Ghost Bikes, a recently completed documentary by Danny Gamboa, concentrates on Southern California’s part in a worldwide phenomenon of white bikes appearing as unofficial memorials where bicyclists have lost their lives in traffic accidents. In Ventura County this year, ghost bikes have been installed in remembrance of fallen riders Nick Haverland and Jose Luis Carmona. The Ghost Bikes film will be shown at both 6:30 and 7:15 pm on Friday, November 18, at the Museum of Ventura County, and the filmmaker will be there to answer questions. Admission is $5 for the general public, free for museum members. It includes entry to all exhibits, including Departures, which features the ghost bike made to honor Nick Haverland, the 20-year old Ventura College student struck and killed on Telegraph Road this past May. For reservations to either screening, call 805-653-0323 x 7.

A ghost bike is first stripped to its basics and painted white. Often local artists contribute elements, and then the bike is anonymously left locked to a street sign near the crash site. The first ghost bikes appeared in St. Louis in 2003, and volunteers tracking the sites estimate that since then, more than 150 have appeared worldwide. Gamboa, a Long Beach based filmmaker, sees ghost bikes as art that can raise awareness about safety and encourage communication about sharing the road. Gamboa is a cyclist who has installed ghost bikes for fallen strangers.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura. Hours are 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children 6-17, members and children under 6 are free. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.