Top 10: Find inspiration with these Ventura County events

Ventura
Alissa Reese and Hayden Kelly from Girl Scout Troop 60844 retrieve a board in the Arroyo Simi Greenway in Simi Valley during the 2018 Coastal Cleanup Day.

From classical music and country crooners to coastal cleanup and scribes workshops, this week's picks are bound to inspire.

Clean living: The 2019 California Coastal Cleanup Day will kick off 9 a.m.- noon Sept. 21 across Ventura County. Volunteers are invited to bring their own bag or bucket, gloves and reusable water bottle as they work to clear trash from beaches and waterways. Last year, an estimated 3,000 volunteers thousands of pounds of trash and recyclables. For more information or to find a site, visit www.vccoastcleanup.org or call Kelly Hahs at 805-658-4375.

Scribes welcome: Authors Rebecca Langston-George and Bruce Hale will speak 9 a.m. - noon Sept. 21 at WriteFest ’19 at the Thousand Oaks Library Community Room, 1401 E Janss Road. Langston-George is the author of 12 books, including "The Right to Learn: Malala Yousafizai’s Story." Hale has written, illustrated or both for more than 50 books for kids. The event, hosted by the Ventura County Writers Club and the library, is free but advance registration is required. For more information, visit www.tolibrary.org or call 805-449-2660.

Chamber On The Mountain will open its seventh season Sept. 22 with Juilliard-trained Tomer Gewirtzman at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Ojai.

Sheer virtuosity: Chamber On The Mountain will open its seventh season 3 p.m. Sept. 22 with Juilliard-trained Tomer Gewirtzman at Logan House at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts, 8585 Ojai-Santa Paula Road, Ojai. Gewirtzman's solo piano performance will include pieces by Brahms, Chopin and Schumann. The audience is invited to stay and meet the artist at a reception after the performance. Tickets are $25. For more information, visit www.ChamberOnTheMountain.com.

Spellbound: The Russian Ballet Theatre will perform Tchaikovsky’s "Swan Lake" 7 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Oxnard Performing Arts & Convention Center, 800 Hobson Way. The theatre’s production features Russian traditions with new choreography, hand-painted sets, hand-sewn costumes, artistic hair designs and special effects makeup. Tickets start at $25 plus fees. Group discounts are available. For tickets or more information, visit, www.RussianBalletTheatre.com

Billy Currington interacts with the crowd as he performs during the 2019 CMA Fest in Tennessee. He is one of the performers at Boots & Brews Country Music Festival in Ventura Sept. 21.

Somethin' right: Boots & Brews Country Music Festival will return with headliner Billy Currington and a host of other country stars Sept. 21 at San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura. Parking opens at 11:30 a.m. and costs $20 with ticket. Gates to the festival open at 1 p.m. and music continues to 9 p.m. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. General admission tickets start at $50 plus fees, children 10 and younger are free with ticketed adult and VIP options for concert-goers age 21 and older are also available. For more information, visit www.bootsandbrews.com/ventura.

Festival of plays: The Elite Theatre Company will present its annual One-Act Play Festival Sept. 20-28 at 2731 Victoria Ave., Oxnard. Of the 100 submissions, five plays were selected as winners of Elite's 2018 writing competition. The plays are "Porch Past" by Brianna Keller, "Stay" by Dagney Kerr, "Old Aquatics" by Steven Kobar, "Exceeding the Purchasable Calories" by Rhea MacCallum and "172 Pushups" by Scott Mullen. Tickets are $15. Shows are 8 p.m.Sept. 20-21 and Sept. 27-28 and at 2 p.m. Sept. 22 and 28. For more information, visit www.theelite.org or call 805-483-5118. 

Roland Roy's "Malibu Flower Shack" is one of the works on display at the Arts Council of the Conejo Valley's "Bright Lights " exhibit in Westlake Village.

On the bright side: The Arts Council of the Conejo Valley will present "Bright Lights," an exhibit by six artists at UBS, 3011 Townsgate Road, third floor, Westlake Village. The works relate to the title with bold and vivid colors, nature’s light of the sun and the fun and brighter side of life. An artists' reception is 5-7 p.m. Sept. 19. The exhibit continues through Oct. 30. For more information, visit www.conejoarts.org.

Wider than the sky: "The Belle of Amherst" will be staged at Namba, 47 S. Oak St., Ventura. Anna Kotula becomes poet Emily Dickinson in the Beacon Theater Company presentation of William Luce's one-woman show. Performances are 8 p.m. Sept. 20-21 and 2 p.m. Sept. 22.  Tickets are $22 For more information, visit beacontheatercompany.com or call 805-233-6965.

The Stage Coach Inn in Newbury Park will host "Voices of Old Conejo" Sept. 21-22 and Sept. 28-29. Here Sue Robb portrays Josephine Clifford for a past event.

Voices carry: The Stage Coach Inn will host "Voices of Old Conejo" Sept. 21-22 and Sept. 28-29 at 51 S. Ventu Park Road, Newbury Park. In 10 historical vignettes, guests meet the region's leaders from 1876 through 1980, including the likes of Egbert and Frances Newbury. Tickets are $20 or $15 for Conejo Valley Historical Society members. For more information, visit www.stagecoachinnmuseum.com

Toy story: The California Oil Museum will present "Vintage Toy Wonderland: Memories of our Youth from 1960s - 1980s" Sept. 21 - Feb. 16. From GI Joe to Cabbage Patch, the exhibit will include a wide variety of examples. The opening day Sept. 21 will include toys, trivia questions and prizes noon - 2 p.m. at the museum at at 1001 E. Main St. in Santa Paula. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is a suggested $4 donation per person. For more information visit www.caoilmuseum.org or call 805-933-0076.

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