A public Memorial Day ceremony will be held next Monday in National City at La Vista Memorial Park.
The family-friendly event welcomes everybody. It will remember and honor U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
There will be a rifle salute and flyover, and special Civil War honors. Those attending will enjoy live music and a free picnic lunch. Kids will enjoy a petting zoo.
I experienced Memorial Day at La Vista Memorial Park three years ago. You can see how special and emotionally moving it was from this past blog post.
The event will take place at 3191 Orange Street in National City on Monday, May 25th, between 1 and 3 pm.
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Art and creativity were busting out everywhere at today’s big, very colorful Goldenpalooza festival at the Golden Hill Recreation Center! Check it out!
The festival offered families creative opportunities at every turn. There were multiple art-making stations and workshops for every age. You could learn how to make a cyanotype, a monster and a zine!
Friendly artists were painting, printmaking, demonstrating their technique and showcasing fantastic creations. There was even a cool, highly original video game created by San Diego locals that kids (or adults) could play!
All this while listening to live music from the stage!
Literacy also had a big presence at the festival. Kids were encouraged to read. Reading is fun and expands your mind!
Okay, can you tell I really loved Goldenpalooza? It was my first ever visit to the festival, and will likely not be my last.
Words Alive San Diego encourages children to read. It’s done with art and adult participation.A lot of activities for Makers!Sun Art! Golden Hill is the perfect place for this!The Joey, Jeremy & Camille Trio wave from the Goldenpalooza stage.INSIDE:ART (@insideart_sd) supports the fostering of identity for adults with developmental disabilities through dignified access to the creative arts community of San Diego.The Wall of Questions & Colors by Compagnia Creativa (@compagniacreativa) asks festival goers “What makes you smile?”Made me smile!Testing out the cool, locally developed Behemoth video game (find it on STEAM). A bit like the classic arcade game Joust.
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By driving east of San Diego to Campo this weekend, you can enjoy free admission to four cool attractions!
Admission will be free at the Campo Railroad Museum, the Motor Transport Museum, the Gaskill Brothers Stone Store, and the Camp Lockett Equestrian and Event Facility!
This weekend, May 2-3, 2026, Campo Days promises unforgettable family-friendly experiences. Pile the kids in the car and have an adventure!
The incredible Campo Railroad Museum, operated by the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association, itself is worth the trip. You can explore many old train cars parked on tracks at the museum, and even ride a vintage train should you purchase a ticket! Learn more about the Campo Railroad Museum at their website here.
I learned about Campo Days when I swung by the La Mesa Depot Museum today. This small free museum is also operated by the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association.
Station master Timothy showed me some of the work being done to restore No. 3, the 1923 steam locomotive which you might have seen while driving through downtown La Mesa. I blogged about its history and restoration about a year ago here.
Timothy loves to talk about trains and his personal experience as an engineer. The always free La Mesa Depot Museum also has a cool HO-scale train layout kids love.
If you can’t make it to Campo Days this weekend, head to La Mesa on a Tuesday or Thursday from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm, when the La Mesa Depot Museum is open. Admit it–you love trains, too!
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Did you know San Diego has a professional ultimate frisbee team? They’re called the Growlers! And they play fast-paced, super exciting games that will have you stomping your feet and cheering!
This evening the Growlers played at their home stadium–Mission Bay High School’s football field. I simply had to go check it out. I’d never been to an ultimate game before.
Ultimate is played with a frisbee and has elements of both soccer and football. Speedy athletes run about the field, trying to pass a frisbee between team members without it dropping or being intercepted. Catch in the end zone, win a point!
The games, played in four quarters, are easy to follow and wildly exciting. Huge breakaway throws into the end zone are like soaring Hail Mary passes! One scoring catch was made with 1.3 seconds left in the first quarter!
Most of the team members are college age and come from local schools like SDSU and UCSD. The game involves constant running, twisting and diving. You’ll see amazing athleticism.
