BOUNCING BACK: Quaint little roadside stands spilling...

BOUNCING BACK: Quaint little roadside stands spilling over with harvest fresh from nearby fields are part of the charm of Ventura County. . . . But this year, the Medfly infestation near Camarillo and subsequent malathion spraying have hurt produce sales. Merchants say they are only now beginning to rebound, nearly eight weeks after the first fruit fly was found (B1). . . . Sales--which had plunged by as much as 50%--slowly crept up after some farmers launched campaigns to regain consumer confidence.

WINNING WAYS: Jack Farrell’s coaching style may be unconventional, but apparently it works for the Thousand Oaks High School boys’ cross-country team (C12). . . . The Lancers have won six Southern Section major-division titles since 1980. The school also swept the boys’ and girls’ Division I titles, making Thousand Oaks the first program to win both major-division section titles in the same year. . . . A spirit of dedication helps, Farrell said. “It’s a team with a very low whine factor.”

LIVING HISTORY: The hard work is done, and tonight Dudley House in Ventura, a restored, Victorian farmhouse, will celebrate with a gala grand opening (B1). . . . Organizers hope the 103-year-old house will serve as a living museum, offering visitors a glimpse of how Ventura County farming families lived in the late 1800s. . . . Preservationists are pleased to have saved another local historic structure. In the city of Ventura, nine places have been declared historic landmarks by the county’s Cultural Heritage Board.

HOLIDAY PURSUITS: Moviegoers are expected to begin lining up at theaters this weekend as the holiday season opens. . . . In Ventura County, some theater owners expect just a trickle of patrons because people will be busy with another post-Thanksgiving pastime--shopping. “A lot of people drop off their kids while they hit the stores,” said Katie Thompson of Oxnard’s Carriage Square Cinema.