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.
Here are some scenes of the M*A*S*H set in Malibu Creek State Park in prior years (mostly March 2017, some prior older) compared to how it currently looks, six weeks after the Woolsey Fire tore through the area. Amazed at how little damage there was to the set, given the ferocity of the flames.
Additional scenes of the MASH site post-Woolsey Fire.
The U.S. Navy Seabee Museum at 1001 Addor Street, Port Hueneme is a state-of-the-art, free of charge must-see for local residents and visitors alike. One of the U.S. Navy's 11 official museums, the Seabee Museum displays historical material relating to the history of the Naval Construction Force, better known as the Seabees, and the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps.
The 38,000 sq ft museum was recently renovated and features modern exhibit spaces, memorial garden, theater, education room and well-stocked gift shop. Well worth a visit with the kids. Additionally, the STEM Center at the Museum is a hidden gem!
The second oldest of the official Navy museums, the Seabee Museum was established in 1947 in Port Hueneme, which today is part of Naval Base Ventura County.
The museum is open Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 4 pm. Closed Sundays and all Federal holidays. Admission and parking are free. Learn more at www.usnavyseabeemuseum.com or call 805.982.5165.
Aerial view of the campus
California State University Channel Islands (or CSUCI) opened in 2002 as the 23rd campus in the California State University system and is the only four-year public university in Ventura County. It is located in Camarillo at the juncture of the Oxnard Plain and northern edge of the Santa Monica Mountains. The 1,187 acre campus is accessible via Lewis Road in Camarillo and Potrero Road from Newbury Park.
As of Fall 2017, CSUCI had enrollment of 7,053 students. CSUCI offers 26 majors and 26 minors, with a focus on business, sciences, liberal studies and teaching credentials, among others.
Learn more about CSUCI at www.csuci.edu.
CSUCI is located in the former Camarillo State Hospital, which operated from 1936 to 1997. At its peak in the 1950s, the hospital served over 7,000 patients.
On the north side of the campus is the 367 acre University Park, where a dairy farm that served the hospital was disbanded. It has informally been coined the "Scary Dairy."
West of the campus is the prominent, 538 foot elevation Round Mountain.
Aerial of the former Camarillo State Hospital (Photo Courtesy Pleasant Valley Historical Society)
UPDATE: Harold’s closed its doors on May 7, 2021, but was subsequently acquired and reopened in February 2022 as Bo’s House of Omelettes & Waffles. Open 7 days a week, 7 am to 3 pm. houseofomelettesto.com
Harold's House of Omelettes opened its doors to the hungry citizens of Thousand Oaks, before Thousand Oaks was even a city of its own, on January 19, 1961. Harold's has the distinction as the oldest restaurant in the Conejo Valley - a distinction previously held by Lupe's Mexican Restaurant, which originated in 1947 and closed in August 2016.
Harold's is located at 2440 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard in the Camelot Plaza, directly across from Thousand Oaks Toyota, and has been there for some time.
The eatery was originated by its namesake, Harold Warner, who was born in Green Bay, moved to the west coast in 1949, where he became a chef at Du-pars restaurant at Hollywood and Vine. He moved to Thousand Oaks to work at the new Du-par's Thousand Oaks. Instead of that, he opened Harold's House of Omelettes and was the chef until the late 1990s.
Here's a photo from the Thousand Oaks Library "Conejo Through the Lens" collection of Harold's at its original location next to the Green Lantern Tavern at 1938 Thousand Oaks Boulevard (now occupied by Enhanced Landscape Management).
Harold's House of Omelettes and the Green Lantern Tavern at 1938 Thousand Oaks Boulevard (just west of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza) in 1962. Photo Credit: Pat Allen via the Conejo Through the Lens collection maintained by the Grans R. Brimhall Library.
Harold's, also known as Herold's Restaurant, serves much more than omelettes (though there are 51 omelette varieties on its menu). Its menu includes hot cakes, crepes, waffles, Mexican breakfast and lunch specialties, breakfast burritos, burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, salads, soups and more.
To learn more, visit www.eatatharolds.com. Open daily from 6am to 3pm.
Fifty years ago today, August 26, 1968, the Beatles released the song "Hey Jude."
The song was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon and McCartney.
Originally "Hey Jules" in support of John Lennon's son Julian during his parents' divorce, "Hey Jude" was the first single released by the Beatles' record label, Apple Records.
Seven minutes, 11 seconds in length, Hey Jude was one of the longest singles ever released at that time. It spent 9 weeks at number 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the longest of any Beatles song.
The single has sold over 8 million copies in the U.S. placing it in the top 50 selling songs of all time, topped by just one other Beatles song, "I Want to Hold Your Hand."
The Adamson House at 23200 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu is a National Historic Site and a registered California landmark. The house and grounds share one of the most beautiful beach locations in Southern California, with a view of the Malibu Lagoon, Malibu Beach and the Malibu Pier. In addition to its world-famous Malibu Tile, the house contains hand-carved teak wood doors, hand-painted murals, molded ceilings, hand-wrought ironwork and lead-framed bottle glass windows.
The house was built in 1930 for Rhoda Rindge Adamson and Merritt Huntley Adamson, originally as a summer cottage and in 1936 as the family's primary residence. It is located on the 13,315 acre Malibu Rancho that was purchased by Rhoda's parents, Frederick and May K. Rindge, in 1892. Mr. Rindge passed away in 1905 and left the ranch to his wife, who later gave the parcel to the Adamsons.
USC graduate Merritt Adamson met Rhoda Rindge while he was employed as foreman of the Rindge Ranch. The couple married in 1915 and in 1916 Merritt founded Adohr Farms in the San Fernando Valley, named after his wife's first name spelled backwards.
Rhoda inherited the property after Merritt's death in 1949 and she lived there until her passing in 1962. The land was later purchased by the State of California under eminent domain laws to create beach parking, but local groups and preservationists fought to preserve the property and succeeded. The house was restored and the garage was converted into the Malibu Lagoon Museum and they opened to the public in 1983.
Flooring in the backside of the house
The Adamson House Tour is a guided tour through the house which contains its original furnishings and is decorated with the renowned Malibu Potteries tile. Trained volunteer docents relate the history of the house, details of its architecture and furnishings, and the history of the family that lived in and created this distinctive home. Admission (as of July 2018) is $7 for ages 17 and up, $2 ages 6 to 16 and free for under 6. Cash only. Open for guided tours 11am to 2pm Wed to Sat. More information at www.adamsonhouse.org or call 310.456.8432.
The historic 1916 Allan Herschell Carousel has operated at Chase Palm Park in Santa Barbara since 1999. Nearing the end of its 20 year lease with the City of Santa Barbara, the owner of the Carousel opted to relocate it Hood River, Oregon, for installation in a dedicated museum of historically significant carousels.
The Carousel is one of three machines produced by the Allan Herschell Factory in the 1915-1917 time frame. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 2000. It is 40 feet in diameter, with a 19 foot wooden pole in its center, supporting 35 jumping, hand-carved wooden horses plus two hand carved art deco style wooden chariots.
This carousel originally operated outdoors on the east coast, where it was used for decades without adequate maintenance. It was purchased in 1970 by Seaport Village in San Diego, where after 10 years in storage it was sold again to its current owners.
While this is sad news for local residents, the good news is that this historical carousel will be preserved in its new location in Hood River.
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.
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