August 31, 2010 (El Cajon -- Hyde Art Gallery, located on Grossmont College’s campus in El Cajon, is presenting  through September 16 an exhibit of 31 paintings from three different artists: Wade Cline and William Glen Crooks, both of San Diego and Suong Yangchareon of Los Angeles. The paintings feature local landmarks and sights, including famous traffic intersections and waterfront scenes from San Diego, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Pasadena, San Francisco and New Mexico.

August 28, 2010 (Julian) – Julian, the historic mining town in San Diego’s East County mountains, has a wealth of talented local artists. From Friday, September 3 through Monday, September 4, you can enjoy works by many artists in one location: the upstairs of Julian’s Town Hall on Main Street. Meet the artists at a reception Friday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. Also enjoy viewings of oil, watercolor and acrylic paintings, pastels, clay, photography, weaving, jewelry, mixed media and more.

August 26, 2010 (Alpine) – It’s comedy night at The Vine in Alpine on Friday, August 27 at 9 p.m. This month’s comedians include headliner Patrick DeGuire, as well as Graci Stumpf, Willy Wilson, and Josh Lawson—with a cover charge of just $7.

How do you top that act? On Saturday, August 28 from 4-7 p.m., the Vine is offering wine tasting—at just $10 for up to 10 tastes.

The Kid: Chamaco, which he produced, opens Friday for a one-week engagement

By Brian Lafferty

August 26, 2010 (El Cajon)--“The quality of writing will get you through the door,” says East County film producer Vernon Mortensen. His newest film, The Kid: Chamaco, opens Friday for a one-week showing at the Reading Gaslamp.  “To get to the door, half the time you need to know somebody," he told me over lunch in El Cajon.

 
August 20, 2010 (Alpine) –Viejas Casino (http://www.viejas.com) announced today that legendary singer, songwriter Michael Bolton will perform at the Viejas DreamCatcher Lounge on September 12.
 
Bolton has sold more than 53 million records, won several Grammys for Best Male Vocalist, earned a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, and is currently on a world tour promoting his latest CD, “One World, One Love.”

 

August 20, 2010 (San Diego) – The Salvation Army Kroc Center’s Verge Teen Theatre company will present Les Miserables School Edition, the first show for this teen-organized theatre company.
 
Based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel, Les Miserables is set in France during the early 19th century. It focuses on the lives of several characters, including Jean Valjean, a paroled prisoner who seeks redemption as he strives to start life anew.

August 19, 2010 (Spring Valley) -- Does your funny bone need tickling? Young Actors Theatre invites you to bring the whole family for a performance by well-known comedy magician/ventriloquist Steve Taylor and his ventriloquist characters Alli The Crocodile, Pokey The Possum and Rudy O'Riley. Attendees are featured on stage with Steve as he selects a member of the audience to star on stage as a “living ventriloquist dummy.”

Revealing art exhibit Aug. 18-Sept. 26

August 13, 2010 (La Mesa) – O’Dunn Fine Art in La Mesa unveils “A Century of Naked Ladies”, kicking off the month-long exhibition with a special celebration August 18 from 5 to 9 p.m.
 
“These artists offer their interpretation of the female form: lush, humorous, pitiless, or compassionate,” says gallery owner Shannon O’Dunn. “Each piece portrays a particular woman nuanced by her place in time, her mood, and culture.”

August 11, 2010 (Mt. Helix) – Tickets are now on sale for the third annual HeART of Mt. Helix on Saturday, August 14 from 5:30-10 p.m., billed as “the event of the summer at the top of the hill.” Big Daddy Orchestra  will headline this year’s event, which also features musical vignettes, wine tasting with Artesa Winery, art, auctions, food from local restaurants and dancing under the stars.

Tickets are only sold in advance ($50 general admission, $100 reserved table seating). The event, held in the ampitheater atop Mt. Helix, has sold out for the past two years. Buy tickets here.

 

August 5, 2010 (Rancho San Diego) - “This has been a very big undertaking,” Valerie Harrison, president of the Rancho San Diego-Jamul Chamber of Commerce, said of the first-ever Summer Music & Culture Festival set for this Sunday, August 8 starting at 11 a.m. in the Water Conservation Garden. “The Chamber has been working on this for nearly a year."  
 
The free event includes performances every hour on the hour, as well as free concert from 4-7 p.m.

