The Libbey Community Playground at Libbey Park in Ojai

The Libbey Community Playground was built and completed by volunteers in October 2015. 

The community also provided input into the design of the playground, which is one of the coolest playgrounds for young kids in Ventura County now from my vantage point. Over 500 people volunteered for the project and numerous local organizations provided supplies. Amazingly, this beautiful playground was built in only six days!

The most prominent feature of the playgrounds is a large wooden fort-like structure with treehouse, rock wall, slides, climbing rock, monkey bards, maze, fire pole, swings and many other features. The park has sections geared towards ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12.

Quad Pod Spinner at Libbey Playground

The park also has a unique looking "quad pod spinner," a newer, what looks to be safer, version of the traditional "spin around in circles" playground equipment many of us remember from our youth. 

And one other feature is the "Turf Hill," a small sliding hill, similar to the "Ant Hill" at Thousand Oaks Community Park.

If you are in Ojai with young kids, well this is an obvious "must do" attraction. Libbey Park is located in the heart of Ojai, the smallest city in Ventura County in terms of population.

Libbey Park is adjacent to Libbey Bowl, which hosts a number of concerts and events year-round.

THINGS TO DO IN OJAI

The Turf Hill at Libbey Community Playground

Where to Find Ventura County Emergency Updates on Thomas Fire in Ventura County

The Thomas Fire as seen from the Conejo Valley (Photo Credit: L. David Irete).

The Thomas Fire was first reported on Monday night around 6:30 p.m. in Santa Paula, in the vicinity of Steckel Park and Thomas Aquinas College near the 150 (Ojai Road). Due to gale force Santa Ana winds, the fire spread quickly overnight to over 55,000 acres in less than 24 hours in Santa Paula, Ojai and Ventura.

As of Tuesday night, December 5, the "Thomas Fire" has burned over 150 structures, including the Hawaiian Village Apartments in Ventura

Here’s the “after” video of the Hawaiian Village Apartments in Ventura. (See my precious post for comparison). Be safe out there. These winds are killer. #onassignment #NBCNews pic.twitter.com/UccKPxIJNp

— Angela Dallman (@angeladallman) December 6, 2017

Governor Brown declared a state of emergency in Ventura County today as a result of the fire. (He also issued an emergency proclamation today for the Creek and Rye fires in Los Angeles County.) 

Text the United Way of Ventura County at UWVC to 41444 to donate to Thomas Fire victims; 100% of the donations will go directly to those affected by the fires.

Schools have been closed Tuesday in Ventura County and on Wednesday the following schools are slated for closure due to the wildfires:

• CSU Channel Islands
• Nearly all K-12 schools in Ventura County, including Conejo Valley USD, Fillmore USD, Moorpark USD, Ojai USD, Pleasant Valley SD, Santa Paula USD, Ventura USD, Simi Valley USD, Oxnard Elementary and Union High School Districts and other schools listed at www.vcoe.org.
• UPDATE: The following districts will be closed the rest of the week (12/7-12/8): Briggs Elementary School District, Hueneme Elementary School District, Mesa Union Elementary SD, Mupu Elementary SD, Ocean View Elementary SD, Ojai USD, Oxnard Elementary SD, Oxnard Union HS District, Pleasant Valley SD, Rio Elementary SD, Santa Clara Elementary SD, Ventura USD.
• UPDATE: As of 2:30PM 12/6, school is planned for Simi Valley and Conejo Valley Unified School Districts.

Here's where to go for updates:

First and foremost, visit readyventuracounty.org for updates, mandatory evacuation areas, voluntary evacuations, evacuation shelters, school closures, road closures and other information.

If you are a Twitter user, the Ventura County Fire Department Public Information Officer provides periodic updates via Tweets at twitter.com/VCFD_PIO. The VCFD Twitter page also provides updates and some useful "Retweets" from other sources at twitter.com/VCFD.

Local area newspaper sites have Twitter and Facebook feeds that may come in handy:

• T.O. Acorn twitter.com/TOAcornNews
• T.O. Acorn Editor twitter.com/KyleBJorrey 
• VC Star twitter.com/vcstar 
• VC Star www.facebook.com/vcstar

Among TV news sites, I've found ABC 7 to have some great coverage abc7.com.

Subscribe to VC Alert, a free serviced utilized by all 10 cities in Ventura County as well as unincorporated areas for emergency updates. Text VCALERT to 313131 to register.

Cal Fire posts updates on its site at www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents.

The Ojai Valley Sign and Rotary Club of Ojai Plaque on State Route 150

The Ojai Valley sign on California State Route 150 at 6462 Santa Paula Ojai Road.

California State Route 150 runs 36.4 miles, from State Route 126 in Santa Paula at 10th Street (where it is called Ojai-Santa Paula Road), through Ojai (where it is called Ojai Avenue), then co-signed with State Route 33 (Maricopa Highway) until unincorporated community Meiners Oaks, then Baldwin Road between Ojai and Lake Casitas, then finally, Casitas Pass Road until it ends at U.S. Route 101 in Carpinteria.

If you are driving the section between Ojai and Santa Paula (which you WILL have to do sometime to experience the beauty back there), at roughly 6462 N. Ojai Road you will see a large "The Ojai Valley" monument.

