
East County Magazine

Lemon Grove Pride Drag Brunch coming on June 6
East County News Service May 24, 2026 (Lemon Grove) — J Lau Farrow-Halston of Escondido Drag is hosting the Lemon Grove Pride Drag Brunch next month. The 2 1/2-hour show will include performances by Amore Envy, Gabby Link Aux and Drag Latina’s Rosalinda and will be held starting at noon on Saturday, June 6. Doors open at 11 a.m. at

Destination East County: Joyful June events
By Miriam Raftery May 21, 2026 (San Diego’s East County) – June is jumping with joyful events including Santee Summer Knights—a Medieval festival, star parties on Mount Laguna, Wild in the Country at Lions, Tigers and Bears in Alpine, open farm tours at Oasis Camel Dairy in Ramona, a ballet production of Snow White at Kroc Theatre, Cajon Cruise nights,

Al Awael Brings Authentic Iraqi Cuisine to El Cajon
Review by Philicia Tonangoye May 16, 2026 (San Diego’s East County) –On the corner of Avocado and Chase Ave in El Cajon, Al Awael is a new family-owned Mediterranean restaurant that offers a wide range of flavorful and affordable Middle Eastern food options for individual diners or family occasions. Al Awael, meaning “the first,” holds special significance for the owner.

Photos of the Week: Two winning shots from Lake Jennings Photo Contest
East County News Service May 17, 2026 (East County) — The Helix Water District has announced the winners of the Lake Jennings 2026 Photo Contest: Sunrise to Sunset! and East County Magazine is featuring two for our “Photos of the Week.” At left and top, first-place youth category winner Hannah Hedrick’s “A Dusky Walk,” and below right, second place youth

Mount Laguna Observatory summer visitors program starts May 23
East County News Service May 17, 2026 (Mount Laguna) — Star parties are back at Mount Laguna with the return of the Summer Visitors Program at the Mount Laguna Observatory. The public programs will be held on Saturday nights from 8 to 11 p.m., May 23 through August 15, with a special bonus mid-week viewing scheduled for Wednesday, August 12.

Frontier Airlines’ ‘GoWild’ Pass: the deal that sounds too good to be true — because it is
A San Diego traveler’s firsthand account of an all-you-can-fly promotion that delivered nothing at all By Henri Migala May 16, 2026 (San Diego) – Imagine paying a flat annual fee and then flying anywhere an airline flies — as many times as you want — for nothing more than government taxes and fees. That’s the promise behind Frontier Airlines’ GoWild

‘Snow White’ coming to Joan B. Kroc Theatre on May 30 and 31
Photo by Trystan Loucado East County News Service May 12, 2026 (San Diego) — San Diego’s BalletCenter Studios is set to to debut its latest production, “Snow White,” at the end of the month for three performances at the Joan B. Kroc Theatre inside The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Rolando. Scheduled for Saturday, May

Santee to transform into medieval kingdom for ‘Summer Knights’ Community Festival
Photo courtesy Santee Kiwanis East County News Service May 11, 2026 (Santee) — A coalition of East County community service organizations led by Santee Kiwanis will debut Santee Summer Knights, a new regional medieval festival, next month. The three-day event from June 5-7 will be held on the grounds of the Historic Barn, 9200 Magnolia Ave., in Santee. A public-private

Lions Tigers & Bears ‘Wild in the Country’ event is May 30
East County News Service May 9, 2026 (Alpine) — Lions Tigers & Bears, Southern California’s premier accredited big cat and bear sanctuary, is holding its signature fundraising gala, Wild in the Country later this month. The event is set to take place from 2 to 6 p.m., Saturday, May 30 at 24402 Martin Way, the organization’s 142-acre ranch in Alpine.

