On December 8th, from 6pm to 8pm, Deputy Biter and Deputy Vasquez will conduct a Start Smart Program in the City of Fillmore. This program will be held at the Fillmore City Fire Station Briefing room.

The class centers on the different laws and aspects for new drivers or those teenagers looking to get their licenses. It gives the people an image of the consequences of their actions while driving. It gives a forum for those attending, to pose questions, learn laws pertaining to new drivers and different techniques for driving. The class will pose many situations and scenarios for new or perspective drivers, as well as their parents to reflect on and consider.

The Fillmore Police Department is now hosting a FREE Start Smart Driver Safety Education Class for teenagers and their parents/guardians. Classes are designed to: help newly and future licensed teenage drivers understand the responsibilities associated with driving a motor vehicle; show how a poor choice behind the wheel can change the lives of everyone involved; reduce the number of teen-related injuries and deaths due to motor vehicle collisions. December 08, 2010 6:00pm to 8:00pm, Fillmore City Fire Station, 711 Sespe Place, Spanish speaker available. For more information or to sign up for the Start Smart Class with your teenage driver contact the Fillmore Police Department, 524 Sespe Ave., Fillmore, 805-524-3665.

Move For Hunger presents the 2nd Annual Holiday Food Drive to be held this November to benefit Food Share, Inc., Ventura County’s regional food bank. Beginning Nov. 1, collection boxes will be conveniently located at nine Ventura County libraries. Local residents and library patrons are asked to donate unopened, non-perishable food items to benefit needy families this holiday season. Sheeler Moving and Storage, the local partner of Move For Hunger, will deliver all donations directly to the Food Shore pantry.

“This is a great opportunity for our company to give back,” said Mel Sheeler, president of Sheeler Moving and Storage. “The food bank does so much for our community, and we are always happy to get involved for such a worthy cause.”

From November 1 – 30th, collection boxes will be located at the following Ventura County Library Locations:
• Avenue Library
606 N. Ventura Ave. Ventura, CA
• Camarillo Library 4101 Las Posas Rd. Camarillo, CA
• Fillmore Library 502 Second St. Fillmore, CA
• Foster Library 651 E. Main St. Ventura, CA
• Meiners Oaks Library 114 N. Padre Juan Ave. Meiners Oaks, CA
• Oak Park Library 899 N. Kanan Rd. Oak Park, CA
• Oak View Library 555 Mahoney Ave. Oak View, CA
• Ojai Library 111 E. Ojai Ave. Ojai, CA
• Prueter Library 510 Park Ave. Port Hueneme, CA

Last year over 1,400 lbs. of food was collected and we are hoping this year to gather even more. As the holiday season approaches with all the shopping, decorating and merry-making it is easy to forget those in need.
“The holiday season can be difficult for many families, often making it hard to put food on the table,” said Chris DeVan, director of food sourcing and purchasing at FOOD Share. “We are thankful to Ventura County libraries and Sheeler Moving and Storage for being champions for FOOD Share and helping to making the Move For Hunger 2nd Annual Holiday Food Drive happen.”

All non-perishable food items are appreciated as donations; however the items most needed are: Canned tuna, chicken and meats, canned soups, canned beef stew, canned fruits, canned vegetables, canned beans, canned spaghetti sauce, spaghetti, rice, dry beans, macaroni & cheese, peanut butter, jelly (in plastic), fruit juices (canned, plastic bottles & boxes) and hygienic items such as toothpaste and deodorant.
For more information about Move For Hunger and their 2nd Annual Holiday Food Drive please visit www.MoveForHunger.org or contact info@MoveForHunger.org.

About Move For Hunger
Move For Hunger is a non-profit organization that works with moving companies to pick up unwanted, unopened food during the moving process and deliver it to local food banks across the country. Move For Hunger has already collected more than 45,000 pounds of food and is quickly expanding their efforts nationwide. With the support of partner Wheaton World Wide Moving, Move For Hunger is turning the average food drive into one of the nation’s largest, year-round service programs, influencing millions.

