Agoura Hills turns 25

Party at The Canyon


JUDI UTHUS/Special to The Acorn IN HONOR- Agoura Hills Mayor John Edleston pays tribute to Fran Pavley, a founder of the city, at the Dec. 8 anniversary celebration.

JUDI UTHUS/Special to The Acorn IN HONOR- Agoura Hills Mayor John Edleston pays tribute to Fran Pavley, a founder of the city, at the Dec. 8 anniversary celebration.


Agoura Hills celebrated its 25th anniversary as a Los Angeles County city with a gala dinner-dance and rock show at The Canyon club last Saturday evening.

Approximately 300 guests attended the silver anniversary affair, highlighted by a performance from four-time Grammy winner Pat Benatar and her husband and longtime band mate, Neil Giraldo.

The evening included a video tribute to the city and its founding members. Fran Pavley, Agoura Hills’ first mayor in 1982, received a gift from current Mayor John Edelston on behalf of the city.

“Those first city meetings were held around my kitchen table,” Pavley recalled. And as Bill McSweeney, former captain of the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station and master of ceremonies, said, “The real old-timers had to work out of cardboard boxes at Reyes Adobe and Canwood (site of the first city hall).”

The current city hall and library opened on Agoura Road in 2002.

In the early years the changes came at a rapid pace, and the city endured growing pains.

In the video, Pavley talked about how Agoura Hills was once home to a strip club, and how the 101 Freeway was cluttered with obtrusive pole signs and billboards.

The area just east of Old Agoura was even staked out as the site for a new prison until Pavley and other city activists intervened.

“Thank you for your vision,” Edelston said to Pavley.

“Today, a population of 22,666 resides within this unique suburban community that is exemplified by a commitment to the preservation of its history, high quality of life, vibrant business community and environmental sensitivity,” said an historical note in the evening’s program.

The Dec. 8 Canyon Club show marked the end of a yearlong celebration that included an autumn Reyes Adobe Days weekend in honor of the city’s Spanish rancho heritage. 2007 also saw the completion of the new Kanan101 Freeway interchange.

The Agoura Hills silver anniversary celebration committee was made up of Robyn Britton, Robert Kuntz, Dan Kuperberg, Randee Paller, Harry Schwarz and Jerry Wolf. The historical committee included Ed Corridori, Ernie Dynda, Jack Koenig, Vicky Leary, Darlene McBane, Louise Rishoff, Carol Rosenberg, Sally Schneider and Joan Yacovone.

The evening concluded with guests dancing to the live music of Platinum Groove.

The city next year will oversee the opening of a new retail furniture mart on Canwood Street between Kanan and Chesebro roads. Officials also hope to finalize plans for the widening of the freeway overpass at Reyes Adobe Road.

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