The awesome TwainFest coming this weekend!

A very cool family-friendly event is coming to San Diego this weekend!

TwainFest is returning to Heritage County Park on Saturday, August 19th. The fun, educational event will take place between 11:00 am to 5:00 pm among beautifully restored Victorian houses at the edge of Old Town. Learn more about TwainFest and register for the free event by clicking here!

I’ve blogged about past TwainFests many times. There’s so much to enjoy! You’ll watch actors portraying 19th century authors and the classic characters they created.

You’ll likely meet Tom Sawyer, characters from Alice in Wonderland, Captain Hook and Peter Pan, Don Quixote and others playing their roles in beloved books. If past events are any indication, you’ll see big Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson puppets, listen to readings, play literary games, contribute your own words to an infinite story, and get a free book, too!

Anyone out there with kids or a personal love of books should consider enjoying this awesome event! Learn more here!

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Panama’s colorful culture celebrated in San Diego!

A big celebration of Panama and its culture was held today in San Diego. The House of Panama brought food, dance, folk costume and family fun to the International Cottages in Balboa Park!

Before the speeches and entertainment commenced, I visited the House of Panama cottage, then walked about the International Cottages lawn. Lots of people were lined up for traditional Panamanian treats like empanadas and arroz con pollo. There were also many flavors of piraguas.

At one table, author Tamika Burgess told me about her new novel, Sincerely Sicily. It’s about a young Black Latina who learns about her Panamanian heritage. Check out her book here.

Another table celebrated the relationship between San Diego and Panama City. The two are Sister Cities. A cool LEGO model demonstrated how the Panama Canal works!

What is Panama City’s connection to San Diego? San Diego is the first American port-of-call after ships pass into the Pacific Ocean and head north. Balboa Park during its 1915 Panama-California Exposition promoted this fortuitous geographical fact.

At another table a raffle was being held to support the House of Panama. If you want to offer your support, or simply are curious, visit their website here.

Then speeches . . . and dancing! Several cultural groups participated in the lively folkloric dancing. Performers came to San Diego from as far away as San Francisco and Los Angeles! Everyone watching applauded loudly. Smiles were in the dancers’ eyes.

Between dances there was a fashion show. We were shown different types of beautiful pollera dresses, and quickly could see why some of the elaborate polleras could cost several thousand dollars. So many different colors whirled on the stage!

As you can see from my photographs, the annual House of Panama lawn program in Balboa Park is an exceptionally festive and colorful event!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Sweet times at Lemon Festival in Chula Vista!

The annual Lemon Festival in Chula Vista is one of the most popular street festivals in San Diego County. A huge crowd turned out today in Chula Vista’s historic downtown for lots of sweet family fun!

I walked down Third Avenue taking in the sights. Yes, there were lemons everywhere I turned: lemonade, lemon treats, lemony gifts, lemon-themed chalk art, and lots of people wearing yellow–some dancing to live music! Shame on me. I missed a lemon costume contest, a lemon cook-off, and a lemon squeezing contest!

Why is there a Lemon Festival each summer? As various displays at the South Bay Historical Society’s table explained, Chula Vista was once considered the Lemon Capital of the World!

Enjoy these photos!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Chalk art at Chula Vista Lemon Festival!

What would the annual Lemon Festival in Chula Vista be without some fun chalk art!

Four great works of chalk art were being created this afternoon as I walked down downtown Chula Vista’s Third Avenue. Of course, the central theme of this very creative artwork was . . . lemons!

Seeing the world through lemon colored glasses? By Cecelia Linayao.

City of Chula Vista logo with lemons by Brenda Mora and Jessie Reyes.

That’s one way to slice a lemon! By Eric Arcala.

Mario and Luigi carry lemons by MEGnificent.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Painting a lemon tree mural in Chula Vista!

Look who was painting a very sweet lemon tree mural in downtown Chula Vista today!

Signe Ditona and Paul Jimenez of Ground Floor Murals were creating a cool mural on Third Avenue during the annual Lemon Festival!

