Books, eBooks, Activities and Fun at Libraries Throughout Ventura County

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There are nearly 20 libraries in Ventura County and surrounding areas, offering hundreds of thousands of books and downloadable eBooks readable on a range of devices. And most of these local libraries host free and/or inexpensive events and activities like storytimes, classes, concerts more for kids, teens and adults of all ages!

The Ventura County Library System currently includes 12 libraries around the county.

The Camarillo Public Library is the newest library in the county.

There are 2 libraries in Thousand Oaks: The Grant R. Brimhall Library and the Newbury Park Branch Library.

The Agoura Hills Library, part of the Los Angeles County Public Library System, opened in 2001.

The City of Moorpark manages its own library.

The Simi Valley Library was the most recent library to become municipally operated on July 1, 2013.

Last but not least is the Westlake Village Library, also part of the Los Angeles County Public Library System.

Listen To or Read Thousands of Free Public Domain Audio Books, eBooks at LoyalBooks.com

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There are thousands of books, music and other works that are in the public domain of the United States, meaning, they are available to anyone for free as they their copyright no long applies. 

Copyright laws have changed frequently over the years; here are some examples. Works created prior to 1923 are in the public domain. Works copyrighted between 1923 through 1963 expire 95 years after publication date of the copyright was renewed. For works created after 2002, they become part of the public domain 70 years after the death of the author. More details at copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm.

That said loyalbooks.com provides over 7,000 books free to the public that have become part of the public domain, both in eBook and audio book format. Books like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Moby Dick, Great Expectations, Treasure Island, The Odyssey, Gulliver's Travels, War and Peace, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Bill Nye's Comic History of the United States and so many more.

The site also has books in foreign languages, including Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese and others. Visit www.loyalbooks.com to access books immediately and without registration requirements.

The Rose Parade Post Parade Showcase of Floats is Something You Have to Do at Least Once

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Everyone at some point here in the Greater Los Angeles/Ventura County area should try to see the Rose Parade in person, as early and as cold as the parade usually is.  But if that isn't your cup of tea, then you MUST see the post parade showcase of floats at the end of the parade route on Sierra Madre Boulevard in Pasadena.

The Rose Parade Post Parade Showcase of Floats lasts just a few days each year, beginning the afternoon after the Rose Parade. Several streets are sectioned off for several miles as you get to walk around and check out these beautiful floats up close. 

As a reminder, Rose Parade floats are required to be completely covered by flowers or other natural materials, such as leaves, seeds or bark. These floats are spectacular pieces of art!

A couple things to keep in mind is to allow for plenty of time as this is an extremely popular event. There are parking and shuttle options, or you can drive around and attempt to find parking in surrounding neighborhoods. You may have to walk a mile to get to the entrance and there is an admission fee ($10 in 2016).

I told you it gets crowded. See for yourself!

I told you it gets crowded. See for yourself!

I made the mistake of allowing my youngest to ride his scooter from the car to the event, at which point we were quickly told "no scooters" or other such items. I asked if I could carry it. Nope. So off we went, back to the car, and back we came. It was clear why they don't allow such items here...there were literally throngs of people on hand admiring the floats.

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Along with the floats, there were plenty of food and beverage vendors and other activities along the route. Do wear comfortable shoes as there is a lot of walking to be done to see all of the floats!

For more information and parking/shuttle options, visit www.tournamentofroses.com or call 626.449.4100.

Three Volunteering Vignettes

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Three Volunteering Vignettes

By Gail Small

Who knows what avenue volunteering might take you?  Sarah Glaser volunteered in the kelp forest tank at Birch Aquarium at Scripps. She dove down under to clean the 70,000 gallon kelp forest tank.  Her nemeses were the moray eels who tied themselves up in knots around the vacuum connector. Sarah wondered if one of them would bite her as who knows what might happen when volunteering.  She graduated to wearing a communication mask to speak to audiences during live shows as she retrieved a bucket of food and fed the fish by hand. Something did happen! It was on her last day as a volunteer diver that an audience member named Cullen asked the question. And I quote, “Will you marry me?” This volunteer had a once in a lifetime experience!

Brian in Australia one day had an idea to be a clown to amuse and help others. He created an outfit with colorful funny-looking clothes. And so, the Fatso Fun Show began. He did silly things to bring laughter to others. He could not find bright oversized shoes and thought that not a problem. So he volunteered bringing cheer with his unusual clown shoes homemade from scraps all connected creatively with bright purple paint. One day while volunteering, Brian described to a lady he just met how he made his clown shoes the best that he could. It was months later, just before the holidays, when to his surprise she arrived with what Brian describes as, “the most magnificent pair of multicolored leather clown shoes.” They were blue, red, yellow and green with big black toes and lined with soft blue leather. This woman who seemed to come out of nowhere said, “They are a gift for you. The reward for me is to see and hear your reaction and know

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