Simi Valley Public Library to Close June 15-30 As It Transitions to Municipal Library

The City of Simi Valley has announced that the Simi Valley Public Library will be closed from Saturday, June 15, 2013 through Sunday, June 30, 2013 for refurbishment as it transitions from the Ventura County Library System to a municipal city public library. During the closure, patrons may use their Ventura County Library card to check out materials from other Ventura County Libraries, the nearest site being the Oak Park Library.

Beginning July 1, 2013, library patrons will need a new Simi Valley Public Library card to check out materials from the Simi Valley Public Library. Patrons may pre-register for their new library card online at www.simivalleylibrary.org beginning June 15, 2013 and will have the opportunity to select one of three new card designs. Once they have pre-registered, at their first visit to the Library, patrons will be issued their card.

Patrons who wish to obtain their new card prior to July 1 may register for the new card in person from Monday, June 17 through Friday, June 28 at the Simi Valley Senior Center and City Hall. Representatives will be available at the Senior Center Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at City Hall for Library card registration. No appointment is necessary.

The public is invited to attend the Grand Opening of the Simi Valley Public Library on Monday, July 1 at 10:00 a.m. The event will feature a ribbon cutting of the refurbished facility, presentations by local, elected officials, the Summer Reading Program Kick-off by Mr. Nifty’s Balloon Show at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., tours of the refurbished Library that will feature an enhanced collection of materials, new furniture, a refreshed interior, enhanced technology and computers, new signage, the addition of a Teen Lounge, and more.

The Simi Valley Public Library is located at 2969 Tapo Canyon Road, the Simi Valley Senior Center is located at 3900 Avenida Simi, and Simi Valley City Hall is located at 2929 Tapo Canyon Road. For questions, or more information, call (805) 583-6861 or visit www.simivalley.org or www.simivalleylibrary.org.

3rd Annual Conejo Valley Restaurant Week Planned for April 21-25, 2013

Conejo Valley Restaurant Week is back for a 3rd helping this year from April 21st to 25th! Participing restaurants in the Conejo Valley and adjacent cities will offer special prix fixe (that means "fixed price" to English as Only Language types like me), 2 course lunch (NEW this year) and/or 3-course dinner menus to hungry people like you and me!

Meals will be offered at a minimum of 30% off the regular menu price. Gotta love that!

Lunch: two for $10; $10 and $15 pricing. Dinner: two for $15; and $15, $25 and $35 (tax, beverages and gratuity are not included). Participating restaurants include fast-casual and fine dining establishments.

Visit a favorite restaurant, try a new one or dine out every night of the week with family and friends. Prices do not include beverages, tax and tip. Visit www.conejorestaurantweek.com for more details and links to restaurant websites. The list will grow as we get closer to the dates of the event.

Several new local restaurants are participating, including Paul Martin's, Cinepolis, Burgerwerkz, DISH and Mulberry Street Pizzeria.

Bon appetit! (That means...ENJOY YOUR MEAL!)

Restaurants interested in participating can contact Danielle Borja at the Chamber: 805.370.0035 or dborja@conejochamber.org.

Myron Freedman Named New Executive Director of Museum of Ventura County

Myron Freedman Named New Executive Director of Museum of Ventura County

The Museum of Ventura County’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, Richard Pidduck, has announced the appointment of Myron Freedman as its new Executive Director. Freedman joins the Museum from Hayward, California, where he served as Executive Director of the Hayward Area Historical Society since 2008. Freedman will be overseeing both the downtown Ventura location and the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula.

Freedman is a southern California native who grew up in Reno, Nevada. He relocated to Chicago, where he began his museum career at the Chicago History Museum. With a background in theater, his stagecraft and design skills quickly led to his appointment as the Museum’s Director of Exhibit Design. From there, Freedman moved to St. Louis, where he oversaw a major expansion of exhibition galleries as Director of Exhibitions at the Missouri Historical Society. Later, he was named the Exhibits Curator for Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, a national park best known for its Gateway Arch.

Among the exhibits Freedman developed while with the Jefferson National Expansion was a commemoration of the Lewis and Clark bicentennial. During this time, he also taught Museum Studies at Webster University. Freedman’s exhibition work has received national recognition by the American Association of Museums, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, as well as the commercial film industry.

