“Mike has been with us for nine years,” as a paid-call volunteer firefighter, said Chief Paul Skeels.A native of Huntington Beach, Eng. Lambert “spent time in the Army, after that he had some pretty good duty in Hawaii before moving to the Santa Paula area,” after joining Arco Oil & Gas.Eng. Lambert has been with Jim McCoy working at McCoy’s Automotive “for many years now. Mike is extremely dedicated to the fire department and is always willing to help. Mike is also a rancher and a very experienced and dedicated horseman,” who is a member of the Sheriff’s Department Mounted Patrol. “You probably saw Mike on horseback,” patrolling the chamber’s Moonlight on Main Street New Year’s Eve celebration, Chief Skeels noted.“I just want to thank everybody and their continued support of the Santa Paula Fire Department,” said Lambert. “I’ve been with the department for the last nine years and hope it continues.”Music is in the air as the Ventura Music Festival tunes up for its 10th anniversary year with an array of events and concerts, said Chairman Bob Cochran.“Navi Mehta, the new artistic director, conductor and composer, has a very well known name,” in music circles, said Cochran. “He’s running the whole show,” of 10 weeks of musical events.“The theme of this year’s festival is the Celebration of the Americas,” highlighting classical to jazz to pop to Latin music and dance staged at several venues throughout Ventura. Some of the events are free, Cochran noted.The festival will tune up with a gala celebration on April 29th to be held at Paradise Chevrolet in Ventura.Call 648-3146 or visit venturamusicfestival.org for more information.