Crowd Enjoys Arts Festival Despite Heat : Thousand Oaks: Outdoor event at Conejo Creek North Park attracts several thousand people. International food and entertainment abound.

Standing over a hot grill sizzling with meat for gyros, Kay Corning of Thousand Oaks summed up the sentiments of many of the participants at Sunday’s International Arts Festival in Thousand Oaks:

“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,” Corning said as she mopped her brow while serving up the popular Greek sandwiches and lemonade to patrons.

Presented by the Thousand Oaks Arts Commission, the outdoor festival at Conejo Creek North Park attracted several thousand celebrants--most of whom donned shorts and T-shirts to make the near-century mark temperatures a little more bearable.

Vendors selling Greek, Italian, Chinese and popular American foods, along with artisans hawking their handcrafted work, encircled a grassy expanse at the park, where folk dance troupes and musicians performed on a large wooden dance floor.

Danca Brazil began the entertainment around noon with a Brazilian carnival-flavored performance. With headdresses made of bright feathers and golden foil, the scantily clad troupe of women and men danced to the driving beat of a percussion ensemble.

At one point, dancers broke out of their routine to collar audience members to join them on the dance floor.

That sent Thousand Oaks resident Jean Craft, 63, scurrying away.

“It looks like great fun, but I wasn’t ready to be lured into dancing,” said Craft, who attended the festivities with her friend, Jeanne Kennedy, also of Thousand Oaks.

Thousand Oaks Arts Commission member Bonnie Roth said the festival also served as a 30th birthday celebration for the city.

“We thought this would be a great way to celebrate the growth of the ethnic diversity in the Conejo Valley,” Roth said.

Festival-goers--many noshing on snow cones and ice cream to help beat the heat--were treated to African-Caribbean, Irish, Polish, Mexican, Chinese, Polynesian, Scottish, Native American and Middle Eastern dance and music presentations.

The Conejo Valley Cloggers, dancing in circular patterns, were among the first groups to take the floor.

“I could feel the heat coming up off the floor into my feet,” said clogger Gary Howell, 43, of Thousand Oaks.

The hot weather was probably to blame for a lower-than-expected turnout, Roth said. Organizers had hoped to draw 10,000 people, but estimated the day’s attendance at about 6,500.

“No one could have predicted the heat,” Roth said. “We thought for sure we would have that overcast June fog when we started at noon.”

Sunday’s high temperature in the Conejo Valley hovered around 95 degrees, said Gary Arcemont, a meteorologist with the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District.

But air quality remained in the moderate range and did not reach the unhealthful level as it did in Simi Valley on Saturday, when officials warned the young and old and those exercising to stay indoors.

“Things were less smoggy and we didn’t have to issue a health advisory,” Arcemont said.

The hot weather and moderate air quality are expected to continue through Thursday, he said.

But many, such as Melissa McDonald and Stephanie Grubwieser, both of Thousand Oaks, were oblivious to hot weather and air quality. The two 11-year-olds joined about 500 kids in decorating ceramic floor tiles, which will eventually line a meandering walkway through a park in front of the Civic Arts Plaza.

Painting in the shaded picnic table area, Stephanie worked on a globe with a Band-Aid, with the exclamation “Reduce, Reuse--Recycle!”

Melissa chose a less political message for her tile. “I love Teddy Bears so that’s what I wanted to put on my tile,” Melissa said. Her tile was emblazoned with “I Love Hugs.”