Musicians were entertaining visitors to the House of the Philippines cottage in Balboa Park today. Many of those walking through the International Cottages paused to listen.
I learned the beautiful string music was being created by members of CTFLC Rondalla, a local group organized in 2021 by the CTFLC (Council for Teaching Filipino Language and Culture).
According to a flyer that I was handed, the Rondolla is the Philippines’ original ensemble. It is composed of stringed instruments played with a plectrum (pick)…of Hispanic origin since the early Filipinos who made their first instruments patterned these after the guitars which the Spaniards brought with them to the Philippines…
The folk music being played, I was told, was a waltz. It was very soothing and very beautiful!
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This might be the most fun interactive art exhibition you’ll experience all year! It’s showing for one more week at the Oceanside Museum of Art, and it’s titled Aaron Kramer: Sense of Wonder.
Do you love crazy, clever, fun-loving inventions? Upstairs at the museum you’ll find loads of them! Playful artist Aaron Kramer likes to tinker and make mechanical wonders using found objects.
Visitors to the Oceanside Museum of Art can turn cranks and press buttons that activate wacky kinetic creations. Wires, old springs, bottles and tin cans, cardboard, odd pieces of wood, broken things–magically become spinning whirligigs, dipping hummingbirds, dancing figures . . . even contraptions that trace images on paper!
I’ve always loved these sort of whimsical creations. Remember that scene near the beginning of the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang–that crazy, elaborate Rube Goldberg-style contraption that automatically made breakfast? These small works of art are just as fun!
If you’re young at heart, you’ll be pressing every button and turning every crank! Through August 23, 2026, that is, when this super cool exhibition wraps up.
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A series of special concerts is coming up in downtown San Diego. Music lovers need to take notice!
Intersections: Soundscapes of Identity and Connection will offer audiences unique and memorable experiences. Concerts feature Daneen Wilburn, one of San Diego’s most compelling vocalists; Allan Phillips, an Emmy Award-winning composer, producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist; and Peter Sprague, an acclaimed guitarist and composer. The concerts will be enjoyed in the state-of-the-art Guggenheim Theatre at UC San Diego Park & Market.
Andrew Waltz, Director of Arts Management at UC San Diego Park & Market, has provided the following:
I’m really excited to share the 2026 season of Intersections: Soundscapes of Identity and Connection at UC San Diego Park & Market.
One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about putting this season together is seeing a kind of arc emerge across the three performances: expression, exchange, and transformation.
We start with Daneen Whitley Wilburn, whose incredible voice and storytelling are deeply rooted in gospel, soul, jazz, and her own lived experience. There’s something powerful about music that starts from such a personal place and then connects with an entire room.
Then Allan Phillips takes us much further afield, bringing together Afro-Indigenous traditions, African and Latin influences, Brazilian rhythms, jazz, reggae, funk, and more. His work is a great example of how music travels, crosses borders, and grows through cultural exchange.
And we close with Peter Sprague & Friends, taking on the music of Paul Simon and hearing those familiar songs in a completely different way. I love ending the season there—reminding us that music we think we know can still surprise us when a great artist brings a new perspective to it.
I’ve also really appreciated building this season with Daneen, Allan, Peter, Kamau Kenyatta, and Yale Strom. There’s a real alignment among this group—not just creatively, but in the way they approach collaboration. Everyone has brought ideas, curiosity, generosity, and genuine excitement about what the series could become. That energy has made shaping these three very different concerts a lot of fun.
For me, that’s one of the best parts of this work: collaborating with people who are exceptionally good at what they do, but who are also open, engaged, and willing to build something together.
Three performances. Three very different musical journeys. From expression, to exchange, to transformation.
I can’t wait to share it with an audience.
You can learn more and purchase tickets by clicking the following links:
You can become a real life superhero! Join other superheroes fighting hunger by educating kids with a fun comic book!
I saw the Hunger Action Heroes Unite comic book today on sale in the gift shop of the Comic-Con Museum. The comic book was created by Feeding San Diego to educate young readers about the impacts of hunger and food waste…and to inspire them to be part of the solution!
By purchasing just one comic book (at the museum gift shop or online), you can help provide 14 nutritious meals to people facing hunger. You can also download teacher and parent resources by visiting this website.
People who love the Comic-Con Museum might remember the origin of these Hunger Action Hero characters: Hunger Halter and Demeter were created by students through the Hunger Action Heroes Art Contest. The contest, hosted by Feeding San Diego in collaboration with the Comic-Con Museum, invited students from across San Diego in kindergarten through 12th grade, to submit their vision of a hunger action hero, who helps to end hunger through food rescue. Nearly 300 students submitted their vision of a Hunger Action Hero.
How awesome that a cool idea and contest has grown to become something that truly assists those in need!
As the hunger heroes say, The World Needs You!
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Few visitors to the Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park successfully join the top-secret Mindbender Society. You, too, can become one of the elite members!
But do you have what it takes?
Visitors young and old are invited to step into Mindbender Mansion and solve “rooms” full of puzzles. Most of the puzzles can be solved geometrically or mathematically. At least one that I noticed requires a little bit of physical coordination.
By solving the brainteaser puzzles and unlocking secret passwords, museum visitors can be featured on the Mindbender Mansion’s digital Wall of Fame and achieve everlasting glory!
Mindbender Mansion is an awesome new feature of the Fleet Science Center. It’s located in the museum’s old box office area. You might recall how I blogged about the museum’s major redesign and remodel. The kid-friendly museum is now better than ever, with lots of cool new things to see and do!
A few photos I took today…
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While strolling through the North County Health and Wellness Fair in Oceanside yesterday, I came upon an organization that helps underprivileged kids in North San Diego County. Two nice ladies introduced me to the Assistance League of North Coast!
As their fact sheet explains, the Assistance League of North Coast (ALNC) is one of 95 chapters of the National Assistance League, a nonprofit organization that puts caring and commitment into action through school-based philanthropic programs.
The many volunteers of ALNC serve the youth of Carlsbad, Oceanside and Vista by providing scholarships, teacher grants and more under the umbrella of Operation School Bell. In the past year they’ve provided elementary students with new shoes and socks, health kits, new clothing, new books, new jackets and blankets, and much more! Last year, 174 volunteers spent 24,266 hours helping kids!
Would you like to help them out? Here’s their website.
Should you find yourself in Oceanside, visit the Assistance League of North Coast’s thrift store, located at 1830 Oceanside Boulevard, Suite A. They’re open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 am to 3 pm.
Thank you!
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It’s been well over a year since I visited the Artist Alley in downtown Oceanside. I walked through it again today!
Look what my camera found!
Most of this art must be fairly new, because it was painted in places where earlier murals existed.
(The two murals just inside the entrance of the multi-suite building that opens into the alley might have been there a long time–I don’t know. My first four photos are of those.)
I love how the artwork changes in the alley over time. Every time I walk through it I discover new creations!
Oceanside’s very cool, very magical Artist Alley can be entered directly south of the city library and civic center. Simply cross Pier View Way and you’ll find it!
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Perhaps you’ve seen this bench on the Oceanside Pier and wondered, like me, who Jerry Stapp is.
A beautiful bronze plaque with an image of Stapp’s face adorns the bench. On the bench are inscribed the words: IT’S A WONDERFUL WORLD. RELAX AND ENJOY.
I found this article about the life of Jerry Stapp. For many years he was a community champion. Among other endeavors, he was a big supporter of the Oceanside Boys and Girls Club.
What a beautiful place on the Oceanside Pier, overlooking the beach and the wide, blue Pacific Ocean. What a fine tribute to somebody who made a positive difference in people’s lives.
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