DESTINATION EAST COUNTY: TOP FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

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East County News Service

January 17, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) -- This week’s Destination East County includes the award-winning Danny Green Trio at Mission Trails Golf, the Mousetrap at Lamplighters Theatre, in La Mesa, Hawk Watch in Ramona, Santee’s 50-kilometer race and Active Lifestyle Expo, author Diana Lindsay at local libraries, guitarist Jim Earp at San Pasqual Winery, and coffee with La Mesa Conversations.

Plus, we’ll have coming attractions including Mean Mary in concert in Santee, a Laurel and Hardy film night in Spring Valley, a local author expo in El Cajon, the Oak Ridge Boys live at Sycuan, a violin and cello concert at Mission Trails, San Diego Chamber Music Society musicians at the La Mesa Library, Seussical the Musical in Spring Valley, Stage 4 Jazz at San Pasqual Winery’s La Mesa tasting room, live music at the Riviera Supper Club, a Star Party at Mission Trails, and the Martin Luther King Jr. choir’s ensemble performing in Lemon Grove.

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

THE MOUSETRAP AT LAMPLIGHTERS THEATRE CONTINUES NOW THROUGH FEB. 4

Lamplighters Theatre in La Mesa presents Agatha Christie’s classic mystery, The Mousetrap running from January 13th through February 4th.

A terrible snowstorm traps a group of strangers in a quaint boarding house. To everyone's horror, it soon becomes clear that a murderer is hiding among them. This thrilling whodunit by Agatha Christie, author of so many classic English murder mysteries, is known for its unpredictable ending ... Can you pinpoint the murderer before the characters do?

The original production of The Mousetrap on London's West End has now been running continuously for 61 years, during which period it's been performed more than 25,000 times, making it the most popular whodunit of all time and the longest-running show of any type in the modern era

For tickets and details, visit www.LamplightersLaMesa.com.

HAWK WATCH AT RAMONA GRASSLANDS EACH SATURDAY IN JAN. AND FEB.

The Wildlife Research Institute invites you to Hawk Watch. Each Saturday in January and February at 10 a.m., visitors can see birds of prey such as hawks, eagles and owls. Sponsored by the Wildlife Research Institute, this year Hawk Watch will not be held at the Institute’s headquarters, but instead at Begent Ranch (18528 Highland Valley Road), a private ranch open only for the Hawk Watch events.

Guests are advised to arrive a half hour early for parking, bring binoculars, and enjoy coffee and doughnuts before viewing the raptors that make their homes in the Ramona Grasslands. For more information, you can visit http://www.wildlife-research.org/.

AUTHOR DIANA LINDSAY AT LOCAL LIBRARIES JAN. 20 AND 23

Diana Lindsay, author of the new guide bookAnza-Borrego Desert Region, will be speaking and signing copies of her book at two upcoming appearances on East County. She’ll be at the Julian Library on January 20th at 10:30 a.m. and at the Rancho San Diego Library on January 23rd at 6:30 p.m.

 JIM EARP FINGERSTYLE GUITARIST JAN. 20 IN LA MESA

Fingerstyle guitarist Jim Earp will perform at the San Pasqual Winery Tasting Room in La Mesa Village on January 20th from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. He’ll be playing original music in a style that blends Hawaiian slack key with Celtic guitar, also singing popular folk rock favorites such as songs by Neil Young and James Taylor.

Wine, cheese and dessert are available for purchase in the winery’s cozy back room. For more information, visit www.SanPasqualWinery.com.

SANTEE 50 KM RACE AND ACTIVE LIFESTYLE EXPO JAN. 20

The City of Santee will host a national 50-kilometer race walk championship on Jan. 20 in conjunction with the Santee Active Lifestyle Expo aimed at promoting health and fitness.

The Expo will be held at the Trolley Square Shopping Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with activities for kids and adults. Before the expo, spectators can watch the USA Track and Field National Championship race walk competition with Olympic-caliber athletes walking faster than most people can run.

The race will take place on Town Center Parkway and Riverview Drive from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The winner of the 50-kilometer race walk – that’s over 31 miles-- will receive an $8,000 prize.

At the expo, breakfast sandwiches and acai bowls will be given out while supplies last. A Kids’ Fit Fun Zone will feature a climbing wall, obstacle course and giant fitness board game. BMX professionals will fly through the air on a half-pipe ramp. In addition, nearly 50 vendor booths will have samples, info, health and wellness tips.

