North San Diego County Community News Briefs: Harvest Festival set for Oct. 26-28

By: North County Times | Wednesday, October 17, 2007 7:09 PM PDT ∞

DEL MAR -- The 32nd annual Harvest Festival will be held Oct. 26 through 28 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. The event will feature more than 300 artists and craftspeople showcasing unique handmade works, gourmet food, live entertainment and a pumpkin patch.

Hours are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 26 and 27, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 28. Ticket prices are $8 for adults; $7 for seniors ages 62 and older; $4 for youths ages 13 to 17; free for kids ages 12 and younger who are with an adult. One ticket is good for all three days.

Information: http://www.harvestfestival.com.

TERI store to hold grand re-opening event

OCEANSIDE -- TERI's Potpourri on the Coast, a gift and resale shop that supports autistic and developmentally disabled children and adults, will hold a grand re-opening celebration at 5 p.m. today. The event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony and wine and cheese for guests. The store also is holding a grand re-opening sale through Oct. 19.

Potpourri on the Coast, at 1024 S. Coast Highway, also serves as a training site for TERI. Tax-deductible donations of gently-used clothing items are welcome.

Information: Laura White, (760) 721-1706.

Bingo Night to benefit Twin Oaks School

SAN MARCOS -- The Twin Oaks Elementary School PTO will hold its first Bingo Night fundraiser from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 19 at The Barn in Walnut Grove Park, 1950 Sycamore Drive.

Cost of $25 includes five bingo games, dinner catered by Mr. Taco and two drink tickets (beer, wine, soda and/or water). Winners will receive prizes. Proceeds will go toward supporting Twin Oaks teachers in their classrooms.

R.S.V.P. by today at (760) 290-2588.

Single Travelers group to meet

VISTA -- The Single Travelers club will meet for dinner at 6 p.m. Oct. 19 and 25 at San Giorgio Lucano Restaurant, 1280 E. Vista Way. Dancing and karaoke will begin at 7 p.m. Reservations are required by the morning of the events. Call Rita at (760) 721-8412.

Veterans Association to meet

OCEANSIDE -- The newly-formed Veterans Association of North County will meet at 10 a.m. Oct. 20 at the Oceanside Senior Center, 455 Country Club Lane. All veterans are invited to attend.

VANC was established as an umbrella organization representing 24 local veterans associations, as well as all veterans in the area. The organization will be responsible for the renovation and oversight of the Veterans Memorial Hall in Oceanside. The current plan is to renovate the old police station building at 1617 Mission Ave., which will cost an estimated $2 million to make it into a first-class facility that will include banquet facility, bar, conference room, meeting room and office space.

VANC welcomes veterans and their family members who would like to assist in this endeavor. The group needs volunteers to serve as grant writers, event organizers, donation coordinator and other positions. Call Peggy Reiber at (760) 521-9093. Those interested in donating can mail donations to VANC, P.O. Box 3046, Oceanside, CA 92051-3046.

Genealogy group to host speaker

CARLSBAD -- The North San Diego County Genealogical Society will meet at 10 a.m. Oct. 23 in the City Council Chambers, 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive. Genealogist Jean Wilcox Hibben will speak on "Shaking the Myth: Proving or Disproving Family Legends." Information: (760) 630-5720.

Macintosh User Group to meet

OCEANSIDE -- The Oceanside Macintosh User Group will meet at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 24 in the Oceana Clubhouse Auditorium, 550 Vista Bella.

Club member Jay Klopfenstein, an Apple Distinguished Educator, will speak on "NASA's EarthKAM Program and Google's Earth/Mapping Applications."

The group provides a forum for Macintosh computer users of all levels to share knowledge and experience. Information: http://www.omug.net, (760) 727-7255

Jewish Men's Club to meet

VISTA -- The North County Jewish Men's Club will hold its monthly breakfast meeting at 9 a.m. Oct. 25 at the Shadowridge Country Club, 1980 Gateway Drive. Mike Winkelman will talk about recent changes to Social Security and Medicare. New members and guests are welcome. Reservations: (760) 631-7998.

Los Californianos group to meet

MIRA MESA -- Los Californianos, a group of descendants of Spanish/Mexican settlers of Alta California, will hold its quarterly meeting from Oct. 26 through 28 at the Mira Mesa Conference Center at the Holiday Inn Express, 9888 Mira Mesa Blvd.

Dr. Lynne Christenson, historian for San Diego County Parks and Recreation, will speak on "Strong and Beautiful: The Women of San Diego County Ranchos," and Richard Carrico, historian/anthropologist, will speak on "Native Americans and the Californios." The Los Californianos Traveling Genealogical Library will be open for research Oct. 26 and 27 for a small fee. Nonmembers are welcome.

Information and registration: http://www.loscalifornianos.org or (858) 538-3027.

Watch and clock collectors to meet

VISTA -- The Palomar chapter of the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors will meet at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Wildwood Community Center, 651 E. Vista Way. Using a lathe for watch/clock repairs will be the topic. Information: Walter Yahn, (760) 598-5352.

PFLAG group to meet

CARLSBAD -- Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, or PFLAG, a parent-led support and information organization, will meet at 2 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Pilgrim United Church of Christ, 2020 Chestnut Ave.

PFLAG invites anyone having difficulties understanding gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender issues to attend the meeting, especially when family relationships are disrupted. Family members, as well as GLBT people, are invited to join in discussions of mutual support.

Information: (619) 922-1579.

Adult Children of Alcoholics Convention set

LAKE SAN MARCOS -- The 21st annual Adult Children of Alcoholics Convention will be held Nov. 2 through 4 at the Lake San Marcos Resort Convention Center.

