2023 Ride of Silence in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday, May 17th

Residents are encouraged to participate in the annual Ride of Silence on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at Pedals & Pints Brewing Company, 156 West Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks.

The International Ride of Silence unites people worldwide who ride bicycles and those who love them in solemn remembrance of the tragic deaths and terrible injuries caused by motorists. Over 600 cyclists are fatally injured by motor vehicles on America’s roads each year.

Bicycle riders of all ages and abilities are encouraged to join the Conejo Valley Ride of Silence. The groups rides silently together for 10 miles on some of the busiest Thousand Oaks roads during rush hour. By doing so, the group reminds drivers that cyclists are traffic too and educate drivers to be more attentive and careful when sharing the roads. To ensure the safety of all, the Ride of Silence is escorted by the Thousand Oaks Sheriff's Department. The Conejo Valley Ride of Silence is hosted by the Conejo Valley Cyclists with the support of the Thousand Oaks Bicycle Advisory Team and the Ventura-Conejo Bicycle Coalition.

Gather at The Oaks Mall near Pedals & Pints Brewing beginning at 5:30pm. A ceremony at 5:45 will honor cyclists who have lost their lives to vehicular violence. After the ceremony, at approximately 6:00, the entire group will roll out to the solemn tones of a lone bagpiper. The procession of silent riders will keep an even pace of about 10-11 miles per hour, making it achievable by most riders. Helmets are mandatory.

Register at www.eventbrite.com/e/conejo-valley-ride-of-silence-tickets-579743577647

For information on the Ride of Silence or www.rideofsilence.org.

Safe Boating Open House at Channel Islands Harbor on Saturday, May 20, 2023

In conjunction with National Safe Boating Week, the U.S. Coast Guard Station Channel Islands will host its Annual Safe Boating Open House on from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday May 20, 2023 at the Coast Guard Station, located at 4201 S. Victoria Ave. in Oxnard. Admission and parking are free.

USCG Boat Tours & Helicopter Rescue

Multiple public safety agencies will be present to demonstrate and provide an opportunity for the public to learn about recreational safe boating. Active duty members of the Coast Guard will conduct informative tours of their rescue boats and the USCG Cutter “Blacktip.”

Highlights include USCG Helicopter rescue demonstration over Channel Islands Harbor. Boaters may receive free life jacket exchange, drop-off expired flare disposal collected by the Ventura County Sheriff Office – Bomb Squad, Touch a Truck with Ventura County Fire Department, and much more.

Families and Children are welcome. Kids will delight with the antics of the talking Coastie Safety Boat robot! There are several information booths with safety brochures, boating safety class registration, vessel safety check RSVP, and all things to help adults and children learn about safe boating.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and the members of the active duty Coasties will be on hand to answer your questions and make your visit to the station enjoyable.

www.channelislandsharbor.org/event/2023-u-s-coast-guard-safe-boating-open-house

Father's Day Event at the Simi Valley Town Center on Saturday, June 17, 2023

The Simi Valley Town Center is hosting a Father’s Day event from 2pm to 10pm on Saturday, June 17, 2023. Here’s the lineup of activities:

10am to 10pm - Bounce houses in the Center Court

2pm to 10pm - Beer Garden in the Center Court (for the dads, not the kids :))

4pm to 9pm - Coachmen Car Show in the parking lot

5pm to 7pm - Dancers in the Center Court

6pm: A-Boxing in the Center Court

7pm: Neil Diamond tribute band Fantastic Diamond performs

simivalleytowncenter.com/user/event-detail/168

Ivor Davis: Up Close and Personal with Malcom McDowell at the Museum of Ventura County on Saturday, March 25th

Join us at the Museum of Ventura County on Saturday, March 25, 2023 @ 6:30PM—8PM for the next installment of Ivor Davis: Up Close & Personal. Returning, this time in-person, is legendary actor and raconteur extraordinaire Malcolm McDowell, winner of Ojai Film Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

McDowell’s impressive career puts him in the pantheon of the all-time great British-born actors from Laurence Olivier to Michael Caine to Anthony Hopkins. McDowell’s dazzling career has spanned more than 50 years, where he has starred in scores of movies, including Stanley Kubrick’s iconic “Clockwork Orange,” Lindsay Anderson’s “O Lucky Man!,” “Caligula,” “Bombshell,” “Time After Time,” and “The Artist.” His vast television credits include “Entourage,” the animated series “South Park” and “Mozart in the Jungle.”

MVC Members can attend in-person or tune-in on Zoom for free. Non-Members can purchase in-person tickets for $10 or $5 for Zoom tickets.

