The Fillmore Flower show is almost here! The theme this year is “Fillmore Blooms!” Look around your garden and select the blooms you want to enter. We have many faithful gardeners who bring flowers, potted plants, arrangements, bouquets and dish gardens every year. That is what keeps the flower show going. But, we encourage others to participate too.
Maybe you are telling yourself, “I can’t compete with those people. I just have a few blossoms.” Well, one of those blossoms might be the grand prize winner. Or maybe you will just get a ribbon, but meet some wonderful people who also love gardening. You may hear people complimenting your bloom. Whatever the outcome, you will hear lovely music, see amazing displays, eat some cookies, read youth compositions and celebrate being in Fillmore.
Bring your entries to the Active Adult Center, 533 Santa Clara Street, between 7:30 and 10:00 a.m. on Saturday morning (April 14). $5 entry fee no matter how many entries. Youth compositions should be dropped off at the same location Friday afternoon between 3:00 and 4:30 p.m. Youth arrangements are created at the center by the entrant between 7:30 and 10:00 a.m. Saturday. Remember, there is a category for youth team entries. Youth entries are free.

All rules, special notes and divisions are available on the website: fillmoreflowershow.com

Please set aside some time next weekend to come to the Fillmore Flower Show. Public viewing is 1:00 to 4:00 Saturday and Sunday. Free admission.

Congratulations to Robert and Griselda Guerrero whose yard has been named the yard of the month for March 2018 by Fillmore Civic Pride. Ari Larson presented them a certificate for $40 courtesy of Otto & Sons Nursery. They enjoy spending time in their front yard and especially like the lavender’s aroma. Their address is 204 Cook Dr. in Fillmore. For more information on Civic Pride please contact Ari Larson 805.794.7590 or email: petenari55@hotmail.com

Since 1919, the people in Fillmore have been displaying flowers and plants from their gardens. There were years when there wasn’t a flower show. But then, civic minded people would be willing to do the work to again bring back the show. At the Fillmore Flower Show, you can bring cut flower stems of your most beautiful blooms. You can arrange a variety of flowers into a large or very small arrangement. Or, if you have particularly lovely blossoms in one type of flower, bring a bouquet. Maybe it is a potted plant you have lovingly nurtured or a dish garden that you think others in the community will enjoy seeing. All are welcome.

Maybe you don’t have flowers and plants you want to display. Come to the Flower Show anyway! There is live music playing during the public viewing times. Many people who enter the show know A LOT about flowers. They love to share their knowledge with you. Ask what plants grow well in the shade, what flowers bloom best in Fillmore, when do I feed my flowers, what plants attract birds and butterflies? There is a plant boutique where you can pick up some inexpensive cuttings. As you walk through the rows of flowers, you may see a flower you would like to add to your garden. Someone should be able to tell you the name of the flower. Every year it is amazing to see how many different shades of roses decorate the world.

This year the Flower Show is April 14th and 15th at the Active Adult Center on Santa Clara Street. Bring your entries to the Center between 7:30 and 10 AM Saturday morning (the 14th). There is a $5 entry fee for each adult exhibitor no matter how many entries. All youth entries are free.

Youth categories are: Arrangements, Composition and Art. Next week there will be more information for youth exhibitors.

Just for inspiration:
“Earth laughs in flowers” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece” —Claude Monet

“Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful: they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul” — Luther Burbank

“There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments” —Janet Kilburn Phillips

Please join your neighbors this year at the Fillmore Flower Show. Together, “Fillmore Blooms!”

www.fillmoreflowershow.com

On Saturday, April 14, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) will host a Passport Fair for Ventura County residents to make sure their passports are up to date for the summer travel season.

Staff from the Los Angeles Passport Agency will be on hand to renew old passports and process first-time applications at the Passport Fair, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Oxnard Family Circle, located at 2100 Outlet Center Drive, Oxnard, CA 93036.

“As summer approaches, I want to make sure everyone in Ventura County who is considering traveling abroad can get their passports as easily as possible,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “I encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity for convenient service from the Los Angeles Passport Agency.”

Representatives from Brownley’s district office have urged anyone interested in attending to bring passport photos and proper documentation. They will also be at the Passport Fair to answer any questions. For more details, call Brownley’s district office at (805) 379-1779 or visit JuliaBrownley.House.gov/Events.

Catastrophic: The St. Francis Dam Disaster, a video created by the Fillmore High School and Middle School video classes, will be premiered on March 17 at 1 pm at the Santa Clara River Valley Railroad Historical Society Visitor Center, 455 Main St. Fillmore. The video tells the story of the flood through the words of survivors and their descendants.

The public is invited to attend the commemoration of the disaster on Saturday. March 17th. An opening ceremony and dedication of a plaque will start the day at 9:00 am in front of Fillmore City Hall. In addition to the video premiere, speaker Jon Wilkman, author of Floodpath: The Deadliest Man-Made Disaster of the 20th Century and the Making of Modern Los Angeles will be speaking at 10:00 am. Exhibits will be on display at the Fillmore Historical Museum. For information on other commemoration activities in the Santa Clara River Valley, go to SaintFrancisDam.com

Assessing and treating obesity, which now affects one in three adults and one in six adolescents, will be the focus of a free seminar on Wednesday, April 11, in Oxnard. The name of the seminar is “The Skinny on Obesity: Current Assessment and Treatment.”

