Remembering Libbey Bowl

Long-Time Ojai Residents Share Recollections

“ I used to usher for the Music Festival before the Bowl was built and would also listen to Music Festival concerts on the radio in our backyard. All of us in Ojai were thrilled when the Bowl was built.

The first time I actually went to the Bowl was to hear Anna Maria Alberghetti at the Music Festival. She was a featured soloist, and I just loved listening to her. We couldn’t afford tickets so my mother volunteered to clean the Music Festival thrift shop in exchange for tickets. So I got to go to the concert and hear Anna Maria sing ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.’ My mom helped serve at a reception afterwards and brought home a piece of cake that Anna Maria had left on her plate. I kept that cake in the freezer for years.”

-DAVID MASON, Ojai native

“ Libbey Bowl opens such a kaleidoscope of memories! To think of Libbey Park as ‘the heart of Ojai’ is natural because the Bowl is where the beat goes on. I remember all the music: the Ojai Festivals, the Fourth of July band concerts, the Bowlful of Blues, mariachis at the Mexican Fiesta, the rock bands, the spiritual music of the churches…truly the heart beat of Ojai.

The Bowl brings up memories of special friends and picnics before the concerts and deep appreciation of the care that has been taken to preserve the ambiance and the trees. Somehow I had not realized or appreciated how much Libbey Bowl has affected my life.”

-LERIE BJORNSTEDT, Ojai resident since 1950

“ To me, Libbey Bowl is the most awesome place on earth. We were at the first Music Festival to be held in the Bowl, and I was so smitten with the ambiance I hardly heard the music. I can recall seeing the moon through the trees, those breathtaking sycamore trees.

The Ventura Symphony used to have an annual Fourth of July concert at the Bowl. It was a tremendous draw. We knew many of the people who were there, and it was such fun. Frank Salazar, the conductor, played music weall enjoyed. At the end of the concert, there would be a raffle, and the winner got to conduct the orchestra in ‘Stars and Stripes Forever.’

The Bowl is definitely the cultural center of Ojai for all sorts of things. The idea of a new Bowl is very exciting, and I’m behind it 100 percent.”

- GINGER WILSON, Ojai resident since 1952

“ Growing up as part of The Thacher School community, I’ve been closely involved with the tennis tournament through the years and have spent a lot of time in Libbey Park. I love having the Bowl as part of the park and of Ojai. The Bowl fits so well into the landscape, and its programs reflect the diversity of our community.” - PEGGY CHASE, Ojai native

“One morning, soon after I had moved to Ojai, I was downtown and heard sounds from Libbey Park. It was Igor Stravinsky rehearsing the Pomona College Glee Clubs for the Music Festival. I went into the park, sat down and listened. It was delightful.

My most memorable moment in the newly built Bowl itself was hearing the pianist Lili Kraus play three Mozart pieces, one right after the other. I’ve been going to performances at the Bowl ever since. It is one of the jewels of this community.”

- ROBERT MILLER, Ojai resident since 1955

“My great-aunt Helen Robertson used to drag me to the Music Festival when I was young. I remember the trains full of Ojai oranges that ran where the bike path is now. One time, the conductor had to stop the train so people could hear the music.

We’ve gone to many Music Festival concerts through the years, sitting on the lawn. We were faithful attendees at the Shakespeare Festival in the early days and involved with the Mexican Fiesta. The Bowl is in such an incredible setting and is a valuable resource to this community. It would be sad if the Bowl were no longer here.”

- TONY THACHER, Ojai native