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Movie Screening at Westlake Village Civic Center on Thursday, October 8 at 7:30 PM.  

Consuming Kids, a new film from The Media Education Foundation featuring CCFC staff and Steering Committee members, takes a powerful look at how corporations relentlessly target children and the impact of that marketing. It’s also the perfect organizing tool to raise awareness about the commercialization of childhood. The event is free and open to the public.

As parents, we are responsible for a lot. For our children’s health, well being, education, safety. We can’t always be the only filter for these things. We expect our community, and quite possibly, our society as a whole, to take responsibility for helping us raise children who can be strong and confident, to become adults who make good choices. 

But society often convinces us otherwise. Our children are bombarded on a daily basis with advertising and marketing schemes that change their point of view on the world. There is a group that is helping to change that.Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhoodis a national coalition of health care professionals, educators, advocacy groups, parents, and individuals who care about children.  Headquartered at the Judge Baker Children’s Center in Boston, CCFC is the only national organization devoted to limiting the impact of commercial culture on children.  CCFC’s staff and Steering Committee are activists, authors, and leading experts on the impact of media and marketing on children, and most are parents as well. 

  

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No tix for the Gustavo Dudamel kickoff? No problem…click here for info on watching the live webcast of Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl today at 4pm.

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Bridges Charter School founders are having a garage sale to support their effort for new charter

Sat. 10/3

8am – 1pm

991 Jeannette Avenue, Thousand Oaks

Science Day at the Santa Barbara Zoo

Sat. 10/3

10am-3pm

free science activities and fun with zoo admission

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Queen of local events Tanya Fox gives you the 4-1-1 on the Ventura Country Fair:

134th Annual Ventura County Fair

Wednesday, August 5 – 16, 2009

http://www.venturacountyfair.org/

Adults 13 & older $10.00

Children 6-12 $7.00

Seniors 62 and older $7.00

Children 5 & under and Super Seniors (100 years and over) admitted Free!

Youth Day, Friday, August 7

All Fair Visitors 12 years of age and younger will be admitted free all day

Seniors and Persons with Disabilities Day - Tuesday, August 11

Open at 10AM on this special day!

All senior citizens age 62 and older and all handicapped persons will be admitted free for this special day in celebration of their vigor and vitality.

Military Appreciation Day - Thursday, August 13

All military personnel holding a current, valid military i.d. will be admitted free.

Dollar Days Wednesday, August 5 & August 12

Entry to the Fair is $1 ’til 3PM

Carnival Wristband Days - Thursday, August 6, Monday, August 10, Tuesday, August 11, Thursday, August 13

Wristbands are sold for $25 from 11AM until 6PM

Good for unlimited rides until 7PM

“Fair Cares” Food Drive – Thursday, August 6 - Purchase your adult admission ticket and donate 5 cans of food for Food Share before 3pm and get a FREE return fair ticket. Return ticket valid Mon-Thurs, Aug 10-13

The Ventura County Fair highlights the county’s history, culture and agriculture, providing hands on learning experience for young and old, helping to develop a strong sense of community while promoting agriculture at the same time.

The 12 day Fair kicks off in July with attractions including farm animals, fireworks, interesting exhibits, competitions and displays to entertain all fair enthusiasts as well as performances by some of the biggest names in entertainment. Midway rides, games of skill and mountains of mouth watering food are on tap at the 2009 Ventura County Fair; August 5 – 16.

Grandstand Entertainment

Motorsports; Wednesday and Thursday, August 5 & 6, 6pm
($5 Adults, 12 and under free with paid adult)

Huey Lewis and the News; Friday, August 7, 7:30 PM

Josh Turner with Jake Owen; Saturday, August 8, 7:30 PM

El Chapo and Graciela Beltran with Venganza del Norte; Sunday, August 9, 3:00 PM

Gretchen Wilson; Monday, August 10, 7:30 PM

The Ultimate Doo-Wop Show; Tuesday, August 11,1pm

Rick Springfield; Tuesday, August 11, 7:30 PM

David Cook with Caitlin Crosby; Wednesday, August 12, 7:30

Good Charlotte; Thursday, August 13, 7:30 PM

Clay Walker and Lee Ann Womack; Friday, August 14, 7:30 PM

PRCA Rodeo; Saturday and Sunday, August 15 & 16, 2pm and 7pm

ABCs of Child Safety at the Fair

Save Money on Fair Fun!

Pre-sale Ride Tickets (only available Now through Aug. 4th)

Carnival Pre-Fair $20.00 for 50 tickets (3-6 tickets each ride)

http://venturacountyfair.org/pages/3441/

Regular Ride Ticket Prices (Aug. 5-16)

Sheets of 14 tickets are $10

Sheets of 30 tickets are $20

Single tickets are 75 cents

Rides cost between 3-6 tickets

I called the VC Fair office and they said they would sell tickets until the DAY BEFORE the fair opens.

Please note, pre-fair tickets will not be available by U.S. Mail. You may purchase your pre-fair tickets without service fees at any of the convenient locations below, or online with clicktix (nominal service fees will apply).

