, Oxnard, West Coast Marble & Granite and Total Barricade Service Inc.; In Kind Sponsors include Copy Court, Don Francisco’s Coffee, Ventura Rental Party Center, Salonpas, Jersey Mikes, Dole, Ashworth Awards, Road Runner Shuttle, Pods, Mayerson Marketing and UPS; and Santa’s Helpers which include Geico, Oxnard Downtown Management District, Greenlayer, Oxnard Convention & Visitors Bureau, KADY TV, Oxnard City Corps and 101 Running Tribe.

Santa to the Sea is a nonprofit event borne out of a desire to give back to the community. What started in 2003 as a toy drive to celebrate the relocation of the world’s largest Santa Claus from Carpinteria to Oxnard, has grown into a robust running event, toy drive, and community fundraiser. Santa to the Sea includes a sanctioned half marathon and a 2-person half marathon relay, plus a 5K run and 1K kids fun run. The Santa to the Sea Scholarship Fund partners with the Oxnard College Foundation to award $500 scholarships to local high school students and adults continuing their education at Oxnard College.

"Pavement Arrows" by Photographer Roger Conrad
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"Peaceful Harbor Diptych" by Photographer Roger Conrad
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"Santa Barbara Island Diptych" by Photographer Roger Conrad
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The Ojai Photography Club will screen “Outta My Light,” a brief documentary film about photographer Rondal Partridge (1917 - ) at its November 19 meeting. The program begins at 7:00 PM, at Kent Hall, located at Help of Ojai’s Little House, 111 Santa Ana Street, in Ojai.

Produced by Dyanna Taylor, granddaughter of Dorothea Lange, and Elizabeth and Meg Partridge, Rondal Partridge's daughters, this film is an intimate portrait of Rondal crafted by his own family. Partridge is the son of renowned photographer Imogen Cunningham. The film documents Partridge in his home and studio environment as he shoots, develops and finds photographic inspiration in the most ordinary objects. Visit http://www.rondalpartridge.com/ for additional biography and images.

After the screening the club welcomes Ojai Photographer Roger Conrad, who will critique member print and digital submissions. For the past six years, Conrad has been a City of Ojai Arts Commissioner, helping the city to promote the acquisition of public art, recognize the achievements of outstanding artists, give art grants, and present six shows a year in the Municipal Gallery featuring local artists. Concurrently, he assists in designing exhibits and installing shows for the Ojai Valley Museum. He has also been pursuing fine art photography and supporting the habit with freelance design and commercial photography.

Roger was formerly the chairman of the Photography Branch and a board member of the Ojai Center for the Arts. For ten years, he was the coordinator of the Art Center’s annual open photography competition.

Prior to moving to Ojai, Roger worked alternately in industrial design and commercial photography, designing architectural systems, trade show exhibits, Olympic sporting venues and photographing products for publication. Still earlier he was chairman of the Photography Department at California Institute of the Arts and taught photography and design at Southern Illinois University.

Monthly presentations are part of the Ojai Photography Club’s community service outreach. Visitors are welcome to attend.

The Ojai Photography Club, which is devoted to education, inspiration, and camaraderie, meets on the third Tuesday of each month, February through November. Only members may submit images for critique. For additional information please visit: http://ojaiphotoclub.com/

The CSU Channel Islands Choir will welcome the 2013 holiday season with two public performances. The first concert will be held Sunday, Nov. 24, at 2 p.m., at St. Columba's Episcopal Church, 1251 Las Posas Rd., in Camarillo. The performance is free, however, a $20 minimum donation to help support Channel Islands Choral Association’s musical education programs in Ventura County is suggested.

Another concert will be held on the CI campus Monday, Dec. 2, at 7:30, in Malibu Hall. Admission is free for students, faculty and staff. Community members are welcome. Parking is $6 per car, with the purchase of a daily permit. Free will donations are welcome.

The 60-member campus/community choir will perform Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols as part of the worldwide “Britten 100” celebration commemorating the celebrated British composer’s birth in 1913. The 11-movement choral piece was written specifically for Christmas, and includes songs in Old English. The program will also feature a selection of songs in French, German, Spanish, and Hebrew, as well as songs arranged by choir members themselves.

Harpist Allison Allport, a regular performer with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony, and the Long Beach Opera, will join the choir for the performances. Allport holds a doctorate in music from USC. Her harp music is featured on many albums and movie soundtracks, including The Muppets: The Green Album, Planes, Tinkerbell: Secret of the Wings, The Book Thief, and Cars.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the CSU Channel Islands Choir is a diverse singing group open to members of the campus and community. Led by Dr. KuanFen Liu, the choir meets weekly as a class in the University’s Performing Arts Program. It offers participants exposure to a wide range of musical genres and periods, as well as the opportunity to perform publicly on campus and throughout Ventura County. The next auditions for the choir will take place in January 2014. To learn more, visit the choir’s website at http://choir.csuci.edu.

Channel Islands Choral Association (CICA) is the choir’s sponsor. CICA is a 501(c)(3) organization that serves Ventura County, bringing music education and performance to the local schools and community. For more information, visit the CICA website at www.cicachoir.org or contact Nina Ruhland at 805-914-4589 or egruhland@aol.com.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI’s Social Media.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - An exhibit following the artistic journey of award-winning painter and instructor Tony Pro of Westlake Village will run Nov. 23 through Feb. 8 at California Lutheran University.

An opening reception will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, in the Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture.

The exhibit includes Pro’s work over the last decade and a few pieces by his late father.

Many of the paintings by Pro reflect his family life. Others make social statements. “Mother’s Love,” a painting of Pro’s wife holding their first baby, received Best of Show at the 2005 Oil Painters of America Show and appeared on the cover of Southwest Art magazine later that year. Another painting called “They Know No Bounds” is a protest against paparazzi and the effect they have on children of celebrities.

