Read All About It! Fillmore That is…

Kenneth Fine’s “Anecdotal History of Fillmore” is back in print and is available at Patterson’s Hardware, The Treasure Station, Fillmore Historical Museum and Sandi Ward’s Crafts and Things in the railroad car near City Hall. The cost is $20.

Kenneth wrote this in the later years of his life and always enjoyed telling stories and yarns to anyone who would listen. He was unable to get it into print before he died, but it is now ready for the second time for everyone who enjoys good stories about Fillmore and the “good old days.” He worked in the oil fields and knew that Sespe like the back of his hand.

Kennie’s grandfather, Moses Fine, homesteaded most of North Fillmore up to the point on Goodenough Road. With frequent visits at that home, Kennie got a good background on Fillmore and the Sespe.

Did you know the trout limit was 50 fish a day per person? Did you know several of the guys had their own deer camps up Sespe? Did you know Fillmore had a skating rink? For details, read Kennie’s memories of growing up in Fillmore.

This makes a great Father’s Day gift!

Lake Piru will be hosting a Night Tournament. Start time will be 7:30pm weigh in will be 1:30 am, Boaters meeting will be at 7:15pm. Camping is available all year round. It is a 2 person team @ $50.00 a boat. Shoreline fishing is permitted in the set boundary area.

Fee does not include entry into park. Biggest Fish Wins! 1st Place will get 50% of the pot; 2nd Place will get Vehicle Annual Pass for you and your partner; 3rd Place will each receive a $30.00 Bait Shop gift certificate
Sign up begins on 6/2/10 until Friday 6/25/10 ends at 6:30pm. Should you have any questions please feel free to give us a call at (805) 521-1500 ext 208.

All boats must follow all California boating rules and regulations and must have proper PFD’s and Nav. lights for the boats.

Santa Paula, CA June 8th – The Ventura Family YMCA will be holding summer programs at the Santa Paula High School Pool starting June 21st – August 12th. Programs will include Youth Swim Lessons, Swim Team, Wet Ball (Water Polo) and Diving. Registration will be held on June 12th and June 19th from 10 – 12 p.m. at the Santa Paula High School Pool Office.

Swim Lessons will be divided into 4 sessions, each session will run for 2 weeks, and provide (8) 45 min. lessons. Lessons are $50.00 per child.

The Piranhas Swim Team is back. Swim Team will run for 7 weeks from June 21st – August 7th Monday – Thursday for 1 hour. Participants must be 6-15 years old. Swim Team participation is $100.00 per child. Please see registration dates above.

Recreational swim will also be available for youth in the area for $2.00 per visit or save by purchasing a summer pass $75.00 (all inclusive Recreation pass for the entire summer). Recreation Swim will be held daily. Please note that any children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult 18 years or older. Children 13 -18 years old must have waivers signed by their guardian before entering the facility. Waivers can be picked up during registration times as well as at the Santa Paula Pool during open hours.

Pool schedules, Registration forms and additional information will be available on registration days and online at www.ciymca.org/ventura. For any additional information please contact the Ventura Family YMCA .

Contact: Ventura Family YMCA at 805-642-2131

The “Yard of the Month” award for June was presented to Mr.& Mrs. Jack Schleimer at 558 Kensington by Vision 2020, Civic Pride committee member, Linda Nunes.

In 1974, the Schleimer family purchased their Spanish style home which was built in 1928 by the city of Los Angeles for the Basolo family after destruction of property during the St. Francis Dam flood. The yard had grass and a few palm trees existing when they began their task of re-landscaping with cement curbs surrounding flower beds & slate pathway to the front porch.

They planted an ornamental crabapple tree and a carrot wood tree on each side of the yard and filled beds with hibiscus, begonias, pink flax, gardenias, pink verbena, snapdragons, yellow gerberas & daylilies. Yellow tree roses flank the entrance to a shady porch with water fountain, sitting area & pots of cycad, petunias & “donkey tail” succulents.

The award includes a $25 gift certificate for Otto & Sons Nursery. Vision 2020, Civic Pride appreciates Otto & Sons Nursery for supporting our program to encourage beautification of yards throughout our community.

Greeting to all. On Friday June 4 th Fillmore/Piru Relay for Life Committee members would like to ask you to join us in spreading the word about our Relay for Life event. Our purpose is to go to businesses , schools, churches, medical facitlities, friends and neighbors and encourage them to participate by showing there support with a donation, starting a team or joining a team or allowing us to place posters, yard signs or any other information we have to spread the word about our Relay for Life. Please contact me if you think you can help Faith Lugo 990-8736. We will be meeting at City Hall at 8:30 a.m. to hand out material and script if you need it. Piru will doing the same on Saturday morning June 5th at 10:00 a.m. to meet at the Gazebo in town. I look forward to hearing from you!

