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.
The Conejo Recreation and Park District in conjunction with the Thousand Oaks Kiwanis Club hosted its annual Fishing Frenzy event at Conejo Creek North Park (behind Thousand Oaks Library) on Saturday, August 4, 2018. Hundreds of magnetic fish are released into the creek and children were given magnetic poles to catch them. The event has taken place for many years and is quite popular with the young set.
Cycling fans can begin plotting their roadside viewing points along the 2018 Amgen Tour of California route.
The 13th edition of America's premier cycling stage race will cover 645 miles of roadways, highways and coastlines during seven stages from Long Beach to Sacramento May 13-19.
Three of the sport's greatest are confirmed to race this year: Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data), Marcel Kittel (Team KATUSHA ALPECIN) and "King of California" Peter Sagan (BORA-hansgrohe), cycling's first three-time consecutive World Champion, who also holds the California race record for most stage wins (16).
Sagan, who recently won his 2018 season opener, will come into the Amgen Tour of California defending his seventh California Green Jersey for dominating the race's overall Sprint competition.
The Amgen Tour of California Women's Race empowered with SRAM, showcasing the world's best women cyclists, will run concurrently May 17-19, covering upward of 187 miles over three stages.
Presented by Visit California, a visual overview of the men's and women's courses is viewable at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/2018-route-overview.
With seven new courses between them, the annual professional cycling events are the only U.S. races on the UCI WorldTour calendar and attract some of the most renowned cyclists and teams in the world. The Amgen Tour of California is designed to cover a variety of terrain, allowing different types of specialists among the field of the world's greatest cyclists to shine throughout the week. 2018 will mark the third time the race will run south to north.
Signed apparel from these all-star sprinters, along with other past Amgen Tour of California favorites, are available through an Amgen Tour of California online auction benefiting American Red Cross Disaster Relief in light of the devastation brought on by wildfires and mudslides throughout the state. Race fans - and California fans - will be able bid on exclusive items from merchandise to behind-the-scenes race experiences to help people affected by disasters. 100 percent of the proceeds from the Amgen Tour of California auction organized by STAPLES Center Foundation support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. More details soon at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.
With parts of the state still impacted by wildfires and subsequent mudslides, affected portions of the route will be inspected up until race time, and race routes are subject to change to ensure fan and rider safety.
STAGE 1 PRESENTED BY AMGEN'S BREAKAWAY FROM CANCER®
SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2018
LONG BEACH CIRCUIT RACE
83 miles / 133 kilometers
Expected Outcome: Field Sprint
The 7-mile circuit will start and finish on Shoreline Drive near Shoreline Village and the Long Beach Convention Center. The 11 laps of the circuit will utilize portions of Shoreline Drive, Ocean Blvd. and Pine Avenue. Several Long Beach neighborhoods will get a ring-side seat as the peloton races through Bixby Park and Bluff Park, as well as Retro Row and Downtown.
STAGE 2 PRESENTED BY LEXUS
MONDAY, MAY 14, 2018
VENTURA TO GIBRALTAR ROAD (Santa Barbara)
97.6 miles / 155 kilometers
Expected Outcome: Select group of 2-3 riders
Gibraltar Road has been the most requested mountaintop finish since the race began. After the mountain road was paved and therefore able to be contested in the 2016 race, it became an instant fan favorite.
The City of Ventura warmly welcomed the race in 2016 as the peloton bid a quick hello passing through to Gibraltar. This year, Ventura will host its first stage - the start of the "Queen Stage" just a few feet from the Pacific Ocean near the Ventura Pier. Will the riders be relaxing and taking in the sun at the start? Probably not. Most will be thinking about the coming assault of Gibraltar Road.
After a neutral parade route through downtown Ventura, the race will head through Oxnard, Santa Paula and Ojai. The riders will climb out of Santa Paula to the first of three King of the Mountain climbs (KOMs) on the day. The 97.6-mile stage has 7,700' of elevation gain, with the journey to the top of Gibraltar featuring a 3,100' climb over the final eight miles of the stage.
