Story By Joanne King
Photos by Bob Crum

"A Sense of Place", an art show at the Fillmore Historical Museum, features a retrospective of the watercolor paintings by Luanne Hebner Perez.

Her work encompasses early design and exploration of watercolor techniques influenced by many travels to study and paint with plein air masters
in Europe and in the western United States. Her landscapes and cityscapes invite the viewer to see with new appreciation each place she found to paint.

Saturday's reception was enjoyed by the artist, Luanne Perez, Claudia and Thomas Ellison, Joanne King, Susan Hopkins, Martha Gentry,
Lois Freeman-Fox, Lady Jan Faulkner, Hillary Welreter, Gary Giesseman, Bob Crum, Stuart Fox, Mary Ford, Rae Bretzing, Judy Dressler, and
Doris Nichols.

Three paintings were sold as well as several art cards. The art show and sale will be open to the public during museum hours until June 16th, 2017.

Michaels Arts & Crafts Store in Ventura has generously donated books and art supplies to the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley, which will be equally distributed among the clubhouses in Fillmore, Piru and Santa Paula. The donation has arrived in such a great time, as the Clubhouses are gearing up for summer activities.

The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley’s Board, Staff and Members thank Michaels for thinking of us and appreciate these great gifts!

The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley always appreciates the generosity of a gift. For any questions, please contact the club at 805-525-7910.

Arts Commission – Goal Setting Workshop

The newly created Arts Commission will be conducting a goal setting workshop Wednesday, May 24 at 6:00 pm in the City Hall Council Chambers. The Commission would like to hear from the residents and businesses on items they would like to see the Commission pursue. If you have any ideas to share please plan to attend the workshop. Members of the Arts Commission include: Chairperson Amelia Aparicio, Vice-Chairperson Lisa Mahony, Joe Beebe, Paul Benavides and Bob Crum. If you are unable to attend to please let one of the Commissioners know your thoughts and ideas.

Medical Marijuana Listening Session

City Council will be conducting a Medical Marijuana Listening Session. At this facilitated, bilingual session, the City Council seeks to share information with Fillmore residents on its deliberation of requests for permission to cultivate medical marijuana within the city limits. Residents will be engaged in a structured and respectful sharing of personal views to inform the City Council of the breadth of views on this important topic.

City Council is committed to assuring that Fillmore remains a secure, safe and livable city, and your input on this important topic is invited. Please come prepared to listen and share your views with fellow residents and your City Council. The listening session will be held at The Memorial Building, 511 Second Street, Sunday, June 25, 2017 from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm. Spanish language translation will be provided throughout the meeting.

Let’s work together to keep Fillmore the “Best Last Small Town.”

The diagnosis and management of pituitary tumors will be the focus of a free seminar Community Memorial Health System is holding on Wednesday, May 10.

David Westra, M.D., who specializes in neurosurgery, will lead the discussion during the seminar to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the eighth-floor Nichols Auditorium at Community Memorial Hospital, 147 N. Brent St.

Every year roughly 10,000 pituitary tumors are diagnosed in the U.S., most of which are noncancerous and slow growing. Oftentimes they go undiagnosed because the symptoms resemble other conditions. They are commonly found in older adults, but can occur at any age, and most can be treated successfully.

Dr. Westra will discuss treatment options for pituitary tumors. They include surgery, radiation therapy, medications, hormone replacement and even watchful waiting.

Dr. Westra received his medical degree at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, and completed a residency at the Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda. Dr. Westra is a member of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, and a member of the Community Memorial Hospital medical staff.

Registration is free but reservations are required. To secure reservations visit cmhshealth.org/rsvp or call Brown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006.

Future Speaker Series events are: the State of CMHS address on May 18 at the Museum of Ventura County; What is a Hospitalist? on June 7 at CMH; and the Women’s Health Symposium on June 24 at the Ventura Beach Marriott.

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, along with the Centers for Family Health serving various communities within and located in Ventura County, California.
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A fantastic opportunity awaits all of you who appreciate and enjoy original fine art.

An Artist's Reception is planned for Friday, April 28, 4-6 pm, at the Black Stallion Gallery at the Fillmore Equestrian center. The Equestrian Center is a short distance south of town located at 308 Chambersburg Rd, (Rt 23).

Many works of art created by members of the Fillmore Artists Guild are on display.

The reception is a great opportunity to meet the artists, discuss their work with them and perhaps gleam a tidbit or two of invaluable information you might use in your own creations.

Some of the artists include Joanne King who creates watercolor paintings of scenes that are said to have expected and unexpected results. Judy Dressler, a self-taught oil painter prefers to paint western life, Lady Jan Faulkner focuses on mixed media collage and digitally enhanced photography. Lois Freeman-Fox paints digital portraits and landscapes on canvas enhancing them with oils and acrylics. Luanne Hebner Perez's watercolor painting are bright, colorful landscapes, still life’s, and florals. Virginia Neuman, the Guild's English artist, educated at Chelsea School of Art, uses various media and teaches art in the Fillmore schools. Art teacher Doris Nichols' handcrafted encaustic work and Lia Verkade's zentangles inks.

With such a fabulous collection of art on display and the creative artists on hand to describe their work, you could not want more!

The mission of the Artist Guild of Fillmore is to create an interest in people for collecting original art by local artists. Attend the reception and you'll quickly see that Fillmore artists are awesome.

Mark you calendar: Friday, 4/28/17, 4-6 p.m. Fillmore Equestrian center.

