By Jay Wilson

The 5-Peak Challenge at Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) was inaugurated on Saturday, Nov. 7, with a press conference hosted by San Diego City Councilmember Scott Sherman, County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, and La Mesa Councilmember Kristine Alessio at the Kwaay Paay Trailhead. This new program was proposed as a way to encourage hikers to experience new trails and challenges. See the front-page story in this paper for more information on how to complete the 5-Peak Challenge!

The next major event at MTRP is Arbor Day which will be celebrated on Saturday, Dec, 5, at 9 a.m. at the Kumeyaay Lake Campground day use parking lot. The first Saturday of December is always Arbor Day for MTRP. Each year, a select number of trees are planted to enhance the park. Join us at 9 a.m. For a $100 donation, you may plant a tree in memory or in honor of someone. As a donor for Arbor Day, you will be invited to assist in planting your donated tree. Members of Boy Scout Troop 950 are always available to assist in planting the trees. Check mtrp.org under “More News” to donate a tree for Arbor Day.

Through the SDG&E Environmental Champions Grant program, the MTRP Foundation has received a new grant for $25,000 to bring school children, primarily K-6 and youth groups within San Diego County, to MTRP for a field trip. A unique component of this program is that it allows up to $200 to help with the bus transportation costs. For more information, contact Alicia Berg, the education program instructor for the MTRP Foundation, at [email protected].

“7 Artists, 7 Years,” is the title of the current art exhibition presented by The Paradise Textile Artists in the Visitor Center Gallery. Their exhibition will run through Dec. 4. The Paradise Textile Artists is an art quilt critique group that has been meeting and exhibiting together for seven years. The seven members work in distinctive styles, with no two alike. Some members are full-time studio artists and some work full-time away from the studio. All the members have exhibited in local or regional shows; some have been accepted into prestigious national shows and won awards for their art. “7 Artists, 7 Years” is the group’s seventh exhibit and the third at Mission Trails. Cameron Scott donates his time and expertise to produce a video of each exhibition. To view the video, look under “More News” on our homepage at mtrp.org. Reach Scott at [email protected] for more information about the videos.

Free concerts continue to entertain guests in the Visitor Center Theater on designated Saturdays and Sundays. All concerts begin at 3 p.m. The upcoming scheduled concerts are as follows:

Nov. 28 – Fred Benedetti, guitar
Dec. 6 – Lucky’s All-Stars bluegrass band
Dec. 13 – Family Holiday Stories & Sing-A-Long, plus musicians from the School of African Arts
Dec. 20 – Pomerado Brass Quintet

If your children, grandchildren, or you are a budding artist, the MTRP Foundation is offering beginning and advanced nature-related art classes for children 7 and up, and for adults through Art Smarts. The next classes will be held on Nov. 21 and Dec. 5. For more information about the art class program, including costs and registration form, look under “More News” on the MTRP homepage at mtrp.org.

Take a hike – there is an adventure waiting for you at MTRP every day!

––Jay Wilson is executive director of the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation. Write to him at [email protected].