25th Anniversary of Reagan's Brandenburg Gate Speech Highlighted in Santa Barbara

Summer Exhibit to Highlight the 25^th Anniversary of Reagan’s Brandenburg Gate Speech

New exhibit will explore Ronald Reagan’s role in the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War

The Reagan Ranch Center Exhibit Galleries will unveil a new summer exhibit to highlight the 25^th anniversary of Reagan’s Brandenburg Gate speech given on June 12, 1987.  This Berlin Wall Exhibit, to be unveiled on June 12, will highlight details behind the June 12^th speech revealed by Reagan’s speechwriter Peter Hannaford.  The exhibit will supplement the already permanent installation of the 5,000 pound section of the Berlin Wall that greets visitors in the atrium of the Reagan Ranch Center.  Also to celebrate the anniversary, nationally syndicated radio host, Hugh Hewitt, will speak at a special Wendy P. McCaw Roundtable at the Reagan Ranch Center.

The Galleries will also offer extended summer visiting hours to welcome the general public.  The Galleries will be open Monday through Thursday from 11 am – 4 pm.  The Galleries will resume regular visiting hours in September.

These galleries feature original Reagan Ranch artifacts matched with state-of-the-art, interactive, multimedia exhibits that highlight the history of Ronald Reagan’s quarter-century at Rancho del Cielo and the accomplishments of his presidency.

Over six hours of dynamic multimedia exhibits provide access

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CPK ASAP at The Promenade at Westlake is Closed; "Lemonade" Coming Soon

A surprised CVG Facebook follower filled me in today that the CPK ASAP at The Promenade at Westlake was closed! I was equally surprised and disappointed because this was a frequent quick-stop place for me and my kids. Sure enough, according to a voice message, CPK closed its doors last Sunday, May 27th.  BUMMER!

Then I found out that another new restaurant is coming to The Promenade sometime soon: Lemonade.

Lemonade offers seasonal, Southern California comfort foods. According to the Lemonade website:

The concept is best described as Seasonal Southern California Comfort Food in a fast-casual cafeteria setting. A comfortable place where locals and visitors enjoy a rotating daily spread of deliciousness: from ruggedly roasted Brussels sprouts to grain salads from around the world to stewed short ribs falling off the bone. Our dishes stress simple preparations with global taste, and are a perfect fit for today’s on-the-go lifestyle and perceptive palate.

Lemonade caters to people looking for a quick lunch or a healthy “grab and go” dinner for the family. The cafés have an emphasis on convenience and affordability, while serving the same fresh, high-quality, and innovative modern cuisine that the brand has become known for.

The food at Lemonade is as creative and diverse as the city’s inhabitants. Our marketplace salads, unique sandwiches, and slow-simmered stews taste as though every culture stirred a bit into the pot. For example, the skirt steak with grilled onions and piquillo peppers with its smoky depth, ping-pongs perfectly with our snappy salad of Chinese long beans, pluot plums, and scallion vinaigrette.

Currently there are Lemonade locations in 6 Los A

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East County Sheriff Watch Alert Re: Catalytic Converter Thefts

Here is the latest "East County Sheriff Watch" alert from the Ventura County Sheriff's Department. This program is designed to target unincorporated neighborhoods in the area, such as Oak Park, Bell Canyon, Lynn Ranch, Casa Conejo and Lake Sherwood. If you would like these updates directly from him via email, click here for more information.

A catalytic converter is part of the emission system on a vehicle.  It is located underneath, near the muffler.  Over the last month, there have been several thefts of catalytic converters in the Thousand Oaks area.   Thieves have primarily targeted Toyota trucks and Toyota SUV type vehicles.  These thefts have occurred in both residential and business areas, during the late night to early morning hours. 

The unincorporated area has also been affected by this trend.  During the early morning hours of 5/26/12, thieves stole a catalytic converter from a vehicle in the Casa Conejo neighborhood of Newbury Park.  

Be aware that it only takes minutes for this type of theft to occur.  It is possible the thieves work in pairs, having one act as the look out.  Investigators believe the catalytic converters are most likely being sold to recycling centers.

Crime Prevention Tips

Park your vehicle in the garage.  If your car is going to be parked for an extended period of time, for instance at a shopping center or commuter transit parking lot, park your car in a well-lit area.  Also, try to park near the entrance of the building or near an access road that is heavily traveled. 

Crime Stoppers

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for crimes.  The caller may remain anonymous.  The call is not recorded.  Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

Donations Sought for 2 1/2 Year Old Agoura Hills Girl with Rare Form of Cancer

Zoe Feldman, the 2-1/2 year old daughter of local Agoura Hills residents is fighting a rare cancer known as Rhabdomyosarcoma.  She will undergo 44 weeks of chemo in hopes to eliminate the cancer. If you can provide any help, her family would certainly appreciate it.

