Local Buzz covers new businesses, restaurants, closures, local politics, goings on around town and other buzzworthy items in the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County. Have a lead? Contact us. Click here for an archive of Local Buzz postings.
Local Buzz covers new restaurants, closures, local politics, goings on around town and other buzzworthy items in the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County. Have a lead? Contact us. Click here for an archive of Local Buzz postings.
Post other items directly to the Community Announcements section of the site.
A new and improved splash pad was set to premier on Friday, May 22nd BUT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED TO NEXT WEEK at Rancho Tapo Community Park in Simi Valley. The new splash pad is 55% larger, has a water treatment and recycling system and had three different play areas! Yay!
World Record LEGO Chain Event is taking place on Saturday, September 27th from 9 AM - 4 PM at Thousand Oaks City Hall.
We are attempting to break the Guinness Book of World Records by building the World Longest LEGO Chain. We need your help to do it. We have over 100,000 LEGO bricks and need some families who love building with LEGOs to help us build it.
This charity event is a collaboration between the Conejo Recreation & Park District, Rotary International, and Play-Well TEKnologies to raise money to build a state of the art special needs playground at Old Meadows Park in Thousand Oaks.
By signing up to help build the world's longest LEGO chain, you will help bring this playground to the community. To learn more and to register (only $5/participant), visit bit.ly/WorldLongestLEGOChainEvent
Hueneme Fishing Pier closed through the summer due to severe sand erosion.
Due to severe sand erosion on the beach, the Hueneme Fishing Pier is structurally unsafe and will remain closed through the summer and until repairs are completed. Updates at www.ci.port-hueneme.ca.us.
2019 Update: The Best Halloween Store Ever has been located for the past several years at Janss Marketplace. This location is now the Tarantula Hill Brewing Company.
The Best Halloween Store Ever is opening its new seasonal location this year at old Plummer's Furniture building, 244 E Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks. The retail space is more than double the size of its previous seasonal location at the old El Torito building, which was torn down and became a new Chick-fil-A this past May.
No doubt the owners of this store will continue in their quest to present some of the most terrifying, gruesome, not-for-faint-of-heart displays along with lots of fun for all ages, while presenting a large assortment of costumes and accessories to complete any costume. Get updates at www.facebook.com/besthalloweenstoreever.
Motorists are urged to plan ahead this weekend as the vehicular traffic through the east end of Thousand Oaks will be heavier than normal. The city will be hosting Stage 8 (the final stage of the race) of the 2014 Amgen Tour of California Bike Race. The race will consist of three 21 mile circuits and three 4.5 mile circuits.
On Saturday, May 17th at 8:00 a.m., parts of Townsgate Road and Village Glen Road will be closed to set up the course. The race will begin and end on Townsgate Road between Westlake Blvd and Lakeview Canyon Road. This area will remain closed until Sunday, May 18th at 10:00 p.m.
The race is scheduled to start just before 8:45 a.m. on Sunday. There will be rolling closures along the race route. The race is expected to end around 12:00 p.m.
The following streets will be affected. See maps below or visit www.toaks.org/living/amgen_tour_of_california/homepage/default.asp
Start/finish line area and 3 lap final finish route around Westlake Lake!
Stage 8 course map
During this time, the Thousand Oaks Police Department urges motorists to use extreme caution in an around the affected area. There will be a large number of cyclists and pedestrians in the area. Please plan ahead and use alternative routes if possible.
To promote the safety of the riders and spectators, we ask that any suspicious persons or items along the race route be reported immediately to the Thousand Oaks Police Department at (805) 654- 9511 or by calling 911. We would like to remind residents, “If you see something say something.”
Summer in Tortoritas, Peru by Hilda Kilpatrick-FreyreOver the past several months, artist Hilda Kilpatrick-Freyre has been painting a series pairing views and subjects from her native Peru and her longtime adopted home, Ventura. The result is an exhibition opening April 22 at Buenaventura Art Association’s downtown Ventura gallery.Pleasant Valley Recreation & Park District (PVRPD) in collaboration with the Ventura County Certified Farmers' Market Association are teaming up to host a Wednesday afternoon Farmers' Market premiering May 21st. This new farmers' market will be located at the Camarillo Community Center parking lot at 1605 E. Burnley Street. Hours will be 3pm until dusk.
Offerings from local vendors will include fresh produce, baked goods, honey, nuts and more, as well as other items such as art, jewelry, pottery and more. Other prepared food vendors will also be on hand.
Along with the certified farmers’ market and crafters’ corner, there will be special PVRPD events for the whole family, including movie nights, music, kids' games and more.
Open year-round, rain or shine. SNAP/Cal-Fresh/EBT customers welcome. Redemptions will be authorized at Market Information Booth. Pets not allowed per California state health laws (except service animals).
