The Fulkerson Hardware Store in Somis is Ventura County Historical Landmark No. 128

Fulkerson Hardware circa 2016

If you are ever passing through Somis from Camarillo, you will likely be passing by the historic Fulkerson Hardware Store at 3403 Somis Road. 

The Fulkerson Hardware building was designated a Ventura County Historical Landmark on July 1991. This one-story stucco structure was originally built in 1925.

Fulkerson Hardware was founded in 1912 by Jonathan Fulkerson and this structure sits on the foundation of the original hardware store.

The store is still family owned; Fulkerson's grandson Bob is the proprietor today. Jonathan's brother James opened the first business in Somis in 1892, a blacksmith shop.

You've got to step back into history and check this store out. It is jam packed with items and if you can't find what you need, ask Bob. In a corner of the business is "Jack's Museum." Jack is the son of the original founder and Bob's father. Quite a bit of local history on hand in here. Call 805.386.5795 for hours.

History on display in "Jack's Museum" at Fulkerson Hardware

If you stop by, grab lunch or breakfast at the nearby Somis Cafe and Market, which has been a Somis staple since 1974.

Somis is an unincorporated city of about 3,000 residents in Ventura County that was established in 1892. The name Somis means “water of the scrub oak” in the Chumash language, indicating the presence of water.

My two other favorite things to do in Somis is to visit the more low key Underwood Family Farms Somis Farm Center at 5696 E. Los Angeles Avenue and the Somis Nut House.

Side of building at the corner of Somis Road and Rice Street (photo from 2016)

Newer paint, same retro style circa Fall 2021.

The City of Thousand Oaks Announces "Trek & Brek" Pilot Program for Local Residents

The City of Thousand Oaks has announced a new program to encourage use of our beautiful open space. "Trek & Brek" offers residents who hike to designated pilot locations the opportunity to purchase some of their breakfast favorites.

Program Manager Stu Pidman remarked, "how many times have you trekked up Tarantula Hill, only to be distracted by the desire for a Venti Caramel Latte when you reach the top?" Now you can enjoy the view with a selected fresh brew.

Residents polled indicated a Jack in the Box breakfast is the ultimate incentive for strolling down the Mesa Trail. "What better way to burn off calories en route to Lizard Rock?" says 11 year resident Ivana Eeet. "Frankly I don't enjoy hiking, but knowing a Breakfast Jack is in my immediate future really gets me going."

Sally Fritter and her daughter Apple were the first duo to test the new Krispy Kreme vending machine on the Hill Canyon Trail in Thousand Oaks. Though in the initial pilot they tossed their glazed Krispy Kremes into the Arroyo Conejo after a swarm of bees came after the donuts, they enjoyed the fresh air.

Learn more at www.trekandbrek.com.

The Chumash House at Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa and Other Conejo Valley Locations

The Chumash home, or 'Ap, at Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa in June 2017 (it was subsequently taken down and rebuilt (see video below). unfortunately the newly built one also came down since then.

In front of the Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center in Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa in Newbury Park is a replica Chumash home called an 'ap. An 'ap is shaped like half an orange and is made by setting willow poles in the ground in a circle, bending them into shape at the top to form a dome.

What is obviously missing from the 'ap above is the outer, vertical layers, cattails laid out like shingles. The 'aps in the Chumash Indian Village at the Chumash Indian Museum in Thousand Oaks display what those look like, as does the video below from June 2020 showing the rebuilt Satwiwa ‘ap.

'Aps at Chumash Indian Museum's demonstration village. These were destroyed by the Woolsey Fire of 2018 but will be rebuilt.

Oakbrook Regional Park in March 2023 with two rebuilt ‘aps.

There is a hole at the top of the 'ap to allow for air circulation that was covered with an animal skin when it was raining.

The 'ap at Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa in June 2017. I spoke with the ranger about this 'ap, which is quite past its prime and has become misshapen. At some point what the Chumash do, when an 'ap is no longer of use and needs to be re-built, is take the willow poles down and burn them in a ceremony.

Funny that many folks, my kids included, wonder why the Chumash did not live in teepees (or tipis). Teepees are cone-shaped tents made of animal skins on wooden poles that were used primarily by Native Americans in the Great Plains section of the U.S. (Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and portions of other prairie states). The Chumash did not live in teepees. 

There is also a Chumash 'ap on display as part of a Chumash Village exhibit at the Stagecoach Inn Museum in Newbury Park.

The teepee structure at Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks is fun to hike to and sit under but is not something the Chumash Indians would ever have lived in.

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An informational sign describing an ‘ap anis (village) at Oakbrook Regional Park in March 2023.

IRS Extends 2022 Tax Return Filing Deadline to October 16, 2023 in Most California Counties

Last week, the IRS extended the 2022 tax filing deadline for taxpayers in most California counties (including our local LA/Ventura/Santa Barbara/Orange counties) to October 16, 2023. The deadline was previously extended from April 18th to May 15th due to the January storms.

In addition to individual and business tax returns, this extension applies to funding IRAs and to making estimated tax payments for Q422 to Q323 (if applicable).

The state of California has conformed to extension of filings and payments to October 16th. See www.ftb.ca.gov/about-ftb/newsroom/news-releases/2023-03-ftb-california-winter-storm-tax-relief-extension.html for details.

