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By Anonymous — Wednesday, December 23rd, 2020
 Bestselling Author Brett Battles Brett Battles, bestselling author of nearly 40 novels, has moved to Fillmore. Born and raised in Ridgecrest, California, Battles lived most of his life in the greater Los Angeles area, but felt ready for a change. "I was looking for a place outside of Los Angeles, but close to Simi Valley, where my kids live," said Battles. "Ventura County seemed like the perfect solution. I checked out several places, and really liked the feel and size of Fillmore. Plus, one of my best friends lives here, so that was a bonus." Battles has sold over one million copies of his novels. He is a USA Today bestselling author of several series including the Jonathan Quinn series, the Project Eden series, and the time bending Rewinder trilogy. His debut novel, The Cleaner (A Jonathan Quinn Novel Book 1), was nominated for The Barry Award for Best Thriller, and The Shamus Award for Best First Novel. His second Jonathan Quinn novel, The Deceived, won The Barry Award for Best Thriller. Battles has traveled extensively to many international cities, Ho Chi Minh City, Berlin, Bangkok, Angkor Wat, Singapore, Jakarta, London, Paris, and Rome, all play parts in his current and upcoming novels. Although he enjoys traveling, Battles loves being at home to write and spend time with his three adult children, Ronan, Fiona, and Keira, who now enjoy driving up to Fillmore for visits and to play with Maggie, Brett's neurotic, paranoid, and very cute, Australian Shepherd. "I love the pace of Ventura County. It’s both energetic and relaxed, perfect for me. I feel like I’ve lived in Fillmore for years. It really feels like home. I’ve made some great friends here already, and look forward to making even more." Battles says, "If you like James Bond, Jack Reacher, or Jason Bourne, give my Jonathan Quinn series a try. I get the best feedback from Quinn fans. They seem to really love the main characters." Battles latest Quinn novel, The Vanished, was just released this December and has already reached #1 in several Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense categories on Amazon. You can lean more about Battles and his novels at his website www.brettbattles.com |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, December 23rd, 2020
During this time we would like to remember and honor those in our community. Santa Clara Valley Hospice has been sponsoring Light Up a Life for over 27 years. There is still time to make a $10 donation to add the name of a loved one. Contact: SCVH at 805.525.1333. IN MEMORY OF... In Honor of: |
 1960 Stockers Department Store Bill Stocker and Susan French. Photos courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum. Enlarge Photo By Anonymous — Wednesday, December 23rd, 2020
Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum Christmas is always an exciting time for children and their families. The children eagerly await the arrival of Santa and presents. Their parents spend an outrageous amount of time and money buying presents and attempting to hide them until late Christmas Eve when they can be placed under the tree for the children to find in the morning. Fillmore’s local merchants tried to outdo each other with festive store windows. The only newspaper in Fillmore added to the festivities with special, colorful, Christmas front pages. The photo of the front page from 1911 shows Santa, having swapped his sleigh for the newest invention, an airplane, dropping toys and candy to the children below. Christmas in the early years of the twentieth century were less complicated. There might be a small tree such as the one in the photo from 1913, decorated with popcorn strings, some tinsel, ribbons and a few presents. The piano was close by to allow for singing carols as the children impatiently waited for Santa to arrive. Sometimes there were parties where the children received an orange from California or piece of hard candy. In 1930 Fillmore celebrated with lighted Christmas trees placed in concrete pots down both sides of Central Avenue as well as trees in the center of the street placed at each crosswalk. These were all live trees as were all the trees for sale in every grocery store in town. There were at least 5 grocery stores on Central Ave with trees for sale out front on the sidewalk. Merchants in 1941 decorated their front windows with all those appliances they hoped a husband would purchase to make his wife’s life easier. To be festive Briggs Hardware added a garland with wreaths and bells to their window display. Note the date on the photo, Dec 5, 1941, two days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Christmas for the next few years would be very changed with consumer items restricted and young men off to war. The photo of the Christmas tree sitting on fake bricks is from 1942, “somewhere in the Pacific.” Christmas was celebrated even in a tent far from home during the war. By the 1960s outdoor decorations were popular at people’s homes. The photo of museum founder Edith Jarrett’s home on Foothill