DESTINATION EAST COUNTY: TOP FESTIVALS AND EVENTS SEPT. 21-OCT. 31

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By Miriam Raftery

September 21, 2018 (San Diego's East County) -- This week’s Destination East County includes Hank Williams Jr. in concert at Viejas, the Julian Country Fair, a star party at Mission Trails, a piano and guitar concert at a winery in Ramona, East County Dining Cub at Fourpenny House in La Mesa,and Siren’s Crush performing in downtown El Cajon.

Plus, we’ll have a preview of coming attractions including Oktoberfests in La Mesa and El Cajon, spooky campouts at Lake Jennings in Lakeside and Lions, Tigers and Bears in Alpine, a masquerade ball in el Cajon, the Pumpkin Express at the Campo railway depot, the Laguna Mountain Rendezvous, Borrego Days desert festival and parade, fair trade shopping in La Mesa, and HauntFest on Main in El Cajon.

So scroll down for all of these events and many more!

 

HANK WILLIAMS JR. PERFORMS SEPT. 21 AT VIEJAS

Legendary singer Hank Williams Jr. will be live in concert at Viejas in Alpine on September 21st.   He first took to the stage at the Grand  Ole Opry at age 14 and has since had hits geared toward the common man, from “A Country Boy Can Survive” to “It’s hard standing in the shadow of a very famous man,” a references to his father, Hank Williams Sr., as well as his “Monday Night Football Song” and his latest hit, ”Stirring It Up.”

Tickets are available at the Viejas Gift Shop, AXS.com or by phone at 888-929-7849.

JULIAN COUNTRY FAIR SEPT. 22-23

Julian’s Old Fashioned Country Fair will be held September 22nd and 23rd at Julian Farm and Orchard from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  A cider press will provide fresh Julian apple cider.

There will be food vendors, arts and crafts, a beer and wine garden, and activities such as three legged races, tug of war, spoon races, face painting, a pumpkin patch, pony rides, a petty zoo, archery and tomahawk throwing. There’s also a quilt display and if you come a day early on Friday the 21st, there’s a pie baking contest.  Pies will be for sale throughout the event.

For more information you can visit the Julian Mining Company, which owns Julian Farm and Orchard, at  JulianMiningCompany.com.  

STAR PARTY AT MISSION TRAILS  SEPT. 22

You’re invited to join members of the San Diego Astronomy Association and Mission Trails Regional Park volunteers for a star party to view the night sky through telescopes from 7 to 10 p.m. on Friday, September September 22 in the Kumeyaay Lake Campground day use parking lot.

Please avoid the use of flashlights and white light in the stargazing area. Cloudy skies or rain cancels the event.

For directions to Mission Trails Regional Park, visit MTRP.org.

GREGORY PAGE AND SKY LADD IN CONCERT SEPT. 22 AT SCHWAESDALL WINERY, RAMONA

Gregory Page & pianist Sky Ladd will perform at Schwaesdall Winery in Ramona on September 22nd from 1-4 p.m. for an afternoon of vintage and perhaps even some brand-new music on the vineyard stage.

To borrow Gregory's famous lyrics: "Let's wine & dine" on Schwaesdall's estate wines and artisan pizzas while savoring music from the GP Duo. 

The same adjectives that sommeliers use to describe wine can be said for Gregory's amazing music: "elegant, opulent, full-bodied, bright, refined, complex, velvety" and always "with a hint of” imagination and magic!”

Admission to the concert is free with any purchase.

EAST COUNTY DINING CLUB AT FOURPENNY HOUSE IN LA MESA SEPT. 26

The East County Dining Club invites you to their next dinner, which will be held at the Fourpenny House Scottish restaurant and brewery (8323 La Mesa Blvd.) on Wednesday, September 26th at 6:30 p.m.

So stop on by to try some authentic Scottish cuisine, choosing from a menu that includes such specialties as bangers and mash, Scottish Mussels, Crofter’s Pie, fresh salmon, Yorkshire wraps, artisanal cheeses, Scottish paella, curry roasted cauliflower, and bread pudding.

Fourpenny House will donate 20% of proceeds to benefit East County Magazine and our East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts. There will also be prize drawings. RSVP to reserve space at 619-698-7617 or email editor@eastcountymagazine.org

You can check out the menu at fourpennyhouse.com.

EL CAJON DINNER AND CONCERT: FRIDAY NIGHTS

El Cajon’s Dinner and a Concert events continue each Friday night from 6 to 8 p.m. at Prescott Promenade on Main Street in downtown El Cajon. Bring a picnic dinner or arrive early and dine at a local restaurant. Bring a receipt from participating downtown restaurants to enter a prize drawing.

Concerts coming up include Siren’s Crush playing modern pop and dance music on September 21s and the Mighty Untouchables for the season finale on September 28th.

NOW FOR A PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS….

LA MESA OKTOBERFEST SEPT. 28-30

Strap on your lederhosen and get ready to bust out your best chicken dance and polka moves at the 45th Annual La Mesa Oktoberfest September 28th through 30th  in La Mesa’s downtown village  Besides  German cuisine and  beer, the La Mesa Oktoberfest will also feature two stages of non-stop music featuring everything from traditional Bavarian and German music, live oompah bands, traditional rock bands, DJs, cover pop and more.

You can also find  homemade treasures, explore authentic art and German-style craft pieces from over 30 local artisans.  Plus there’s a German Kinder Karneval, featuring a Ferris wheel, rock-climbing wall, massive inflatable slides, interactive art, bratwurst-eating competitions, scavenger hunts and more.

For more information and a schedule of entertainment you can visit LaMesaOktoberfest.org.

