This is the first week of summer...

This is the first week of summer vacation at Doc’n Sandy’s Cafe in Santa Paula.

As they do each August, Doc (Howard Jarvis), and his wife, Sandy Jarvis, close up shop for several weeks to take a breather. It’s an unsettling time for cafe regulars who, said Sandy, joke about going on diets until the place reopens.

But this year’s August absence is the least of the worries for those diners.

About three weeks ago, Doc and Sandy put their 16-year-old establishment up for sale. The diners “took it badly,” said Sandy. “They don’t believe it. They won’t believe it until we actually do it.”

Sandy said the pending sale has nothing to do with poor business. It’s just the opposite.

“My husband is just really tired. We’ve been here a long time. He’s been in the restaurant business 40 years,” she said. “We really hate to lose this place. We really, really do. There is tremendous potential here.”

Potential buyers have already shown some interest.

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There is a definite multicultural slant to the salsa-tasting competition at Saturday’s Oxnard Salsa Festival ’94 in Plaza Park.

“We’ve got salsas coming to us from people of the Indian culture, Hispanic, Italian, Irish, Scandinavian and Jewish--there’s a gentleman giving me a kosher salsa,” said Rosemary Pace, chairwoman of this inaugural festival, organized by the Oxnard Downtowners Assn.

Festivities will run from 10 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m. The salsa contest will begin at 11 a.m. with winners announced about 1 p.m. Plaza Park is located at 5th Street between C and D streets.

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Nona’s Courtyard Cafe in Ventura is scheduled to begin a new Thursday evening dinner special tonight. Chef Jonathan Enabnit said the weekly 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. promotion will feature “lightly modified versions of our regular dinner menu at greatly reduced prices.” Nona’s Courtyard is at 67 California St.

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Amateur bakers, don’t forget the Ventura County Fair’s Baked Foods and Confections contests. The fair runs Wednesday through Aug. 28, but entries are being taken Tuesday, from 7 to 10 a.m., for various cake, cookie, cupcake, confection and other baked-goods competitions. Call the fairgrounds at 648-3376.