Art, alters and a Free First Sunday of music, dance and crafts are the highlight at the Museum of Ventura County on Sunday, November 3. The Museum will honor Day of the Dead from 11am – 3pm with free crafts for the whole family and musical and dance performances. Visitors can also see the artist created alters which will be up until November 14.

Sunday’s entertainment includes traditional son jarocho music from the Veracruz region of Mexico played by the local group Proyecto Jarocho. At 1pm and 2pm Oxnard High School Mariachi Band will be performing. At 1pm and 2pm, students from Oxnard High School mariachi band will perform under the direction of Fundi Legohn. OHS has a ten year tradition of performing at school and community events.  At 1:30 pm Ballet Folkorico Mestizo of Oxnard College will be performing Mexican cultural dances. This group of students and faculty celebrate dance traditions throughout the different regions of Mexico.  At  2:15 Group Folkorico Tecalitlan will perform a variety of regional dances from Mexico including a few traditional dances to the Day of the Dead.

Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) is observed in many part of Mexico and Latin America, and includes alters to welcome and honor the departed who are said to come back to walk among the living on November 1 and 2. It is now popular in the United States among Latinos and non-Latinos alike. Humorous skulls (Calaveras) and skeletons going about worldly business are the dominant symbols of the celebration, which has roots in pre-Columbian as well as Spanish religious beliefs.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura. Hours are 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission to the exhibitions is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children 6-17, members and children under 6 are free. Paid events include free admission to the galleries, and the first Sundays of every month are free general admission for the public. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.