Tag: kids

Community celebrated at Santee Street Fair!

The big 2025 Santee Street Fair was held today! Thousands of happy people came together at Santee Town Center to celebrate the start of summer! It’s Memorial Day weekend!

From entertainment on the main stage . . . to plenty of food . . . to carnival rides for the kids . . . to community organizations and vendors . . . there was plenty to see and do!

I walked around taking in the atmosphere while meeting some friendly people.

As I arrived, cheerleaders from Santana High School were performing for the gathered crowd…

As the next photograph suggests, this is one of the most popular street festivals in San Diego County!

Some of the cool rides in the fun zone…

I learned about animal sanctuary Lions Tigers and Bears in Alpine. I often see them on the TV news. It’s a place I have yet to visit.

Viola makes yummy cookies and other treats. She once was interviewed on CBS News 8!

The City of Santee was well represented at the street fair.

Santee offers many public activities for residents, including families and seniors. The Santee Summer Concerts are coming up!

Learn more about what’s going on in Santee by checking out the Parks and Recreation website.

Somebody spun a prize wheel and won!

The San Diego County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) trains you to protect yourself, your family, your neighbors and neighborhood in an emergency situation.

I got an emergency kit that includes a Safety Lightstick, which I’ve placed within easy reach in case my power goes out.

These smiling folks were full of information about Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve. If you like freshwater fishing, that would be a great place!

Food galore at the Santee Street Fair!

Mr. Fun smiled for my camera, and probably wondered who the heck I was.

Grama Rose hosts a radio show, which always includes heart, wisdom and a recipe!

American Legion Riders had some wheels near their canopy.

I coaxed a smile out of this VFW gent!

An honest-to-goodness chimney sweep! Did he fly in to Santee from London?

A brilliant karate demonstration receives oohs and aahs from a large audience!

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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.

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Fun at San Diego FC home game FanFest!

San Diego FC is playing LA Galaxy at Snapdragon Stadium this afternoon. At half-time the score is tied 1-1.

Before the start of every home game, San Diego FC hosts a very popular FanFest on the grass east of the stadium. Today the festival was packed with soccer fans, families and fun!

I walked around FanFest for my first time just for the experience. There are loads of activities. It’s an absolute party! Here are some photos…

Heading toward Snapdragon Stadium from the nearby trolley station.
DIRECTV is a major partner of San Diego Football Club.
Kids kick a soccer ball around on the grass.
This smiling lady was creating soap bubbles earlier!
Fans were posing for photos all over the place.
Big crowd ahead!
Many fans were in line for the team Meet & Greet.
The FanFest includes food trucks and picnic tables.
I think this guy is supposed to be SDFC Forward Hirving “Chucky” Lozano!
Kids find out what it’s like to be a firefighter.
Many fans were getting SDFC haircuts!
These guys will look very stylish.
Dedicated SDFC fans could also have their hair colored.
Chrome and azul are San Diego FC’s team colors.
Just “kicking it” at the pre-game party!

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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.

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Sport fishing fun at Day at the Docks!

It seems everybody in San Diego who loves fishing showed up today for Day at the Docks!

The big annual event, which takes place at San Diego’s sportfishing landings in Point Loma, attracts those who have an interest in the world-class saltwater fishing that can be experienced off our coast.

This morning I saw a big crowd at Day at the Docks, including many kids. Every sort of organization and business with a tie to sportfishing was on hand. There were how-to-talks, a kids fishing adventure, a casting tournament, a knot tying competition, harbor boat rides, a sportfishing fleet open house, gear for sale, clubs to join, unique gifts, art, fresh seafood…

I was interested to see many charitable organizations. Please read my photo captions.

It had been years since I’ve headed down to Day at the Docks. I’m glad I went!

Reel Stoke Adaptive Sportfishing is a new program of Oceanside-based non-profit Stoke For Life Foundation. The program’s purpose is to expose novice or seasoned adaptive anglers and people with disabilities to southern California sport fishing up close and personal. Don’t let any obstacle stand in the way of your dreams!
Catalyst Cares does many things. They organize community cleanups, provide assistance to veterans and those who have a criminal record, and disaster relief.
Mission Fish organizes and plans fishing day trips and provides FISH therapy for PTSD and TBI for Veterans, Active duty service members, 1st responders and Gold Star families.
Southern California Deaf Anglers Club (SCDAC) was founded in 1973. Its main purpose is to promote and educate deaf and hard of hearing people in fishing. That’s awesome!
HUBBS-SeaWorld Research Institute was on hand. They are a non-profit scientific research organization committed to conserving and renewing marine life, which includes working to maintain healthy white seabass populations.

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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.

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Kids can become a Junior Ranger in Chula Vista!

Hey families in the South Bay, check this out! The City of Chula Vista has a Junior Park Ranger program for kids ages 5 to 15!

I learned about the program today during South Bay Earth Day. A friendly City of Chula Vista park ranger was educating those passing by about this cool opportunity.

Take the kids down to Rice Canyon Park (on North Rancho Del Rey Parkway) every fourth weekend (Saturday and Sunday) and meet park rangers between 9 am and 12 pm.

Kids who are with a guardian get to see native animal specimens from the Natural History Museum and learn how to protect local wildlife. They can also learn about native plants, then take a self-led hike through Rice Canyon Preserve and have fun identifying them!

Kids who fill out an activity book will become a Junior Park Ranger. How cool is that!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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San Diego radio legend Shotgun Tom’s model train!

