Rotarian and Fillmore Chief of Police Garo Kuredjian informed the Rotary Club that he has been promoted to Commander and will be overseeing pre-trial detentions in the City of Ventura, thus leaving Fillmore. We will miss him and all he has done in the community! Garo also introduced new Ventura County Sheriff, Jim Fryhoff. Fryhoff related all the positions he has held and the experience he has had in his career to date. He informed the Club that there are 750 Deputies in the county. One of his goals is to promote positivity amongst the officers and to motivate them to make their communities better. He explained that Fillmore is a contract city with the Sheriffs Department, which means we have full use of their resources such as the Crime Lab, Air Unit, Search & Rescue, and SWAT to name a few.

The guest speaker last week was Rotarian Barb Filkins. She grew up on the East Coast and moved to California to attend Pomona College. Later she attended Harvey Mudd College and got her private pilot license. After graduation she was homesick so returned east and taught flying for Empire Airlines. In 1978 she got a job in California and she and her fellow pilot, Dale, moved here and were married. They were flying and working at the National Test Pilot School. She taught in the cockpit as well as in the classroom. Her passion is to teach and inspire each student to be the best and to inspire others. Courtesy Rotarian Martha Richardson.

The Fillmore Lions Club has announced the 2023 Student Speaker Contest topic, “Social Media: Connects Us or Isolates Us?” This year’s contest will be held February 6th, 2023. Deadline to apply is January 23rd, 2023—see contest details in article.

This topic is very important and relevant in our world today. The contest will be held on Monday February 6th, 2023 at 6:45pm at the One Step A La Vez located at 421 Sespe Ave. Parents, students, educators and the general public are invited to attend. The contest is open to all Fillmore area students of high school age regardless of the school of attendance (including home taught, those attending outside of the district and foreign exchange students). The deadline to apply by is Monday, January 23rd, 2023. More information about the contest and how to sign up can be found at www.fillmorelionsclub.org

The winner will receive $100 and all qualified participants will receive $25 providing their speech is at least 5 minutes but no longer than 10 minutes. The winners of each stage of competition will receive a financial award and be invited to the next level of the contest. The ultimate winner will receive a total of $21,000 in scholarships to a school of their choice. Students interested in participating can contact Gaylynn Brien at 360- 521-5647 or Mr. Overton at Fillmore High School at 805-276-6070.

Students should start early to enter the contest and writetheir speech because it takes time to research and prepare. Additionally, the number of students entering the contest may be limited.

Our program last week was presented by Danny Haro, Executive Producer of Higher Ground Entertainment. He related a story about a young man who came to America for a better life. He started as a farm laborer, went to night school, on to college and finally became a brain surgeon. Dr. Q, his nickname, wanted to give back so be began Mission Brain, where he could perform brain surgery all over the world for free. The doctor will be going to Mexico City on Dec. 17th to perform brain surgery, and Danny Haro will be going along to make a documentary film of the surgery. This will be used to inspire young people to get involved in medicine and STEM. Courtesy Rotarian Martha Richardson.

By Linda Nunes

Candi Tovar, of 342 Palm Drive in El Dorado Estates, was chosen the Civic Pride Volunteers’ “Yard of the Month” winner for November. Candi has lived in Fillmore for 15 years, after growing up on a ranch in Newhall; her family still owns that ranch. She gathered many vintage farm implements and interesting items like wagon wheels, and old saws from her father’s barn to display on her fence and boulders, and rocks to arrange next to nine or more old roses and pots of cacti and succulents. Among the plants were scented rose geraniums, blooming epiphytes, asparagus fern, several Crassula and Kalanchoe varieties, Echeveria in bloom, and a large unusual grey cactus that we couldn’t identify. Candi expressed over and over how much she “loves her yard” and was delighted to tell the stories behind specific plants. As she talked, she touched her plants like “old friends” and was so happy to receive the $50 gift card from Otto and Sons Nursery to add to her collection. Civic Pride Volunteers appreciate the generosity of Otto & Sons Nursery which has provided the awards since the beginning of the Yard of the Month project. The next award will be for holiday decorations in December.

