The Dime Picnic: a Wine, Beer, and Food Festival

The Dime Picnic

The people who brought the SIPurbia Wine and Beer Festival to Paramount Ranch are back with a new plan: a “daycation,” if you will. The Dime Picnic, with tastings of local wines, beers, spirits, and food, will be held at a private estate in Hidden Valley on October 14. But this time, there are only 1,000 tickets to be sold!

sipurbia dime picnic logo

Ticket prices are $100 each for the first 100 tickets, and $200 each for VIP (only 50 of these available). All tastings AND food are included in those prices! Spoiler alert: there’s a discount code at the bottom of this post!

Where’s Hidden Valley? Well, it’s so hidden that I had to Google it: it’s basically across Potrero from Westlake Elementary School. In other words, a beautiful area for guests to mingle with friends, check out the vendors, and enjoy live entertainment.

This is good news because SIPurbia was so much fun. Allow me to tell you about it in pictures:

A gorgeous location


Cute photo booth

For a good cause

Interesting (and tasty) vendors

sipurbia dime picnic

…and friends around every corner.

In case you hadn’t noticed, sundresses both short and flowing, flowery jumpsuits, and hats were the most common fashions seen at Paramount Ranch that day. So get your tickets now, and don’t put away those stylish summer digs yet. It’s bound to be nice and warm in October in The Bubble.

The even better news is that if you use the discount code AHM25 when you buy your tickets you’ll get 25% percent off! That is a great deal! Pass it on, friends, and I’ll see you in October. I might be wearing a floppier hat. The cowboy hat makes my head hurt, even though it’s cute.

The Dime Picnic
DATE:  SUNDAY OCTOBER 14, 2018
TIME:  3 – 8 P.M. (last call 7:30 p.m.)
ADDRESS:  1350 W. POTRERO RD., THOUSAND OAKS, CA 91361
CAUSE:  A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF GREATER CONEJO VALLEY

Summer Camp Fair

Santa HQ by HGTV Is Already Open at The Oaks

Santa HQ at The Oaks

Curious shoppers asked the staff why Santa HQ was being constructed by The Oaks Mall elves as early as the first weekend in November. It did seem a bit early to see Christmas decor and candy and gifts put out on the shelves of stores that soon. But in this case, while yes, The Oaks is getting into the spirit nice and early, they wanted to provide families a meeting place with Santa soon enough to get those priceless photo memories in the works for holiday cards and gifts.

Seems legit to me.

Santa HQ entrance

It’s no ordinary mall Santa setup, either. HGTV’s Santa HG installation, which appears at 15 locations around the country (so glad they came to Thousand Oaks!), features Santa’s actual workshop where visitors can see the blueprints for toys and an observatory where elves monitor the sleigh’s ride around the world.

Santa HQ kid

Santa HQ Naughty Nice meter

There’s a naughty/nice meter that kids can stand in to be scanned, and then immediately added to the appropriate list. Finally, Santa himself is happily sitting on his sleigh waiting to meet with children and have their photo taken together.

Santa HQ photo opportunity

But that’s not all! There’s an awesome interactive element to this whole situation: Elf-Ray Vision. It’s an augmented reality app that you download for free (luckily the wifi at the mall is strong enough). Then you point your smartphone camera at an “Elf Trigger” to activate hidden delights: elves making toys, the ceiling of the observatory transforming before your eyes, and more.

Santa HQ boy playing app

Santa HQ Elf-Ray Vision

Santa HQ opened last weekend in the JC Penney court (near the food court and kids’ play area) and it will be there until Christmas Eve at 6pm. You can bring your 4-legged pet, too, on Wednesdays through December 7 from 5-8pm. Visit ShopTheOaksMall.com for daily posted hours. Visits to the HQ are free, and photo packages for photos with Santa include 11 prints plus a digital download for a fee, plus you can order photo gifts online.

There will be a charity toy drive and special guests throughout the season, so check it out while you are at the mall getting holiday gifts and supplies, or go there just for Santa HQ alone. It’s a lot of fun, and got my big boys into the spirit of Christmas nice and early. I needed no help in that department!