HBA elects new board members
The Hillcrest Business Association recently held elections for the open seats on its board of directors and would like to introduce its four new board members.
The first elected board member is Johnathan Hale of Hale Media, Inc. Hale has been a San Diego small-business owner for over 10 years. In 2002, Hale formed SDPIX as a side hobby. Four years ago, the SDPIX brand launched a popular, glossy magazine called “PIX.” In 2009, Hale wanted to change the tone and tenor of the dialogue happening within the local LGBT community, so he gathered a group of community leaders and friends and created San Diego Gay & Lesbian News, published at SDGLN.com.
Another elected board member is Pete Katz of Katz Real Estate. Katz has been a property owner in Hillcrest for more than 20 years. He manages about 50 residential and commercial tenants and is fully invested in making the future of Hillcrest vibrant and prosperous for everyone who lives, works and plays in the neighborhood.
Alex Marin, owner of Bamboo Lounge and T-Deli, was also reinstated on the HBA Board of Directors. Marin moved to Hillcrest while finishing his degree in business finance. He has been in business for over eight years. He plans to make sure residents and businesses are aligned to reach the community’s ultimate goal of smart growth.
Finally, Jesse Thomas of Café Libertalia was also named to the board. Thomas is a former RF Engineering Technician and is now the co-owner of the centrally located one-stop internet café. He has a vision of making Hillcrest the ultimate safe, fun and entertaining place to bring friends and to attract tourists from around the world. Thomas looks forward to exploring and implementing creative promotional ideas with the HBA.
‘O.J.’ DNA expert to speak at Uptown Rotary
The DNA expert from O.J. Simpson’s murder trial will be the featured speaker at Uptown Rotary Club’s Nov. 4 meeting. Superior Court Judge and former San Diego Prosecutor Woody Clarke is famous for his DNA testimony in the O.J. Simpson trial. He will speak at the Rotary Club about the expanding use of DNA evidence in criminal trials.
The Uptown Rotary Club meets every Thursday from 7 to 8:30 a.m. at Terra Restaurant, 3900 Vermont St. The breakfast meetings are open to the public and provide more information about Rotary International, a worldwide service organization whose motto is “Service Above Self.”
For information visit www.sdurotary.org.
Old Town will host early SD history conference
If you’ve ever been curious about life in San Diego way back when, the Early San Diego Regional History Conference is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 6 at the Old Town Cultural and Historical Program Campus.
The all-day conference will focus on the years 1769 to 1848 and beyond, with the theme “El Pueblo Perdido: The Lost Heritage of Early San Diego.”
Historians, park rangers and archeologists will speak, interspersed with music, theater, horses and vaqueros (cowboys). Several of the sessions are appropriate for children or all ages.
The Old Town Cultural and Historical Program Campus is located at 3939 Conde St. Registration is free; call (619) 423-7218 or e-mail [email protected]
Solar power expert to speak at Olive Branch
A solar specialist from REC Solar company will discuss the benefits of solar power next Wednesday, Nov. 3 at Olive Branch Green Building Supply, 3030 North Park Way.
The free lecture will begin at 7 p.m., and will include information on reducing or eliminating your monthly electricity bill by switching to solar power.
To reserve a seat, call (619) 237-1234 or e-mail [email protected].
Festival will celebrate the good life
If a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love in spring, what does it turn to in fall?
Perhaps the love of fine food and wine, both of which will be abundant at next month’s seventh annual San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival.
The weeklong event, Nov. 17-21, features celebrity chefs of national renown (Celestino Drago of Drago Ristorante) as well as San Diego superstars such as Brian Malarkey and Jeff Rossman.
Cooking classes, wine tasting, a Celebrity Chef Luncheon, the Tastemaker Dinner Series and many other activities are scheduled.
Prices range from $50 for single events to $525 for the Grand Cru package.
For information, call (877) 808-WINE or visit worldofwineevents.com./
Old Town dusts off Halloween ghosts
Many locals may not be aware that “America’s Most Haunted” house is right here in our own backyard: the Whaley House in Old Town. Meaning there’s no better time for a visit than late October, around Halloween.
The two-story brick home and museum, which was built in 1857, has gone through various incarnations as the county seat and courthouse, a granary, store, school, ballroom, theater, polling place and meeting place. But perhaps the key to its fearsome reputation is the fact that a gallows once stood on the site. Now the spirit of “Yankee Jim” Robinson, who was hung there in 1852, is said to still lurk about, along with the ghosts of Thomas and Anna Whaley, their daughter Violet, great-granddaughter Marion and even their fox terrier, Dolly Varden.
Special spooky tours include Whaley House Ghost Hunting Tours, Oil Lamp Tours, storytelling, a Halloween night event and a Dia de los Muertos celebration on Nov. 1.
