PUMPKIN PATCH AT LIMONEIRA RANCH
Through Oct. 31 | Santa Paula
Fall is here, and what better way to celebrate than with corn mazes, pumpkins and Halloween festivities? The Rotary Club of Santa Paula is proud to once again welcome visitors to Limoneira Ranch for its annual Pumpkin Patch. Enjoy 5.5 acres of Corn MAiZE, delicious food, face painting, a petting zoo, pony and hay rides and more. The famous Pumpkin Chucker will be back in operation as well. The Pumpkin Patch will be open every Saturday and Sunday in October, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $10 general admission; children 2 and under are free. Some activities have an additional fee. 12471 Foothill Road, Santa Paula. For more information, call 888.522.1884 or visit www.pumpkinpatchatlimoneiraranch.com.
THE NEXT BIG THING 2021
Through Nov. 20 | Camarillo
Artists are continuously challenging their boundaries and excavating their unique discoveries to create new and bold work. Every year, Studio Channel Islands invites artists to enter their most recent breakthrough pieces, the ones that have led them to the horizon of their work’s next evolution. All media and styles will be on display during The Next Big Thing 2021, with juror awards for the top three pieces. The 2021 juror is Peter Mays, executive director of the Los Angeles Art Association and Gallery 825. Blackboard Gallery at Studio Channel Islands, 2222 East Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, 805.383.1368, studiochannelislands.org.
FALL PRODUCTIONS AT THE ELITE
Through Nov. 21 | Oxnard
Live theater returns to The Elite in Oxnard, with two compelling productions that will keep audiences riveted, and have them talking long afterward. Sensitive and probing, Lee Blessing’s Eleemosynary takes place on the South Stage through Oct. 24, and explores the relationship between three generations of extraordinary women. Oct. 29-Nov. 21, catch Severance Play on the main stage. This original work by Michael Perlmutter is set in the offices of a chemical corporation where three coworkers navigate a triangle of lies and cover ups with crisp dialogue and complex interactions. Tickets: $10-$20. The Elite,
2731 South Victoria Avenue, Oxnard, 805.483.5118,
www.theelite.org.
BEFORE THE WILT
Through Jan. 3, 2022 | Ojai
Curated by China Adams, the Porch Gallery’s latest show puts in the spotlight the flower: delicate and beautiful, and yet a site of tension between new blooms and old, freshness and decay. A flower serves as both a symbol of the life cycle and a harbinger of doom. The flower simultaneously reminds us of the inevitability of death and, thus, the precious fragility of life. Before the Wilt features colorful, dramatic paintings of plump, fresh flowers by Renee Fox and weathered and windblown ones by Mary Warner. Together, these works bookend the compressed floral life cycle, and hint at a world teetering on the edge of environmental ruin. Porch Gallery, 310 East Matilija Street, Ojai, 805.620.7589, porchgalleryojai.com.
MAMMA MIA!
Oct. 15-24 | Thousand Oaks
Here we go again! The hit musical comedy fueled by the music of Swedish pop supergroup ABBA is presented by 5-Star Theatricals in a sparkling new fall production. Dance, jive and have the time of your life watching this lively, touching and funny tale about a young woman and her single mother living on a beautiful and remote Greek island. As the daughter plans her wedding, she secretly invites three men from her mother’s past . . . any one of whom just might be the father she’s never known. Characters sashay through friendship, family, romance, hijinks and hilarity while singing and dancing to an infectious disco beat! Showtimes Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 1 and 2 p.m. Tickets: $38-$87. Fred Kavli Theatre at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center, 2100 East Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 805-449-2787, 5startheatricals.com.