Park the car, check out the views of the Ojai Valley and take a look at the Rotary Club of Ojai plaque dated 1990. The plaque shows various prominent mountain peaks in the Ojai Valley, including:

• White Ledge Peak (4,640')
• Matilija Twin Peaks (4,485')
• Three Sisters Peaks (5,378')
• Nordhoff Peak (4,485')
• Chief Peak (5,334')
• Topatopa Peak (6,244')

The plaque also highlights the canyons in view - Matilija Canyon, Gridley Canyon, Senior Canyon and Horn Canyon.

VISIT THIS PAGE FOR A BUNCH OF FUN THINGS TO DO IN OJAI

As you can see, the view is awesome. The tallest point ahead is Chief Peak.

This photo was taken in January 2017 after storms dusted snow on the Topa Topa Mountains. We can see this snow from the Conejo Valley but it is fun to see it closer up from Ojai.

The Smallest Post Office in the United States Used to Be in Wheeler Springs, Near Ojai

We were in Ojai for some activities and decided to drive up Maricopa Highway to check out the Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center for the first time. It is a cute little building that provides information about the Los Padres National Forest staffed with volunteers who sell maps, trail guides, Adventure Passes and other items. Located at 17017 Maricopa Highway, about eight miles from the "Y" intersection where if you continue right you are headed into Ojai. The Wheeler Gorge Campground is nearby.

More on local campgrounds in and around Ventura County at THIS LINK.

About a mile and a half before reaching the Visitor Center, at 16850 Maricopa Highway, we stopped at a small structure, shown above, that says "U.S.A.'s Smallest Post Office - Wheeler Springs, California."

There's quite a bit of history behind that structure and others in the area. According to OjaiHistory.com, the Wheeler Springs Post Office was installed by Webb Wilcox next to his Webb Wilcox Cafe in the mid-1930s after the Maricopa Highway was built, connecting Ojai to Kern County. The "glorified shack" was was designated by Ripley's Believe it or Not as the smallest Post Office in the U.S.A. until Wilcox died in 1962 and Wheeler Springs lost its status as a U.S. Post Office.

Webb Wilcox was the son-in-law of Wheeler Blumberg, who founded Wheeler's Hot Springs in 1891. Wheeler's Hot Spring Springs for awhile was a successful resort, with 14 guest cabins, swimming pool, fishing, camping, hot springs-fed swimming pool and more.

Blumberg went a bit crazy in May 1907, locking himself in a room and shooting holes through the walls. A posse was able to capture Blumberg, sedate him and place him in a straitjacket in a padded cell in Ventura. He continued screaming and straining until he died "from utter exhaustion" the next day at age 43. Wilcox, who previously married Blumberg's daughter, Etta, took control over the resort and renamed it Wheeler Hot Springs.

Wheeler Hot Springs went through a number of ownership changes over the years, including radio/TV personality Art Linkletter at one point, who opened a "Kiddie Land" attraction, who did not do well financially there. Over the decades, the resort survived and was rebuilt after multiple fires, and the "great flood of '69" but finally was completely closed down in 1999.

Visit THIS LINK on the OjaiHistory.com website for a much more detailed, fascinating account of Wheeler Hot Springs' ownership challenges over the years..

The Wheeler Hot Springs property is located at 16825 Maricopa Highway and according to Zillow.com was most recently sold in October 2016. It is privately owned and not open to the public but you will get a small glimpse of it as you drive by. According to the Zillow listing, Wheeler Hot Springs is 84.5 acres and has five known natural hot and cold mineral springs and a year-round creek. There is a large farmhouse occupying the center of the property.

The Parent Project® Training Program for Parents of Adolescent Children - Upcoming Ventura County Classes Available

The Parent Project® was created for parents with difficult or out-of-control adolescents between the ages 11 and 19. Parents learn and practice specific prevention and intervention strategies for destructive behaviors - truancy, alcohol and other drug use, gangs and other criminal behavior, running away, violence and suicide. Parents are self-referred or can be referred to Parent Project classes by officers in the field, juvenile detectives, diversion programs, court systems, mental health professionals and school officials.

This program is available locally in various Ventura County locations.  Many programs are free or charge only a small fee for a Parent Project workbook. Sessions generally are 10 weeks.

Some upcoming local Parent Project classes as of January 2016 are below. Providers and costs vary. Click the link above to register online for most classes, or call the phone numbers below.

• Camarillo: Camarillo Police Department is offering Monday night sessions 3/14/16 to 5/23/16. No charge for sessions. Workbook $20. Call 805.388-5155
• Moorpark: Moorpark USD is offering Spanish language classes 1/5/16 to 4/26/16 on Tuesday nights from 6:15-9:15PM
• Oxnard: Free Spanish language classes 3/3/16 to 5/12/16 from 6-9PM at Channel Islands High School and 2/2/16 to 4/12/16 at Pacifica High School (both Spanish and English)

Additionally, Loving Solutions is a program designed for parents of 5-10 year olds with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD) offered locally from time to time.

Previous sessions have also been offered in Simi Valley, Ojai, Thousand Oaks, Ventura and Westlake Village. For more details about the Parent Project program, visit www.parentproject.com.