About Food Share
A major food bank distributing millions of pounds of food each year to those in need throughout Ventura County, FOOD Share collects and receives food year-round, distributing to more than 150 partner agencies throughout Ventura County.

Its Brown Bag and Snack Attack programs provide supplemental nutrition to nearly 2,000 low income seniors through 31 agencies and healthy nutritious after school snacks to approximately 2,400 children though 12 agencies countywide and provides food to more than 40,000 people each month. Information: (805) 983-7100 or www.foodshare.com.

"Defying the Onslaught" by Carmelita Miranda.
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Local photographer, Carmelita Miranda, has won recognition for her photography from the Channel Islands Professional Photography Association (CIPPA) in two separate categories. CIPPA is an affiliate of Professional Photographers of California. Carmelita won a merit and Best in Class – High School Senior Portrait for her print “My Sound of Music” at the competition held on November 8. This print featured FHS High School senior Claire Faith. This is the third consecutive quarterly competition in which photographers from KSSP Studios have been awarded Best in Class in the high school senior category. Carmelita also won Best in Class in the Nature category for her print entitled “Defying the Onslaught”

Professional photography competition at the local level has three judges who evaluate each entry on specific criteria, without knowing who the maker of the image is. Prints can earn up to 100 points. If a print receives 80 points, it receives a merit. Typically only about 1 out of 4 or 5 prints receives a merit in a competition. Often prints that are merit winners are submitted to state and national competitions.

Professional photography competitions are used by photographers to hone their skills and allows them to evaluate their work in comparison to other top photographers in the area.

Principal photographers at KSSP are Carmelita Miranda and Charles Morris. KSSP is a full service photography studio specializing in portrait, wedding and quinceanera photography (and video). KSSP Photographic Studios is the school photographer for Fillmore High School, but photographs high school seniors from all over Ventura County. For further information, please contact KSSP Photographic Studios at 524-6400 or visit http://ksspphotostudios.com.

Ventura, CA - Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast and California Lutheran University are teaming up and hosting the 2nd Annual Cookie Rally and Bake Off on January 15, 2011 from 10:00 to 3:00 at CLU’s Gilbert Sports & Fitness Center.

Local chefs from across Ventura County will participate in a Bake Off, creating original desserts with Girl Scout Cookies. Those on board to date are the Crowne Plaza Ventura, The Sidecar Restaurant, Kate’s Bakery and Simi Valley Firehouse #44.

Mother Daughter Girl Scout teams will also try their culinary skills in their division of the Bake Off.

Judging the event will be local celebrities and community leaders Lisa McKinnon, the Ventura County Star; Jacqui Irwin, Thousand Oaks City Council; Dee Dee Cavanaugh, Rancho Simi Recreation & Park District; Mary Olsen, General Manager KCLU; Christine Garboski, Nestle Food Kitchens; with more to be added in the following weeks.

On December 5th at 1:00 there will be a cookie drawing party at the Crowne Plaza Ventura. Chefs and Mother Daughter Teams will find out which cookie they will be using to create their dessert. The public is invited.

On the day of the event, there will be a silent auction and “tasting tickets” so that the public can sample the chef’s desserts and have the opportunity to help select the “People’s Choice”.

The money raised will help support the Girl Scout Leadership Program and Gold Award scholarships in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.

This Girl Scout Cookie Rally and Bake Off event kicks off our cookie season and is held on the first day of cookie sales, January 15th.

Santa Paula, CA. - The holidays are upon us; Halloween is behind us, and now is the time for thoughts turn to Holiday baking. Just in time, the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley has 2000 lbs of walnuts to sell. The nuts came to the Club courtesy of Black Mountain Ranch in Ojai, which has generously donated the walnuts to the Club, which is, in turn, selling the nuts by the bag, in their shell, at $5.00 per bag, (we expect the bags average 5 lbs each.) Those dedicated enough to want a 50-lb bag can make their purchase for $50.