Here's the article you've been waiting for! Come join the usual fun at our annual Alumni Dinner held at the Memorial Building on June 12th. Happy Hour begins at 4:00pm and dinner is served at 6:00pm. Mr. Gary Laird (Class of 76') from Lairds Butcher shop in Santa Paula will be doing the catering. In addition to the 50/50 raffle, we'll be giving away great door prizes. As most of us know, this year marks the 100th meeting in Football between the Flashes, and the dreaded Cardinals from Santa Paula. The Alumni Association is celebrating this special occasion by compiling stories, and interviews with Football players, Cheerleaders, and fans from both communities. A documentation of all this will be made into a DVD, that will be available after November 1st, 2010. The Fillmore/Santa Paula series is the oldest football rivalry in Ventura County, and one of the oldest in the State of California. Video recordings will be rolling at the dinner collecting more stories from you, the great Alumni from Fillmore High. A short preview of the DVD will be shown at the dinner, and of course we will present our Scholarship Winners from the class of 2010. Tickets are $40.00 at the door. $35.00 if you do not subscribe to the Alumni Newsletter (Flashbacks), and $30.00 for subscribers. The deadline to pre-order tickets is June 6th, 2010. For more detailed information and questions, please call the Alumni office at 805-524-0416. GO FLASHES!

Sespe Players Inc. has a Musical Theater Summer Camp beginning July 7th through Aug. 7th, culminating in a wonderful and exciting musical, “THE WIZ”. One performance on Sat. Aug. 7th at the Sespe Theater Auditorum.

Camp Hours are Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays from 4-7 pm. Rehearsals will take place at the Methodist Church Social Hall on Sespe Avenue in Fillmore.

This is a 5-week program for children 7-17 years of age, beginners to advanced. This class will enhance your current singing, dancing and voice skills or teach new ones!

What a great way to spend your time this summer by expressing yourself through Musical Theater … plus … you can make many new friends! Your family will be so proud to see you perform in this popular musical, “THE WIZ”, based on the Wonderful Wizard of Oz”.

You will love this top-notch instructor, Catrina Quintanilla, who has lots to offer our children since she has directed and choreographed hundreds of musicals! We are so fortunate to have Ms. Quintanilla’s expertise and enormous talent here in Fillmore and surrounding cities teaching our kids so they can advance their skills in the performing arts!

COST FOR SUMMER CAMP: $300 PER CHILD ($275 for siblings)
(9 hours a week – Money well spent!)

REGISTER BY JUNE 30TH. We will only be enrolling 25 kids for this program so that each child will get the quality attention she or he deserves...So hurry to reserve your spot!

TO SIGN UP PLEASE CALL: Priscilla Rzezuski (805) 524-0553
OR EMAIL : PRZEZUSKI@ATT.NET

'Saxman' High School Senior Portrait by Charles Morris
Enlarge Photo

Local photographers, Carmelita Miranda and Charles Morris, have won recognition for their photography from the Channel Islands Professional Photography Association (CIPPA). CIPPA is an affiliate of Professional Photographers of California. Carmelita won a merit for her print “Wrapped Trees” in the landscape category at the quarterly competition in February. Charles won a merit and Best in Category for his print “Saxman” (Nolan Doktor, graduating FHS senior) in the new high school seniors category at the quarterly competition in May.

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 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 and is the photographer for the upcoming Miss Regional California Pageant to be held at the end of June.. For further information, please contact KSSP Photographic Studios at 524-6400 or visit http://ksspphotostudios.com.

Location: Santa Clara Valley Job & Career Center
725 E. Main Street, Santa Paula
805-933-8452

Thursday, July 8 - Resumes that Sell, 9 am – 4 pm - workshop providing hands-on assistance in completing a resume, cover and thank-you letters. Walk away with a portfolio that shows off professional skills and experience. Career Shops are offered at no cost to Job Seekers. Space is limited. Prior registration required by calling the Santa Clara Valley Job & Career Center at 805-933-8452 to enroll.

Thursday, July 15 - Winning Interviews, 9 am – 1 pm - supplies the tools to make a lasting first impression when interviewing. Career Shops are offered at no cost to Job Seekers. Space is limited. Prior registration required by calling the Santa Clara Valley Job & Career Center at 805-933-8452 to enroll.

