| Downtown San Diego E-News November 2009 |
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In This Issue
* Indicates that this event is covered in more
detail in this publication.
October
November
Wine Tasting Event at Horton Plaza  On Thursday 22 October Horton Plaza will host a
Wine in Style event featuring wine tasting,
appetizers, live music and retail promotions. It
will take place on the Mezzanine Level of the plaza
from 5:30-7:30pm. Tickets in advance are $20 or $30
at the event. For further information or to
purchase tickets
www.worldofwineevents.com / 342-7337. You
may bring corks to this event for recycling.
Annual Memory Walk in Balboa Park  The Annual Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk
will be held in Balboa Park on the morning of
Saturday 24 October. The walk is a major
fundraising event for the Association every
year. To obtain further information or to sign
up: (858)492-4400
www.alz.org/memorywalk.
The 5K walk begins
at 8:30am at Park Blvd and President's Way in
Balboa Park.
First-Ever Sharkfest Race Across the Bay
Experienced open-water swimmers will race across
the bay in the first-ever San Diego-Coronado
Sharkfest Swim on Sunday 25 October. As many as
500 swimmers will take part in the event.
During this inaugural San Diego event, which is
not intended for novices, a ferry horn blast
will send swimmers into the water at 9am, where
they will race across 1-mile of the bay. The
course begins at the Fifth Avenue Landing,
located at 111 West Harbor Drive behind the San
Diego Convention Center, and ends at the Port of
San Diego’s Tidelands Park beach located at the
foot of the Coronado Bay Bridge. All the
swimmers are expected to complete the race in
under one hour. For additional information
www.envirosports.com.
Athenaeum Jacobs Mini-Concerts  For the thirty-seventh year in a row
mini-concerts are being conducted in
downtown. They are at Horton Plaza's Lyceum
Theatre at noon on Mondays 26 October and 9
& 23 November. You are encouraged to bring
your lunch as food and beverages are allowed
in the theater for the concerts. For
additional information
www.ljathenaeum.org. The financial
supporter of the concerts is the San
Diego Commission for Arts & Culture through
the Athenaeum Library.
2009 Centre City Advisory Committee (CCAC) Elections CCAC is the state-mandated, city-chartered community planning group for downtown San Diego that represents the residents, property owners and business interests of the downtown community. This year 17 of the total of 28 seats that are on the committee are to be filled. Elections will take Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October. Hear from the candidates and vote at the 26 October election kick-off event at the Lyceum Theatre at Horton Plaza, 5 to 7pm. Voting stations also will be open on Tuesday 27 October from noon to 6:30 pm at three downtown voting locations:
Information about available seats, candidate
registration forms, deadline details and a map of
qualifying area boundaries can be found at www.ccdc.com/ccac. For
more information about the election, a complete list
of current CCAC members and all election and voting
forms see
www.ccdc.com/ccac or contact Brandon Nichols at
533-7182 /
nichols@ccdc.com.
The Port of San Diego is offering a new series of
free bus tours that will take members of the public
along the tidelands and behind the scenes of the
Working Waterfront. Participants can now choose to
start their tour in either Chula Vista or Coronado.
On the two-hour tour, the public will learn about
San Diego Bay and what the Port and its tenants are
doing to protect the tidelands. On the tour you
will also become familiar with Port operations, see
shipbuilding and repair facilities, and get an
up-close look at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal
and the National City Marine Terminal. Many of the
areas on the tour are normally off-limits to the
public due to security concerns. The tours start at
9:30am and run to 11:30am and are available on the
following dates:
Starting in Chula Vista:.
Starting in Coronado:
Space is limited so early reservations are suggested. Make your online www.portofsandiego.org/tours or by calling 686-8008. Due to shipyard security restrictions, participants must be 18 years or older and must also show proof of US citizenship or permanent residency. Ninth Annual Monster Bash on Halloween
Sat, Oct 31 -
Considered by most to be the largest Halloween Party
in San Diego this event is not for the faint of
heart. This ghastly gala will provide you the
opportunity to party with the living dead. It will
take place just outside the Gaslamp Quarter on 7th
Avenue between Market and J Street and on Island
between 6th and 8th Avenues. The main entrance will
be at 7th and Market. As in prior years there will
be a costume contest with the grand prize being
$3,000 cash. There will be no need to drive after
drinking at the event as there will be a free
designated driver shuttle home service to anywhere
in San Diego County from 9pm to 1am. For additional
information or to purchase tickets 233-5008 /
www.sandiegomonsterbash.com.
