Seaside Park (Ventura): Difference between revisions
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===Modern projects=== |
===Modern projects=== |
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The bike path along the shore was refurbished in 1989. Within a couple of years that path was again eaten by waves and began to fail.{{r|VCS 2016-9-23}} Initially, fair officials wanted a buried [[sea wall]] to protect the bike path that had been damaged. Surfers fiercely objected, fearing that this would destroy the [[point break]] near the Ventura River that generates the distinctive waves at Surfers' Point at Seaside Park, the city park area.<ref>{{cite news |last=Barboza |first=Tony |date=January 16, 2011 |title=In Ventura, a retreat in the face of a rising sea |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/16/local/la-me-surfers-point-20110116}}</ref> Environmentalists projected reduced habitat and increased erosion rates on nearby beaches by the altered wave patterns.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/ventura/2019/01/23/beach-access-ventura-surfers-point-grow-through-managed-retreat/2609089002/|title=Beach access at Surfers Point in Ventura soon to grow|last=Martinez|first=Arlene|date=January 23, 2019|work=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=2019-05-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |last1=Downing |first1=Jim |last2=Blumberg |first2=Louis |last3=Hallstein |first3=Eric |publication-date= |year=2014 |title=Reducing Climate Risks with Natural Infrastructure {{!}} Case study 5: Surfers Point Managed Retreat |publisher=The Nature Conservancy |publication-place=San Francisco |page=16 |url=http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/california/ca-green-vs-gray-report-2.pdf |access-date=November 9, 2014 |archive-date=August 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140823205320/http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/california/ca-green-vs-gray-report-2.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Rock Delivery Shores Up Surfers Point |date=September 12, 2000 |first=Gail |last=Davis |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=http://articles.latimes.com/2000/sep/12/local/me-19573 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 6, 2021 |title=Restoring Surfers' Point: Partnership's Persistence Pays Off {{!}} U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit |url=https://toolkit.climate.gov/case-studies/restoring-surfers-point-partnerships-persistence-pays |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit}}</ref> In 2011, the popular bike and pedestrian path was moved inland as part of a [[managed retreat]] project, a first of its kind in California.{{r|LAT Sea Level Rise}} |
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==In popular culture== |
==In popular culture== |
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Revision as of 03:12, 24 July 2022
| Seaside Park | |
|---|---|
| Ventura County Fairgrounds | |
 | |
| Location | 10 West Harbor Boulevard Ventura, California |
| Coordinates | 34°16′31″N 119°18′13″W / 34.27528°N 119.30361°W |
| Area | 62 acres (25 ha) |
| Owned by | State of California |
| Administered by | 31st District Agricultural Association |
| Public transit access | Ventura Amtrak station |
| Website | www |
Seaside Park (commonly known as the Ventura County Fairgrounds) is an event venue in Ventura, California, United States. The 62-acre site (25 ha) is the home of the Ventura County Fair.[1] Trade shows, concerts, and other events are held throughout the year at the fairgrounds. The beachfront site, near the mouth of the Ventura River, also includes Surfers' Point, known for its point break that produces distinctive waves.
The original 65 acres (26 ha) were donated to the County of Ventura by Eugene Preston Foster and Orpha Foster, who envisioned the Seaside Park as a miniature Golden Gate Park. The Fosters wanted a beautiful gateway to Ventura, where families could walk and picnic, play tennis, and enjoy family outings. Most of the site is now owned by the State of California and is managed by the 31st District Agricultural Association, an independent state agency.
Events and activities
Fairgrounds
The 31st District Agricultural Association is a state special-purpose district in the Division of Fairs and Expositions of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The Fair Board's role is to set and approve policies for the organization. Members of the Board of Directors are appointed by the governor of California. They organize the annual Ventura County Fair and run the Derby Club, a live via satellite horse racing off-track wagering facility.[2][3]
Events are held throughout the year, including trade shows, conventions, concerts, and festivals.[2] The year-round facility has convention facilities, demonstration halls, equestrian facilities which include an 110,000 square feet (10,000 m2) arena, and administrative offices. Although the original race track and grandstand are long gone,[4] the Ventura Raceway is hosted at the fairgrounds when the fair is not in season.
