Photo credit: Chris Santana fast&loose designs
Melinda Bailey
Melissa Herndon Interview Melissa Herndon is a top professional pool player from California. She has been on the pro scene for over 20 years. She recently became a brand ambassador of Jam Up apparel. Let’s find out more about Melissa! Q: Where did you grow up? A: The “mean streets” of Thousand Oaks, CA. My family moved me here when I was about 6 years old, and aside from a pair of year-long stints in other cities, I’ve been in Thousand Oaks ever since. Fun facts about Thousand Oaks:
12 | Billiards Buzz • May 2018
• There are way more than 1,000 oak trees. Probably closer to 60,000 in the Conejo Valley. • Thousand Oaks is located in a valley called the Conejo Valley. Conejo means “rabbit” in Spanish. • In 1925, someone opened a film industry zoo with 5 lions and 7 dogs in Thousand Oaks. After the addition of giraffes, camels, hippos,
tigers and other exotic animals, the park changed its name to Jungleland in 1956. It went bankrupt in 1969 and the park’s 1800 animals were sold at a public auction. • Stars such as Amanda Bynes, Hailee Steinfeld, Colbie Caillat, and Kurt Russell were born in or have made their homes in Thousand Oaks and the surrounding areas.