TOP JOB: Ventura Friends of the Library,...

TOP JOB: Ventura Friends of the Library, which holds book sales to raise money for city libraries, stores about 20,000 books in an old warehouse in El Rio. . . . But time has taken its toll, making the roof so leaky you can nearly see through it, said Friends President Barbara Swanson. . . . Group leaders were pondering how to pay for $6,000 in repairs when the Oxnard-based Tri-County Roofing Assn., a contractors group, stepped in and offered to do the job for free. The roof will be fixed Sept. 16.

HOT FUN: The ninth annual Chili Cook-Off, Car Show & Craft Fair returns this weekend as part of the Simi Valley Days celebration (F1B). Organizers expect up to 20 contestants and a crowd of more than 3,000. . . . Head judge Gary White says the taste-testing can be a scary job, but he’s up for it. “There have been some pretty strange ingredients--somebody put yogurt in the chili once. It can be pretty intimidating, but because we’re judges we test everything.”

HORSE TRADER: Bully Caddin’s horse ranch on Potrero Road is in transition, forced to move by the large Dos Vientos housing development (B1). But after decades in the horse business, he’ll stay with his trade. . . . He says he was 16 when he sold his first horse, only a few hours after he bought it for $125. “A man who saw me roping with the horse said, ‘Son, want to sell that horse?’ I said I wouldn’t think about selling it for less than $375. He said, ‘Son, pull your saddle off my horse.’ ”

HITTING HOME: United Way, which has kicked off another fund-raising year (B1), wants to give future leaders “an up-close and personal picture of what kind of issues face Ventura County,” spokeswoman Donna Richards says. . . . So the organization has launched a Leadership Academy, designed to expose a number of county residents to various issues, such as juvenile crime and education. . . . Those interested in the academy should call David Harris at 485-6288.