Westlake Village Flag Retirement and Fireworks Show

Fireworks
The City of Westlake Village is celebrating the 4th of July with an extra bang this year — the city will be hosting its own fireworks show.

Before the show, you can join in on the 45th annual Westlake Village 4th of July Parade. The 8 a.m. pancake breakfast will give you energy to walk the four-block parade route that ends at Berniece Bennett Park. After the parade, you can stay and watch a U.S. Flag Retirement Ceremony that will be performed by my son’s Boy Scout troop — Troop 485. Residents can stay and enjoy free activities, music and popsicles.

The firework show will take place over the Westlake Village Golf Course.

If you can’t make it to the Westlake Village fireworks show, there are other local opportunities.
The City of Moorpark will light the sky on fire on July 3rd.  Thousand Oaks will put on a dazzling display behind The Oaks Mall on the 4th of July.  A few days later you can pop over to Chumash Park, here in Agoura Hills, and listen to an Elvis tribute concert, followed by a firework show.  I have attended the Agoura show for the past 4 years and it is always great.

 

Find out more at:

http://www.conejovalleyguide.com/welcome/4th-of-july-fireworks-parades-and-other-events-around-ventur.html
http://conejovalley.happeningmag.com/westlake-village-hold-july-4th-fireworks-time/

Lindero Canyon Middle School To Perform 13

The LCMS players will be presenting the musical 13 February 27 – March 1 at the Agoura High School Performing Arts Center.

Evan Goldman’s parents are getting divorced. If that’s not bad enough, he is forced to move from New York to a small town in Indiana where he becomes the target of the star quarterback. Nasty rumors are spread and blackmail plays a role in this coming of age musical directed by Ray Saar. Music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the box-office.

I went to see the LCMS production of Beauty and the Beast (also directed by Ray Saar) last year and it was amazing. You don’t have to have a student in the play (I don’t) to appreciate the talent right in our own backyard.

Write the story of your life!

Head over to the Agoura Hills Library Tuesday, February 18, and get some tips on how to pen your personal story. Award-winning author, Carol Stoner, will be on hand to provide you with some help in accessing your creative self. She may even have some advice for how to publish your memoir once you finish.

This event takes place February 18, 2014
6:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.

Agoura Hills Library
29901 Ladyface Court
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Phone: (818) 889-2278

Box it Out at Agoura Boxing

The expelled breath of gym rats fogged up the windows of Agoura Boxing so much that we could not see inside. It was a crisp November evening when we opened the door to find lots of sweat, determination and camaraderie. Here was a real boxing gym – no fussiness or trendy gadgets. Just lots of heavy bags, speed bags, an open space for jump rope and ab work and right in the middle… a big ring.

The class was billed as a kids and beginners class, and we expected lots of young boys and maybe a few girls. It turned out to be heavy on the beginning adults and light on the kids. That was fine by us. Our boy had shown up to work. The less distractions the better. The class members circled up and started with some stretches and then the work started and didn’t let up for 60 minutes. Every single person had sweat dripping down their smiling faces by the end of class.

The kid hits the gym about 2 times every week. He’s on the shy side, so the fist bumps and encouragement that goes on among fellow classmates doesn’t come easy to him, but I’m hoping that in time it will.

If you or your kids want a serious workout, I highly suggest you talk to Martin over at Agoura Boxing. My son feels really good after class – and he sleeps like a champ at night.

Library Looking For Teens To Join Advisory Board

The Agoura Hills and Westlake Village Libraries are looking for teens age 12 – 18 to join the Teen Advisory Board. Teens will earn community service credit by helping select materials and plan and staff library programs.

Interested teens can attend a Teen Advisory meeting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 29 at the Westlake Village Library.

More information HERE

The Beach Bus Is Coming!

I have fond memories of The Beach Bus… my friends and I started using the local service when I was in 8th grade (many years ago) and we continued riding until the first of our group got a car.
beachbus

The cost is $2 each way, and there are 3 pick-up locations in Agoura Hills for drop off at Zuma Beach. Bring a photo ID (driver’s license, school ID or home-made emergency contact card) and exact change. You can bring boogie boards and beach toys.

The schedule is HERE

Pickup locations are LCMS, AHS and Liberty Canyon. Looks like first pickup time is at 9:15 and last bus leaves Zuma at 6:10. There are even special times for kids involved in the Jr. Lifeguard Program.