Fun Continues Tonight at Gio's with more headliner comics

By Miriam Raftery

July 18, 2010 (La Mesa) – Brew-Ha-Ha’s first weekly comedy show upstairs at Gio Bistro and Wine Bar in La Mesa opened to a sold-out crowd last Sunday night. The act proved a rollicking success—artfully blending universally funny jokes with some East County-oriented punch lines.   Brew Ha Ha is the remedy for the blues--serving up light-hearted relief from tough times in an intimate yet friendly atmosphere with palate-pleasing food at Gio's.

 
July 12, 2010 (El Cajon) – NovaMenco, San Diego’s acclaimed flamenco fusion group, will perform July 24 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the new shaded ampitheater at the Water Conservation Garden. NovaMenco’s flamenco guitar style blends rhythms of pop with echoes of ancient Byzantines for a modern Mediterranean sound. Flamenco dancers will enhance the evening’s excitement. Wines and ethnic foods will also be served.
 
This family of musicians, with a modern flamenco style, fuses together jazz, pop, and ancient Byzantine echoes from Istanbul to Sevilla, Lisbon to Ibiza forming a unique blend of jazz and soft Mediterranean grooves.

 
Nobel Laureate to join historians and musicians honoring legendary So-Cal artist, a former San Diego Art Guild member

"So fitting and so overdue to pay tribute to Lora’s life and myriad contributions as a pioneering artist, naturalist, and community builder; who sculpted lives as consciously and creatively as she molded clay.”- - Lora’s grandson John E. Steere Jr.
July 8, 2010 (Idyllwild) -- A retrospective devoted to the art and the love of life of Lora Woodhead Steere (1888-1984), the legendary artist, naturalist, Idyllwild pioneer, and beloved first teacher at the famous Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts (ISOMATA), now called Idyllwild Arts, will open with a special event at 11am on Saturday, August 7th, at The Rustic Theatre. The exhibit opening and reception will follow at 1pm the Krone Museum on the Idywilld Arts Campus. 

 

 
July 5, 2010 (El Cajon) – On Friday, July 9th, fans of art, music, wine and classic cars will be prowling the streets of downtown El Cajon for the 5th annual Alley Cat Summer Fest. The event, which many consider to be the “cat’s meow,” is presented by St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center to benefit Sophie’s Art Gallery, creating opportunities for artists with developmental disabilities.

July 5, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – C. Hook Theater will present Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat July 7-10. C. Hook Theater productions are held at the Performing Arts Center at The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Community Center, 6845 University Avenue in San Diego (one block west of 70th Street).

 
July 2, 2010 (La Mesa) – Brew Ha Ha "Sunday Night Comedy" opens July 11 at Gio Bistro and Wine Bar, 8384 La Mesa Boulevard in La Mesa’s downtown village. The weekly performance will be the first of its kind in East County, according to producers.

July 1, 2010 (Spring Valley) Young Actors Theater (YAT) will present Seussical, the Musical at the Encore Theater, 9620 Campo Road in Spring Valley, July 9-11 and July 16-18. Based on writings of Dr. Seuss, the production is suitable for audiences of all ages. The story centers around Horton the Elephant, who finds himself faced with a double challenge.

July 1, 2010 (La Mesa) -  A reception for local artist Judith Burnett will be held Friday evening, July 2 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Foothills Gallery, where an exhibition of Burnett's paintings and sculptures will be featured through August 4.  Burnett's daughter, guitarist Lauren Burnett, will provide musical entertainment at Friday's reception. 

By Miriam Raftery

June 28, 2010 (La Mesa) – “This is a wonderful opportunity for art collectors,” Shannon O’Dunn, owner of O’Dunn Fine Art in La Mesa, told East County Magazine. On Wednesday from 5-8 p.m., the gallery will host a reception and opening of a month-long exhibition of masterworks by Stanislaus J. “Stan” Sowinski, who died in January at his Rancho Bernardo residence at age 82. 

His large-scale oil paintings and Byzantine-style icons grace the walls of many public buildings including city halls and a university, as well as corporate headquarters, restaurants, and prominent churches.

July 1, 2010 (Lemon Grove) -- The Lemon Grove library is hosting a Pride Celebration on July 10 from 12-3 p.m. This festival is celebrating the local literature, music, dancing, and more that contributes to the rich culture of San Diego.

The Pride Festival will host many popular authors, including Robert Heylmun, Eric Shanower, Walter G. Meyer, and Linda Patterson. Speeches by Sally M. Hall and Toni Duran will be heard in between performances by singer/songwriters Mary Dolan and Lisa Sanders, the hip-hop themed Kruciaal Element Dancers, and the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus Ensemble.

