Join the Conejo Senior Volunteer Program to Stay Active in the Local Community

Studies show that seniors who volunteer live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives. The Conejo Senior Volunteer Program (CSVP) helps seniors stay active and involved. If you are 55 or over, you can join over 1,000 local men and women who serve as volunteers in our community.

CSVP volunteers do just about everything: They tutor students, plant gardens, serve as volunteer police and program computers. CSVP volunteers meet community needs and make a lasting difference. Your life experience is your best qualification! You’ll receive the support you need to put your know-how to work for others or learn new skills. You become part of a family of caring volunteers supporting our community.

And like most CSVP volunteers, you’ll find that by helping others you help yourself. Conejo Recreation and Park District sponsors the Conejo Senior Volunteer Program. We have been promoting volunteerism in the Conejo Valley since 1972. Call CSVP for a free brochure with exciting volunteer opportunities at (805) 381-2742, visit www.crpd.org/csvp or in person at the Goebel Adult Community Center.

CSVP is located in the Goebel Adult Community Center at 1385 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks. Office Hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 4:00pm.

Chris Harrison Named 2013 Honarary Chair of Thousand Oaks Arts Festival

Television host, Chris Harrison, of ABC's The Bachelor, has been named the 2013 Honorary Chair of the Thousand Oaks Arts Festival.  The two-day Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on September 21 and 22 at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza and The Lakes.

Chris Harrison began his television career by covering local sports in Oklahoma, but a visit to L.A. in 1999 ended in a permanent move and later that year Harrison landed the job as host of HGTV’s "Designer’s Challenge," consistently ranked as one of the network’s highest rated shows. In 2001 he became host of ABC’s hit romance/reality series The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.

Harrison will again co-host ABC’s live coverage of “The Miss America Pageant” in September 2013. Additional hosting credits include “Emmys Red Carpet Live” at the 2012 Primetime Emmys; ABC’s 2011 “American Music Awards Red Carpet”; ABC’s 2008 “American Music Awards Red Carpet Live!,” and “Road to the 60th Primetime Emmy® Awards.” In 2010 he announced the creation of his own production company, Harrison Productions, and that he will continue to host and executive-produce all of TV Guide’s red carpet shows.

The Festival features more than 60 local visual artists as well as a variety of local performing artists on two stages.  An interactive children’s area lets youngsters experience art on a personal level, and wine tasting offers adults a quiet respite during the weekend.  Visitors to the Arts Festival will also have the opportunity to meet Harrison in person.

Thousand Oaks Arts Festival admission and parking are free to the public.  Artist prospectus and application deadline is August 15 and performing artists’ applications are due August 1.  Both applications are available on the website, www.toartsfestival.com or call 818-991-6158.

Thousand Oaks to Moorpark Metrolink Station Shuttle Service Begins July 15

In response to requests for commuter bus service between the City of Thousand Oaks and the Moorpark Metrolink Station, Thousand Oaks Transit (TOT) is partnering with Metrolink to operate weekday commuter shuttle service beginning July 15. Service is free to all riders from July 15 through August 16 from three convenient locations

• Thousand Oaks Transportation Center - 265 South Rancho Road
• Oaks Mall Bus Stop – Adjacent Mall at 350 West Hillcrest Drive
• California Lutheran University Bus Stops - Olsen Road and Mountclef Boulevard

The new service is funded in part by a $20,000 Federal Transit Administration grant. Service will operate between Thousand Oaks and the Moorpark Metrolink Train Station six times daily during peak morning and evening hours. The first shuttle departs at 5:15 a.m. from the Thousand Oaks Transportation Center and the last shuttle departs the Moorpark Metrolink Station at 7:55 p.m. Service is scheduled to connect with most Metrolink trains traveling between Moorpark and the Los Angeles area. 

After August 16th, the fare amount is $2.50 each way but service will remain free to Metrolink pass holders and passengers with a same day single-ride Metrolink ticket. Seniors, disabled persons, and Medicare cardholders ride for half of the fare amount. Transfers between the commuter shuttle and local TOT buses are free. The GoVentura Card is not accepted.

The weekday service will be operated by MV Transportation on 14 passenger vans powered by compressed natural gas. Vans are ADA accessible, equipped with bikes racks, and will have free Wi-Fi.  The Metrolink Commuter Shuttle Program schedule and times are available online at www.TOTransit.org. For the most current train schedule, visit www.metrolinktrains.com.