Westlake Agoura Girls Softball will be hosting a softball tournament the weekend of June 2-3 and has generously allowed friend of the family to raise funds via the sale of snacks. Snack shacks will be open at the two Agoura High School softball fields, Deerhill Park, Russell Ranch Park and Valley View Park.

Great Clips Hair Salon Coming to Newbury Park on Saturday, June 2nd

In what used to be Unicuts, a new Great Clips hair salon is opening next to the Starbucks at 421 S Reino Road in Newbury Park on Saturday, June 2nd.

A web search for more information turned up a Thousand Oaks Acorn article that indicated the new store will be offering $4.99 haircuts for the entire month of June! Nice! No appointments taken. Call 805.498.9222 for more information. Open 7 days per week. www.GreatClips.com

Grand Opening of the Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center in Calabasas on Saturday, June 9th

On Saturday, June 9, 2012, the new Interagency Visitor Center is opening its doors with an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center is nestled in the very heart of the mountains at King Gillette Ranch, 26800 Mulholland Highway, Calabasas.

This Visitor Center is the first of its kind in the Santa Monica Mountains. In one building, you will be able to interact with staff and volunteers from the National Park Service, California State Parks, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. We'll be together, standing side by side, to guide you in building your visit to our parks.

The Visitor Center will also feature new exhibits and interactive displays, exhibits by local artists, tours of sustainable features, and a native plant garden to explore. Yet, the Interagency Visitor Center is only intended to be a launching point to your greater experience. Join us to find out more about the Santa Monica Mountains and to inform your future activities in the outdoors!

There are so many things to see and do within the Santa Monica Mountains. With the help of the new Visitor Center, you will be able to discover opportunities you may not have considered before. Or, perhaps you may be reminded of a favorite place you would like to visit again. No matter where you land along the spectrum, the Visitor Center staff and volunteers will be your resource for how to make that happen. Come ready to explore our new Visitor Center, but also all that our mountains have to offer.

Call 805-370-2301 or visit www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/visitor-center.htm (at a later date - this site is work in process).

City of Simi Valley Offers $30,000 Home Rehab Loans for Low-Income Homeowners

City of Simi Valley Offers $30,000 Deferred Payment Home Rehabilitation Program Loans with 2% Interest for Low-Income Homeowners

The City of Simi Valley offers deferred payment Home Rehabilitation loans up to $30,000 to low-income homeowners. Loans accrue 2% interest for the first 15 years, and are reserved for owner-occupied single-family homes in need of repair.

In order to qualify for these loans, household income may not exceed the following low-income limits published annually by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (as of May 2012):

                              Household Size        Income Limit
                                        1                         $47,400 
                                        2                         $54,150 
                                        3                         $60,900 

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There are Eight Subway Stores in Camarillo; Why Not Make It Nine?

At 389 Carmen Drive, Camarillo (in the Carmen Plaza...or perhaps better known at the Big Lots/Trader Joe's Plaza) there's a large "Subway Opening Soon" sign up. This spot was previously occupied by Polar Bears Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt and Yogreens. This would make 9 Subways in Camarillo. Previously a Quizno's was located in the adjacent space that is now occupied by GNC. Musical stores?

And next door I see a Sports Clips is coming, which will be the 2nd Sports Clips in Ventura County (the other one is in Newbury Park, on Wendy Drive near the Fresh & Easy).

DinoMania! Exhibit at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History May 12 to Sept 9

DinoMania! is the only exhibit where you can get everything you wanted in a dinosaur exhibit: a real Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, robotic dinosaurs, and interactive stations. DinoMania! has it all in one place…at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Exhibit runs from May 12 through September 9, 2012.

Journey back millions of years when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Come face-to-face with ancient reptiles like Triceratops, Pteranodon, and SAMSON…one of the most complete T. rex skeletons ever discovered! You can even “Be the Dinosaur™” and walk, hunt and eat like a T. rex.

What’s so special about SAMSON? SAMSON is believed to be one of the most complete T. rex ever discovered. Paleontologists recovered 170 fossilized bones, around 56 percent of the full skeleton. Replica bones fill in the gaps, an

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Butterflies Alive! Exhibit at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History May 19 to Sept 16

Experience the magic of Butterflies Alive! at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History as you walk through a beautiful garden filled with flowers, luscious greenery, and more than 1,000 free-flying butterflies. Watch as the butterflies flutter past you, and see them as they drink nectar from nearby flowers. Butterflies Alive! will offer many memorable opportunities, so bring your family, friends and cameras.

The exhibit opens to the public this year on Saturday, May 19th, through Sunday, September 16th and is included in the cost of admission to the museum (or free to museum members).

