Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice

Ventura County! Thank you for joining us this week. We are exactly two weeks away from Halloween. This is where we separate the planners from the procrastinators. Have you already purchased your candy? If so, how much of it have you eaten? It’s not fair that the mini Twix taste so much better than the full-size. I’ll file a complaint with Twix corporate on your behalf. Are your pumpkins slowly rotting away on your porch, or have you not even considered buying one yet? Much like our political system, you only have two choices here! 😉 All jokes aside, it’s finally starting to feel like Fall in Ventura County, but more heat and sunshine are coming next week. We have compiled a list of places to take your kids trick or treating. We have some events to share with you, a Netflix show recommendation, and a new service we are excited to launch. Without further ado lets’s catch this week’s wave. 🌊

This week, The Neighborly Wave will cover:

• Real estate news brought to you by V is for Ventura 🏠

• Pumpkin Spiced Ranch

• Local Events

• Places to Trick or Treat 🎃

• Weather

Your local real estate report is brought to you by
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Pumpkin Spiced Ranch

I don’t watch much television, but a show trailer will occasionally grab my attention, and David Chang’s  “Dinner Time Live” did just that. I’m a big fan of Chef Chang and his restaurant Momofuku, so when I saw the pop-up on Netflix, my interest was immediately peaked. When I learned that each episode was themed, and episode 1 was about incorporating pumpkin-spice 🎃 as an ingredient , I knew it was going to be entertaining at the very least. 

Am I a pumpkin spice person? Not at all. I enjoy pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and many other members of the gourd family, but I’m not particularly drawn towards pumpkin-spiced coffees or sweets. I gravitated towards this episode due to the cultural phenomenon that Pumpkin Pie Spice has become. As soon as Fall arrives, it immediately becomes Pumpkin Spice & Flannel Season. Without spoiling the show, I can confidently tell you that David Chang is an incredibly talented chef; and that no one, under any circumstances, should have to eat pumpkin spiced ranch dressing.

Pumpkin pie spice combines cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. You’ll notice there is no pumpkin in the spice, and it is only a couple of spices shy of producing jerk seasoning.  Allspice is the common denominator between the two seasonings, and it consists of just 1 item; the dried unripened berry of the myrtle pepper tree or pimento. It is native to Jamaica, and much of Central America. You’ll find allspice in dishes like oxtail stew, jambalaya, gumbo, Jamaican jerk chicken, and countless other dishes that light up your tastebuds. 

We can thank Starbucks for commercializing the pumpkin spiced movement. What started as a trial run in Canada circa 2003 is now Starbuck's most popular seasonal beverage. It was first introduced in the States in 2004. Twenty years later it is a cultural force to be reckoned with. As soon as Fall hits, so do the memes. You know the ones, with the women in flannel shirts, scarves, & knee high boots. The ones that complain that their pumpkin spiced latte wasn’t hot enough. Enjoy it while you can neighbors, because the Christmas flavored drinks will be here to replace it before you’ve even considered making Thansgiving plans. 

Local Events This Weekend

Oxnard

Thursday October 17th @ 6pm. Glimmer & Glide Full Moon Paddle. https://visitoxnard.com/events/glimmer-and-glide-sunset-fullmoon-paddle/

Saturday, October 19th 11-5pm Fall Festival at Plaza Park. https://visitoxnard.com/events/fall-festival-2/

Saturday, October 19th. 5-9pm Terraphobia Exploring the fear of Monsters. https://visitoxnard.com/events/teraphobia/

Saturday, October 19th. 6pm. Taylor Swift Tribute Band. Tickets are $15. https://visitoxnard.com/events/blank-space-taylor-swift-tribute-band/

Camarillo:

Saturday October 19th. 10 am - 1pm Trail or Treat: Camarillo Grove Park Nature Center $5 for children free for adults Register here: https://app.amilia.com/store/en/pleasant-valley-recreation-park-district/shop/activities/4787181

Saturday October 19th, 12-4 pm. Kindling Studios spooktacular art market at Topa Topa Brewery

Thousand Oaks

Sunday, October 20th, 8pm. 70’s Country Rock Show. Tickets are limited! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/70s-country-rock-show-more-california-sounds-by-the-tribe-tickets-980981862157?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Ojai

Sunday, October 20th, 3pm. Ojai Pops with Guest Vocalists at The Libbey Bowl. http://www.ojaipops.com/ojai-pops-2022-concert-season/

Simi Valley

Saturday, October 19th 3-6pm. Fall Festival & Trunk or Treat at YMCA. https://www.sevymca.org/events/fall-festival-trunk-or-treat

Ventura

Friday, October 18th 8-9:30 The Funny Thing About a Panic Attack. Laughing Through the Chaos at NAMBDA. https://visitventuraca.com/event/the-funny-thing-about-a-panic-attack-laughing-through-the-chaos-at-namba/

Friday, October 18th 7-10pm Movie Night Under the Stars Halloweentown https://visitventuraca.com/event/movie-night-under-the-stars-halloweentown/

Saturday, October 19th, 8-10pm. Ventura Comedy Underground on Main St. https://visitventuraca.com/event/ventura-comedy-underground-on-main-street/

Places to Trick-or-Treat

Trick or Treat at The Collection October 23rd 5pm. FREE event. Reservations are required. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-trick-or-treat-at-the-collection-at-riverpark-tickets-1034081695187?aff=erelexpmlt

Spooktacular Celebration Port Hueneme October 23rd 5-8 pm at Moranda Park

Trick or Treat Downtown Ventura October 26th. Costume Contest at 3pm, and Trick or Treating from 4-7 https://downtownventura.org/halloween/

11th Annual Boofest in Camarillo October 26th. 12-4 pm in old town Camarillo. https://www.camarillooldtown.org/11th-annual-boo-fest

Trick or Treat Las Posas Plaza. October 26th 11:30-2:30. https://visitcamarillo.com/event/las-posas-plaza-halloween-trick-or-treat/

Trick or Treat Trail Oak Park. October 26th. This is a Candy Free Zone. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/attend-11th-annual-trick-or-treat-trail-of-conejo-valley-tickets-1010613430977

Seaside Trick or Treat at Ventura Harbor. October 27th from 12-2. https://www.venturaharborvillage.com/event/kids-seaside-trick-or-treat-2024/

Haunted High Street Moorpark. October 31st from 4-7pm. https://www.moorparkca.gov/765/Haunted-High-Street

Halloween in the Park Camarillo. October 31st from 5-8pm. https://www.pvrpd.org/2024-10-31-halloween-in-the-park

Trunk or Treat Fillmore. October 31st from 5-6pm. https://www.fillmoreca.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=146

For my over-21 crowd, who want to enjoy a different type of spirit 🍸, it requires a bit of travel, but the experience is supposed to be top-notch.

If you don’t feel like driving to LA. Total Wine & More typically has weekly wine tastings 🍷 in Thousand Oaks. Their next tasting is on Friday, October 18th from 6:30-8:30. https://www.totalwine.com/special-event/explore-chilean-terroir-an-exclusive-tasting-with-vi-a-carmen-s-team/thousand-oaks/california/e/ec660915

Weather

Oxnard

Ventura

Camarillo

Thousand Oaks

Santa Paula

Simi Valley

Thank you for reading The Neighborly Wave. If you can't keep Halloween Candy inside the house because you have no self-control, you aren’t alone! Consider sharing this with a friend, and you’ll feel better 🤗