Historic cannon rediscovered
The Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) picked up a heavy donation that turned out to be a cannon used in San Diego’s celebration of America’s centennial in 1876, a press release said.
(top) A photo of the cannon in use (bottom) today (Courtesy SOHO)
Cast at the San Diego Foundry 137 years ago, it was regularly used for important affairs after the centennial celebration, including the approval of California’s new state constitution in 1879. However, the cannon was lost until July 2. SOHO Executive Director Bruce Coons matched it to the long-lost cannon upon further inspection of a similar one that had been used as a lawn ornament at the late freemason John Zink’s home. “It clicked all at once for me; this may just be the Horton Plaza cannon,” Coons said in the release. SOHO is currently seeking donations to restore the cannon, which would enable them to use it at future city events. For more information, visit SOHOsandiego.org.
Community groups plan neighborhood cleanups
The Hillcrest Town Council (HTC) and Bankers Hill Residents Group (BHRG) are inviting everyone to take to the streets the morning of July 15, the Monday following the San Diego LGBT Pride weekend, to help clean up after the festivities. San Diego Pride will be donating $10 per volunteer hour to each neighborhood groupfor cleanup efforts. Brooms, trash cans and bags will be provided, and volunteers are encouraged to bring a broom to help. The HTC will be meeting at 7 a.m. at Park Boulevard just south of University Avenue. Volunteers that meet that morning will receive orange Hillcrest Clean T.E.A.M. shirts, and the HTC is asking volunteers to report their hours when they leave the cleanup. BHRG volunteers received yellow BHRG shirts at their last monthly meeting for the cleanup, and additional shirts will be offered at their July 15, 6:30 p.m. meeting to those who participate in the cleanup. In Bankers Hill, volunteers can meet at either Thorn Street and Fifth Avenue or Ivy Street and Sixth Avenue, also at 7 a.m. They are asked to record their hours at the July 15 meeting. For more information call 619-260-1929.
Film Festival at the Science Center revives old favorites
As part of the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center’s 40th anniversary celebration, a film festival of popular films of the past begins Friday, July 5 and continues through Sept. 5. Driven by popular demand, the science center chose the nine films based on 569 surveys of top-three favorite films. The films will run a week at a time, Friday through Thursday, and show twice each day. Admission includes one film and access to the entire center’s exhibit galleries and is $15.75 for adults, and $12.75 for children and seniors. The festival will kick off with an exploration of space with “Hubble” on July 5, then switch to “Yellowstone” on July 12. The Academy Award-nominated film “Dolphins” opens July 19, followed by “Adventures in Wild California” July 26. “Mysteries of Egypt” opens Aug. 1, followed by the true story of one team’s trek up Mount Everest in “Everest” on Aug. 9. “Coral Reef Adventure” shows off Fiji on Aug. 16, “Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West” starts Aug. 23, in the film that recreates the adventure that shaped our nation, and the festival’s finale, “Grand Canyon Adventure” opens Aug. 30. For show times call 619-238-1233 or visit rhfleet.org/shows.
Old Globe to hold open auditions July 21 for Sept production
The Old Globe Theatre will hold open-call auditions for Samuel D. Hunter’s comedy “The Few” on July 21 from 10 a.m. to 5p.m. at The Globe’s Copley Plaza. The characters are men and women aged 40 and over from across the United States that call a local northern Idaho newspaper to place personal ads via voicemail. Those without prior experience are encouraged to participate in the audition on a first-come, first-served basis. No reservations are needed and scripts will be provided. Recordings from 17 members of the public will be selected for the performance and those chosen will be notified in August. The people selected will receive $150, two tickets to “The Few” and the opportunity to hear their voices featured in the show throughout its run. The world premiere of “The Few,” directed by Davis McCallum, will run Sept. 28 – Oct. 27 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre. For more information visit theoldglobe.org/aboutus/jobs/auditions.aspx or email casting@theoldglobe.org.
Hillcrest designer receives lifetime achievement award
As president of Bast/Wright Interiors, Inc. of San Diego, Robert Wright was honored as the 2013 Designer of Distinction at the American Society of Interior Designers’ National Conference in Los Angeles on June 21, a press release said. The first San Diegan to receive the award, Wright has been a professional interior designer for over 30 years and previously served as national president of ASID and as president of the San Diego chapter. He is a Hillcrest resident and his commitment to the industry stems to involvement in interior design education for 20 years. The award recognizes a designer with an extraordinary body of work, as well a commitment to social concerns and has significantly advanced in the industry. Wright’s community work includes active involvement with Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation and the San Diego Humane Society. “Robert is a brilliant designer who generously shares his creative vision and passion for design with clients, students, and the less fortunate. His work demonstrates the power of design to change lives,” ASID San Diego chapter President Robin Carrier said in the release.
Cabrillo Bridge to receive a facelift
Plans to retrofit the Laurel Street overcrossing in time for the Balboa Park 2015 Centennial Celebration are underway. The project plans to adapt the bridge for seismic strength, improve structural integrity and replace aged steel and concrete. Also known as the Cabrillo Bridge, the life of the overcrossing that carries vehicles and pedestrians over state Route 163 and into Balboa Park will be extended for 50 years. CalTrans announced June 19 that Disney Construction, a Burlingame, Calif. company, is the low bidder for the project, a press release said. After the bid is awarded, construction is expected to begin this fall and continue until summer of 2014. Interruption to traffic on SR 163 will be minimal, the release said. Vehicle access to the bridge will close for four months beginning January 2014, though pedestrian access will not be interrupted.
