DESTINATION EAST COUNTY DEC. 8-22

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East County News Service

December 7, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) - This week’s Destination East County includes several Christmas theatrical productions, La Mesa’s Holiday in the Village celebration, Victorian teas in Julian, and a holiday wine trail in Ramona.

Plus, we’ll tell you about coming attractions including Santa’s reindeer at Grossmont Center, a singing and clogging fiddler at Parkway Plaza, full moon fishing at Santee Lakes, a Jingle Concert by the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus at Sycuan, an excursion to Split Mountain in the Anza Borrego Desert, and a winter solstice hike to the top of Cowles Mountain.

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

A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER DEC. 8-11

Young Actors Theatre in Spring Valley invites you to a Christmas to Remember. This musical variety show runs December 8th through 11th with evening and matinee performances.  The program offers a new twist on the holidays complete with tap dancing snowmen, hip hop dancing reindeer, musical elves, and a full ensemble of singers.

For tickets to Young Actors Theatre’s production, you can visit www.YATSanDiego.org.

VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS TEAS IN JULIAN DEC. 8-23

Julian Tea and Cottage Arts (2124 Third Street) will host its 22nd annual Victorian Christmas Teas three times daily from Thursday, December 8th thru Friday, December 23rd.

The special menu includes a variety of finger sandwiches, savories, tea breads, scone with curd, jam and whipped cream, and a selection of seasonal desserts, or there is a special children’s menu for children under 12. (Seating times are at 11:30, 1:15 and 3:00 Cost is $26.95 for adults and $12.95 for children excluding tax and gratuity.  A deposit is required for groups of 8 or more.)

Reservations are required and can be made by visiting  http://juliantea.com.

A RENTED CHRISTMAS DEC. 9-18 IN LA MESA

Lamplighters Theatre in La Mesa presents the musical “A Rented Christmas” continuing now through December 18th.  

A middle-aged bachelor and prominent businessman has a challenging job for a rental shop proprietor. He wants to rent a Christmas, not just with a tree and Christmas carols, but complete with a wife, a family, and all of the happiness for which he has been secretly longing. The proprietor believes she has creatively solved the problem of a Christmas family by calling the actors guild, but when the young actors come down with measles, her last hope is to turn to the local orphanage. Still, the guild can’t locate a mother for the part, so she plays the role herself. A ’rented’ Christmas soon turns into a new life for all concerned, making this a warm and special holiday treat.

For tickets you can visit http://www.lamplighterslamesa.com.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL:  DEC. 9-17 IN JULIAN

Julian Theater Company will present Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol” at the Julian Town Hall on two weekends in December – December 9 through 11 and again December 15-17.  This classic holiday tale reveals the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge, who discovers the holiday spirit after visits by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and future.

(Tickets cost $15 adults, $8 children 12 and under) For tickets and more information visit  http://www.juliantheatercompany.com.

LA MESA’S HOLIDAY IN THE VILLAGE DEC. 10

The La Mesa Village Association's new event, Holiday in the Village, will be held on December 10th from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.  You can stroll through La Mesa’s historic downtown village and enjoy live music and dance, caroling, fire pits, craft vendors, kids’ carnival rides, pony rides, movies and activities, food and shopping to put everyone in the mood of the season.

For more information, visit www.LaMesaVillageAssociation.org.

CAROLING ON MT. HELIX DEC. 11

Enjoy a Mt. Helix tradition as the Full Measure carolers lead the annual holiday caroling sing-along  atop Mt. Helix on December 11 from  4 to 7 p.m.  The event includesh Santa Claus, hot cocoa, hot apple cider and cookies. This evening never fails to set the mood for the season. 

Pre-show entertainment features Da Capo Al Fine, a San Diego based quintet composed of some of the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra's finest! 

Free parking and shuttles will be available for this event at the corner of Vivera and Mt. Helix Drive, across from and adjacent to the San Miguel Fire Station. Shuttles will begin at 3:30 p.m. and run continuously throughout the event.

HOLIDAY WINE TRAIL DEC. 10-11

The Ramona Valley Vineyard Association will be holding a Holiday Wine Trail in the heart of East County’s wine country on Saturday and Sunday, December 10 and 11, from noon until 5:00 p.m.  Wine lovers can visit 16 wineries decked out for the holidays.

To purchase a Holiday Wine Trail Passport and for additional information, you can visit www.ramonavalleyvineyards.com.