Monday, July 26 - Power of VOS (Virtual OneStop), 9 am – 11:30 am – Learn about the Virtual OneStop website and how you can use the various tools in the system to build your resume and customize your job search to a specific location and occupation. Must have basic computer skills. Career Shops are offered at no cost to Job Seekers. Space is limited. Prior registration required by calling the Santa Clara Valley Job & Career Center at 805-933-8452 to enroll.

Spanish language workshop:
Monday, July 12 - Tecnicas para la Busqueda de Trabajo (Job Search Techniques), 9 am – 1 pm - Presentado por Los Centros de Empleos y Carreras Esta sección de 3 a 4 horas está diseñada para personas que están buscando empleo. Los temas incluyen donde y como buscar empleo, como crear una red de comunicación, técnicas de cómo usar el teléfono apropiadamente para buscar empleo y como usar la red del Internet para buscar empleo. También aprenderá técnicas apropiadas para hacer una entrevista. 805-933-8452.

Career Shops are presented in partnership with Ventura County Job & Career Centers and are sponsored by the Human Services Agency and the Workforce Investment Board. Equal opportunity Employer/Program/Service – TDD/TT Inquiries call 1 (800) 735-2922. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individual with disabilities.

The City of Fillmore Fire Department will hold its Fire Recruit Graduation Ceremony on May 30, 2010, 10:00AM at Fillmore Fire Station 91. The event celebrates the successful completion of the fire recruit training and transition to the position of Firefighter/EMT. Pictured are graduating cadets Daniel Mobley, Brian Mercado, Daniel Palmer, Jonathan Torrez, Ryan Kell, Anthony Ventura, and Rudolfo Cortez. The recruit academy lasts six weeks and consists of 168 hours of arduous training. The recruits become proficient in all basic firefighting skills and many advanced techniques including auto extrication and rescue systems. After having successfully passed a 660 hour California State Fire Marshall approved Firefighter academy, recruits are exposed to 168 hours of Fillmore specific training throughout the inhouse remedial academy. The media and the general public are invited to attend. Fillmore Fire Recruit Graduation, Sunday, May 30, 2010, 711 Sespe Place, Fillmore, CA 93015;
10:00AM – Graduation Ceremony, 11:00AM – Live Recruit Demonstration, 12:00 – Refreshments Served.

It’s a sacred day to all war veterans: None need to be reminded of the reason that Memorial Day must be commemorated. But what about the general public, and more important, future generations? Do most non-veterans really recognize the importance of the day honoring their fellow Americans killed in war?

Judging from what Memorial Day has become—simply another day off from work—the answer is a resounding no.

Perhaps a reminder is due, then. And it is the duty of each and every veteran to relay the message.

Sacrifice is meaningless without remembrance. America’s collective consciousness demands that all citizens recall and be aware of the deaths of their fellow countrymen during wartime.

Far too often, the nation as a whole takes for granted the freedoms all Americans enjoy. Those freedoms were paid for with the lives of others few of us actually knew. That’s why they are all collectively remembered on one special day.

This should be regarded as a civic obligation. For this is a national debt that can only be truly repaid by individual Americans. By honoring the nation’s war dead, we preserve their memory and thus their service and sacrifice in the memories of future generations.

They came from all walks of life and regions of the country. But they all had one thing in common—love of and loyalty to country. This bond cemented ties between them in times of trials, allowing a diverse lot of Americans to achieve monumental ends.

We remember the loss of loved ones, a sense of loss that takes group form. In essence, America is commemorating those who made the greatest sacrifice possible—giving one’s own life on behalf of others.

Means of paying tribute vary. Pausing for a few moments of personal silence is available to everyone.
Attending commemorative ceremonies is the most visible way of demonstrating remembrance: Placing flags at gravesites, marching in parades, sponsoring patriotic programs, dedicating memorials and wearing Buddy Poppies are examples.

Whether done individually or collectively, it is the thought that counts. Personal as well as public acts of remembering are the ideal. Public displays of patriotism are essential if the notion of remembering war dead is to be instilled in youth.

As America’s older war veterans fast disappear from society’s landscape, there are fewer and fewer standard-bearers left to carry the torch of remembrance. Such traditions will live on only if there is a vibrant movement to which that torch can be passed.

Now, more than in recent years, the enduring relevance of Memorial Day should be clearly evident. With two wars under way, the public has no excuse not to remember.

This much is owed to the more than 5,400 Americans who have died thus far in Afghanistan and Iraq.

