Downtown Escondido celebrates art, food and culture

By: PAM KRAGEN - Staff Writer | Saturday, October 6, 2007 3:34 PM PDT ∞

ESCONDIDO ---- Downtown will celebrate its diversity and culture Saturday with the annual Festival Escondido, an all-day program of live music, wine and beer tastings, art gallery exhibit openings and restaurant tastings.

Organized by the city's Downtown Business Association, Festival Escondido will be concentrated in the eight-block downtown area bounded by Second Avenue and East Valley Parkway on the east and west, and Valley Boulevard and Maple Street on the north and south. Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and tickets are $20 to $30.

Festival events feature a Taste of Downtown Escondido, with menu samplings by more than 20 area restaurants in the downtown area, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and a series of wine and beer-tastings at downtown galleries from 4 to 8 p.m.

And 15 downtown galleries will host free public receptions, artist demonstrations, beer and wine tastings and drawings.

Some of the special events include hands-on paper-hat/origami classes for all ages at the Mingei International Museum (115 W. Grand Ave.); pottery-making family fun at All Fired Up (115 W. Grand); blacksmith demonstrations and Victorian home tours at the Escondido History Museum (Grape Day Park, 321 N. Broadway); free collage trading card art project at Joan Irving Glass Design (451 E. Valley Parkway); and face-painting at the Escondido Children's Museum (380 N. Escondido Blvd.). Most of these events are free with festival VIP passes or with paid admission to the museums.

Two live music stages will offer round-the-clock entertainment beginning at 11 a.m. At Orange and Grand, the Main Stage will feature headliner Peter Sprague and his Pass the Drum ensemble (at 8:15 p.m.), and throughout the day, performers include Jim Gibson, T.J. Baden & Friends, Peter Pavone Quartet, the Orbitz Golden Oldies, Baja Blues Boys and Cindy Waasdorf. The Local Talent Stage, at Juniper and Grand, will offer performances by Keith & Company, Real Brew, Tone Junkies, Bad Habits, MVS Straight Up, Something, Avocado Moon and Slowhand.

A festival VIP pass ($30 adults, $20 children) offers admission to the food, beer and wine tastings, music, art receptions, guaranteed concert seating and downtown limousine service. The basic ticket ($20) includes everything but the food tasting and guaranteed seating at the concerts. Five dollars of each ticket will be donated to Central Elementary School for its music and art programs.

For more information about Saturday's events, visit www.festivalescondido.com or call (760) 745-8877.

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