Ventura County Animal Shelters Filled to Capacity Due to 4th of July Strays

Ventura County Animal shelters filled to capacity due to 4^th of July strays

The 4^th of July is one of the busiest days of the year at animal shelters due to the fact that household pets become frightened by fireworks and escape from their homes and yards.

According to Donna Gillesby, Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS) interim director, VCAS operations are being pushed to the limit due to the fact that more than 140 stray dogs have been taken in at the Camarillo and Simi Valley animal shelters since July 3. Unfortunately, many of the animals were not properly collared, licensed or microchipped making owner identification challenging or impossible.

“Although it is typical to have an influx of strays after the 4^th of July holiday, this year it was like someone opened the floodgates,” said Gillesby. “We currently have hundreds of animals in our care and more continue to arrive each day.”

VCAS posts photos and descriptions of all animals on their website at www.vcas.us. If an animal is not reclaimed within the state-mandated stray holding period, it is put up for adoption.

The $125 adoption fee of includes:

• Certification of surgical sterilization
• Preliminary vaccination(s)
• First rabies vaccine
• Ventura County license
• Trovan microchip (already "installed" for permanent identification!)
• Free obedience classes
• Certificate for a free health exam at any participating Ventura County veterinarian

“Our hope is to reunite each one with its family or, for those that are not reclaimed, find them a loving adoptive family.” said Gillesby. “We urge the public to open their hearts and home to an animal in need.”

For more information, call VCAS at 1-888-223-PETS (7387), 805-388-4341 or visit www.vcas.us.

Newly Launched Downtown-Harbor Ventura Trolley Will Make Travel a Breeze!

UPDATE MARCH 2019: Ventura Trolley no longer in service as of the end of March 2019.

VENTURA TROLLEY MAKES DOWNTOWN-TO-HARBOR TRAVEL A BREEZE

The "Downtown-Harbor Trolley" will run from Downtown Ventura to Ventura Harbor Village, making stops at coastal hotels, the Rhumb Line Restaurant and other partner locations, including the Amtrak platform outside the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

The route will include the ability to make flag stops along the way. Licensed and uniformed trolley drivers will be provided hands-free phone devices, with a phone number - 805-827-4444 - listed on signs at each pre-determined stop. Drivers also can be contacted for arrival estimates.

The trolley is the creation of the Downtown Ventura Partners (DVP). Operations will be funded through a unique partnership including the Ventura Port District, Ventura Harbor Village, Rhumb Line Restaurant, Ventura County Fairgrounds, City of Ventura, with additional support from Watermark Restaurant, NeedThree, Montecito Bank & Trust, City of Ventura Environmental Sustainability, Ventura Water, Island Packers, Andria's Seafood Restaurant & Market, Crown Plaza Ventura Beach Hotel, Ventura Visitors & Conventions Bureau, Ventura County Air Pollution Control District and Ventura County West.

With service beginning on July 3, the trolley will run 5 days a week, Wednesday through Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. during the summer season, with the ability to adjust hours of operation and location stops. On weeks that involve major holidays, the trolley service will adjust accordingly by moving Wednesday's service to Monday.

The trolley will continue year-round! Learn more at www.venturatrolley.com.

Thousand Oaks Deputies Recognizing Good Citizenship by Youngsters with 7-Eleven "Operation Chill" Slurpee Coupons

Thousand Oaks Deputies Recognizing Good Citizenship by Youngsters with 7-Eleven "Operation Chill" Slurpee Coupons

School’s out for summer and kids in Thousand Oaks may actually look forward to their next encounter with the “heat” this summer, thanks to 7-Eleven® stores’ popular Operation Chill program that rewards positive behavior with a very cool treat.

Through Operation Chill®, Thousand Oaks Station patrol officers can “ticket” youngsters caught in the act of doing good with Slurpee® beverage coupons. Appropriate “offenses” might include helping another person, deterring crime or participating in a positive activity in the community. Each coupon can be redeemed for a small Slurpee drink at participating 7-Eleven stores. The Thousand Oaks Police Bike Team began handing out the coupons in June this year to reward kids for wearing helmets while riding bicycles or skateboarding. The program is expanding to all Thousand Oaks Station patrol officers and is focusing on the summer and back to school months to promote good citizenship. The coupons are great for officers who are on patrol in the community. It’s an icebreaker, a way to encourage dialogue in a non-threatening, non-law enforcement situation.

