The Month Ahead

If you like to plan ahead, this monthly feature will be your guide and calendar. Just snip it out of the paper and attach it to the fridge.

To contribute suggestions for next month’s calendar, send a letter by Aug. 23 to the Month Ahead, Los Angeles Times, 93 S. Chestnut St., Ventura 93001.

For information, call 653-7570.

Artist and Traveler

Today

Focus on the Masters presents an evening with artist Leslie Clark from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Laurel Theater, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura. Clark creates texture with fabrics, rice, banana papers, watercolors and acrylics. She lives half the year among the Tuareg and Wodaabe in the Sahara region of Niger. Clark will be accompanied by four Tuareg musicians from Niger. Cost is $8. Information: 649-9366.

Art Exhibit

Aug. 1-30

The Ojai Art Center presents a new exhibit, “Double Exposure,” with works from Wendy MaHarry and Bonnie Caruk Riege, known for their pastel and oil figurative interpretations, at 113 S. Montgomery St., Ojai. A reception for the exhibit runs from 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 5 at the center. Information: 640-1491.

Lies and Legends

Aug. 2-6, 9-13, 16-20, 23-27

The Rubicon Theater Company presents “Lies and Legends,” the musical stories of Harry Chapin, Wednesdays through Sundays at the Laurel Theater, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura. The show, directed by George Ball, stars Dina Bennett, Kirsten Benton, Douglas Crawford, Walter Winston Oneil and Greg Zerkle. Tickets are $22.50 for students and $27.50 for adults Wednesdays through Fridays and matinees, and $27.50 for students and $32.50 for adults Friday and Saturday evenings. Information: 667-2900.

Ventura County Fair

Aug. 2-13

Seaside Park hosts the annual Ventura County Fair from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day at the Ventura County Fairgrounds at Seaside Park, 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura. Shows include Foreigner, Little Richard, Rick Springfield, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Demolition Derby and stock car racing. Concert schedules and specific information are available online at https://www.vcfair.org. Tickets are $7 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and children ages 6-12, and free for children 5 and under. Information: 648-3376.

Shakespeare in Ojai

Aug. 3-6, 10-13

Ojai Shakespeare Festival features showings of “Julius Caesar” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and performances by the Madrigali Singers, Hormonia Mundi, and the Lads and Lasses at various times at the Libbey Park Amphitheater on Signal Street and Ojai Avenue in Ojai. A presentation of Cantatas, a collaborative dance, theater and musical performance, will also take place. The festival also features a Toga party, a Roman barbecue, troupes of fools, swordsmen, jugglers and storytellers along with summer youth workshops. Ticket prices vary. Blankets and pillows or cushions are recommended. Look online for information at https://www.ojaishakespeare.org. Tickets or information: 646-9455.

County Boat Show

Aug. 3-6

The Ventura County Harbor Department presents the fifth annual Ventura County Boat Show featuring sailboats, sport boats, yachts, inboards, outboards, electric boats, multi-hulls and more in Channel Islands Harbor from noon to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The show’s vendor booths offer marine electronics, safety equipment, hardware, accessories and more. Admission is $5; children under 12 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Location and information: 985-4852.

Slide Show

Thursday, Aug. 3

Great Pacific Iron Works / Patagonia hosts a slide presentation of “Papua’s Cry for Freedom” with Craig Harris at 7 p.m. at 235 W. Santa Clara St., Ventura. For the last 14 years, Harris has traveled to the island of Irian Jaya, where the indigenous population is suffering under relocations due to mining. Information: 643-6074.

Hawaiian Dance

Saturday, Aug. 5

The Ventura Rheinland Club holds a Hawaiian dance from 7:30 p.m. to midnight at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 35 S. Figueroa St., Ventura. The Dominoes Band will provide live entertainment for the dance. Authentic German food will also be available. Information: 653-7753.