By Linda Nunes

Civic Pride Volunteers have chosen Lilia and Marco Martinez’s yard at 1372 Waterford to receive the $50 “Yard of the Month” award, generously given by Otto & Sons Nursery.

The family has lived at this location for about 20 years, but never had visited the nursery, so they will enjoy the amazing park-like setting while they shop.

Marco wisely designed and installed, a drought tolerant yard using decomposed granite pathways with weed barrier cloth and river pebbles in circles of varying sizes. They were planted with purple flowering, Buddleja davidii or Summer Lilac (Butterfly Bush), Ponytail Palm (Elephant’s Foot), and a Grevillea tree as the focus of the circles. Beneath these are succulents like Stapelio gigantea known as Carrion plant because of the rotted flesh smell of the unusual flowers. Their plant has two large buds ready to open. Blue agave and other cacti, Milk Weed, Acacia Saligna, Lemon Grass, Red Crown of Thorns and Salvia add interest.

We were surprised and pleased to see a native bee condo from our Fillmore Flower Show boutique in the middle of the Salvia bush!

For vertical balance, they had Epiphytes and three types of Passionflower vines growing up a trellis and the fence.

Drive past their yard and see how attractive a drought tolerant landscape can be.

Last week the Rotary Club speaker was Nicholas Cochiolo, a swordsmith who has been featured on the History Channel. He began in Martial Arts when he was young and in time became fascinated with Medieval Martial Arts, swords, helmets and armor. He is an artist and welder and taught himself how to make replicas of dueling swords and helmets. A helmet may take 70 hours to perfect and the weapons and sword’s from 40-100 hours. Each sword has a specific purpose and are balanced to perfection.

The Historic Fillmore Theater will open its doors on October 15, 2022 for a FREE screening of the movie “ . . . and the earth did not swallow him”. The movie is a portrait of the life of a poor Mexican American boy and his migrant farm worker family as they struggle to adjust to life in American society. Many of the scenes were filmed in nearby Piru.

Adapted from the novel “. . . y no se lo trago la tierra”, written by Tomas Rivera and published in 1971, the film was produced for American Playhouse, PBS’s weekly drama series. Tomas Rivera was once a migrant worker, and later went on to become the highest ranking Mexican American in higher education as the Chancellor of the University of California, Riverside. It is truly an inspiring film.

October 15 is also the last day of National Hispanic American Heritage Month 2022. The film is dedicated to the Mexican American Community in Fillmore. There will be two free showings: A matinee at 4:00 p.m., and a 6:00 p.m. showing. The 6:00 p.m. showing will also feature the Los Rayos Mariachi band, and many of the actors in the film will be available for a Meet & Greet, and will be available to answer any questions about the movie. Free popcorn will be available.

Author, Tomas Rivera, was himself a migrant worker as a child, and later went on to become the highest ranking Mexican American in higher education as the Chancellor of the University of California, Riverside. Told through the eyes of Marcos, a twelve-year-old boy, the film emphasizes Marcos’ desire to educate himself. Through its many human stories of growing up as a Mexican American, the story exposes the rich cultural traditions which have given shape to life in the American Southwest.

You are cordially invited to join us Saturday, October 15, 2022 at noon on the Saint Francis of Assisi Church patio for the Annual Rosary Rally. Our prayers are for peace and for the well being of all residents and participants. We include a Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and a procession once around Two Rivers Park with mounted statue of our Blessed Virgin Mary. The church is located at Highway 126 and C Street. For more information, please call Maggie at 805-524-1306 or Darlene at 805-524-9929.

The Rotary speaker last week was Shanti Sandosham from The Abundant Table. It is a non-profit which grows vegetables and donates to those in need. She attended UC Davis and majored in farming and graduated from Channel Islands Univ. When she found this organization she knew this was her calling. They are now farming on the King & King Ranch on Guiberson Road. They grow tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, fennel, etc. They box up the vegetables and deliver them all over the county. They hope to give tours to students, teach them about growing and even let them harvest.