UC Celebration on Fourth of July
Festivities kick off bright and early with the pancake breakfast, run by the Knights of Columbus, starting at 7:30 a.m. at Standley Park on Governor Drive. The smell of pancakes and sausages cooking will tempt the 1-mile Fun Run and 5k Race participants to finish up as they begin races at 7:45 and 8 a.m., respectively. The British Invasion starts too, but don’t get worried, it’s a band not the Red Coats. Throughout the day, the UC community will be entertained by musicians and performances, be able to participate in field games, eat tasty dishes from food vendors, and even go swimming at Swanson Pool. Plus, the prediction is snow for the day, as this year a snow playground area will be added for the kids, who will be able to sled down small hills and make snowballs for gentle play. If you would like to become a vendor, to volunteer, or obtain more info, go to uccelebration.com.
Park planning
The City of San Diego is holding 10 regional workshops to gain input from residents in preparing the Parks Master Plan. Attendees can share ideas on what they want to see in the parks and recreation programs. The workshops are run in an open-house format, so come by anytime from 6 to 8 p.m. In University City, the workshop will be held on Thursday, June 21, in the Standley Recreation Center gym at 3585 Governor Drive. For more information and meetings schedule throughout San Diego, visit cityofsandiegoparksplan.com/en.
UC resident wins national music award
Maria Antoniette is known as a University City neighbor, but the world knows her as an award-winning urban jazz harpist who recently received the Best Jazz Single award for her recording of “Overture” by Black Women in Jazz and the Arts. She started her musical journey with piano lessons as a child. She fell in love with the harp after being introduced to it as part of a school presentation. Despite her classical harp training, she found her true passion using the harp to play smooth jazz and rhythm and blues. Always innovating, she now has more than 30 years experimenting with many different musical styles at performances both locally and worldwide. Maria will be performing locally at the Festival of the Jazzpel on the Plaza Stage at the SD County Fair on Saturday, June 16. For more information, visit MarieaAntoinette.com. Fruity Transformer Art
The University City Community Association continues to sponsor beautification along Governor Drive with the transformer box art projects. A recent artist contribution is the “citrus box” created by Natalie Jackson. She was inspired by the Meyer lemons grown in her backyard. Afoot and Afield in San Diego UC resident Scott Turner has taken the monumental task of helping update “Afoot & Afield San Diego County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide,” the iconic book originally prepared by Jerry Schad. Scott co-authored the recent updated 5th edition, and will discuss the making of the popular and beloved guide, on Wednesday, June 27 at 6 p.m., at the UC Library, 4155 Governor Drive.
Good deeds – free trees
Trees 1000 is a new nonprofit organization which plans to “re-forest” University kicking off at the UC Celebration on July 4 at Standley Park. The non-profit is funded by private donations and memberships. The concept was thought of by Janay Kruger, former chair of the University City Planning Group, who felt something needed to be done to help the community from the changes resulting from the current and future construction in University City. The new trolley line, bridges, streets, and the Westfield UTC rebuild have made it tough to get around the area and it is having a dramatic impact on those who live and work in this bustling community. One big loss is the uprooting of mature trees, hundreds of them. According to Trees 1,000, so far approximately 600 trees have been destroyed. Up to 1,000 may be lost by the time the dust settles from all the construction, hence the name Trees 1,000. At the UC Celebration, Trees 1,000 will be giving away free trees, free planting, and launching the communitywide effort for a greener UC. Look for the Trees 1,000 booth at the 4th of July UC Celebration, and sign up early for your tree. For more information, visit Trees1000.org.