A tale of two entirely different cities
By Brent E. McCoy thereal@roadrunner.com

Nothing makes one appreciate being at home like being away from it.

I think that we sometimes take Moorpark for granted. I've lived here for more than 21 years, and I will admit to occasional lapses when I've failed to appreciate how lucky I am to live here.

It's not for everyone. Some people like the hustle and bustle of the big city. I prefer the relatively calm lifestyle in Moorpark. It's a little slower here than it is in the larger cities, but it's certainly not boring living here, unless you're not doing it right.

Our family just spent five days away from home, and I couldn't wait to get back. It might have been different if we had gone to Hawaii or Europe, but we went to Las Vegas for a family celebration. It might be that Las Vegas just isn't my kind of town, but I was sure glad to get back to Moorpark. They say that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. This is probably because most people who do what happens in Vegas sure don't want anybody doing it the town they live in.

Some people may like the glitz, glamour and bright lights of a place like Las Vegas, but the lone, stately streetlight up the street is all I really need. Even this might be too much at times. If we turned off the streetlights and some of the house lights we might be able to use the telescope at the college again.

As I looked around at the multitudes "living it up" in Las Vegas, I couldn't help but wonder if maybe Darwin might have missed something. I'll bet that if he had gone to a place like Las Vegas instead of the Galapagos, his take on things might have been a little different.

In any case, it sure made me appreciate our town a little more. It is said that people know more about other places than they do about their own town. I think that there is a great deal of truth in this.

Even though we enjoy a slower pace, most of us are all still pretty busy. But even as busy as we are, there should always be time to enjoy some of the things that our town has to offer. They may not be as exciting as some of the things in Las Vegas, but there's plenty of fun to be had right here.

For example, just last month we had the Moorpark Arts Festival. If you missed it, you missed a good time. Granted, anything with the term "arts" in it is usually doomed from the get go, but it was an interesting afternoon. I expect that even a Las Vegas Arts Festival would not be a big draw. I can't imagine what a "Las Vegas Arts Festival" would be like. In truth, I can imagine, but it makes me blush.

There was nothing to blush about at the Moorpark Arts Festival. There were just sights to be seen and sounds to be heard. It was nice to get out and just walk around downtown.

When I got tired of walking, I headed over to the High Street Arts Center, the downtown theater. I got there a little early, in hopes of getting a good seat before the theater filled up for the "High Street Broadcast." It turned out that I didn't have to worry about getting a seat. The attendance was pretty good, but I thought that there would be a lot more of us there. I wish there were more of us there because the show was really terrific. There was drama, music, laughter and all of the things that made old-time radio great. It was quite a treat considering the admission was, and will be, free. There should be another show at 7 p.m. on the last Sunday of this month, and there is no way that I'm going to miss it. If you have the time- and can afford the cost of zip, nada, zilch, nothing- you might want to give it a try