By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, April 6th, 2023
On Saturday and Sunday, April 15 and 16, the 2023 Fillmore Flower Show will take place at the Fillmore active Adult Center, 533 Santa Clara St., Fillmore. Above are winners from a previous flower show. Photo credit Jan Lee. Enlarge Photo By Jan Lee Are you ready to share your “Garden Treasures” with your friends and neighbors? The most popular divisions at the flower show are Divisions I, II and III Single Stem Cut Flowers. Do you have Roses? Iris? Any other flower? Bring them to the flower show. That means cut a single stem from the plant with at least one leaf attached, bring it to the Active Adult Center Saturday morning between 7:30a.m. and 10a.m. We will supply the vase. You might win! Every year the variety of flowers is amazing. Be sure to come by between 1 and 4 o’clock either Saturday or Sunday to view the entries and see what you won. Even if you are not entering a bloom or plant this year, come anyway. Admission is FREE. And there will be live music, a plant boutique, a café and a table for the kids to make something. The Fillmore Flower Show is a really fun event! For a little more detail, roses have several competitive categories: Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, Miniature Rose, Any other Unlisted Rose, and Novelty Rose, most fragrant and largest bloom. There are also several categories of Other Single Stem Cut Flowers: Orchids, Lilies, Delphinium, Geranium and Any Other Unlisted Flower. Bottom line: If you have grown a flower, bring it to the Fillmore Flower Show. If you enter once, you’ll be back year after year. See you there. For complete information go to: fillmoreflowershow.org. |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, April 6th, 2023
On Wednesday, March 29, at 1:10pm, road authorities were on-scene directing traffic on W. Guiberson Road / SR23 when a dump truck lost its load of dirt in the eastbound lane-Guiberson. The road was cleared and open to traffic. Photo credit Angel Esquivel-AE News. |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, April 6th, 2023
The most recent Fillmore Rotary speaker was Jim Wisdom, from the Westlake Village Rotary. The program title was “How to Successfully Exit Your Business.” Exit planning is a good business strategy starting early on in the business. Plan ahead about how long you want to be in business and what you want to do when you retire. Is your business transferable or will you sell the business? Various things will change over the years, but if you have a plan, you’ll be prepared to handle them. Pictured (l-r) is Rotary President Dave Andersen with guest speaker Jim Wisdom. Courtesy Rotarian Martha Richardson. |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, April 6th, 2023
Last week, the Fillmore Rotary Club presented a check for $500 to the FHS Swim Team. Pictured (l-r) are Hannah Faith, Special Ed teacher, and Co-coach Joaquin Holladay, Sienna Dalgarn, Alexis Pina, Coach Cindy Blatt, and Alejandro Lanza. Courtesy Rotarian Martha Richardson. |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, March 30th, 2023
By David Goldstein, Environmental Resource Analyst with the Ventura County Public Works Agency With recent rains and cold weather, it may feel like winter, but spring officially started last week. Are you ready for spring cleaning? For those wanting to “green” their clean, cleaning is not just a matter of removing material such as dirt, grime, crumbs, skin cells or pet hair from surfaces and crevices. Cleaning also does not just mean disinfection. Instead, the meaning of “clean” can include removing pollutants and cutting waste. Killing germs is important, but battling biological enemies does not have to come at the cost of tolerating chemical pollutants and creating waste. |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, March 30th, 2023
Carolyn Boucher, from the Simi Sunset Rotary, was one of the speakers at a recent Fillmore Rotary meeting. She told the Club about Simi Sunset’s Kidney Donation Program. Rocky Rhodes, another Rotarian, spoke about his decision to donate a kidney. Tony Falato was the recipient of the kidney and continued the story of how thankful he is to Rocky for saving his life. The Simi |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, March 30th, 2023
The Fillmore Rotary speaker was Alondra Gaytan, Director of Strategic Relations from EconomicDevelopment Collaborative (EDC). She told the Club the EDC is the region’s largest economic development public-private partnership. It provides access to capital and direct business advising to over a thousand businesses a year. Pictured (l-r) is Alondra Gaytan with Rotary President Dave Anderson. Photo credit Martha |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, March 30th, 2023