GERMAN-AMERICAN SOCIETIES OKTOBERFEST IN EL CAJON SEPT. 28-OCT. 7

The German-American Societies of San Diego will host their Oktoberfest at their headquarters in El Cajon the last weekend in September and first weekend in October on Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays.

Guests can enjoy authentic German food such as bratwurst, ox roasted on a spit, potato salad, potato pancakes, sauerkraut, red cabbage, pretzels and Bavarian pastries – and of course, German beers.  Entertainment includes the Guggenbach-Baum band flown in all the way from Germany for your polka and oompah-pah pleasure.

For advance tickets and details visit germanclubsandiego.org/.

SPOOKY CAMP-O-WEEN WEEKENDS IN OCTOBER AT LAKE JENNINGS

Lake Jennings in Lakeside is hosting Spooky Camp-o-Ween events the two weekends before Halloween, Oct. 19-21 and Oct. 26-28, complete with ghost stories, s’mores, a campsite decorating contest, trick or treating and creepy crafts.

On Friday nights, get in the spirit with ghost stories and smores at 7 p.m.  Then on Saturdays, there will be campsite trick or treating from 4 to 5 p.m. followed by a campsite decorating contest with judging at 6 p.m.  Prizes include an all inclusive camping weekend. On Sundays, you can also enjoy creepy craft time at 10 a.m.

For more information, visit LakeJennings.org.

MASQUERADE BALL, “A NIGHT TO REMEMBER” SEPT. 28

A Night To Remember is a masquerade ball to benefit St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center.  It will be held on September 28th  from 7 p.m. to midnight t the Crystal Palace in El Cajon.

This magical evening of festivities and excitement will include dinner and an open bar, a fashion show, a saxophone player and a violinist, plus a DJ to dance the night away.

For tickets and reservations, you can visit Stephanie Young Consulting at SYC.TicketLeap.com.

PUMPKIN EXPRESS OCT. 6-28 IN CAMPO

You're invited to come ride the Pumpkin Express aboard vintage railcars through the San Diego county mountains as fall descends upon Campo. Walk through a themed Display Building at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum complete with two haunted trains, a pumpkin patch, and a creepy cast of ghosts and ghouls.

For details visit the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum at PSRM.org.

LAGUNA MOUNTAIN RENDEZVOUS OCT. 12-21

You’re invited to step back in time to an 1800s era Rocky Mountain fur trading camp at the 30th annual Laguna Mountain Rendezvous October 12th through 21st at the Mataguay Scout Reservation in Santa Ysabel.

You can view demonstratives of survival skills such as tool making, cooking, tomahawk throwing, archery and black powder shooting. This event draws hundreds of  participants from across the western U.S. 

Period campers and day visitors are welcome. For more information, visit LagunaMountainRendezvous.com

FAIR TRADE SHOPPING IN LA MESA OCT. 14

You’re invited to “shop with joy and purpose” at the annual La Mesa Fair Trade Shopping event on Sunday, October 14th from 8 a.m. to 1 :30 p.m. at St. Martin of Tours Parish Hall in La Mesa.

 Enjoy fair trade ice cream and food samples while perusing hand made baskets, jewelry, leather goods, clothing, toys, pottery, Christmas ornaments, gift baskets, coffee, tea, chocolate more.

You can make a difference with your purchases this season by improving people’s lives and the environment. The goal of the fair trade movement is to pay farmers and artisans in developing countries a fair price for their goods to help alleviate poverty around the world.

HAUNTFEST ON MAIN OCT. 19 IN EL CAJON

The 7th Annual “HauntFest on Main” is back on Friday, October 19 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the 200 block of East Main Street in Downtown El Cajon.

This fun, family-friendly Halloween-themed community event features live music, costume contests, carnival rides & games, candy challenge activities, Monster’s, Inc. & Monster’s University outdoor movies, face painting, craft booths, inflatables and more! Admission is free, but some of the rides will charge a nominal fee.

For more information, visit Hauntfest.org or call (619) 441-1754.

BORREGO DAYS FESTIVAL OCT. 20-21

An air parade will sweep the skies with over 30 vintage and military aircraft as part of this year’s parade in Borrego Springs on Saturday, October 20th at 10 a.m., followed by a 10:30 street parade complete with floats, equestrians, trick-riding cowboys, marching bands and more.

It’s all part of the two-day, 53rd annual Borrego Days Festival October 20th and 21st. Borrego Days also includes crafts and vendors, kids activities including rock climbing, carnival rides and inflatable slides, food and beverages, plus live music to dance the night away.

For more information, you can visit Borregodays.com/.

LIONS, TIGERS AND BEARS HOSTS SPOOKY CAMPOVER OCT. 26-27

Come for a wild and ghoulish night under the stars with the rescued exotic animals of Lions Tigers & Bears in Alpine on Friday night, October 26th through Saturday morning, October 27th. The annual Spooky Campover at this world renown non-profit animal sanctuary is a family favorite. Enjoy pumpkin carving, s’mores, campfire songs, special animal feedings and more.  A costume contest will be held Saturday morning, followed by a special feeding visit to watch the big cats and bears enjoy their pumpkin treats. 

Don't forget to bring: camping gear, food, a pumpkin to carve, and of course your best costume. For tickets and details, visit lionstigersandbears.org.

That’s all for this week! You can find details on all of these events and more in the calendar and events section at our website, www.EastCountyMagazine.org.

If you have an event you’d like added to our calendar, or if you would like to sponsor the Destination East County column on our website, or the Destination East County show on KNSJ Radio, you can contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.  Destination East County is the most-read feature on our website.

We’ll be back next week with more festivals, events and attractions in San Diego’s East County!

 

 


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