Interested bakers, decorators, and walnut lovers of all ages are welcome to come to the Club at 1400 E. Harvard Blvd., Santa Paula to make their purchase Monday thru Friday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The walnut sale will continue until the walnuts are gone, so don’t delay, come by the Club today!

The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley thanks Black Mountain Ranch for thinking of us and for their kind and generous donation!

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Last Saturday night, Aaron Largen, ‘10, put a little fright into the School Farm! Aaron transformed the work barn into a Haunted House, complete with fog, strobe lights, music and terrifying clowns. Last year, Aaron made his first Haunted House which was held in a small, cramped tack room at the farm. Throughout the year, he has been collecting scary props to go along with his clever ideas to make this year’s Haunted House bigger and better. With the help from FFA members and parents, he has been working diligently since October 12th to complete this hair raising, toes curling, stomach churning experience. I asked Aaron if he had a particular interest in Halloween and what prompted him to create a Haunted House. He laughed and said he loves the holiday and wanted to share his enthusiasm for Halloween with others. Aaron explained to me that the crazy clown room would be the scariest part of the house. But after taking a tour, I have to disagree and say Creepy Cathy’s room made me scream the loudest. Aaron would like to thank FFA members, Robbie Armstrong, ’11, Sam Wokal, ’11, Tim Burhoe, ’11, Riley Wright, ’11, Mandy Wheeler, ’10, parents Kim Suttle and Mr. and Mrs. Largen, Mr. Ricards and Wayne for their help. Thank you Aaron for showing another great example of FFA leadership and creativity in action.

Brooke Aguirre is the Fillmore FFA Chapter Reporter

The Fillmore Historical Museum will be holding their 4th Annual poinsettia sale. There are several ways to order: call your order in 524-0948 or email us at fillmore.museum@sbcglobal.net, or mail your order to P.O. Box 314 Fillmore 93016. The large red poinsettia are only $10. orders may be picked up on Satruday, December 4, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Attractions Spa, 345 Central Ave. Unit B (behind Central Station Bar & Grill) will be hosting their first Chamber Mixer, Wednesday, November 10th from 5pm to 7pm. Come enjoy coffee, tea and treats provided by Bella’s Teas & Treats. Attraction Spa, 524-7722.

Boys and Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley Board Members and Event Co-Chairs, Patty Harrison, Police Chief Steve MacKinnon, Mike Mobley and Tammy Hobson are thrilled to announce the Annual Dinner/Auction and New Year’s Eve Celebration scheduled for Friday, December 31, 2010! That’s right, New Year’s Eve is the date for the Club’s annual Dinner/Auction, which is being combined this year with a New Year’s Eve Celebration! The Club has long been known as a fun place for kids and now it is going to prove that it can be the host of fun for adults as well! In addition to the normal charity auction/dinner activities, the event will feature a casino lounge, champagne toast at midnight, a chance to toss out all those ‘bad vibe’ items you’d like to leave behind you in 2010, The “Bottle Bash,” as well as the opportunity to spend this most auspicious evening with your closest friends in the community. There is another fun aspect to this event, and that is that we are not telling the location of the event until just before the holidays. It is up to you to try to guess the location from the clues we will release throughout the next two months through press releases and on our website, www.bgcscv.org. So keep your ears open and your eyes peeled ‘cause here comes clue #1 – “The site is in Santa Paula, and can seat 300 people.” think you know where it is? You can call the Club at 805-525-7910 to register your guess, and then keep reading to see if you’re right!

Save the Date cards will be in the mail next week, just to be sure you don’t forget to make your reservation for this not-to-be-missed event! Invitations will be mailed mid-November. Sponsorship opportunities for this event are still available, and item donations are being solicited at this time. The Boys & Girls Club encourages you to add this event to your holiday calendar!

