REGION: Weekend filled with fun events around North County

By North County Times | Thursday, October 2, 2008 8:09 PM PDT ∞

North County residents have lots of entertainment choices this weekend in addition to the Miramar Air Show. Here's a list of highlights:

FRIDAY:

-- Orchid Festival: Quail Botanical Gardens will host the annual San Diego International Orchid Fair this weekend, featuring flower exhibits, lectures and judging, as well as orchid sales by vendors from all over the world. The event will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas. Admission costs $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and active military and $5 for children 3 to 12. Visit www.qbgardens.org.

SATURDAY

-- Carlsbad Oktoberfest: The 26th annual Carlsbad Rotary Oktoberfest celebration, from 1 to 10 p.m., will feature German food, music and dancing. The event will also offer activities for children, including a pumpkin patch, bounce house, face painting, a strolling magician and an antique firetruck display. Children can take part in a pumpkin-decorating contest and vie for $25 cash prizes. The Oktoberfest Holiday Park is at Chestnut Street and Pio Pico Drive. On-site parking is limited, but free bus service will be offered from the southwest parking lot at Westfield Plaza Camino Real mall starting at 12:45 p.m. Call (760) 434-6093.

-- Pet Blessings: Mission San Luis Rey and the Old Mission Montessori School will celebrate St. Francis Day with an annual blessing of the pets. The blessings will take place at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. as part of a daylong celebration that will include food, fun and several activities such as games, a bounce house, crafts, face painting, cookie decorating, a silent auction, and the "Horse Drop" fundraiser. The event benefits the Old Mission Montessori School. The mission is at 4050 Mission Ave., Oceanside. Call (760) 757-3250.

-- Train Song Festival: The city of Poway and San Diego Folk Heritage will host the annual Train Song Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Road. This free family event will feature live musical entertainment, train-related vendors and displays, arts and crafts, food, storytelling, mock train robberies, and children's entertainment. The Poway Midland Railroad will provide train rides aboard the 1907 Baldwin steam engine for a nominal fee. A "Railroad Movie Under the Stars" will be shown at 7 p.m. at the park gazebo. Bring blankets. Popcorn and other refreshments will be sold. Call (858) 668-4576 or go to www.poway.org/oldpowaypark.

SUNDAY

-- San Marcos Alive Street Fair: The city's 11th annual San Marcos Alive (Celebration of the Arts Street Fair) will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Civic Center and on San Marcos Boulevard, between Mission Road and Rancheros Drive. Fairgoers can shop at vendor booths, watch art demonstrations and participate in more than 20 hands-on art projects. Two entertainment stages will feature performances by local schools and music groups. There also will be a juried art show and a student art show. Call (760) 744-9000.

-- Old Timers Day: The California Surf Museum will honor Hawaiian surfing legend Albert "Rabbit" Kekai at the museum's annual Old Timers’ Day. The event will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. in the community room of the downtown Oceanside Library and will feature a luau feast, ukulele musicians and hula dancers. Admission is free, but luau-style lunch tickets cost $12 for museum members, $15 for nonmembers, and $7 for children 12 and under. Reserve to (760) 721-6876. The downtown library is at 330 N. Coast Highway.

-- Echoes From the Past Tour: The Escondido History Center will present "Echoes From the Past V" at Oak Hill Memorial Park. Docents will lead small groups through a portion of the park where actors portraying deceased residents will describe their lives in Escondido. This year's tour will feature the lives of pioneer Rose McGookin Culp; newspaper Publisher Alvin Dunn; civic leader Lloyd "Lefty" Mitchell; ranchers William and Leticia Prior; and teacher Hettie Malory Wade. Tours will start every 15 minutes, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Each tour will last 45 to 60 minutes. Cost is $10 for adults and free for children 10 and younger. Call (760) 743-8207.

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