This year's theme is "The Magic of Recovery." The event will include workshops, entertainment, ACA meetings, games, a 12-step book store and an ACA panel discussion. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Charles L. Whitfield, a pioneer in trauma recovery.

Information: Mary Ellen, (310) 918-2111; info@acaconvention.org; http://www.acaconvention.org.

Writers conference planned

LA JOLLA -- The seventh annual La Jolla Writers Conference will be held Nov. 2 through 4 at the Paradise Point Resort and Spa. Emmy award-winning producer and director Stephen J. Cannell will be among those teaching classes at the event. Writers of all levels are welcome; registration is limited to 200. Information: http://www.lajollawritersconference.com.

The Kid's College to mark 10 years

SAN MARCOS -- The Kid's College, a nonprofit arts and enrichment organization, will celebrate its 10th anniversary during the Day of Arts Celebration from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at the M. Gordon Clarke Fieldhouse at Cal State San Marcos, 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Road.

Students enrolled in The Kid's College's classes at more than 21 North County schools will give demonstrations highlighting their dance, drama, music and karate classes. There also will be an art show featuring the artwork of more than 300 students.

Greg Evans, "Luann" cartoonist and San Marcos resident, will give a short presentation at noon followed by presentations by Dr. Merryl Goldberg, director of Center ARTES, and Carole Beeson, executive director and co-founder of The Kid's College.

Information: Ann Little, (760) 207-6112; alittle@thekidscollege.org; http://www.thekidscollege.org.

Walk Now for Autism set

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Walk Now for Autism will be held Nov. 3 in Balboa Park. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. with the walk to step off at 9:30. Proceeds will benefit Autism Speaks, the nation's leading autism advocacy organization. Information: http://www.walknowforautism.org.

Light the Night walk set

DEL MAR -- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's annual Light the Night walk will be held Nov. 3 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd.

The walk celebrates and commemorates people whose lives have been touched by cancer. Participants walk along a two-mile route, carrying illuminated balloons -- white for survivors, red for supporters and gold in memory of those who have passed. The event also will include music, refreshments and entertainment.

Funds raised will go toward the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's efforts to find cures for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and to provide education and services for patients with these diseases and their families.

Information: Danielle Litke, (858) 427-6651; danielle.litke@lls.org; http://www.lightthenight.org/sd.

Wine/food event to benefit City of Hope

DEL MAR -- City of Hope's Women's Council of San Diego County will hold its sixth annual Wine and Food Festival to benefit the City of Hope Cancer Center from 3 to 6 p.m. Nov. 4 at Del Mar Plaza, 1555 Camino del Mar.

Attendees can enjoy a variety of wines from regional vineyards and savor foods from local restaurants such as Epazote's, Sbicca, Il Fornaio and Pacifica Del Mar.

Tickets cost $55 in advance; $65 at the door. For tickets, call (858) 452-6846. For information, go to http://www.cityofhope.org.

Car rally to benefit soccer scholarships

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Miata Club will sponsor a fundraising car rally called "Scrabble for Scholarships" on Nov. 4. Open to all makes of cars, trucks and motorcycles, the event will feature a drive through San Diego's backcountry, ending at a Mexican food buffet where participants will finish the Scrabble game.

Proceeds will help fund scholarships for youth soccer players from Poway and Penasquitos youth soccer. The scholarships were started by Dennis and Maryanne Garon to honor the memory of their son, Gregg, who passed away unexpectedly in 2005. Gregg played and coached soccer in both the Poway and Penasquitos leagues. The scholarships are geared toward soccer players who best demonstrate having "a lot of heart" and love for the game.

Trophies and prizes will be awarded. All participants will receive an event T-shirt. To register, go to http://www.sandiegomiataclub.org.

Best Buddies seeks volunteers

SAN DIEGO -- Best Buddies is a nonprofit organization that works to create one-to-one friendships between people with and without intellectual disabilities. Volunteers are needed. Requested commitment is three to five hours a month. Information: (619) 584-5450, AnneliseCohon@bestbuddies.org

Web site lists cultural volunteer opportunities

SAN DIEGO -- The Cultural Volunteer Manager's Council has a new Web site for prospective volunteers in San Diego. The site offers a quick and easy reference to more than 15 cultural organizations in San Diego that are recruiting volunteers. There are a wide range of opportunities with museums, theaters and other culture-based venues. Visit the Web site at http://www.culturalvolunteers.org.

Senior Gleaners seeks volunteers

SAN DIEGO-- The Senior Gleaners of San Diego County, a nonprofit all-volunteer organization, is in need of volunteers ages 55 and older to help with one or more of the following tasks:

Gleaning excess fruits and vegetables from fields, orchards and grocery stores that would otherwise go to waste.

Delivering the produce to area nonprofit food-giving agencies.

Driving vans during collection and delivery.

Making phone calls, typing, record keeping, fundraising and/or mailing items.

Serving on the Senior Gleaners board of directors, which meets bimonthly in Rancho Bernardo.

Information: Emily Johnson, North County coordinator, (760) 746-1674; http://www.seniorgleaners.com.

Single seniors club seeks new members

VISTA -- The North County Singles Club for seniors ages 55 and older is seeking new members. The club's main activity is dancing; however, other events, such as potlucks, offer opportunities for friendship, camaraderie and socializing.

Members meet for dinner and dancing Friday evenings at the Vista Elks Lodge. Dinner is served from 5:30 to 8 p.m., and music for dancing begins at 6:30. Cost is $13. For reservations and membership information, call Geri at (760) 942-2719.