Boy Scouts of America Launches "Scout Me In" Campaign for Boys and Girls

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) recently unveiled the new Scout Me In campaign that features girls, as well as boys, in its iconic Cub Scout program for the first time. Starting this summer, all kids are invited to say, “Scout Me In,” as they join the fun, adventure and character-building opportunities found in Cub Scouts. 

The Scout Me In campaign celebrates the BSA’s expansion to serve families and welcome girls and boys into Scouting in communities across the country. It reinforces that the mission and core values in the Scout Oath and Scout Law are welcoming, inclusive and foundational for both young men and women. Since announcing the BSA’s historic decision to welcome girls into Scouting, more than 3,000 girls across the nation have already enrolled in the BSA’s Early Adopter Program and are participating in Cub Scouts ahead of the full launch later this year.

About the Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®” The Scouting organization is composed of nearly 2.3 million youth members between the ages of 5 and 21 and approximately 960,000 volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, please visit www.scouting.org.

Visit the Boy Scouts of America Ventura County Council website at www.vccbsa.org.

Fun, Games and Exercise at Westlake Village Community Park

Westlake Village Community Park is a spectacular 19 acre site built atop a hill at 31107 Thousand Oaks Boulevard, just west of Lindero Canyon.

There are baseball fields, soccer fields, the 55,000 square foot Triunfo YMCA (which will open at some point in the future), playground, exercise circuit, skate park and plenty of parking.

The HealthBeat Outdoor Fitness System for ages 13+ is designed for beginner, intermediate and advanced users looking for an outdoor workout.  Kind of an interesting assortment of workout stations that can be a fun addition to your workout routine.

Unfinished Triunfo YMCA in the background.

Instructions on proper use of each station is at playlsi.com/hb. More on the park at www.wlv.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/Westlake-Village-Community-Park-12.

Blue Star Museums Program Free Admission to Active Duty Military at 1,800+ Museums

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day each year.

Free admission is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card, or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes active duty U.S. military  - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps - and up to five family members.

Local area museums in Ventura County, Santa Barbara and nearby areas that are participating

• Carnegie Art Museum in Oxnard
• Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
• Santa Barbara Museum of Art
• Museum of Ventura County in Ventura

For a complete list of museums participating in the Blue Star Museums program, visit www.arts.gov/national/blue-star-museums.

Thousand Oaks Community Park Has Several Unique Features Worth Exploring

Thousand Oaks Community Park, located at 2525 N. Moorpark Road, just north of Thousand Oaks High School, has something for everyone. This large, park is home to the Thousand Oaks Community Center, a hub for year-round events and activities for all ages. The center has a full-size gym, several fully-enclosed racquetball courts and other great features. More info at www.crpd.org/parkfac/1koaks.

If you have young kids, probably the most popular feature of this park is the playground and adjoining "Ant Hill." The Ant Hill is a unique, small man-made hill covered with artificial grass that is a fun play slide area for the kids. Bring a piece of cardboard and enjoy the ride.

This nearly 36 acre park also has soccer and softball fields, four tennis courts, one sand volleyball court and plenty of picnic area. Both the park and the community center are popular for birthday parties. On the east side of the park is another unique feature you won't find in other parks, the Rabbit Flats Disc Golf Course. I connected with a group enjoying a Saturday round on this nine acre course and learned that there are specialized discs for disc golf.

The course is free to the public. I'd recommend a walk-through first to explore. Just be mindful of flying discs!

The Libbey Community Playground at Libbey Park in Ojai

The Libbey Community Playground was built and completed by volunteers in October 2015. 

The community also provided input into the design of the playground, which is one of the coolest playgrounds for young kids in Ventura County now from my vantage point. Over 500 people volunteered for the project and numerous local organizations provided supplies. Amazingly, this beautiful playground was built in only six days!

The most prominent feature of the playgrounds is a large wooden fort-like structure with treehouse, rock wall, slides, climbing rock, monkey bards, maze, fire pole, swings and many other features. The park has sections geared towards ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12.

Quad Pod Spinner at Libbey Playground

The park also has a unique looking "quad pod spinner," a newer, what looks to be safer, version of the traditional "spin around in circles" playground equipment many of us remember from our youth. 

And one other feature is the "Turf Hill," a small sliding hill, similar to the "Ant Hill" at Thousand Oaks Community Park.

If you are in Ojai with young kids, well this is an obvious "must do" attraction. Libbey Park is located in the heart of Ojai, the smallest city in Ventura County in terms of population.

Libbey Park is adjacent to Libbey Bowl, which hosts a number of concerts and events year-round.

THINGS TO DO IN OJAI

The Turf Hill at Libbey Community Playground

Where to Volunteer to Decorate a Rose Parade Float

During winter break, many parents struggle to find something new and different to do with the kids. Something you may not have thought about is - volunteering to help decorate a Rose Parade entry! Talk about a unique experience!

As you are probably aware, Rose Parade floats must be completely covered by flowers and other natural materials, such as leaves, seeds and bark. It's a lot of work decorating those masterpieces! 

So how do you go about volunteering? Start with this list of commercial float builders and organizations that build their own floats for volunteer opportunities. The minimum age is generally 12 or 13 and you must sign a waiver.

Commercial Float Builders:

• Artistic Entertainment Services in Azusa: All spots full as of 12/27/17
• Fiesta Parade Floats in Irwindale:  All spots full as of 12/27/17
• Phoenix Decorating Company in Irwindale: Slots on 12/31/17 still open as of 12/27/17 through the Kiwanis Club
• Paradiso Parade Floats in Irwindale: Spots still available 12/28-12/30 as of 12/27/17

Self-Built Float Organizations:

• Burbank Tournament of Roses Association: Ages 7 and up; volunteers accepted on first-come basis
• Cal Poly Pomona and SLO: Ages 16 and up; all slots booked for 2017
• Downey Rose Float Association: Ages 13 and up; first-come, first-served volunteer slots
• La Canada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association: Minimum age not indicated; pre-registration is closed but walk-ins are possible
• Sierra Madre Rose Float Association: Limited slots available
• South Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association: Registration closed but walk-ons are welcome

Grant Park in Ventura is a No Brainer for Panoramic Views of the Coast

The 107 acre Grant Park is easily accessible from Downtown Ventura via Brakey Road or Summit Drive in Ventura and is a quick and easy way to get your dose of coastal views. There's no playground, restrooms, water or other facilities at this park. But there's plenty of open space and scenery below.

The view looking the opposite direction of the Pacific Ocean, over the western-most section residential section of Ventura.Several other notable items at Grant Park are the privately owned Serra Cross Park and the Ventura Botanical Gardens Demonstration Trail.

You can spend 10 minutes up here for a quick dose of views or you could spend half a day up here resting, hiking, picnicking and enjoying the ocean breezes.

At the very, very top of Grant Park is this lone bench.