For reservations, tickets and information, call (619) 297-7511 or visit www.whaleyhouse.org.
Meeting will explore connection with Azerbaijan
Elin Suleymanov, the Consul General of Azerbaijan, will attend a meeting on Thursday, Nov. 4 to discuss the possibility of the Switzer Highland neighborhood of North Park forming a Sister Neighborhood exchange with Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
A reception will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Café 21, 2736 Adams Ave.
Old Town hosts first Dia de los Muertos
Historic Old Town San Diego will include a self-guided tour of Dia de los Muertos altars (or ofrendas) in its celebration of its haunted presence this year. It’s the first event to honor the rituals of the Day of the Dead in Old Town, and its organizers hope to make it an annual tradition.
Dia de los Muertos, which is officially observed on Nov. 1 and 2, pays homage to the presence of the dead among the living. As a time to offer hospitality to the spirits, the celebration is not a mournful or ghoulish one. The event will pay a colorful tribute to California’s own Mexican heritage and everyone is invited to take part.
Altars will be up for viewing by 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 1 and Tuesday, Nov. 2. At 8 p.m. on Nov. 1, the public is invited to join a candlelight procession from the Whaley House Museum to El Campo Santo Cemetery. Free tour maps of altar displays are available online at oldtownsandiego.org, otsdguide.com or whaleyhouse.org.
Mama’s Kitchen hosts ‘Pie in the Sky’ bake sale
Mama’s Kitchen, San Diego’s only free, countywide meal delivery program for individuals and families affected by AIDS or cancer, is holding its annual “Mama’s Pie in the Sky” Thanksgiving bake sale, featuring fresh pumpkin, pecan, apple and sugar-free apple pies for $20 now through Nov. 21. For the first time, pies can be purchased online this year at mamaspies.org or by calling (619) 233-6262.
Mama’s Kitchen’s new website allows customers to buy a pie, become a seller or purchase a “Southwest-Luv-A-Client Pie” online. Southwest-Luv-A-Client pies are purchased and donated to a client of Mama’s Kitchen. The donor’s name is then entered into a Southwest Luv-a-Client raffle drawing to win two round-trip Southwest Airlines tickets to anywhere Southwest flies.
Proceeds from pie sales will directly fund Mama’s Kitchen meals throughout San Diego community. Many of San Diego’s top pastry chefs, caterers, and bakeries donate pies for the annual sale.
Mama’s Kitchen celebrated its 20th anniversary in September. The organization hopes to end the year by selling 5,000 pies, which will raise $100,000 to fund more than 35,000 meals.
For more information, visit mamaskitchen.org.
Mission Hills Town Council elects new board members
The Mission Hills Town Council recently held elections for its board of directors and would like to introduce the newly elected board members. The six new trustees will each serve a two-year term and will assume varying responsibilities while they are in office.
Jasper Benke has been a resident of Mission Hills for almost seven years and makes a living as a medical device entrepreneur and engineer. Benke is active in governmental affairs for medical device regulation and regularly volunteers in the community through docent walks, home and garden tours, cleanup activities and neighborhood awareness.
As a retired dentist, Dr. Richard Disraeli has been in the neighborhood for over 40 years. He was the first Chargers dentist when he and his wife moved to San Diego from Los Angeles in 1961 and did his best to repair all dental damage caused by football injuries in a time when very few players wore protective facial gear.
San Diego native Lara Gates has lived in the Mission Hills neighborhood for over 10 years. Gates was the Uptown Community Planner for about five years and worked on many Mission Hills neighborhood issues. She was part of the team that planned and funded the Pioneer Park tot lot improvements. She also recently submitted an application for a $5,000 grant from the San Diego Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects that will be awarded in December.
Sharon Gehl is an active member of SOHO and works directly with the Mission Hills Design Committee. Gehl regularly attends Town Council meetings and was part of the Plan Update Subcommittee that put together a list of community concerns for updating the Uptown Community Plan.
Gary Nordstrom lives in the same Mission Hills home that he grew up in. After retiring as the general manager of the Chula Vista Sears store, he and his wife, Gail, teamed up as Realtors for the Corky McMillin Companies in 2002. Nordstrom has a wide range of volunteer experience, doing everything from being the board chair of the South Bay Family YMCA to being a member of the American Cancer Society State board of directors. Nordstrom has also been a Planning Commissioner for the City of Chula Vista and understands that citizen involvement in the local community is critical to the future well being of the families and businesses.
Frans van der Lee is the new kid on the block. The professional website developer moved to Mission Hills from Washington, D.C., only a year and a half ago. In his short time in the neighborhood he has headed up the Neighborhood Watch group, volunteered in canyon clean-ups, redesigned the Mission Hills Heritage website and started the community website OurMissionHills.com.
For more information, visit missionhillstowncouncil.org/.
