THOUSAND OAKS, CA - The Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture at California Lutheran University will open its fall season with a show of new romantic figurative paintings from several prominent artists in the Novorealist movement.

An opening reception for the “The New Romantic Figure: Paintings by Michael Lynn Adams, Peter Adams, Jeremy Lipking, Cyn McCurry, Michael Pearce, Tony Pro, Alexey Steele and Mia Tavonatti” will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20. An artists’ reception is slated for 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept.10. The exhibit will continue through Friday, Sept. 30.

The illustrious tradition of figurative painting was almost lost in the 20th century, but a revolutionary revival in the new millennium has produced exceptional artists in Southern California, including those in this group show. Proving that grace and beauty are alive and well in contemporary art, the featured works bring a 21st-century point of view to the Victorian charm, Pre-Raphaelite romance and classical techniques of romantic oil painting.

Lipking, Pro and Steele are the founding members of the Novorealist group. Lipking, of Agoura Hills, has received many awards in the last decade including Best of Show at the Portrait Society of America International Competition in 2006 and first place the following year. Steele, who was born in Ukraine and is now based in Los Angeles, coined the term Novorealism to describe the revolution of new realism that has gained momentum in the last few years. As one critic observed, Steele “pours the old wine of classical art into new bottles of the 21st century.” Pro, an adjunct faculty member at CLU, painted the portrait of the first female member of the California Senate that hangs in the state Capitol and has sold paintings to collectors throughout the world.

Peter Adams has served as the president of the prestigious 3,000-member California Art Club, a leading proponent in the traditional-realist art movement, since 1993. The Los Angeles-born artist is particularly interested in Oriental objects and antiquities and combines Eastern design concepts with a Western sense of depth.

Tavonatti is a Santa Ana artist whose mosaic work won the $100,000 Art Prize in 2011. Her works are in many collections including those of Marriott Resorts and Harrah’s Casinos. Pearce, chair of the CLU art department and an outspoken proponent of traditional painting, creates figurative paintings with alchemical narratives. McCurry, a Texas resident and former artist-in-residence at CLU, paints intimate and autobiographical works that are dominated by feminine themes. Michael Lynn Adams, a CLU alumnus and adjunct faculty member who lives in Woodland Hills, is a well-known member of the California figurative painting community.

The Lois and Allan Friedman Family Foundation and the CLU Art Department are sponsoring the free exhibit.

The Kwan Fong Gallery is in Soiland Humanities Center, which is on the south side of Memorial Parkway at Regent Avenue on the Thousand Oaks campus. It is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call Pearce at (805) 444-7716 or visit http://www.callutheran.edu/kwan_fong.

Evening Music Headliners: Todd Hannigan, Roger Keiaho, Jessie Siebenberg, and Dave Palmer

What better time than summer to celebrate the ocean and our concern to keep it clean? Join nonprofits Museum of Ventura County and 5 Gyres Institute on Saturday, August 20, in the museum’s pavilion, plaza and galleries, as they present Summer Splash Festival. Professional surfer and environmentalist Mary Osborne will be in attendance to lend her support to the day and evening fundraiser.

The daytime community event with activities and food court, is from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., with $5 general admission, free for accompanying children 12 and under. The adult evening from 7:00 - 11:00 p.m. features the music of Todd Hannigan from the Heavy 29s, with Roger Keiaho of Rey Fresco, Jessie Siebenberg, and Dave Palmer. Zuri Star opens at 7:30 p.m. Cover charge for the evening event is $15 and includes a souvenir cup. Space is limited; for reservations call (805) 653-0323 x 7.

During the day, families can enjoy unique arts and crafts activities such as a sand box search and a station where you can create your own recyclable T-shirt bags. Both events include entry to the museum’s galleries of ocean inspired art by more than 30 local artists, and environmentally themed sponsor booths in the plaza.

Proceeds benefit the Museum of Ventura County’s educational programs and exhibits, and the programs of 5 Gyres Institute. The Institute’s goal is to eliminate plastic pollution, which is threatening oceans throughout the world. Their name comes from “gyres,” the massive, rotating ocean whirlpools in which destructive plastic pollution is now accumulating.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323. Go to www.5gyres.org for more information on the 5 Gyres Institute.

