Hi, my name is Mary, and I’m a close family friend of the Cassidy’s. I’m raising money for Larry Cassidy and his family. Larry passed away in a fatal car crash on 7/12/2022. We all remember Larry as one of the sweetest, kindest, most giving people on this planet. Let’s come together and help support Larry’s family as they plan, grieve and celebrate his life. Anything helps and is much appreciated. Use this link to donate: https://www.gofund.me/e2918991

Randy Garcia, an educator for 15 years, happily returns to the Fillmore Unified School District. Mr. Garcia most recently served as an Assistant Principal in Oxnard Union High School District (OUHSD) for the past 4 years. He has previously served as a middle-school Assistant Principal, Dean of Students, a middle school teacher, and elementary teacher.

Mr. Garcia began his career in education with the Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) as a middle school teacher and spent years teaching at both Piru and Mountain Vista Elementary Schools. He also spent a handful of years serving as an assistant coach with the FHS Varsity football and JV baseball programs. In 2012, Mr. Garcia left FUSD to seek an administrative position with the Pleasant Valley School District (PVSD). After six years in PVSD, Mr. Garcia accepted a position as an Assistant Principal with OUHSD, where he served in this role at both Pacifica High School and lastly at Hueneme High School.

Mr. Garcia is a proud resident of Fillmore and product of the Fillmore Unified School District. He is married to Mary-Allyn Garcia, also an employee of FUSD. They have four children, two that are FHS Alumni, and two daughters, who are currently attending FHS.

Mr. Garcia believes in enjoying life by being of service to others. He lives by the quote, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." – Muhammad Ali

The Ventura County Fair has announced that Fillmore’s own 12 year old Vita Jolie Vazquez ha won the first prize in the 2022 VC Fair poster contest. Vita Jolie rendered her exciting illustration in colored pencil and included a quartet of animee-styled screaming kids on the roller coaster. We think she captured the essence of the theme.

“I've always been interested in art and the different forms of it, including the process and stages. That includes drawing and painting, video games, fashion and style. My immediate goals are to get my name and art out there to hopefully find people interested in my art. My ultimate goal would be to make a living out of my work when I'm an adult. I've been drawing ever since I could hold a pen, which was before I could walk, and draw almost daily. This year, however, I have had the best experience and achievements with art. I have had two of my drawings published; one as the official VC Fair poster of 2022 and the other as the back cover of the 2021-2022 Fillmore Middle School yearbook. I will be starting 7th grade at FMS this Fall.” –Vita Jolie Vazquez, 2022 Ventura County Fair Poster Artist.

On July 8, 2022, detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Street Team concluded a narcotics sales investigation into Fillmore resident Cary Roberts who was involved in the sales of illegal narcotics to residents of Ventura County.

During the course of this investigation, detectives developed information regarding the drug trafficking activities of Cary Roberts. Information obtained indicated Roberts was involved in the distribution of bulk quantities of methamphetamine to street level drug dealers in Ventura County. These street level drug dealers would in-turn distribute the narcotics obtained from Roberts to local drug users.

On July 08, 2022, detectives took Roberts into custody without incident. After his arrest, detectives executed a search warrant at Roberts’ residence located in the 700 Block of Fourth Street, in the City of Fillmore California, a wood shop and a Public Storage Unit located in the 700 Block of Santa Maria Street in the City of Santa Paula. Billy Howard was contacted at the wood shop and was found to be in possession of a usable quantity of Methamphetamine.

During the search, detectives seized approximately 30 pounds of methamphetamine, over 300 grams of marijuana and several thousands of dollars believed to be derived from illegal drug sales. The total street value of the methamphetamine seized is estimated at approximately $408,600.00.

At the conclusion of this investigation, Howard was cited and released for violation of HS 11377(a). Roberts was arrested and booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility for violation of HS 11378- Possession For Sales of A Controlled Substance. Roberts’ bail was set at $250,000.00 and is awaiting court proceedings.

Nature of Incident: Narcotics Sales Arrest
Report Number: 22-90371
Location: 700 Block of Fourth Street, Fillmore CA
700 Block of Santa Maria Street, Santa Paula CA
Date & Time: 7/08/2022 @ 1:00 PM
Unit(s) Responsible: Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Street Team
Ventura County Combined Agency Team (VCAT)
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
Cary Roberts Fillmore 53
Billy Howard Fillmore 61
Prepared by: Sergeant Odilon Malagon
Approved by: Captain Brian Slominski

Al Lamberg at work in his shop.
Enlarge Photo

The “Sespe”, an electric clock, table model created by Glen Mosbarger, the dial and hands are made so that time could be read either in 12 hour or 24-hour time at a glance.
Enlarge Photo

Fillmore City Band circa 1925, A. E. Lamberg to the immediate left of the base drum.
Enlarge Photo

Lamberg Jewelry shop on Central Avenue.
Enlarge Photo

Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

In the mid-twentieth century the town of Fillmore had a resident who not only was a horologist, but also a polymath. Before you run to look these $2 words up, Fillmore had a watch maker who had other interests as well. So who was this person? A. E. “Al” Lamberg.

Al was born in 1890 in Redwing, Minnesota, to Swedish immigrants. When he registered for the draft in 1917, he gave his profession as “musician”, employed by the Jack Hoskins Traveling Show. He went on to serve in France and when he returned from France his rank was given as “Band Sergeant.”

He returned to Minnesota and by 1920 he had trained as a watchmaker. In 1921 he married Glenna Hays and shortly thereafter moved to Fillmore.

He opened his first shop at 346 1/2 Central Avenue, but his interests were not limited to watch maker and being a jeweler. He became the director of the Fillmore City Band. As a member of Fillmore’s Veteran’s Service Club, he helped stage “Buddies” for Armistice Day 1927 and wrote an overture, “The Spirit of ‘17” for it. According to the Fillmore Herald, “The overture by Al Lamberg is worth the price of admission and Fillmore is proud to have such a distinguished personage as a composer in the city. His masterpiece is of the soldier boy, the battle fields, the heart aches and sorrows of the war, and the joy of returning.” We wish we had a copy of this in our collection.

In time he moved his shop to 461 Sespe on the ground floor of the Masonic Building. This was not only his jeweler’s shop, it was also a lending library. It was a forerunner of the “Little Free Libraries” that are found around Fillmore today.

Mysterious things were going on in the back of the shop. Lamberg was fascinated with the history of timekeeping. Being a craftsman, he began to build models of ancient timepieces. These were displayed for the first time at City Hall during the 1946 Fillmore Frontier Festival. He later had an “Ancient Timekeeper’s Studio” people could visit.

Al Lamberg was not just making models of timepieces. He was building clocks. With Glen Mosbarger doing the wood carving, he created the “Sespe”, an electric clock, in both floor and table models. The unique thing about the clock was that the dial and hands are made so that time could be read either in 12 hour or 24-hour time at a glance. In 1946 he applied for and received both US and Canadian patents on the clock, but it was never put into production.

Al Lamberg passed away in 1956 after a long illness. He had been a member of the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Rotary and Masons. He was an involved member of the community.

In 1972 when the Museum first opened, the collection was given to the Museum where it was on display for many years. Unfortunately, like many other things, much of the collection was damaged or destroyed in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. In the collection was a table model of the “Sespe” clock which we are hoping to soon have restored. You can see some of the other items in the collection on display in the Docent’s Cabinet in the Southern Pacific Depot at the Museum.

Al Lamberg was proud of being a horologist – and with his other interests he was also a true polymath.