The Beach Boys 1991 "Crocodile Rock" Music Video Filmed at Golf N' Stuff Ventura

"Crocodile Rock" was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin and become Elton John's first U.S. number one single in February 1973. Eighteen years later, the Beach Boys recorded the song. Funny thing is that our own Golf N' Stuff in Ventura is featured in this kind of silly music video released in 1991.

Roughly half the video features familiar scenes from Golf N' Stuff, including several of the more prominent holes and structures as well as the bumper boats. Yes, the Beach Boys are featured on the bumper boats in their fedoras at Golf N' Stuff, along an offbeat display of scenes featuring a crocodile on the piano admired by a woman in a pink bikini, brief glimpses of Randy's Donuts and a cameo appearance by John Stamos.

Golf N' Stuff is often part of our family outings in Ventura County. Sign up for their email club and receive periodic special offers. Golf N' Stuff is among over 100 venues on this compilation of birthday party options in and around Ventura County.

The Corriganville Movie Ranch Site in Simi Valley is a Ventura County Historical Landmark

The Corriganville Movie Ranch Site in Simi Valley was designated a historical point of interest by the Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board in January 1982, then subsequently was redesignated as a historical landmark in August 1995.

Corriganville was a 1,500 acre piece of land in Simi Valley purchased by western film star Ray “Crash” Corrigan in 1937. The site was a working movie ranch for nearly three decades, and was used in the making of roughly 3,500 western films and television series such as Fort Apache, The Lone Ranger, and The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. Actors like John Wayne, Gene Autry, Johnny Weissmuller, Tex Ritter, Joel McCrea, Dale Evans and so many others filmed movies here.

Corriganville today...the ranch burned down in the 1970s, leaving just these cement slabs and exterior walls.

In 1949, the ranch opened to the public as “Corriganville,” a western themed amusement park. The ranch was later purchased by Bob Hope in 1965, deeming the ranch its alternative name, Hopetown. The ranch burned down in the 1970s and all that is left are the cement slabs and exterior rock walls of the barn. 

View of Corriganville Park from a trail on the east side of the park. The trail takes you up to 118 Freeway and a wildlife corridor tunnel that takes you under the freeway into Rocky Peak Park.

In 1988, 190 acres of the original ranch was purchased by the City of Simi Valley and is now owned and managed by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. Corriganville Park is located at 1601 Kuehner Drive, Simi Valley and is open to the public for hiking, walking and exploring. For a detailed compilation of historical aspects of the site, visit www.corriganville.net.

A photo of the Corriganville Movie Ranch when it was an active movie set. Learn more about Corriganville and see a model of what it looked like in the 1960s at the nearby Santa Susana Depot Museum.

Daylight Saving Time is Back Again on the 2nd Sunday of March

Daylight Saving** Time is coming back again! Yes, this will take place on Sunday, March 12, 2023. When the clock strikes 2 a.m. that morning, you will lose one hour of beauty sleep. Daylight Saving Time begins in most of the U.S. on the 2nd Sunday of March.

So try to get to bed early that night or you may feel grumpy on Monday! Especially when you realize it feels a lot darker that morning. But the good thing is, it'll be a lot lighter out at dinnertime!

** Contrary to what many of us think, it is called Daylight Saving Time, not Savings Time. Make sure to correct anyone who says it wrong if you really want to get on their nerves. But the reality of it is that we're not saving any daylight, we're just shifting it around.

MY VENTING SESSION ON DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME

Before the adoption of standard time zones in the United States, cities, towns, and communities set their own local times based on the sun’s position. In 1883, railroad companies adopted a system of standard time to synchronize movement and trade across the nation. The U.S. adopted an official system of standard time in 1918.

The Standard Time Act of 1918 incorporated a DST mandate from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. Congress repealed the DST mandate in 1919. President Woodrow Wilson vetoed the repeal. Congress overrode his veto.

Beginning in 1920, DST was a local state/city option. Here’s the history of DST legislation in California:

1930: Prop 7 was but on the ballot to implement DST at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday in April until 2 a.m. on the last Sunday in September. The initiative failed.

1940: Prop 5 was put on the ballot to implement DST. The initiative failed again.

1949: Third time’s a charm. This time it passed.

1962: Prop 6 was passed, which extended DST from the last Sunday in September to the last Sunday in October.

2018: Californians voted in favor of Proposition 7 by a margin of 59.75% to 40.25%. Voting in favor of the proposition allowed the California State Legislature to change the DST period by a 2/3rds vote and to establish permanent, year-round DST in California by a 2/3rds vote if federal law is changed to allow for permanent DST.

Why the holdup?

The holdup is at the federal level, not the state level: Voting yes on Prop 7 was just the first step in the process. California is one of 14 states that introduced legislation in 2019 to shift to permanent daylight saving time. States cannot move forward with permanent daylight saving time without authorization from the federal government. As of November 2019, there were 4 bills awaiting action in Congress that would allow California to be on permanent DST. These were:

H.R. 1556 “Sunshine Protection Act of 2019,” introduced to the House 3/6/19. The bill makes DST the new, permanent standard time. States with areas exempt from DST may choose the standard time for those areas. The bill was pending a hearing in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. S.670 is an identical bill in the Senate, pending a hearing in the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. These have gone nowhere.

H.R. 1601 “Daylight Act” and H.R. 2389 “To allow states to elect to observe year-round DST” both authorize states to shift to permanent daylight saving time and are pending hearings in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. These have also gone nowhere.