The parade and rodeo deserve to be preserved

I am a six-year resident of the Conejo Valley and Thousand Oaks, married, and the father of three children. My wife and I are members of Equestrian Trails Corral 37, a chapter of a national organization, which is dedicated to the preservation of open space, trails, and the equestrian lifestyle.

I'm also the editor of our Corral newsletter. This message is not just for equestrians, but for all community members of the Conejo Valley.

My testimony to preserve the Conejo Valley Days rodeo and parade is quite different from those who may have lived in the Conejo Valley for many years. I was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley; a place which once had the pride and "small town spirit" that Thousand Oaks still has--at least until the termination of the parade and rodeo. Over the 40 years that I lived in the Valley, I watched this pride disappear with the termination of similar venues and events, only to be replaced with the concrete, the gangs and the violence- -driving me to the decision that there must be a better place for my family to live and to raise my children.

Although only 20 miles away, Thousand Oaks seems hundreds of miles apart from the mess of a metropolis that is Los Angeles County. The reason? We are proud of where we live and what it stands for, and the best representation we have had of our city's spirit for the past 50 years has been the CVD parade and rodeo.

Now in the name of progress, we want to do away with these?

Certainly not! We welcome the idea of new events to Conejo Valley Days, but not at the sake of losing its centerpiece--the parade and rodeo.

I'm not writing to simply complain, but to ask that some alternatives are considered before we dismiss these events entirely. If funding is the issue, there are certainly organizations and entities which we and the CVD committee could call upon to help.

We have the Amgens, the Countrywides, the malls, including the Auto Mall, and a host of corporate resources right in our backyard, which all must share the desire to keep our community appealing to the residents as well as visitors.

The parade and rodeo have done just that. We need the support of the City Council, Conejo Recreation and Park District, Conejo Valley Unified School District, our Chamber of Commerce, Ventura County publications, the Elks, Rotary, etc. to keep the pride within Thousand Oaks alive and well.

I have ridden my horse in the parade, representing ETI Corral 37, since we moved here in 2000; my wife rides with the Conejo Riders Drill Team; my daughter with the Junior Drill Team; and my son (now 3) plans to ride in it next year as well--with the hope that we still have it.

If we do not act now to preserve these valuable treasures of our history, Thousand Oaks is destined to go by way of the San Fernando Valley, and lose a lot more than just the parade and rodeo. Let's please work together to do whatever we can to keep it. Bradley Merville Thousand Oaks