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.
Smokey's House of BBQ at 1201 S. Victoria Avenue in Oxnard closed its doors in January of this year. It was previously on the Kids Eat Free list. But their Dana Point location is still open if you're ever down that way. www.SmokeysHouseofBBQ.com
The Tipsy Goat is located at 159 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, in the old Enrique's Mexican Restaurant (for you old timers) and adjacent to Outback Steakhouse. With its unique name, The Tipsy Goat brought a lot of curiosity in the months leading up to opening its doors on March 14, 2011, just in time for Saint Patrick's Day.
I made it over to The Tipsy Goat for the first time on Thursday, March 31st during happy hour and was pleased with what I experienced.
First off, there is plenty of parking available behind the restaurant, so just drive to the back via the driveway to the left.
If you walk in through the back, as I did, you'll first see a room with two pool tables (bring $1 per game) and several TVs.
Then as you walk towards the front you'll see a shuffleboard on the left, then the next room has a dartboard and several tables, leading to the large outdoor patio of the restaurant.
The most popular areas when I was there was the outdoor area and the bar, which has probably 10 to 12 smaller tables with barstools. Then there's one more room full of comfy leather couches.
Mind you, as a busy dad, I don't consider myself a bar expert anymore, but this place was fun and low key. The servers were laid back and we enjoyed the cold beer and tried several appetizers - the pulled pork sliders and the chicken wings. They were bargain priced before 7pm (only $5) and hit the spot.
Loved the sliders, which came with cross-cut fries. I'm not a big wing guy but I liked these because they were large wings, plenty of meat, not overly messy (I got enough messes to clean up at home :>). Otherwise, the menu seems to have a decent array of tasty sounding items, including Irish themed goodies like Shephard's Pie and corned beef and cabbage.
So we enjoyed hanging out, played a few games of darts, one game of pool, ate, and had a good time. I also noticed it was family friendly, with several kids and families. We left around 8:30 p.m. and the crowd was changing by then as us geezers realized it was bedtime.
Visit www.tipsygoat.com or call 805.494.9996 for more information.
And now for a FroYo breaking news update. As some of you may know, my kids and I are voracious consumers of Frozen Yogurt (and click here for a list of 80 or so FroYo joints around Ventura County).
I've discovered that the long-awaited Luna Blu frozen yogurt cafe opened its doors at the Simi Valley Town Center last week. I walked by the storefront late last year as it was under construction and it looks like a cool place. Good luck, Luna Blu!
But on a not so happy note, I recently was informed by a fellow Twitterer via this Tweet that Blizz Frozen Yogurt at The Lakes is no longer there. I have independently confirmed this fact. :>
So consider yourself up to speed and let us know, Yo, of any other additions, changes or deletions to the master list of FroYo on the down low in Ventura County, you know.
Free Public Outdoor Wi-Fi Access in Downtown Ventura
The City of Ventura announced last week that free wireless broadband service has been launched in the public spaces of Downtown. Residents and visitors can stay "connected" through the network, provided by the Downtown Parking Management Program, to access the Internet, retrieve e-mail, or surf the Web without being connected to network cables.
The network, "Downtown Ventura Wi-Fi", offers wireless broadband service outdoors along Main Street beginning at Fir Street and continuing to the Museum of Ventura County between Poli and Santa Clara Streets.
Service is available daily during the hours of 6am - Midnight. Users can access the service for a total of one hour, to assure use by the maximum number of persons at any given time. No special settings, user names or passwords are required.
Locate the network icon on your wireless device to connect. Users must agree to accept the Terms and Conditions of use before connecting; the agreement also identifies and warns users of the potential security risks associated with the use of a non-secure public network.
Visit www.cityofventura.net for more information.
This Ventura County Sheriff's Department news release is a case study in why you don't want to tell people where you're going in Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere on the Web! Though in this case, it was a friend of the victim who made that mistake. But the good news is...the GPS system in the computer's software allowed Sheriffs to recover the computer from the culprit. Nice!
On February 18, 2011, Sheriff’s deputies from the Moorpark Patrol Station responded to a residential burglary call in an unincorporated area outside of Moorpark. Suspect(s) had entered the residence and had stolen a laptop computer.
Moorpark Station Detectives interviewed the victim and learned that a friend of the victim had innocently posted on FaceBook that the victim and his family were visiting Universal Studios on the day of the burglary. Detectives also learned that the stolen computer was equipped with a GPS system embedded into the computer’s software. Through the use of the GPS, Moorpark detectives were able to track the stolen computer to a hotel room in the City of Ventura.
With the assistance of patrol deputies from the Headquarters Station, Moorpark detectives contacted the suspect, Arnold Ikeda, at the hotel room, and arrested him for possessing the stolen computer. Ikeda was also charged with several drug related offenses, as a subsequent investigation showed that he was also involved in narcotics sales from the hotel room. During the investigation, a second suspect, Desiree Lovio, arrived at the location and was also arrested on drug related charges.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is reminding everyone who uses social networking websites to do so responsibly. Be cautious of the information you post on these sites as criminals have the ability to learn of your daily activities and use the information to facilitate their crimes.
On 03/20/2011, at about 4:45 PM, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office began receiving calls of overdue hikers in the Ventura County backcountry. It was quickly determined that many of these missing individuals were all associated with a professional hiking group - the “Los Padres Sierra Club.” The reporting parties said the club members had not returned from an overnight camping trip in the Los Padres National Forest. The number of missing club members was believed to be around 20 to 30 members.