Attendees wearing fitness attire and athletic shoes can try out a different fitness class every 30 minutes on the amphitheater stage. They can also run through the Extreme Fit Obstacle Course with more than 200 feet of inflatable obstacles and firefighter challenges.

More information and a list of the fitness classes can be found at CityofSantee.gov.

COFFEE WITH LA MESA CONVERSATIONS JANUARY 20

You’re invited to come join the La Mesa Conversations leadership and your neighbors at a no-host coffee on Saturday, January 20th from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. at Light Bulb Coffee. La Mesa’s newest coffee shop is located at 8138 La Mesa Blvd. in La Mesa.

Everyone is welcome at this event to discuss upcoming events and panels (healthcare, homelessness, education). La Mesa Conservations wants to hear from you and encourages you to “join the conversation” and bring your friends and family.

AWARD-WINNING JAZZ PIANIST/COMPOSER DANNY GREEN AND TRIO JAN. 25 AT MISSION TRAILS GOLF

Award-winning jazz pianist and composer Danny Green and his trio perform at the Mission Trails Golf Course on Thursday, January 25th. You’re invited for dinner at 4:30 with the concert from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

A rising force on the national jazz scene, San Diego native Danny Green has garnered multiple awards and has captured the attention of critics around the world. His work has been featured on Public Radio International as well as music publications and major newspapers. Green’s gifted composing has earned him two San Diego Music Awards for Best Jazz Album.

Green’s trio includes bass player Justin Grinnell and drummer Julien Cantelm. They have performed at prominent jazz clubs and festivals across the country and were the featured artists at TEDxSanDiego in October, performing with string players from the San Diego Symphony.

For tickets ($10) and details, visit the Mission Trails Golf Course website at MissionTrailsGC.com.

NOW FOR A PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS…

SAPS AT SEA PRESENTS:  FLIRT WITH FEMME FATALES...AND REGRET IT! JANUARY 27

Saps at Sea, the local Laurel & Hardy fan club, present their 40th Anniversary SAPS Funtastical gathering of film and food.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at Williams Hall at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Spring Valley with the show starting at 7 on January 27.

The Saps will present a Tex Avery riotous cartoon masterpiece. Then, Russ Peck will provide the live music score for the silent gem, We Faw Down.  The comedy comes fast and furious in Mixed Nuts, when the guest comedians are a bushel of Hal Roach guys and gals who run rampant at a local Girls Finishing School.

The Saps will give you a surprise look at some special events and guests greeting the Saps this year! Start the 40th year off in a hilarious way.

LOCAL AUTHOR EXPO AT EL CAJON LIBRARY JANUARY 28

The El Cajon Library will host its third Local Author Expo on Sunday, January 28, at 2:00 p.m. featuring presentations by three local authors and a reception afterwards where attendees may meet the authors, buy books and enjoy refreshments.

The authors featured include Wanijiru Warama, a La Mesa resident and author of Unexpected America, a memoir of her experience coming to America after growing up as the daughter of peasants on a farm in colonial Kenya.

Karri Thompson, a San Diego author of young adult fiction, also writes adult fiction under the pseudonym Kalli Lanford. 

Roger Conlee, a former reporter for the San Diego Evening Tribune, has authored seven historical novels including his latest, Deep Water, a political thriller that takes place during the early days of the Cold War.

"MEAN MARY" IN CONCERT FEB. 2 IN SANTEE

Mean Mary in concert on February 2 at 7 p.m.  at the Summit Universalist Unitarian Fellowship in Santee. The artist is an Americana, bluegrass, blues, and folk artist based in Nashville, stopping here on her “Blazing Tour” through Southern California.

Mary read music before she could read words and was proficient on guitar, banjo and fiddle by age seven, according to a bio provided by Summit. She is known for her lightning-fast fingers, haunting vocals, and intricate story songs. 

The church is located at 8778 Cottonwood Ave. in Santee. Doors open at 6:30. For more information, visit  www.SummitUUF.org.

OAK RIDGE BOYS FEB. 3 AT SYCUAN

The Oak Ridge Boys, who were recently inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, will perform on Saturday, February 3rd at 5 p.m. in Sycuan’s Live and Up Close Theatre in EL Cajon. Their four-part harmonies and upbeat songs have won many awards including a Grammy, Country Music Association and American Country Music awards—and they’re still going strong after more than 40 years. For tickets, visit www.Sycuan.com.

