Don’t forget to join in the Fillmore Lions Club Christmas Parade coming up in December. Parade participant applications can be found on their website: www.fillmorelionsclub.org.

On Thursday, November 11th, in honor of Veterans Day, Fillmore will celebrate with the traditional Veteran’s Day breakfast at the Fillmore Piru Veterans Memorial Building. The Veterans Day Parade rolled down Central Avenue, with a ceremony following at Fillmore City Hall. On Saturday, November 13th, from 10am to 5pm, a Veterans Day car show will be held on Central Avenue, hosted by the Sespe Creek Car Club. These events are sponsored by the City of Fillmore, Fillmore Lions Club, Fillmore Rotary Club, Fillmore VFW, Piru Neighborhood Council, Knights of Columbus, Soroptimist Club, Villegas Public Affairs, Union Bank and Sespe Creek Car Club.

The oath of appointment of Council Member Simone Alex was heard and she took her place on the Council.

The Trunk or Treat People's Choice Award was tabled until the next meeting.

A Proclamation declaring November 2021 Native American Heritage Month in the City of Fillmore was read by Mayor Mark Austin.

Emergency repairs to Well #8. Most of the items which remained to be completed are now finished. Sanding content reduced to an acceptable level. New equipment has been installed. Water samples being taken to confirm purity acceptable. Well up and running Monday or Tuesday of next week. Hope to declare emergency over by December 14.

Parking on Hwy. 126: City Engineer Roxanne Hughes updated Caltrans agreement with City for restrictions on curbside parking of large trucks. Questions about putting a sidewalk along this area (north along 126) is City responsibility, not Caltrans'. Staff recommendations were unanimously approved.

Potable Water System assessment. City Engineer was asked by Council Member Lynn Edmonds that process be more proactive rather than reactive with completion of related requirements. Motion carried unanimously.

NEW TRUCK FOR CODE ENFORCEMENT. Motion to authorize City Manager to negotiate with local Bunnin Chevrolet of Fillmore for purchase of new truck approved.

8-D: Council approves ordinance (21-933) to adopt State Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance - exemption from CEQA.

City Manager asks for Prop. 68 Parks "PER CAPIA" Grant, of $187,000. Discussion of ADA needs. 10-15 things needed for compliance. Fiscal impact approx. 234,000. 25 % match. $850,000 available. Approved.

COMMENTS. Two requests to reopen catch basin at Rio Vista Park for general recreation.

Fillmore resident and Fillmore High School teacher Randal Kamradt has won two awards from the Chelsea Film Festival in New York for his fifteen-minute short film "No Dogs". The film highlights Filipino-American history in the 1930's, telling the suspenseful story of a young woman who spends a night hiding in a diner from racial violence, and was awarded the 'Petite Prix Award for Best Short Film' and the 'Short Film Audience Award'. "No Dogs" stars Georgina Tolentino, who wrote the screenplay with Alex Fabros, and co-stars Ian Coleman, who also won the festival's 'Best Supporting Actor' award. The ceremony took place October 17th, 2021 at the Regal Theatres Union Square, in New York, NY.

The film had its World Premiere earlier this month on October 1st, 2021 at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, alongside Kamradt's feature film "The Monsters Without". Since then "No Dogs" has also appeared in Minneapolis at the Twin Cities Film Festival where it was named as a top four finalist among more than seven hundred entries for 'Best Short Film'.

"[The] hope for any artist or a filmmaker of color is to gain better exposure for their culture, to further normalize Filipino-American storytelling, and to bring more of my own and my culture’s voice into the cinema" said Kamradt, "It takes a lifetime of work and a lifetime of creating films, before you get to that point where you’re making movies that stand the test of time."

"No Dogs" will next be appearing as part of the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival from November 4th to 14th. The festival will feature virtual screenings so viewers can watch the film from any part of the country. Tickets are available at www.paaff.org

Dr. Ofelia Romero-Motlagh has written a book, “The Legend of the Romeros, Then and Today,” identifying and celebrating her nineteen-member family from their humble beginnings as farm laborers to their lives as successes. Tragedies to accomplishments are highlighted with reference to historical and cultural nuances and the photographic images accompanying them.

If you lived in Fillmore, California, and attended school here the 1950s through the 1970s you probably were acquainted with the Romero children and their parents.

The Fillmore Historical Museum will celebrate the Romero family with a book signing featuring Dr. Romero-Motlagh on November 20th, 2021, in the Southern Pacific Depot at 350 Main Street, Fillmore, California, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. All are welcome to come to the museum to meet Ofelia and have her autograph her new book.

