
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.
VIEJAS COOLS DOWN WITH FREE “POWER OF NIGHTFIRE” SHOW—AND AN INTERACTIVE WATER FOUNTAIN
ALPINE, Calif. — May 28, 2009 — As the weather begins to heat up and children get out of school, Viejas offers a place to beat the heat with an array family-friendly events. The annual Power of Nightfire show will feature performances at 9 p.m. every Thursday through Sunday, until Labor Day. The unique performance intrigues the audience with water
CHALDEAN VIRTUOSO JOINS GROSSMONT SYMPHONY IN “MIDDLE EAST MEETS WEST” CONCERT MAY 29
May 26, 2009 (El Cajon)–The Grossmont College Symphony Orchestra will present “Middle East Meets West,” starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 29, at the St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Church, 1627 Jamacha Way in El Cajon. Special guest artist will be Luay Yousif, violinist. Yousif, born in Baghadad in 1979, has performed with the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra at the
GIO RESTAURANT HONORED AS CALIFORNIA SMALL BUSINESS OF YEAR FOR OUR REGION
Honored at Formal State Recognition Celebration – Selected from among 3.7 million small companies in California Editor's note: Can we pick 'em or what? Gio was one of the very first restaurants we covered when we launched, with a rave review by our "Vines & Steins" connoisseur columnist: http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/?q=0809vinesteins May 26, 2009 (Sacramento) — A crowd of 500 business leaders,
LA MESA FLAG DAY PARADE CELEBRATION MAY 30th
May 11, 2009 (La Mesa)– On Saturday, May 30st beginning at 9:00 am, downtown La Mesa will dress up in red, white and blue for the Annual Flag Day Parade, "A Salute to Old Glory!" The parade begins at 10:00 a.m. and marches through downtown La Mesa Village. Spectators will enjoy over 75 entries, including 6 marching bands led by
WILL POWER REPORT: CALIFORNIA TO SELL COLISEUM?
Nothing but the Truth! California’s Governor “Terminator” Arnold Swartzenegger is now so frightened about California’s deficit that he now wants to sell off California landmarks like San Quentin and the LA Coliseum. He also wants Big Oil to drill off the coast of Santa Barbara which he has opposed for years. He thinks the state can earn $200 Billion. He’s
ART SHOW AT WILLIAM HERRICK COMMUNITY HEALTH LIBRARY FEATURES DISABLED ARTISTS’ WORKS
The Dr. William C. Herrick Community Health Care Library in La Mesa, a public library specializing in health research information, has announced it is hosting a display of 20 charcoal drawings drawn by persons who have developmental disabilities from Sophie’s Art Gallery, an art program provided by St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center, a non-profit based in El Cajon. The free
SANTEE STREET FAIR SATURDAY MAY 30: CARNIVAL RIDES, LIVE MUSIC & A BEER GARDEN
May 28, 2009 (Santee) – Live bands, carnival rides, crafts, vendors, a beer garden and food (including a 65-foot-brat grille) will be featured at the Santee Street Fair this Saturday, May 30th from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Free to the public, the event will be held behind the Trolley Square shopping center in Santee, at 101 Civic Center Drive,
FREE “CONCERTS ON THE GREEN” OPENS MAY 22 WITH THE CAT-ILLACS
May 18, 2009 (El Cajon)–The 14th Annual Concerts on the Green, the free weekly summer concert series featuring live music for all ages opens Friday, May 22, 2009 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on the Prescott Promenade in Downtown El Cajon. Opening night of 2009 Concerts on the Green will feature the Rock’n Roll sounds of The Cat-illacs. In addition
THEY’VE GOT RHYTHM: FROM TRIBAL DRUMS TO DIDGERIDOOS AT SAGE & SONGBIRDS FESTIVAL
“I had a dream that I would have a drum,” recalled Neka’asawe, a drum maker who was among the many vendors displaying indigenous crafts at the Sage & Songbirds Festival at Viejas Outlet Center in early May. “I went into a sweat lodge and prayed. A spirit told me I would make many drums.” Printer-friendly version
FLIGHTS OF FANCY: PILOTS FLOCKED TO VINTAGE AIR FLY-IN AT GILLESPIE FIELD
May 17, 2009 (El Cajon) – For Leslie Day and Heather Gamble, flying is all in the family. “My father was a World War II pilot,” said Day, who know pilots a 1951 T-28 A Korean War trainer. (photo) Gamble also inherited her love of flying from her father, though she only took up flying in recent years. When she
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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.