Free Halloween Costume Party at Little Italy Art Gallery
The Subtext Gallery Halloween Costume Party will
run from 7pm to 11pm on Saturday 31 October.
The gallery will be providing beverages, DJ
Skull Crusher and a raffle for prizes. The
gallery has moved to a new location in Little
Italy at 2479 Kettner Blvd. For additional
information
www.subtextgallery.com / 546-8800.
Annual Halloween Ball at the Prado
This Balboa Park event is only open to those 21
and above. There will be several costume
contests including most creative, best group and
best overall. The prizes for the winners will
be cash. The event always ends late but this
year for the first time at the ending hour of
2am clocks will be turned back to 1am. This is
an indoor/outdoor event. For tickets or
additional information
www.djhere.com.
Komen Race for the Cure in Balboa Park
The Susan G. Komen San Diego Race for the Cure
is a major fundraiser in the fight against
Breast Cancer. It will be held in Balboa Park
at 8am on Sunday 1 November. The actual start
of the event is at 6th and Palm just outside of
the park but most of the course is within Balboa
Park. The three mile course can be covered by
either running or walking. For additional
information or to register for the event
(858)573-2760 /
www.komensandiego.org.
Ninth Annual Union Bank of California Fall Back Festival
For the ninth
year in a row the Fall Back Festival will be
held on the day we turn back the clocks to
standard time. That is how the now
traditional children's street festival got
its name. The annual event will be held in
the area around the corner of 4th and Island
Avenues in the Gaslamp Quarter from 11am to
4pm on Sunday 1 November. The entrance fee
is $5 a person with those who have not
reached their second birthday free. The
primary gate is located at the corner of
Fifth and Island Avenues. Children under 12
receive a free hot dog at the festival
(supply limited to the first 500). Some of
the activates at the festival include:
There will be
many contests for children and adults
including:
There will be many booths at the festival to
include:
There will be three full
stages:
For additional information
and a more complete list of the activities
at the event see
gaslampquarter.org/events/fallback.php.
The festival benefits the Gaslamp Quarter
Historical Foundation.
New Broken Yolk Provides Free Meet Your Neighbors Event
The newest of the three Broken Yolk
locations at 355 Sixth Avenue (between J & K
Streets) in the Gaslamp Quarter is offering
a free five-day-long event for all downtown
condo residents. The restaurant will be
offering the chance to sample an array of
their award winning dishes at a
complimentary buffet. The event will run
from Monday 2 November to Friday 6 November
and from 7am to 12:30pm each of those five
days. Reservations are required either with
the front desk at your downtown condo or
with Beck Bamberger
rebecca@bamcommunications.biz /
917-5109. This event is exclusively for
downtown condo residents with no guests
please.
Informational Meeting on Proposed Ruocco Park
The Port of San Diego will hold an
informational meeting on the proposed Ruocco Park.
This three-acre bay front park is planned at the
southwest corner of the intersection of West Harbor
Drive and Pacific Highway, on the Harbor Seafood
Mart site just north of Seaport Village. This will
be the third public meeting on the park's design.
It will be held on Monday 2 November at 6pm at the
Port's Embarcadero Planning Center, 585 Harbor
Lane. The park's landscape architect and the lead
designer as well as Port staff will be available to
answer questions about the planned park. For
additional information
www.portofsandiego.org.
Lunch & Learn Series Continues  The new Downtown Sound Bites
Speaker Series is held on the first Tuesday
of every month from noon - 1pm at the
Downtown Information Center (DIC) in Horton
Plaza. The DIC is located just above the
CVS drug store between Victoria's Secret and
Sam Goody's. You are asked to bring your
own brown bag lunch to this free event and
then listen and learn from a variety of
interesting speakers all of whom will
approach issues that are important to
downtown's future. A question and
answer period will follow each
presentation. The event sponsor is CCDC and
further information can be found at
www.ccdc.com. The scheduled speaker on
Tuesday 3 November is Shirley Horton,
President of the Downtown San Diego
Partnership.
