22
O J A I M AG A Z I N E | SUMMER 2025
Editor’s Note: Summer 2025 Each of us has our own small influence on the contour of Ojai life. As each dips a toe, cannonballs in, or swims underneath the water hole of our daily life, our ripple is felt and adjusted for, and as a town we are shaped. We’ve seen the shape-shifting of the Ventura River — how it eddies, flows, and repositions itself within its banks, as the rainy and dry years cycle, and each drop of water does its topographic work. We at Ojai Magazine sit beside the river, charting our common story, from its great course to its tiny rivulets — the folks and fashions of our town. Each issue samples a core of where we came from and where we’re going.
MAGAZINE EDITOR/PUBLISHER Laura Rearwin Ward ART DIRECTOR Paul Stanton ASSISTANT EDITOR Karen Lindell WRITERS Kimberly Rivers Perry Van Houten Mimi Walker Ivor Davis Kerstin Kühn David LaBelle Erin LaBelle Sharon Palmer Paul Stanton Tom Moore Michael Arkush Craig Walker
Half of Ojai Magazine’s Summer issue stories capture some of the legacy moments that have brought shape to Ojai culture: Viva Vaquero, 33 Facts About Mira Monte, I Went to Heaven to See Larry Hagman, The Bower Garage, Jackie Lomax, and Whitman House. The other half of our story stack is a snapshot into the culture we currently embody: Patagonia Action Works, Ojai Playwrights Conference, Community Juice, Herbalicious Eating, and Earth Affirmation Amulets. We appreciate the work that you, dear reader, contribute, the energy you bring to our collective motion. By reading — more than information-browsing — you do the work of relating and connecting to our authors and subjects, rather than opting for readily available, predigested machine synopses. Partaking in this authentic communication form slows the chatter, promotes independent thinking, and creates a mindful space to tap into the sweetness of humanity right here at home. Ojai is a beautiful place to be, and perhaps the simplest place in Southern California. A passerby on a trail recently told me that he was “doing better than he deserved,” which I took to mean, “I’m grateful for this company, this day, and this place.” What elements will we each add to Ojai’s community life? Through Ojai Magazine, we can all listen in along the river of our evolution. With affection,
La a Rearwin Ward Editor/Publisher Laura Rearwin Ward
PRODUCTION SUPPORT Mimi Walker, Tori Behar Georgia Schreiner ADVERTISING Dan Browne, director of sales Ally Mills, Kim Klester CONTACT magazine@ojaivalleynews.com advertising@ojaivalleynews.com ojaimag.com @ojaimag
PUBLISHED SINCE 1982 BY OJAI VALLEY NEWS
OJAI MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2025
Matilija Dam Photo courtesy of Patagonia
IN THIS ISSUE:
Viva Vaquero In Heaven with Larry Hagman The Ballad of Jackie Lomax Ojai Playwrights Conference
Patagonia for land
UNDAMMED
OJAI • VENTURA • SANTA BARBARA • WESTLAKE • MALIBU • SANTA MONICA • LA
©2025 Ojai Media LLC