SANTA CLARA VALLEY HOSPICE
HOME SUPPORT GROUP INC.

These names were received before October 20, 2010 A light will be shining on the Hospice “Light Up A Life” Tree at the Fillmore Plaza, 251 Central Avenue, Fillmore, CA. Join us for the Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, November 27, 2010 at 5:00 PM

These names were received before October 20 to 27, 2010

IN MEMORY OF:
Claude Lee
Mary Lee
Diana Dudley
Clarence Henderson, Jr.
Larry Henderson
Dwayne Mackey
Gene Wren
Claudell Wren
Jessie Johnston
Frank Erstine
Ray Wallace
Tommy Wallace-Whiteley
Lark Whiteley
Jim Horn

This week we've been told that the 100th game between Fillmore High and Santa Paula high has been sold out. Just to be sure, you may want to call the High School yourself to confirm. 805-524-6100. One thing that is not sold out yet is the DVD Documentary, "Nine Miles" produced by the Alumni Association. Although Pre-orders are going swiftly. Before they sell out at the game, you may want to call the the Alumni Assoc to guarantee your DVD. 805-524-0416. By calling now, you can confirm your DVD, and pay for it when you pick it up either at the big game, or starting on Monday Nov, 15th with extended hours at the Alumni office. The office will be open from 9:00AM to 6:00pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, November 15th, 17th, and 19th, so you can pick up your DVDs. Make a note, the office will be closed for lunch from 12:00 noon to 1:00pm on those days. Tuesdays and Thursdays the office is closed. There is much excitement surrounding the Football game on November 12th. Time Warner Cable will be taping highlights of the game, and producing a story about this historic rivalry. It will be aired on their "High School Sports Rewind" show on Tuesday, November 16th at 7:00pm on their Time Warner Cable SoCal Channel 101. The show will also be available on their Local Video on Demand service. To find their sports programming just go to Ch. 1, Select LOCAL, SoCal Sports, then HS Sports Rewind. On November 13th, the first Hall of Fame Induction ceremony will take place at the High School. Coaches, Athletes, and Championship teams will be inducted. Here are a few of the inductees. Coaches, Mr. J.W. Gastrich who was the principal at Fillmore High and started the Sports program in 1914. Eugene Kennedy, Bruce Dempsey, and Epi Torres. Some of the Teams that will be inducted include the 1926 Boys Basketball Team, the 1935 Boys Football Team, The 1977 Boys Football Team, and the 1991 Girls Cross Country Team. There will be 82 Athletes inducted in this first Hall of Fame induction. Here are a few of them. 1933 Toolie Palmer, 1938 Vernon (Slim) Johnson, 1942 Bill Pearson, 1944 Gene Wren, 1949 Don Burroughs, 1955 Roger Palmer, 1961 Bruce Gibby, 1967 Jim Ruiz, 1972 Joel Mozley, 1977 Rosa Aparicio, 1985 Greg Baldwin, 1991 Tory Cabral, 1996 Julie Arundell. The Alumni Association wishes to thank all those involved in making this evening one to remember for all the inductees. "All Hail to our Alma Mater, May her fame live long"

The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley is pleased to announce it will be providing transportation to its Fillmore Club Site. The Club has purchased a 15 passenger van that will pick up interested young people in front of the U Scream Ice Cream location at the corner of Main and Center streets in Piru, and the bus stop at the Rancho Sespe Apartments.

The Club offers nationally award winning programs to children from the ages of 5 to 18 years in the after-school hours from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The new Boys & Girls Club bus will pick up members daily at 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm at the U Scream Ice Cream in Piru and then at the Rancho Sespe bus stop immediately following the Piru pickups. Members will be returned to the Rancho Sespe bus stop and the individual member’s homes in Piru. Club members pay a $25 annual fee to attend the Club, and no child is turned away for their inability to pay the membership fee.

