The Conejo Valley Guide "Welcome" blog covers a wide range of topics, local information, highlights of local things to do, compilations and other items. Focus is on information relevant to Ventura County and surrounding areas, including Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Newbury Park, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Malibu, Simi Valley, Camarillo, Moorpark, Somis, Fillmore, Santa Paula, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Barbara and Moorpark.
The Conejo Valley Guide® "Welcome" blog covers a wide range of topics, local information, local things to do, holiday event compilations, announcements and more.
What a way to start out the month of August! Avid local runner and prolific age group top placer Susan Kielsmeier caught this rare sight this morning on a trail in Rancho Sierra Vista in Newbury Park.
Although the initial thought was that this was a mating dance, I believe this is actually a "combat dance" between two males to win the heart of a nearby female.
Everyone is on different school schedules...from Conejo Valley to Moorpark, Camarillo, Ventura, etc. Let's take a look at the first/last days of school as well as extended days off from school over the 2017-2018 school year.
Note: This list is for informational and amusement purposes only. Please be sure to double-check school start dates with your local school to be sure! This list does not include minimum school days and other single days off.
The first day of school for the 2017-2018 school year ranges from August 8th in the Oak Park Unified School District to August 30th at Camarillo schools that are part of the Pleasant Valley School District.
Schools listed below by order of first day of school.
Oak Park Unified School District
Santa Paula Unified School District (Elementary)
Santa Paula Unified School District (Middle, High Schools)
Simi Valley Unified School District
Oxnard School District (Elementary/Middle Schools)
Oaks Christian High School and Middle School
Fillmore Unified School District
Santa Monica-Malibu School District
Carpinteria Unified School District
Rio School District (El Rio, Riverpark, portions of Oxnard)
Conejo Valley Unified School District
Ventura Unified School District
Las Virgenes Unified School District (Agoura/Calabasas)
Moorpark Unified School District
Oxnard Union High School District
Hueneme Elementary School District
Pleasant Valley (Camarillo) School District
"Perfect Match" by Local Artist Chuck Trunks
Yes, most of us know that, living in the Conejo Valley and it seems most of Ventura County, many places seem to close by 10 pm. So why not get to bed early and check out some of these great daytime activities around the area! Most of these make for a great "cheap" date! Others are not so inexpensive but worth checking out!
Boats, Bikes, Biplanes and Other Speedy Activities
Theater, Music and Art Activities
More Music as Well as Fine Arts and Dance Groups
A Grab Bag of Other Fun Activities (Indoor Rock Climbing, Fencing, Kayaking, etc.)
Have Fun With Some of These Local Hobby/Social Clubs
The of course there's all sorts of upcoming events in the area! Check the Events Calendar or check out upcoming events by "type" by CLICKING HERE.
HERE'S A COMPILATION OF LOCAL VENUES WITH LIVE MUSIC AND OTHER ACTIVITIES
This covers many, but not all things to do in Ventura County! Explore the site for more ideas and LET US KNOW if we're missing something you think should be in here! We're always adding new stuff to do!! Now go out and HAVE SOME FUN!!
A Westlake Village Rocks group has been launched by CReATE STUDIO and Girls Club Strong to spread the joy of painting, hiding and finding cheerful rocks in the City of Westlake Village. And of course, you are encouraged to post photos of the inspirational, comical and/or beautiful rocks you have discovered, and perhaps re-hid, on the Westlake Village Rocks Facebook page at www.facebook.com/westlakevillagerocks.
There is also a Newbury Park Rocks group and others around Ventura County.
Image courtesy of Newbury Park Rocks Facebook Page
I didn't think much of it when a Facebook Page called "Newbury Park Rocks" contacted us to share a little about but what they do.
So what do they do? Well, apparently this is becoming "a thing" throughout the country. The group paints, hides and finds decorative, painted rocks in the Newbury Park area.
Grab a rock and paint something whimsical, funny, inspirational and/or uplifting on it. After it dries, place it somewhere, partially hidden, such that someone will discover and enjoy that rock.
Well that certainly is a fun idea! So I thought, OK, I'll make mention of it on a Monday late morning, on the Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Page and I'm sure a few folks will find it interesting.
Well on one count, I was right. Some folks did indeed find it interesting. But I was wrong on "a few," as over 160 people have clicked the "Like" button and the interest has been very strong. I'm certain other rock hiding groups will pop up throughout Ventura County.
Cute idea!
The old windmill in Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa fell down last December apparently as a result of the very strong winds we had at the time. No word on plans to get the windmill back in places as of November 2022, six years later.
Rancho Sierra Vista "Mountain View Ranch" was the name given to the area by Carl Beal when he purchased thousands of acres of the northern section of Rancho Guadalasca in 1936 (the southern section was purchased by William Richard Broome). Beal brought modern ranching to the ranch, including a series of wells, springs and reservoirs from Boney Mountain. Later the property was sold to Richard Danielson, who farmed and ranched here with his family for 32 years. It was sold to the National Park Service in 1980.
Prior to it falling on its side, the windmill was a favorite destination in Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa. As you'll see in the latter part of the video, the windmill did function prior to its fall. The NPS will be looking into the best approach to stand it back up and assess damages to the windmill as a result of the fall. Since the windmill is located in the protected Satwiwa Native American Indian Natural Area, NPS must be mindful of its approach to minimize impact to this sacred land.
Satwiwa means "the bluffs" and was the name of a nearby Chumash village. The Satwiwa area was established to reflect the Chumash heritage. Visit the Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center on weekends from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to learn more about the Chumash from a park ranger.
The Windmill in Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa in September 2016.
In a recent survey on the Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Page, followers were asked what their favorite hamburgers were in the local area, including the Conejo Valley and adjacent areas.
What prompted the question was a 2017 Harris Poll EquiTrend® that concluded on a national level that the top burger restaurants in America currently are:
Out of the top 10 above, burgers available in the Ventura County area currently include Five Guys, In-N-Out, Wendy's, McDonald's and Smashburger.
We asked a more specific question - what is your favorite burger. A bit of a popularity contest. The winner, hands down, was In-N-Out Burger, with 39% of the vote. The closest competitor was Habit Burger, with 17% of all votes.
Five Guys is a much newer brand to our local area and thus I suspect only a fraction of folks that have eaten at In-N-Out Burger for nearly seven decades have actually tried a Five Guys burger. It received only one mention in our survey.
Other eateries that were mentioned by 4-8% of commenters were Hook Burger, Red Robin, Stacked and Umami Burger.
Others mentioned at least once included BLVD BRGR in Old Town Camarillo, Twisted Oak Tavern in Agoura, P&L Burger in Thousand Oaks, BJs, Freddy's Steakburgers in Westlake Village, Finney's Crafthouse and Kitchen in Westlake Village, Grinder Restaurant in Moorpark, Dog Haus in Thousand Oaks, Wood Ranch BBQ, Lucky Dogs at Janss Marketplace, Smashburger, Winchesters Grill in Ventura, Little Craft Creamery in Thousand Oaks, the Scratch Food Truck, Fusion Grill, Vintage Grocers, Cheesecake Factory, Breakfast Cafe, Ranch Hand BBQ and Marmalade Cafe.
So if you're looking for a good burger, this list may come in handy. Feel free to comment on your own best burger in the local area.
Conejo Valley Guide covers events, activities and things to do throughout Ventura County and surrounding areas.
Conejo Valley Guide® covers thousands of events, activities and things to do throughout Ventura County, California and surrounding areas.
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