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.
It was cloudy and relatively cool this morning and then we saw hot and humid monsoonal weather the rest of the day, this first day of August 2017 in the Conejo Valley.
The temperatures gradually cooled as the clouds built up again in the late afternoon to early evening, when we were greeted by this beautiful rainbow around 7pm tonight.
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
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!
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.
Top of the Potrero Grade before the descent towards Camarillo.
Potrero Road is a two-lane alternative from Newbury Park to Camarillo that takes you through some twists and turns at the top before straightening out a bit after the initial drop. Here's what the reverse drive looks like, just east of CSU Channel Islands up to just before the Rancho Potrero Open Space after cresting the the top.
If you a driving a big rig...forget this road and head back towards the 101. Trucks with over two axles are forbidden from taking this route with a 7% grade (with the exception of local deliveries).
For those that live in Newbury Park, Potrero Road is a nice way to get to beaches at Point Mugu State Park, including Sycamore Cove and Thornhill Broome.
CLICK HERE FOR PUBLIC BEACHES STRETCHING FROM MALIBU TO OXNARD
Ventura City Hall (aka San Buenaventura City Hall) was originally built as the Ventura County Courthouse in 1912. Located at 501 Poli Street on a hill overlooking the City of Ventura and the Pacific Ocean, it has a terra cotta exterior, copper sheathed dome and Italian marble foyer.
The Courthouse was in use until 1969, when it was deemed to be an earthquake risk. However, the City of Ventura purchased the building from the county and renovated and made structural improvements to it. The building has functioned as Ventura City Hall since 1974.
It was designated State of California Landmark No. 847 in December 1970 and named to the National Register of Historic Places in August 1971.
Ventura County Court House photo dated February 1971 (Photo Credit: City of Ventura).
The original architect of the Courthouse was Albert C. Martin, who also designed Grauman's Chinese Theater (now TLC Chinese Theatre) in Hollywood.
According to the City's website, the 200-foot frontage by 135 foot depth annex was completed in 1932, after five years of work supervised by architect Harold Burkett. Between the first and second floor windows of City Hall are 24 faces, each depicting whimsical friars' faces which serve as a historical reminder that the City of San Buenaventura was one of the nine original Mission towns founded by Father Junipero Serra and Franciscan friars in 1782.
According to the City's website, significant restoration to the building's terra cotta exterior took place in 1987-88 and 2004-5. In 1987-88, it took 16 months of steam cleaning to restore 3,600 terra cotta tiles on City Hall West, including replacing 959 damaged tiles. In 2005, the complex's entire façade was restored, repairing 10,000 blocks by sanding and repainting, replacing 100 damaged blocks and installing a water repellant over the walls and joints.
The end result is that this is one beautiful, can't miss, historic building in Ventura County. More on Ventura City Hall at www.cityofventura.ca.gov/1098/Ventura-City-Hall.
One of the 24 friars' faces on the building taken February 1971 (Photo Credit: City of Ventura).
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.
Conejo Valley Guide is a participant in the following affiliate programs: Amazon Associates, Groupon Affiliates and from time to time other affiliate programs. These affiliate advertising programs are designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to the respective eCommerce sites. Some links on the site may be affiliate links. We get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these links on our site. Learn more at paidforadvertising.com.