Read Local San Diego’s Launch Event at Horton Plaza  It will be a day-long celebration of San Diego’s
literary talent. There will be author readings and
presentations, book tables, music from local
artists, and more. It will be held from 11am to 6pm
on Saturday 14 November on the Sundeck of Horton
Plaza. There will be authors making presentations
approximately every 20 minutes and sitting at tables
in hour-long slots. The day will end with a gala
reception, Read Local San Diego is a newly formed
nonprofit marketing coalition that aims to get
authors out from behind the computer and face to
face with readers. They are planning to compile the
most comprehensive, searchable online directory of
local authors available and connecting readers and
authors in a series of year-round, county-wide
events.
For additional information
http://sandiego.readlocal.org.
San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival Returns The events will be conducted throughout downtown San Diego to include the Embarcadero Marina Park North. The dates are Wednesday 18 November through Sunday 22 November. For additional information or for tickets www.worldofwineevents.com. Friends of San Diego Architecture Continues its Annual Lecture Series
The Friends of San Diego
Architecture continues its 2009-2010 lecture
series with Balboa Park: Open Space in City
Building on Saturday 21 November with Laura
Burnett, Landscape Architect. The series will
continue on Saturday 16 January. The lectures
all take place at the New School of
Architecture, 1249 F Street at 9:30am on the
third Saturday of the month eight times a year
and are open to the public. They are not held
in June, July, August and December.
For further
information 224-8584 /
www.friendsofsdarch.com.
Chargers' 50th Anniversary Block Party  The San Diego Chargers will
celebrate their 50th Anniversary with a giant
block party adjacent to the Gaslamp Quarter in
downtown on Friday 27 November. On hand for the
event the day after Thanksgiving Day will be 50 all
time Charger players of old and current Chargers'
teams. The party will run from 5pm-11pm and will
feature national and local entertainment, Charger
players, a preview of the Chargers' 50th Anniversary
video, Chargers Fan Fest Area, food, drinks and more
all taking place in the outskirts of the
Gaslamp Quarter with the main gate located at 7th
and Market. With your ticket you can also enjoy
drink specials at downtown bars and restaurants.
Tickets are $35 in advance for
a limited time only, For more information
please call McFarlane Promotions at 233-5008 or
visit
www.chargers.com.
Homeland Security Makes Grant to Port
The US
Department of Homeland Security has
awarded $150,000,000 for security improvements at
103 United States ports, including $1 million for
the Port of San Diego. The funding comes from the
2009
American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
Port Security Grant Program.
The ARRA is an economic stimulus package that was
designed to help jump-start the US economy, create
or save jobs and to help pay for long-neglected
infrastructure projects. The ARRA Port Security
Grant Program provides funding to help protect
critical port infrastructure from terrorism. Money
from the grant will go towards the ongoing effort to
provide a fiber optics communications network that
will ultimately ring the entire Bay. In the past
seven years, the Port of San Diego has received more
than $30 million in security grant funding. The
money has been used to enhance physical security,
improve surveillance capabilities, expand
communications and strengthen security
infrastructure throughout the Port. The Port is
working to secure additional grant funding to
complete the fiber optic ring and continue
enhancements to both the security and safety of the
entire region.
Volunteers Needed For Children's Street Festival
The Gaslamp Quarter Historical
Foundation is looking for volunteers to help with
Fall Back, their annual children's street festival
in the Gaslamp Quarter which takes place this year
on Sunday 1 November. The festival runs from 11am
to 4pm and the volunteers are needed from one half
an hour before opening time until one half hour
after it closes. There is a great variety of
volunteer positions available. Reserve a position
early to insure that you get the position you
want. Volunteers will be provided several breaks
during the day so that they can also enjoy the
festival. For additional information 233-4692 /
www.gaslampquarter.org. This festival benefits
the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation and would
not be possible without the volunteers.
.
Free Downtown Bus Tours
Free Downtown bus tours offer close-up views of downtown's unique neighborhoods and highlight recently completed and upcoming new projects. All tours begin at the Downtown Information Center (193 Horton Plaza) just above the CVS drug store between Victoria's Secret and Sam Goody. Reservations are required, please call 235-2222 for reservations or further information.
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Masthead & Disclaimer All items in this publication are the opinion of the writer of the piece. Any item without a named author is the responsibility of the editor. Any submissions for inclusion in this publication should be submitted to the editor. All telephone numbers are in the 619 area code unless otherwise noted. Editor, Stan Marder, smarder1@alum.ups.edu |