LOCAL ADVANTAGE: If they can pull themselves...

LOCAL ADVANTAGE: If they can pull themselves away from all the Simi Valley Days events, residents of Simi Valley will find Sept. 16 through 19 to be a good time to visit the Ronald Reagan Library. For the first time since the library opened nearly two years ago, it’s admitting Simi Valley residents free--a $4 savings. . . . You’ll have to prove where you live with a driver’s license or utility bill. . . . The museum’s main special exhibit--”Our Presidents: From Washington to Clinton,” featuring memorabilia from every chief executive--closes Oct. 31.

STILL STILLS: In 1966, Stephen Stills’ “For What It’s Worth” became the dark anthem of a generation, warning as it did to “Stop, children, what’s that sound? Everybody look what’s going down.” More than 20 LPs later, Stills continues to perform, aiming his social conscience at such modern concerns as the Los Angeles riots. Tonight at 8, Stills brings his guitars to the Ventura Concert Theatre.

HEAD GAMES: Ingenious motivational techniques are as necessary to football as face masks. Buena High tackle Brian Williams readies for games by listening to heavy metal music. His coach, Rick Scott, takes a lighter approach, once stripping down to his underwear at practice to make a point. College and prep football preview, (JS1)

INSPIRED INVENTORS: Forget necessity. Annoyance is the real mother of invention. Just ask Steve Herbruck of Oak View, who invented a talking toilet after a chilling midnight visit to a darkened bathroom. His device issues a series of reminders to lower the seat (Ventura County Life, J6). . . . Ravindra Athalye of Thousand Oaks was similarly inspired by the mess created when he trimmed his fingernails. His invention traps clippings for future disposal. . . . Almost 5,000 patents have been granted in Ventura County since 1970, a third in Thousand Oaks.