Free Concerts and Live Music All Summer Long Around Ventura County

We have before us another great summer of free (and almost free), live music throughout Ventura County and surrounding areas this summer. This preliminary list is GROWING! Rock, jazz, pops, R&B, reggae, Celtic, classical, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, Classic Rock, Latin, Tribute Bands, you name it!!!

This list of course is subject to change. Contact event organizers to confirm.

This 2013 list is VERY preliminary and we will be making updates as we get them! Start marking your calendars for a great summer of music!

Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village/Newbury Park

• May 27 to Sept 2: Free Concerts in the Park in Thousand Oaks
• May 31 to August 30: Free Summer Concert Series in Westlake Village (Fri/Sat nights)
• August: Sunday Afternoon Free Jazz at Gardens of the World Thousand Oaks
• Starting May 31: Free Saturday Night Live Music at The Promenade at Westlake
• June 19 to Aug 28: Free Summer Concert Series at Janss Marketplace (Wed nights)

Agoura/Oak Park/Calabasas/Woodland Hills

• Sundays, 6/16, 7/7, 7/21, 8/4 Summer Concerts at Chumash Park Agoura Hills
• Saturday, June 22: Music in the Park in Oak Park
• June 2 to August 25: Free Concerts on the Green, Sundays in Woodland Hills
• June 9 to Sept 15: Free Summer Sunday Concerts at Calabasas Lake

Moorpark/Simi Valley

• June 15, July 20, August 17: Saturday Music in the Park Series in Simi Valley

Camarillo/Oxnard/Ventura/Beyond

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Join a Local Ventura County Moms Club

If you're looking for local Ventura County groups to meet up with other moms for playgroups, activities and socializing, look no further than this list (includes only organizations with websites...Contact Us for additions). (Last update February 2013...subject to change.)

Calvary Community Church MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)

Camarillo Moms Club

Conejo Families Meetup Group

Conejo Valley Homeschoolers

Conejo Valley Mothers of Multiples

Macaroni Kid Camarillo/Ventura/Oxnard

Macaroni Kid Conejo Valley

Macaroni Kid Ojai-Piru

Macaroni Kid Santa Barbara

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Restaurant Rewards Programs and Birthday Clubs Around Ventura County

It's nice finding Kids Eat Free deals around Ventura County but there are also dozens of local rewards program and birthday clubs that give you something for FREE!!!

This list includes programs where you get something for signing up or for being a repeat customer...a free burger, a coupon, dessert, etc. Excluded are programs that do not provide an obvious freebie (i.e. only sends you promotional emails).

These deals often change, so click through to the restaurant website to confirm the deal is still good. Let us know of any changes, broken links or additions!!

VENTURA COUNTY AREA DAILY DEAL AND PRINTABLE COUPON WEBSITES!

The Melting Pot

Club Fondue: Receive box of https://www.tgifridays.com/6 Signature Chocolate-Covered Strawberries with purchase of any Big Night Out, Four-Course Classic or combination of two individual entrées and cheese fondue.

Location: Thousand Oaks

Wienerschnitzel

Wiener Lovers' Club: FREE chili dog and special offers for signing up.

Locations: Simi Valley, Oxnard, Ventura (Thousand Oaks closed March 2012)

Bandits Grill & Bar

Bandits' Roundup Club: Free birthday gift, specials and more.

Locations: Thousand Oaks and Camarillo

Separately, Bandits recently added the ability to purchase eGift cards directly from its website. To celebrate this new feature, they are offering $10 Holiday Rewards for every $50 in eGift cards purchased through December 31, 2012. The eGift cards can be emailed directly to recipients. Visit www.banditsbbq.com/gift-cards for more details.

Barnes & Noble Kids' Club: Free birthday cupcake and $5 gift certificate for every $100 spent on kids' books, plus 30% off most kids' books.

Locations: Thousand Oaks, Calabasas, Ventura, Woodland Hills

Baskins-Robbins

Birthday Club: FREE 2.5 oz scoop on your birthday! We love this!

Locations: Newbury Park, Camarillo, Westlake Village, Moorpark, Agoura, Simi Valley (2), Oxnard (2), Thousand Oaks, Santa Paula, Ventura (2)

BJ's Restaurant

KidsLink Birthday Club: Free mini-pizookie® on your kid's birthday plus special promotions.

Locations: Westlake Village, O

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Stay Cool in the Pool! Community Swimming Throughout Ventura County!

Stay cool this summer and year-round at some of these community swimming pools, water parks and splash pads in Ventura County and surrounding areas. For updates and additions, contact us!

