Tag: community

Eat at a farm next to Snapdragon Stadium!

Did you know there’s a farm immediately next to Snapdragon Stadium’s parking lot?

Did you know that on Saturdays this farm is open to the public and offers a café and fresh vegetable stand? (Not to mention tours and fun activities.)

Yes!

The MAKE Farm is a Community-Supported Agricultural (CSA) Program that empowers refugees and immigrant women. So when you eat here, you’re helping other people as well!

MAKE Farm is located immediately south of the large Snapdragon Stadium parking lot, a little east of the Stadium trolley station. According to signs I spotted today, their offerings include Garden Veggie Wraps and Yogurt Parfaits, and you get a free cookie during your visit, too!

Going to a Saturday game at the stadium? Enjoy a unique and healthy lunch in the outdoors here.

I suppose I’ll have to swing by some weekend!

Late last year, before they opened their on-site café, I toured the farm. You can see that blog post by clicking here.

…

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 X.

Feel free to share!

Photos of Lakeside’s Western Days Parade!

The rodeo has returned to Lakeside, and this morning the community celebrated their signature event with the 60th Annual Western Days Parade!

It was my very first time watching this parade. I was excited to see how it compared to other parades around San Diego County. And it was really great! The Western Days Parade provides a taste of both the Old West and contemporary life in rural America.

I saw local schools with their marching bands and cheer teams. I saw smiling queens, not only from Lakeside, but from Ramona and Julian, too! I saw floats with happy participants waving to everyone along the sidewalk. There were local community organizations, the usual politicians, law enforcement and young Scouts. And there were vintage cars, firetrucks, gigantic cranes, tractors…

Needless to say, horses and riders, and the nostalgic old-fashioned wagons and carriages were a highlight. It’s Lakeside! A true slice of Americana!

Enjoy these photographs…

…

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 X.

Feel free to share!

Beautiful mural at La Mesa’s Collier Park!

This beautiful mural decorates the trash enclosure at Collier Park in La Mesa. I was told by a friendly gentleman at the La Mesa Community Center that the art was painted not too long ago.

I found an article about the mural’s creation. It was a project of ArtReach, completed last year in partnership with the City of La Mesa. More than forty community members helped to paint it!

…

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 X.

Feel free to share!

Coming together at South Bay Earth Day!

Members of the South Bay community gathered today in Chula Vista’s Bayfront Park for a great annual event. Today was South Bay Earth Day!

Organizations who are working toward a healthy natural environment provided information and opportunities to people who share their values. I walked about and learned a lot.

Yes–there was music and food trucks and fun activities, too. It was another wonderful day on beautiful San Diego Bay.

The City of Chula Vista had a big presence at South Bay Earth Day, including their Office of Sustainability.
Learning about recycling and its benefits.
A smile at The Water Conservation Garden table. I was just there yesterday! The garden is truly amazing! (My first blog post concerning that visit is here.)
The Master Gardener Association of San Diego County had this plant display. Native plants in your landscaping conserves water.
The Earth Discovery Institute had a display about Monarch butterflies. They were handing out seed packets for growing milkweed. Milkweed is the only food source for monarch caterpillars.
Youth 4 a Sustainable Future includes 15 local schools. They are part of South Bay Sustainable Communities Network. They educate about sustainability, do community cleanups, distribute rescued food, host nature hikes…
The Living Coast Discovery Center was showing this rosy boa snake.
One of the creative activities at the event was making tie-dye shirts.
Event visitors could also put together a small potted plant. Most appeared to be succulents.
Handy members of San Diego Fixit Clinic were repairing assorted broken things–instead of sending them to the landfill.
Republic Services was showcasing their electric garbage truck.
A happy greeting from the San Diego Bird Alliance (used to be Audubon Society). These good people are busy protecting birds.
Birds make us better!
These smiles were at the Cabrillo National Monument table. (I recently walked down to their tidepools via the new Oceanside Trail. See those photos here.)
If you’d like to volunteer at Cabrillo National Monument, there’s their email address!
Here’s another smile! It’s at the Cabrillo National Monument Foundation table. They are a philanthropic partner of the National Park Service and help provide funds for the needs of Cabrillo National Monument. Their efforts include educational programs, conservation and community engagement.
Stewie the green sea turtle was representing U.S. Navy Environmental. Check out his webpage here!

…

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 X.

Feel free to share!

Story Trail created at Waterfront Park!

A super fun Story Trail for young children has been created at San Diego’s Waterfront Park!

Parents and children can follow the very easy Story Trail along a pathway between the basketball court and County Administration Building, on the north half of Waterfront Park. The Story Trail is a project of the San Diego County Library and encourages reading and imagination. Simple signs along the trail can be read one at a time in sequence, resulting in a happy story!