As the information developed further, it was learned that this group of hikers set out into the forest on Saturday morning, 03/19/2011, in the face of the on-coming storm. The club then split into three separate groups, with each group being led by a Sierra Club “team leader” and each group hiking in a different area of the forest. The information as to exactly where these three groups planned to hike was limited. According to the reporting parties, their plan was to spend the night in the mountains and then hike out Sunday morning.
Through interviews with concerned family members, it was determined the three groups were likely in or around the Middle Matillija, Middle Lions Camp, and Potrero John areas of the Los Padres National Forest. All three of these areas can be accessed off of Hwy 33, above the City of Ojai. Sheriff’s personnel were also able to obtain vehicle information from the reporting parties, so Search and Rescue (SAR) resources were immediately deployed to the above-mentioned areas to try and locate the missing vehicles at the various campgrounds and/or trailheads that dot the area. A Sheriff’s helicopter was also dispatched to assist with the search, however the helicopter was unable to access the mountain areas due to the high winds, rain and poor visibility generated from the powerful storm system.
The Upper Ojai Mountain Rescue Team was able to locate several vehicles believed to belong to the Sierra Club hiking parties in the areas of Lion’s Camp and Potrero John. The SAR Team checked the immediate area around these locations, however they were unable to hike down the trails due to swollen and treacherous water crossings that had developed due to the heavy rains and large amount of storm run off. As a result, and due to safety concerns, the decision was made to suspend further rescue operations until the next morning.
As the Ojai SAR Team was leaving the area, the SAR Team Captain (Bill Slaughter) noticed some lights coming from a ridge top. The area where the lights were coming from was on top of a steep cliff. Believing the lights to be associated with some of the missing Sierra Club hikers, a ground based search and rescue operation was immediately initiated. Members of the East Valley Mountain Rescue Team responded to assist the Ojai SAR Team with the rescue. SAR members were given assignments to try and access the area on foot. At about 11:00 PM, SAR members made contact with (4) four of the missing Sierra Club members – all of whom were in a very precarious situation. The four members ex
CLU to dedicate Child Development Center
Facility has children’s kitchen, outdoor learning areas
A dedication for the new $2 million Fredrickson Family Early Childhood Center at California Lutheran University will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 25.
Children from the center will perform and donors will be honored during the ceremony, which is open to the public. Afterward, people can take self-guided tours.
The 4,738-foot facility provides more than double the space of the renovated house where the center had been located. It has an infant room and laundry, which will enable teachers to care for six babies in addition to the 50 toddlers and preschoolers they can currently serve. The kitchen has a child-sized island that will allow teachers to provide hands-on cooking and baking experiences for the chil
Guest writer was part of the "invisible" homeless in the Conejo Valley at the time of writing this post. He has since regained his footing and is doing great.
(Photo Credit: Lesley Bryce Photography in Camarillo)
Why do I feel the need to regularly return to the last place that made me happy? I can’t afford the gas to drive there, yet I believe that I have too. I sometimes think it’s therapeutic, and all I have left. I guess it’s because I miss my dogs terribly, and driving there brings me marginally closer to the good times I had with them.
My dogs loved and cared about me even with all my problems. They didn’t want to leave the minute the money ran out. They didn’t blame every bad choice or unfortunate circumstance on me. They unconditionally stood by me during the good and bad times. They truly are a man's best friend. Sadly, they’ve been gone for nearly six months now, and my grief offers me no re
Camp Helping Hands® Partners with the White House to give campers President’s Volunteer Service Award
Thousand Oaks summer camp Camp Helping Hands® announces its new partnership with The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. As a service-learning camp, Camp Helping Hands campers and volunteer staff members can apply their summer camp service hours toward attainment of the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
The Council created the award as a way to honor outstanding volunteers and to inspire others to help out in their community. Most colleges today emphasize service as a requirement for acceptance, so this is an award kids can proudly put on their resumes and college applications.
“This recognition is also something that our campers can refer to for the rest of their lives. It’s a wonderful way to emphasis to kids how service is such an integral and valued part of our nation's past and present," co-founder Anne Marquart said.
Depending on which award the participant earns, they can receive a President’s Volunteer Service Award lapel pin, a personalized certificate of achievement and a congratulatory letter from President Barack Obama.
Levels range from Bronze Level for kids who complete 50 to 74 hours, to Gold Level for kids who complete over one hundred hours. The highest award, the President’s Call to Service Award, is given to kids of all ages that complete 4,000 hours of service over a lifetime.
Camp Helping Hands is excited for its campers and volunteer staff with The President’s Council.
“Not only does this partnership validate the need for a program like Camp Helping Hands, but it also allows us to honor our campers, which will no doubt help further their lifelong commitment to service,” co-founder Meredith Cornelius said.
About Camp Helping Hands
The Camp Helping Hands project began when co-founder Cornelius realized her upper-middle class six-year-old daughter was spoiled. Understanding that her daughter was incapable of knowing what life is like when you don’t always have what you need, she decided it was time for her to learn compassion and empathy by volunteering her time to help others not as fortunate as her.
After researching service areas of interest on the Internet, they found a definite lack of programs accepting young children as volunteers.
Cornelius saw this as an opportunity and thought a summer camp would fit the bill. She knew this project was too big to tackle alone, so longtime friend Anne Marquart was asked to join the team as partner and co-founder.
The camp will take place at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks from July 18 to August 7, 2011. Service excursions will include trips to the Agoura Animal Shelter, Waste Management, Join the Farm and Community Roots Garden.
For more information about Camp Helping Hands, visit www.camphelpinghands.com or call 805-244-5071
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