Conejo Valley (Conejo Recreation & Park District)

Community Pool at Cal Lutheran University (Samuelson Aquatics Center) year-round facility. Recreational and lap swimming 7 days a week. Call 805.241.0894 or visit www.crpd.org. Only $2 ($1 for 62+). Current schedule at www.crpd.org/parkfac/aquatics/hoursnfees.asp. Closed 7/24-7/28 for swim meet.

Newbury Park High School Community Swimming Pool is at 456 Reino Road and offers recreational swimming 6 days/week from 6/15/13 to 8/23/13, Mon-Fri 1-4PM, Sat 12:30PM-3:30PM (6/15 to 8/3 only) and Monday nights 7-9PM. Only $2 ($1 for 62+). Call 805.498.6906 or visit www.crpd.org. 

Thousand Oaks High School Community Swimming Pool is at 2323 N. Moorpark Road and offers recreational swimming Mon to Fri from 6/17/13 to 8/23/13, Mon-Fri 1-4PM and Wed 7-9PM. Only $2 ($1 for 62+). Call 805.496.8564 or visit www.crpd.org.

Free open swim at all of the above CRPD pools from noon to 4pm on the 4th of the July.

Conejo Valley - Other

Daland Swim School in Thousand Oaks offers group and individual lessons.

Conejo Valley YMCA in Thousand Oaks heated indoor swimming pool open 7 days/week.

Triunfo YMCA in Westlake Village heated indoor swimming pool open M-F.

Miller Family YMCA in Newbury Park heated indoor swimming pool open 7 days/week.

Childrens' Splash Pad/Water Area at Oak Canyon Community Park, 5600 Hollytree Drive, Oak Park. Open 7 days/week from Memorial Day weekend thru last day of September 10am to 7pm. 818.865.9304

Kids love the Interactive Fountain at Janss Marketplace.

Moorpark/Simi Valley

Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District offers a large community swimming pool at Rancho Simi Community Park, 1765 Royal Avenue. Open 7 days a week, hours vary. Summer weekday hours 6/13/13-8/16/13 are M-F 1-4PM and Fri nights 7-9PM. Summer weekend hours 6/15/13-10/6/13 are 1-4PM. Admission age 3 and up is $3 ($1 for 65+). Visit www.rsrpd.org/rec/aquatics/swimtimes.html or call 805.584.4436.

Childrens' Splash Pad Area at Rancho Tapo Community Park, 3700 Avenida Simi. Open 11am to 5pm, 7 days a week, from Memorial Day weekend thru Labor Day

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The Ventura County Sheriff's Office Provides Useful Crime Maps Online

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office services the County of Ventura and the five contract cities of Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, and Thousand Oaks, as well as unincorporated areas of Ventura County. There is a wealth of information on the VC Sheriff's website at www.vcsd.org, including the phone numbers for patrol stations.

One tool on the VC Sheriff website that I find to be quite useful is the Crime Maps. Crime maps provide approximate locations of arrests, calls for service and crimes/incidents by jurisdiction, in five-day increments going back up to 35 days.

Example Crime Map from www.vcsd.org website

As you can see from the example above, each incident is highlighted with a marker that shows, when you click it, the date and a brief description of the incident. Using the "zoom in" feature allows you to see actual street names on the map...however, as the VCSD disclaims, these represent approximate locations; actual street addresses are not included in the descriptions.

That said, I was curious one night when I passed a patrol car and sheriff's investigation van parked at a house nearby. The Crime Map showed a marking at what looked to be the exact location that I saw and indicated there was a residential burglary. Then I looked at other weeks in the 'hood and found another burglary and reported suspicious vehicle. While of course it is disturbing to hear of crime close to home, it is great information to know and share with your neighbors to be aware of what's going on.

While the crime maps can be a bit clunky to use, if you're patient, you'll find what you need. For example, if you reset the map to look at a different geographic area, time frame or incident type, once again you will need to use the arrow keys to move around, then zoom in/out to where you need to go. It would be awesome to have a feature where you can simply type in an address, but that feature is not available.

Viewing these maps will really give you a feel for how busy our local police are. For example, in the five days ended 4/11/13, there were 597 calls for service, 111 arrests and 60 reported crimes/incidents in the Thousand Oaks area alone. Calls for service include descriptions like responding to alarms, burglaries, juvenile problems, following up on a resident's well being, suspicious vehicles, shoplifting, prowlers, fights, disturbances and more.

To explore crime maps in your area (Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, and Thousand Oaks, as well as unincorporated areas of Ventura County), visit www.vcsd.org/pr-crime-map.php.

The Parent Project® Training Program for Parents of Adolescent Children - Upcoming Ventura County Classes Available

The Parent Project® was created for parents with difficult or out-of-control adolescents between the ages 11 and 19. Parents learn and practice specific prevention and intervention strategies for destructive behaviors - truancy, alcohol and other drug use, gangs and other criminal behavior, running away, violence and suicide. Parents are self-referred or can be referred to Parent Project classes by officers in the field, juvenile detectives, diversion programs, court systems, mental health professionals and school officials.