Del Mar “hats parade” kicks of 2014 racing season
For the 76th year in a row, the Del Mar Race Track located at 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. in Del Mar, will host their 37 days of annual horse racing season, staring July 17 and running through Sept. 4. This year’s annual hat contest, sponsored by Village Hat Shop and presented by Studio Savvy Salon, is an opening-day tradition. Signups are from 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., with a hat parade immediately following in the Plaza de Mexico, just inside the Stretch Run admission gates. Five different hat categories will be available to competitors, with prizes for first, second and third place in each category and a grand prize, which will include a round-trip vacation and a $500 Studio Savvy gift basket. Also this year is the Coors Light Opening Day Party, which offers wagering, a giant video board, live music, food, a craft beer garden, and more in a private trackside area, all for $30. Gates open two hours before the first post, which is at 2 p.m. daily, except on Fridays due to their summer concert series, when the first post is at 4 p.m., and on Aug. 25 for the Pacific Classic, which is 1 p.m. The track is dark on Mondays and Tuesdays throughout the season with the exception of Labor Day. For more information visit dmrc.com.
Union Bank provides ‘access’ to low- to moderate-income customers
Union Bank is addressing needs of low- to moderate-income households with a new type of bank account, a press release stated. The Access Account has no set-up fee and direct deposit is not required. The account’s features, which include an ATM card for deposits and withdrawals, and purchases at participating merchants, minimizes fees and penalties. “Union Bank is committed to providing affordable financial services to empower customers,” Executive Vice President Julius Robinson, head of corporate social responsibility, said in the release. “We are proud to respond with an affordable product that offers the features typically offered on consumer checking accounts, while avoiding the risk of incurring overdraft and non-sufficient funds fees,” said Rogger LaCruz, vice president and senior product manager. As there is a disproportionate number of people of color who do not have a bank account and often suffer further financial hardship as a result, the Greenlining Institute, which works for racial and economic justice, has recognized Union Bank for the Access Account.
Sept AIDS Walk will feature new route, obstacle course
Announced in a press release June 14, the San Diego LGBT Community Center’s 2013 AIDS Walk & Run will take place Sept. 29, and this year’s 24th annual fundraiser will feature a new route and new “5K Street Challenge” obstacle course. The run will begin at 7:30 a.m., the walk at 8:30 a.m. and the Street Challenge obstacle course will begin at 9 a.m. in heats of 100 participants, with new heats starting every half hour. More information on the course and challenge is forthcoming. Additionally, the post-AIDS Walk & Run festival in Balboa Park has been expanded to include a new health and wellness fair that will have free fitness classes, a pet rest area, face painting and snacks, among others. AIDS Walk & Run is San Diego County’s largest one-day HIV-AIDS fundraiser. Last year, more than $400,000 was granted to 10 local agencies. More information can be found at aidswalksd.org.
Bridget Wilson, Jeri Dilno honored by Assembly
Uptown residents Bridget Wilson and Jeri Dilno were celebrated at a special Pride Month event in Sacramento, Calif. June 25, where Assembly Majority Leader Toni Atkins honored the two as LGBT leaders. A ceremony was held on the floor of the state Assembly chambers, sponsored by the Legislative LGBT Caucus. Dilno, current board emeritus of San Diego LGBT Pride, helped organized Philadelphia’s first Pride march in 1970 before moving to California. In San Diego, Dilno was the first woman executive director of The LGBT Center, and served as the editor of the Gay and Lesbian Times. Wilson, an Army Reserve veteran, practices military and employment law, and civil litigation at The Dean Law Group. She has volunteered with Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, San Diego AIDS Foundation, the ACLU and San Diego Pride. “Recently we have had many LGBT milestones to celebrate and full equality seems possible,” Atkins said in a press release. “This is all the more reason to honor the pioneers of our movement who bravely and tirelessly worked on behalf of our community, long before there was broad public acceptance of LGBT rights. Jeri Dilno and Bridget Wilson personify that spirit of courage and leadership.”
Rep. Susan Davis pushes to end LGBT student discrimination
Congressmember Susan Davis, a cosponsor for the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA), urged the House Workforce Committee to add language from the SDNA to a bill up for reauthorization in order to “put in place legal protections against discrimination of LGBT students,” a press release stated. House Democrats on the committee are preparing a version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as Republicans prepare to bring it up for reauthorization. “Our children have the right to a learning environment that is free from intimidation, discrimination, bullying and harassment,” Davis said in the release. “As legislation moves forward, I hope we can find a way to include these basic protections for students.” Davis serves as a member of the committee, which is headed by Rep. George Miller (D-CA). Currently, federal statues address discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin, the release stated, but do not explicitly include sexual orientation or gender identity.
Wi-Fi returns to the COASTER
As of June 19, free Wi-Fi in all 28 COASTER cars has been re-enabled after months of testing. The internet connection, provided by T-Mobile, is now 100 percent, a North County Transit District press release stated. However, the connection is not meant for heavy usage. “This free Wi-Fi service is only intended for light internet usage such as checking email and browsing the internet. In order to provide a good experience for all of our passengers, we request users to refrain from streaming music or video or downloading large files,” NCTD Chief Technical Officer Ryan Cashin said in the release. For more information, visit gonctd.com/wifi_policy.