Continue to put pressure on the City Council about the CVD parade and rodeo

It took a few weeks to get over the shock. Conejo Valley Days without a parade. Your Nov. 6 issue of the Thousand Oaks Acorn published many letters whose authors expressed the same dismay. But we must realize that the decision to do away with a parade not only lies with the City Council, but also with the residents of Thousand Oaks itself.

Too many don't have a clue about the city or its history. Most drive around talking on their cellphones and never notice as the parade goes by. They hide behind their guarded gates, never noticing as the parade goes by. Their children are plugged into iPods, so they never notice as the parade goes by. It's a sad fact because now the parade may never go by again.

The editorial cartoon of the oak tree tells the complete story. Missing limbs of "open space" and "slow growth" now include the "rodeo" and "parade." Our city has changed. No more small town. But there is hope. In America, there's always hope. And Thousand Oaks is as American as any small town can be.

This past summer I attended the 125th anniversy of Cheyenne Days in Wyoming. What a great parade they had. Residents driving old cars, local bands, riders on horseback. American flags everywhere. Sound familiar? It's not too late. We can still have this here. We can save our parade and share a piece of Americana with our children and, in my case, the grandchildren.

Call the City Council today. John W. Clay Thousand Oaks