UPDATE: The stage passes through the Ventura County cities of Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Somis, Santa Paula and Ojai after beginning at the Ventura Pier at 11:15am. Here are some directions transcribed from the course map at THIS LINK:
STAGE 3 PRESENTED BY LEXUS
TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018
KING CITY TO LAGUNA SECA RECREATION AREA (MONTEREY COUNTY)
122.4 miles / 197 kilometers
Expected Outcome: Mass sprint of 15-20 riders
STAGE 4 PRESENTED BY TAG Heuer
WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2018
SAN JOSE/MORGAN HILL INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL
21.6 miles / 34.7 kilometers
STAGE 5 PRESENTED BY VISIT CALIFORNIA
THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2018
STOCKTON TO ELK GROVE
109.4 miles / 176 kilometers
Expected Outcome: Field Sprint
STAGE 6 PRESENTED BY VISIT CALIFORNIA
FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018
FOLSOM TO SOUTH LAKE TAHOE
122 miles / 196.5 kilometers
Expected Outcome: Mass Sprint of 10-15 riders
STAGE 7 PRESENTED BY AMGEN'S BREAKAWAY FROM HEART DISEASE
SATURDAY, MAY 19, 2018
SACRAMENTO
90.7 miles / 146 kilometers
Expected Outcome: Field Sprint
On Thursday, March 15th, Toys "R" Us announced it has filed a motion seeking approval to orderly wind-down its U.S. business and liquidate inventory in all 735 of the company's U.S. stores, including Puerto Rico.
More details to come soon.
Local area Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us locations are located at Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks, the Camarillo Premium Outlets, Ventura (2975 Johnson Drive) and Oxnard (Babies "R" Us).
Customer programs, including Rewards dollars, Endless Earnings and gift cards are being honored for the next 30 days.
They did indicate that they filed a motion with the bankruptcy court to seek bids on its Canadian stores. And one small bit of hope for Toys "R" Us fans - management disclosed it is engaged in discussions with certain parties for a transaction that could combine up to 200 of the company's top performing U.S. stores with its Canadian operations.
Toys "R" Us has operated for 70 years. www.toysrus.com
"Perfect Match" by Local Artist Chuck Trunks
Yes, most of us know that, living in the Conejo Valley and it seems most of Ventura County, many places seem to close by 10 pm. So why not get to bed early and check out some of these great daytime activities around the area! Most of these make for a great "cheap" date! Others are not so inexpensive but worth checking out!
Boats, Bikes, Biplanes and Other Speedy Activities
Theater, Music and Art Activities
More Music as Well as Fine Arts and Dance Groups
A Grab Bag of Other Fun Activities (Indoor Rock Climbing, Fencing, Kayaking, etc.)
Have Fun With Some of These Local Hobby/Social Clubs
The of course there's all sorts of upcoming events in the area! Check the Events Calendar or check out upcoming events by "type" by CLICKING HERE.
HERE'S A COMPILATION OF LOCAL VENUES WITH LIVE MUSIC AND OTHER ACTIVITIES
This covers many, but not all things to do in Ventura County! Explore the site for more ideas and LET US KNOW if we're missing something you think should be in here! We're always adding new stuff to do!! Now go out and HAVE SOME FUN!!
The Ventura County Chapter of SCORE is a 501(c)3 non-profitorganization that was founded in 1971. SCORE was founded as an organization in 1964. The organization’s 11,000 volunteers operate out of over 320 chapters through the country.
The acronym SCORE stands for Service Corps of Retired Executives. SCORE Ventura County counselors are an active group of over 60 volunteers who are retired successful business owners and managers who enjoy helping established and potential business owners achieve success.
SCORE Ventura County provides FREE individualized counseling in partnership with Chamber of Commerce offices in Camarillo, Malibu, Moorpark, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Greater Ventura County and Oxnard. Appointments can be made online at ventura.score.org/mentors.
SCORE Ventura County also provides workshops, some free and most for a small charge, for local entrepreneurs. Visit this link for upcoming events ventura.score.org/localworkshops.