Freedman says the Museum of Ventura County’s focus on history and art, along with its proximity to the coast, has motivated him to seek the Executive Director position. He and his wife are thrilled to be calling Ventura County their home.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura. Hours are 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum is located at 926 Railroad Avenue, in historic Santa Paula. Hours are 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Admission to each Museum is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children 6-17, members and children under 6 are free. Paid events include free admission to the galleries, and the first Sundays of every month are free general admission for the public. For more Museum information, please visit www.venturamuseum.org.

New Janss Marketplace Mascot "Scooter" to Make Debut on Saturday, March 30th

“Scooter” Costume Character at Janss Marketplace Saturday Kids Event

 Justin Bieber Concert Tickets Prize Registration

Scooter, the lovable new skateboarding costume character mascot of Janss Marketplace’s Kid Fun Zone program, makes his very FIRST public appearance on from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 30 near Toys R Us at the shopping center, located at 215 N. Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks.   Bring your cameras to take pictures with Scooter at the event.

Visit the Kids Fun Zone Craft activity booth during this Saturday’s event where children 12 and under can decorate FREE Easter-themed canvas sacks, perfect for egg-hunting ,and join Scooter at the spin-to-win wheel for the chance to win prizes from Lucky’s Dog House, Cold Stone Creamery and Regency Theatres.

Kids Fun Zone members can participate in the Easter craft activity and prize spin activity.  All children ages 12 and younger can join the FREE Kids Fun Zone program to participate in activities and events held on the last Saturday of each month at Janss Marketplace.  Membership benefits also include birthday treats and exclusive discounts at participating Janss Marketplace stores. Visit www.JanssMarketplace.net for more information.

Justin Bieber Tickets

Janss MarketPlace is proud to support California Lutheran University’s student fundraiser for the Special Olympics Ventura County.   From noon to 1 p.m. on Saturday, attendees at the Janss Marketplace Kids Fun Zone event can make a donation to the Special Olympics Ventura County for the chance to win VIP tickets for the Justin Bieber June 24 concert at the Staples Center.   On June 4 California Lutheran University will conduct a random drawing to select two winners to each receive a pair of VIP box seat tickets to the concert.  The college students in Jean Kelso Sandlin’s Advanced Public Relations class developed the fundraiser as part of a service-learning project this semester.

Janss Marketplace is professionally managed by NewMark Merrill Companies, LLC, which is owned by President and Chief Executive Officer, Sandy Sigal.  Since 1984 he has led NewMark Merrill in a community leadership role at the company’s shopping centers in more than 45 cities. For more information about Janss Marketplace events, visit www.janssmarketplace.net or become a fan on Facebook.

Santa Paula Agriculture Museum Sugar Beet Exhibits March 30 to August 11

Agriculture Museum Hosts Sugar Beet Exhibits

Cultivating Oxnard Sugar Beets; Museum of Ventura County Research Library Collection The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum will be showcasing a new exhibit, From Field to Factory, Oxnard’s Beet Generation, from March 30 to August 11, 2013. The exhibit will include never-before-exhibited photographs of the American Beet Sugar Factory in Oxnard, which was the world’s second largest beet sugar producer upon completion in 1898, and tales of the boom town that sprang up practically overnight around the factory. The photographs illustrate the rise of one of Ventura County’s most important historical crops: Sugar beets. A beet wagon fully-restored by Santa Paula resident, Richard Cummings, will be on display. Artifacts from the factory, as well as tools from of the beet trade, will also be on display.

Visitors are invited to attend the opening reception on Saturday, April 6, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m, which will celebrate two exhibits, From Field to Factory and Farm Fresh Quilts. Event will include sweet treats, no-host bar, and beet-related contests. Admission to the reception is $5.00 for the general public and free for museum members. RSVP to 805-525-3100.