California State Old Time Fiddlers, District 8, will meet Sunday, July 24, 1:30 - 4:30 at Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road, Oak View. Refreshments available. Parking and admission free. For information call 640-3689, 517-1131, or check our website at www.calfiddlers.com.

Do you suspect that garage sale find might be more than just a pretty picture? Do you wonder about the value of a family heirloom? Find the answers at Museum of Ventura County’s Appraisal Day, Tuesday, August 30, where you can get a verbal auction estimate of worth from the experts at Bonhams & Butterfields. The event hours are 10:00 a.m. to noon, and 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., in the museum’s Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Pavilion, 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura.

The cost is $5.00 per item for members and $10 for non-members (memberships will be available for purchase at the door). There is a limit of 5 items per person, although a china piece representing a set is considered one item. Appraisal Day is always well attended, so bring a hat or sunscreen and plan on plenty of time to wait outside. First come, first served; no appointments available.

Estimates are given in the following categories only: Asian art; books and manuscripts; California, American & European paintings; silver; furniture & decorative art; fine jewelry & timepieces; fine prints; African, Oceanic, and Pre-Columbian (not Native American); and entertainment memorabilia. For further information contact Robin Woodworth, Director of Development at (805) 653-0323 ex 309, or development@venturamuseum.org.

Proceeds from this event will support the Museum’s education and family programs, and special acquisitions.

Simi Valley Town Center announces several FREE recreational and other opportunities for area residents to enjoy the rest of July – and summer.

The Town Center’s schedule is packed with free outdoor movies on a 24-foot screen under the Center’s food court trellis; several live outdoor musical performances in Center Court as part of the Summer Concerts Alfresco series; and the continuation of the popular Farmers’ Market each Tuesday afternoon.

Free events scheduled at the Town Center in July and August:

- Every Tuesday, 3 to 7 p.m. - CERTIFIED FARMERS’ MARKET, in the parking lot in front of Sliders and Corner Bakery

- Saturday, July 23, 10 a.m. – TOWN HALL MEETING WITH MAYOR BOB HUBER, Center Court

- Saturday, July 23, 6 p.m. – CONCERT: Disco, Center Court

- Thursday, July 28, Dusk – MOVIE: “Iron Man”

- Saturday, July 30, 6 p.m. – CONCERT: The Red Elvises (surf rock)

- Saturday, Aug. 6, 6 p.m. – CONCERT: Paperback Writer, The Beatles Experience

- Saturday, Aug. 13, 6 p.m. – CONCERT: Orange Colored Sky, A Tribute to The Beach Boys

- Saturday, Aug. 13, 11 a.m. – YMCA DANCE ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE:

Center Court

- Saturday, Aug. 20, 6 p.m. – CONCERT: Evyn Charles and The Neverquitters (classic rock)

- Thursday, Aug. 25, Dusk – MOVIE: “Tron”

- Saturday, Aug. 27, 6 p.m. – CONCERT: A Hawaiian Experience

Concerts are 6 to 8 p.m. in Center Court, are free to attend and visitors are welcome to bring their own chairs and blankets. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early for best seating or to plan a full evening with a pre-show dinner at nearby Town Center restaurants, including Larsen’s Grill, Exotic Thai Bistro, Corner Bakery, Go Fish Sushi, Limon Latin Grill, California Pizza Kitchen, Souplantation, Red Robin, and Sliders Bar & Grill.

Movies begin at dusk and are presented on a 24-foot, outdoor screen at the regional shopping center’s covered trellis. All are full-length motion pictures, rated PG or PG-13. Families are free to bring chairs and blankets, and are encouraged to arrive early for best seating or to take advantage of nearby Town Center eateries. The outdoor movie program is offered through a partnership between Simi Valley Town Center and the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District.

About Simi Town Center
The Town Center is an exciting 600,000-square-foot lifestyle center in the heart of Simi Valley with more than 80 local and national merchants, providing entertainment and dining experiences to about 300,000 people. Located north of Highway 118, between First Street and Erringer Road, the Town Center features premier merchants such as Anthropologie, Brighton Collectibles, California Pizza Kitchen, Coldwater Creek, Urban Outfitters, White House Black Market plus other retailers and eateries. Regular hours are Monday-Wednesday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursday- Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Restaurant, holiday and department store hours may vary. For more information, please call 805-581-1430 or visit www.simivalleytc.com.