The City of Fillmore is setting aside Saturday, April1stto allow residents and small business owners to drop off materials that are not accepted in general trash and recycling bins for safe disposal and free of charge. |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, March 30th, 2023
Above is a display set up at Patterson’s Hardware on Central Avenue, inspired by this year’s Flower Show, set for April 15 & 16, 2023. Photo credit Jan Lee. Enlarge Photo Courtesy Jan Lee Don’t miss the Fillmore Flower Show, April 15 and 16 at the Active Adult Center, 533 Santa Clara Street in Fillmore. There will be live music, a coffee corner, a plant boutique, youth art and compositions, and of course, LOTS of home grown flowers. Bring entries to the Center between 7:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. $5 no matter how many entries you have. All youth entries are free. Open for public viewing 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Please plan to attend. |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, March 30th, 2023
On Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 5PM La Promesa De Jesus Church hold their second “March Rally”. Lifting up Jesus in the CITY OF FILLMORE. Pastor Ernie Rangel says “ I believe with all my heart that Fillmore is a special city. I was born and raised here in Fillmore, grew up in gangs, drugs and violence but God has changed my life and this movement that we are starting is stirring up a revival in our city and I want every person from this city to know that I am here to serve them and that our church is a place that welcomes ANYONE AND ANYBODY. Pictured above are the group f 70 who marched along this past weekend Inset is the group marching on the Fillmore Bike Path. Courtesy Ernie Rangel Jr . |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, March 30th, 2023
Ventura County — The Museum of Ventura County is pleased to present author Carina Monica Montoya at the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula on April 8, 2023 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Montoya will be reading from her book Fillmore, which is part of the Images of America series. A native Californian, Montoya has written several books, including Santa Maria Valley, Filipinos in Hollywood, Pacific Coast Highway in California, Ventura County, and Los Angeles’s Historic Filipinotown. Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series is full of historic photos and fascinating stories of regions throughout the country. Montoya’s look at Fillmore is full of insights that will shed new light on the history of this fascinating town. Montoya’s reading will be followed by a question and answer session and a book sale. Montoya will be autographing purchased copies of her book. “Even though I grew up in this region, I am learning new facts about the Fillmore area all of the time,” said the Museum’s Barbara Barnard Smith Executive Director Elena Brokaw. “Having Carina Monica Montoya present her book at the Agriculture Museum will be a great way for our community to hear more about this history of this area that we love.” This event is free and open to the public. The Agriculture Museum is located at 926 Railroad Avenue, Santa Paula, CA 93060. More information can be found on the Museum of Ventura County website at www.venturamuseum.org and by phone at (805) 525-3100. |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, March 30th, 2023
By Dr. Barry Fike The famous “Praying Hands” picture was created by Albrecht Durer, the son of a Hungarian goldsmith. He was born in Germany in 1471 and died in 1528. As is the case with nearly all men of genius, fact and fiction become interwoven and created the legend of the artist as we know him today. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 NKJ |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, March 30th, 2023
Pictured above is Ryan Oge, a graduate of FHS 2007. He is at Good Samaritan Hospital, Lafayette, Colorado with liver failure. His only chance of survival is with a liver transplant. Please pray for him. Any questions, please contact: Marvin Oge, 805-223-1477, mlojsowr88@gmail.com. |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, March 30th, 2023
Case #: 2020016395 On March 24, 2023, a Ventura County jury convicted Jesus Zavala Castaneda |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Friday, March 24th, 2023