The Museum is located at 100 E Main Street in Ventura.

Purchase tickets at www.venturamuseum.org/event/ivor-davis-up-close-and-personal-with-malcom-mcdowell

SoCal Ride & Rally to Defeat ALS in Newbury Park on Saturday, May 6, 2023

The 7th annual SoCal Ride and Rally to Defeat ALS is a one-day community event designed to appeal to every level of cyclist, hiker, walker and supporter of The Golden West Chapter of The ALS Association. It's all happening on May 6 at Dos Vientos Community Park from 7:30am to 2pm. This fundraiser helps support members of the local community who are impacted by ALS Disease.

Cyclists can take the 40-mile or 25-mile route with a lovely rest stop at the Elks Lodge in Thousand Oaks. Hikers have a 6-mile outing on the Powerline Trail. A wheelchair-friendly Family Walk of .7 miles around the park will also be available. Registration fees start at $20 for the Family Walk, $35 for the hike and $55 for bike riders. Fees increase on April 1.

Coffee, bagels and fresh fruit are provided at the start of the activities. Upon crossing the finish line participants partake of a delicious lunch, live music, and refreshing beverages.

Register or donate at https://secure.alsagoldenwest.org/site/TR?pg=informational&fr_id=1140&type=fr_informational&sid=1021

Moorpark College and Ventura County Astronomical Society Present "Total Solar Eclipse" Presentation on Friday, March 17th

Moorpark College and the Ventura County Astronomical Society present a stargazers event, “Total Solar Eclipse,” on Friday, March 17th at 7:30 p.m.

On April 8, 2024, the moon’s shadow will sweep across Mexico and the United States, bringing the most spectacular nature’s event close to us. Where will you be in the 4+ minutes of totality? Professor Hal Jandorf will present an exciting illustrated lecture about past total solar eclipses and how to plan, observe and photograph this coming one. He has observed and photographed eight total solar eclipses around the world.

This is a free event at the Moorpark College Forum, 7075 Campus Road, AA building, room #147. RSVP to mcfoundation@vcccd.edu.

MoorparkCollege.edu/Give 805-553-4761

Moorpark College and Ventura County Astronomical Society Presents "A Trip to Mars" Presentation on February 24th

Moorpark College Astronomy Department in Partnership with the Moorpark College Foundation and Ventura County Astronomical Society (VCAS) presents Dr. Brian Moncelli of JPL/NASA on Friday February 24, 2023 at 7:30 PM at the Moorpark College Forum, 7075 Campus Rd, Moorpark.

Dr. Brian Moncelli will discuss the recent Rover Perseverance and SHERLOC and Watson. These instruments will investigate past micro-bionic life in Martian geology. This will be an exciting and fact filled slide show/lecture!

Dr. Moncelli is a Principal Optical Engineer and Technical Group Supervisor at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He was part of the team that assembled, aligned, integrated and tested SherLOC.

RSVP to mcfoundation@vcccd.edu

Last meeting was standing room only.

Please arrive early to make sure you find a seat.

MoorparkCollege.edu/Give www.moorparkcollege.edu/events/join-dr-brian-moncelli-nasajpl

Please RSVP to mcfoundation@vcccd.edu. More info at 805-553-4761

CSU Channel Islands Presents Black Scholars on Black Lives Virtual Presentations in Feb/Mar

CSUCI Broome Library presents Black educators across the nation for “Black Scholars on Black Lives” virtual presentations

Imagine analyzing the horrors aboard the Spanish ship La Amistad which was used to transport enslaved Africans to Cuba in 1839, or touring the Underground Railroad Museum in Kentucky—without ever leaving your home or classroom.

That’s the revolutionary teaching technique used by Morehouse University Assistant Professor of History Ovell Hamilton, who uses virtual reality in his “Metaversity,” which has proven so successful, that other departments are now using virtual reality for other disciplines at Morehouse such as biology, nursing, sociology and journalism, to name a few.

Hamilton will detail his use of virtual reality to teach Black History on Tuesday, Feb. 21 from 9 to 10 a.m. with “The history of the African Diaspora in the Metaverse,” one of several online presentations in the “Black Scholars on Black Lives” lecture series, coordinated by CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI)’s John Spoor Broome Library.

The “Black Scholars on Black Lives” lecture series will be held periodically throughout the year, but there will be weekly lectures throughout the month of February in honor of Black History Month.

“We know Black scholars don’t get their works published as much as white scholars,” explained Library Head of Instruction, Engagement and Assessment Colleen Harris. “Their research methods are not as valued—especially because much of their research is community-based, which bears the consequence of not valuing Black communities. This was an effort to shine a spotlight on Black scholarship.”

