Main Street Moves Downtown Ventura Street Closures Continue through September 14th

UPDATE: Main Street Moves has continued to operate post-pandemic and in its November 2024 meeting, Ventura City Council voted to keep the year-round street closure on an ongoing basis. Visit https://downtownventura.org/moves for more information.

Since June 16th, Downtown Ventura has closed its streets to expand outdoor dining and shopping as part of its Main Street Moves launch. This will continue through September 14th.

The City of Ventura in partnership with Downtown Ventura invites the community to shop, sip, snack, and stroll safely in the historic streets of Downtown Ventura as part of “Main Street Moves .”

Five blocks in historic Downtown Ventura are closed to vehicular traffic to allow more space for adjacent businesses to expand operations to help maintain safe physical distancing requirements. Main Street Moves features amenities including live music, handwashing stations, sanitation efforts, temporary ADA restroom facilities, additional tables and chairs, and bike racks to accommodate 140 bikes.

Closures are in place along four blocks on Main Street, between Fir and Palm Streets, and one block of California Street, between Santa Clara and Poli Streets. During street closures, barricades will be in place to ensure visitors' safety.

Businesses interested in participating in the program must continue to follow Ventura County Public Health’s guidelines and are responsible for submitting an application for expansion onto public or private property. The 30-day program will be reevaluated to determine if additional extension time is required. For City permit application information, visit the City’s website or click here .

To learn more about Main Street Moves or for a map of all participating businesses, visit www.cityofventura.ca.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=317.

Stagecoach Inn Museum in Newbury Park Open for Outdoor Tours on Saturdays

The Stagecoach Inn Museum is now open for business from 1-4:00PM Saturdays (check the website for additional hours and areas moving forward). Masks are required and there is a suggested donation of $5 /per person. Exact cash or debit/credit card.

Guests will have access to the Rose Garden and Nature Trail and the following buildings will be open for viewing from doorways, with docents onsite to present interesting historical facts: Schoolhouse, Blacksmith Shop, Carriage House, Pioneer House, Adobe, Chumash Ap.

The main building remains closed until further notice, but there is plenty to do outdoors, enjoying the beautiful summer weather.

The original Stagecoach Inn, called the Grand Union Hotel, was built in 1876 at the southwest corner of what is now Ventu Park Road and the Ventura Freeway and is now designated City of Thousand Oaks Historical Landmark No. 1.

Our Covid Tour is safer than visiting the grocery store—so catch a stage and help us keep Conejo Valley history alive!

Stagecoach Inn Museum, 51 S. Ventu Park Rd., Newbury Park, (805) 498-9441. Open Saturdays, 1-4PM.

stagecoachinnmuseum.com

The Grant R. Brimhall Library in Thousand Oaks Offers Curbside Pickup Service

The Grant R. Brimhall Library in Thousand Oaks has been offering curbside pickup service, where you can pick up library materials that you placed a hold on on the library’s website or by phone. Anyone with a Thousand Oaks Library card can use the service.

The way it works is to log in to the library’s catalog at discover.tolibrary.org and request a hold on the items you want. You will be notified when the items are ready for pickup in your account, then have seven days to pick up your items. You may also request the hold by calling 805-449-2660 weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Curbside pickup is available Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sat 10 a.m. to p.m. Not available Wed/Sun.

To pick up the items, follow the signs to the Greeter Station and place your library card, barcode side up, or your California driver’s license on the right side of your dashboard.

At the Distribution Station, library staff will place your items either in your trunk or your right rear passenger window.

DVDs and BluRay discs will be available for curbside checkout, fee free, during this period.

Items may be returned in the drive-up book drops and go through a one day quarantine period.

The Newbury Park Branch Library remains closed until further notice for both pickups and returns.

www.tolibrary.org

Bank of America Performing Arts Center Will Remain Closed for Live Events Until Jan. 2021

The City of Thousand Oaks announced today that The Bank of America Performing Arts Center, Thousand Oaks (BAPAC) will remain closed for live events until January 2021.

All programs that are on the calendar through December will be rescheduled. All patrons will be notified as soon as the new dates are confirmed. If a show must cancel, patrons will be notified of refund options.

When performances resume in January, the building will have been without live performances for 41 weeks. This unprecedented dark period is a direct result of the prolonged safety and health concerns arising from COVID-19. Although the venue will not hold live events with audiences, the theatres may be used for potential filming and streaming opportunities without live audiences.

