North San Diego County Community News Briefs: Concert to benefit food bank

By: North County Times | Wednesday, January 16, 2008 9:00 PM PST ∞

SOLANA BEACH -- A concert by jazz and blues artists Earl Thomas and Amber Ojed with Justus Ewing to benefit the North County Community Services Food Bank will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Belly up Tavern.

The food bank provides food for more than 15,100 seniors, families and individuals per month by working with more than 75 nonprofit organizations in North County.

Tickets are $28, with all proceeds going to the food bank. Information: Tim Ney, (760) 707-4942 or timney@sdnccs.org.

Quilters group to meet Jan. 21

ESCONDIDO -- The North County Quilters Association will meet Jan. 21 at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 1087 W. Country Club Lane. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the program will begin at 7. Barbara Lynn will share her expertise in miniature quilting and present a trunk show.

Refreshments and the guild business meeting will follow the program. Visitors are welcome; nonmember fee is $5.

Jewish men's club to meet

VISTA -- The North County Jewish Men's Club will hold its monthly breakfast meeting at 9 a.m. Jan. 24 at the Shadowridge Country Club, 1980 Gateway Drive.

An active-duty Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton will discuss serving and surviving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Guests, visitors and new members are welcome. Reservations: (760) 598-6800.

Retired federal employee group to meet

ESCONDIDO -- Palomar Chapter 455 of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees, or NARFE, will meet at 1 p.m. Jan. 24 in the Joslyn Senior Center auditorium, 210 Park Ave.

Paul Van Middlesworth of the Computer Factory in San Marcos will present "Computers for Seniors." Refreshments will be served following the meeting.

Carbon management workshop set

SAN DIEGO -- A free workshop, "Drivers and Strategies for Carbon Management," will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 24 at the California Center for Sustainable Energy, 8690 Balboa Ave, Suite 100.

This is the first in a series of three carbon management workshops. In this session Clay Hinkle of CH2M HILL will provide an overview of what the drivers are for carbon management. The drivers include regulatory drivers, economic drivers and stakeholder drivers, as well as climate change and strategy development.

Information: (858) 244-1177; toll-free (866) SDENERGY; events@sdenergy.org; http://www.energycenter.org.

PFLAG support group to meet

CARLSBAD -- Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays, a parent-led support and information organization, will meet at 2 p.m. Jan. 27 at the Pilgrim United Church of Christ, 2020 Chestnut Ave.

The organization invites all those having difficulties in understanding gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues, particularly when family relationships are disrupted. Family members as well as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are welcome.

Call (619) 922-1579.

Sons of American Revolution to meet

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution will meet from 9 to 11 a.m. Jan. 19 in the Lisbon Room of the Ramada Inn, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road.

Breakfast will be served. Cost is $16 and $8 for children ages 12 and younger, payable at the door.

At the meeting, the annual elections will be held, awards will be presented and the incoming officers will be installed.

Reservations by are required by today. Contact Ernie McCullough at (760) 743-0034 or epmam@cox.net.

B'nai B'rith Couples Club to meet

SAN DIEGO -- The B'nai B'rith Couples Club of San Diego will meet for Services and Family Movie Night at 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at Ohr Shalom Synagogue at 2512 Third Ave.

The documentary film "The Land of Milk and Honey" will be shown. Refreshments will be served following the movie. Cost is $5 per couple. To attend, e-mail s_lisker@hotmail.com. For membership information, call Joanie at (858) 273-0585 or Phyllis at (858) 546-0773.

Romance Writers group to meet

ESCONDIDO -- The San Diego chapter of the Romance Writers of America will now hold its monthly meetings in Escondido. The Jan. 19 meeting will feature Mary Castillo, author of "Switchcraft," "Hot Tamara" and "Friday Night Chicas"; and FBI public liaison April Langwell.

The group will meet from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 845 Chestnut St. Cost is $25 for members in advance and $30 for guests and members at the door. Lunch is included. Reservations: http://www.rwasd.com/chapterMeetingsReserve.html.

The chapter promotes excellence in romantic fiction, helps writers get published and establish careers in their writing field, and provides support for writers in the romance publishing industry.

River Valley Conservancy plans planting project

DEL MAR -- The San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy invites people to help plant native plants along a new segment of the San Dieguito River Park's Coast-to-Crest Trail at the San Dieguito Lagoon at the Del Mar Fairgrounds from 1 to 3 p.m. Jan. 27.

Tools, training and refreshments will be provided. Bring water, sun protection and wear sturdy, closed-toed shoes.