Harris began putting together the online library lecture series during the pandemic as a means to keep students engaged while learning remotely. They were so popular, that she has continued to search for and arrange for Black scholars across the nation to speak to CSUCI students and the public.

“The lectures are free and open to the public, and because it’s virtual, we can invite Black Scholars from around the world to speak,” Harris said.

University of California Merced Associate Professor of Sociology Whitney Pirtle will present “I Didn’t Know What Anti-Blackness Was Until I Got Here: Exploring the Unmet Needs of Black Students at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI)s” from 4 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Many universities, including CSUCI, have received the federal designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution because of a number of factors including the percentage of Hispanic students and specific programs designed to support their success.

But how well do HSIs serve Black students? That’s the question Pirtle has explored with research she has conducted indicating that a significant number of Black students’ perceptions are that they feel underserved and experienced a sense of anti-Blackness on an institutional, organizational and interpersonal level.

And finally, on Thursday, March 2, from 4 to 5 p.m., University of California Santa Barbara Assistant Professor of Race and Higher Education Antar A. Tichavakunda will present “Black Joy and Why it Matters in Higher Education.”

Tichavakunda’s presentation will address the experiences Black students have at predominately white colleges and universities, and more broadly, take a look at the sociology of race and higher education.

“He’s going to be talking about how Black students build ‘worlds’ to protect and nurture themselves as they move through an environment that was never built for them and has been actively hostile toward them,” Harris said. “He will show how we can build a sense of community for our Black students.”

Five CSUCI students who attend the lecture will win a copy of Tichavakunda’s book “Black Campus Life: The Worlds Black Students Make at a Historically White Institution,” which is about the intersection of a limited number of college graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, and the state of race relations in higher education.

The presentations are free and open to the public. Registration for each session is available online:

Feb. 15, Whitney Pirtle - "I Didn't Know What Anti-Blackness Was Until I Got Here": Exploring the Unmet Needs of Black Students at HSIs. Register at https://csuci.libcal.com/event/10161991

Feb. 21, Ovell Hamilton - "The History of the African Diaspora in the Metaverse" https://csuci.libcal.com/event/10162666

March 2, Antar Tichavakunda - "Black Joy and Why it Matters for Higher Education" https://csuci.libcal.com/event/10052724

Additional information is available at https://libguides.csuci.edu/events/black-scholars-series.

Conejo Valley Cars & Coffee Meetup - 1st and 3rd Saturday of the Month in Thousand Oaks

Conejo Valley Cars and Coffee meets every first and third Saturday of the month from 7am to 10am at the Firestone Auto Center, The Oaks Mall, 598 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks.

The general public and car aficionados are welcome to enjoy classics, muscle cars and exotics.

Upcoming Dates: February 4th

Learn more at www.cvcarsandcoffee.com.

2023 Point Mugu Air Show Planned for March 18-19 at Naval Base Ventura County

The U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, will be joined by the U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, as co-headliners for the 2023 Point Mugu Air Show March 18-19, at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC), 311 Main Road, Point Mugu.

For 77 years, the Blue Angels have showcased the teamwork and professionalism of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps through flight demonstrations and community outreach while inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country for nearly 500 million fans. The Blues showcase the mainstay of modern Naval air power operating off U.S. aircraft carriers, the combat-proven F/A-18 Super Hornet, along with the Marine Corps' premiere logistics support aircraft, the C-130J.

The Thunderbirds perform for people all around the world to display the pride, precision, and professionalism the U.S. Air Force represents. Through air shows and flyovers, they aim to excite and inspire. In addition to showcasing the elite skills all pilots must possess, the Thunderbirds demonstrate the incredible capabilities of the Air Force’s premier multi-role fighter jet, the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

The Point Mugu Air Show will be the third time America’s premiere demonstration squadrons have performed at the same public event, and the first time at Point Mugu.

The Point Mugu Air Show, Ventura County’s largest public event, is open to the public on March 18, 19, 2023. Gates open at 8 a.m. daily. Honors/national anthem at 10 a.m. Performances begin at noon.

Parking, admission, and blanket seating are free. Upgraded preferred seating options will be available.

NBVC is a strategically located Navy installation composed of three operating facilities: Point Mugu, Port Hueneme and San Nicolas Island. NBVC is the home of the Pacific Seabees, West Coast E-2D Hawkeyes, 3 warfare centers and 80 tenants.

To learn more, visit www.pointmuguairshow.com.