Along with the opening reception, the Agriculture Museum will host several events focused on the sugar beet industry. On Sunday, April 14, at 2:00 p.m., CSU Channel Islands Professor of History, Frank P. Barajas, Ph.D., will present Oxnard Labor History. Barajas is the author of Curious Unions: Mexican American Workers and Resistance in Oxnard, California, 1898-1961. Admission to Barajas’ lecture is $5.00 for the general public and free for museum members, and includes entrance to all Museum exhibits. RSVP to 805-525-3100.

The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum is located in historic downtown Santa Paula at 926 Railroad Avenue. Hours are 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. General admission is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children ages 6-17. Free for Museum of Ventura County members and children ages 5 and younger. Paid events include free admission to the galleries, and the first Sunday of every month is free general admission to the public. For more information, go to www.venturamuseum.org or call (805) 525-3100.

Miller Family YMCA Kicks Off Activate Newbury Park Program on Wed, April 3rd

Activate Newbury Park is a free, 8-week program open to all members of our community. The program involves walking groups on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, with special activities thrown in on some of those dates (see schedule). Every few weeks, we will host a new medical professional from the UCLA health system to do a health lecture on Wednesday nights.

The program will begin on April 3 at our kick off Family Fitness Expo at the Newbury Park High School Gym from 5pm to 8pm. You are encouraged to register online, but you may also register at the Expo on April 3. A number of local vendors will be in attendance from our medical and health community to advertise their businesses and give free screenings. All participants will do their first confidential weigh-in at the kick off event. Weigh-ins will be each Friday at the YMCA anytime between 6am and 8pm.

Visit www.sevymca.org/newburypark/html/activate.html for more information.

New NEOS Ring Electronic Playground at Conejo Community Park in Thousand Oaks

During a recent visit to the Conejo Valley Botanic Garden, I noticed something new in the adjacent children's playground at Conejo Community Park. Upon further inspection, I discovered there is what looks to be a new NEOS Ring electronic playground.

These NEOS playgrounds involve selecting a game involving lights, sounds and music and chasing them down by pressing buttons on the unit. NEOS can be a fun form of exercise for kids and adults alike. While I've never quite been able to understand most of the games (well maybe I should say I haven't taken the time to understand them), all I know is, the kids are entertained by these.

Other local NEOS play areas are at Conejo Creek Park North (though last time we were there it was out of order), Janss Marketplace (adjacent to Gold's Gym) and Peppertree Park in Newbury Park. If you are aware of others in the area, lemme know!

The NEOS at Conejo Community Park is a "ring" style NEOS device that is "designed especially for early childhood and accessible playspaces. One freestanding user control panel gives kids access to six games for one to two players. Then they're off in a mad dash around the 6' (1,83m) ring to hit the six blinking buttons before it's too late" according to NEOS manufacturer Playworld Systems. Playworld indicates the NEOS Ring is geared towards ages 2 to 12. If you're looking to buy one for own backyard...it retails for over $16,000!

The NEOS playgrounds at Janss Marketplace and Conejo Creek Park North are of the "Wall" variety while the Peppertree Park NEOS is circular. Here's the NEOS Wall at Janss Marketplace:

Conejo Community Park is located at Dover and Hendrix Avenues in Thousand Oaks.

New Creative Destination "Make Meaning" Coming Soon to The Oaks Mall

A not good update 2/4/16: Make Meaning announced they will be closing this location 2/7/15.

UPDATE 2/18/13: Make Meaning Thousand Oaks opened its doors on Monday, February 17th. They are located on the upper level of the outdoor shops section of The Oaks mall. If you are coming from inside The Oaks, Make Meaning is the first door on the right. Their phone is 805.852.1107.

Posted 1/30/13: Make Meaning is coming soon to The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks. Make Meaning is a place where both kids and adults can walk in and have creative fun with one of seven "Creative Experiences" including cake decorating, ceramics painting, candle making, glass design, jewelry making, soap making and paper crafting.

Thousand Oaks will be the fourth Make Meaning location. Other locations currently operate in New York, Dedham, Massachussetts and Scottsdale, Arizona.

As one example, Make Meaning offers pre-baked four, six or eight inch cakes that are covered in fondant icing that serve as the blank canvas for dozens of dazzling decorations...from fondant based shapes, edible glitter, disco dust, and more! Cakes will take a spin on a motorized turntable to create the color motif of your dessert dreams.