The guest speaker will be Dr. Paul Cisarik, a weight-loss expert who is certified with the American Board of Obesity Medicine. Dr. Cisarik will discuss various treatment options, including behavior modification, weight-loss programs, pharmacologic therapy and bariatric surgery.

Obesity is a common and serious health issue affecting millions of Americans. Over a third of adults in the United States are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also notes that obesity leads to serious and potentially life-threatening health conditions including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.

Dr. Cisarik received his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine, completed his residency at MetroHealth Medical Center and earned his master’s degree in nutrition from Case Western Reserve University. His specialties include medically supervised weight loss, management of medical and nutritional issues before bariatric surgery, and long-term care after bariatric surgery. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Obesity Medicine. Dr. Cisarik is an active member of the Community Memorial Hospital medical staff.

The April 11 seminar will begin at 6 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott in Oxnard, 600 E. Esplanade Drive. Registration is free but reservations are required. For reservations, visit www.cmhshealth.org/rsvp or call Brown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006.

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, along with the Centers for Family Health serving various communities within and located in Ventura County, California.

Courtesy Maria Christopher.

March 3, Santa Clara Riverbed Hike - A St. Francis Am Disaster Commemoration Month Event.

Please join us on March 3, at 10:00 AM for a Santa Clara River bed hike on The Nature Conservancy Hanson property near Santa Paula. It will be led by TNC hike leader, Amy Davis. She will talk with the participants about the St Francis Dam disaster's impact on the river channel, scouring, and sediment load, as well as TNC’s restoration efforts at the Hanson site and their impact on the Santa Clara and future flooding.

The address to meet at is 1368 Mission Rock Road. At the end of Mission Rock road there is a yellow farm gate with a TNC sign, people can park next to that gate and Amy will meet hikers there and guide them into the property. The hike will start from there at 10am.

Please let your hiking and history friends know. After the hike, take time for lunch at one of Santa Paula's unique restaurants and visit their museum. The Oil Museum will have a dam related exhibit opening that day.

A complete list of The March 2018 St. Francis Dam Disaster Commemoration Month Activities can be found at SAINTFRANCISDAM.com.

The Heritage Valley Tourism Bureau thanks The Nature Conservancy for their willingness to host this event and for all they are doing to preserve the Santa Clara River Valley.

Three minutes before midnight on March 12, 1928, the St. Francis Dam collapsed, sending 12.4 billion gallons of water downstream. The resulting flood killed over 400 people, with 103 still missing to this day. The St. Francis Dam disaster is considered the second largest disaster in California history, in terms of loss of life, and is the largest man-made disaster in the state.

The dam was erected in rural San Francisquito Canyon; floodwaters traveled down San Francisquito Canyon to the Santa Clarita Valley, then turned west following the Santa Clara River south of Piru, Fillmore, and Santa Paula, through unincorporated Ventura County, out to the Pacific Ocean. It forever changed the communities in its 54-mile destructive path.

In remembrance of the 90th anniversary of the St. Francis Dam Disaster, the California Oil Museum will exhibit “When Dams Fail: Lessons Learned from St. Francis and Other Notable Incidents” from March 3, 2018 through July 8, 2018. This exhibit covers more than a century of time and provides a look into several of America’s dreadful dam disasters, the impact on the lives of those affected, and the lessons learned through investigative research and retrospective evaluations.

Understanding the underlying causes for dam failures is a critical component to preventing recurrence and future incidents. Visitors will learn reasons dams fail, including design flaws, operational inefficiencies, and natural or environmental causes, as well as safety measures that have been implemented to reduce the risks to human life, property, and the environment from dam related hazards.

A special presentation will be given on Saturday March 3, from 2:00-3:00 pm. Archaeologist Anne Stansell will share her research findings on why the St. Francis Dam disaster has been largely forgotten on a state and national level, but tenuously remembered within the flood-zone. Seating for this special presentation is limited.

The California Oil Museum is housed in the original headquarters of the Union Oil Company of California, a beautiful historical building which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NPS-86002619.) The Museum is dedicated to enriching the lives of local citizens, county schoolchildren, and visitors from around the world, and encourages each guest to understand the significance of the petroleum industry and its California history, as well as develop an appreciation of the world of science. The California Oil Museum is located at 1001 E. Main Street in Santa Paula. The Museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Admittance is free, a suggested donation of $4 is appreciated.

Fillmore Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the Fillmore Community Awards Dinner on Friday, March 30th at 5:30pm at the Veteran’s Memorial Building.

Vision 2020, Civic Pride Committee was hard at work pruning plants in the pots along Central on Wednesday, February 7th. We are always amazed to see how much trash is put into these pots with flowers when there are trash receptacles in plain sight! I wonder what this tells us about “human nature”! Does anyone have an idea how we could train people to use the trash receptacles? We were so happy to have Paul Benavidez and 4 of the Leos group from high school working with us. “Leos” members helping were Javier Sandoval, Adrian Escobar, Joanna Ponce, and Jairo Rios, Cindy Klittich and “sidekick”. Dori Klittich pruned roses and added soil and fertilizer to help these plants flourish. Bardsdale 4 H member, Nuviah Vega, assisted Cindy with all the work. Others working hard, but not pictured were Sarah Hansen, Karen Bagley, Susan Hopkins, Paul Benavidez, Jim Nunes and Linda Nunes. We were able to complete all the pots and the rock planter along the 126 because of all these “helpers”! This effort by multigenerational volunteers working together is what makes our community so special and meets
Civic Pride’s Statement of Vision. “Foster a thriving small town atmosphere in which people give their time and talents for the good of the community.”