Channel Islands Harbor is holding Concerts by the Sea each Saturday through Aug. 27. The free summer concert series will be 4 – 6 p.m. at Peninsula Park, 3401 Peninsula Road, Oxnard at Channel Islands Harbor, next to the Casa Sirena Hotel and the Hampton Inn. Parking is free.

August Summer Concert Lineup:

Aug. 6 Pier 101 Variety

Aug. 13 Unkle Monkey Tropical Rock

Aug. 20 Acadiana Cajun/Zydeco

Aug. 27 Cadillac Angels Rockabilly/Surf Music

For more information on Concerts by the Sea or the Channel Islands Harbor, visit www.channelislandsharbor.org.

Ventura, CA – The first ever Ventura Folk Festival will feature such greats as Jim Messina, JD Souther, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, John Doe and special guests at the scenic Mission Park in Downtown Ventura on August 20 and 21.

Over twenty bands are scheduled to perform over the two day festival including The White Buffalo, Dead Rock West, Peter Case, Garrison Starr, Jamie Drake, Justine Bennett, B Willing James, Jamie Drake, Matt Duke, Jay Nash, Tony Lucca, Delaney Gibson, Lee Koch, Ted Lennon, The Rincon Ramblers, Frankie Fuchs band w/Robin Wiley, Tall Tales & the Silver Lining w/Guests, The Kinfolk, and 50 Sticks of Dynamite.

Featuring Jim Messina (Buffalo Springfield, Poco, Loggins & Messina), JD Souther (Souther Hillman Furray Band, hit songwriter), Ramblin' Jack Elliot and John Doe (X, The Knitters), the Festival draws from the musical and social activism influences of singer/songwriters Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and others.

The outdoor event will be held in beautiful Mission Park, across the street from the historic San Buenaventura Mission, the last built by Father Junipero Serra in 1782. The quintessential coastal town of Ventura lies between Malibu and Santa Barbara on Highway 101, roughly 60 miles north of Los Angeles.

The festival is teaming up with two local non-profits: FOOD Share, which fights hunger and provides nutritious food to those in need in Ventura County and Harmony Project, which promotes positive youth development through music lessons and ensemble participation in underserved areas
of Ventura and Los Angeles.

Tickets are $25 for one day or $40 for both. Kids under 12 get in free with paid adult. A V.I.P option includes a beer and wine tasting lunch for $50. Tickets are available through Eventbrite at www.venturafolkfestival.eventbrite.com For more information and frequent updates, please “Like” the festival on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Venturafolkfestival

Contact: Polly Hoganson www.VenturaFolkFestival.com
805-652-1137 VenturaFolkFestival@yahoo.com
www.facebook.com/Venturafolkfestival

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - Social media will play a role in the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company’s modern take on “The Merchant of Venice.”

The 15th season of the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival began with “The Taming of the Shrew,” which drew record opening-weekend crowds with nearly double the number of people that attended the first weekend in 2010. The company will present the second and final play of the season at 8 p.m. July 22, 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31 and Aug. 5, 6 and 7 in scenic Kingsmen Park at California Lutheran University.

While “The Merchant of Venice” is one of the most produced of Shakespeare’s works, this is the first time that the Kingsmen company has presented the tale. It is the story of a merchant named Antonio who helps a friend get a loan to pay for his efforts to court a wealthy heiress. The lender, Shylock, insists that Antonio pay with a pound of his flesh if the loan isn’t paid.

Director Michael Arndt, who helped launch the festival in 1997, sees the play as one of divisions and isolations. Words and their literal and metaphorical interpretations are central to the structure, and the modern references help bring that home to current audiences.

“In 2011, we are inundated by words. They are spoken on the Internet, TV and radio. They flow back and forth through email, text messages, YouTube videos, Facebook posts and tweets,” Arndt said. “We hear the provocative words of malevolent dictators, the doublespeak words of campaign politicians, the bigoted words of talk radio hosts, the mentally deranged words of television bad boys and the non-stop pitch words of modern advertising.”