For more information please email the museum at fillmore.museum@gmail.com or telephone 805 524 0948.

P.E. Crumbs in 1927, a former city engineer for the city of Chicago, who came to Fillmore, stated his company, the Sespe Development Co. had announced the start of construction of a monorail to the Sespe Hot Springs. Photos courtesy Fillmore History Museum.

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Courtesy Fillmore History Museum

The good, commonsense people of Fillmore are not wont to take off on flights of fancy. But in 1927 the idea of a monorail to Sespe Hot Springs took off like a Condor looking for dinner.

In May of 1927 a gentleman by the name of P.E. Combs arrived in Fortune Favored Fillmore. He was a self-styled developer who introduced himself as a former city engineer for the city of Chicago. Claiming to be backed by Chicago financial interests, he stated that his company, the Sespe Development Co., was capitalized at $2 million. He announced the soon to be started construction of a monorail to the Sespe Hot Springs, an area which was difficult to reach because of steep terrain and essentially no roads.

He began by meeting the local “powers that be” and visiting all the local booster organizations.

The first group to hear about the project was the Fillmore Rotary Club. President, John McNab, headed the meeting on May 13, 1927. McNab was the son of Fillmore founder and founder of the Sespe Land and Water Co., Joseph McNab. He was one of the organizers and a director of the Ventura County Coop Association and a developer of Farmers and Merchants Bank. Like all of the principals of this story he was level headed and not prone to flights of fancy. He will be on the platform on the day ground will be broken for the project.

The Fillmore Herald described Combs as “one of the most forceful speakers that it has been the privilege of the members to listen to.”Combs predicted that “within 24 months the city will have 3 times the population it currently has.” “Every property in the city will be worth double its present valuation.” “Within 12 months every newspaper and magazine in the United States will have an article about Fillmore.” (Remember this promise.) He proposed that lines could be built for 1/3rd the cost of any other transportation and that they had been used in Germany for a “great many years.” Additionally he proposed to build an electric plant on the Sespe that would produce 180 KW hours of power per year. Combs was quoted at the time saying that “He is not asking for money and flatly states in all his talks that the money is ready and waiting for the construction of the monorail.” (Fillmore Herald May 30, 1927.) Not asking for money must have made the project much more tempting to the locals and apparently they responded by purchasing whatever shares they could.

On May 30 Combs showed a motion picture of the Monorail development at the Stearns (formerly Barnes) Theater. With enthusiasm being generated locally and throughout Ventura County, Combs added W. E. McCampbell, local realtor and insurance agent, to his board as a “local” director. It was through McCampbell’s office that local investors bought their shares in the company. McCampbell also fielded all the questions about the project as it was being developed and, later, its aftermath.

Very quickly the local Chamber of Commerce officers joined the band. They included Milo Cobb, an insurance broker and future mayor of Fillmore; Edgar Goodenough, businessman and rancher and in 1927 a Ventura County Supervisor (He made possible the completion of Goodenough Road soon to be proposed as Monorail Blvd.); attorney, Fergus Fairbanks; E. C. Fuller, vice president of the Chamber;and Judge Merton Barnes, theater owner and businessman.

The project began with a giant sign on the terminal site near the river on Telegraph Rd. Every week for months there was a photo or article in the Fillmore Herald relating to the monorail.

On July 16, 1927, ground was broken with representatives of the State, County and City of Fillmore, and the principals of the company present. Perhaps, due to the hype, Mayor Price was more than a little wary. The day of the groundbreaking, as the final part of the ceremony, he turned the first shovelful of earth and said “Well, I think there has been enough talking, now let’s get on with it.”

By June 17th work had started on the monorail. According to Edith Jarrett there was nothing more than a few red flags on sticks to mark the area where the terminal was to be built. Additionally, a baseball team, the Fillmore Monorails, had been formed and a schedule of games set.

And then – NOTHING! August, September, October and November passed by. There was a great silence. Not a word about progress, not even a scathing letter to the editor questioning the lack of progress. The first question raised actually appeared in the Fillmore American newspaper in October.

Was the whole thing a scam?

Research done by Tony Jones of the Fillmore Herald in 1986 seems to at least cast a little doubt on whether or not it started out to be a scam.

