By East County News Service

October 16, 2024 (Ramona, CA) -- The Ramona Art, Wine & Music Festival will expand music performances to include live music on four stages, add beer and hard cider tastings, and introduce food and beer for purchase at its 12th annual festival on November 2 at Begent Ranch,18528 Highland Valley Rd., Ramona.

East County News Service

September 30, 2024 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – Jacumba Art gallery at 44608 Old Highway 80 in Jacumba  Hot Springs, will host an exhibit of new paintings by talented local artist Linda Churchill. You’re invited to view this special exhibit on Friday, October 18 at 3 p.m.

Churchill, owner of Muralizing, specializes in landscapes and has 35 years experience creating large-scale murals,in addition to paintings.

The artist suffered a devastating loss last year, when a fire destroyed her art studio and home, as ECM reported.

Visit Jacumba Art on Facebook for more on the new art gallery.

East County News Service

September 23, 2024 (Poway) -- Poway OnStage invites you to Eternamente: Dia de los Muertos Spectacular  on October 6 at 2:00 p.m. This celebration of life features lively music, dance, beautiful costumes, and a virtual altar to pay tribute to the departed. There will also be a meet and greet with the cast after the show in the lobby of the Poway Center for Performing Arts.

East County News Service

Photos: Bing Copilot Designer powered by DALL-E 3

September 18, 2024 (Sacramento) – California Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday signed two bills that constitute the nation’s toughest laws regulating deceptive AI videos targeting political candidates.

AB 2839 makes it illegal to make or publish deepfake videos in political ads or election communications within 120 days before an election or 90 days after. The law takes effect immediately. 

The second bill, AB 2655, requires online platforms such as social media sites to remove or label deceptive digital content related to elections during certain time periods, and to allow reporting of such content. . It also authorizes candidates, elected officials, elections officials, the Attorney General, and a district attorney or city attorney to seek injunctive relief against a large online platform for noncompliance.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  CC by SA-NC via Bing

August 1, 2024  (San Diego’s East County) – Musical entertainment options in East County for September including Celtic Thunder singers from  Ireland, English protest singer/songwriter Billy Bragg, acclaimed songwriters/musicians Ray LaMontagne and Gregory Alan Isakov, country music singers Sara Evans and Eric Paslay, and the famed Jacksons.

 Below are details on their upcoming local concerts at venues including The Magnolia, SDSU, and Sycuan.

Source: Bonitafest Melodrama

Photo:  Ella Aldridge plays the star-crossed Sadie in the 47^th annual Bonitafest Melodrama "Thin Skins and Hayseeds."

August 26, 2024 (Bonita)--South County’s 47^th annual Bonitafest Melodrama will look a lot like the first.  “Thin Skins and Hayseeds,” the popular musical-comedy produced as the first ever Melodrama in 1978, returns in September, freshened up and still rich with local history. It is the true story of the epic Sweetwater Valley Flood of 1916, sprinkled with poetic license, including a dash of “Romeo and Juliet.”

“Thin Skins and Hayseeds” runs September 25-28 at the Sweetwater Church Theater, 5305 Sweetwater Road. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and available by calling (619) 850-7126.

“The flooding of the Sweetwater and Otay Valleys in January 1916 remain the most remarkable historical events of this region,” said Bonitafest Melodrama Artistic Director Max Branscomb, a journalism professor at Southwestern College. “Weeks of epic rain caused the Sweetwater Dam to wash out and the Otay Dam to fail. Hundreds of people were killed and everything in the path of the water was destroyed.”

The flooding occurred after the city of San Diego pledged $10,000 to a purported rainmaker, Charles Hatfield, if he could end a drought. Hatfield promised to fill the Lake Morena reservoir and set up operations in Campo. Days after his efforts, heavy rains overflowed the dam at Lake Morena, causing devastation downstream throughout the Sweetwater river valley.  Coincidence, or did Hatfield truly have rainmaking secrets?  

East County News Service

August 15, 2024 – The Element Dance Center in La Mesa announces its upcoming charity event, "A Night of Hope," gala benefiting Dancers Against Cancer. This extraordinary evening of compassion, talent, and philanthropy is set to take place on August 24 at Joan Kroc Theater, just east of La Mesa at 6611 University Ave., San Diego.

The Element Dance Center has consistently demonstrated a commitment to nurturing young dancers' dreams while fostering unity and giving back to the community. "A Night of Hope" is designed to raise awareness and funds for Dancers Against Cancer, a nonprofit organization providing essential support and assistance to dancers and their families affected by cancer.

By Michael Howard

July 27, 2024 (San Diego) – For a filmmaker, making your first full-length feature film is a milestone worthy of celebration upon its own merits. It usually has meant years of short films, social media clips, and late-night editing sessions that slowly builds your confidence to finally take the plunge and produce a 90-to-120-minute story. 

But it’s a whole different celebration when that same first-time feature film sweeps your premier home-town film festival and wins best picture, direction, writing, editing, lead actor, supporting actor, cinematography, and musical score. 

Network for Good Heartland 33-0792600 - Paypal East County Media 83-1108634

By Jonathan Goetz and Miriam Raftery

July 17, 2024 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon’s Dinner and a Concert series continues each Friday night in August from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Prescott Promenade in downtown El Cajon.

The lineup features Stone Soul on August 2, Ronsatadt Revival on August 9: Ronstadt Revival, Trey Hill Band on August 16: The Heroes August 23, and on August 30, Billy Nation. 

By Susan Taylor

July 15,2004 (La Mesa) -- Neil Simon’s timeless comedy, The Odd Couple, is playing at Lamplighters Theatre in La Mesa through July 28, a play worth seeing.  Directed by Diane Jones and produced by Cydney King, it is billed as the “female version”, so the cast is all female, with the exception of two male roles introduced in the second act.

The show retains the game-playing friends in a 1980’s New York apartment, and the principal roles of the jilted spouse and the slob.  Yvonne Nguyen portrays Florence Unger, the insecure wife in need of a place to stay and a best friend’s compassion. Erin Grayce plays Olive Madison, a hard-working sports writer who cares nothing for a tidy home.  Olive invites Florence to temporarily share her apartment until they get laughingly on each other’s nerves. Viewers come away with the realization that this very odd couple teaches valuable lessons about friendship and differences among people here and abroad.

By Miriam Raftery

July 3, 2024 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – The Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel hosts a variety of events coming up in July, including 4th of July at the Ritual Pool, the monthly  Bathhouse Bazaar, to DJ nights in the Exotic Desert Hideaway Bar, and concerts with live local bands at the Old Bathhouse. 

Come for an evening, a weekend, or buy a day pass to soak in the mineral pool or rent a poolside cabana to relax before enjoying nightlife after dark.  

Below is the July calendar of events; for full details visit https://jacumba.com/.