The festival grounds open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking. Pre-show entertainment featuring Renaissance music, comic Shakespearean improvisations and wandering performers begins at 6:45 p.m.

The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company is the professional theatre company of CLU. In addition to producing one of the area’s most popular outdoor theatrical events, the company provides apprentice programs, an educational tour program for schools and summer theater camps.

Tickets, which are $15 for adults and free for patrons 17 and younger, are available at the door. Reserved lawn-box seating for four to six adults is $70 to $90. Reservations for box seating can be made online at http://www.kingsmenshakespeare.org or by calling (805) 493-3455. Parking is available at the corner of Mountclef Boulevard and Olsen Road.

Tickets are now on sale for Pier Under the Stars—the 18th annual benefit for the historic Ventura Pier on Saturday, October 1st, from 5-8 PM. Each year more than 800 residents and visitors attend this beachfront culinary fair adjacent to the pier to sample the county’s best food and spirits provided by over 50 area businesses.

Restaurants, cafes, wineries and breweries serve their signature dishes and beverages from tented booths along the seaside Promenade while guests enjoy live music by Luna Gitana, dancing and bid on silent auction items—all to benefit the city’s 139-year-old pier.

The sell-out event hosted by Pier into the Future–-a non-profit 501 c (3)—“is a much anticipated community gathering of friends that raises funds for our beloved Pier”, said Pier Into the Future Executive Director Jenise Wagar. The organization was founded by a group of dedicated community leaders, in partnership with the City of Ventura, to establish an endowment fund to preserve, maintain and enhance the historic Ventura Pier for future generations to enjoy.

General admission tickets are $60.00 and include food and beverage tasting, a commemorative Pier wine glass and complementary parking. A limited number of VIP tickets are offered at $100 each. VIP tickets include all of the benefits associated with General Admission, plus early entrance to the event at 4:30 pm and a reserved seat at a VIP table along the promenade.

Tickets are available at the Ventura Visitors & Convention Bureau, 101 S. California Street or by calling 805.648.2075. Additional information, including sponsorship opportunities and restaurant/winery participation forms can be found at www.pierintothefuture.org or by calling 805.797.7544.

SANTA PAULA, CA – A Taste of History: The Story of Citrus Labels exhibit will open at the Santa Paula Art Museum on Saturday, July 16th with an opening reception from 4-6 p.m. Wine and hord d’oeuvres will be served. Members $15, Non Members $20. For an invitation or reservation information contact the Museum at 805-525-5554 or email info@santapaulaartmuseum.org.

A History of Citrus Labels is co-curated by Santa Paula and Ojai farmer, Mike Shore and Museum Director/Curator, Jennifer Heighton. “After all, Santa Paula is the Citrus Capital of the World”, said Shore. “The label exhibit ties into our Community so well”. “And it ties into the wonderful Art Museum building, said Heighton. ”The Santa Paula Art Museum is housed in the original headquarters of the Limoneira Company, who just happens to be the largest grower of lemons in California.” This informative exhibit is set to show the evolution of labels along with equipment used in the labeling process.

Citrus box labels began to be used to identify the brand name and packing house location of boxes of fresh fruit in Southern California in the late 1880s. These labels replaced the earlier methods of identifying shipments of citrus fruit; stenciling, stamping or burning the brand information on wooden-crate ends or the tops of wooden barrels.

Labels were used on wooden boxes until the mid-1950’s when the wooden boxes were replaced by cardboard boxes with preprinted labels on the box ends. The termination of the use of the wooden boxes left large quantities of unused labels in citrus packinghouses. These labels were gradually gathered up by collectors, some of which will be featured in this exhibit.

The exhibit will run until October 30th, and may be viewed during regular Museum hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 10 AM – 4 PM, and Sundays, 12 PM – 4 PM. The Museum is located at 117 North 10th Street, Santa Paula, CA 93060.

SANTA PAULA, CA - Just in time for summer, Limoneira Ranch in Santa Paula is offering discounted individual and group rates for tours of the 118-year-old avocado and lemon ranch.

