Festival highlights downtown Escondido

By: JEFF FRANK - Staff Writer | Monday, August 6, 2007 7:12 PM PDT ∞

Providing more than a taste of downtown Escondido is the plan for the inaugural Festival Escondido on Oct. 13.

The sponsoring Downtown Business Association wants to show off the diversity of food, music and arts venues in the center city, going beyond the food-tasting events held previously.

"It seems like there are a lot of 'Tastes of' in San Diego. We need to do something different," said Debra Rosen, the association's chief executive.

Food and wine-tasting will be part of the festival. But the event will also include art gallery receptions, music on two stages and many other activities. Headlining the entertainment is local jazz artist Peter Sprague with a seven-piece band, and T.J. Baden and "friends."

Baden, until recently a vice president at Taylor Guitars, apparently has some high-profile friends, suggesting a possible surprise guest, Rosen reported.

VIP tickets, promising reserved seating at the main music events, are $30 and on sale at downtownescondido.com. Five dollars from each VIP ticket will be donated to Central School's music and art programs.

Bonding: The visiting students from Maebaru, Japan, witnessed a piece of baseball history. They were on hand Saturday at Petco Park when Barry Bonds connected for his record-tying 755th home run. That was just one of many highlights for the teens from Escondido's sister city during a packed week of activities. The five Japanese students and two chaperones experienced yet another culture during the farewell dinner Sunday at Hacienda de Vega. The visitors had great fun smashing a pinata. The most popular activities, according to Lee Graniero, president of the sister city committee, were visits to the beach and a pool party at Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler's home. The full schedule caught up to one of the young visitors, spotted dozing during the Padres game.

Music note: The Neil Diamond tribute concert Saturday at Kit Carson Park had a bit of added authenticity. In the crowd for David Sherry's performance was Randy Cierley-Sterling, one-time bass player for Diamond. About 250 people attended the fundraiser for Plays in the Park, fewer than hoped for. A lost bulk mailing hurt attendance, said event coordinator Jack Campbell. Cards directed to several hundred people on Sherry's fan mailing list never arrived, probably knocking at least a couple of hundred paying customers off the bottom line. "It really hurt, losing his following," said Campbell.

Name drop: Queen Latifah has signed on for a Nov. 19 concert at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. The singer-actress is the first of the center's Impromptu additions to the 2007-08 schedule. Tickets go on sale Aug. 20 for members and Sept. 3 for the general public.

-- Contact staff columnist Jeff Frank at (760) 7740-5419 or jfrank@nctimes.com.