Farmers Market holds Kids Day
Kids Day at the Cardiff Farmers Market starts at 10 a.m. Feb. 1 at 3333 Manchester Ave. The family event includes Little Buds Nature Club to explore the outdoors, bubbles, arts and crafts, and storytime. Visit cardiff101.com/events.
Warrior Spirit 5K Run/Walk & Family Festival
The Mitchell Thorp Foundation will host its 16th annual Warrior Spirit 5K Run/Walk & Family Festival starting at 8 a.m. Feb. 1 at Poinsettia Park, 6600 Hidden Valley Road. The event s families with children who have life-threatening illnesses, diseases and disorders. The festival includes live music, food, games, prizes, T-shirts and finishing medals. Registration fees are $28.74 to $60.83 (free for children 4 and younger) at shorturl.at/rIZGy or visit mitchellthorp.org.
Art guild marks 60th anniversary
The nonprofit San Dieguito Art Guild marks its 60th anniversary this year. The group was formed in 1965 and includes more than 200 local artists. The guild owns and operates the Off Track Gallery at 937 S. Coast Highway 101, which shows the work of seasoned and emerging area artists. Art ranges from oil and watercolor paintings, photography, mixed media and digital art to wall-hangings, textiles, gourds, wood-turning, pottery, jewelry and glasswork. The group fosters artistic growth by “promoting interest, education, knowledge and skills in the visual arts.” Visit sandieguitoartguild.com.
Community Resource Expo seeks exhibitors
The Encinitas Chamber of Commerce seeks sponsors and exhibitors for its Community Resource Expo slated for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Encinitas Community Center, 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive. The free, public event, in partnership with the city of Encinitas, is expected to draw several hundred community and more than 40 local businesses that will give information about their services, goods and attractions. of the community can meet exhibitors from local businesses in areas such as fitness, finance, estate planning, health, insurance, real estate, senior services and travel. Email [email protected] or visit encinitaschamber.com.
Thrift store benefits animal shelter; donations sought
The Rancho Coastal Humane Society’s Thrift Shop is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 120 Aberdeen Drive. The nonprofit is accepting donations of unused or gently used items, such as furniture, clothing, housewares, computer equipment, electronics and sporting goods. Folks can shop in person with their well-behaved pets or on eBay. For the nonprofit’s wish list, visit the Rancho Coastal Humane Society’s Amazon and Chewy Wish lists at sdpets.org (click on “Give” then scroll down to “Wish List”).
Encinitas Historical Society offers monthly fun educational tour
The Encinitas Historical Society offers a fun educational tour on the third Saturday of every month with more varied walking paths. The tours start at the 1883 One-Room Schoolhouse, located at 390 West F Street. There is plenty of free parking available. The next walk on Feb. 15 will cover the north end of the Coast Highway.The Encinitas Historical Society has implemented a suggested donation of $10 per person. The Encinitas Historical Society is an all-volunteer organization with tax exempt status, and it accepts cash, checks or credit/debit cards. Children and dogs are always free. the Encinitas Historical Society at 760-942-9066 or [email protected] with any questions.
North Coast Rep Variety Nights Impro Theatre to feature “LA Noir UnScripted”
North Coast Rep Variety Nights Impro Theatre will present “LA Noir UnScripted” Feb. 3 and Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Times calls Impro Theatre “Amazing! One of the funniest evenings in town, the troupe spins an entire play into comedy gold right before your eyes.”Starting with an audience suggestion and creating completely improvised, full-length plays in the styles of the world’s greatest writers, Impro Theatre is a comic laugh out loud evening of theatre. They have performed all over the country.
The dark and seedy underbelly of Los Angeles in the ‘40’s and ‘50’s is the setting for LA Noir UnScripted. Using such authors as Raymond Chandler and James M. Cain as inspiration, the ensemble embodies private dicks, femme fatales and a cadre of colorful characters. From the back alleys of downtown to the manicured lawns of Beverly Hills, Impro Theatre delivers hard-hitting, completely improvised tales of seduction and murder.