This is a very special exhibit that you'll have to check out! Visit the SBMNH website at www.sbnature.org for more information. My kids LOVE this museum, both inside and out!

Movie Train Cafe to Open in Fillmore on Friday, May 18th

Movie Train Cafe image courtesy of Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ThemovietraincafeOffering up "down home southern cooking," the Movie Train Cafe will be opening its doors on Friday, May 18th at 501 Santa Clara Street in Fillmore (previously occupied by the Double A Cafe). Restaurant is decorated with neat looking train movie prop decor!

Reviewing their Facebook page I detect the following examples of their specialties: Buttermilk biscuit with bacon inside topped with bacon gravy and fresh black pepper, garlic shrimp scampi, chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, chocolate heart shaped cheesecakes with fresh raspberries and sliced almonds, cinnamon roll pancakes, chicken and dumplings and much more.

Their phone is 805.524.2423. Visit www.facebook.com/Themovietraincafe for more information. Hours are 6am Wed through Sunday.

Thrifty Ice Cream Brings Me Memories of My Childhood

I recently stopped by the Las Posas Car Wash, 100 South Las Posas Road, and noticed something new...Thrifty Ice Cream!

The last time I was there I believe they were serving up Haagen Dazs. Thrifty, which is also available at most Rite Aid Stores (and there are currently 16 of them in Ventura County and adjacent cities), is a local brand that goes back over 70 years. It was first produced in Hollywood in 1940 and since 1976 has been manufactured in El Monte. Mmmm...always loved Thrifty Ice Cream at Thrifty Drug Stores.

A single scoop at the car wash is $1.69, which is reasonable enough...though I seem to recall a scoop costing about a quarter or so back in the day. Am I getting old or what!

Panic! Productions Presents Comedy "Lucky Stiff" June 1-17 in Thousand Oaks

PANIC! PRODUCTIONS WRAPS ITS INAUGURAL SEASON WITH ‘LUCKY STIFF’   

Panic! Productions, Ventura County’s newest theatre company, continues its inaugural season with the musical comedy Lucky Stiff, June 1 through 17, at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts in Thousand Oaks.

The rarely-done first musical by Tony Award winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (creators of Ragtime, Seussical, and Once on This Island), Lucky Stiff is a comic romp about $6 million dollars in stolen diamonds, homeless dogs, a myopic killer and one demanding corpse.

This new production is directed by Celeste Russi, with music direction by Diann Alexander and choreography by Mona King.

Lucky Stiff is the story of a mild-mannered English shoe salesman who must take his uncle’s corpse to Monte Carlo in order to inherit his estate—or it will literally go to the dogs: The Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn. But Harry Witherspoon is not the only one after the fortune, as a cast of quirky, even unsavory, characters swoop down on Monte Carlo in pursuit of the money.

When it premiered in New York in 1988, Lucky Stiff was called, “A much needed antidote to the gloom and gargantuan extravagance of so much of our current musical theatre” by Frank Rich of the New York Times. Associated Press called it “outlandish and entertaining.”

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Qdoba Mexican Grill to Open in Simi Valley on Tuesday, May 29th

Qdoba Mexican Grill is celebrating the grand opening of its first location in Simi Valley, at 2091 Madera Road, Suite A, on Tuesday, May 29, 2012.

To celebrate the new location, the first 100 guests who visit on Tuesday will receive one free entrée. Guests can enjoy Qdoba’s signature flavors, like its Mexican Gumbo™, 3-Cheese Queso or Ancho Chile BBQ burrito, or Qdoba’s Craft 2™ menu, which lets guests mix and match perfect portions of popular items, including a Naked Burrito®, Naked Taco Salad™, Mexican Gumbo™, 3-cheese nachos, two tacos, quesadilla or tortilla soup.

Continuing the grand-opening festivities into the weekend, the first 15 guests to dine at the restaurant on Saturday, June 2 and on Sunday, June 3 will receive burritos for a year (52 free entrees)!

Also, throughout the day on Sunday, Qdoba will be hosting a “Lil’ Foodies” event, where kids under 12 years old will receive one free Kid’s Meal, with purchase of a regular entrée. A balloon twister and face painter will also be at the Simi Valley Qdoba from noon until 3 p.m. that day to visit with the Lil’ Foodies.

This is the 14^th Qdoba location in Southern California, with another location scheduled to open in Temecula in early June. Guests can visit the Qdoba Southern California Facebook page to keep apprised of all of the promotions, events, etc. for the new Simi Valley and other SoCal Qdoba locations.

Qdoba Mexican Grill Simi Valley's phone is 805.955.0350. Hours are 10:30am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 10pm on Sunday.

Conejo Recreation and Park District is Finalist in National Gold Medal Program

Conejo Recreation and Park District chosen as a finalist for prestigious National Gold Medal Award

GREAT JOB CRPD! THANKS FOR ALL THAT YOU DO!

