When we first moved to San Diego 20 years ago, a favorite Saturday morning ritual was riding bikes. With our boom box bungeed on the back rack, we’d ride along the Embarcadero while grooving to mix tape tunes. “Livin’ in the Wild Wild West,” Bob Marley and “Twistin’ by the Pool” are memorable tunes! Since we didn’t own a CD player, it was those homemade mix tapes that helped put us in a new West Coast spirit. That’s why we’re so excited about the Horton Grand Theater’s new show, “MiXtape” — a musical journey through the ‘80s. The play kicks off Aug. 6 and will run through late September. The inspiration for writing the play comes from the minds of Jon Lorenz and Colleen Kollar Smith. “Ultimately, with ‘MiXtape,’ we wanted to create a show about the power of music,” Lorenz said. “It’s a collage and a collage is like a mix tape. You select things from culture that express something personal to you. We don’t do that today. We drag and drop. We create playlists. But a mix tape is really a labor of love. You have to pick your songs. You have to push record. Play, pause, rewind, fast forward. The messiness of it. We’re exploring music as a marking of your memories. Music as a time machine. Music as empowerment. Music as your secret place,” Lorenz said. • Another trip back in time happens Aug. 12, when Anthology (1337 India St.) presents “A Musical Night at the Movies With Popcorn.” The unique show features a five-piece band performing a wide variety of popular hit songs from famous Hollywood movie scenes. The scenes play on a big screen while the band is performing, so it’s a true multi-sensory assault. Some of the highlights include shots of the dancing groundhog from “Caddyshack” while Popcorn plays the song “I’m Alright” and Tom Cruise riding his motorcycle in “Top Gun” while the band plays “Danger Zone.” Other song/video combinations are “Footloose,” “Car Wash,” and Forrest Gump’s greatest hits. If that’s not enough, audience members will be treated to the distinctive aroma of hot-buttered popcorn circulating throughout the venue. The musician behind this magical creation is Don Baskin, a former member of the band Syndicate of Sound. The classic 1960s band had a one-hit-wonder called “Little Girl,” which climbed to number 10 on the charts in 1966. They also appeared live with legendary bands like the Young Rascals, the Yardbirds and the Rolling Stones. Baskin, who established an alliance with Jolly Time Popcorn, said the favorite movie time snack will be available to eat so it will enhance the extravaganza. “We wanted to recreate the experience of a drive-in,” Baskin said. “The music from movies, the vintage commercials and shorts will touch on what the times were like. When we perform, we can see the audience ooh and awe, from kids to older people. For me, it’s a memory thing … a look back at a great hit from a movie will trigger thoughts of something.” The show is being billed as a good fit for the family. It could be a good way to keep your kid away from the texting and tune into the background music and videos of the past. — Marc and Darlynne Menkin are the co-owners of Where You Want To Be Tours. Many of their tours and teambuilding scavenger hunts feature secret downtown areas. www.wheretours.com