Since its inception in 1995, Operation Chill has grown to include several hundred law enforcement agencies in the United States and Canada each year, and more than twelve million coupons have been distributed to officers on the beat in cities and towns where 7-Eleven does business.

Operation Chill was developed by 7-Eleven, Inc. to positively reward and encourage good behavior by kids during the hot summer months, when communities may experience increases in loitering, shoplifting and graffiti, and to support law enforcement agencies’ community relations projects. The Thousand Oaks Police Department uses the Operation Chill program to reward youth for their good deeds as well as to enhance their relations with the young people of their city.

Source: Ventura County Sheriff's Office www.vcsd.org

Studio Channel Islands Art Center Moves to New Location on Ventura Boulevard

Art Center Celebrates Move To New Location With Rededication Ceremony on Saturday, August 3rd

A rededication ceremony on Saturday, August 3 will celebrate the conversion of Pleasant Valley School’s former auditorium to Studio Channel Islands Art Center’s regional offices and new Blackboard Gallery.

State and local dignitaries will speak at the ceremony which begins at 2:00 p.m. with speakers including state and local officials, as well as school district and art associations’ dignitaries. The school auditorium was added to the Pleasant Valley Elementary School in 1949, when it was dedicated by then School Board Chairman Adolfo Camarillo.

The celebration will continue with a ribbon cutting ceremony, live music, refreshments, art activities for children, and artists’ demonstrations. From 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. a free public art reception will open in the new Blackboard Gallery for the exhibit “Unlimited,” juried by contemporary artist Gary Lang.

The Art Center move will unite all their activities, classes, exhibits and programs on the former elementary school campus in Old Town Camarillo. Since 2010, more than 40 working artist studios have been located in converted classrooms behind the former auditorium. The new facility includes not only the new Blackboard Gallery which is three times the size of their former space, but an enlarged art gift store, a stage for performances, and offices.

The new address for Studio Channel Islands Art Center offices and gallery is 2222 Ventura Boulevard in Old Town Camarillo. Hours are Tuesday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The artists’ studios behind the new gallery are open to the public every First Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, please visit our website www.StudioChannelIslands.org or call the office at 805.383.1368.

City of Thousand Oaks Seeks Entries for 2nd Annual Photo Contest

Deadline extended by the City to August 1, 2013 5pm.

Photographers of all ages and skill levels are invited to participate in the City of Thousand Oaks “Faces, Places, & Open Spaces” Photo Contest. The photo contest is returning for a second consecutive year featuring a new Instagram category!

Photos may be submitted in four categories: Environment, People & Places, Mobile, and Instagram snapshots using hashtag #FacesPlacesOpenSpaces. Winning photos will be judged based on creativity, photo quality, and representation of Thousand Oaks and featured on TOTV, in citywide print and electronic marketing materials, and social media channels. First, second, and third place winners in each category will be awarded a certificate by the Mayor at a future City Council meeting.  

There is no cost to enter and contestants may submit up to five photos per entry by Mail or drop-off to: City of Thousand Oaks, Attn: Photo Contest, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd; Email mobile photos to rwagner@toaks.org; Upload Instagram photos to the Instagram mobile application using hashtag #FacesPlacesOpenSpaces. A signed entry form and participation agreement is required for eligibility and entries must be received by July 1, 2013 at 5:00 PM (EXTENDED TO AUGUST 1, 2013 AT 5PM).

Visit www.toaks.org/photocontest for contest details and to download entry forms.

See some of the winners of last year's contest at this link.

Santa Monica Mountains 2013 Spirit of the Mountains Photo Contest

Share the wonder of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and enter the Spirit of the Mountains Photo Contest. Let your photographic imagination capture the essence of this hidden jewel. Open to amateur photographers only. Digital or film prints are acceptable. Entries accepted September 1 - September 30, 2013. Submit only photos of the Santa Monica Mountains Zone. For a map of the zone, contest flyer and more, visit www.nps.gov/samo/photocontest.htm.