Swap at Oaks for used Halloween costumes
      A costume exchange will be held at 9 a.m. Fri., Oct. 10 on the patio outside of the children's play area and food court at The Oaks mall, 222 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. Costume drop-off will be from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Free coffee and bagels will be provided. Costume pickup will be at 10 a.m.
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Ventura Harvest Festival this weekend
      The Ventura Harvest Festival is scheduled for Fri. to Sun., Oct. 3 through 5 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura. The event will benefit the Ventura County Humane Society. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
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Westlake High School baseball team holds fall fundraiser
      Westlake High School Baseball will hold a fall festival and boutique from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat., Oct. 4 in the parking lot next to Warrior Football Stadium, 100 N. Lakeview Canyon Road, Westlake Village. The event will include more than 30 vendors, a farmers' market, ShaveIt shaved ice, Dakota's Barbecue, face painting, a climbing wall and dunk tank.
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Valley Girl Scouts receive Fernando Foundation honor
      Girl Scouts of the San Fernando Valley was awarded the 2008 Fernando Foundation Award on Sept. 13, one of 50 volunteerdriven valley organizations recognized by the foundation for overall excellence. The Fernando Award is the highest award for volunteerism in the valley and one of the top awards for civic accomplishment in the nation.
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All's faire at the St. Jude's carnival
      JUST GOOD OLD COUNTRY FUN— Left, Westlake Village resident Julia Leonard, 4, gets behind the wheel of a race car ride last Saturday at the St. Jude's Catholic Church Country Time Faire in Westlake Village. Below, Agoura Hills resident Fatima Espiritgo Santo, left, and Wanda Cailliau of Westlake Village dance to the music during a cake walk.
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Raceway opens in Thousand Oaks
      MB2 Raceway has opened a new consumer racing complex at 1475 Lawrence Drive, Thousand Oaks. The MB2 Raceway Corporation remodeled a 60,000squarefoot industrial building, once home to Northrop, into a high performance kart racing circuit and consumer entertainment venue.
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Miles of quarters support Boys & Girls Clubs
      'THIS ONE GOES HERE'— A family arranges quarters at the second annual Mile of Quarters fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley at Westfield's Topanga Mall on Sept. 20. More than 68,000 coins were placed on the ground at the event that brought in more than $20,000 in donations.
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Local Girl Scout troops are forming
New member rallies this weekend
      Girl Scout troops are forming for the new year and new member rallies will be at 5 p.m. Sun., Oct. 5 at Mae Boyar Park, 139 Kanan Road, Oak Park and at 5 p.m. Mon., Oct. 6 at United Methodist Church of Westlake Village, 1049 S. Westlake Blvd.
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Enjoy nature at night
Evening hikes deliver new experience
      Mountains Restoration Trust's Youth Naturalist Program will offer Nighttime in Nature from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sat., Oct. 11 at Headwaters Corner in Calabasas. The program includes a pizza dinner, hike and related craft.
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Close encounter
      OH, DEER— Karma Salvato of Oak Park saw this healthy animal roaming the hills behind her house one recent afternoon.
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