Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas in Westlake Village to Debut on Friday, September 21st

Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas To Debut Its First Greater Los Angeles Location at The Promenade At Westlake

Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas, the largest cinema exhibitor in Latin America and fourth largest in the world, will open its fourth luxury U.S. location at The Promenade at Westlake, a Caruso Affiliated Property. Bringing its completely revolutionized concept in movie theaters to Westlake Village, Cinépolis enhances the traditional movie-going experience by pampering customers in an intimate and comfortable environment.

The theater will open on Friday, September 21st for movie showings.

With successful U.S. locations in Del Mar, La Costa and Laguna Niguel, Cinépolis is the go-to theater for a first-class movie-going experience. The Cinema, at The Promenade At Westlake, includes eight state-of-the-art, digital auditoriums, leather reclining chairs, swivel tables and call service buttons that summon cinema servers to take moviegoers’ food and beverage orders during a film.  Ticket prices range from $13.50 -$19.50—with a surcharge for 3D films.

Guests are invited to socialize with friends in the lounge-style lobby or outdoor patio dining area beforehand, complete with full dining and bar service. The menu offers restaurant-quality favorites such as a chopped short rib burger, Cobb salad, spicy buffalo chicken wrap and sushi. Guests can also enjoy traditional movie snacks such as popcorn (available in Butter, Light, Caramel and Spicy Chili), soft drinks, specialty coffee drinks, milkshakes, gourmet finger foods and desserts such as Chocolate Godiva Cheesecake.

“Cinépolis offers an unparalleled entertainment experience,” said Paul Kurzawa, Chief Operating Office of Caruso Affiliated (owners of the Promenade at Westlake). “Their customer service philosophy mirrors ours, and we are delighted to welcome them to the Promenade at Westlake.”

“Our luxury cinemas are a whole new concept that has revolutionized the way moviegoers will watch movies. Relax, order your food and beverages inside the theater and enjoy the movie. Make every movie memorable by coming to Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas which is a new level of a premium movie experience” said Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Brand Development Manager Alejandro Saenz.

Movies will be shown in both 2D- and 3D-formats. Cinépolis Westlake Village is 32,000-square-feet with eight screens and 600 seats. This location has fully digital projectors and sound.

Guests interested in hosting group or private events can contact Cinépolis Corporate office at asaenz@cinepolis.com                                                                   

Tickets will be available soon online at www.Cinépolisusa.com or inside the Cinema (100 Promenade Way, Westlake Village) at the Concierge desk. Hours of operation will be 11am to midnight.

About The Promenade at Westlake

The Promenade at Westlake, developed by Caruso Affiliated, is a 210,000 square foot Mediterranean-style shopping, dining and entertainment center located in Thousand Oaks, CA. Featuring an expansive offering of unique boutiques, al fresco restaurants and pedestrian-friendly outdoor courtyards the center has evolved into a lively gathering place for the surrounding community.  The Promenade at Westlake has won multiple design awards, including the 1997 Gold Nugget Grand Award for the "Best Commercial Project for Retail," and the 1998 International Council of Shopping Centers 22nd International Design and Development Award for "Innovative Design and "Construction of a New Project." For more information on the Promenade at Westlake please visit www.shoppromenade.com.

Grand Opening of the Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center in Calabasas on Saturday, June 9th

On Saturday, June 9, 2012, the new Interagency Visitor Center is opening its doors with an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center is nestled in the very heart of the mountains at King Gillette Ranch, 26800 Mulholland Highway, Calabasas.

This Visitor Center is the first of its kind in the Santa Monica Mountains. In one building, you will be able to interact with staff and volunteers from the National Park Service, California State Parks, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. We'll be together, standing side by side, to guide you in building your visit to our parks.

The Visitor Center will also feature new exhibits and interactive displays, exhibits by local artists, tours of sustainable features, and a native plant garden to explore. Yet, the Interagency Visitor Center is only intended to be a launching point to your greater experience. Join us to find out more about the Santa Monica Mountains and to inform your future activities in the outdoors!

There are so many things to see and do within the Santa Monica Mountains. With the help of the new Visitor Center, you will be able to discover opportunities you may not have considered before. Or, perhaps you may be reminded of a favorite place you would like to visit again. No matter where you land along the spectrum, the Visitor Center staff and volunteers will be your resource for how to make that happen. Come ready to explore our new Visitor Center, but also all that our mountains have to offer.

Call 805-370-2301 or visit www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/visitor-center.htm (at a later date - this site is work in process).

Hooters of Thousand Oaks "Moms Eat Free" Grand Opening Celebration on May 13th

We have received word that the new Hooters of Thousand Oaks will be making its premiere on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 13th. And in conjunction with that, they will be offering a Moms Eat Free deal that day. The flyer sent to me today indicates the Moms Eat Free deal is all day and applies to any menu item up to $9.99.

Hooters of Thousand Oaks will be open from 11am to 1am with the kitchen closing at midnight.

