MIXED BLESSING: Last year was better than...

MIXED BLESSING: Last year was better than this year in Oxnard, tourism-wise, but that’s because Valley residents were fleeing the aftereffects of the Northridge earthquake. . . . There’s still plenty of activity, though, says Oxnard tourism chief Carol Lavender. The city hosted 57 convention groups in January, 54 in February and 76 in March. The groups number 25 to 500, Lavender said, and stay an average of 2 1/2 days. . . . Meanwhile, she soon expects things to pick up even more: “Tourism season starts the minute school is out,” she said.

ON A ROLL: Camarillo twins Bob and Mike Bryan go into the Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament today with an 84-game winning streak (C10). . . . The 16-year-old twins, who will soon embark on a monthlong tour of Italy culminating in the Junior Italian Open, enjoy playing in the Ojai event because friends and relatives can be there. And because it’s fun. “I love Ojai,” Mike said. “It’s the best tournament because of the atmosphere.”

IN THE WINGS: Changes are in store for music lovers in Ventura County, when orchestras on either side of the county merge to form the New West Symphony, under the direction of Boris Brott (Ventura County Life, Page 8). Providing inspiration for Brott is the prospect of playing at the state-of-the-art Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks next season. . . . Currently, the theater is hosting dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, described by reviewer Lewis Segal as still a star at age 47. (F1)

39 AND HOLDING? Conejo Valley Days stages its 39th bash this year, with expectations that about 70,000 revelers will turn out during the course of the festivities (B11). . . . It’s a far cry from the festival’s inception in 1947, said Walt Schaedle, chairman of the CVD executive board. That first year, the gathering--dubbed “A Community Circus”--coalesced after a group of Jungleland-area residents “wanted something to do on a weekend, so they decided to get together,” Schaedle said.