THOUSAND OAKS : Commission Plans Youth Arts Festival
As professional performers gear up for the splashy fall opening of the Civic Arts Plaza, the Arts Commission has drafted a plan to showcase the talents of some enthusiastic amateurs--Thousand Oaks schoolchildren.
The commission is organizing a daylong event, dubbed the Conejo Valley Young People’s Performing Arts Celebration, to take place this spring. Up to 1,000 students from public and private schools will get a chance to sing, dance or act in an outdoor festival, tentatively scheduled for May 21.
“We’ve had a tremendous response to this,” Arts Commissioner Patricia Grant told the Thousand Oaks City Council, which unanimously endorsed the idea. “We’re very excited and the schools are very excited. It looks like an excellent opportunity.”
Commissioners expect to raise the estimated $2,000 cost of staging the event through sales of food and drink at the festival. Cheered that the city would not be asked to put up cash, Councilwoman Judy Lazar complimented the commissioners for “finding a way to make it work.”
The City Council also approved another Arts Commission event, a proposed International Arts Fair that would feature crafts, folk dancing and food from various cultures represented in the Conejo Valley. The fair will probably be held during the city’s annual Arts Festival in June.
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