East County Magazine
DESTINATION EAST COUNTY: AWESOME APRIL EVENTS
March 18, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – It’s springtime in East County—the season for flower festivals, Easter egg hunts, Lakeside’s rodeo and Western Days Parade, outdoor roller skating at Viejas , an aerobatics competition in Borrego Springs, and bunny rides aboard a historic train in Campo. This April, you can also enjoy a roaring ‘20s party atop Mt. Helix
CHEERS TO THE VALLEY WINE FESTIVAL APRIL 5 IN RAMONA
East County News Service March 20, 2025 (Ramona) — The Ramona Valley Vintners Association and the Ramona Chamber of Commerce invite you to Cheers to the Valley Wine Festival on Saturday, April 5 from 12 to 4 p.m. at Begent Ranch (18528 Highland Valley Rd., Ramona). The event includes catered small bites, arts and craft vendors, live music by a
EGG PRICES STILL RISING RAPIDLY AMID AVIAN FLU OUTBREAKS; JUSTICE DEPT. LAUNCHES PRICE GOUGING INVESTIGATION
By G. A. McNeeley Photo courtesy of Brian McNeeley March 19, 2025 (Washington D.C.) — The Agriculture Department predicts egg prices could rise by more than 40%, on top of already steep price rises in 2024. While egg producers blame bird flu outbreaks, the Justice Department this month announced an investigation into whether egg producers might be sharing information and
MYSTERY DINNER THEATER AND FRENCH CUISINE DINNER APRIL 5-6 IN EL CAJON
East County News Service March 20, 2025 (El Cajon) — The Circle Players will be performing the dinner theatre production of “Everyone’s A Critic” on April 5th at 6:30 p.m. and on April 6th at 1:30 p.m. Performances will be held in Richardson Hall, 551 Farragut Circle, El Cajon. All seats for this mystery dinner theatre show are $30 and includes a 3-course French-themed
SAPS AT SEA HOSTS LAUREL AND HARDY FILM SHOWINGS APRIL 5 IN EL CAJON
East County News Service March 19, 2025 (El Cajon) — Saps at Sea, the San Diego chapter of the Sons of the Desert, the International Laurel and Hardy fan organization, presents: Ollie Feigns Illness to Attend Lodge Events! Films include Laurel and Hardy in “Be Big!” and “Sons of the Desert”, plus Harold Lloyd’s “High and Dizzy” and
TASTE OF LAKESIDE APRIL 8; SAVOR FOODS FROM 10 RESTAURANTS TO SUPPORT THE MAINE AVENUE REVITALIZATION
East County News Service March 18, 2025 (Lakeside) — The Maine Avenue Revitalization Association (M.A.R.A.) invites you to the Taste of Lakeside, its upcoming fundraise on April 8 from 5-8 p.m. This event brings together ten local restaurants, including Cali-Stack, Ranch House, Octavio’s, East Bound, Yogurt Barn, The Parks, Caffeine Queens, and the VFW, offering attendees the opportunity to sample
MT. HELIX PARK CELEBRATES CENTENNIAL APRIL 12 WITH DUELING PIANOS, DINNER AND DANCING
By Miriam Raftery March 18, 2025 (Mt. Helix) – You’re invited to join the 100th anniversary celebration of Mt. Helix Park with a Roaring ‘20s themed party on April 12 from 4:30 – 8 p.m. in the Mt. Helix Nature Theater. Enjoy delicious appetizers and dinner from Bekker’s Catering, followed by dueling pianos and dancing under the stars. Beer, wine
LILIAC FESTIVAL ABLOOM AT FORT CROSS IN JULIAN APRIL 19 – MAY 11
East County News Service March 18, 2025 (Julian) – Fort Cross Adventures in Julian hosts its spring lilac festival from April 19 through May 11 on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Preregistration is advised to assure space. General admission ($10) includes entry into a lilac maze, family farm area and
SANTEE BUNNY TRAIL APRIL 12 OFFERS FUN FOR KIDS
East County News Service March 18, 2025 (Santee) – The city of Santee invites you to hop on over to Santee’s Bunny Trail on Saturday, April 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Santee Trolley Square. Guests can enjoy photos with the bunny, games, crafts, face painting, giveaways and carnival rides. Santee Trolley Square is located at 9884
STATE’S FISH AND GAME COMMISSION TO CONSIDER LEGALIZING FERRET OWNERSHIP, FOLLOWING EFFORTS OF LA MESA RESIDENT
By Karen Pearlman March 18, 2025 (La Mesa) — Eight years after persuading the city of La Mesa to become a sanctuary city for ferrets, Pat Wright is on a mission next to legalize ferret ownership statewide. Wright and his nonprofit group, Legalize Ferrets, have attained a key milestone in the quest to remove domestic ferrets from the state’s list
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Our Guide to Live Entertainment venues
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.
Our Guide to Live Entertainment venues