I was told this Story Trail was created a few days ago. I had to walk along and check it out!

The title of the little story is Wheels on the Van. It was written by Stephanie and designed by Earl Joseph and Stephanie.

Here are a few photos…

Thank you for journeying with us through this book. Remember, San Diego County Library celebrates our communities and dedicates our passion and expertise to help you create your own story!

…

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 X.

Feel free to share!

It Takes a Village mural painted by community!

This beautiful mural was painted in 2023 at the Copley-Price Family YMCA. The title is It Takes a Village. I saw it today for the first time!

The colorful artwork was designed by muralist Hanna Gundrum (@littlehouseink) and painted by over 175 members of the community. The theme is “It takes a village to raise a child.”

You can find the mural on 43rd Street, just north of El Cajon Boulevard, on a fence outside the preschool.

According to a posted sign, the mural serves to tell a story about the importance of community care and advocacy, through sheer resilience, nurturing, and hope when it comes to navigating the challenges and triumphs of child care.

You can read an article about the mural’s creation by checking out this webpage. The mural project was led by ArtReach in partnership with Children First Collective San Diego and the Copley-Price Family YMCA.

Look how bright and vibrant the mural is!

I took the following sequence of photographs moving left to right…

Written inside the heart: Well-being is the pursuit of mental, physical, social, financial, spiritual and environmental health.

…

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 X.

Feel free to share!

Free art contest for San Diego seniors!

A free art contest and exhibit for seniors in San Diego will be accepting submissions in a few days!

The City of San Diego’s AgeWell Services Art Contest & Exhibit will welcome artwork in these six categories: Acrylic, Mixed Media, Oil, Pastel, Watercolor and Drawing. Participants in the free contest must be age 60 or better.

You still have plenty of time! One entry per person will be accepted between April 11 and April 28, 2025.

Drop your creation off at the Cathy Hopper Friendship Center, PDLC Community Center, Balboa Park Senior Lounge, Bay Terraces Senior Center, or the San Ysidro Teen Center. For the days and times each location is open, see the above photograph of the contest flyer.

For even more information, you can phone AgeWell Services at 619-525-8247.

Feeling inspired?

…

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 X.

Feel free to share!

OB LOVE at the closed Ocean Beach Pier.

It’s sad that the Ocean Beach Pier has become so storm damaged that it is now permanently closed and must be rebuilt. If there’s a tiny silver lining to this very dark cloud, it’s that the locked gate at the pier’s foot has become the home of OB LOVE.

Ladies at the Ocean Beach Main Street Association informed me this mosaic art was created by members of the OB community a year ago. A San Diego lifeguard who was watching the pier agreed that it’s really cool!

Each small tile in the mosaic contains a photograph of Ocean Beach. I had to take a closer look…

…

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 X.

Feel free to share!

Street art at Vision Culture Foundation in National City!

This cool street art painted on a long wall is visible from Highland Avenue at the Vision Culture Foundation in National City. When I recently walked by they appeared to be closed. I paused to take these photographs from the sidewalk just outside their gate entrance.

Here’s the Vision Culture Foundation website. The organization focuses on creative arts, and their center strives to empower and uplift youth and the community. They are a safe space that nurtures goals and dreams.

Check it out!

…

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 X.

Feel free to share!

Taiko community comes together in Balboa Park!

Taiko groups from all around San Diego (and beyond!) came together in Balboa Park today for an epic taiko community performance and jam session! It was incredible!

Taiko is high-energy drumming, Japanese style, where drummers together shake the world all around with booming uninhibited joy!

The event was called Taiko 4.0. It celebrated the 40th birthday of Diana, founder of Naruwan Taiko.

Over the years I’ve been fortunate to experience a number of Naruwan Taiko performances, but today was something extraordinary. Dozens of members were joined by taiko drummers from groups (I hope I’m not missing anyone) San Diego Taiko, Buddhist Temple of San Diego Taiko, Asayake Taiko (UC San Diego students), Makoto Taiko from Pasadena, and even Rocky Mountain Taiko from Utah!

I counted about 50 taiko drums, many of them quite large. Now imagine the thunder!

The House of China of Balboa Park’s International Cottages helped to make this epic event possible. As the joyful, rhythmic drumming began, people from around the park heard and converged. By the time I departed mid-afternoon, a good crowd had gathered.

I hope my still photographs of this amazing event transmit the absolute joy. Taiko, like nothing else, can make one feel fully alive.

Before the start, getting ready…

Here’s Diana!

A group photo!

An introduction…

Drummers take their places…

Here we go!

Between pieces of music, the drums would be carefully lifted and reconfigured…

Here we go again!

A dancing percussive procession surprise!

…

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 X.

Feel free to share!