The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) has selected the Conejo Recreation and Park District as a finalist in its 2012 Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management.  The District is one of four finalists in the population category of 100,000 – 250,000 people. Other finalists in this category include: The City of Round Rock (TX) Parks and Recreation Department; Rockford (IL) Park District; and South Suburban Park and Recreation District, Centennial, CO.  

NRPA’s Gold Medal program honors agencies throughout the United States which demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, environmental stewardship, professional development, program development, and agency recognition.   Chosen for their considerable knowledge and experience in parks and recreation on both local and national levels, a panel of five park and recreation professionals from throughout the country review and judge the comprehensive applications. 

Jim Friedl, General Manager of the Conejo Recreation and Park District said, “To be selected as a Gold Medal finalist is recognition on a national level that we share a place with the best recreation and park agencies in the nation.  We are fortunate to have a solid board, great staff, supportive and active residents, and outstanding community partnerships.” 

The next step in the National Gold Medal process is submission of a brief video highlighting the District’s achievements and commitment to community service in the region.  Grand Plaque Award-winning agencies will be announced at the 2012 NRPA conference, held in October in Anaheim.

For further information about CRPD’s selection as a National Gold Medal finalist, please contact the District at (805) 495-6471. www.crpd.org

Conejo Players Presents "The Man Who Came to Dinner" in Thousand Oaks 5/11-6/2

"The Man Who Came to Dinner" is set during the 1930s -- in the small town of Mesalia, Ohio -- during the weeks leading up to Christmas. Famously outlandish radio wit Sheridan Whiteside of New York City has been invited to dine at the house of wealthy factory owner Ernest W. Stanley and his family. However, before Whiteside enters the house, he slips on a patch of ice outside the front door and injures his hip -- necessitating a tumultuous six weeks of confinement. Join the Stanleys as convicts are invited to their meals, transatlantic calls bring a $784 phone bill, penguins take residence in the library, a radio show is broadcast from the living room on Christmas Eve, and 10,000 cockroaches take over the kitchen!

Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, May 11th through June 2nd, 2012 at 8:00 PM, Sundays at 2:00 PM at Conejo Players Theater in Thousand Oaks. Visit www.conejoplayers.org for more information.

California Wildlife Featured in Upcoming Exhibit at Museum of Ventura County

California Wildlife Celebrated in Museum’s Featured Creatures Exhibit Reception June 8

Bobcat - Museum of Ventura County CollectionAnimals are the Featured Creatures in the Museum of Ventura County’s summer exhibition opening June 9. This look at wildlife represented in the museum's collection includes rarely seen specimens from a tradition in which museums displayed taxidermied animals as examples of local fauna. Making their appearance again are a black bear, mountain lion, bobc

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Smashburger to Open in Thousand Oaks at Old Chuy's Location on Moorpark Road

No details yet on opening date, but Smashburger is in process of renovating the space previously occupied by Chuy's Mesquite Broiler at 650 North Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks (just north of Wilbur Road). I love the diversity of businesses in this plaza. Across the parking lot you've got a nicely appointed Whole Foods Market and next door you have Stan's Doughnuts (they've got some doughnuts to die for there...no, not literally).

Burger and a doughnut! Next door to Stan's Doughnuts...though grab some veggies across the parking lot at Whole Foods.

Smashburger was founded in 2007 and is based out of Denver.  According to a Smashburger job listing:

Smashburger was born to carry the torch for the modern burger lover. Where smash. sizzle. savor means a dedication to creating the best-tasting "smashed-to-order" burger. We start with 100% Angus Beef, smashed, seared and seasoned on

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New Hooters Location Opens in Thousand Oaks on Mother's Day! Moms Eat Free!

Here is a follow-up press release to our previous post on April 30th regarding the Hooters of Thousand Oaks Grand Opening on Mother's Day 2012.

Thousand Oaks will become a little more attractive and a lot more fun when the Hooters of Thousand Oaks opens its doors May 13^th.  Be one of the first residents of Thousand Oaks to experience the Hooters concept of great food and world renowned atmosphere.

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2nd Annual Samurai Chef Competition at Four Seasons Westlake Village May 24-June 2

Chefs Match Knives in Second Annual Samurai Chef Japanese Cooking Competition in ONYX Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, California. Reigning Samurai Chef Masa Shimakawa of ONYX defends his title against Chef Satoshi Sawada from Shintaro Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok.

Chef de Cuisine Masa Shimakawa of ONYX restaurant and Chef Satoshi Sawada of Shintaro restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok prepare to face each other in the second annual Samurai Chef cooking competition, May 24-June 2, 2012.

For ten nights, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, guests

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