Residential Holiday Lights and Decorations on Gemini/Waverly in Camarillo

NOTE: The post below was originally mad in December 2012 but still applies now in 2019! For a compilation of local area residential holiday light displays, visit THIS LINK.

Every year that I can recall, a vast majority of the homes on Gemini Street and Waverly Avenue south of Dunnigan Street in Camarillo are lit up and decorated with cartoon characters, trains, Santas, snowmen, and plenty of lights and other decorations. Quite a sight! Either drive the route or park and walk it. Plenty to see and your kids will love it.  From the direction of the 101, take Arneill north past Ponderosa to Dunnigan. Turn right on Dunnigan and Gemini is the 4th street on your right.

Brief tour of the display in 2010 with whiny kids in the background:

The Number of Registered Voters in Ventura County Has Increased Nearly 10% Over the Last Seven Years

The Ventura County Registrar of Voters website has up to date counts of the number of registered voters in Ventura County. We like to track the totals from time to time to see the trends.

On May 12, 2012, there were 406,644 registered voters in Ventura County, consisting of:

• 157,539 Democrats

• 150,919 Republicans

• 77,994 Nonpartisans

• 20,192 Other

Approximately seven years later, in May 2019, there are 445,217 registered voters, a 9.5% increase, including:

• 176,712 Democrats, a 12% increase

• 130,228 Republicans, a 14% decrease

• 110,225 Nonpartisans, a whopping 41% increase

• 28,052 Other, also a large 39% increase

Update as of 12/8/19: Total registered voters 454,872, up 2.2% in six months, including 183,994 Democrats (up 4.1%), 132,142 Republicans (up 1.5%), 108,208 Nonpartisan (down 1.8%) and 30,528 Other (up 8.8%).

Can’t remember if you are eligible to vote? Look it up at THIS LINK. What I’ve found with this Voter Eligibility Search function is that, unlike a search engine, your search terms have to be precise. If you are registered as Richard King, if you type Rich King into the search, it will not find you.

Register to vote online at registertovote.ca.gov.

San Buenaventura China Alley Memorial in Downtown Ventura

The San Buenaventura China Alley Memorial is located on the Figueroa Street Mall at the 200 Block of East Main Street, adjacent to Mission Park.

The memorial is in memory of a Chinese community that was established in this area in the early 1870s. Chinese merchants, laborers, cooks, laundrymen, gardeners and servants conducted business and lived in small homes in the area.

The Chinese immigrants built housing, grew and sold food, and provided a place of worship for the immigrants. Artisans, vegetable gardeners and fishermen plied their trade. Merchants exported marine products and imported Chinese goods. Other contributions of the Chinese immigrants to the community included a water flume above the San Buenaventura Aqueduct along Ventura Avenue and the Chinese Fire Brigade that served China Alley and the surrounding neighborhood.

The population of the Chinese community in Ventura declined in the early years of the 20th century, largely due to the rise of anti-Chinese sentiment and restrictive immigration laws.

The China Alley Memorial honors the lives and history of these early Chinese pioneers in Ventura. The China Alley Historic Area is City of Buenaventura Historic Landmark No. 91.

Beautiful, Beautiful Snow Seen From the Conejo Valley on White Friday 2019

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What a treat it has been to wake up to a blanket of fresh snow in the Los Padres National Forest, clearly visible from the Conejo Valley today. While folks are out seeking Black Friday bargains, all they need to do is look up to experience a rare White Friday!

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From Reino Road in Newbuury Park, near Newbury Park High School.

Do Well by Doing Good in the New Year! Volunteer Opportunities in the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County

How about a new New Year's resolution for 2020! Resolve to dedicate some time towards a local organization that needs your help. Not only does it feel good to help others, but it helps broaden your horizons. And with the lousy economy, many people need your help. Or if you are one of those many people who is between jobs, giving time to those in need looks great on your resume.

So to summarize:

1. Volunteering makes you feel good.

2. Feeling good about yourself benefits all aspects of your life.

3. There are many organizations and people who need your support.

4. Volunteering is a great resume builder. You may even learn new, marketable skills as a volunteer!

Here on Conejo Valley Guide we have compiled an extensive, growing list of local volunteer and support organizations based in the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County area. Click here to see the list and to click through to their websites.

A sampling:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County - Improves the lives of children by creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring.

• Cancer Hope Foundation - Enhances the lives of people affected by cancer.

• Cancer Support Community Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara - Helps people with cancer and their loved ones through a large variety of programs.

• Community Action of Ventura County - Help eliminate poverty in Ventura County.

• Foodshare of Ventura County - Stores and distributes millions of pounds of food per year to those in need of food of Ventura County.

• Laubach Literacy of Ventura County - Trains/supports volunteers who tutor adults seeking to learn English.

• Senior Concerns - Provides programs, services and support to the elderly in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County.

• Surfrider Foundation Ventura County - Dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans, waves, and beaches for all people.

• Casa Pacifica - Serves abused and neglected children and adolescents, and those with severe emotional, social, behavioral and mental health challenges in the Central Coast area.

• Gold Coast Veterans Foundation - Provides free programs and services to veterans and their families in Ventura County.

These are just a few of the 60+ non-profit organizations listed here.  Contact us to be added to the list or if there is an event you would like to promote on CVG.

The Best Ever Pumpkin Bread Recipe!

Here's a delicious pumpkin bread recipe from Jill Fisher. Jill has a B.S. in Food Science and Nutrition and is a licensed Personal Chef. She has taught cooking classes at Conejo Valley Adult School and Williams Sonoma in Thousand Oaks and has written articles for local food magazines such as 805 Living.

The Best Ever Pumpkin Bread!

1 cup salad oil (not olive)

2/3 cup water

3 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 cups pumpkin

Whisk together in a large bowl.

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1 ½ tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

3 ½ cups flour

1 cup chopped pecans

Whisk together in a small bowl.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Mix well.  Pour into individual mini loaf pans (approximately 4-5) that have been sprayed with Pam cooking spray.

Bake at 350F for 55 minutes.

Cool and slice.  These loaves freeze very well.

Note from Conejo Joe:  This recipe looks so easy that even I, an incompetent nincompoop in the kitchen, can make this pumpkin bread recipe!

Dedication of 3.4 Mile Stretch of Highway 101 in Memory of Sergeant Ron Helus in Thousand Oaks

On November 6th, a 3.4 mile stretch of Highway 101, between Hampshire Road and Lynn Road, was dedicated to the memory of Ventura County Sheriff’s Sergeant Ronald Lee Helus.

The prominently placed signs will serve as a reminder of the man he was and the sacrifice he made in order to protect those he did not know. at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday, November 7, 2018.

Live broadcast of the sign dedication on November 6, 2019.