Conejo Valley Days canceled

Conejo Valley Days attendance was up; organizers made a profit; local charities made $250,000, and those attending the events had a good time, according to organizers.

So why are leaders of the Conejo Valley Days Activities Corporation canceling CVD for the spring of 2009?

CVD 2008 chair Marty Campbell said it's too much work for those who organize it.

"Every year it becomes more and more difficult to continue to produce an event of this magnitude," she said.

The economy and the rising costs of putting on CVD are just too much, she said.

Campbell also mentioned the "exceedingly high cost omandated security, the burdensome requirements of the

county" and the difficulty ofinding dedicated people to volunteer their time.

Campbell also pointed to changes being made to the customary CVD carnival site aConejo Creek Park South, neaJanss Road and the 23 Freeway"At this time, there is a loof construction proceeding athe site that would greatly affecthe size of CVD and restricparking," she said.

"I think it's a better site now than it was before," said Tom Hare, Conejo Recreation and Park District parks and planning administrator. "We've alwaytried to work with our Conejo Valley Days partners on improvements."

Hare said he'd met with Campbell and others and kept them in the loop regarding all the construction plans, incorporated their suggestions into the new constructions and offered to allow increased electrical capacity on the site. One of the improvements is an 8-acre parking lot on the west side, along the freeway, he said.

"We've tried our best to work with them. I hope this is a small hiatus. They're a good group of good people doing good stuff for the community," Hare said.

According to Campbell, the CVD board "will briefly suspend CVD for 2009 to form a steering committee to analyze how and where we can continue to host the annual CVD and come back strong in 2010."

Former Kiwanis president Don Hegarty and his club are considering what to do about the parade that members of his organization have managed for about 50 years.

"It's kind of sad we can't have the carnival- now we have to make a decision about the parade," Hegarty said.

The Kiwanis are working on the possibility of hosting a parade, but nothing has been finalized. The club is also looking into the possibility of a new parade route, which was traditionally along Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

Early May, when CVD normally comes around, hasn't been the best time for marching bands, which organize in the fall semester, Hegarty said. The cost is a big consideration, too, he said.

"How will we pay for it without CVD getting sponsors?" Hegarty said.

The cancellation of the carnival leaves the 28 clubs and organizations, many of which use CVD as their major fundraiser for the year, wondering what to do.

Among those affected are the Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks, which hosts the CVD Chili CookOff, and the Optimists Club of Thousand Oaks, which organizes the kickoff picnic.