(Courtesey of VFW Magazine May 2010)

On May 12, the Fillmore Women’s Service Club welcomed the 2010-2011 Board of Directors at a special installation dinner held at the Senior Center. Club member Tobey Bowers presented outgoing president Jeanne Klittich with a beautiful scrapbook assembled by the club, showcasing a year’s worth of memories.

Before presenting the new officers, Bowers gave an account of the club’s history: in 1963, a group of young women formed the Fillmore Jr. Women's Club, which later became the Jr. Ebell Club. When the ladies reached 30 years of age, however, they could no longer belong and had to move on to the Ebell Club—but many of the members had bonded by then and did not want to leave their friends. Thus in 1979, they voted to become a service club.

Friendships run strong to this day in this organization that has worked to make a difference in the community through fundraisers to support scholarships, Senior Center programs, nursing and convalescence homes, the Red Cross, and other charitable efforts. The club also enjoys social events such as potlucks and local excursions.
The Fillmore Women’s Service Club meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7 pm at the Senior Center. Ladies wishing to take part in serving the community are welcome to attend! For more information, please call the membership chairman Dorothy Hunt at 524-0767.

Visitors and employees can look forward to a relaxing and peaceful summer at Lake Piru. This will be the first alcohol-free summer at the Lake Piru Recreation Area where campers, boaters and picnickers come to enjoy the lake, taking a break from the hustle and bustle of city life.

On January 1, 2010, United Water Conservation District implemented a ban on the consumption of alcohol at the lake. The Water District’s Board of Directors approved the ban to curtail the increasingly disruptive behavior experienced at the lake that accompanied the irresponsible use of alcohol on the part of some visitors. According to Mary Lindley, administrative services manager for the Water District, “The abusive use of alcohol led to a number of boating accidents and camper injuries and had a negative impact on other visitors, hurting the lake’s reputation. The Board took the action to ban alcohol to return the lake to the family-friendly park it has historically been.” Clayton Strahan, supervising ranger at Lake Piru, reports that he has received a number of positive comments about the alcohol ban from visitors. “They appreciate the more relaxed atmosphere and quite evenings without the loud parties we experienced when alcohol was allowed.”

In addition to the more relaxed atmosphere, visitors to the Lake Piru Recreation Area will be greeted with improved boating, camping and day use facilities. The marina has new boat docks, with 84 boat slips, 18 more than the previous docks, expanding private boat slip rental opportunities. Other recreation area improvements include a nine-hole Frisbee golf course, a recently upgraded and expanded menu at the Condor Point Snack Bar offering visitors variety of “east coast” food items, including fresh cut fries, Philly cheese steak, Italian sausage and pepper hoagies, as well as choose from a selection of vegetarian items.

The swim beach at the Juan Fernandez Boat Launch area is currently undergoing enhancement to enlarge the size of the beach, providing visitors more room to enjoy the sand, sun and water. Evening and day fishing tournaments have also been added to the list of activities at the lake. These tournaments include prizes and are open to the public.

Lake Piru Reservoir was created in 1955 when the Santa Felicia Dam was constructed north of the community of Piru. The lake has the capacity to store more than 84,000 acre-feet of winter runoff from Piru Creek and its tributaries. The water retained in the lake is released each fall to replenish groundwater aquifers along the Santa Clara River from Piru to the Oxnard Plain. Lake Piru hosts overnight camping, a day use picnic area, a marina and boat docks and a five-lane launch ramp. Boats are also available for rental.

Lake Piru is open all year. For additional information about hours, amenities and reservations at Lake Piru, please call 521-1500 or visit www.lake-piru.org.

The Fillmore Ebell Club presents a $1,000.00 donation to the Fillmore Band Boosters towards the purchase of ten new high school band uniform jackets.

According to the Fillmore Band Boosters current president, Debra Galarza, Fillmore High School students, alumni and parents are actively fundraising for new band uniforms to replace the current severely worn 25 year old uniforms. 2010 marks the 100th year anniversary of Fillmore high school. The boosters' goal is to raise about $36,000.00 for the purchase of the new uniforms. To make a donation, please contact Fillmore band boosters president, Debra Galarza, at 805-524-0228, or vice president, Debbie Sanchez, at 805-524-1061. You may also mail donations to the Fillmore Band Boosters, Post Office 1008, Fillmore, CA 93016.

Greg Godfrey, the Fillmore Middle and High School Bands director, and Fillmore Band Boosters president Debra Galarza, and vice president Debbie Sanchez, are seen here accepting the donation from Fillmore Ebell Club president, Fay Swanson.

Anyone interested in more information about becoming a member of the Fillmore Ebell Club, may call Melodie Stich, at 805-521-1400.