Jungle Land Indoor Kids Playground in Agoura Closing Its Doors November 22nd

UPDATE: New owners have taken over and opened the facility as CA Kiddo club on December 5, 2011.

Today, Jungle Land, the 5,000 sq ft indoor play facility on Canwood Street in Agoura geared towards kids up to 6 years old, announced that it will be closing. Its last day will be November 22, 2011. Jungle Land has provided safe indoor play for little ones over the last 6 years.

Jungle Land joins Jolly Jumps Party Place in Camarillo that closed its doors on September 30, 2011 (though Jolly Jumps still provides rental bounce houses and other items for parties) and The Roller Dome indoor skating rink that closed its doors in October 2010.

It is never a happy time to hear about a local business closing, though there could be a number of reasons for a particular business doing so. And of course while some places close, others open, like My Party Playhouse in Agoura and Sky High Sports - The Trampoline Place in Camarillo.

For over 100 venues and ideas for birthday parties around Ventura County, CLICK HERE!

Ventura County Star Says Thousand Oaks Chili's Closed Its Doors on November 14th

On Friday, November 11th, the VC Star reported that Chili's Thousand Oaks, located at The Promenade at Westlake, has closed its doors effective today, November 14th, after serving lunch. This can be confirmed by the lack of a Chili's Thousand Oaks location on the Chili's website tonight.

The article states that most of the 50 employees are being offered jobs at other local locations in Newbury Park, Oxnard, Simi Valley and West Hills. The Newbury Park location on Newbury Road, near In N Out Burger, is only 6 miles from the Thousand Oaks location.

So this is a primo spot if you ask me, right at the juncture of Westlake and Thousand Oaks Boulevards. Hopefully we'll see a new restaurant in there soon. Who knows, maybe another Hooters (ha ha).

Terri's Cafe in Agoura Hills is Closed

While stopping by one of my favorite local running shoes, Future Track, I noticed "Available" signs posted on the windows of Terri's Cafe, 30135 Agoura Rd, Agoura Hills. Apparently Terri's Cafe has been closed for awhile, maybe a few months or so. That is too bad, as I know several people who enjoyed the place (though apparently didn't eat there often enough to keep them in business). I peeked inside and it appears everything is still inside the restaurant, tables, signs, etc.

Across the parking lot of course is the newly opened The LAB Brewing Company. I stopped inside and it does look nice in there, with its own microbrewery.

Amgen Tour of California 2012 Host Cities Announced...Ventura County Not On the List

The Amgen Tour of California 2012 host cities were announced yesterday, and as expected, Thousand Oaks, home to title sponsor Amgen, is not on the list. In fact, the closest next year's tour gets to Ventura County is Los Angeles and Palmdale.

This is no surprise as after two years hosting a stage of the race, including the final stage in May 2011, the city annonced a few month ago that it was taking a breather this year.

The 13 Host Cities for the 2012 Amgen Tour of California include:

• Stage 1: Sunday, May 13 – Santa Rosa
• Stage 2: Monday, May 14 – San Francisco to Santa Cruz County
• Stage 3: Tuesday, May 15 – San Jose to Livermore
• Stage 4: Wednesday, May 16 – Sonora (new for 2012) to Clovis
• Stage 5: Thursday, May 17 – Bakersfield (Individual Time Trial)
• Stage 6: Friday, May 18 – Palmdale to Big Bear Lake
• Stage 7: Saturday, May 19 – Ontario (new for 2012) to Mt. Baldy
• Stage 8: Sunday, May 20 – Los Angeles/L.A. LIVE

Maybe next year the tour will be back to Ventura County...we shall see. For more information, visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.

Camarillo Drive-Thru Chick-fil-A Decision to Be Appealed at City Council Meeting Tonight

Update 11/3/11: City Council upheld the Planning Commission's denial of a Chick-fil-A drive-thru at the Camarillo Premium Outlets. Hey Chick-fil-A, we love ya! How about another location? Maybe Thousand Oaks!? :>

At a September 6, 2011 Camarillo Planning Commission meeting, Chick-fil-A was denied the approval to build a 4,670 sq ft drive-through location at The Promenade section of the Camarillo Premium Outlets. Although a number of attendees supported the Chick-fil-a at the meeting, including representatives from the Camarillo and Oxnard Chambers of Commerce and others in the community, the Planning Commission voted against the proposal by a 3 to 2 margin.

The primary reason for rejecting the application was that a The Promenade is not consistent with the specific plan for the area and is not a good fit for the location. Representatives from the adjacent Johnny Rockets were not in favor for the drive-thru because of concerns of auto exhaust fumes impacting diners in the outdoor patio area of their restaurant as well as potential traffic issues.

The decision was appealed and is being presented to the Camarillo City Council tonight. City Council will be asked to reaffirm the Planning Commission's denial by the city's Community Planning Department. Stop by if you are "hungering" for action. Most people I know love Chick-fil-A, including my family, and would love more locations other than the existing one in Oxnard. But I can see the potential concern for a drive-thru in that particular location.