Ranch & Sustainability Tour: Visitors view avocado and lemon orchards and learn about the intricacies of producing avocados and lemons as well as colorful stretches of row crops – strawberries, celery, cilantro, cabbage and beets. The tour shows guests what modern farmers are doing to become more sustainable including: a 5.5 acre "solar orchard" (with 6,400 photovoltaic solar panels). Weeds are kept in check naturally around the panels by English miniature sheep. Guests also stop by Limoneira's 10-acre green recycling yard (operated by organic materials recycler Agromin). Here, grass clippings, branches and leaves are naturally composted. Microorganisms turn the materials into mulch that is then distributed in the orchards, reducing water use by one-third and keeping weeds down.

A final stop is the Visitors Center, which provides a photographic history of farm life at the turn of the century. Limoneira Ranch Fruit Crate Art symbolizes the history and heritage of California citrus. Max Schmidt, a native of Germany and founder of Schmidt Lithographers of Los Angeles, developed crate labels for Limoneira that were patented in 1927. These "Santa" and "Paula" labels are on display as well as other labels from Limoneira Ranch history. Tour length: approximately 1 hour.

Packinghouse Tour: The Limoneira Packinghouse dates back to 1919 when its design won an award from the Southern California chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Every year, Limoneira packs more than 3 million field cartons of lemons that fill 3,000 trucks, which take them on the first leg of a journey that ultimately ends on tables in homes and restaurants worldwide. Visitors walk above long conveyors, whirring sorters, stampers, carton fillers, and cleansing baths as the lemons are readied for market. Tour length: approximately 1 hour.

Each guest receives a gift of lemons and avocados. Beverages are provided.

Tours can be combined. Tours are $20 each per adult ($38 combined), $10 each per senior (age 60 and above, $20 combined) and $5 per child, ages six through 16 ($10 combined). Children five and under are free. A picnic area is available for lunch. Lunch or dinner can be catered for parties of eight or more.

For more information including group discounts, go to http://www.limoneira.com, e-mail tours@limoneira.com or call 805-525-5541.

On Saturday night, July 23, the Museum of Ventura County hosts the after-party to honor artists participating in Ventura’s new Westside ArtWalk. The public is invited to the free reception, featuring the Dan Grimm Band, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at 100 East Main Street.

During the evening event, Cole Smothers’ photographs of Westside ArtWalk artists are on special exhibition. Smothers joins more than 30 artists featured in the museum’s summer exhibition Splash! which celebrates the art and history of Ventura’s local beach culture and ocean waters.

The museum is a participant in the July 23 and 24 Westside ArtWalk, uniting Ventura’s arts community in one weekend of coordinated events. Running Saturday, July 23 from 1:00 – 9:00 p.m. and Sunday, July 24 from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m., the newly created Westside ArtWalk is a free, self-guided tour of dozens of galleries, studios and pop-up venues in Ventura's westside cultural district and downtown. Run by volunteers, it replaces Ventura’s prior ArtWalk concept.

For more information on other Westside ArtWalk venues and events, such as the Bowl Hop and the Sunday evening benefit for Focus on the Masters, please go to www.westsideartwalk.org. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.

This Friday • July 1 • 5:30 - 8:30
Begin your summer at the RECEPTION for our new exhibit…Splash!
Ocean inspired art by more than 30 local artists
Music by The Soul Surfers
$5 • museum members free • RSVP: 805.653.0323 x 7

Splash Exhibit • July 2 - September 18
Plunge into the art and history of our local beach culture and ocean!

Don't miss Sculptor G. Ramon Byrne’s remarkable, interactive, life-size musical instruments
Exhibit extended through July 4!

Reduced admission for Independence Day only:
$2 adults; $1 seniors & children 13-17;
free for 12 years old and younger if accompanied by a paid adult
Active duty military and their immediate family are free with ID

Open: Tuesday - Sunday • 11 - 5
100 E. Main Street • Ventura • 805.653.0323

Please join us for an "Evening With The Artists"
Thursday, June 30, 2011
5pm-9pm

Blanchard Community Library
119 No. Eighth Street
Santa Paula, Ca.

