By Tori Hahn

Local pub to help raise money for STEAM students

Little Italy’s New Zealand-inspired restaurant housed in a 1905 Craftsman style home will be welcoming spring this year with a little help from nearby Washington Elementary School students.

Queenstown Public House is pairing with the magnet school’s STEAM — science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics — program for a competition in which students will design unique flower planters to raise funds for the school’s music department.

The planters will be on display in the restaurant throughout the month of April, in which visitors to Queenstown Public House will be encouraged to vote for their favorite decorated planter. With purchase of a $1 ticket, customers will be able to submit their vote for the flowerbed of their choice.

All proceeds raised by the planters will be matched by Queenstown Public House and donated to buy musical instruments for the school.

“We wanted to create a way to give back to the kids in our community and this fun and educational competition for the Washington Elementary School students is a perfect way to do that,” said Darren Roach, owner of Queenstown Public House, in a press release. “Our spring flower house project will give the students in our neighborhood the opportunity to display the work they complete in school for the whole community to enjoy — while also making an impact on their music program.”

The quirky restaurant, whose motto is “There’s no place like home,” is no stranger to seasonal decorations. Queenstown Public House earned a lot of local attention last December for its transformation into a gingerbread house to celebrate the holidays.

This spring, the staff is determined to top that.

“Everyone remembers when they were younger — their parents decorating for every single season … We want to make sure we bring that to the neighborhood, especially in the middle of a city,” said Kelly Moses, social media manager for the restaurant. “It’s kind of nice when you get to go to a home away from home.”

The students won’t be decorating just any traditional flowerpots. Instead, the work of the three participating classes will be featured in a vintage suitcase, a little red wagon and individual mugs printed with photographs of the kids.

The class with the planter that receives the most tickets will earn a pizza party paid for by the restaurant.

Additionally, Queenstown Public House is calling on community members to donate old musical instruments to the program, which will be garnished with flowers and hung throughout the restaurant for the duration of the contest.

Moses said their goal is to have the restaurant bombarded with instruments and have “flowers literally coming out of every area of the house.”

Students will be expected to take care of their flowers and water them throughout the month, although Moses said staff members will keep an eye on them as well.

As for the kids, they’ve got their eyes on the prize.

“They’ve got their flower planting ideas out and they’re ready to go,” Moses said. “They want that pizza.”

The planters will be on display throughout the month of April, with voting to begin April 1.

On April 11, Queenstown Public House will be celebrating its three-year anniversary with an extended happy hour and food specials from 6 p.m. – close. That same evening, Queenstown staff will host a celebratory Champagne toast at 9 p.m. to encourage donations to the STEAM contest.

Queenstown Public House is located at 1557 Columbia St. in Little Italy. For more information, visit queenstownpublichouse.com.

—Tori Hahn is an editorial intern with SDCNN and a senior majoring in journalism at San Diego State University.