Learn more at vccfarmersmarkets.com/pleasant-valley-camarillo or www.pvrpd.org/recreation/special_events/farmers_market_n_crafters_corner.asp.
The Premiere Exhibition of “The Vernacular Bestiary” and a Call for Poetry
From March 1 through June 15, 2014, the Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula will present the first exhibition of “The Vernacular Bestiary: Animal Snapshots from A to Z.” This collection of anonymous amateur photographs has been collected by photographer and gallerist John Nichols over the past two decades and has never been publiclyexhibited.
Dog, from The Vernacular Bestiary, John Nichols Collection
The abecedarian display of creatures is comprised of photographs taken over the past 120 years. An adjacent kids’ reading and exhibit area will encourage children and their families to read and write poems, as well as draw and display their own responses to the animal-themed exhibition. Animal poems by published poets will also be shared, in binders that can be carried around the exhibition area.
Fish, from The Vernacular Bestiary, John Nichols Collection
Call for Poetry: Writers are invited to preview selections from The Vernacular Bestiary online immediately at http://flic.kr/s/aHsj5133kr or see the original snapshots at the Agriculture Museum, beginning on March 1. They may submit up to three original poems of up to 25 lines each inspired by any of the snapshots. Submission implies that the poems can be used by the Agriculture Museum non-commercially to publicize the exhibit (credit will be given) and copyright reverts back to author. Poems must be submitted to VBpoem@gmail.com by March 29. A panel of judges will select poems to be shared at the “An Afternoon of Animal Verse” to take place in April. Poets will be contacted and asked to read their selected poems at the event; poet Jackson Wheeler will read the poems of any who cannot attend.
The Museum of Ventura County Agriculture Museum is located at 926 Railroad Avenue, Santa Paula. Information about the museum can be found at www.venturamuseum.org or call 805.525.3100. Museum hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 10 – 4. For more information about the exhibition and the call for poetry, contact John Nichols at sespenichols@gmail.com or at (805) 525-7804.
Colt, from The Vernacular Bestiary, John Nichols Collection
DISCOVERY VENTURA CLOSED IN 2020
Last month, Discovery Ventura opened its doors at 1888 E. Thompson Boulevard, Ventura at the former home of the Ventura Bowling Center that closed its doors in December 2012.The facility has been beautifully renovated as a restaurant and lounge, accompanied by a nine-lane bowling alley, several pool tables and shuffleboards.
The boys and I stopped by Discovery Ventura this past Sunday to try out the bowling. It was just before lunchtime and the bar area was well occupied with folks socializing and enjoying Sunday morning NFL on the too-numerous-to-count flat screen TVs.
It was not crowded when we got there so we were able to quickly get situated. Bowling lanes are first come, first serve and cost $15 per hour (plus shoe rentals). As a novice that bowls perhaps twice a year, I was reminded once again that bowling shoes run large. My kids and I took 2 to 3 iterations apiece to get the best fit, but the hostess was patient with us.
The boys were able to find lighter bowling balls (6 to 8 lbs) and the hostess was able to meet our request for "bumpers" to pop up during the kids' turns as we bowled away. After my first roll I did a double take, as after 8 pins fell down, ALL of the pins were lifted up by strings. Quickly thereafter down plopped the two remaining pins. Traditionalists may not be thrilled with this more efficient "StringPin" technology but for a "boutique" non-league bowling alley like this I don't think it will be an issue with most social bowlers. See video below for a close-up of the StringPin action.
The lanes were full sized, though a bit cramped lengthwise and the little black dots used to position your starting point are pretty close to where the tables were. But we managed and had a great time. The boys were hungry and one had the Four Cheese Pizza ($10.95) and the other tried the BBQ Bacon Burger ($11.95), which came with fries. They both remarked how delicious the food was...so much so that my burger eater wouldn't even give me a sample taste. It certainly smelled good. My Caprese Salad ($9.95) was also excellent. And the family a few lanes down dining on Chicken Wings ($10.95) and Nachos ($9.95) remarked that they were both outstanding.
I asked the hostess how they would describe Discovery Ventura...is it a bowling alley, a nightclub, a restaurant, or ? There wasn't a clear answer as it is really all of the above. On its Facebook page it is described as "Simplistic and repurposing best describe the theme throughout the development of the California-lifestyle project. All are welcome to enjoy the laid-back, fun, and easy entertainment with 9 lanes of bowling, a locally-sourced restaurant with delectable California-cuisine, crafted cocktails, and the region’s largest and most fun private event facilities." Having been there, I would agree with that assessment.
Learn more at www.discoveryventura.com or call 805.856.BOWL (2695).
Conejo Valley Guide covers events, activities and things to do throughout Ventura County and surrounding areas.
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