BAPAC is one of the largest performing arts centers between Los Angeles and San Francisco and is funded through a unique public/private partnership between the City of Thousand Oaks and Thousand Oaks Alliance for the Arts (TOARTS). It consists of the 1,800-seat Fred Kavli Theatre for the Performing Arts and the 394-seat Janet and Ray Scherr Forum Theatre, which combine outstanding arts and entertainment with state-of-the-art technology and acoustics. Historically, over 200,000 patrons and 50,000 school children attend more than 300 performances annually.

For more information and updates as they occur, please visit our website at www.BAPACthousandoaks.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. For ticketing questions, please call the box office at 805 449 2787.

City of Ventura to Allow Passive Use of Beaches Beginning Friday, May 29th

On Tuesday, May 26, 2020, the Ventura City Council unanimously voted to ease limited closure restrictions of Ventura's beaches and parks. The City's decision provides access to its parks, beaches, the Promenade, Pier, public restrooms and select parking lots.

For the last several weeks Ventura’s parks and beaches have been open for active recreational use, such as walking, jogging, swimming, and surfing. Beginning on May 29, these areas will also open for passive use, such as sitting and sunbathing as long as the public maintains a safe physical distance of six feet and avoids congregating in large groups outside of their immediate household.

Group activities such as volleyball, football, soccer, and other contact sports are not allowed.

Bathrooms and parking lots will also gradually reopen at parks and beaches throughout the City, starting with the Harbor Boulevard parking structure at the Pier. Public bathrooms will be cleaned daily with high touch surfaces properly disinfected regularly.

Sidewalks, walking paths, trails, and tracks within all public parks continue to remain open for active recreational use, including walking, hiking, jogging, running, or biking. Please follow public health guidance in the " Stay Well at Home " order, set by the Ventura County Health Officer.

Playgrounds, pools, courts, indoor facilities like museums and visitor centers, and sports and recreational fields will remain closed until further notice. If a park or beach becomes overcrowded or difficult for safe social distancing to be observed, the Ventura Police Department may order the area to be closed.

City signs will be posted to remind the public to continue to practice physical distance of six feet or more and abide by the County's " Stay Well at Home " order to limit the risk of exposure to the virus.

For the latest updates on impacts to the City of Ventura, visit www.CityofVentura.ca.gov/COVID19 . For public health information and updates happening in Ventura County, visit www.VCEmergency.com .

Ventura area beaches compiled at THIS LINK.

Santa Barbara County Parks, Beaches and Trails Remain Open for Day Use as of May 22nd

Santa Barbara County parks, open spaces, beaches and trails remain open for day use. Practice social distancing and adhere to guidelines for spending time outside alone or with household members only. Look for the less busy parks and open spaces in your neighborhood and visit those when possible. If parking lots are full then the park is too busy and you can come back another time. Limit your visits to about one hour so that others can use the park as well. Avoid loitering in parking lots. Working together we can prevent the spread of Covid-19 while keeping our parks, open spaces and beaches open for all to use. Continued violation of social distancing and group gathering guidelines could lead to park closure.

DAY-USE PARKS: All day-use parks and restrooms are currently open. Cachuma Lake and Jalama Beach remain open for a limited number of day-use vehicles.

BEACHES: All County beaches and beach access points are open. Maintain social distancing guidelines; no group activities allowed; do not block high traffic areas such as access points, stairs, ramps and hard-packed sand; consider going further down the beach to find space; limit your time at the beach so others may enjoy; no loitering in parking lots.

PLAYGROUNDS: All playgrounds in County Day-Use Parks and Neighborhood Open Spaces are closed.

BASKETBALL AND VOLLEYBALL: Basketball and Volleyball courts in County Day-Use Parks and Neighborhood Open Spaces are closed.

TENNIS COURTS: Tennis courts in County Day-Use Parks and Neighborhood Open Spaces are open.

GROUP AREAS: Group areas in all parks are closed; group reservations are cancelled.

BBQ and PICNIC TABLES: All BBQ and picnic tables in County Day-Use Parks and Neighborhood Open Spaces are closed.

DOG PARKS: All dog parks in County Day-Use Parks and Neighborhood Open Spaces are closed.

CAMPING PARKS: Cachuma Lake and Jalama Beach will open to camping on June 1st. Camping will be reservations only, no walk-ins will be accepted. Jalama cabins will be closed until June 11 and all existing Jalama cabin reservations during those dates will contacted by the county’s call center to cancel or reschedule.

