AGOURA HILLS : Pony Express Days Return This Week

The Pony Express rides again!

The horse-driven mail service galloped into the pages of history 133 years ago, but its legacy lives on in Agoura Hills during Pony Express Days, a four-day fair from Thursday through Sunday.

The area that is now Agoura Hills used to be one of the stops on the Pony Express, which had 157 relay stations from St. Joseph, Mo., to Sacramento, according to information compiled by the Las Virgenes Historical Society. Over a period from April, 1860, to October, 1861, the riders traveled 650,000 miles and delivered 34,753 pieces of mail.

The Pony Express’ most famous ride was in March, 1861, when it delivered Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address. That ride was completed in seven days and 17 hours.

The organization had a relay station in what is now either Westlake Village or Agoura Hills, according to Sandy Sandoval, president of the historical society from 1981 through 1993.

Many of the fair’s original features, including a re-enactment of a Pony Express ride, have fallen by the wayside during the 28 years of the fair’s existence as it became more modern, according to this year’s organizers.

“We just honor the tradition with the name Pony Express Days,” said Susan Mason Hill, vice president of Wipeout Productions, an event-planning firm that produced the fair.

The nonprofit fair is designed to provide a boost to the local economy and to provide publicity for various businesses in the city, she said.

On tap, she said, is entertainment, including the Sleepwalkers, a rockabilly band, Conejo Valley Cloggers, a folk-dancing group, and several country-Western bands, including Show Down and Sweet Country.

There will be a variety of foods for sale, including Thai, Mexican, Indian and American. Carnival rides, games and pony rides also will be featured.

The fair kicks off with a Children’s Night on Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. with puppet shows and tap dancers. Children 12 and under will be admitted to the carnival free and for $10 will receive unlimited one-day rides for that night only.

Also for the kids will be a pog tournament and a “Wheel of Fortune” game, both of which run all four days.

Admission to the fair is $1. Children under 3 will be admitted free. Admission includes the Happytime One Ring Circus, which will have several shows Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Ride-goers can purchase special wristbands for $12 that allow them on any ride all day. If purchased in advance at Majesty Cleaners, Gary’s Auto Parts, Connie’s Mail Boxes or the Agoura Chamber of Commerce, the wristbands are $10.

The Pony Express Days carnival is located off the Ventura Freeway near Kanan Road on Canwood Street. Parking is available for $1. For information, call the Agoura Chamber of Commerce at (818) 889-3150.