Local parks feature fun summer events
By Gloria Glasser

Local park agencies have a wide range of activities planned to help anyone coping with a bad case of those summer doldrums. And you don't even have to be an avid hiker or ardent nature lover. All that is required is a high tolerance for fun and/or curiosity about the wild world around us.

Here are some upcoming highlights. Most events are free of charge (except where noted) and led by park rangers or trained docents or nature group leaders.

+At 6 p.m. Sat., July 15, take a "Creatures of the Night" jaunt at Rocky Oaks, an easily-accessible park at the corner of Kanan-Dume Road and Mulholland Highway, Malibu. Visit the meadows, oak woodlands and chaparral on this hour-long guided hike and watch for the creatures of the day to make way for those with a nocturnal bent.

+At 8 a.m. Sun., July 16, join members of the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society on a bird walk at Malibu Creek State Park, Calabasas. Participants are advised to bring binoculars and wear hiking boots as they search for sightings of a variety of birds in unspoiled habitats. Beginning birders are welcome. All should meet in the park's lower parking lot (there is a fee to park). Expect to hike for about 3 and a half hours.

+Beach lovers are invited to join the Sierra Club on a moderate 7-mile hike from the Point Dume State Preserve atop the headlands of Point Dume, Malibu to Paradise Cove. They will depart at 9 a.m. Tues., July 18 on a three-hour trek. For more details, call (818) 883-4723.

+As dry as trails appear, there are still some dazzling wildflowers. On a July 7 hike I spotted the rather elusive Calochortus plummerae plus scarlet delphiniums and coast penstemon.

For an overview on "What's Blooming Now," join Tony Valois, coordinator of "What's Blooming" on the National Park Service's website for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, for a lecture and slide show at 7 p.m. Fri., July 21 at the National Park Service Visitor Center, 401 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks.

In this 90-minute presentation Valois will tell visitors where to find summer wildflowers and how the plants survive the summer heat, plus provide some tips on how to photograph the flora you encounter.

+At 7 p.m. Sat., July 22, don't miss "Bug Night" at Charmlee Wilderness Park, in the Santa Monica Mountains along Encinal Canyon Road, a few miles up from the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Bring a flashlight as you search for insects and other creatures on this naturalist-led walk. There is a $3 parking fee and reservations are required by calling (310) 317-1364.

+Have a good laugh when the National Park Service, in conjunction with the Silent Society of Hollywood Heritage Inc., hosts

an "All Star Comedy Night" as the "Silents Under the Stars" summer series kicks off at 8 p.m. Sun., July 23 at Paramount Ranch, on Cornell Road in Agoura.

Classic silent movies are shown in an open-air pavillion (mosquito repellant is suggested) with picnic tables available for al fresco dining. Michael Mortilla returns to provide lively musical accompaniment, and the features will be preceded by surprise short subjects. Another silent film is scheduled for Aug. 20.

The comedy night event will feature the following short films: Our Gang in "The Fourth Alarm," "Should Married Men Go Home?" with Laurel and Hardy, Harold Lloyd's "Now or Never," and Charlie Chaplin in "The Floorwalker." Admission ranges from $3 to $6.

+Upcoming in August will be a concert by the Irish band Ciunas from 3 to 5 p.m. Sun., Aug. 13 at Peter Strauss Ranch, 30000 Mulholland Hwy. at Troutdale Drive, Agoura.

This is an ideal site for a family picnic on the broad lawn or a short nature hike on the park's only trail-it's impossible to get lost at this park. There are picturesque views of mountains rising above the creek course and some gorgeous but loud resident peacocks.

Strauss Ranch is also a stop for the ParkLink Shuttle bus, so you can catch a concert here and then hop on board for a tour of other park sites for only $1. Schedules are available at the shuttle stop. The concert is free.

+Before there was Steven Spielberg-really long before- director Willis O'Brien used exciting special effects to make the 1925 silent film "The Lost World," inspired by the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The adventure story of a lost world in South America where dinosaurs still roamed the earth stars Bessie Love and Lewis Stone. It will be presented at 7:30

p.m. Sun., Aug. 20 at Paramount Ranch in Agoura. Admission ranges from $3 to $6.

To receive a detailed brochure on park activities scheduled for July, August and September, call the National Park Service Visitor Center for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area at (805) 370-2301 or stop by 401 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks, which is open seven days a week until 5 p.m.