I loved how kids in the stands were having a blast, banging their thunder sticks and having fun with Growler the mascot. Growler would stomp his feet on the metal floor of the stands when our team was on defense. Fans would join in. Boom, boom, boom!
During halftime, kids were invited onto the field to attempt long, running catches!
It was also cool to see how, during a meeting of the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA), Growler was awarded best team mascot! I snapped that last photo as he was presented with a trophy!
Interested in going to a game? Check out the Growlers website here! This is their eleventh year in San Diego.
Most of these photos were taken before nightfall and before the game started. The stands would eventually fill up with a large number of cheering fans!
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Lots of families came out to A Day at the Park in National City today! The fun waterfront event was held at Pepper Park, thanks to the Port of San Diego.
There was free food, plus live entertainment by the San Diego Symphony, Mariachi Nuevo Aguadulce, and others. For the kids there was face painting and henna tattoos. Many community organizations showed up as well.
The Port of San Diego was demonstrating how they are electrifying their maritime operations to help protect the environment.
I also learned how the National City Historical Society is trying to save Granger Music Hall, an architecturally important building designed by Irving Gill and on the National Register of Historic Places. If you’re curious about their efforts, or would like to help, check out this webpage.
I was eager to see how Pepper Park’s major redevelopment has turned out. I’d seen the new beach during my last visit, but now there’s also the pirate-themed playground and splash pad!
As you can see from my photos, the park has become truly amazing! People who reside in National City and San Diego’s South Bay are very fortunate!
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Enjoy some fun photos taken early this afternoon at the East Village Opening Weekend Block Party! The 2026 MLB baseball season has begun and our San Diego Padres have high hopes.
Lots of fans were wandering up and down several blocks of J Street just north of Petco Park. There was live music, dogs dressed like Padres fans, cool lowriders in a row, food, kids making swag chains, a spray paint artist, and even a wiffleball derby!
Everyone is invited to the debut of new public art in Escondido!
On Saturday, April 18, at 3:30 pm, six new large-scale murals created by local artists will be unveiled on the Neighborhood Healthcare Building located at 460 North Elm Street on the wall that flanks the Escondido Creek Trail.
The project is known as the Escondido Creek Trail Outdoor Art Gallery. Learn more about it by clicking here.
Each mural reflects the spirit and identity of Escondido, transforming public spaces into storytelling experiences. The initiative continues ESCO Alley Art’s mission to elevate public art and foster community pride.
At the unveiling ceremony and community gathering there will be an artists meet-and-greet, kid’s activities, music and refreshments.
Bring the whole family to experience an event that promises to be historic, fun and inspiring!
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This weekend, San Diego is going bananas . . . again! The Savannah Bananas have returned to Petco Park, to play two banana ball games against one of their rivals, the Loco Beach Coconuts!
The Savannah Bananas’ popularity continues to grow, with their crazy, kid-friendly on-field antics during “banana ball” games and between innings. It’s like a non-stop circus, all the while playing a baseball game with unusual rules, that include fan participation. (If you catch a foul ball, the batter is out!)
The games have become so popular that there is a league of six teams traveling around playing each other. By the way, the Loco Beach Coconuts are 2-0 versus the original Savannah Bananas team so far in 2026!
Both games this weekend are sold out. Today I walked through the festival atmosphere just north of Gallagher Square, where families (often clad in yellow) were lined up for fun banana ball merchandise.
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Do you readers know anything about this sculpture of children at play at the Grossmont Center shopping mall? I discovered it a few weeks ago during a walk in La Mesa and have endeavored to learn more. Nothing so far.
The bronze sculpture, in front of Barnes & Noble Booksellers, shows one child helping another to climb a wall. I found no plaque. Someone on Pinterest claims it has been there for many years and that other similar sculptures are located in the family-friendly shopping complex. If I return to Grossmont Center, I’ll have to look around some more.
Can you shed any light on this fun public art? Please leave a comment!
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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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Cool San Diego Sights! 