The Foster Park Bowl is an outdoor

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

located between

Ojai Ojai ( ; Chumash: ''’Awhaỳ'') is a city in Ventura County, California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is part of the east–west trending Western Transverse Ranges and is ...

and

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city on the Southern Coast of California and the county seat of Ventura County. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist des ...

. Built in 1928, it has a seating capacity of 1,000.

History

Ventura County Ventura County () is a County (United States), county in Southern California, the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, California ...

pioneer and philanthropist Eugene Preston Foster initiated the idea of a county park system in 1904; the Foster Park was established in 1908. The concrete

began construction in the summer of 1928 and was dedicated on November 26, 1928. The bowl was used frequently into the 1960s, but in the 1970s it saw less use as people started to shift to Libbey Bowl in

. The bowl was occasionally used after the 1970s but fell into disrepair. An attempt to renovate Foster Park Bowl was mounted in 1988 by the Ventura County Repertory Theatre. As of 2009, Teenagers for The Preservation of Historical Landmarks, a student group based at

Foothill Technology High School Foothill Technology High School (FTHS, commonly known as Foothill Tech or simply Foothill) is a magnet high school in Ventura, California. The school is part of the Ventura Unified School District. History Foothill Technology High School opened ...

, are working to get the necessary permits and release forms in order to go to the bowl and do an initial cleanup. The group is planning various fundraisers to pay for the stage to be reinforced, which a 2007 assessment stated would require $30,000 worth of work.

References

Amphitheaters in California Music venues in California Theatres in California Buildings and structures in Ventura, California Parks in Ventura County, California Event venues established in 1928 1928 establishments in California {{California-struct-stub

History

See also

References