North Coast Repertory Theatre is located at 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. Tickets are $50 with discounts for students, military, and educators. Call 858-481-1055, or visit www.northcoastrep.org to purchase tickets.
Sandpipers Square Dance Club classes
Sandpipers Square Dance Club starts square dance classes on Feb. 6 from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m., at La Colonia Community Center, 715 Valley Avenue, Solana Beach. These weekly classes teach basic square dancing. Singles, couples and families welcome. Casual attire, refreshments provided. Partner and dance experience not needed. Donation $10. Visit SandpipersSquareDanceClub.org.
Home of Guiding Hands to hold 15th Annual Randy Jones Run, Walk & Roll for Independence
Home of Guiding Hands, a nonprofit organization that provides quality for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, will host its 15th Annual Randy Jones Run, Walk & Roll for Independence starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8 at De Anza Cove in Mission Bay.
Randy Jones, former San Diego Padre and National League Cy Young Award Winner, will once again forces with Home of Guiding Hands to over 4,700 infants, adolescents, and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities during this run/walk event. Check-in opens at 8 a.m., with races kicking off at 9 a.m.Participants will also enjoy DJ, food, and fun zone – incuded with their registration.To , create a fundraiser, put together a team, or a participant visit www.RandyJonesRunWalk.org
The Kook Run in Encinitas kicks off Super Bowl Sunday
The Kook Run 2025 will be Sunday, Feb. 9 at 7 a.m. in Encinitas. Both a fun run and a professional race, The Kook Run is a SoCal Super Bowl Sunday tradition, where thousands kick off the morning with a 5K/10K fun run and costumed race along the Pacific Coast.
The 10K race is the fastest on the west coast and will again be made up of an international field of runners, as well as the top runners in Southern California. In 2025, all will be racing for a cash purse of $3,000.
The kids will get their own day to run at the 4th Annual Junior Kook Run, presented by Cali Cream Homemade Ice Cream, with a modified course for kids, from 400 yards to one mile, on Saturday, Feb. 8 for kids ages 3-12 at the Ecke YMCA, during packet pick-up, starting at 10 a.m.
Event address: 101 E. D St, Encinitas, 92024. For more information on the event, including parking, visit www.thekookrun.com.
All invited to attend San Diego Alliance of Braver Angels event
The San Diego Alliance of Braver Angels, part of a nationwide movement promoting cross-partisan dialogue, invites community to engage in a respectful and guided conversation about current events. This free event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 8, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Serra Mesa-Kearny Mesa Community Library (9005 Aero Drive). For more information or to RSVP, email [email protected].
Call for entries: Submit your film to the 26th San Diego Asian Film Festival
Calling all storytellers, visionaries, and filmmakers: Submissions are now open for the 26th San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF), happening Nov. 6-15, 2025.Each year, SDAFF highlights bold and diverse voices from across the globe, celebrating the creativity and resilience of Asian and Asian American communities. This is an opportunity to share your story with audiences who are ready to be inspired, challenged, and moved.Important deadlines: Earlybird deadline: March 24, 2025; Regular deadline: April 21, 2025.Submit your film and a legacy of award-winning cinema. Submit your art at pacarts.org/submitQuestions? SDAFF at [email protected].
North Coast Rep presents ‘The Heart Sellers’
“The Heart Sellers” is running through Feb. 2 at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. Playwright Lloyd Suh creates a captivating portrayal of intelligent, curious and creative women navigating the challenges of a new country. A reflection on the Asian immigrant experience, the play explores complex, emotionally-charged themes within the human condition. North Coast Rep is located at 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach.For tickets and more information call 858-481-1055, or visit www.northcoastrep.org.
The Athenaeum presents the ‘Talk of the Town: Casablanca’ annual benefit celebration
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla will host its annual benefit celebration, The Talk of the Town, on Saturday, May 10, VIP bar reception at 5:30 p.m., event at 6:30 p.m. This year with the added name Casablanca, the glamorous event will immerse guests in the romantic atmosphere of the iconic 1942 film, with an evening of entertainment, fine dining, and lively music. 1940s attire suggested.
