Spring Is In the Air at the Palo Comado Canyon Trail in Oak Park

The 4.4 mile Palo Comado Canyon Trail runs from near the Cheeseboro Canyon trailhead to the China Flat trailhead in the Simi Hills, about a 1,200 foot elevation gain. But you don't have to hike the whole trail to enjoy it. One nice entry point to the trail is on Doubletree Road in Oak Park, most easily accessed via Sunnycrest Drive off of Kanan.

Today was a perfect day for a hike. With temperatures in the low 70s and a cool spring breeze in the air, not to mention some springtime colors on the hills thanks to some recent, albeit brief, rainfall.

More on Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyon, part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area, at THIS LINK.

Oxnard High School Stadium is Named After Three-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Houser

I was at a kids track meet at Oxnard High School the other day when I stopped to admire the school track and field records reflected on the large sign shown above. In admiring my way through the impressive array, I did a double take when I saw the boys' shot put record. Bud Houser has the record of 56' 3" that was set in 1922. This record is 92 years old!!

That's not something you see every day. So I took a look at the Oxnard High School website alumni section, which indicated that 1922 graduate Clarence "Bud" Houser went on to compete at the 1924 Olympics in Paris and won the gold medal in both the shot put and the discus throw! No one ever since has won gold medals in both of these events at the same Olympics.

He returned to the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam and earned another gold medal in his only event that year, the discus throw. Competing in the Olympics three times and earning the gold medal each time is pretty darn epic if you ask me. Bud Houser is a legend. I'm not the only one to observe that as the Oxnard High School stadium is named after him!

Houser was a three time national champion in the discus and two time champion in the shot put (including 1921, while he was still in high school). He held the world record of 158 feet, 1 3/4 inches in the discus throw from 1926 to 1929.

In 1979, at the age of 78, Bud was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame. He later enrolled in the dentistry program at USC and opened a dentistry practice in Palm Springs. He died in 1994 at the age of 93.

Beam Yourself Up to Some Great Upcoming Events Around Ventura County!

"Beam Me Up" by local artist Chuck Trunks

Doesn't matter what time of year...there's ALWAYS something to do in and around Ventura County. Here are links to some of our favorite types of events and activities.

FREE EVENTS

FAMILY EVENTS

KID EVENTS

FESTIVALS

FUNDRAISERS

5K/10K RUNS

FAIRS/EXPOS

And there's movies, museums, theaters, community classes, pilates, kids eat free, skateboarding, shopping, volunteering, bowling and so much more!  Have fun!

Ventura County Public Health Launches "Health Matters in Ventura County" Website

Ventura County Public Health (VCPH) recently launched Health Matters in Ventura County (www.healthmattersinvc.org), a website for accurate and timely health-related data for Ventura County. The website’s database, developed in partnership with Healthy Communities Institute (HCI), tracks more than 75 health and quality-of-life indicators in Ventura County using local, state and federal data.

In the same way that a car’s dashboard displays if a car is running well or not, www.healthmattersinvc.org’s dashboard displays health information in the form of a gauge – with green indicators showing better-than-average performance and red indicators highlighting areas needing improvement.

The unveiling of the new website corresponds with National Public Health Week (NPHW), an annual celebration sponsored by the American Public Health Association to recognize the contributions Public Health departments make in the communities they serve. This year’s NPHW theme is Public Health: Start Here.

Much like how VCPH programs help educate residents about making the right choices to achieve and maintain good health, www.healthmattersinvc.org is designed to provide decision-makers with a starting point to use when looking for the information they need to identify key health problems and develop initiatives to combat those problems. VCPH hopes that the site serves as a valuable resource to government agencies, nonprofits, educational institutions, students and community members.

The site serves as a data depository for health indicators such as HIV/AIDs, diabetes, obesity, cancer, STDs, as well as other infectious diseases. In addition, there is data for quality-of-life indicators including rates of smoking, DUIs, fast food restaurant density, water quality, violent crime and more. 

In addition to health indicators, the site also houses VCPH’s newly released health status report entitled “Transforming Ventura Communities: Understanding the Health Status and Needs of Ventura County.”  This report, funded in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Community Transformation Grant, looks closely at the socio-economic factors influencing five strategic directions: (1) Health Eating and Active Living, (2) Tobacco-Free Living, (3) High Impact Clinical Preventive Services, (4) Social and Emotional Wellbeing and (5) Healthy and Safe Physical Environments.

Walmart to Showcase New Upscale Retail Concept "The Walmart at Thousand Oaks"

Since the first Walmart store opened in July 1962, Walmart has grown to over 11,000 stores in 27 countries, employing 2.2 million worldwide. Tomorrow, Walmart will open for the first time in the Conejo Valley, with a Walmart Neighborhood Market on Ventu Park Road in Newbury Park. Unlike a Walmart Supercenter, which averages 182,000 sq ft, a Walmart Neighborhood Market runs about 38,000 sq ft and with a primary focus on groceries.

Later this year, Walmart will continue its local growth by transforming The Lakes at Thousand Oaks into a brand new Walmart Upscale retail concept. The Walmart at Thousand Oaks will take the existing design of The Lakes and create an experience that will bring something for everyone!

The Walmart at Thousand Oaks will showcase a new level of sophistication.

This first Walmart Upscale pilot will capitalize on the aesthetics of The Lakes while sharing all the conveniences a Walmart Supercenter has to offer.

P.F. Chang’s, conveniently located at E. Thousand Oaks Blvd and N. Conejo School Road, will be become P.F. Goodrich, offering tires, brakes and oil changes at discount prices. California Pizza Kitchen will be renovated into California Pizza Hut, a slightly upscale version of Pizza Hut. 

On the west side of The Walmart at Thousand Oaks, in the former home of Claim Jumper (and more recently slated to be a Lassen's Health Foods), Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza patrons will be treated to a world-class McDonald's, where the iconic golden arches will lead to Thousand Oaks City Hall. Big Mac fans will sit in comfort at The McDonald's at The Walmart at Thousand Oaks, where each seat cushion will contain a coin-operated thermostat.

Other stores will be converted into a gigantic, multi-level Walmart Supercenter, with ample use of windows and skylights for natural lighting. Driving home on the 101, you may even see your spouse shopping at The Walmart at Thousand Oaks.  The current Brighton store, however, will be retained "as is" but will be renamed Jewelry and Accessories at The Walmart at Thousand Oaks.

City planners Hugh Gotta, Bea Kiddenme and Howie Aeur believe that, while this new "upscale" project may be a bit of a surprise to some, it is certain to bring joy to local residents and visitors alike. "Additionally," indicates Kiddenme, "we believe this project is timely from drought perspective as the lakes will be drained, and replaced with pavement and the new Garden Center at The Walmart at Thousand Oaks."

In the second phase of enhancements, a pedestrian access tunnel will be constructed to enable Mastro's Steakhouse customers easy access to The Walmart at Thousand Oaks.

APRIL FOOLS'!

We LOVE The Lakes at Thousand Oaks! Happy April Fools' Day!

April Fools' fun in prior years