We've seen plenty of Kids Eat Free deals around town but this is the first Moms Eat Free special we've encountered! :>

Miller Family YMCA to Host Indoor Cycle-A-Thon and Thanksgiving Food Basket Drive on Saturday, November 12th

Miller YMCA To Host Indoor Cycle-A-Thon and Thanksgiving Food Basket Drive

The Miller Family YMCA of Newbury Park will be holding its first indoor Cycle-A-Thon, Saturday, November 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Y (320 Via Las Brisas, Newbury Park). The event will raise money for the Y's Healthy Living Program. During the cycle-a-thon, 150 Thanksgiving Day food baskets will be assembled for distribution to residents in the community.

Teams of riders will be cycling nonstop on stationary bikes during the cycle-a-thon. The cyclists will be entertained throughout the day with music and live entertainment. Everyone who participates will receive a continental breakfast and lunch and goody bag. Prizes will be awarded in categories including the team raising the most money, the rider who pedaled the longest and the team with the most spirit.

"We're asking teams to collect donations of at least $200 per team," says Katie Beck, the Miller Y executive director. "We're hoping to raise $5,000 that day--through the cycle-a-thon, a raffle, a silent auction and direct donations."

Volunteers are also needed to assemble the food baskets during the cycle-a-thon. "Many of our neighbors need a little extra help this holiday season. As part of the Y's ongoing Healthy Living Program, we want to make sure these families have everything they need for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner," says Beck.

Community members can donate nonperishable items to the food basket drive from November 1 through November 10 or donate $35, which provides a Thanksgiving dinner for a family of four.

Only 15 cycling teams can participate in the cycle-a-thon. For more information including how to form a team, join an existing team or to volunteer, contact Katie Beck at kbeck@millerymca.org or call the Y at 805-480-0309.

New KCLU Broadcast Center to be Dedicated on Friday, May 20th

Dedication for new KCLU building slated
Center expands production, educational opportunities

A dedication for the new KCLU Broadcast Center will be held at 4 p.m. Friday, May 20.

The $2.9 million center on the California Lutheran University campus in Thousand Oaks houses four state-of-the-art production rooms. Dubbed The Paulucci Studios, they will include the National Public Radio station’s first dedicated newsroom.

The two-story KCLU Broadcast Center also provides facilities for educational opportunities and community events that the previous center couldn’t accommodate. The Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Education Suite features a fully digitized classroom next to a student lab, providing an observation and workshop environment to train CLU broadcast journalism students. The second student lab will house a student-run digital Internet radio station.

There is also a community room that will be used for meetings and special events.

The new 6,570-square-foot center will replace the tiny studio in CLU’s Mountclef Residence Hall where the KCLU staff has produced award-winning local news and public affairs programs since it signed on in 1994. KCLU, which serves about 70,000 weekly listeners in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, has received more than 140 awards for broadcasting excellence in the last decade.

The public is invited to the dedication. Following the ceremony, people can take self-guided tours of the center. The site is north of Olsen Road on Campus Drive in Thousand Oaks. It is located on the east side of the street.
 
KCLU, a community service of CLU, broadcasts local and national programming in Ventura County on 88.3 FM and in Santa Barbara County at 1340 AM and 102.3 FM. Live streaming and archives are available at www.kclu.org.

Free Reception for Dr. William Hart, Author of Community Memorial Hospital Book, in Ventura on May 22nd

Author of Book on Community Memorial Hospital Honored

A free reception for Dr. William Hart, author of a recently published history of Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 22, at the Museum of Ventura County’s event pavilion. Signed copies of  “The Hospital of Choice: Community Memorial Hospital: A History,” will be available in the museum bookstore, in both hard and soft cover. Hart will donate all proceeds from sales of the book to the museum.

Hart was the first Board Certified cardiologist in Ventura County, the first procedural cardiologist in the Tri-Counties, and he founded the first Coronary Care Unit/Intensive Care Unit in Ventura County. His book chronicles Community Memorial Hospital’s 109 years of growth since opening in 1902 as the Elizabeth Bard Memorial Hospital, founded by brothers Cephas and Thomas Bard.

The present Museum of Ventura County shares some founding history with the hospital. Dr. Cephas Bard’s collection of artifacts, often given him in lieu of payment for medical services, formed the original exhibition with which the museum began in 1913.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura. Hours are 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children 6-17, members and children under 6 are free. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.

Bard Hospital today at the corner of Fir and Poli Streets in Ventura

Dan Aykroyd to Sign Bottles of Crystal Head Vodka at the New Total Wine & More in Thousand Oaks on Friday, April 15th

The brand new Total Wine & More, located in the old Office Max 23,000 sq ft store next to Best Buy at 394 N. Moorpark Road, opened two weeks ago. This Friday, April 15th, from 4 pm to 6 pm, Dan Aykroyd will be at the store for a special in-store bottle signing of Crystal Head Vodka. Dan is co-founder of Crystal Head.

This premium vodka is produced using a filtering technique using Herkimer diamond crystals.  These crystals are said to contain special, magical properties that give the vodka an extra layer of purity. This vodka comes in a very unique, skull shaped bottle! Take home your own specially-signed bottle with the purchase of Crystal Head Vodka.

I called the store. Retail price of a 1.5 liter bottle is $74.99. The 750 ml bottle is $42.99.

For more information, visit www.totalwine.com or call the store at 805.494.0108.

Learn more about Crystal Head Vodka at www.crystalheadvodka.com.