The president of the Sespe Development Co., Frank Buren, and a partner had purchased a 320 acre tract of land on which the Sespe hot springs was located in 1924 for $60,000 signing 3 promissory notes at 6%interest. They managed to repay only $15,000 through April 1927. Buren had also purchased a 160 acre tract outside Fillmore in 1922. The two partners failed to pay any taxes on the land and managed to pay only $600 on the debt by October 1928. By 1929 the property had reverted to the County for lack of tax payments.

The original owners, Jessie and Walter Ilenstine and Lillie May and Cecil Cary, bought the property back for $20,000. The Ilenstines and Carys then resold the property for $60,000.

It is possible that Buren and Combs thought they could get enough funds through sales of shares in the project to Fillmore residents to help pay off the debt. Possibly P.S.Combs scammed Buren and the other investors as well as the Fillmore investors.

No one will ever know if it was a scam and no one who bought shares ever spoke of it again. No shares have ever been found. Perhaps someone in Fillmore will find a dusty share hiding in the back of a closet someday.

The following poem appeared in the Fillmore American in October of 1927:

Oh, where are those monorail pictures Bill McCampbell was wont to show,
In his real estate office window,
Lined up in entrancing row.
They showed these suspended carriages,
Like mechanical birds on wings,
That would waft us in twenty minutes
Up to the famed Sespe Springs
But those pictures that charmed the public
No longer draw gaping crowds.
That dreamed of a monorail journey, through the canyon up to the clouds.
And we wonder, oh how we wonder,
Just where the line was broke.
Was it just another fine day dream?
Just another promoter’s joke?
And yet in a manner of speaking,
This town it has well repaid.
It got Fillmore in all the papers,
And we still have the silver spade.
Written by City Attorney John Galvin
Music by Mayor W.H. Price

New Fillmore Council Member Simone Alex. Photo by Wes Woods II of Ventura County Star.

The Fillmore City Council has chosen Simone Alex, 47, to fill the seat of Councilwoman Ari Larson who passed away on September 17, 2021. Ms. Alex will be sworn in at the next regular Council meeting, November 9. “I just went for it,” Alex told Ventura Star reporter Wes Woods II. “She has been an actor, writer and producer who has worked in film and television for 25 years, according to her website.” City Manager David Rowlands is reported to have said that Alex’s term “would end after the November 2022 election results are certified.” At that time Alex would have to run for the 2022 election. A relatively new resident of Fillmore, she expressed special interest in increasing our economy and attracting more tourists. She also emphasized that her world travels, having introduced her to many diverse cultures, would serve her well in understanding different points of view. Alex also holds a BA degree in sociology from UC Davis
and graduated from Drama Studio London in acting. Publisher’s note: Thanks to Wes Woods II (Ventura Star) for assisting with facts as I was unable to meet with our new councilmember personally.

Early North Fillmore Homes and Orchards.
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Sanitary Food Market 801 A Street in 1937.
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Chaneys Trading Post 801 4th Street circa 1947.
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Courtesy Fillmore History Museum

When the Fillmore Centennial Book was published in 1988 it devoted just one paragraph in the “Outlaying Areas” story to Tipperary. But it deserves a little more. You know the area today simply as North Fillmore but in the early part of the 20th century it was most often referred to as Tipperary.The location was part of the original Rancho Sespe which had been purchased from Mattie Mae Storke by the Sespe Land and Water Co. The history of the name is lost to time. However, former postmaster Joel Schwartz noted in his written reminiscences that this was Fillmore’s first subdivision and was nicknamed Tipperary by the residents. Perhaps it was because many of the early settlers there were Irish.

One of the earliest problems in that area was a lack of water supply and its poor quality. Joel wrote a letter on behalf of the residents to Sacramento. Soon a representative of the California government arrived unannounced on the train to solve the problem. He was under the impression that Tipperary was a large apartment house called Tipperary Flats. He soon realized that Tipperary was simply a small local community. In any event, he soon solved the problem for the residents and departed by train back to Sacramento. Can you imagine such service by a state government today?

North Fillmore is an area semidetached from Fillmore. It snuggles below the bluff where the high school athletic fields are located and stretches to the Sespe River on the west side. On the north, it ends where Goodenough Road rises up the hill and continues on to Condor country. On the south side North Fillmore is bounded by the railroad track.

In the beginning it was home to orchards and a few scattered farm homes. It was also the location the 1879 Cactus Patch School. As best we can determine, this school was near the Candelaria Lane cul-de-sac very close to the river.

