The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 178

Rancho Arnaz stands as monument to builder Don Jose Arnaz Between the Sierras and the coast range in Ventura County stands Rancho Arnaz. with a history as varied and colorful as the life of its builder, Don Arnaz. Arnaz was born in Spain in 1820. became a doctor at age 16. then sailed for Havana, Cuba.

At 20 he arrived in California, as a merchant on a cargo ship. He opened his own store in the pueblo of Los Angeles, and a year later he settled in Ventura, again a cargo merchant. Arnaz aquired property, and was soon able to open Ventura's first general merchandise store. Four years later he leased nearly 50,000 acres from the Mexican government, the Mission of San Buenaventura. The next year, he bought the property for only $13,000.

After much litigation over the title to the Mission due to the tug of war for land between Mexico and America Arnaz won out and later sold the property for a profit. 2 performances of Bach's mass with choirs set Arnaz married Maria Mercedes Avila, daughter of a wealthy Los Angeles family, and settled down to the life of rancher, merchant, doctor and supervisor of Santa Barbara county. He offered his services as physician without charge. Among his many other civic duties, he was placed in charge of the mission revenues. Arnaz suffered a setback when some renegade soldiers put his head in a noose and forced him to turn over the keys to the Mission vault.

The caution of one of the men saved Arnaz, but they succeeded in looting his home and business, stealing his horses and virtually bankrupting him. Arnaz worked in the gold mines to earn the money to open a new store. Pooling this with some money he borrowed from his wife's relatives, he aquired Santa Ana Rancho. In 1863 the adobe house was built on the property. It is on San Antonio creek, about seven miles north of Ventura on Highway 33.

One night the famous bandit Joaquin Murietta, rode onto the estate. But one of Arnaz's daughters heard his men drawing water from the well, alerted her father. The bandits found the house so well guarded, they fled with only the cattle. Arnaz pursued them, and recovered his herd. Tickets are now on sale for two performances of Bach's "B-Minor Mass," to be staged in Oxnard and Ventura on May 7 and 9.

Three choirs will combine to present the mass: the Ventura College New Ensemble, the Ventura College Madrigal Singers and the Oxnard College Choir. Solo parts will be sung by professional singers: Linda Ottsen, soprano; Lee Porter, soprano; Vivian Vega, mezzo -soprano; Chris A. Bowman, tenor, and James Kenney, bass. Tickets for the Thursday concert, for which a donation is requested, are available at Henson's Music in Oxnard and at the Santa Clara Church, 323 South Oxnard, where the concert will be performed. The Saturday performance will be at the Ventura College Theater.

Tickets are $4 for general admission and $3 for senior citizens and students. They are available at the Ventura College Community Services office, J. B. Penny Music, Rudd's Christian Supplies, Salzer's Mercantile, Ventura Bookstore, The Music Box in Ojai and Henson's Music in Camarillo and Oxnard. Self-defense for children at Ventura APPLE CHIDEM M2 From The tating to serious assault.

The class will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in room C-l. A $10 fee will be charged, and students should bring a sack lunch. Eor more information write Ventura College Community Services Office, 4667 Telegraph Road, Ventura 93003, or call 642-3211, ext.

341. Famous "Self Defense and Assault Prevention for Young People, Ages 9 to 12" will be offered May 9 at Ventura College. Self-defense and martial arts specialist Bruce Tegner will conduct the one-day workshop, which is designed to show young people how to reduce the possibility of assault through attitude and behavior modification, how to avoid becoming an actual victim and how to effectively carry out some simple physical defense maneuvers. This will not be a martial arts class, and will not include any judo throwing or karate punching. The defenses are designed to cope with a range of situations, ranging from annoying or humili- AND TRY OUR DELICIOUS Grape Juice Shelled Nuts Honey Olives Fruit Butters Pectin Candy Jams Jellies YOU'LL ENJOY THEM! Low-cal cooking demo A demonstration of low-calorie cooking by Vickie Dunivan of Weight Watchers has been set for next Thursday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

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