Fernando Tico
Enlarge Photo

Sherman Thacher
Enlarge Photo

Tom Clark
Enlarge Photo

The Ojai Valley Museum presents its second original history exhibition of 2011, “Sharp & Savvy: 14 Historic Men of Ojai,” which will open on June 30 and runs through September 11. A gala reception is planned for Saturday, July 16 from 5 to 7 p.m.

In 2008 (June through September), the Ojai Valley Museum mounted an exhibition entitled “Smart & Sassy: 17 Historic Women of Ojai.” The upcoming “Sharp & Savvy” show is the male counterpart to this previous all-female exhibition.

“Smart and Savvy” is a three-dimensional, in-depth study of fourteen influential men, who are acknowledged as 19th century “movers and shakers” in the Ojai Valley. The featured men are: Thomas Bard, Abram Blumberg, John J. Burke, Dr. Charles Butler, Tom Clark, Abram Hobson, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Edward Drummond Libbey, John Meiners, Charles Pratt, Doc B.L. Saeger, Royce G. Surdham, Sherman D. Thacher, and Fernando Tico.

Visitors will learn about each man’s impact in his respective capacity as civic leader, land owner, educator, spiritualist, art aficionado, benefactor, physician, architect, banker, or tradesman on the town of Ojai and its environs. Each man in the exhibit is described with an extensive textual biography, a period portrait revealing his personage, and a mannequin dressed to reflect the man at the height of his influence. In addition, photographs from the Ojai Valley Museum Archive further describe each man and his endeavors.

The Ojai Valley Museum, established in 1967, is generously supported in part by Museum Members, Private Donors, Business Sponsors and Underwriters, the Smith-Hobson Foundation, Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, City of Ojai, and Rotary Club of Ojai.

The museum is located at 130 W. Ojai Avenue, Ojai, California. Free parking is available in the lot off Blanche Street behind the museum building. Adult admission is $4.00. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 1 to 4 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sundays noon to 4 p.m. Private tours can be arranged by calling (805) 640-1390 x 203.

For more information or to RSVP for the July 16 gala reception, call (805) 640-1390 x 203, email ojaimuseum@sbcglobal.net or visit the museum website at www.ojaivalleymuseum.org.
Reception will be $25 per person. RSVP by Friday, July 8.You may also visit the Ojai Valley Museum on Facebook and at www.ojaihistory.com.

VENTURA, CA – Performance Theatre for Young Artists will continue performances of "Into the Woods," with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, June 25 and 26 at the Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Road in Ventura. The musical weaves together plots from several Grimm's Fairy Tales and explores what happens to several characters after the stories’ “happily ever-afters.”

The show features talented 11- to 18-year-old actors from throughout Ventura County. Performances will be held at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, June 25, and 5 p.m. Sunday, June 26. A special gala will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday before the 7 p.m. performance. Tickets cost $15.00 for adults, and $12.00 for students, seniors and children 17 and under. Admission to the June 25 gala and performance costs an additional $10.00. Tickets can be purchased on line at www.ptya.org. Since the show is a dark comedy with some mature subject matter, it is not recommended for very young children.

SANTA PAULA, CA – The Santa Paula Art Museum invites you to delight in the unique sounds of the Ventura British Brass on Saturday, June 25th at 4:00 p.m. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served. The cost is $25 for members and $30 for non members. Please call 805-525-5554 or email info@santapaulaartmuseum.org for an invitation and reservation information. All proceeds directly benefit the Museum.

The British Brass Band is a unique ensemble with a very specific instrumentation. Originating in Britain, it is naturally quite popular in the commonwealth countries and has become very popular throughout Europe and the rest of the world. The rich, dark, and mellow tone quality stems from the fact that all the instruments except the trombones, are conically bored in design, permitting the brass band to produce a most distinct and unique sound.

Unlike most popular brass ensembles in the United States, the British style brass band has a fixed, standard instrumentation using cornets, not trumpets, and alto horns, not French horns. Cornets are pitched the same as trumpets, but have the different shaped conical bore, and the tubing is wrapped tighter, making it appear smaller than a standard trumpet. The different bore gives the cornet a darker, mellower, more lyrical sound.

The Museum is located at 117 North 10th Street, Santa Paula, CA 93060.

