New signs of the growth in the Conejo Valley were evident this week back in 1975 as The Acorn announced the installation of street lights, stop signs and new traffic and parking regulations in what was then considered rural Agoura.

New street lights were placed along Kanan Road, between Fountainwood and Thousand Oaks Boulevard to give more nighttime safety for motorists and pedestrians. A street light also was placed on Mulholland Highway west of Cornell School Road. The light was requested by representatives of a nearby school for safety reasons.

In other local news 30 years ago, a new church opened on Foothill Drive in Agoura that could accommodate 325 people in its sanctuary. Today that church is known as Agoura Bible Fellowship, but when it was first built in 1975 it was known as Agoura Baptist Church.

Pastor J. Edward Hastings dedicated the new building, which included a tower with a bell donated by Ruth Cammac of Lake Lindero. The bell came from a church tower located in the original Tom Sawyer town on Paramount Ranch where many Tom Sawyer movies were filmed during the 1930s.

The precursor to The Acorn’s current "Squirrel of the Month" appeared in the paper and it was called "Nut of the Month." That month’s nut trophy was awarded to Kathy Wellman, a manicurist at the Nail Box located in the Arcade on the Agoura Valley Mall. Wellman received the "Nut" award because of her daily 150-mile roundtrip commute from her home in Mt. Baldy.

And finally, The Acorn urged local residents to participate in "World Whale Day" and voice their concern for endangered whales. The local event was held in Santa Monica and included a whale walk along Santa Monica Pier and a trip by boat to San Pedro for the American Cetacean Society’s annual whale festival.

—Sophia Fischer