SD & Imperial Small Business Development Center Network hosting expo June 11
East County News Service May 9, 2026 (La Mesa) –The San Diego & Imperial Small Business Development Center Network will host the Small Business Expo La Mesa on Thursday, June 11 at the La Mesa Community Center. The half-day event is designed to support local entrepreneurs, is scheduled to run from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at 4975 Memorial Drive.
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
GUITAR CONCERT AT GROSSMONG COLLEGE OCT. 9
October 7, 2009 (El Cajon) — Grossmont College guitar instructor Fred Benedetti, chair of the Grossmont College guitar studies department, will perform at a concert benefiting the Grossmont College Guitar Guild starting at 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, at the college’s recital hall, Room 220. The public is invited to attend. Admission to the concert is $10 per
KID ZONE HAS FUN FOR ALL AT EL CAJON FIRE SAFETY & CAREER EXPO – OCT. 10
September 13, 2009 (El Cajon) – Learn about becoming a firefighter, police officer or 9-1-1 dispatcher at the El Cajon Fire Safety & Career Expo on Saturday, October 10th. The event will also feature a new Kids’ Fun & Safety Zone with a variety of family-friendly activities. Kids can enjoy visits with KC the Safety Robot and pirate
VIEJAS & RADIO STATION MAGIC 92.5 STAGED HUGE BLOCK PARTY
Thousands enjoyed free concert, car show and kids fun zone Story and Photos by Leon Thompson Viejas (September 26, 2009) Thousands of enthusiastic rock music fans of all ages convened in the parking lot of Viejas Casino to hear a free concert co-sponsored by radio station Magic 92.5 on Saturday, October 3. The event, new this year, was clearly
EDITORIAL: HOW MANY MORE?
By Enrique Morones October 1, 2009 (San Diego) – Today marks the 15th anniversary of the wall of death—the border wall of shame. Since October 1st 1994 and the launching of Operation Gatekeeper here in San Diego, thousands have died. Nobody knows the exact number: 5,000, 6,000, 10,000. How many more? These are not numbers, these are
JAZZ CONCERT AT GROSSMONT COLLEGE THURSDAY OCT. 8
October 5, 2009 (El Cajon)–The Grossmont College Jazz Ensemble, featuring jazz saxophonist soloist Christopher Hollyday, will perform starting at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Cuyamaca College Arts Center auditorium, 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway, in El Cajon. The performance is open to the public. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. For
BETWEEN THE STRIPES: THE “MANE” EVENT SAT. OCT. 3
Event Benefits Lions, Tigers & Bears October 2, 2009 (Descanso) – For a wild night on the town, dine and visit with exotic big cats at Saturday night’s Between the Stripes fundraiser at Lions, Tigers & Bears big cat rescue facility in Descanso. Dubbed “The Mane Event,” the party runs from 2 to 6 p.m., with a VIP reception
LA MESA OKTOBERFEST GEARING UP FOR BIGGEST CELEBRATION YET
September 30,2009 (La Mesa) – Friday, Saturday and Sunday, more than 200,000 people are expected to flock to downtown La Mesa for one of East County’s biggest annual celebrations: La Mesa 36th Annual Oktoberfest. This year, watch for some new attractions—and the return of an old favorite. By popular demand, the big beer garden is back—along with traditional German foods
EL CAJON’S RESCUE TASK FORCE TO SEND RELIEF TEAM TO HELP WITH TSUNAMI, DONATIONS SOUGHT
September 30, 2009 (El Cajon)–Rescue Task Force (RTF) of El Cajon is prepared to respond to the tsunami and earthquake as part of its ongoing relief efforts in Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, RTF and WER (World Emergency Relief) are wiring cash aid to a partner of many years, which has been devastated by the typhoon that claimed hundreds
WILL POWER REPORT: TAX CREDITS FOR CLEAR CUTS?
Nothing but the Truth! By Will Power September 28, 2009–American Banks and Brokers are so desperate for new financial instruments that they invent entire new commodities to trade- such as “carbon credits” . The idea is to slow global warming by encouraging green business practices. But the market has been a bust, like in New Zealand, where carbon credits that
FREE POETRY WORKSHOPS: “BULLETS OUTTA GUNS” IN LA MESA
Jim Moreno is currently initiating a poetry workshop afterschool program at the UPAKA Center (Urban Performing Arts & Creative Arts Center) in La Mesa, California entitled "Bullets Outta Guns". Jim believes that when adults provide afterschool art or sports programs and 10 children show up, 20 bullets are removed from guns: 10 bullets from police revolvers and 10 more from
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.