Author Speaks

Tuesday, Aug. 8

The Ventura County Writers Club presents award-winning author Diane Leslie at 7:30 p.m. at Borders Books, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Leslie wrote “Fleur de Leigh’s Life of Crime,” which remained on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list for 19 weeks and was selected as one of the Best Books of 1999 by Library Journal and The Times. Leslie’s novel was based on a short story that won the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction. Free. Information: 579-9414.

Dance Performance

Saturday, Aug. 12

Moorpark College Summer Arts Festival 2000 presents Dancing Under the Stars at 6 p.m. at the college’s Outside Quad Stage at 7075 Campus Road. The show features presentations from the Moorpark College Dance Department. Tickets are $5. Reservations or information: 378-1485.

Back to Oz

Saturday, Aug. 12

The Gypsies in a Trunk Youth Troupe presents a performance of “Fairy Tales in the Park” at 4 p.m. at Barranca Vista Park, 7050 Ralston Ave., Ventura. The production is based on L. Frank Baum’s first and second Oz books. Audience members are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and food. Free. Information: 522-0449.

Book Signing

Sunday, Aug. 13

Barnes & Noble Bookstore hosts a book signing with David LaMont Lee, author of “Merchant Marine Days: My Life in World War II,” at 2 p.m. at 4360 E. Main St., Ventura. Lee will give a short talk before autographing copies of his book, which details his adventures as a merchant marine on the high seas during the war. Free. Information: 339-9170.

Painting Workshop

Aug. 14-16

The Thousand Oaks Community Gallery presents the “Paint It Bold, Bright and Beautiful” oil painting workshop with G. Eric Slayton from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2331 Borchard Road, Newbury Park. The workshop explores a loose and direct style to apply to landscape, still life and figure paintings. Slayton’s work will also be on sale throughout the workshop. A percentage of the proceeds benefit the Arts Council of the Conejo Valley. Information: 498-5147.

Peddler’s Fair

Saturday, Aug. 19

Chaparral School auditorium is the site for the next Peddler’s Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the school, 414 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai. The fair will feature antiques, collectibles, crafts and more. Admission and parking in the park-and-ride lot next door to the school are free. Information: 646-7808.

Family Festival

Saturday, Aug. 19

The Ojai Birth Resource Family Center hosts the Ojai Family Festival from 2 to 8 p.m. in Ojai’s Libbey Bowl, Signal Street and Ojai Avenue. The festival features live music, games, face painting, food, storytelling, raffle and more. Festival proceeds benefit the Ojai Birth Resource Family Center. Tickets are $17, $15 for teenagers and senior citizens. Information: 646-7559.

Salsa Music Festival

Saturday, Aug. 26

The Rotary Club of Ventura-East presents the 2000 California Salsa Music Festival from noon to 7:30 p.m. at Lake Casitas, 11311 Santa Ana Road. The festival presents music from La Palabra, Bobby Matos’ Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble, Charanga Cubana and Son Mayor. The festival also features boat rides, dance lessons, dance contests, children’s activities and a raffle. Tickets are $15; kids under 12 are admitted free. Information: (888) 491-7342.

Autumn Sky Show

Saturday, Aug. 26

The Ventura County Astronomical Society presents an Autumn Sky Show at 8:30 p.m. at the Moorpark College Observatory, 7500 Campus Drive. The program will begin with a short slide presentation, followed by stargazing through the observatory telescope and member telescopes. Programs are appropriate for children 8 years of age and older. Dress warmly. No flashlights. Cost is $1. Information: 529-7813.

Beach Festival

Aug. 26-27

The California Beach Festival runs from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. both days at the Ventura Pier on the promenade off Harbor Boulevard. The festival offers entertainment on two stages, a car show, the Professional Surfing Tour of America, two wine and beer pavilions, a children’s area, Frisbee demonstration and a variety of food booths. Admission is $8, $4 for senior citizens and children under 12. Information: (323) 254-1205.

Compiled by ALEX FIELD / Los Angeles Times