In time North Fillmore became home to newcomers looking for lower cost lodgings. Many of these newcomers were refugees from the disastrous dustbowl period between 1930 and 1940. During the ten years of the Dustbowl about 3.5 million people left the Great Plains many of them moving to California and settling in places like Fillmore. There were also immigrants of Mexican descent looking fora community with an affordable place to call home.

In addition to the homes there were churches, businesses and industry. It was home to the Mutual Orange Distributers (MOD) packing house which drew many of its employees from the area. That modernized plant still operates today as the Villa Park packing house.

One of the primary businesses was the Hydrosulphosol plant located on 4th street. Hydrosulphosol was an effective “over the counter” burn ointment which was manufactured between 1946 and 1971. The product came to the notice of Elizabeth and Oliver Lientz whentheir daughter Betty suffered an eye injuryand the medication saved her eyesight. It was also used to great results during WWII to treat burns. Elizabeth and Oliver contacted the developer of the formula and then formed a company to produce and market the product. Eventually, daughter Betty took over the management of the company. At one point the product was also used by NASA for treatment of mild burns. But soon the FDA came calling and the product which had been used for years for treatment was removed from the market. The results of testing of the product can still be found on the internet. And, in all probability, old time residents of Fillmore still have a jar or two of the product in their medicine cabinets.

In its heyday, there were three grocery stores serving the community, all located within a few blocks of each otherand all within walking distance of the homes. These were Chaney’s Trading Post on the corner of 4th and B St., the Sanitary Food Market at801 A St. which was first owned by Russell and Allah Day then owned by Delores Day, Fillmore’s first woman Mayor, and her husband, Traver. Finally there was Beaty’s Market at 763 B Street just south of Mountain Vista Elementary School. Two general merchandise stores still remain.

“The Arbor” on 3rd St. in North Fillmore was a popular restaurant in the 30s and 40s. But you had to like chicken as it was the only dish on the menu.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom hall was on Fifth Street with a church built in 1975. The Church of the Nazarene was built in 1939 on Third Street and today it is The Faith Miracle and Revival Center.

Today much of the community still provides affordable housing with narrow streets. Butrecently new housing developments and a new modern elementary school have been built between the original community and the river.

North Fillmore has always been an important and integral part of the Fillmore community and will continue to grow and change as it meets the needs of its citizens.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On Monday, October 18th, between 2:45 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., a 10-year-old female was walking home from school on Central Avenue at Second Street in Fillmore when an unknown male attempted to contact the female to approach his van. The van was described as an older white full-size van with no windows and stock rims. The man was described as being a light skinned male with brown eyes, long black hair, with an earring in his right ear and wearing a long sleeve black shirt or sweater with holes on the end of the sleeves.

The Fillmore Investigations Bureau has been actively investigating this incident in cooperation with the Fillmore Unified School District since it was reported late Wednesday afternoon. The police encourage residents to immediately report suspicious people and vehicles, and to promptly report any crime they come across by calling 911.

Nature of Incident: Possible Child Annoying / Suspicious Vehicle
Report Number: 21-140056
Location: Central Avenue at Second Street
Date & Time: 10/18/21 between 2:45 PM and 3:00 PM
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Patrol Services and Fillmore Investigations Bureau
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence
(S) Unknown Adult Male Unknown
Prepared by: Detective Lopez #4397
Approved by: Captain Garo Kuredijian

On Thursday, November 11th, in honor of Veterans Day, Fillmore will celebrate with the traditional Veteran’s Day breakfast at the Fillmore Piru Veterans Memorial Building. Also, be sure and join Veterans Day Parade at 10a.m. on Central Avenue, with a ceremony to follow at Fillmore City Hall. On Saturday, November 13th from 10am to 5pm, a Veterans Day car show will be held on Central Avenue, hosted by the Sespe Creek Car Club. These events are sponsored by City of Fillmore, Fillmore Lions Club, Fillmore Rotary Club, Fillmore VFW, Piru Neighborhood Council, Knights of Columbus, Soroptimist Club, Villegas Public Affairs, Union Bank and Sespe Creek Car Club.

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Submitted by Ken Wiseman, President of the Piru Neighborhood Council, PNC

The day started like many others at the Town Center Park. Joggers shuffledby, nosy dogs escorting their owners explored the pathways, and a few folks were already relaxing or waiting for rides at benches and the bus stop.

The morning of October 9, volunteers started arriving, tables unfolding, chairs snapping, easy ups springing together. Unhurried, catching up with each other on many fronts, the volunteers seemed excited for this day that would unfurl before them.