San Diego’s legendary radio and television personality “Shotgun Tom” Kelly has created many fond memories. I remember listening to him on B100 back in the 1980s. Other San Diegans I’ve spoken to remember him introducing cartoons on The KUSI Kids Club. Over the years, he worked at KDEO, KPRI, KGB, KCBQ, KOGO, KBZS and KFMB-FM and Los Angeles oldies station KRTH-FM (K-Earth 101).

During my recent visit to the San Diego Model Railroad Museum in Balboa Park, I was surprised to see an exhibit concerning Shotgun Tom. Did you know he’s a big fan of model trains? He even has his own cool model train layout! I was told he often visits the museum, operating trains of the San Diego and Arizona Eastern HO layout on Wednesdays!

According to the exhibit, the layout at his home is 10 by 7 feet and includes a radio and television station and a mountain for the TV station’s tower!

(I recall seeing a tiny “Shot Gun” Tom billboard in the Old Town Model Railroad Depot’s big model city, which sadly no longer exists. You can see photos of that incredible layout here.)

“Shot Gun” Tom’s real name is Thomas Joseph Irwin. The museum exhibit includes an old photo of his father J. G. Irwin Sr., a Santa Fe railroad engineer, on the 2357 switch engine in 1955.

Curious about the unusual nickname Shot Gun? It resulted from Tom liking to sit in the front of the family car beside his dad.

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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.

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Orchard blooms at Stein Farm in National City!

You can tell it’s Spring in National City, because the orchard behind the Stein Family Farm is becoming ever more colorful. Many of the fruit trees–from plums to apricots to pears–are beginning to blossom!

During my walk through the South Bay today, I was intercepted by historian and Stein Family Farm caretaker Christopher Pro. He remembered that I had blogged about the historic farm a couple years ago after he gave me an incredible tour. See all of those photographs by clicking here. (You might recall, they have many farm animals, which kids love!)

The farm, located in the middle of urban National City, continues to educate students on field trips, host meetings of local clubs and organizations, and offer their picturesque venue for weddings and other special occasions. The farm is open free to the public on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm.

If you’ve never toured the Stein Farm, this coming Saturday, March 29, 2025 would be the perfect time! A bunch of plein air painters will be present and doing their thing! On top of that, Christopher, who is an ardent art collector, will be displaying pieces from his collection!

Check out the Stein Family Farm website here!

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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.

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Leo and the Science Project puppet show!

Wow! Look what’s coming up at the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater in Balboa Park! It’s Leo and the Science Project!

If you have young children and you’ve never been to the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater, you’re missing out on a long-time San Diego tradition and tons of happy fun.

This coming show looks awesome! Its description: The Magic Jacket Kids are back! Join Leo, Zhuri, and Elijah as they create fun science projects for school and learn that when they work together, everyone succeeds!

(I hope these smiling characters succeed better than my poor attempts at Science Fair way back when!)

Leo and the Science Project will be presented February 21 to 23, and February 28 to March 2. Showtimes are 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm. Grab a ticket at the box office window in front when you arrive!

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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.

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Beautiful butterfly arrives at San Diego Museum of Art!

A large, very beautiful butterfly has fluttered into the San Diego Museum of Art’s library. It has spread its welcoming wings on the floor, inviting children to take a seat during the SDMA’s monthly Storytime in the Library!

This sculptural multi-piece rug, if I can call it that, arrived at the museum a couple weeks ago. It made its official debut today. I just happened to see a sign pointing the way!

The interdisciplinary Chicana artist artist who created this amazing fabric artwork is Katie Ruiz. Ring a bell? She’s the artist behind the Pompom Project. I blogged about one of her installations at Civic Center Plaza back in 2023. You can see those photographs by clicking here.

This new many-colored butterfly is a cozy place for kids to sit while listening to readings of fun art-inspired children’s books. It sort of feels like sitting in a (p)lush, flowery garden. You can see a video of its creation on the San Diego Museum of Art’s Instagram by clicking here.

Do you have children who’d like to enjoy Storytime in the Library. It’s free, every second Thursday of each month. Readings are at 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

The San Diego Museum of Art’s library can be found by walking through the museum’s sculpture court and Panama 66. Look around–you will find it! You’ll also find the big, beautiful butterfly that now makes the art library home!

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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.

Thank you for sharing!

Unhoused students write Odes to Common Things.

Unhoused students at Monarch School in Barrio Logan have written powerful words concerning their life experiences. Their many compositions (each an ode to a common thing) are collected in a series of published books. Several volumes of Odes to Common Things are available at the San Diego Public Library.

Today I noticed that the big video screen near the Central Library’s entrance was cycling through some of these thought-provoking odes. I stood there reading, and lifting my camera to take a few photographs.

The Monarch School serves homeless youth–unhoused kids who live in shelters, motels, single room occupancy housing, double- or tripled-up with other families, at camp sites, in cars, or on the streets. Monarch School is the only comprehensive K-12 school in the U.S. developed specifically to serve unhoused students and their families.

Would you like to read words that might move you–words written from the heart by youth who hope to lead a secure and happy life? Yes? See the availability of the Ode to Common Things books at the San Diego Public Library by clicking here.

Ode to Memories, by Derek. …I carry memories of my life–in my head, my brain, my heart. They can be beautiful. They can be scary…
Ode to Cats, by Fabian. …My cats make me feel happy, comfortable…Cats go to heaven…
Ode to Basketball, by Deveyon. …It makes me better able to work with new people, to make new friends…basketball is what I have.
Ode to Ice Cream, by Jaylen. …What’s good is its coldness, its sweetness, its flavor. It’s as sweet as a championship and as joyful as a party.

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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.

Thank you for sharing!