Christmas at the Camarillo Ranch

When Juan Camarillo purchased the 10,000 acre land grant which would become known as the Camarillo Ranch, he doubtless had no idea of the impact his family and their ranch would ultimately have on what we now know as Ventura County, California. Upon Juan’s death just five years later, responsibility for ranch operations fell to his 16-year-old son, Adolfo.

Adolfo’s foresight in converting ranch operations from cattle to crops and introducing lima beans to the area brought tremendous wealth to the Camarillo family, and as a result, to the local economy. Over the years, he donated land for churches and schools as well as to the community which would take his name. By the mid 1960’s all but about 100 acres had been either donated or sold. All that remained were the stables, the barn and the 6,000 square foot Victorian-style house Adolfo had built for his family.

Today, the barn has been moved and the three buildings sit on a little more than 4 acres; all that is left of the original property. Owned by the City of Camarillo and operated by the Camarillo Ranch Foundation, tremendous effort is being expended to preserve and share the ranch’s bountiful history.

Through donations and fundraisers, the Foundation has renovated the house and added a kitchen to the barn. The house is now a living history museum with rotating exhibits and docent-led tours. Weddings and filming generate some funds to support the property and the complimentary school tours for Ventura County third graders, but fund raising events are still necessary to offset operational and maintenance costs. The school tours include activities like butter making, calf roping and lima bean planting, giving the children an opportunity to experience first-hand what life on the ranch was like for Adolfo and his family.

Christmas at the Ranch combined the efforts of local caterers, bakeries, wineries and community groups to both showcase the ranch house and raise much-needed funds. The Foundation went to great lengths to maintain the majesty of the property.

Volunteers greeted visitors at the gate, directing them to the barn where wine and food purveyors from throughout the county offered an incomparable tasting experience. Caterers offered an array of treats ranging from ribs to pasta to clam chowder in miniature bread bowls. Wineries offered samples from locally grown grapes and bakers tempted with miniature bundt cakes and decadent cookies.

Opposite the barn, music filled the air from a stage which hosted such diverse talent as Girl Scout Troop 60482 and Brownie Troop 60335 singing Christmas Carols, The Tempo Cats who bill themselves as mature musicians, and a string quartet from the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra.

While enjoying the diverse fare arrayed along the walls of the elegantly renovated barn, visitors were invited to peruse and bid on an astounding array of silent auction items which filled the center of the enormous room. Businesses from throughout the county donated an impressive assortment of auction items to the event.

An outdoor Christmas market was laid out between the house and barn, providing visitors with opportunities to do a bit of shopping while they explored the house and grounds. There, you could purchase such unique items as hand-painted chocolates and custom-made jewelry as well as Tupperware, T-shirts and mugs.

Speaking of Food, Who was There?

I’m glad you asked! Those responsible for the tantalizing treats included:

  • Command Performance Catering
  • Merlin’s Kitchen
  • Conejo Valley Catering
  • Black Sand Coffee Company
  • Delicious Artistry
  • Nothing Bundt Cakes
  • Martino’s Catering
  • DJ’s Catering
  • Smokin’ Steve’s Catering

I’d like to say I had the opportunity to try their wares, but the lines were long and I wanted to take the tour of the house. By the time I finished, many had run out of food.

Purveyors of the Delicate Grape

Not to be outdone, wine was served by these wineries:

  • Four Brix Winery
  • Panaro Brothers Winery
  • Navarro Vineyards
  • Sunland Vintage Winery
  • Plan B Wine Cellars
For Your Shopping Pleasure

Jennifer and Sophia Smith, a mother/daughter team and owners of Exotico offered hand-painted chocolates which were almost too beautiful to eat.

Kerri Meeks Designs and Vivi offered an assortment of custom jewelry, and Thomas and Rose were purveyors of t-shirts and mugs. You could even find a Tupperware distributor who provided solutions for those holiday leftovers.

This first-time event drew people from all over the county. Though lines for food tended to be quite long, the music, the attentiveness of the volunteers and the overall holiday spirit created a camaraderie much like Adolfo and Isabel Camarillo strove to share with the neighboring ranchers.