The Thousand Oaks shooting at the Borderline dance bar in November 2018 was a month before the last gun show of the year at the fairgrounds. While considering the 2019 season, the board fair only approved the first two guns shows of the new year with the desire to prepare a policy before approving the three additional gun shows requested by the company that puts on them on.[5][6] A state law prohibited the sale of firearms and ammunition after January 1, 2023.[7]
Public recreation
The Omer Rains Bike Trail lies outside the fairgrounds fence running along the beach and river levee.[8] Connecting the San Buenaventura State Beach to the south and Emma Wood State Beach to the north, the path is on the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route and also serves as an access point for California Coastal Trail.[9] Surfing is popular here with its point break that produces distinctive waves.[10][11]
History
Eugene P. and Orpha Foster envisioned a miniature Golden Gate Park since John McLaren, the designer of that park, was a family friend. They donated the original 65 acres (26 ha) to the County of Ventura, adding another 14 acres (5.7 ha) later. They wanted a beautiful gateway to Ventura, where families could walk and picnic, play tennis, and enjoy family outings.[12]
Historical uses
Around 1901, John J. Coit installed and operated a miniature railway in Seaside Park, probably with the unusual gauge of 14+1⁄2 in (368 mm). The locomotive, which Coit had designed, was of the camelback type. After a short period of time, he relocated some of the equipment to the Long Beach and Asbury Park Railway.
For many years, Babe Ruth Field occupied the area of the main parking lot[13] and served as the home of the Ventura Braves, Ventura Yankees, and Ventura Oilers professional baseball teams.[14]
Modern projects
The bike path along the shore was refurbished in 1989. Within a couple of years that path was again eaten by waves and began to fail.[10] Initially, fair officials wanted a buried sea wall to protect the bike path that had been damaged. Surfers fiercely objected, fearing that this would destroy the point break near the Ventura River that generates the distinctive waves at Surfers' Point at Seaside Park, the city park area.[15] Environmentalists projected reduced habitat and increased erosion rates on nearby beaches by the altered wave patterns.[16][17][18][19] In 2011, the popular bike and pedestrian path was moved inland as part of a managed retreat project, a first of its kind in California.[20]
In popular culture
In 1922, a horse race was filmed here for The Pride of Palomar, a movie bankrolled by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst's Cosmopolitan Pictures.[21]
In 1927, Racing Romeo, a saga about a young race car driver starring football great Red Grange, used the fairground track.[21]
See also
- Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad
- Eastlake Park Scenic Railway
- Long Beach and Asbury Park Railway
- Venice Miniature Railway
- Urbita Lake Railway
References
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ventura County Fairgrounds
- ^ a b "Ventura County Fairgrounds".
- ^ Mosk, Matthew (October 19, 1993). "Fairground Hopes Off-Track Betting Is More Addictive Than Smoking : Recreation: Gamblers at Watch and Wager halls may find cigarettes no longer welcome after a board vote today". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "History of Ventura County Fair & Seaside Park". The Fillmore Gazette. August 5, 2009.
- ^ Karlamangla, Soumya (December 14, 2018). "After Thousand Oaks mass shooting, anti-gun activists target gun shows". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
- ^ Martinez, Arlene. "Ventura County Fair board to vote on the future of gun shows at fairgrounds". Ventura County Star. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
- ^ Kisken, Tom (July 23, 2022). "New law bans gun shows at Ventura County Fairgrounds; opponents promise court challenge". Ventura County Star. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ^ "Biking in California State Parks" (PDF). California Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
- ^ "California Coastal Trail Hiker's Guide: Ventura County Section 4 Map". Retrieved January 26, 2014.
- ^ a b Martinez, Arlene (May 2, 2016). "As El Niño ebbs, plan to move Surfers Point bike path in Ventura moves forward". Ventura County Star. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
- ^ Plascencia, Anthony (August 9, 2018). "Your guide to Ventura County beaches". Ventura County Star. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- ^ Schofield, Mildred Ranger. "A BRIEF HISTORY OF EUGENE P. FOSTER" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 1, 2014.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Babe Ruth Field
- ^ Pastore, Eric; Pastore, Wendy. "DigitalBallparks.com Ventura". Retrieved November 20, 2013.
- ^ Barboza, Tony (January 16, 2011). "In Ventura, a retreat in the face of a rising sea". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Martinez, Arlene (January 23, 2019). "Beach access at Surfers Point in Ventura soon to grow". Ventura County Star. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- ^ Downing, Jim; Blumberg, Louis; Hallstein, Eric (2014). Reducing Climate Risks with Natural Infrastructure | Case study 5: Surfers Point Managed Retreat (PDF) (Report). San Francisco: The Nature Conservancy. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 23, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
- ^ Davis, Gail (September 12, 2000). "Rock Delivery Shores Up Surfers Point". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Restoring Surfers' Point: Partnership's Persistence Pays Off | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit". U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit. August 6, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ^ Xia, Rosanna (July 7, 2019). "The California coast is disappearing under the rising sea. Our choices are grim". Retrieved July 8, 2019.
- ^ a b Hulse, Jane (January 2, 1997). "Ventura Ready for Its Close-Up". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 5, 2018.