California Welcome Center

1000 Town Center Drive, Oxnard. (101 at Vineyard Ave)

Hours: Monday through Saturday 9-5, Sunday 10 – 5

Oxnard Performing Arts Center

800 Hobson Way, Oxnard

Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10-6

Ventura County Fairgrounds

10 West Harbor Blvd., Ventura

Hours: Monday – Friday 8-5

We love the Ventura County Fair.  (Anytime I say I’m going to Ventura, my 5-year-old thinks gets excited because she thinks we are going to the Fair.)  It’s big, but I find it manageable and it really has a “small town” feel to it.  (Well at least to me, I’m originally from NYC, but if you are from the mid-west, probably not.)  The Youth Expo Hall is fun to walk through and look at all the entries (ages 5 – 18) of artwork, clay, wood projects, etc…  Through out the fair halls, there are interesting demonstrations, photography, farm animals and free shows included with entry admission.    The fair has a lot of interesting things for children to see.  Two years ago the rooster crowing and hen cackling contest (it’s there every year and anybody can go up to try) was fun to watch.  Last year the kids howled at the 6pm Hypnotist Show . TIP: Be sure to check the SCHEDULE of EVENTS online before you go because some dates offer different attractions.

Click on Basic Fair Facts for Special Admission Days and Grandstand Entertainment Attractions

http://venturacountyfair.org/pages/3441/

Gems and Minerals & Hobbies and Collections (in a building to the left of the entrance)

We discovered this room last year after attending the Fair for three years.  We could spend two hours there looking through the displays.  This place is better and more personal than a visit to a local Natural Museum because it reflects the interests of real people, not some museum expert.

There was a giant train track (built by a Ventura train track enthusiast club comprised primarily of senior citizens) that the kids loved seeing.

We got to see some of the exhibits being set up this past weekend.  People were submitting their gems, minerals and incredible fossil collections.  (My 9-year-old son submitted some of his gem & mineral collection in the Junior Novice category for the first time this year.)  There is a WONDERFUL whale bone exhibit collected at a local Santa Barbara Beach.  That display explains where to go and how to find the items.  There is another great exhibit of hand carved knives (knapped knives carved out of stone) with step-by-step photos of the process.

Kids and adults can submit their cool toy & hobby collections (Legos, wooden structures, dolls, car collections, toys, Wizard of Oz, you name it).  This was fun to go through, my then 4-year-old daughter enjoyed it as my as my son.  Museum entry dates for this category is this weekend, July 31, August 1 & 2.  Click on Entry Guide on the website.

Photography

There are beautiful photography submissions in every category: nature, portraits, etc…

Home Arts

Arts & Crafts  (Basketry, Beading, Ceramic arts, etc…)

Baked Foods  (If you love to cook, you can enter something just for the fun of it.)

Clothing & Textiles (I love the amazing quilts.)

Preserved Foods

Special Exhibits

Table Settings

Youth Expo

Kids art, essays, photography, wood projects, foods, table settings, crafts and a Stage Show

This giant hall has entries from kids ages 5 – 18.  Last weekend I submitted some art for my 5-year-old daughter and some friends.  I think they’ll get a kick out of seeing their art on the wall also.

Last year there was a wonderful 4′ replica of the Pirates of Caribbean ship made by a 16-year-old teen with autism.  It was great to be able to see it in person and the only reason I knew the story behind it was because I read about it in the paper.

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/21/hundreds-of-hopefuls-enter-their-projects-at/

4-H Kids and Farm Animals

This is a fun thing to go through.  There are lots of farm animals to see at the fair.

We never miss:

Gene West’s Wonderful Wood Toys at the Youth Expo Building

Wildlife Experience at the Porker Flats  (They sell the most vivid and cool animal t-shirts for $15 each.  I buy one to support their non-profit every year.)

Turkey Stampede at the Porker Flats  (Last year my 5-year-old went onstage to help out with a stage show of Nellie the Famous Pig.)

Farm animals

Village Blacksmith Show at Porker Flats

The Photography Exhibit Hall

The Channel Island Woodcarvers always has a demo table at the Home Arts building, showing the public how to carve wood.  My kids and their friends stood there a long time watching the men work.  They waited patiently while someone made each of them a spinning top in front of their eyes.

And much more…

The buildings with things to view are usually not crowded.  By mid-afternoon, the walk-ways are crowded with people and so is the Food Court area.

Rides: My kids (ages 9 & 5) love the rides.  There are a few rides for 3 year olds and definitely older children.  Best bet for rides it to purchase Pre-sale Ride tickets.  Otherwise, if you purchase ride tickets during the fair, it is very expensive.

This year I’ll buy my son a $25 Carnival WRISTBAND (sold only on 8/6, 8/10, 8/11, 8/13) and it’s good for multiple rides on certain days until 7pm.  I think my daughter will be fine with a sheet of tickets.

Extra costs: Some things cost extra and this can add up.

Food, Pony rides, yummy treats (a slurpee cost $4), souvenirs like the popular hand wax mold, great little petting zoo by the children’s area and very worth it ($1-2? each), and other rides.

We went twice last year and we’ll do the same this year.  There is so much to see and do it’s impossible to see it all in one day.

What to bring: a jacket for nighttime as it cools down quick on the shore.  I put my youngest in PJs for the car ride home.  We usually leave around 7-8pm.

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