February 14, 2017 was a sad day for the Fillmore yoga community. As many of you know, our very loved Janine Rees, a longtime Fillmore resident, beloved wife/mother/grandmother/friend, shop owner and yoga instructor, passed away suddenly. Janine had a dream for our community, and that was to have a yoga studio. She opened up a wonderful place “Fillmore’s Health and Wellness Center” on Santa Clara Street. Yoga classes were taught just about every day of the week there and a dedicated group of yogis attended her classes. Since her very sad and sudden passing, we are coming to realize that many in the community are not aware that the center is indeed still open, and offering both yoga and dance classes (with plans for more offerings in the future). Her husband Bill, as well as her group of dedicated yogis, are continuing with Janine’s dream. We’d love to see this beautiful dream continue to thrive as it had when Janine was alive. If you’d like more information about class offerings, we post calendars at Fillmore’s Health & Wellness Center 448 Santa Clara Street, or at Scented Path Apothecary at 338 Central Ave. Check out our Facebook page (Fillmore’s Health & Wellness Center), and our Yelp page too! For more information, please feel free to contact Lisa Hammond (call or text) 831 801 2276 or email soaringheartsyoga@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

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FHS Class of 1992’s 25th Class Reunion will be held at the Fillmore/Piru Veteran's Memorial building on Saturday, June 10th, 2017. Happy Hour starts at 3:00pm, Dinner at 6:00. After dinner, the class of ‘92 will be able to enjoy the new Flashes Social Lounge and dance floor. DJ's California Catering will be preparing their award-winning dinner which is enjoyed by Alumni every year. The Veteran's Memorial Building is located at 511 2nd Street, Fillmore, CA. 93015. Class members may make reservations online by visiting www.fillmorehighalumni.com and clicking on "Events.” From the Events page you can reserve your seats, and if you like, make a donation to the Alumni Association and Scholarship Fund. You may also purchase your reservations at Patterson Hardware store in downtown Fillmore, open 7 days a week. The class of '92 is planning to make a big splash at this year’s Alumni Dinner. The Alumni Association is happy to host their 25th year reunion. Get your reservations in soon!

The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) has approved service changes for the Intercity Transit system beginning May 22, 2017. The changes will affect bus schedules on all VCTC Intercity Transit routes. The intent is to streamline and improve efficiency of the regional transit system while limiting impacts to riders.

“As a responsible steward of public funds, VCTC must operate its bus system as efficiently as possible,” said VCTC Executive Director Darren Kettle. “We never undertake service changes lightly, and these modifications will help optimize service and address increasing congestion while minimizing the impacts to our riders.”

While schedule changes will impact all routes in VCTC’s Intercity Transit system, the most extensive changes will occur on the two routes funded in partnership with other agencies: Coastal Express and CSUCI. The Coastal Express, a heavily used bus line connecting Oxnard and Ventura with Carpinteria, Santa Barbara and Goleta, is jointly funded by VCTC and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG). California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) funds the operation of a pair of routes serving the university.

As a result of low ridership, mid-day and weekend Coastal Express service will be reduced, and travel times on some trips will be adjusted by 15-20 minutes to account for increased traffic congestion and road construction. “The Coastal Express is critically important to addressing the traffic congestion in the Ventura-Santa Barbara corridor, and SBCAG looks forward to partnering in the future with VCTC to make the service as effective, efficient, and attractive as possible to draw commuters out of their cars” said SBCAG Executive Director Marjie Kirn.

During CSUCI’s summer break (May 22-Aug. 28, 2017), the two lines serving CSUCI will be suspended and replaced with a new line that combines CSUCI service with the existing Oxnard/Camarillo Connector. This new line, Oxnard/Camarillo/CSUCI (#96), will include Sunday service and stops in downtown Camarillo, the Camarillo Outlets and the Oxnard Transit Center. Direct service, however, between CSUCI and the Center Point Mall (C Street) in Oxnard will be eliminated during the summer break.

“When the financial contributions of our partners -- as well as those from traditional State and Federal funding sources -- change, there is a direct impact to levels of service on the Intercity Transit system,” Kettle said.
In all, service will be reduced about 8% across the entire VCTC system. In addition to the partner-funded routes, all other VCTC Intercity bus lines will experience adjustments to routes, stops and schedules. Riders can view the new bus schedules, which go into effect on May 22, at www.goventura.org/travel-ventura.

In concert with the service changes, VCTC will also roll out streamlined rider information materials on May 22. The materials, including redesigned schedule brochures and bus-stop signage, will make navigating the VCTC system easier and more intuitive. The new materials will also introduce a route numbering system to clarify deviations to specific landmarks that are serviced by some, but not all, trips along a certain line.

For more information visit www.goventura.org/travel-ventura or call (800) 438-1112.

About the Ventura County Transportation Commission
The Ventura County Transportation Commission is the regional transportation planning agency committed to keeping Ventura County moving. Program information is available at goventura.org.

Submitted By Ari Larson Next year will be the 90th Anniversary of the St. Francis Dam collapse. The Fillmore Historical Museum in conjunction with the Heritage Valley Tourism Bureau is planning a multi-city (Santa Clarita, Piru, Fillmore and Santa Paula) event to commemorate the occasion in 2018. There will be a planning committee meeting on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at the Fillmore Historical Museum (340 Main St.) at 4pm. Please RSVP to Ari Larson (805.794.7590 or email: Petenari55@hotmail.com) if you will be in attendance or if you are interested in
being a part of the committee.

The children from the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley, under the direction of local artist Virginia Neuman received honors from the Ventura County Fair for their artwork. There will be an art show showcasing the budding artist's creations, during business hours on Friday, April 28, 2017 from 9am-5pm at Union Bank (566 Sespe Ave. Fillmore.) The public is invited to stop by. There will be light refreshments served. For information on the Boys & Girls Club of SCV please call Buddy Escoto at 805.524.0456