Historical Conejo Valley Pictures From Ed Lawrence

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(Originally Posted December 2008; Updated December 2011)

Ed Lawrence on December 16, 2011Ed Lawrence chronicled the growth of the Conejo Valley from 1958 to 2003 over a time that the population grew from 2,000 to 130,000.  Ed's work provides an amazing perspective on what this area was like 50 years ago to today. In June 2011, Ed sold his collection to the Thousand Oaks Library and other local community entities to preserve, digitize and make his work available for generations to come.

I was fortunate to chat with Ed in person tonight at a dinner hosted by Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks. He is 87 years old and looks great. He is currently in town working on organizing his photo collection. In his presentation, Ed included his very first photo in the Conejo Valley, a shot of Moorpark Road in 1958. Let's just say it looked nothing like Moorpark Road looks today!

The picture below shows a whole lot of sheep on Moorpark Road near the intersection of Thousand Oaks Boulevard in 1965.  I'm pretty sure what is taking place is that they are flocking to Starbucks.  I could be wrong.

Photo courtesy of Ed Lawrence

Below is another of Ed's most well known shots. A shot of the Albertson

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'Tis The Season for Santa Barbara Filmmaker's "Roadside Santa" Documentary

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My kids and I always wave at Santa Claus facing the 101 freeway as we drive north through Camarillo and Oxnard. Since 2003 this 20 foot Santa has resided in the unincorporated area of Nyeland Acres, bringing smiles to the faces of passersby.

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Constructed in 1947, near the community of Carpinteria, Santa Claus was part of a roadside attraction known as Santa Claus Lane, a two-lane roadway that paralleled the south side of U.S. Highway 101, just west of the City of Carpinteria.  Between the late 1940s and the mid-1960s, Santa Claus Lane featured a thriving array of stores restaurants, motels, and a post office, as well as attractions, including a child’s train, small zoo, and pony rides, that catered both to travelers and nearby communities.

For over six years, Santa Barbara filmmaker Jody Nelson has chronicled the history of this popular Santa that will be made into a full-length film, "Roadside Santa." Through melding stories of community residents, interviews with scholars and activists, archival footage and stills, the documentary explores themes of cultural transition in California as experienced in the disparate communities that Santa has called home. “Roadside Santa” illuminates how the residents of Nyeland Acres have welcomed Santa to their neighborhood and reinvented him as a potent and positive symbol of community identity, demonstrating the adaptive capacities of new immigrant communities and American culture alike.

UPDATE Nov 2015: It does not appear that this film has been finalized as an fyi.

The video below highlights some some of the scenes, stories and interviews, as well as the popular annual Santa to the Sea Half Marathon that supports a toy drive for local underprivileged kids. Watch it! You'll learn about our own Ventura County Roadside Santa and how he brings joy to the local community.

Nelson is nearly finished with the film but is still interested in Santa Claus Lane photos, film footage and memorabilia from the 1940s to present day, Santa Claus Lane stories from people who lived/worked there and the whereabouts of the miniature train and carousel that used to reside there. She also seeks additional funding to help finalize the film and bring it to film festivals and perhaps TV.

Learn more by visiting www.nelsonfilms.com or at this Facebook page or calling Jody at 805.403.0602. She can also be reached at jgirlsb1@gmail.com.

Scenes From the Moorpark Rotary's Annual Civil War Battle Reenactment

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The Rotary Club of Moorpark hosted its 11th Annual Civil War Battle Reenactment the weekend of November 12-13 at Tierra Rejada Ranch in Moorpark. It is billed at the largest civil war reenactment west of the Mississippi! This year's event highlights 5 battles, with more than 700 re-enactors! There will also be a civilian camp with leather crafting, sewing, blacksmithing and cooking demonstrations, military band concerts and much more! Mark your calendars!

Here are scenes from the 10th annual event in 2010, courtesy of local photographer Patrick Taillon. For more of Patrick's work, visit his website at www.patricktaillon.com.

Union soldiers from the 19 Indiana, spend their downtime playing cribbage. Soldiers are

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Dramatic Clouds Over Thousand Oaks vs Westlake Village Football Game 9/23/11

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J.P. Gorham of Conejo Valley Cares was at the Thousand Oaks vs Westlake Village high school football game last Friday, September 23rd, when he and others in attendance were given an overhead show courtesy of Mother Nature. J.P. notes that these great pictures taken on his cell phone camera don't even come close to the changing colors and layers spectators were rewarded with. Perhaps those clouds distracted home team Thousand Oaks Lancers in their 38 to 6 loss to the Westlake Warriors. :>

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Museum of Ventura County's Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula Opens Sept 25th

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The Museum of Ventura County's Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula opens to the public on Sunday, September 25, from 11:00 am to 5:00 p.m., with special free admission, docent led tours and live music by the Lynn Mullins Pickup Band. The long awaited realization of more than 40 years of effort and dedication by many supporters, the Agriculture Museum is appropriately housed in the landmark 1888 restored Mill building at 926 Railroad Avenue, beside the railroad tracks and depot in Santa Paula's historic downtown.

Insects: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, features the museum’s own beehive and magnified images of bees taken with a scanning electron microscope by artist and photographer Rose-Lynn Fisher. The exhibit also focuses on the threat posed to farmers by the tiny but frightening Asian Citrus Psyllid insect. Eight vintage tractors, dating from 1914 to 1955, are found throughout the building, including one upon which children can sit. The machines are part of a rotating display of the museum’s nationally recognized collection of farm implements. display of the museum’s nationally recognized collection of farm implements.

Permanent exhibits using rare historical photographs and interactive elements, tell the story of Ventura County’s farming and ranching tradition. Starting wi

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4th Annual Ride to the Flags Passing Through Westlake Village on September 11, 2011

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Ride to the Flags is an annual event that started in 1998 that takes hundreds of bikers on a ride to the 9/11 Flag Display Memorial Service at Pepperdine University's Alumni Park.  The event is an all-volunteer charity ride that donates 100% of proceeds to charity. This year's event raised over $25,000.

This year's 4th annual event started at Naval Base Ventura County and rode through Potrero Road through Hidden Valley on its way to Malibu.  We were able to watch the display of over 800 bikes at the intersection of Potrero Road and Westlake Boulevard as they made their way over to Kanan Road. Was a lot of fun seeing the different bikes and waving to the riders!  For more information about the event and to make donations, visit www.ridetotheflags.com.