GOLETA PIER: The Goleta Pier Boat Launch is closed.

JUNIOR LIFEGUARD PROGRAM: Hendry's JR Lifeguard program is cancelled for the Summer 2020 season.

COUNTY TRAILS: County trails are open with noted exception of Nojoqui Falls Trail being closed. Please hike alone or in family groups only; maintain social distancing of 6 ft; warn other of yours presence as you pass; step aside to allow others to pass; use trails during off peak times; if trail head parking is full then the trail is too busy and you can come back another time; no loitering at trail head parking.

Ventura County Library Website Updated to Include Features Available From Home

The Ventura County Library (VCL) website has a new look. Vencolibrary.org now highlights library resources available online including free live homework assistance by instructors and a resources page for Spanish speakers.

“Your Library at Home” features pages targeted to kids, teens, and adults. It is a one-stop-shop for individuals, parents, and teachers looking for librarian curated lists of online resources for distance learning as well as for fun.

The new pages for kids are:

· Kids’ Reading Resources for children's ebooks and audiobooks and chapter book read-alouds by VCL staff. Also listed are free ebook resources available during the COVID-19 school closures for kids from preschool through middle school.

· Virtual Storytime featuring live storytime events and recorded playlists of stories, songs, and rhymes performed by Ventura County librarians.

· Recursos en Español was created with Ventura County’s Spanish speaking community in mind. The page contains resources for Spanish speakers along with detailed instructions on how to translate various library pages from English to Spanish. Each link includes a description of the resource along with detailed access instructions. The resources are divided into three categories:

o Resources for everyone – fun for the entire family through CloudLibrary ebook and audiobook collection and the Spring Reading Challenge.

o Resources for kids and teens – keep children of all ages engaged while staying at home. Features include the new tutoring service, HelpNow, designed to help students with homework, and the California Science Center where bilingual STEAM activities are added daily.

o Resources for adults – features tools for learning, career, and citizenship, as well as downloadable National Geographic Magazine in Spanish.

· Just for Fun keeps kids busy and entertained with drawing lessons, activities from favorite children’s book authors, and digital escape rooms.

The new pages for kids and teens are:

· Online Learning contains live homework assistance for pre-kindergarten to grade 12 students with tutoring and skill building help through BrainFuse’s Help Now! service, at-a-glance links to VCL’s eLibrary resources organized by school subject, and recommended free online learning resources available during the COVID-19 school closures.

· STEAM Resources for students to explore their curiosity for all things relative to science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Included is the VCL STEAM Fun Playlist from YouTube featuring librarians as they explore fun STEAM topics through interactive lessons.

The new pages for teens are:

· Teens Reading features CloudLibrary, other digital book resources, and VCL’s Spring Reading Challenge.

· Boredom Busters has fun ideas to keep teens busy.

· Virtual Volunteering offers online volunteering opportunities for youth who need community service credit for school, or for those who want to help the library. There are also fun activities related to art, music, reading, gaming, and more.

On the new page for adults, find quick access to CloudLibrary, reader’s advisory, the Spring Reading Challenge, and genealogy resources.

Ventura County Library offers the community an online gathering place through its virtual library.

For additional information, contact Dana Vinke, Ventura County Library Deputy Director at (805) 212-9558.

Los Angeles County Beaches Will Reopen to the Public for Active Use on May 13th

Yesterday, it was announced that Los Angeles County beaches will reopen to the public on May 13th, subject to the following rules:

• Active use only - Swimming, surfing, running, walking, individual/family activities and exercise.

• No sunbathing, sitting on the sand, canopies, coolers or picnicking.

Physical distancing of at least 6 feet from others and face covering when outside the water and around others is required.

Beach parking lots, bike paths, piers and boardwalks remain closed at this time.

www.facebook.com/lacdbh/posts/3248124598552479

Santa Monica Mountains to Reopen Trails and Parking Lots on Saturday, May 9th

The National Park Service announced today that trails and parking lots will be reopening in the Santa Monica Mountains tomorrow.

Visitor centers at King Gillette Ranch and the Satwiwa Native American Cultural Center will remain closed for the time being. Solstice Canyon trails and parking lots will also remain closed.

Proper 6 foot social distancing must continue to be practiced. Bring a mask and wear it when you pass other people. Do not gather in groups - head outdoors with members of your household only. NPS encourages use of your nearest trails.

More details at www.facebook.com/santamonicamtns/photos/a.10152067500718660/10157339887273660/?type=3&theater.