This transportation program is funded through a grant from the County of Ventura, will provide supervised transportation to and from the communities of Piru and Rancho Sespe to the Fillmore Clubhouse at 565 First Street in Fillmore.

It costs the Club $560 per child annually to provide services for its members. The obvious gap between cost of services and membership is bridged by generous donations from local businesses, private donors and local and national grants. Donors interested in providing financial assistance to the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley are encouraged to contact the Club at 805-525-7910. All donations, regardless of amount, are gratefully appreciated.

As of October 27th, my dog went missing. He's a blue pitbull and answers to PAPAS. He has white markings to his chin, right side under chin, chest, and tips of paws are also white. He's 6 months old and weighs between 40-60 lbs and has not been neutered. If anyone has him or knows who has him PLEASE contact me. He's very loved and missed by my children. Please have a heart and return him. Please call Christine at 805-861-8705. Thank you.

Cheryl L. Knight, Senior Vice President/Chief Credit Officer, Santa Clara Valley Bank.

Santa Paula, CA. - October 27, 2010- Santa Clara Valley Bank (SCVBank; OTC BB: SCVE.OB) today announced that Cheryl L. Knight has been hired as the Bank’s Senior Vice President/Chief Credit Officer. Ms. Knight has previously held the titles of Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer at Montecito Bank and Trust, as well as EVP/Chief Risk Officer for First California Bank. She has held several other management positions at other financial institutions including Union Bank and Wells Fargo. Cheryl was also employed by Deloitte & Touche as a financial management consultant.

As a senior officer of Montecito Bank and Trust, Ms. Knight led the $750 million bank to perform at a high level, achieving the rating of Super Premier Performing Bank by Findley Reports.

Ms. Knight is a member of the board of directors of California Community Reinvestment Corporation, a non-profit whose mission is to provide innovative and flexible financing to low and moderate income families in California. She currently serves as Chair of the Board.

Cheryl has been a resident of Ventura for over 12 years.

“Cheryl has enjoyed CONTINUED »

The Ventura Country Rose Society will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010, at the Ventura County Office of Education Conference Center at 5100 Adolfo Rd., Camarillo.

The doors will open at 6:30 pm for advice from Consulting Rosarians and refreshments, 7:00 for our Rose Celebration, and our speaker presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The Ventura Rose Society meeting will feature Clair Martin, the Curator of the Huntington Rose Garden in Pasadena speaking and showing pictures of "British Rose Gardens" from his tour of England this summer. Clair Martin is a foremost expert on roses and an excellent speaker. His talk should be a fascinating rose journey through English gardens.

Visitors are always welcome. For more information contact: Janet Sklar at 818-993-6622 or Dawn-Marie Johnson at 805-523-9003

Santa Clara Valley Disposal will maintain its regular Friday trash and recyclables collection schedule in Fillmore on Nov. 12, during the week of Veterans’ Day.

For more information, call 647-1414.

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For the fifth year, KSSP Photographic Studios will be offering a FREE Halloween photography for children, in costume, 12 years & younger on Halloween, Sunday October 31st. A free 4”x6” print will be printed (limit 1 free print per family or group) and available for pick-up on Halloween. As part of this tradition, each child's picture will be entered in the Child's Creative Costume Contest.

As in past years, no appointment is necessary and no purchase is necessary. The studio will be open from 3pm to 8pm to photograph individuals or groups, in costume. Children 12 and under will be photographed for free. For those over 12 years old , there will be a small charge.

As part of the Child's Creative Costume Contest, each child's costume will be judged by an independent committee. The child with the best costume will win a free family portrait session and an 11”x14” family portrait.

Principal photographers at KSSP are Carmelita Miranda and Charles Morris. KSSP is a full service photography studio specializing in portrait, wedding and quinceanera photography (and video). KSSP Photographic Studios is the school photographer for Fillmore High School. For further information, please contact KSSP Photographic Studios at 524-6400 or visit http://ksspphotostudios.com.