This program is available locally in various Ventura County locations.  Many programs are free or charge only a small fee for a Parent Project workbook.

Some upcoming local Parent Project classes as of March 2013 are below. Providers and costs vary. Click the link above to register online for most classes, or call the phone numbers below.

• Simi Valley: Simi Valley Police Department is offering a 10 week session on Tuesday nights starting April 2, 2013. Call 805.583.6290 Monday thru Thursday. Free ($20 deposit required)
• Moorpark: Moorpark Unified School District is offering 16 week Tuesday night Spanish language sessions that started January 8, 2013 at 240 Flory Avenue. Call 805.558.5151 to register. $45.
• Thousand Oaks: Ventura County Sheriff's Department 10 sessions on Thursday nights in Thousand Oaks starting April 4, 2013. Call 805.371.8362.
• Ventura: Pacific Coast Center for Family Counseling is offering 10 sessions beginning June 5, 2013. Call 805.794.0646. These classes do have fees.
• Camarillo: VC Sheriff and Camarillo PD will be offering 10 sessions on Wednesday nights in Camarillo beginning May 29, 2013. No charge for session

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Things to Do With the Kids in Ventura County When It's Wet Outside!

It doesn't rain nearly often enough here in Ventura County, but when it does, that's a great excuse for staying inside. You are in the right place as we have compiled this extensive list of over 200 indoor activities from Agoura to Simi Valley to Ventura and everywhere in between!

Geared Towards Little Kids

• My Gym Children's Fitness Center in Thousand Oaks and Ventura
• The Clubhouse Fun Zone Indoor Play Facility in Ventura
• Gull Wings Children's Museum in Oxnard
• Gymboree Indoor Play & Learn in Camarillo, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks
  
• CA Kiddo Club in Agoura Hills (CLOSING 2/28/13)
• The Oaks Mall Indoor Play Area (up to age 5)
• Build-a-Bear Workshop at The Oaks
• Monthly Kids Club Activities at The Oaks
• The Play Destination (formerly MyParty Playhouse) in Agoura
• Hummy's Play World (Supervised Play) at the Pacific View Mall

Gaming and Arcades

• Chuck E. Cheese's in Thousand Oaks and Ventura
• Big Z Family Fun Center in Simi Valley
• The Arcade at Golf N' Stuff Ventura
• LazerTag Extreme in Camarillo (closed 3/18/12 but relocating to Simi Valley)
• Ventura Harbor Carousel and Arcade

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Residential Holiday Lights and Decorations on Gemini/Waverly in Camarillo

Every year that I can recall, a vast majority of the homes on Gemini Street and Waverly Avenue south of Dunnigan Street in Camarillo are lit up and decorated with cartoon characters, trains, Santas, snowmen, and plenty of lights and other decorations. Quite a site. Either drive the route or park and walk it. Plenty to see and your kids will love it.  From the direction of the 101, take Arneill north past Ponderosa to Dunnigan. Turn right on Dunnigan and Gemini is the 4th street on your right.

Brief tour of the display last year (2010) with whiny kids in the background:

Go Bowling in Ventura County - Fun For All Ages!

As you can see in Conejo Valley Guide, there is no shortage of things to do in Ventura County.  But how many of you have bowled recently?

Archeologists found ancient bowling balls and bowling pins in an Egyptian gravesite in the 1930s that date back to 3200 B.C., thus making bowling the world's oldest documented sport.  The first indoor bowling alley was Knickerbockers of New York City in 1840.

But who cares about that!  Here are 6 reasons to go bowling:

• You don't have to dress up. In fact, you can rent ugly shoes to bowl.
• Retractable bumpers make bowling more fun little ones and terrible bowlers like me.
• Bowling teaches kids math and geometry skills. Well, kind of.
• While it is a fun family activity, it is also great for teambuilding. Or so I hear.
• Bowling is an activity where striking is a good thing.
• Close proximity and availability of cold beer to the bowling alley. 

So go support one of these 6 local bowling alleys.  You will have fun.  Bring the little ones.

• Brunswick Zone Simi Valley
  
• Buena Lanes Ventura
• Harley's Bowling Centers in Camarillo and Simi Valley
• Ventura Bowling Center (Closing its doors 12/2/12)
  
• Wagon Wheel Bowl in Oxnard

Bowling in the Conejo Valley!!?? Nope. Not since, 1995, when the 40 lane Conejo Village Bowl, located where Borders was until January 2010 and various county medical services will soon reside.

Two Ventura County Cities Were Born on September 29, 1964!

