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Spirit Of Thousand Oaks Club Hit By Attack Which Killed 12 Lives On In Popup Events

The Borderline Bar and Grill has held three pop up events hosted by the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, giving the club's hundreds of regulars a place to spend time together

Hundreds of people pack an Agoura Hills nightclub.  The Canyon Club is known for the famous rock music bands it brings to the region.  But, it’s also served as a temporary home for the Borderline Bar and Grill, the popular Thousand Oaks country spot which remains closed since the November 7th attack which took 12 lives.

Many say being able to dance again is more than fun.  It’s like a huge group therapy session.

Lisa Barnum and her husband Dave have been going to the Borderline to dance for years.  She says this is helping people deal with the shock of the attack.  The Barnums know.  They are survivors of the Route 91 attack in Las Vegas, which killed 58 people and injured more than 850.

Dave Barnum says he’s happy to see so many young people here at the Canyon Club, dancing and having a good time.

Candy Sherwin is the Borderline’s lead instructor.  She’s been teaching western dance for the club for 24 years, and is leading classes here at the Canyon Club.  She says she gets emotional when she sees the dancers, because it’s like a big family.

Sherwin says while the dancing is intended to be about having fun, for Borderline staff members, and the club’s regulars it’s taken on another, more important role.  She says it’s therapeudic.

The Canyon Club has hosted the Borderline Bar and Grill crowd three times in popup events.  Borderline owner Brian Hynes says it’s wonderful to see the club’s hundreds of regular customers re-connecting.

The owner says his focus continues to be on victims and survivors, and that it’s still too soon to think about the future of the Thousand Oaks club.

Sherwin sums up the attitude of many of the people on hand.  She says it’s a way of showing evil won’t be allowed to win.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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