President Dave Anderson inducted Fillmore Police Chief Eduardo "Lalo" Malagon as a new Rotary Club member Congratulations, Eduardo! Courtesy Rotarian Martha Richardson. |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Wednesday, March 15th, 2023
Kyle Wilson gave a special presentation of the Paul Harris Fellow Awards to Renee Swenson and Dave Andersen. Paul Harris was the founder of Rotary in 1905 and he started the Rotary Foundation in 1957. To be recognized for this award $1,000 is donated to the Foundation. It can be donated by the recipient or given in that person’s name. If more than $1,000 is donated the pin will have a special stone such as a Sapphire for each $1,000. Congratulations Renee and Dave! Pictured (l-r) is Dave Andersen and Renee Swenson. Photo courtesy Rotarian Martha Richardson. Enlarge Photo |
By Gazette Staff Writers — Wednesday, March 15th, 2023
Carrie Broggie introduced Andrea Stewart, D.A. Victim Advocate, with the Courthouse Dog Program. Andrea is part of the Victim’s Assistance Unit located at the Hall of Justice. Her dog’s name is Star, one of several which are trained to support and comfort victims. They may sit by the victim in the courtroom, or during initial interviews. The victim may pet the dog, or the dog may lay at their feet. This is especially comforting to children. This Program offers Camp Hope, a week of fun for children after all they’ve gone through. Pictured (l-r) Rotary President Dave Andersen, Andrea Stewart and Star. Enlarge Photo |
By Peggy Kelly — Wednesday, March 15th, 2023
By Peggy Kelly It has been 29 years and a handful of days since a popular 21-year-old Ventura subscription salesman was shot down after leaving a friend’s Santa Paula-Ojai Road area apartment in Santa Paula early on March 7, 1994, and Eric Velasquez’s mother still is hoping for justice. Velasquez was killed by a single shot to the chest, fired by an unknown gunman standing in the parking lot. Velasquez died at the scene, leaving behind grief-stricken relatives and friends and baffled police. The murder has remained a cold case, but one that received an infusion of funds when the state set a $50,000 reward to find Velasquez’s killer. Velasquez was described by family and friends as devoted to his family, his girlfriend, and his work as a subscription salesman for the Los Angeles Times. “I think whoever did this is sure suffering in some way or another,” Susan Ventura, Velasquez’s mother, said at the time. “But it’s all over the city — not just in Los Angeles. They can’t control the guns.” Many residents of the apartment complex said they were unaware of the incident until later in the morning; one who said he heard a strange noise found Velasquez’s body lying in the carport and called police. Other witnesses told Santa Paula police investigators that the gunman may have been a man who was involved in an argument with Velasquez earlier in the evening when he arrived at the complex to visit a friend. The man who Velasquez was seen arguing with was a friend of a man who lived in the apartment complex. The two exchanged words and, reportedly, Velasquez said something related to the other person threatening him with a gun in Ventura, but the two shook hands after the man de nied he had pulled the weapon. Velasquez had been student at UC Santa Barbara for one semester before taking leave because he and his family could no longer afford the tuition. But he found a job he seemed to be made for — selling subscriptions to the Los Angeles Times door-to-door, every weekday from 4 to 9 p.m. Most months, he was the top salesman or at least second from the top, taking pride in his work and success in selling subscriptions. His family and friends described Velasquez as outgoing, gregarious, and persuasive — perfect traits for a job in sales. He was returning from La Puente the evening that he stopped off in Santa Paula to see a friend and subsequently was killed. Velasquez’s mother, Susan Ventura, set up a $1,000 reward out of frustration in September 1995. “I want justice to be served in my son’s murder,” Ventura said then. “I want his killer off the streets.” In October 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction for the murder of Velasquez. The reward was part of a $200,000 allotment made to spur leads in four cold cases. At the time, the Governor’s Office noted: “The Santa Paula Police Department has exhausted all investigative leads and requested that a reward be offered to encourage anyone with information about this murder to contact Detective S. Virani at 805-525-4474. The victim’s family has also offered a $1,000 reward and rewards are offered by Crime Stoppers and We-Tip.” Had he not been killed, Eric Velasquez would now be 50 years old. |