NOW FOR A PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS…

SANTA’S REINDEER AT GROSSMONT CENTER DEC. 11 AND 18

Grossmont Center welcomes some special visitors from the North Pole! On December 11th and 18th, two of Santa’s reindeer will be in the center courtyard from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.   Of course, youngsters can also visit with Sant Claus, too!  For more information, visit www.grossmontcenter.com.

CELIA LAWLEY, THE SINGING AND CLOGGING FIDDLER DEC. 13 and 22

Celia Lawley, a singing and clogging fiddler, will be performing at Parkway Plaza shopping mall in El Cajon on December 13th and 22nd. You’re invited to clap and dance along with this talented local songwriter and performer from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Center Court under the Christmas Tree.

For details on this and other holiday concerts you can visit www.ShoppingParkwayPlaza.com.

FULL MOON FISHING DEC. 17 AT LAKE JENNINGS

You can fish beneath a full moon and stars at Lake Jennings in Santee on Saturday, December 17th, when the lake will remain open until 10 p.m. A full-sized lantern is required after 5 p.m. For more information, you can visit www.LakeJennings.org.

GUITARIST JIM EARP DEC. 17 AT SAN PASQUAL TASTING ROOM

December 17, 7:00 - 10:00PM – La Mesa Village - 8364 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa

Fingerstyle guitarist Jim Earp will entertain guests at the San Pasqual Winery Tasting Room in La Mesa (8364 La Mesa Blvd).  on December 17th from 7 to 10 p.m. He performs original material in a Hawaiian-slack-key-meets-Celtic guitar vein- plus sings a host of covers from The Police to 70's folk-rock a la Neil Young and James Taylor.

 For details visit www.SanPasqualWinery.com.

JINGLE! SAN DIEGO GAY MEN’S CHORUS AT SYCUAN DEC. 17

The San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus will present “Jingle!” a holiday concert at Sycuan’s Live and Up Close Theatre.  This festive musical event will take place on December 17th at 6:30 p.m. and again at 9 p.m.  For tickets and details, visit www.Sycuan.com.  

MANY STRINGS CONCERT DEC. 18 AT MISSION TRAILS

Mission Trails Regional Park will present a (free) “Many Strings” concert on December 18th at 3 p.m.  featuring hammered dulcimer and guitar. Their instrumental music is a delightful mix of Renaissance, Celtic, American and classical melodies. Many-Strings performs in San Diego's finest art galleries and, on a weekly basis, performs for Scripps La Jolla and Mercy hospitals.  For details, visit the Mission Trails website at www.MTRP.org.

COWLES MOUNTAIN WINTER SOLSTICE WALKS DEC. 20-22

To experience the winter solstice,  the Mission Trails Regional Park Trail Guides will lead pre-dawn hikes to the area of the solstice observatory atop Cowles Mountain on December 20th and 22nd. On the 21st, Canyoneers of the San Diego Natural History Museum will lead the hike.

The age of the site is unknown. The Kumeyaay Native Americans used similar sites across Southern California. For all three hikes, visitors can hope to be rewarded by seeing the rising sun split by a peak on the eastern horizon.

All hikes start at 6 a.m.  The solstice site is approximately one mile up the trail. The ascent will be in the dark, so good shoes and a flashlight are recommended. Meet at the Cowles Mountain Staging Area on the corner of Golfcrest Drive and Navajo Road.) at the trailhead south of the comfort station. Plan on a two hour hike to and from the solstice site.

SPLIT MOUNTAIN EXCURSIONS: THURSDAYS IN DEC. AND JAN.

Winter is a wonderful time to warm up with a visit to the Anza-Borrego Desert. California Overland Adventures will be leading excursions to Split Mountain in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park each Thursday in December and early January starting at 10:30 a.m. 

The adventure begins with an off-road ride in a military truck that rumbles into Split Mountain, where you’ll see the enormous slot canyon and towering rock walls where earthquakes and flooding split the mountain in half. 

Then a one-mile trek uphill will reward hikers with views of wind caves formed by erosion, with panoramic views of the desert below. Participants must be in good physical health for this excursion into a land of dramatic geological formations.  For reservations or details on this or other desert adventures, you can visit www.CaliforniaOverland.com.

ICE SKATING AT VIEJAS NOW THROUGH JAN. 29

The largest outdoor ice skating rink in Southern California is open at Viejas from now through the holiday season, until January 29th.  Under the glow of holiday lights, guests and visitors can glide around the rink or enjoy seasonal goodies. Feel the cool Pacific mountain air on your face while you bunny hop, camel spin, and swizzle your way around our ice rink—right here in San Diego.  For details you can visit www.Viejas.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!

Audio: 

Destination East County - top festivals & events Dec. 9-22 2016

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