SANTA PAULA, CA – The Santa Paula Art Museum Guild members are busy working on the 2012 Santa Paula Art Museum Calendar, featuring art from both the renowned Santa Paula Collection and the Santa Paula Art Museum Collection. This year’s cover highlights Robert Clunie’s “Buttermilk Country” (collection of the Santa Paula Union High School District). This will be the fourth year of the popular calendar, and sales are brisk. Proceeds from this year’s sales will be earmarked for landscaping improvements for the Museum grounds. All orders are appreciated, and those who purchase 5 ($10 each) or more calendars will be listed in the 2012 calendar as a CONTRIBUTOR. If you are interested in becoming a SPONSOR of the 2012 calendar, please submit your logo and a $250 check to the Museum. In return for the generous sponsorship, you will receive 10 calendars and your logo will appear on the inside back cover of the calendar. Both contributors and sponsors need to submit their order and information by July 1. These calendars make great gifts and are appropriate for many occasions. They will be ready for you to pick up at the Museum in October.

The Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 pm – 4 pm and Sunday from 12 pm – 4 pm. Currently on display are paintings by Norman Kirk and Bert Collins. Always on display are selections from the Santa Paula Art Collection. For more information contact Executive Director Jennifer Heighton at 805-525-5554/info@santapaulaartmuseum.org or send orders to the Museum at 117 N. 10th Street, Santa Paula, 93060.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - Experienced Shakespeare director Jan Powell will make her Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival debut with the production of “The Taming of the Shrew.”

Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the festival will present “Shrew” at 8 p.m. July 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17 in scenic Kingsmen Park at California Lutheran University.

Powell is the former artistic director of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival and founding artistic director of Tygres Heart Shakespeare Company in Portland. She has produced and directed for organizations throughout the country including the American Shakespeare Center, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Mendocino Shakespeare Festival, New York’s Looking Glass Theatre, Boston’s Stoneham Theatre and Nevada Repertory Theatre.

The play within a play starts inside a tavern in an Elizabethan English inn. After a troupe of traveling players arrives, the grimy tavern is transformed into sunny Italy, and the workers watch and eventually take part in the story of “The Taming of the Shrew.” While the play is true to the original text, Powell said the production is not about a man dominating a woman, but about two people figuring out how to make a relationship work. It is suitable for all ages.

The festival grounds open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking. Pre-show entertainment featuring Renaissance music, comic Shakespearean improvisations and wandering performers begins at 6:45 p.m.

The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company is the professional theatre company of CLU. In addition to producing one of the area’s most popular outdoor theatrical events, it provides apprentice programs, an educational tour program for schools and summer theater camps.

CLU’s Theatre Arts Department launched the festival in 1997 in conjunction with the Santa Susana Repertory Theatre Company. Put together on a shoestring budget by a dedicated corps of volunteers, the first festival featured several professional actors, garnered tremendous praise and drew more than 3,000 people. Today, about 7,000 people attend the festival each summer.

Originally, actors performed on the grass without a stage or sound reinforcement and with minimal lights and settings. Today, workers erect a professional stage, full sets and complete lighting and sound systems. Set among trees next to a small creek, the venue provides a unique experience complete with croaking frogs.

Tickets, which are $15 for adults and free for patrons 17 and younger, are available at the door. Reserved lawn-box seating for four to six adults is $70 to $90. Reservations for box seating can be made online at http://www.kingsmenshakespeare.org or by calling (805) 493-3455. Parking is available at the corner of Mountclef Boulevard and Olsen Road.

The Museum of Ventura County will be open 11:00 am to 5:00 pm on Independence Day, Monday, July 4, with reduced admission.

Enjoy the summer exhibition Splash!, featuring large-scale installations of ocean-inspired art and a look into Ventura’s beach resort past. Entry on July 4 will be $2 for adults; $1 for seniors and children 13-17 years old; free for children 12 years old and younger if accompanied by a paid adult. Active duty military and their immediate families may also enter free with proper identification.

The museum is a participant in the national Blue Star Museums initiative, in which active duty Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, and Reserve members and their immediate family members are free guests at participating museums, from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The Museum of Ventura County participates through September 4. For more information go to ww.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.