In addition, the chapter is active in many other community projects such as Hispanic Programs Group, Boots2Business training for our military, collaboration with technical assistance partners at the SBA as well as working with local educational institutions.
There are many other useful resources on the SCORE Ventura County website at ventura.score.org. Call SCORE Ventura County at 805.204.6022 or visit their website for more information.
The 2016 Amgen Tour of California, presented by AEG, will kick off this spring in the heart of San Diego for the first time in its 11-year history and conclude in Sacramento for the first time. Competing across nearly 800 miles of quintessential California terrain from May 15-22, the course will lead World Champions, Olympic Medalists, top Tour de France competitors and other elite professional cyclists south to north for only the second time since the race began in 2006, with 12 cities to host starts and finishes along the way.
The 2016 Amgen Tour will return to Thousand Oaks for a fifth time. Thousand Oaks will host the start of Stage 3 at Amgen’s campus on May 17, 2016. This stage will finish in Santa Barbara, up Gibraltar Road to the finish at 3,997 foot La Cumbre Peak.
The starting line of Stage 3 is at 1 Amgen Center Drive. It starts at 11:15 am. After a small loop at the start of the race, it will follow Rancho Conejo Blvd south and continue to Borchard Road west until the cyclists reach South Reino Road, where they turn left (south) to Potrero Road east towards Hidden Valley. Then on to Westlake Boulevard/Decker Canyon southbound to Mulholland Highway down to PCH north. From there, PCH to Las Posas Road north to Hueneme Road westbound to Ventura Road north, then West Channel Islands Blvd. Then, North Harbor Blvd to Sanjon Road, then East Thompson Blvd to North Ventura Ave, around Lake Casitas, then onwards to the finish on Gibraltar Road to La Cumbre Peak in Santa Barbara at an anticipated time of 3:48 pm.
In addition to the men’s event, top professional women cyclists from around the world will converge during the latter half of the race to compete in the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race, the most expansive women’s event in race history. The race will be the first U.S. event on the first-ever UCI Women's WorldTour (WWT).
The Amgen Tour of California is regarded as the most internationally respected and esteemed stage race in the U.S. and one of the largest sporting events in the country.
The 2016 Host Cities for the Amgen Tour of California include:
Stage 1 (5/15/16) – San Diego
Stage 2 (5/16/16) – South Pasadena to Santa Clarita
Stage 3 (5/17/16) – Thousand Oaks to Santa Barbara County
Stage 4 (5/18/16) – Morro Bay to Monterey County
Stage 5 (5/19/16) – Lodi to South Lake Tahoe
Stage 6 (5/20/16) – Folsom Individual Time Trial & Women’s Team Time Trial
Stage 7 (5/21/16) – Santa Rosa
Stage 8 (5/22/16) – Sacramento
More details at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.
Amgen has been the title sponsor of the race since its first year as a platform for Breakaway from Cancer®, its national initiative to increase awareness of important resources available to people affected by cancer – from prevention through survivorship. To learn more, visit breakawayfromcancer.com.
The Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race created and presented by AEG that challenges the world's top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding course that traverses hundreds of miles of California's iconic highways, byways and coastlines each spring. The teams chosen to participate have included Olympic medalists, Tour de France contenders and World Champions. Amgen Tour of California is listed on the international professional cycling calendar (2 HC, meaning "beyond category"), awarding important, world-ranking points to the top finishers. More information is available at amgentourofcalifornia.com.
The 60th Annual Conejo Valley Days continues through tomorrow, Sunday, May 15th. Today's entertainment lineup included, among other great bands, 70s rock cover band, Chevy Metal, featuring Foo Fighters drummer, Taylor Hawkins.
For the 2nd year in a row, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl made an unadvertised guest appearance with Chevy Metal. Fun times! Another photo of Grohl on the CVG Instagram feed.
A happy, low key crowd on hand for Chevy Metal
These folks perhaps caught fleeting glimpses of the band from this vantage point at the 2016 Conejo Valley Days
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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