Attendees will have the opportunity to dance to live big band music, explore the Athenaeum’s stunning art collection, and savor a variety of culinary delights, including hors d’oeuvres and a buffet dinner provided by Pronto Catering by Giuseppe. Signature cocktails inspired by Rick’s Café Américain will also be available throughout the night.VIP guests will receive special treatment, including early access to the event, exclusive champagne and cocktails, valet parking, and a first look at an array of exciting silent auction items.
The event serves as the Athenaeum’s major fundraiser, ing its operating funds, concerts, art and music appreciation lectures, fine arts classes, exhibitions, and expanding library collections. With a history of over 125 years, the Athenaeum remains dedicated to providing cultural enrichment to the San Diego community.
Reservations for The Talk of the Town: Casablanca are required by April 25, at 12 midnight. For more information about the event, sponsorship opportunities, or donations, Dave Eassa at (858) 454-5872 or [email protected]. Event location: Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall Street, La Jolla.
Jewish Film Festival kicks off
The 35th annual San Diego International Jewish Film Festival runs from Jan. 27-Feb. 8, and will be both in person and virtual. The festival will showcase a variety of the top contemporary Jewish-related films. More than 30 feature films will be screened at the David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre in the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. Ben Mankiewicz will be the keynote speaker at 7 p.m. Feb. 4. Mankiewicz, longtime host of Turner Classic Movies and podcasts The Plot Thickens and Talking Pictures, will discuss classic cinema, American politics and his own family history. For the schedule and tickets, visit lfjcc.org/cjc/sdijff.aspx.
Fundraiser to benefit Father Joe’s Villages
The Father Joe’s Villages Ladies Guild holds its annual fundraiser, themed “Alice in Wonderland,” from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 17 at The Dana on Mission Bay, 1710 W. Mission Bay Drive. The event includes a silent auction, lunch, entertainment and an opportunity drawing. Silent auction bidding is online Feb.10-17 at my.neighbor.org. Cost is $65 per person. Free parking is available. Proceeds benefit the children living at Father Joe’s Villages. The guild provides school supplies, learning toys and layettes, and funds a shopping trip for parents to shop for Christmas gifts and s children’s birthday and holiday parties and entertainment. Email [email protected].
Bird festival coming next month
The nonprofit San Diego Bird Alliance, formerly known as San Diego Audubon Society, holds the annual San Diego Bird Festival from Feb. 26 to March 2 at Marina Village Conference Center, 1936 Quivira Way. The festival offers a variety of workshops, classes, field trips and presentations about local birds and their habitats, ranging from Birding the Border, North County Birding Hotspots and Dancing with Grebes to Low Tide Estuary Walk, Bird Yoga and Birding by Bike. at sandiegobirdfestival.org.
Foundation offers college scholarships
North Island Credit Union Foundation offers scholarships to college-bound high school seniors and community college students transferring to a four-year university who live in San Diego and Riverside counties. Students must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 to participate. Selection criteria include academic performance, school or community involvement, a letter of recommendation and an essay submission. Online applications will be accepted through March 7. Visit northisland.ccu.com/studentscholarship.
New Village Arts explores the private life of famed scientist Marie Curie in new play
The first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the discoverer of radium and polonium, Marie Curie is one of scientific history’s pioneers.Yet as playwright Lauren Gunderson’s “The Half-Life of Marie Curie” illuminates, the woman born Maria Salomea Sklodowska in Warsaw in 1867 who became a groundbreaking researcher, very much lived a full life.For her honeymoon with fellow scientist Pierre Curie, for example, she bicycled around the French countryside. She had two daughters. She was the first woman to ever teach at the Sorbonne in Paris.Gunderson’s 2019 play, making its San Diego premiere at New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad, takes place a year after Curie won the Nobel in 1911, six years after her husband’s death, and in the crosshairs of gossip over an alleged affair. It finds her at the British seaside home of her close friend Hertha Ayrton, herself a scientist and also a suffragette.Opens Feb. 1 and runs through Feb. 23. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at Conrad Prebys Theatre at the Dea Hurston New Village Arts Center, 2787 State St., CarlsbadTickets: $35-$60. Phone: 760-433-3245. Online: newvillagearts.org