Have you seen any of the awesome San Diego Padres baseball player murals around the city? The same couple!

The self-trained artists really got going during the COVID pandemic. Their story is very inspirational. Read it here!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Sea life murals at Ocean Beach Hotel.

Beautiful murals depicting sea life surround the base of the Ocean Beach Hotel and its parking lot. Painted this year by local artists Carly Ealey and Christopher Konecki, the artwork stretches along Newport Avenue and Abbott Street.

The other day I walked beside long, low walls and the hotel building itself taking these photographs. You might enjoy them!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Donut Bar in San Diego wins A&E Best in Chow!

A big victory for donut lovers in San Diego! Downtown San Diego’s world-famous Donut Bar is the big winner of A&E food program Best in Chow!

Chef Santiago and his smiling crew conquered all opponents using a sweet Big Poppa Tart donut. My friends at the Donut Bar survived three rounds of culinary competition to claim the top prize!

You can watch the tasty episode, which first aired August 5th on the A&E cable network, by clicking here!

UPDATE!

When their trophy finally arrived, I took photos!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

America connects in amazing Escondido tile mosaic!

Earlier this year, stunning public art debuted in Escondido. You can find this tile mosaic mural near Maple Street Plaza, on an outdoor wall west of the John Paul the Great Catholic University building.

The amazing “America Connects West Region Mural Mosaic” unites small works of tile art painted by over 1500 participants, ages 7 to 97, representing America’s Western States.

According to the official website, Mural Mosaic’s Global Roots is a unique initiative that aims to bring people from around the world together through the power of art. Each collaborative Mural Mosaic production invites people from communities everywhere to connect and celebrate their unity through their diverse expressions of art. With each tile placed in a mural, Global Roots is reconnecting the world through the joy of art – one tile, one mural mosaic, one country at a time.

Not only is this a very cool concept, but the finished Global Roots murals, which often depict beautiful trees and landscapes, are spectacular!

This particular West Region project was finished in collaboration with Esco Alley Art in Escondido. You can see other Esco Alley Art murals here and here.

I took these photographs yesterday…

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Antique wagons beautifully restored in Escondido.

A variety of antique wagons that have survived for over a century are being restored in Escondido!

During my walk late this morning through Grape Day Park, I noticed several gentlemen hovering about the wagonworks and wheelwright shop, which is located on the Escondido History Center’s Heritage Walk. They were working with the restored undercarriage of an old delivery wagon, and painting its wagon wheels.

I was informed that, over the years, many different carts and wagons have been restored by skilled volunteers at the Bandy Blacksmith & Wheelwright Shop. Brought in from many places, these horse-drawn vehicles from the Old West have been saved from the decay caused by time and weather.

A friendly gentleman showed me photos of wagons that have been restored. He then opened the nearby Penner Barn to show me the rebuilt body of the old delivery wagon, that will be fitted with the red undercarriage and wheels.

A year ago I peered into the working blacksmith and wheelwright shop and posted that blog here.

As I regarded the interesting operations around me, a pick-up truck approached, hauling an antique spring wagon! The spring wagon will become a new outdoor exhibit, to be enjoyed by visitors exploring the Heritage Walk.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Beautiful silk art in Balboa Park’s Spanish Village!

Gallery 21 in Balboa Park’s Spanish Village Art Center is now hosting a show full of very beautiful silk art, created by members of the San Diego Silk Guild.

During my visit to the gallery this afternoon, I was interested to learn about the different types of art that can be created using silk. I was shown clothing, scarves, paintings on silk, wax batiks, Japanese shibori, botanical printing, unique sculptures . . . far more than my astonished brain could easily comprehend!

As you can see, this silk artwork can be very colorful. Some of the techniques produce a degree of subtlety and complexity one might not expect.

Looking for something beautiful to take home? Most of the pieces are for sale.

I’m afraid I forgot to take a photo of the sign in front of the gallery, but I believe the show continues until mid-August. You might want to drop by next weekend!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!