Videos showcase talents of Dykes and Kruger Brothers

June 22, 2010 (El Cajon) – A full house packed a benefit concert held at Cuyamaca College to support shop programs at local high schools—including a guitar-making course and a class in which students rebuilt a classic roadster car. World-famous musicians Doyle Dykes and his daughter, Haley performed, along with the famed Kruger Brothers.

Highlights included a performance by Dykes on a Taylor Guitar made from the last liberty tree in America, which was toppled by a storm. The trees served as gathering spots for patriots in the Revolutionary War era. Bob Taylor, owner of Taylor Guitar, salvaged seeds and has planted them across America. Dykes has since played sweet strains of patriotic tunes on a liberty guitar in USO shows for American troops overseas.

By East County News Service

June 18, 2010 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon's 15th Annual Concerts on the Green begins Friday, June 25 with the Legends, who will perform their oldies music from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in downtown El Cajon. Ed Waymire returns as master of ceremonies.  

The temporary location for Concerts on the Green is the outdoor amphitheater at the East County Performing Arts Center pending completion of the renovation of Prescott Promenade.

June 17, 2010 – Paul Nichols will perform his “solo acoustic extravaganza” complete with guitar, vocals, foot stomping and harmonicas on Friday, June 18th from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Gio Bistro & Wine Bar/Restaurant  in La Mesa Village.

Loyal readers of East County Magazine will recall this talented artist's performances at our “On the Road with the East County” party at The Vines in Alpine and our “Celebrate East County” event at Heritage of the Americas Museum.

June 17, 2010 (San Diego ) --

The Lake Murray Kiwanis Club is looking for donations to fund the Lake Murray July 4th Music Fest. All donations will be appreciated; large sponsors are offered advertising during the Music Fest.

 
 
June 20, 2010 (San Diego) – The All Saints’ Episcopal Church Choir will present a free classical/sacred choral concert today at 4 p.m. in the All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 625 Pennsylvania Avenue in San Diego. The event is dedicated to the memory of Harold G. Lutz, an East County choral conductor, composer and educator.

Lutz taught music, directed the choir and award-winning marching band at Grossmont High School from 1939 to 1955, with the exception of a few years overseas during World War II. He composed the school hymn, “Hail to Thee, Dear Grossmont. He later taught at El Cajon Valley High School. Lutz also brought together music lovers and the business community to create the Grossmont Community Concert Association.

June 13, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – What could be more inspiring than a concert in a nature preserve? Pomerado Brass Quintet performs today at 2 p.m. in the Mission Trails Regional Park’s visitor ampitheater.

The concert will feature light classical music, popular favorites and patriotic songs. A reception in the visitor center gallery will follow.

June 10, 2010 (Santee) – On June 12, Santee Lakes will come alive with the sounds of orchestral and jazz music. Young Artists Symphony (YAS) and the Santee-Lakeside Rotary are collaborating to present this special evening of music, dance, refreshments, wine and cuisine at the YAS Symphony at the Lakes.

Musicians will perform in a recreational preserve beneath a canopy of oaks, sycamores, and summer evening’s starry skies, surrounded by rolling foothills. The event also includes local gourmet cuisine, wines and beers from local wineries and breweries, a visit with the “wine heretic” John Alonge, live and silent auctions, a grand prize drawing, and more.

Doyle Dykes and the Kruger Brothers to perform

June 1, 2010 (El Cajon) – The East County EDC Foundation has teamed up with Taylor Guitar, Deering Banjo, and famed musical entertainers to raise funds for industrial arts programs in our region—such as a guitar-making course that gives students hands-on experience crafting musical instruments. Taylor and Deering, based in East County, are among the top instrument makers in the world.
 
On Friday, June 11 at 7 p.m., Doyles Dyles and the Kruger Brothers will headline a benefit concert at the Cuyamaca College Communications Arts Center, where outstanding shop students from each of East County’s high schools and community colleges will also be honored. A live auction will include a Taylor guitar, a Deering banjo, and a 1923 Ford "T Bucket" Roadster—crafted by Valhalla High School's Auto Technology/Design/Fabrication Program. A raffle will also be held, including a chance to win a second Taylor guitar.

May 25, 2010 (San Diego) -- The new San Diego County Library Acoustic Showcase offers a wonderful variety of some of San Diego's very best singer/songwriters, folk music performers and story tellers.

These concerts are FREE to the community and include locations in East County.  The following are upcoming concerts for June 2010.