Local runners are invited to register online for the 4th Annual Kids & the Arts Fun Run which kicks off the Thousand Oaks Arts Festival on Saturday, September 20, 2008 at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks featuring a 5K, 10K, and one mile Fun Run/Walk. The Lakes is located at 2200 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks.

Pre-registration is $25 (T-shirt included) and day of race registration is $30 beginning at 6:30 a.m. First and second place medals will be awarded in both men and women's categories for all age groups. All one mile Fun Run/Walk participants will receive a medal.Kids and the Arts Fun Run is a benefit for the Alliance for the Arts and is a wonderful way to start the festival. Runners can get information and register online for the Run at www.allianceforthearts.org or call the Alliance at 805-449-2590.

The 5K begins at 8:00 a.m. and the 10K at 8:45 a.m. and both follow the same route - from the starting line in front of The Lakes runners go east down Thousand Oaks Boulevard to Duesenberg, then north to Hillcrest, then west to Erbes Road then south to Thousand Oaks Blvd. and east to the finish line in front of Gardens of the World. Runners in the 10K will run the same route twice and one lane of each street will be closed to traffic.

The Family one mile Fun Run will begin at the same starting line as the 10K and run/walk the other direction on Thousand Oaks Blvd. to Erbes then north about half way up to Hillcrest Drive. Run/walkers will then turn around and head back to the finish line.

All proceeds from the Kids and the Arts Fun Run will be used to benefit the Alliance for the Arts School Outreach program which provides free bus transportation and tickets to live theatrical performances for children from underserved communities, giving them an opportunity to experience the wonders of live theatre. Children selected to participate have never attended a performance at a professional theatre.

Initiated in 2001 as a pilot program due to a grant from the Elizabeth Rice Grossman Foundation, the 'Kids and the Arts School Outreach Program' has become a part of the Alliance's annual programming.

The two-day Thousand Oaks Arts Festival will be showcasing local visual and performing artists from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on both September 20th and 21st at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Richard and Mary Carpenter Plaza Park. This exciting festival with art exhibits, demonstrations, live performances, and children's activities held at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is FREE to the public and is an event that the whole family can enjoy together.

For more information on the Thousand Oaks Arts Festival or Fun Run visit www.toartsfestival.com.