in 1963 is typical of the time. Also typical are the water thrifty plants and the rocky area in front of the house. In 1960, if you wanted to see Santa Claus you probably went to Stocker’s Department Store, It had almost anything a child could wish for. It was just south of Orin Eberly’s drugstore where you could get a great gift for mom and north of Champ Cochran’s men’s emporium where you could find a gift for dad. The Fillmore Theater was just up the street. It was the place to go for special Christmas movies and cartoons, a tradition begun for the children of Fillmore in the 1920s and originally hosted and paid for by Richard Stephens of Stephens Market. Christmas pageants were also part of the Christmas festivities. Not only were they performed in churches, they also were performed by the Fillmore High School students in the “state of the art” high school auditorium. The productions consisted of talented students dancing, singing, playing their musical instruments and performing skits. The final act was always a production of the journey of Joseph and Mary and birth of Jesus. After the high school building and its auditorium were demolished in the mid-1950s the pageant moved to the high school gym. The nativity scene took place on the south side bleachers with Joseph, Mary, Jesus and the angels, wise men and shepherds as seen in the accompanying photo from 1960. Many of you may remember teacher, Beatrice Albright, the guiding light for these productions. All of us have special memories of Christmases here in Fillmore when we were children. There were family gatherings, church programs, lights and music. We here at the Fillmore Museum wish you all a safe, healthy, and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, December 16th, 2020
 Kristian Fonseca, 22, of Fillmore Original Press Release: Update: District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced on Thursday, December 11th that Kristian Fonseca (DOB 10/07/98) of Fillmore, has been charged with the murder of Jose Estrada and Daniel Zuniga, both of Santa Paula. The complaint charges two counts of murder with a special allegation that Fonseca personally used a firearm in the commission of the crimes. Fonseca was also charged with one count of attempted murder with a special allegation that he personally used a firearm, for the shooting of Rafael Hernandez, of Santa Paula, in the same incident. Mr. Estrada and Mr. Zuniga were fatally shot on East Ventura Street in Santa Paula in the late evening hours of October 24, 2020. Mr. Estrada died that day, while Mr. Zuniga remained on life support for two weeks before he died. Mr. Hernandez was shot several times and survived his injuries. Fonseca is currently in custody for an attempted murder that he committed in the city of Ventura in October 2019. He appeared in court on December 10, 2020, and pled not guilty to the new charges. The case is set for an early disposition conference on January 27, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court. Fonseca is currently in custody at the Ventura County Jail with bail set at $3 million. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is the public prosecutor for the county’s 850,000 residents. The office employs approximately 280 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and other professional support staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims. Follow the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office on Twitter @VenturaDAOffice |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, December 16th, 2020
On Friday, December 11th at 5 PM, a car crash was reported on East Guiberson Road, east of Highway 23 in Bardsdale. When California Highway Patrol arrived on scene they found a pickup truck in a ditch with a male victim outside the vehicle and unresponsive. Authorities closed Guiberson for several hours to conduct their investigation. On Monday, December 14th the Ventura County Medical Examiner identified the crash victim as Jose J. Gonzalez Sr., 57, of Fillmore. Authorities report that the pickup truck veered off the road and that the driver did not appear to have used his brakes before the crash, can was not |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, December 16th, 2020
 Construction has been underway on the new FHS Career Technology Education (CTE) buildings since summer/fall of 2019. FHS will have a new Agricultural and Transportation Building as part of the funds Fillmore Unified was awarded in the November 2016 election on Measure V. Pictured above and below is the construction going on inside the Agricultural building. Enlarge Photo |
 Back in November of this year construction began on 77 affordable workforce housing units at the corner of Mountain View and Highway 126. Above is an architect’s rendering of the units. Enlarge Photo By Anonymous — Wednesday, December 16th, 2020
