Dandelion Day was celebrated today in Balboa Park at the House of Korea cottage. The event raised funds that will be used to reconnect young Korean adoptees in San Diego with their heritage.
As one poster explained: This special day offers an opportunity to celebrate and experience Korean culture through engaging activities, traditional games, live performances, and authentic cuisine.
I happened to discover the activity table this afternoon while walking about the International Cottages!
High school youth–the Young Ambassadors of the House of Korea–were demonstrating how to create a traditional hat called a gat, and were making the decorated sugar candy called dalgona, which they offered for a donation. I noticed that visitors could also learn how to create norigae, an accessory made of pendants, cords and tassels worn on the outer jacket of Korean traditional clothing.
Would you like to connect with the House of Korea and support their cultural and educational outreach in San Diego? Go to their website here!
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The annual Local Author Showcase of the San Diego Library is now on display on the first floor of downtown’s Central Library!
It’s exciting to see dozens of newly published books every year by diverse authors. Our city has so many creative and talented people! The Central Library is an ideal place to showcase their achievements.
Today I moseyed past the glass display cases and peered at different titles and covers.
A few examples…
At one end of the exhibit, I found a colorful work of art by Judith Parenio! It’s titled Words.
Good old San Diego Trolley car number 1001 is running in downtown today. It operates along the Silver Line loop during holidays–and today is Presidents’ Day!
The red light rail vehicle was the first modern trolley car to operate, back in 1981. Today families and excited kids were riding the iconic car. Me too!
Char Car (@charcar04) supports literacy by providing books to children in hospitals and schools, including Rady Children’s Hospital. The San Diego Gulls ice hockey team is a big supporter of literacy, too, with programs like Reading is the Goal.
My own short stories, including One Thousand Likes, are read by students around the world, so naturally I’m in favor of these efforts.
I’ve learned that Char Car is holding a Gulls Hockey Fundraiser that keeps kids reading. Game tickets purchased through the fundraiser will benefit summer reading programs. For $20, you get to watch a great game on Saturday, April 18, 2026, and you benefit local families! Sounds like a great deal to me!
For more information, see the above graphic!
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A big Lunar New Year celebration is taking place this weekend in City Heights. The Year of the Horse–Fire Horse to be exact–is charging into San Diego!
The Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac represents energy, excitement. Walking through the event as it got underway today, I could feel the energy. It would be a very fun day for many families!
Lion dancers were already performing to the delight of kids. Many booths, displays and food vendors were set up and ready.
The event is being held at Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park. For more info concerning the free festival, a celebration of San Diego’s Little Saigon, read the banner in my next photo…
The historical pergola that’s being recreated in Balboa Park is making great progress! Just a quick post to show what I observed yesterday.
Trees have been planted behind the structure. Steps are being installed in front of it. Columns are appearing. Looks like other features are on the way, too!
This pergola recreates one built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition–but since long gone. The structure is rising near the west end of the Botanical Building, at the perimeter of the new Central Gardens, which are also now being developed.
When all is finished, it’s sure to be beautiful!
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A surprising new exhibit opened yesterday at the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park. Farm to Craft: Grains in Global Folk Art is now on display in the museum’s first floor Entry Level, where admission is free to all visitors.
The beautiful handmade crafts from around the world are a treat for the eyes. These artistic works come from farms–from grown material like straw, rice, wheat or corn.
Crafts include dolls and toys. Some of the creations are made to be worn. Others were designed to be useful farming tools or containers. Excessive plant material that might otherwise be discarded is made useful!
I took a few photographs.
These exquisite crafts from the museum’s collection will be on view through January 10, 2027.
Perhaps, after viewing the exhibit, you’ll be inspired to fold your own corn husk creation–such as those roses made by street performers. Here’s a short video on how to craft a simple, easy corn husk flower!
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If you love San Diego Comic-Con, you’ll love Black Comix Day!
All this Valentine’s Day weekend, artists, writers and publishers of African descent will be showcasing their work at the WorldBeat Cultural Center in Balboa Park. The annual event is free, and it will blow your mind!
The last two years at Black Comix Day I met dozens of friendly creators. This year I saw quite a few new participants.
Together they have produced fantastic comics, graphic novels, books, animation, films, figurines, posters and more. Much of the work is informed by their unique experiences as artists of African descent.
Many of the participants come from outside San Diego. Most are self-publishing entrepreneurs with big dreams. Some of the artists have worked professionally or won prestigious awards.
Everywhere you turn, both outside and inside the WorldBeat Cultural Center, there’s something new and very cool. Science fiction, fantasy, horror, Afro-futurism, superheroes, just about anything the human mind can imagine. It’s pop culture heaven!
Read the photo captions and click links to learn about some stuff I saw…
Defiant: The Story of Robert Smalls is the Civil War story of a man who escaped enslavement. He’d go on to make a huge impact on American history. There’s a graphic novel, and a major motion picture is in development! Click here.Buy some great books at this outdoor table and you’ll support the Malcolm X Library in Valencia Park!Derek Johnson wrote the noir supernatural horror The Caretaker. He’s a Las Vegas filmmaker and comic creator! Click here to support his work!Mike Haynes-Pitts created The Surge Series! It’s about Afrofuturistic, cyberpunk Africa hundreds of years in the future! His Instagram is here.Smiles at the Wingless Entertainment table. They publish comic books, coloring books and more cool stuff. Click here!The Agents of S.O.U.L. and creator David Phillips have many adventures! Check out the DP Comix website here.New Creation Comics is an independent Christian Publisher. Look at all the cool superhero-like covers! Their website is here.Vampires! Blade! Vampirella! Look at the cool pop culture images created by Attiba Royster at his website here!Bryttney-Mischele Salvant was creating a beautiful surreal expressionist piece at her table. To see more, visit her Poetic Artistry website here!More smiling creators! It’s cartoonist and printmaker Lyssette Williams, and Annika B., who wrote Current Objective and was busy creating a business card!What would happen if you turned the Frankenstein monster into a werewolf? To find the answer, check out this website by Eisner Award winning editor, writer and producer Chris Robinson!
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Today, February 4th, is the birthday of civil rights icon Rosa Parks. San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is honoring her heroism by reserving a seat for her on every bus and trolley!
MTS has been doing this for years.
Back in 2022, also on February 4th, I photographed a seat on a bus that was reserved for Rosa Parks. Today, I found a seat on a San Diego Trolley just for her!
Of course, I had to take a photo.
The legacy of a courageous citizen lives on. This sign on a trolley seat is a small but important reminder that one individual with a single act of courage can change the world.
During my walk yesterday through SDSU Mission Valley River Park, I was surprised to see members of San Diego State Aztecs Rugby Club getting ready for a game. They would be playing UC Davis out on a wide swath of the park’s grass. It was the second game of their 2026 season.
I remained at the sidelines for a while to watch the beginning of play. Other fans would gradually gather with their lawn chairs and umbrellas.
SDSU Aztecs Rugby Club competes in Division 1-A in the California Conference. Founded in 1958, the team has a long and proud history. They won the 1987 National Collegiate Rugby Championship.
The action I observed was fast and exciting! I don’t know too much about rugby, but perhaps I’ll have to become a fan! The Aztecs would go on to win 31-38.
If you’d like to watch this victory on YouTube, click here.
To go to a future game, you can follow SDSU Aztec Rugby at this website.
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Cool San Diego Sights! 