‘The goal is to be the Balboa Park of North County.’ — Jerry Van Leeuween, Executive Director, California Center for the Arts Melissa Etheridge comes to town on Nov. 6, playing the only North County venue large enough for such a major act, the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. The center has had a troubled financial past. However, nobody can deny it…
The Grand Tea Room Thinks Pink Care for a little sympathy with some tea? Grand Tea Room is hosting “Think Pink” to raise money for breast cancer research. It’s part of this weekend’s Susan G. Komen 3-Day Breast Cancer Awareness walk, and at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. Afternoon Grand Tea is $35, all included. It features tea sandwiches, “savories,” fresh fruit, desserts, scones and,…
James and the Giant Peach Patio Playhouse director Larry Steckling and producer Sharon Gann this summer put out the call for youth actors to audition for roles in James and the Giant Peach. The kids came out alright to St. Paul Lutheran Church for tryouts and now are trying their hand at the finished production that was adapted for the stage by David Wood from…
A lot of restaurants and businesses have come and gone along Grand Avenue, Escondido’s iconic main street. Vinnie and Michelle Griffin have seen them all while starting and growing a vibrant dining and arts hub at the corner of Grand and Kalmia Street. It all started and continues in earnest for the husband and wife team with Vinz Craft Bar & Restaurant, otherwise known as…
Hello 2016. Welk Theater producers this week announced the 2016 line-up. “Meet Me In St Louis” will run through January 31, 2016. Look for the classic “Fiddler in the Roof” in February. Vista’s Kathy Brombacher directs. It’s time for “Jesus Christ Superstar,” directed and choreographed by Ray Limon in May, followed by “Sweet Charity” in September, also directed etc. by Limon. The holiday show brings back…
Art is not a thing; it is a way. Elbert Hubbard Desperate to restore a greater sense of beauty in my life, I was to discover a pulsating heap of it in an unexpected place—at the Oceanside Museum of Art. And while I can find beauty in the smallest crevice sprouting a delicate tendril flower, there comes a moment when searching for another’s vision is required….
Somewhere between surprising and unique, the small-town, all-volunteer Valley Center symphony orchestra seems to strike the right note. A culturally uplifting — shhh… — community secret, the local concoction of musicians ranging from first-time practitioners to seasoned professionals seems as dedicated as it is diverse. “Few communities can say that they have their own orchestra,” said Ed Labrado, a master of understatement as well as…
The view from here is rhythmic. This Saturday my family and I enjoyed the Music Fest at Bates Nut Farm, which was co-produced by the Valley Center/Pauma Music Boosters and Cattle Call, LLC. Last year was the first time we attended and it was so fantastic that we were excited to see the announcement pop up on social media a couple of months ago. Music…