By Hutton Marshall | SDUN Editor
Many choose to abstain from celebrating Valentine’s Day for ethical reasons, claiming it’s no more than a carefully-crafted marketing scheme aimed at profiting off heart-shaped chocolate boxes and extravagantly expensive dates. This year, these perhaps-correct naysayers have no excuse. Here are a few events happening around Valentine’s Day that do more than boost Hallmark card sales.
Pugs N Kisses
2 p.m., February 8
San Diego’s pet-related businesses continue their ruthless siege on the city’s collective sanity with their never-ending use of bad puns (it often seems im-paws-ible for them to get any worse), but at least Pugs N Kisses does it in the name of a heart-warming cause.
On the weekend before V-Day, Hillcrest canine country club Fido & Co. will host a Valentine’s Day-themed wine and cheese event to raise money for Pug Rescue of San Diego County. Pugs and their parents will not only have the opportunity to enjoy tastings of wine, gourmet cheese, fruits and hand-crafted desserts, they’ll also witness a “doggie couture” fashion show, which pugs may enter for an additional fee (which comes with an additional bottle of wine).
Tickets cost $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Each ticket guarantees admission, four glasses of wine (or non-alcoholic drinks) and unlimited desserts, fruits and cheeses. Pugs enter free. There will also be a pug kissing booth.
Last year, Pug Rescue of San Diego County, an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization, took in more than 170 pugs, which is a 26 percent increase from 2012. Pug Rescue states that nine out of ten pugs they take in require medical attention of some kind. Rescued pugs remain in foster care until they are permanently adopted.
To learn more about Pug Rescue of San Diego County or to purchase tickets for the event, visit pugbutts.com.
Cupid’s Cleanup
10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Feb. 15
Valentine’s Day festivities are usually associated with a certain amount of hedonism: Chocolates, a more-expensive-than-usual bottle of wine and a hot Lean Cuisine meal alone in front of the TV are staples of the holiday — aren’t they? Regardless, environmental organization I Love A Clean San Diego (ILACSD) has a more proactive alternative.
Organized by ILACSD, Cupid’s Cleanup invites singles, couples and friend-zoned companions to display their capacity for love by loving the environment on the day after Valentine’s. Instead of ILACSD’s usual beach cleanup, the organization will take to the streets of North Park and South Park from 10 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will then be thanked for their efforts with complimentary beer tasters and the opportunity to mix and mingle at Thorn Street Brewery until 1 p.m.
Volunteers are encouraged to wear close-toed shoes and bring their own reusable water bottle. ILACSD will provide water, snacks, community service verification forms, and the cleanup waiver, which requires a parent signature if the volunteer is a minor.
To sign up as a volunteer, contact Lexi Ambrogi at [email protected] or 619-704-2778. For more information, visit cleansd.org
Get a “Singing Valentine” from the San Diego Chorus Quartet
Feb. 14 and 15
It’s hard to do something more romantic than singing to your significant other. Though for those not vocally talented, this gesture can devolve quickly into mild torture for your private audience. This year, the harmonically challenged can instead opt to employ the award-winning talents of the San Diego Chorus to deliver singing Valentines on their behalf.
On Valentine’s Day and the day following, the 70-person chorus will be deployed in barbershop-style quartets. For $40, they’ll show up in person. $10 will get your loved one a Valentine’s Day message telephonically. The event serves as a fundraiser for the nonprofit chorus, which offers its talents year round at civic events and charitable functions.
To learn more or to schedule your singing Valentine, visit sdchorus.org or call 619-796-5162.
