Conejo Valley Days Blends Western and Yuppie Ways : Carnival: Thousand Oaks begins its 39th annual event with a mix of amusement rides and cellular phones and espresso.

Blending its down-home, Wild West past with its suburban yuppie present, Thousand Oaks began the 39th annual Conejo Valley Days on Wednesday night, with residents rushing toward a field full of giant carnival rides.

The Sizzler sizzled. The Zipper zipped. The Tilta-Whirl whirled. And a 54-foot-tall Ferris wheel slowly spun into action.

On their way to rides, however, visitors were funneled past a stand selling cellular phones. Nearby, a vendor hawked caffe latte and espresso. While the children’s petting zoo sponsored by the Santa Paula Future Farmers of America returned this year, there was also a stand selling crepes in the opposite corner of Conejo Creek Park.

As General Chairman Tom Glancy acknowledged, the community-sponsored event, operated largely by volunteers, has evolved.

“The complexion of Ventura County and Thousand Oaks in particular has changed in 38 years. It’s more suburban,” said Glancy, who was sporting a baseball cap instead of the more traditional cowboy hat. “We still maintain the Western flavor, but we’ve got to keep up with the times.”

So, for the first time this year, Cellular One was offering visitors free three-minute local cellular telephone calls.

Do cowboys and cowgirls use cellular phones?

“Cellular can be used by everybody. It’s really big in agriculture,” said Cheryl Gentry, marketing events coordinator for the company.

Also for the first time this year, Ed Groom of Newbury Park was fiddling with the foam dispenser of one of the high-tech coffee machines in his sparkling new “Ed’s Espresso Express” trailer.

Do cowboys drink latte ?

Sure, said Groom. “We’re getting some pretty sophisticated cowboys these days.”

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Still, there was plenty of old-fashioned Conejo Valley Days flavor to go around.

Western-style clothing was very much in fashion. Groom was strutting the deck of his trailer in cowboy boots. Glancy, a dentist, was wearing a Western-style shirt with pearl buttons, and on his cowboy hat he wore a six-pointed gold star engraved with his title.

Even Mayor Jaime Zukowski, who snipped a blue ribbon to mark the official opening of the event, dressed in a jaunty straw hat and fringed blouse.

The event maintains the tradition of functioning as a big fund-raiser for charities. The profits from Groom’s coffee sales went to the Calvary Community Church in Westlake, and organizers said a total of 67 community groups were selling food or running games to make money.

Conejo Valley Days also maintains its links with the past through the memories of people who have returned year after year.

While it was Groom’s first year as a vendor, he has attended 29 of the past 30 Conejo Valley Days. Only his father’s funeral kept him away in 1987.

“I was here when it wasn’t even here,” said Groom, recalling the event’s early days on the site that is now the Janss Mall.

Coordinator June Wimer has been working on Conejo Valley Days for the past 27 years.

“I love it. I love even the dust and the dirt,” Wimer said. “What I love is the community involvement and the community spirit.”

Even the people who dislike Conejo Valley Days cannot seem to stay away. Bill McNeil, a veteran of eight of the events, arrived with two children in tow just as the gates opened at 5 p.m. Wednesday. He came early, he said, “to get it over with.”

“I hate this place,” he said. “It’s cheaper to go to Disneyland. You get more for your money.”

McNeil’s children seemed to enjoy it.

“I like the rides,” said his daughter Ashley, 8. “It’s cool when you win stuff all the time.”

She had winning on her mind, having just beaten out her father and her 7-year-old brother at the arcane skill of squirting a water gun into the mouth of a clown efficiently enough to fill and pop a balloon sprouting from the clown’s hat.

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For her efforts, she won a stuffed crash-test dummy doll.

Organizers said they expect 70,000 people to attend the event, which continues through Sunday. After some drizzle and fog Thursday morning, forecasters are predicting that partly cloudy skies will clear over the weekend, and temperatures will hover in the mid-70s.

“It’s a good small-town party,” said Mike O’Beirne, president of the Conejo Valley Activities Corp., which owns the Conejo Valley Days. “We’re going to have five beautiful days and we’re all looking forward to it.’

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Conejo Valley Days

All events are held at Conejo Creek Park, Moorpark Freeway and Janss Road, unless otherwise noted. Carnival admission is $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students, $2 for children ages 7 to 12 and free for children 6 and under.

TODAY

Noon: Interservice club luncheon, Hyatt Westlake Plaza Hotel

5 to 10 p.m.: family night at the carnival; prices drop to $3 for adults, $2 for senior citizens and students, $1 for children ages 7 to 12

7 p.m.: Women’s Western wear contest

FRIDAY

5 p.m. to midnight: Carnival

5 to 10 p.m.: Bingo

SATURDAY

9 a.m.: Parade, Thousand Oaks Boulevard

Noon to midnight: Carnival

Noon to 6 p.m.: Western pit barbecue; $6 adults, $4.50 children

1:30 and 4:30 p.m.: Rodeo

2 to 10 p.m.: Bingo

SUNDAY

Noon to 8 p.m.: Carnival

Noon to 8 p.m.: Bingo

Noon to 6 p.m.: Western pit barbecue; $6 adults, $4.50 children

1 and 4 p.m.: Rodeo