Pro has returned to Western themes in his painting this year since the death of his father, Julio Pro. His father had collected art, particularly Western works, since the 1980s and took him to art shows as a child. The elder Pro started art school after 30 years as an anesthesiologist, seeking to tell the story of Native Americans and the American cowboy through his works.

“My father meant everything to me. He was my mentor, my guardian and my beacon of all that is right and just in this world. He was also the biggest supporter of my work,” Pro said. “My father’s passing changed my life in art forever. It set me on a new course.”

Pro is a signature member of the California Art Club, a founding member of the Novorealism Movement and an honorary member of the America China Oil Painting Artists League. He is a versatile painter whose works range from quick alla prima landscapes to thoughtfully rendered large-scale works. Committed to sharing his skills with others, he is an adjunct faculty member at CLU and also demonstrates his technique throughout the country through workshops and instructional videos.

The gallery is located in the Soiland Humanities Center on the south side of Memorial Parkway on the Thousand Oaks campus. It is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. CLU’s Art Department is sponsoring the free exhibit. For more information, visit callutheran.edu or call curator Michael Pearce at 805-444-7716.

California State Old Time Fiddlers District 8 will meet Sunday November 10 and 24, 2013 from 1:30-4:30pm at the Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road, Oak View. Join fiddlers for an afternoon of playing, listening and dancing to Country Western and Bluegrass music. No admission or parking charge. Refreshments available. For more information and to find out about upcoming workshops go to calfiddlers.com or call 805-797-6563.

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Reception: November 24, 2013, 1:30 - 4pm during Ventura Harbor Village's new WINE, DINE and JAZZ. Clos des Amis Winery will be on location.

VCPG is proud to present a new collection of works by a very talented and diverse Ojai artist Richard Franklin. Figurative artist, ceramist, instructor, and Architect, Franklin always made time to study, explore, and practice the fine arts. He has had a life-long love of drawing, as well as making 3-dimensional work in ceramics and sculpture. Extensive travel stimulates his imagination. He was associated with the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, VA from 1980 to 1998 and showed regularly in their galleries. He has also shown in the Ojai Center for the Arts, Ojai Cafe Emporium, Ojai Valley Historical Society & Museum, Ventura County Museum of History & Art Visitor’s Center, Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts, Ventura County Government Center, and was the featured artist at Focus on the Masters in 2005. His work has received numerous awards and most recently at the Ventura County Fair Professional Arts exhibit.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - StoryCorps is working with KCLU to record interviews with local residents as part of its effort to preserve and share the stories of Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs.

Staff from StoryCorps, a national nonprofit organization, will record interviews in its MobileBooth, an Airstream trailer outfitted with a recording studio. It will be parked at KCLU in Thousand Oaks from Nov. 21 through Dec. 9 and in the plaza between the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Santa Barbara Public Library from Dec. 13 to 20.

Interviews are conducted between two people who know and care about each other. A StoryCorps facilitator guides participants through the process. At the end of each 40-minute recording session, participants receive a complimentary CD copy of their interview. With participant permission, a second copy is archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

KCLU will air some of the local interviews and create programs around the project. Segments of select interviews may also air nationally on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.”

Founded in 2003 by award-winning documentary producer and MacArthur Fellowship recipient Dave Isay, StoryCorps aims to create a growing portrait of Americans. The organization has amassed one of the largest collections of American voices, with interviews of nearly 80,000 people in all 50 states.

People can begin making reservations at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, by visiting kclu.org.

KCLU provides NPR and local programming in Ventura County at 88.3 FM, in southern Santa Barbara County at 102.3 FM and 1340 AM, and in northern Santa Barbara County and southern San Luis Obispo County at 89.7 FM. The station, a community service of CLU, is located at 3500 Campus Drive.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - Conejo Valley Film Festival II, featuring five movies with scenes that were shot locally, will be held over two days in two locations.

Three classic films will be shown in California Lutheran University’s Preus-Brandt Forum on Saturday, Nov. 16. Two more will be screened at the Thousand Oaks Library on Sunday, Nov. 17.

“It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” an epic comedy celebrating its 50th anniversary that includes aerial views of Thousand Oaks and scenes shot at the former Rancho Conejo Airport, will open the festival at 1 p.m. Nov. 16 in the forum. “The Grapes of Wrath,” a 1940 film starring Henry Fonda that features scenes shot at Janss Conejo Ranch, will follow at 4 p.m. The 1967 movie “Bonnie and Clyde,” which includes a memorable final gas station scene shot in Agoura, will be shown at 7 p.m.

Two family friendly movies will be screened at the Thousand Oaks Library on Nov. 17. The 1932 film “Tarzan the Ape Man,” which was shot in Lake Sherwood and featured animals from the Goebel Lion Farm in Thousand Oaks, will begin at 12:30 p.m. The 1943 movie “Lassie Come Home,” a British film featuring Elizabeth Taylor that was filmed in Wildwood, will conclude the festival at 3 p.m.

Local experts will introduce each of the classic films, provide historical context and answer questions.

Purchased separately, tickets for each of the films at CLU are $7.50 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Admission to all three shows is $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. Tickets are available online at conejovalleyfilmfestival.com. The Thousand Oaks Library shows are free.

Preus-Brandt Forum is located at 135 Chapel Lane on CLU’s Thousand Oaks campus. The Thousand Oaks Library is at 1401 E. Janss Road.

CLU’s Community Leaders Association and Multimedia Program and the City of Thousand Oaks are sponsoring the festival. For more information, contact Billy Martin at billymartin@conejovalleyfilmfestival.com or 805-358-2319.