This housing project is a joint venture with the Area Housing Authority of the County of Ventura. Funding sources for this project come from Ventura County Housing Trust Fund Acquisition Loan, County of Ventura CDBG Funds, State Funds, Area Housing Authority of the County of Ventura Permanent, Loan and Project Based Vouchers, Conventional Permanent Loan, and 4% Tax Credits + Tax Exempt Bond. The Community Amenities available will be Manager/Services Offices, Community Room, On-Site Library Services In, Partnership With The Ventura County Library System, Two Playgrounds, Outdoor Activity Center, On-Site Laundry, Community Gardens, Picnic/BBQ, Garage Parking and Guest Parking. For more information visit https://www.manymansions.org/properties-in-development/mountain-view-fil... |
 Fillmore’s Nova Storage has completed their Sespe label mural which Fillmore artist Gabriel Cardenas began back in November of this year. They plan to begin a third mural in January 2021. Enlarge Photo By Anonymous — Wednesday, December 16th, 2020
 Saturday, November 14th Fillmore artist, musician, and “artivist” Gabriel Cardenas began a new mural project for Nova Storage here in Fillmore at 455 A Street. Nova Storage reached out to the community by conducting an online poll where people voted on their favorite historic fruit label design. The community’s response was greater than expected and the winner was the SESPE label. Above is the is the second of three murals planned for the building. The first mural was completed back in April of this year. Nova Storage plans on beginning working on the third mural in January 2021. Nova Storage continues to be active in their local communities, with nine branches providing superior customer service and offering clean, safe and secure facilities at a great rate. Stop by one of their locations, like them on Facebook, follow on Instagram, and visit their website at www.Nova Storage.com. |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, December 16th, 2020
SoCalGas announces additional donation to the Gas Assistance Fund to help customers in need. There is still time for income qualified individuals and families to apply for up to $200 to help pay their gas bills. To learn more, go to https://sempra.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=19080&item=137863. Courtesy City of Fillmore. |
 James F. Mclntyre in the 1900’s smoking his bee hives. Photos courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum. Enlarge Photo By Anonymous — Wednesday, December 16th, 2020
Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum Honey bees were introduced into North America in 1622 in Jamestown and from there slowly spread across the continent. By 1850, bee colonies were appearing in the San Jose area and soon came south. By 1876, Robert Wilkin moved his apiary from Ohio to Sespe. Even without the orchards that would soon come to the area, the abundant native vegetation, especially sage, wild alfalfa and buckwheat, provided for the bees. This particular apiary was taken over by Mr. Wilkin’s son-in-law, James F. McIntyreshown here in 1900, smoking a hive to sedate the bees so the frames of honey comb could be safely removed. The process at the McIntyre apiary was explained in the October 10, 1891 issue of Pacific Rural Press (San Francisco). “The land slopes about ten feet from the back of the apiary to the honey house, which makes it easy to wheel the honey into the house. Two carts… are used to wheel in the honey. Each cart carries four "supers” full, or about 200 pounds at a load. When extracting, one man fills one cart with honey in the apiary, while the other extracts the other cart-load in the honey house. It takes from 20 to 30 minutes to fill a cart, and the man in the honey house can easily extract one in the same time. A three-inch pipe runs from a reservoir down through the apiary and connects with a Pelton water motor in the honey house, which furnishes sufficient power to run a small circular saw or the honey extractor. The honey runs from the extractor into iron tank, shown below the honey house, which hold 8000 pounds each, where It is allowed to stand for one or two weeks, and is then drawn off through a molasses gate into 60-pound cans for the market.” The entire McIntyre family was committed to beekeeping. They had 4 daughters and one son. The son was named Robert, the girls were all named after plants – Myrtle, Flora, Lily and Pansy. According to the San Francisco Call, October 31, 1906, Flora was paying her way through UC Berkeley by raising and selling queen bees at $1 each. “Her skill in handling the insects is such as to qualify her for rank with the entomologists of the university.” The McIntyres in Sespe were not the only apiarists in the area. Tommy Arundell became well known with his hives in Pole Creek. In 1893, he delivered a paper to the California Beekeepers Association on “Economy in Bee Keeping”. Nate and Al Stone, who are remembered as some of the hunters who supplied Fillmore with fresh meat, also conducted a thriving honey business in the 1910s and 20s. The Haase family had extensive honey operations at Oak Flat as did the Young family. Piru Canyon is still a major honey producing area. By 1910, Ventura County had over 11,000 hives of bees and produced over 400,000 pounds of honey, the majority of which was produced in the Fillmore area. |
