The Wedding of Nolan and Morgan; A Story of Hope, Love, Sadness and Inspiration

Nolan Keane was diagnosed at age 24 with stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme, a type of brain cancer that grows very quickly. Nolan fought hard to beat the odds with four years of countless chemo and radiation treatments and eight brain surgeries.

Nolan's girlfriend and soon-to-be fiance Morgan was by his side the entire time and helped him through his treatments. Late last year, Nolan proposed to Morgan. Friends and family initiated a fundraising effort to enable the two to have a dream wedding. The wedding is captured in the video below. Grab your tissues.

A Love Uniquely Yours // Nolan + Morgan from Forward // Motion Production on Vimeo.

With great sadness, it was noted on a Facebook page set up to help raise funds for the wedding, that just passed away. Nolan and Morgan were married on March 9th.

Nolan was a fighter. Untreated survival time from diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme is typically 3 to 5 months. With treatment, 1 to 2 years is possible. Our thoughts are with Nolan, Morgan and their families.

Thanks to Keith & Tiffany of Forward//Motion Production for this video and story. Read full blog post at forwardmotionproduction.com/blog

Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Seeks Input on its 20th Anniversary Season!

October 2014 will mark the 20th Anniversary of the grand opening of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. This special Anniversary season will be comprised of command performances by artists who have appeared on the Civic Arts Plaza stages over the last 20 years and we need your help.

Visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/tocap_20 and select the artists that you would most like to see return to the Civic Arts Plaza during its 20th Anniversary Season by choosing up to 5 favorites in each category.

Do check out this survey! You will be amazed at how many popular performers have appeared here in the Conejo Valley! Some of the names you'll see include comedians like Bill Cosby, Don Rickles, John Cleese, Bob Newhart, Howie Mandel and musicians such as Kenny Loggins, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Chris Botti, Cheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, and over 100 others.

If an artist you select is added to the 20th Anniversary schedule, you will be eligible to win two front row seats and an opportunity to go backstage to meet the artist.* All entries are due by Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 4:00 PM.

*Winner will be chosen at random among all eligible entries. One entry per person.

To learn more about the Civic Arts Plaza or perhaps buy tickets to an upcoming show, visit www.CivicArtsPlaza.com or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/civicartsplaza.

Exclusive Breaking News in the Conejo Valley Effective This April 2013

We are excited to announce a partnership with the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.  In exchange for placement of the iconic Conejo Valley Guide bunny on the south side of the Plaza, Conejo Valley Guide will provide free carrot cake to all Civic Plaza attendees at shows during the month of March 2014.

Mock-up of iconic Conejo Valley Guide bunny as it will be seen from 101 Freeway

Jacque Rabitt of the City's Cultural Affairs department stated "We are thrilled that Conejo Valley Guide has offered us an image that brightens up the building" while Conejo Joe of CVG indicated "We are proud to be offering carrot cake at the plaza to those who believe that carrot cake is actually good for them!"

The Conejo Valley Guide bunny image will cover virtually the entire wall of the Plaza that will be in full view of both directions of Highway 101. Additionally, the bunny will be lighted with solar LED lights between the hours of 8 pm and midnight each night.

In other news, the National Park Service announced its first sponsorship agreement in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area with the renaming of Boney Peak as Milk Boney Peak. Similar to branding of NCAA Bowl Games, the Milk Bone logo will be prominently displayed on the shield face of the mountain directly below the peak, as shown below.

Mock up of Milk Bone Dog Treat logo displayed on face of peak looking towards Newbury Park.

NPS official Louda Barker notes that "while dogs are currently not allowed in the Boney Mountain Wilderness, hikers tend to be dog lovers, dog lovers love giving out dog treats and, well, we've been looking to monetize these mountains for awhile, no bones about it."

And finally, a Hidden Valley resident has successfully petitioned the City of Thousand Oaks Planning Commission to change zoning of a horse property to a retail clothing store. A mockup of the new Trashy Lingerie store is shown below, reflecting an earnest effort to blend the store into the surroundings.

The Hidden Valley location will be Trashy Lingerie's second retail store; the other one is located on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles. City spokeswoman I. C. Undrewair notes that this could be a tremendous draw for city tax revenues, particularly with Britney Spears living in the nearby Sherwood Country Club.

APRIL FOOLS'!

Just having some fun!

April Fools' fun in prior years

Views on a Clear Day From Rancho Potrero Open Space in Newbury Park

A short walk up the trailhead of the Rancho Potrero Open Space in Newbury Park, where Lynn Road becomes Potrero Road, provides beautiful views of the surrounding area. On a clear day you can easily see several of the Channel Islands from here. Learn how to get there at this link.

The Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce Supports Local Business

The Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce is a member-driven, professionally-staffed nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the region's business community in the communities of Thousand Oaks (including Newbury Park), Westlake Village and Agoura Hills.

There are approximately 1,400 business and professional firm memberships in the Chamber, making it one of the largest chambers in California. It provides a range of opportunities, services, benefits and resources to local businesses looking to network and grow in the community. There are networking groups, committees, mixers, brown bag educational sessions, promotional opportunities and more.

To learn more about the chamber, visit www.conejochamber.org or call 805.370.0035. The Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce is located at 600 Hampshire Road, Suite 200, Westlake Village (at the Townsgate intersection).

Lizard Rock in Wildwood Park Backed by a Cloudy Thousand Oaks Sunset

For quick access to great views any night in Thousand Oaks, one need not go far. One such sunset viewing standout is Lizard Rock in Wildwood Park. Lizard Rock is just over a mile from the main entrance to Wildwood Park at the east end of Avenida de los Arboles. Walk/run/hike over Mesa Trail towards Lizard Rock and you will be treated to beautiful views of the surrounding spaces where shows like Gunsmoke and The Rifleman were filmed.

The entrance area and dirt parking lot at the Wildwood Park main trailhead.Lizard Rock in the distanceTaking in the surrounding sceneryAlmost thereI guess it does kind of look like a LizardView from on top of the lizardLet's call it a night