Sound checks pierced the morning quiet teasing all with what's to come, as did the welcoming sounds of, "Hey what can I do?" "Where does this go?""Where do I set up?" "Wow, this looks cool!"

Then they began arriving! An older couple hand in hand from the east.A mom and dad pushing a stroller, with two other youth leading the way, arrived in from the west. The Mariachi Lluvia y Fuego band, from perhaps as young as five all the way up to the proud parents, began arriving from the south.

People staked out their view with chairs, and blankets. People found one another and there were hugs, sports banter, ‘go dodgers’, renewed acquaintances.Fellowship, Exploration, Relaxation, Entertainment. Clearly a day to take in the simple things, the quaintness of the town, the shyness of some of the town’s new arrivals, and the open enthusiasm of others.And also the hesitancy of some to embrace the growing community as several agriculture fields, less than a mile away, have been tilled, and the growing of more homes has begun. Others are excited that our growing population will bring more diversity, more commerce, more investment in the community, and they welcome the growth.

But alas, VIVA Piru music wafting far beyond edges of the park reaches out to passersby, and to residents as far as a mile away, inviting them to join us.Fire trucks and our amazing first responders arrive, Sheriff Search and Rescue set up and explain their Rescue equipment, Smokey the Bear makes a surprise visit!We learn about fire safety, and kids and adults alike see and talk to our community heroes. Also present was a First Aid station led by C King (past PNC President) and an associate, sponsored by her company, Emergent Medical Solutions.

Volunteers from the Rancho Camulos Museum hosted the Piru Heritage Booth.They shared a large amount of information and researched materials about local history. Artifacts displayed included a saddle made by Juan Fustero, “The last Piru Indian,” that was on loan from the Fillmore Historical Museum. Visitors were encouraged to share their own family stories and memorabilia. There was a wealth of history spread out on many tables. Many leafed through photo books, and learned about who we were, and what has changed over the years.

Ventura County provided outreach to our local community by securing two mobile trucks explaining the importance of proper nutrition, and behavioral health services.

A library truck with enthusiastic attendees prompted people to learn about the library services. Free books were offered to curious visitors.At the coloring tables, youth sat at tables and scribbled in and out of the lines as they expressed what VIVA PIRU meant to them. Attending volunteers Lupe and Lisa orchestrated the fun.

The Fillmore Luv 2 Dance Studio garnered a flurry of cell phone camera activity as youth in colorful outfits danced in front of the Gazebo while background music escorted them on the journey they provided for us.

Area restaurants, Brenda's Cas Amia and Las Delicias, served up wonderful food for the occasion, with a few food trucks making an afternoon appearance. The 4-H club had a setup with several eager members in presence, with bean bag competition and other challenges and information. A corn hole tournament tested a number of competitors with a 50-50 winnings split. The Boys and Girls Club, partnered with the PNC on an art contest about Piru. Thirty-six entries were submitted, and they were all so great that a pizza party for all was awarded as the prize.

The local Piru Neighborhood Council, PNC, the host of the inaugural event, also had a tent where loads of information could be found along with VIVA PIRU hats (given out with a donation), drinks, and a 50-50 raffle along with a chance at four tickets to Magic Mountain! Manning the PNC table at varying times were Lisa Crockatt, former VP, Ken Wiseman, President, Judy Daley-Lovett, Treasurer, and interim Secretary, Patty Guertler.

The afternoon brought in the bands! People rocked the afternoon to the music of the Piru River Band, Juano and Friends, and DJ Dan Ybarra. Whether the music was a welcomed backdrop to your walk through the park, captivating your attention from a chair facing the band, or the vibes that took your hand and drew you to dance with others in front of the bands, the music touched all. Manny Mendoza, PNC board member, event chair, MC and band member was perched throughout the event in the gazebo keeping both the tempo and schedule of activities, along with lots of thank you’s to all in attendance.

Our commitment this year was to keep the event small and determine the future from the feedback we received. Overall, we know that this will be an event that will remain a part of the fiber of our community.

The last song played. Then special thanks to all mentioned above, and all those that volunteered to help in this event. One more song for good measure, to further ingest the joy of the event. People lingered and talked until dusk brought the folding of tables and chairs. Easy ups were easy downs, trucks and cars were loaded, and soon, outside some reminiscing about the great day, the Piru Town center Park returned to its pristine state. Walking people, joggers, baby strollers, and the like.