Families and curious locals gathered at the Olivas Adobe Historic Park in Ventura, Calif. on April 13, 2025, for the annual Owl Festival. Centered around resident Olivia, a great horned owl who nests on site, the festival not only celebrated locally-found owl species, but the history behind Olivas Adobe.
In the sun-kissed courtyard of the adobe, booths lined the perimeter to offer educational and recreational activities. There was a variety of arts and crafts, such as pinecone owl dolls and owl-shaped magnets, alongside historical artifacts like Civil War–era pistols and century-old literature. Booths with interactive owl pellet dissection and owl puppets aided in providing information for audiences of all ages. A barrel organ played lively, atmospheric music as visitors perused the event, and free face painting was available to guests, courtesy of Susie Q’s facepaint. The adobe had exhibits open for viewers to observe historic rooms of the house with authentic furniture, clothing and artwork.
At 11:30 a.m., a representative from the Ojai Raptor Center hosted an informational presentation in the courtyard with several taxidermy owls, wing and talon specimens and diagrams. Interested listeners gathered around to learn nesting behaviors, anatomy and ways to protect local owl species.
Local falconer Katie Adams took the stand at 1 p.m. to showcase an Eurasian eagle-owl named Periwinkle, who was the star of the festival, drawing a large and enthusiastic crowd. As another informational presentation, Adams shared not only relevant owl facts, but additionally some of her experience working with raptors as a falconer.
“It’s a really cool way for people to really see birds of prey in person,” Adams shared. “They’re seeing a lot of these displays and they’re able to look at the … different booths, but seeing an owl in person is something that’s really different.”
President of the Board at Olivas Adobe, Mary “Chicken Mary” Thompson, was the chairperson of this year’s Owl Festival, and ran the pinecone owl booth. She has 17 years of experience working at Olivas Adobe, and is very knowledgeable about the rich history of the property. Built in 1847 on a land grant, the adobe was last owned in 1927 by Max “Yeast King” Fleischmann, who left it to the City of Ventura as a historic landmark.
“[The festival is] to learn about the history of this place, and that’s what [Fleischmann] left this place for,” Thompson stated. Despite beloved owl Olivia nesting at the adobe, the broader goal of the festival is to not only celebrate owls, but to educate families in local history. “[The adobe is] for public use only, to educate people about the rancho period of California,” she explained.
“To learn the history, we do all kinds of [events],” Thompson continued. These are hosted throughout the year, from flowers and murals for Mother’s Day, to Music Under the Stars in the summer, and everything in between.
For first-time attendees of the Owl Festival, seeing the support for local birds and history was a highlight — Frank DeMartino, an expert Ventura birder who attended this year, confirmed this. “[The festival’s] been great,” he said. “The kids are very excited. I love when kids are really into birds and they come over.” DeMartino’s booth included birdseed, bird feeders and stickers.
Adams shared a similar sentiment as another new attendant of the festival. “Not a lot of events out there are really geared to nature,” she said.
As the festival came to a close, guests happily exited the property, many with newfound knowledge for owls and the history of Olivas Adobe itself. The event was a success, with many more to come in the future — not just to provide fun, family-friendly activities for the community, but to shine light on the rich history of one of the oldest homes in Ventura.