Reservations are required. E-mail volunteer@sdrvc.org or call (858) 674-2275, Ext. 12 , for directions and to reserve a space.

Italian association seeks members

NORTH COUNTY -- The North County Italian Association is accepting members for the upcoming year. Membership is open to not only Italians, but anyone interested in the Italian culture. The association is a nonprofit organization that promotes the Italian culture and provides scholarships for students of Italian descent.

The group meets monthly for fun activities, including picnics, potluck dinners, game nights and theater outings. Members also play bocce and meet for lunch.

Go to http://www.northcountyitalianassociation.org or call Jan at (760) 942-1536.

Publishers and Writers group to meet

ENCINITAS -- The Publishers and Writers of San Diego will meet from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Encinitas Community Center, 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive. The topic will be "Secrets for Successfully Working with Your Printing Company."

Printing industry professionals Marty Gilliland and Chris Carpenter will discuss how to make the best decisions for publishing business, how to work well with a printer and how to get the best final product. Gilliland was part of the inception of the organization in 1994.

Cost is $15; $10 for members. Reservations: http://www.PublishersWriters.org.

San Diego Chorus seeks members

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Chorus, a women's a cappella chorus that sings four-part harmony (barbershop style), is seeking new members.

With a highly trained and talented membership of 100 women, the chorus has a 53-year history in San Diego and has been marked by more awards, medals and prizes than any local sports team. The chorus includes a full chorus, mini-chorus, double quartet or quartet offering a repertoire of songs complete with costumes, stage makeup and choreography. The chorus hopes to go for another gold medal in the upcoming Sweet Adelines International competition in Honolulu in November.

The San Diego Chorus welcomes guests to visit during rehearsals, which take place from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Casa Del Prado, Room 207, in Balboa Park.

Genealogical group to meet Jan. 22

CARLSBAD -- "Evaluating Genealogical Sources" will be the topic when Anne Miller, PhD., addresses the North San Diego County Genealogical Society from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 22 at the Carlsbad City Council Chambers, 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive.

Miller is a licensed psychologist who has done 20 years of genealogical research and teaches classes in genealogy, in addition to volunteering at the Murrieta Family History Center. She will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of various genealogical sources, such as death certificates, censuses and county histories.

Free; nonmembers are welcome. Information: (760) 630-5720.

Photography seminar scheduled

SAN DIEGO -- A National Geographic traveler's photography seminar titled "Travel Photography In The Digital World" will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 20 at the University of San Diego.

Unravel the mysteries of digital photography with Ralph Lee Hopkins and Bob Krist as they explain the nuts and bolts of this technology -- from choosing the right camera to developing workflow to strategies for covering a travel destination.

The seminar is intended for amateur to advanced amateur photographers new to digital or considering making the switch from film to digital capture.

For information or to register, go to http://ngtravelerseminars.com/digital.cfm. For questions, e-mail info@ngtravelerseminars.com or call (505) 983-1400.

Macintosh User Group to meet

OCEANSIDE -- "MacWorld 2008" will be the program topic for the meeting of the Oceanside Macintosh User Group at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 30 at Oceana Clubhouse auditorium, 550 Vista Bella.

Club members who attended the MacWorld Conference and Expo will share their experiences and impressions.

Visitors are welcome. The club provides a forum for Macintosh computer users of all levels to share knowledge and experience. Members come from throughout North County.

Information: http://www.omug.net, (760) 727-7255.

ESL tutor training offered

SAN DIEGO --- The San Diego County Library's adult literacy program LEARN and the Laubach Literacy Council of San Diego County will co-host tutor training for their English as a Second Language program. The free workshops will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 9 and 16 at the Ray & Joan Kroc Salvation Army Community Center, Building A, 6605 University Ave. Both sessions are required.

Prospective tutors will volunteer their time to teach new adult learners to speak, read and write English. The majority of the learners are immigrants to San Diego from various areas of the world. Following their training, tutors will be paired with students, either one-to-one or in small groups. The groups will meet at county library branches or Laubach Centers at the convenience of tutors and learners.

ESL tutoring or instruction is currently held in the following San Diego County Library branches: Bonita, Casa de Oro, Descanso, El Cajon, Julian, Lakeside, Potrero, Ramona, Solana Beach, Spring Valley and Vista. The San Marcos and Poway libraries are also seeking tutors to pair with their current list of learners.

Information and registration: Charles Ross, (619) 442-1481; intgallery@aol.com.