Behind the holiday splendor

TRADITION—The annual Christmas at the Ranch with Santa event at the Camarillo Ranch always features a robust marketplace with local vendors, pictures with the jolly elf and Christmas carolers. This year’s gathering coincides with the final days of an exhibit highlighting another person who left an imprint on the place. MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers The Camarillo Ranch House will soon be dressed in its holiday finest, its Victorian rooms adorned with Christmas decorations and its doors open to visitors eager to experi­ence a little seasonal magic. But amid the festive trimmings and the history of the man whose name the city bears, there’s another story worth discovering. It’s the story of Isabel Camarillo. For much of this year, an exhibit at the historic ranch house has offered visitors a closer look at the woman who shared Adolfo Camarillo’s life and helped shape the family whose name became synonymous with the community.

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