You wouldn't immediately know it looking at the headline of this September 30, 1964 issue of The Daily News, but the day before, residents in BOTH Camarillo and Thousand Oaks voted to incorporate their respective cities.

The article indicates that voters in Camarillo voted in favor of incorporation by a 5 to 1 margin, with 64% of the 3,745 registered voters turning in ballots. In the far right column, you'll see that with 10 of 18 precincts counted, 61% of 2,428 votes cast in Thousand Oaks were for incorporation. In Thousand Oaks they also voted on the name of the city...over 87% of votes cast said "yes" to the name Thousand Oaks. Can anyone tell us what were the other name choices on this ballot? (I'd tell you but at the time I was just 2 months old.)

Thanks to the Pleasant Valley Historical Society Museum in Camarillo for maintaining this and other local Ventura County history!

Batting Cages and Paintball in Ventura County

For you baseball/softball players, here is a summary of local batting cage options, with links to additional contact information:

• Simi Valley Batting Cages and Pro Shop
• Camarillo Bat-R-Up Indoor Batting Cages
• Who's On First Batting Cages in Oxnard
• Hitting Zone Indoor Batting Cages in Westlake Village
• ZallBall Indoor Batting Cages in Simi Valley
• All Stars Athletics Indoor Batting Cages in Newbury Park
• Boost Your Average Batting Cages in Westlake Village
• MVP Baseball and Softball Academy in Newbury Park

And how about something completely different?  Try Paintball USA in Oxnard.  May not help your batting average but your aim and speed will be tested.  This is the only Ventura County paintball facility open to the general public to my knowledge.

Five Very Interesting Museums in Oxnard and Camarillo

There are over 40 museums listed on Conejo Valley Guide and each and every one of them has interesting features. Here are some highlights from a handful of these museums located in the Oxnard / Camarillo area.

The Mullin Auto Museum recently opened in Spring 2010. Located near Downtown Oxnard in an industrial park, Mullin is a nearly 47,000 square foot unbelievably pristine facility with over 50 French art deco cars frm the 1930s and 1940s. Mullin is open to the public only once or twice a month and you have to check it out. It has the most beautiful cars I've ever seen!

The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, aka the Camarillo Bird Museum, is a 22,000 square foot facility in a Camarillo industrial park that contains one of the largest collections of birds, bird eggs and bird nest in the entire world. It is open to the public only 9 times a year.  You will truly be amazed at what you see.

There is a vintage 1950 Woolworth building in Downtown Oxnard t

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Outdoor Watering Restrictions in Ventura County

In February 2009, Governor Schwarzenegger proclaimed a state of emergency and immediate actions to address the current water shortage crisis in California. On March 30, 2011, Governor Brown proclaimed an end to the state's drought, but urges continued conservation.

The City of Los Angeles has mandatory water conservations requirements for all LADWP customers as revised August 2010:

• Odd numbered street addresses may water on Mon/Wed/Fri
• Even numbered street addresses may water on Tues/Thurs/Sun
• Outdoor watering not allowed between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Sprinklers can be used for 8 minutes maximum per station, but if you have water-conserving nozzles, you're allowed 2 15 minute cycles each watering day
• No watering driveways, sidewalks and other hard surfaces
• No excessive runoff or leaks
• No washing vehicles without a hose shutoff valve
• No serving water in restaurants unless requested

Simi Valley watering restrictions since July 2009 were rescinded on May 9, 2011 (www.simivalley.org/index.aspx?page=500). The previous restrictions in place that are still advised however:

• Outdoor watering/irrigation between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. prohibited, except you can use buckets and hoses with shut-off valves
• Cannot water more than 45 minutes per station per week from April 1 to October 31
• Cannot water more than 30 minutes per station per week from No

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That Was One Heck of a Rainbow in Camarillo This Past Sunday

As reported on Sunday, there was quite a beautiful rainbow at the Camarillo Town Center Shopping Center on Sunday. Well pro photographer John B. Mueller just happened to be there, and like the good photorapher that he is, had a wide angle lens with him. Target, are you looking at this amazing shot!

Visit his website at www.johnbmueller.com and his Facebook page to see more of John's work, which has also been featured before here on CVG.

Mustard Fields and Sunsets by Camarillo Photographer John B. Mueller

Photographer John B. Mueller took these great shots in Camarillo recently. The first one is a beautiful view of mustard fields near Lewis Road and Pleasant Valley Road. The other is a view of the sunset from Camarillo, facing the direction of Mugu Rock. 

Visit his website at www.johnbmueller.com and his Facebook page to see more of his work.

And here are some upcoming Camarillo events, things to do in Camarillo, fitness and sports activities in Camarillo and kids activities in Camarillo.