Impressions of the Conejo Valley Presentation by Photographer Ed Lawrence

The Thousand Oaks Library Special Collections contain some amazing items, including one of the largest American Radio Archives in the world, a Local History Collection containing thousands of books, pamphlets, maps, photos and other items, and a 300 volume Book Arts Collection. Learn more about the Special Collections at www.tol.lib.ca.us/Specoll/index.html.

The Local History Collection contains well over 100,000 photographs from Ed Lawrence, The News Chronicle and professional photographers Frank Knight, Herb Noseworthy and Scott Harrison.

The Ed Lawrence Collection chronicles the growth of Thousand Oaks with over 15,000 images of the Conejo Valley through more recent times. Through a partnership between the Thousand Oaks Library Foundation, the City of Thousand Oaks, Conejo Recreation and Park District, and California Lutheran University, the Lawrence Collection is now permanently part of the Thousand Oaks Library archives.

In the 50 minute video below, Lawrence takes us through a journey of the history of Thousand Oaks in "Impressions of the Conejo Valley."

To see more of Ed Lawrence's photos, visit edlawrencephoto.com. You can actually purchase high quality prints of some of his best photos there.

Glen Tavern Inn in Santa Paula is on National Register of Historic Places

Built in 1911, the Glen Tavern Hotel is Ventura County Historical Landmark No. 65 and was named to the National Register of Historic Places in September 1984. The Glen Tavern is a Craftsman/English Tudor style hotel with original dark wood paneling, some original light fixtures, stone fireplace and Craftsman columns.

Located at 134 N. Mill Street in Santa Paula, The Glen Tavern is the only national historic landmark in Ventura County you can actually stay overnight in. The 3rd floor of the hotel was once a gambling parlor and um, house of ill-repute. And stars like John Wayne, Carol Lombard, Harry Houdini and Steve McQueen stayed at the Inn.

There are 36 guest rooms and suites available in this historic hotel, which is walking distance or a short drive to a number of other attractions and points of interest, including:

• Santa Paula Art Museum
• Murals of Santa Paula
• Aviation Museum of Santa Paula
• California Oil Museum
• Agriculture Museum
• Southern Pacific Railroad and Moreton Bay Fig Tree

Enzo's Italian Restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday for dinner at the Glen Tavern Inn.

Visit www.glentavern.com to learn more and to book a room!

Oxnard High School Stadium is Named After Three-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Houser

I was at a kids track meet at Oxnard High School the other day when I stopped to admire the school track and field records reflected on the large sign shown above. In admiring my way through the impressive array, I did a double take when I saw the boys' shot put record. Bud Houser has the record of 56' 3" that was set in 1922. This record is 92 years old!!

That's not something you see every day. So I took a look at the Oxnard High School website alumni section, which indicated that 1922 graduate Clarence "Bud" Houser went on to compete at the 1924 Olympics in Paris and won the gold medal in both the shot put and the discus throw! No one ever since has won gold medals in both of these events at the same Olympics.

He returned to the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam and earned another gold medal in his only event that year, the discus throw. Competing in the Olympics three times and earning the gold medal each time is pretty darn epic if you ask me. Bud Houser is a legend. I'm not the only one to observe that as the Oxnard High School stadium is named after him!

Houser was a three time national champion in the discus and two time champion in the shot put (including 1921, while he was still in high school). He held the world record of 158 feet, 1 3/4 inches in the discus throw from 1926 to 1929.

In 1979, at the age of 78, Bud was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame. He later enrolled in the dentistry program at USC and opened a dentistry practice in Palm Springs. He died in 1994 at the age of 93.

The City of Moorpark Announces its 30th Anniversary is July 1, 2013

In a recent letter to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, the City of Moorpark City Clerk announced the City will be celebrating its 30th Anniversary next month. Also provided was some facts about Moorpark that may be of interest. I certainly learned a few new things about Moorpark after reading this!

The City of Moorpark was founded by Robert W. Poindexter in 1887. He named the city after the Moorpark apricot, which grew throughout the valley. Poindexter plotted city streets and planted pepper trees in the downtown area. Articles of incorporation for the City of Moorpark were filed on July 1, 1983.

The City of Moorpark enjoys excellent park and recreation opportunities with a total of 17 city parks, including the newest addition of Mammoth Highlands Park, 7000 Elk Run Loop, in 2009. Poindexter Park was expanded to include the city's first permanent skate park in 2009 and a dog park was completed at College View Park, 15400 Campus View Drive, in 2010.

The city mentions recreation opportunities in Moorpark such as the Moorpark Country Club, nearby Happy Camp Canyon Regional Park and America's Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College. Other fun Moorpark activities of note include Underwood Family Farms (a family must-do activity in Ventura County) and High Street Arts Center. And of course, for as many years as I can remember, the City off Moorpark has hosted a 3rd of July Fireworks Extravaganza at Arroyo Vista Park, a great treat for many residents throughout Ventura County looking for a head start to the Independence Day holiday.

Since its 25th anniversary, the city has completed the Veterans Memorial at the corner of Spring Road and Flynn Street, relocated the U.S. Post Office to High Street, expanded Arroyo Vista Recreation Center and purchased 80 acres of open space in the Tierra Rejada green belt, among other noteworthy achievements.

Over the last 30 years, the population of Moorpark has grown from 11,000 to nearly 35,000. The City takes pride in its residents' everyday life, their hard work and involvement in city government. To learn more about the City of Moorpark, visit www.moorparkca.gov.