NEIGHBORS : Unflagging Dedication : An Oxnard College student makes the grade; a Cajun music show, and a special delivery service.

Remember the commercial art class at Oxnard College in which the students got professional experience working on out-of-school projects?

Well, Yasuhiro Kajitori, a member of last semester’s class, actually worked on an over-the-school project. In fact, his project flies above the school every weekday. He designed the first flag that the college has ever had--in the school colors of Kelly green and royal blue.

If you find yourself on the Las Vegas strip this evening you may want to walk over to the Holiday Casino. The Simi-Valley based Cajun-zydeco group, Gumbo La La, will be performing outside from 6 p.m. to midnight. The casino is hoping the group will attract people into its new shopping center.

“What we play is middle-class music. When we play in Ventura County, every third song is a waltz,” said founder and lead fiddler Bobby Weiszmann of Simi Valley. “The music is irresistible. In Louisiana, if you play zydeco music near a graveyard, you’ll rise up them dead people.”

Weiszmann said his band usually tones down the music so it will be appreciated by a wider audience. But it hasn’t always worked.

“We went to Hollywood for a private party once. . . . It took a while, but they started dancing by the second set. By the end of the night, they were slam dancing to waltzes.”

Here’s a genuinely special delivery service:

The people in charge of the Pack ‘N Post packaging and shipping business in Newbury Park have made an offer to Ventura County residents who have friends or relatives stationed in the Persian Gulf--they will send a letter or small package overseas for free.

“I understand from the recruiting offices that some of the things they’d like to see shipped over there are games, cards and portable radios,” said Pack ‘N Post owner Martha Zilm. “They talk about how much boredom there is just sitting in the desert and waiting.”

Right now, there’s a two-pound limit to this offer, but Zilm said that it could be raised. A package of one pound or less would normally cost about $2.40 to ship.

One of the highlights of the 68th annual California Fireman’s Assn. conference, being held at Mandalay Beach Resort Oct. 7 to 10 will be the presentation of the Valor Awards, given to firefighters and civilians for acts of heroism. Three Ventura County residents will be among the recipients.

Bob Lemon and Tim Donoghue of Ojai will be honored for rescuing two men and one woman who were injured in a car accident along California 33 on Feb. 5. They pulled the woman out of the burning car and treated all of the victims until help arrived.

Larrs Johnson, 9, of Simi Valley also will be honored. Larrs, his mother, Debbie, and his 3-year-old brother, Anders, were among a group riding in a boat on Lake McClure in Los Angeles County on June 27. While moving at a speed of 35 m.p.h., the boat crashed into some rocks. Larrs was uninjured, but his mother was tossed from the boat.

Larrs saw his mother floating face down in the water. He took off his life jacket, swam over to her and pulled her ashore. He then went back to the boat and found his brother inside the bow with serious head and face cuts. Larrs helped Anders out of the boat and tried to treat the injuries.

Only four more days left to visit the 9,000-square-foot Malibu Design House 1990. Proceeds from the tour will help establish a Wellness Community in the Ventura County-West San Fernando Valley area. Wellness Communities provide support groups for cancer patients and their families.

The Design House is at 3785 Puerco Canyon Road in Malibu. It will be open today, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Call 494-6406 for information.

Want to meet someone with lots of patience? Then you might want to drive down to The Meeting Place in Fallbrook Mall in West Hills this Saturday, where Moorpark College creative writing instructor Dick Wimmer will read from his novel “Irish Wine” at 1 p.m.

The book was published in 1989 after it had been rejected 162 times, an unofficial world record for a novel. “I wrote to Guinness, and they told me somebody had broken it with 176, but that was for nonfiction.”

Wimmer, of course, took the Guinness rejection well.