GHOSTWALK: VOICES IN THE DARK
Oct. 15-30 | Santa Paula
The Santa Paula Theater Center presents its annual “theater in the streets” fall event, Ghostwalk 2021: Voices in The Dark, at Ebell Park in Downtown Santa Paula. Performances feature hour-long walking tours narrated by actors embodying ghosts of the Heritage Valley, each sharing their own tale. Some fact, some fiction, all fun! Tours run for three weekends in October, and are offered on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from 6:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. This year will also include a Thursday performance on Oct. 28. Masks required; reservations recommended. Tickets: $10-$15. Tours leave every 15 minutes from the Santa Paula Theater Center at 125 South Seventh Street. For reservations and more information, call 805.525.3073 or visit www.ghostwalk.com.
WEST SIDE STORY
Oct. 15 – Nov. 14 | Moorpark
An updated, musical version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, set in the Upper West Side of New York City in the mid-1950s. The Jets and the Sharks are street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds whose rivalry comes to a head when a former Jet falls in love with the sister of a Shark. Performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., with special matinee performances offered at 2 p.m. on Nov. 6 and 13. Tickets: $25. High Street Arts Center, 45 East High Street, Moorpark, 805.529.8700, highstreetartscenter.com.
NEW WEST SYMPHONY: DELIGHTS AND DANCES
Oct. 16-19 | Ventura County
After a year-long, around-the-world virtual tour, the New West Symphony has come full circle and is back on stage, ready to welcome you to a live performance near you. As we prepare to open our new season in December, GRAMMY-winning music director Michael Christie has created a program of well-known works and delightful surprises. Please join us as we all once again experience the joy of live classical music performances, taking place at Ventura College Performing Arts Center (Oct. 16, 3 p.m.), Agoura High School (Oct. 16, 7 p.m.), Rancho Campana Performing Arts Center (Oct. 17, 3 p.m.) and Pepperdine University (Oct. 19, 7 p.m.).
Tickets: $40. For tickets, music selections and
more information, visit newwestsymphony.org/delights-and-dances.
HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL
Oct. 29 | Santa Paula
The city of Santa Paula is excited to bring back a favorite fall community celebration. Yes, the Annual Halloween Carnival is back for 2021! Residents and visitors alike can come enjoy carnival games, devour candy, enter the costume contest or participate in a unique trunk-or-treat experience featuring classic cars. Plenty of spooktacular fun for the whole family! The Halloween Carnival is scheduled to take place on Friday, Oct. 29, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Community Center Parking Lot at 530 West Main Street, Santa Paula. For more information about the event, please contact the Santa Paula Parks and Recreation Department at 805.933.4226, ext. 351, or spcity.org.
HARBOR HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS
Oct. 29-31 | Ventura Harbor
Expect wave after wave of fun at Ventura Harbor throughout Halloween weekend! Witches trade in their broomsticks and hit the water for the Third Annual Witches Paddle on Friday, Oct. 29. Oct. 30-31, take part in the Seaside Skeleton Hunt for a chance to win a Halloween prize pack, and watch professional pumpkin carver Dawn Reily demonstrate her skill and artistry on the Seaside Promenade Stage. The HOWL-O-Ween Dog Costume Contest takes place on Oct. 30. And on Halloween itself, Oct. 31, kids can dress up and do some safe, daytime trick-or-treating at local shops and boutiques. All events take place at Ventura Harbor Village, 1583 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura. For full schedule and more information, visit www.venturaharborvillage.com.
HALLOWEEN IN THE PARK
Oct. 31 | Camarillo
Bring the whole family and join the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District for a Halloween celebration full of community spirit! Halloween in the Park will feature pumpkin painting, lawn games like cornole and pumpkin tic-tac-toe, and a costume contest for all age groups, from infants to ages 13 and up. In addition, the Trick-or-Treat Village will provide a safe and festive opportunity for ghouls and gargoyles to stock up on Halloween candy and other treats. Refreshments will be available for purchase from a variety of food trucks. Admission is free. Festivities take place on Sunday, Oct. 31, 5-8 p.m. at the Community Center Park at 1605 Burnley Street in Camarillo. For more information, visit www.pvrpd.org.