VIOLIN AND CELLO CONCERT FEB. 4 AT MISSION TRAILS

A violin and cello concert will be presented by Paivikki Nykter and Cecilia Kim at Mission Trails Regional Park on Sunday, February 4th at 3 p.m. The complimentary concert will be held in the Visitor Center. For directions and details, visit www.MTRP.org.

SAN DIEGO CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY FEB. 10 IN LA MESA

Bruce and Beverly Dorcy with the San Diego Chamber Music Society will perform a concert with piano and horn at the La Mesa Library on February 10th at 1 p.m.  The La Mesa Library (8074 Allison Avenue) hosts free concerts on the second Saturday each month, thanks to support from Friends of La Mesa Library.

STAGE 4 JAZZ CONCERT FEB. 17 AT SAN PASQUAL TASTING ROOM, LA MESA

San Pasqual Winery Tasting Room (8364 La Mesa Blvd.) in La Mesa’s downtown village will host live music by Stage 4 Jazz on February 17th at 7 p.m.  Stage 4 is a dynamic group with a repertoire that spans jazz, rhythm and blues and more. Learn more about Stage 4 at http://www.stage4entertainment.com/ and visit San Pasqual Winery’s website at http://www.sanpasqualwinery.com/.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. COMMUNITY CHOIR ENSEMBLE CONCERT FEB. 17

The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir of San Diego’s Ensemble will be performing gospel and inspirational songs at the Lemon Grove Library on Saturday, February 17th at 2 p.m.  The Lemon Grove Library is located at 3001 School Lane in Lemon Grove.

The ensemble’s music celebrates the history of negro spirituals, aspiring to be inspirational and uplifting.  For more information, you can visit the musical group’s website at MLKCCSD.org.

STAR PARTY AT MISSION TRAILS FEB. 17

View the Andromeda galaxy, the Orion Nebula and other celestial sights during a Star Party at Mission Trails Regional Park on Saturday, February 17th from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Amateur astronomer and trail guide George Varga will have a telescope available for viewing the night sky at the far end of the Kumeyaay Lake Campground’s day use parking lot. Learn more at www.MTRP.org.

LA MESA BEAUTIFUL MEETING FEB. 18

Learn tips for attracting pollinators such as bees, hummingbirds and butterflies to your garden at La Mesa Beautiful’s annual meeting on February 18 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Nan Couts Cottage, 5045 Memorial Drive, La Mesa.

Marcia Van Loy, a volunteer with the Master Gardener Association for 17 years, will be the speaker. A home gardener for over 35 years in the Clairemont area, she has coordinated their Town Council’s annual garden tour many times and  is a popular speaker who has shared her depth of knowledge with many regional gardening organizations. Growing plants for all types of pollinators in her hillside garden is one of Loy’s  favorite subjects to share with others.

Her garden is a Certified Wildlife Habitat, a Certified Earth Friendly Garden and was featured in the San Diego Home and Garden Magazine’s April 2013 edition. And, after many years of collecting rustic birdhouses, she now teaches Master Gardeners how to build them as a way to raise funds for their educational programs.

The program is open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP to lamesabeautiful@gmail.com

SEUSSICAL, THE MUSICAL FEB. 22 - MARCH 4 IN SPRING VALLEY

Young Actors Theatre will present “Seussical, the Musical” at the Encore! Theatre in the Casa de Oro area of Spring Valley (9260 Campo Rd.) from February 22 through March 4th.  This musical production brings to life your favorite Dr. Seuss characters, from the Cat in the Hat to Horton the Elephant.  For tickets, visit www.YATSanDiego.org or call (619) 670-1627.

LIVE BANDS AT RIVIERA SUPPER CLUB IN LA MESA

Riviera Supper Club (7777 University Ave.) in La Mesa has live bands onstage in the Turquoise Room most nights throughout February and March.  Upcoming Saturday night headliners include Baja Bugs, Ron and the Reapers, Gino and the Lone Gummen, Black Market 111, Swanq Bastards, Shark Jones, and Vinyl Pirates.  For a full list of entertainment, visit http://rivierasupperclub.com/.

That’s all for this week!

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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