Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Sundial Memorial at Hueneme Beach in Port Hueneme

Just 25 miles west of Thousand Oaks is Hueneme Beach Park, a beautiful 50 acre park on the beach with a fishing pier, bike/walking paths, volleyball, picnic tables, BBQ pits, the Surfside Seafood snack bar and more.

24 hour fishing pier at Hueneme Beach Park

One other feature at Hueneme Beach is the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Sundial Memorial that commemorates the 88 passengers and crew who lost their lives aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 261 near Anacapa Island on January 31, 2000. The flight was en route from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to San Francisco and Seattle.

The Memorial features a 36-foot diameter concrete plaza with a curving sand wall and seating area and a raised sundial in the center.

The Memorial features a 36-foot diameter concrete plaza with a curving sand wall and seating area and a raised sundial in the center. The monument was designed by by well known Santa Barbara sculptor James “Bud” Bottoms. The sundial’s bronze dolphins and triangular blade (gnomon) cast a shadow on the 20-foot diameter dial face oriented to Pacific Standard Time. Names of each of the victims are inscribed on individual bronze plates mounted on the perimeter of the dial.

The crash site is located between the mainland at Port Hueneme and Anacapa Island, one of the smallest islands in the Channel Islands chain, 14 miles offshore. Families of the lost passengers and crew dedicated the sundial as both a memorial to their loved ones and a work of public art in gratitude to the residents of Port Hueneme for their compassion and tireless assistance in the recovery effort. This is a touching and lasting tribute to those who lost their lives on this flight.

Access the Sundial Memorial from Hueneme Beach parking lot B off Surfside Drive near the gazebo. More details at www.ci.port-hueneme.ca.us/index.aspx?nid=930.

BEACHES SPANNING FROM CARPINTERIA TO MALIBU

Throwback: Lupe's Mexican Restaurant in Thousand Oaks

Lupe's Mexican Restaurant operated at 1710 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard for 69 years. Martha Zuniga opened the original eatery, Lupe's Mexican Cafe, in 1947. It was named after her 3rd daughter.

The popular eatery was rebuilt and enlarged in 1965 and again in 2009, when it was expanded from 1500 sq ft to 3100 sq ft. Martha passed away in 1997. Lupe continued operating the restaurant until the property was sold in 2016. When it closed, it was the oldest continuously operating eatery in the Conejo Valley and one of the five oldest eateries in Ventura County.

Today, 1710 on The Blvd is a mixed use property with 36 townhome-style apartments and Denino's Pizzeria.

Flashback to 1923: $400 an Acre for Lots in "Thousand Oaks" - A City in the Beginning

In the spring of 1923, Morton D. Harris & Co. was selling 2 1/2 to 5 acre ranches at $400 per acre in "Thousand Oaks," a "city" in the beginning - the liveliest spot on the "Ventura Blvd." "Wonderful business opportunities...chicken and turkey ranches, grapes, fruit and berry tracts. Extensive water system now being installed. Good roads are being completed. And soon, yes, electric lights! Get these lots now for just 10% down and 2% per month!

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According to the late Pat Allen, historian for the city, mostly farmers lived in the Conejo Valley in 1922.  The 2,200 acre Crowley Ranch was sold and subdivided and lots were sold for $1,000. As lots sold and the population grew, developers held a contest to name the new village. Sixteen year old Bobby Harrington entered the name "Thousand Oaks." He won the prize and the rest is history.

Thousand Oaks became a subdivision of Ventura County on May 1, 1923, as recorded by the County Recorder. Thousand Oaks was incorporated as a city on October 7, 1964.

Did You Know That Six Streets at the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall are Named After Luxury Brands

Thousand Oaks Auto Center (now Auto Mall) ad from the early to mid 1960s.

The Thousand Oaks Auto Center (now Auto Mall) opened in 1967, making it one of the oldest auto malls in the country. Currently (2023), 29 brands are sold at the mall.

Did you know...that there are five streets running roughly north/south in the Auto Mall between Thousand Oaks Blvd and Auto Mall Drive that are named after five previous luxury brands? The five streets, from west to east, are as follows:

Auburn Ave - Luxury brand sold from 1900 to 1937.

Marmon Ave - Luxury brand sold from 1902 to 1933 (Marmon Motor Co build the first Indianapolis 500 winning car in 1911).

Cord Ave - Luxury brand sold in 1929-1932 and 1936-1937.

Pierce Arrow Ave - Luxury brand sold 1901 to 1938.(Its firs car in 1901 was a single-cylinder, two-speed no-reverse car called Motorette.

Packard Circle - Luxury brand sold from 1899 to 1956.

There's also Duesenberg Drive, which connects to Auto Mall Drive on the north, to Hillcrest. Luxury brand sold from 1913 to 1937.

T.O. Auto Mall website is at www.toautomall.info

Throwback: Grand Opening of the Tournament Bowl in Oxnard on November 8, 1958

The 32 lane Tournament Bowl opened its doors on Saturday, November 8, 1958 at 3443 Saviers Road in Oxnard. The facility featured a cocktail lounge, dining room, coffee shop and children’s playroom. Open 24 hours!

The grand opening featured free door prizes - free souvenirs “for both men and women!” and featured appearances by future United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famers, Steve Nagy and Harry Smith.

While I don’t know the exact date the Tournament Bowl closed its doors (I believe it was the early 1990s), what I do know is that a Ralph’s grocery store is now located there.

The Tournament Bowl hosted the Oxnard PBA Open September 24-27, 1964.

The other Oxnard bowling alley in years past was the Wagon Wheel Bowl, which closed in May 2015.

Finally, a brand new Bowlero opened at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard in October 2021, so for now, bowling is still alive in Oxnard!

BOWLING ALLEYS IN AND AROUND VENTURA COUNTY

Drive-In Movie Theaters That Once Were Located in Ventura County

Once upon a time there were drive-in theaters around Ventura County, providing family entertainment combined with fresh air.

The Simi Drive-In was located at 361 Tierra Rejada Road. It opened in 1963 and closed in 1997, for a 34 year run.

The Pacific 101 Drive-In in Ventura was located at 4826 E. Telephone Road (at the 101). This theater opened in 1948 and closed in 1998. Fifty years!

Sky View Drive-In in Oxnard at 1250 S. Oxnard Blvd opened in 1955 and closed in 1988.

The Santa Paula Drive-In Theatre was located on Harvard Blvd at Barkla (which I believe today is Palm Ave). It opened on Thursday, May 18, 1950 and closed in the 1978 time frame.

Pacific’s Thousand Oaks Drive-In Grand Opening in August 1967

The Thousand Oaks Drive-In was located at Kelley Road and Newbury Road in Newbury Park (now Kohl's) It opened in 1967 and closed in 1983.

The West Wind All Digital Drive-In in Goleta closed in September 2022 after operating from 1966 to 1991, then 2010 to 2019, then once again from 2020 to 2022.

MOVIE THEATERS IN VENTURA COUNTY AND ADJACENT AREAS

History Tidbit - Sav-On Drugs Store in Thousand Oaks in the Early 1970s

Photo Credit: Thousand Oaks Library - Conejo Through the Lens Collection

This Sav-on Drugs store opened in the Conejo Valley Plaza, 1382 Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks, in 1972. CVS acquired 700 Osco Drugs and Sav-on Drugs store in 2006, though the Sav-on brand name is now owned by Albertson’s. Sav-on originated in California in the mid 1945s, founded by Alton Clark (who later founded the aptly named Clark Drugs) and C. J. Call. Sav-on was the first self-service drug store in California.