Little Fanfare to Mark Thousand Oaks’ 30th Anniversary

Daryl Reynolds knows all about tight budgets.

But as president of the local historical society, she can’t help wishing that Thousand Oaks officials would loosen up the purse strings just a bit today to mark the city’s 30th birthday with a bang.

“We have to be fiscally responsible, of course, but sometimes it’s fun to go way overboard,” she said wistfully. “We need to think about our roots. . . . It’s so important not to forget where we came from.”

A citizens committee will take care of the historical reflections Sunday with dedication of a time capsule that looks at Thousand Oaks’ past and imagines its future.

The balloons and birthday cake, however, will have to wait.

Thousand Oaks marks its 30th year of cityhood today with little fanfare. Today’s only event is an awards ceremony for the annual art and photography contest, entitled “Moments to Remember--Celebrating Thousand Oaks’ 30th Anniversary.” The public reception will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Community Gallery in Newbury Park.

But city leaders decided to defer the big party until the Civic Arts Plaza grand opening later this month. Theater-goers decked out in tuxedos and evening gowns will toast the anniversary with champagne Oct. 21 and 22, after gala performances by Broadway star Bernadette Peters and the Conejo Symphony Orchestra.

While most of the hoopla will undoubtedly focus on the new auditorium, civic leaders hope that the anniversary will receive a fair share of attention as well.

“The anniversary portion will come out after the glitter of the Civic Arts Plaza,” Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce President Steve Rubenstein predicted.

“The grand opening will cause us to reflect on our past and pat ourselves on the back for a job well done,” Rubenstein added. “I really mean it--we did a great job building this community. And the Civic Arts Plaza is the piece de resistance .”

One resident’s effort to divorce the anniversary from the grand opening fizzled early this fall when a photography contest designed to showcase Thousand Oaks’ natural beauty folded for lack of interest.

Planning Commissioner Forrest Frields organized a similar contest five years ago to honor the city’s 25th birthday. But this time around, he failed to drum up support.

Even without the contest, Frields plans to do his part to celebrate. He has volunteered to serve as the grand opening’s official photographer. And he plans to capture the spirit of both the theater’s maiden night and the city’s 30th year.

Some of those photos could end up in the time capsule to be unveiled Sunday at 1:15 p.m. in the Civic Arts Plaza’s courtyard. Under a 200-pound copper oak tree sculpture affixed to a theater wall, Mayor Alex Fiore will dedicate the capsule.

Dubbed “The Roots of Our Lives,” the capsule will include a jumble of memorabilia, from an Elvis Presley stamp to a biology textbook to a tape of Fiore’s inauguration in June.

Schoolchildren and scientists will add their predictions for the future. A graduate student has contributed a sketch of a sleek red automobile designed to float on magnetic fields at a speed of 200 m.p.h.

Many of the objects to be buried are now on display in the Thousand Oaks Library, and organizers will continue to collect items for several months before cramming them into the capsule.

To ensure that the time capsule is well-tended, Fiore will swear in 50 children as official guardians. The 10-year-olds will return in two decades to add another capsule to the site and to swear in a new group of young guardians. The baton-passing will continue until the city’s centennial in the year 2064.