Kick Off Summer With Surfin’ Safari Concert

School is officially over for our LVUSD kids! I don’t know about your children, but mine usually have to be dragged out of bed for school each morning. Not today… today they were up at the crack of dawn to start their summer cartoon marathon.

I will get them out of the house eventually. One item on our agenda is the summer concert in the park series put on by the city. This Sunday is the first installment with Surfin Safari — A Tribute To The Beach Boys.

Concerts are free. Food can be purchased beginning at 5 p.m. and the concert starts at 6 p.m.

More Info

Tuesdays At The Agoura Library

The Agoura library has some fun events planned for the summer. In addition to their summer reading program, they will host the following events for children of all ages.

All these events take place on Tuesdays at 3:30pm

June 18
World renowned juggler David Cousins will perform amazing feets of juggling
The kids and I saw him at the T.O. library two years ago and he was amazing.

June 25
Nifty Balloons will entertain with stories and amazing balloon art

July 2
Find out about dinosaurs with Richard Wade. Get a real fossil to take home

July 9
Lego Madness with Richard Woloski is always a favorite.

July 16
Lazy Lizzie tells Shakespeare tales and everyone gets in on the act

July 23
It’s broccoli Day at the library. Make broccoli art and spin the reading wheel for prizes. Taste healthy treats

July 30
Who Ate My Cookies puppet show and magic with Richard Woloski

More Info
818-889-2278

Learn The Signs of Drowning & Water Safety Expo

I try to keep things hyper-local here on Agoura.com, but some people might want to check this out — Water Safety Expo in Santa Clarita June 8, 10am – 2pm

It’s interesting because last week I was working on a water safety post for Agoura.com but didn’t quite have a chance to finish it. My own children are relatively water safe — they can get around the pool, but they don’t have the best form in their strokes. I could see them tiring quickly if a problem arose.

It gets hot here in Agoura and many residents are lucky enough to cool off in their backyard pool while others head to the beach or to local community pools.

It is very important to remember that drowning happens quietly — you won’t see the waving and splashing around that you might expect.

According to The U.S. Coast Guard, The Instinctive Drowning Response is a person’s attempt to avoid the actual or perceived suffocation in the water. Drowning triggers automatic responses that result in instinctive drowning movements that can be recognized by trained individuals or rescue crews.

Characteristics of the Instinctive Drowning Response:
— Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. You are busy trying to take a breath if you pop out of the water, so your instinct is not to call out for help or yell. The mouth of someone drowning is not above the surface long enough to exhale, inhale AND call out for help. They try to take a quick breath before sinking again.

— Drowning people cannot wave for help because nature instinctively causes them to extend their arms down. Pressing down on the surface of the water helps drowning people leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouth out of the water to take a breath.

— The Instinctive Drowning Response will now allow for a drowning person to override the instincts. In other words, they CANNOT voluntarily control arm movements and wave for help, move toward a rescuer or reach out for a piece of rescue equipment.

— There is also no kicking. The Instinctive Drowning Response causes people’s bodies to remain upright in the water.

Without being rescued by a trained individual, a drowning person can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds.

That last bit really shocked me. I have turned to talk to a friend at the pool for more than a minute while my children played in the pool. My kids are a bit older and can make their way around the pool just fine, but there could be many reasons that a person begins to drown.

Some tips to keep kids (and adults) safe:

Supervise kids — even those that can swim — at all times.

Use the buddy system — always swim with a buddy

Learn CPR — you can save a life!

Learn the signs of drowning

Install barriers if you have a swimming pool

Get swim lessons for you and your kids

If you are at the beach:
Obey warnings represented by colored beach flags.

Watch for dangerous waves or rip currents — water that is discolored and choppy, foamy, or filled with debris and moving in a channel away from shore.

If you are caught in a rip current, swim parallel to the shore.

More Info from the Red Cross

Boys & Girls Club 2nd Annual Track Meet At AHS

It’s been three weeks since my kids’ last track meet and they’re already missing their running club — well… maybe I’m the one missing the regular exercise, great coaches and excitement of the meets.

Now there is a chance for one more meet in 2013 at the Boys & Girls Club of the Greater Conejo Valley’s 2nd Annual Track Meet on Sunday, June 30 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

We missed this event last year because we were out of town, but I think we’ll be there this time. Children ages 3-10 have the chance to earn multiple ribbons at the beautiful AHS track.

The cost for the meet is $20 per child, with proceeds benefitting Boys & Girls Club programs. Financial assistance is available for those in need.

Find out more here — you have to scroll down a bit to find the flyer for the track meet.
Or call 818-483-6303.

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