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T he C oast News
APRIL 14, 2017
Dates have been set for this year’s San Diego County Fair Beer, Wine and Spirit Festivals, the Farm to Table Dinner, and the Gold Medal Beer Pairing Dinner. Tickets can be purchased through sdfair.com/events, onsite at the O’Brien Gate Box Office, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays, or through Ticketmaster. Presale tickets for the festivals offer a $10 discount if purchased before April 15. Courtesy photo
County Fair festivals pair best beverages Mural finalists chosen in Oceanside with fine food
Above, John Daley, owner of the 101 Cafe on Coast Highway in Oceanside, has welcomed changing murals on the wall of his café. Residents can vote for the next Oceanside mural artist online at MainStreetOceanside.com, running through 11:59 p.m. April 16. The artist selected by public vote will be asked to install their mural on the Star Theatre south wall on Civic Center Drive. Photo courtesy of mainstreetoceanside.com
OCEANSIDE — The Oceanside Mural Initiative (OMI) panel announced it has selected four muralists to proceed to the final step in the vetting process. The panel was pleased that 32 artists participated in the launch of Oceanside’s first mural under the OMI program. “Our panel had a difficult decision selecting the top four renderings. We were very excited about all of the renderings submitted to the panel and it was very difficult to select the top three, so we ulti-
mately decided to proceed with four renderings,” said Mitzi Summers, OMI panel chairwoman. MainStreet Oceanside started a GoFundMe initiative in November 2016 and pledged to match dollar for dollar up to $10,000 to launch the OMI Program. “We are beautifying downtown Oceanside to attract locals and tourists to spend time with their families and friends at their favorite business,” said Sylvia Spiva, board chairwoman. So far, we have raised
about $3,750 from the community and our goal is raise $10,000. The public had its first opportunity to vote for its favorite design at a reception April 11. Residents can also use an online voting system at MainStreetOceanside.com, running through 11:59 p.m. April 16. The artist selected by public vote will be asked to install their mural on the Star Theatre south wall on Civic Center Drive. The OMI seeks to install 10 curated public art
murals over three years in downtown Oceanside. OMI is a community driven initiative, and will integrate key partners in the downtown Oceanside area. The initiative intends to make Oceanside a destination for public art, create a model by which Oceanside and other communities can fulfill community-driven arts initiatives, act as a medium for education/community outreach, and help to define Oceanside as a community whose identity is built upon and driven by the arts.
PETITION
Kanner took it upon herself to tape up paper signs with a suicide prevention hotline along the tracks. She then posted pictures of her signs on her social media pages to see if she would get any feedback. "I wanted to see if more people would put up their own signs and spread the word up and down San Diego," Kanner said. "That's when I got the idea of the petition." Her petition was originally addressed to former Encinitas Mayor Kristin Gaspar, but has since been changed to current Mayor Catherine Blakespear. "There are a growing number of train-related suicide attempts in my area. Unfortunately, most have been successful," the petition header reads. "In my hometown of Encinitas, just north of San Diego, more and more people have taken their lives in train-related tragedies. Currently, there are no signs posted with a crisis hotline number or any suicide prevention information. I am especially concerned with Leucadia Boulevard, along the 101
highway. "This NEEDS to change. There NEEDS to be signs posted by train tracks giving people a number to reach if they are struggling," the petition concludes. The petition caught the attention of Care2. com's marketing team, which reached out to Kanner on March 22 to tell her they would feature her signature gathering campaign on the website. "The first day the site got involved, there were 2,000 signatures," Kanner said. "And the signatures were from all over the place, across the world. It has really been humbling." Blakespear said she learned about the petition over the past few weeks, and said she was impressed by Kanner's efforts. "I applaud this young lady for her care and concern for our community," Blakespear said. "I am interested in doing whatever it takes to make our railroad corridor safer. If suicide prevention signs save just one life then they are worth doing, and she has brought it to our attention and I think it is something
we should look at." The transit district has grappled with the issue of rail safety over the years. This year alone there have been 11 incidents in which a train has struck a person trespassing on the tracks, six of which have been fatal incidents. Wall said that the transit district has taken numerous actions to limit trespassing on the rail right of way, which in theory would cut down on the number of suicide attempts on the tracks. These measures include safety indicators along the tracks, as well as "no trespassing" signs throughout the corridor. Wall said the transit district also partners with the nonprofit Operation Lifesaver to give presentations about rail safety to students throughout the county. The transit district's ultimate plan to limit trespassing involves fencing off the tracks and adjacent right of way, but a number of communities have panned the plan as it limits beach access. Wall said there are no immediate plans to fence the corridor.
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places like the Coronado and Golden Gate bridges, there are no signs along the corridor with phone numbers to suicide prevention hotlines. "I was walking up and down the tracks and I noticed there weren't any signs, and it was something that just made me pretty angry and startled," Kanner said.
DEL MAR — Tickets are on sale now for Beer, Wine and Spirit Festivals, the Farm to Table Dinner, and the Gold Medal Beer Pairing Dinner featured at the 2017 San Diego County Fair. Tickets can be purchased through sdfair. com/events, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays onsite at the O’Brien Gate Box Office, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd, or through Ticketmaster. Presale tickets for the Festivals offer a $10 discount if purchased before April 15. Wine, beer and spirits entered and judged in Fair commercial competitions bring unique tasting opportunities to the Fair. Gourmet food pairing and dinner menus provide an upscale experience surrounded by the annual Fair.
COMING UP THIS SUMMER: •Toast of the Coast Wine Festival has two tasting sessions from noon to 3 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. June 10, where unlimited tasting is provided from more than 100 wines with a 1-oz. glass. Ticket options include general admission for $65 and VIP for $105. The VIP Winemakers Tasting offers early admission and a fivecourse food pairing. • Gold Medal Beer Dinner is from 6 to 8:30 p.m. June 15, and provides preferred parking, Fair admission and dinner, with a sneak peek of the San Diego International Beer Festival set up for $75. The event is a one-hour reception followed by a five-course plated dinner. Each course will be paired with a Gold Medal Award-Winning Beer. • San Diego International Beer Festival: Held in the huge Del Mar Arena June 16 through June 18, this festival has five differ-
ent four-hour sessions with general admission prices starting at $55 and a VIP experience for $110. The VIP Lounge includes early admission to the Festival, unlimited 6-oz. beer samplings, access to a special lounge and several VIP gourmet food stations. • Distilled: San Diego Spirit & Cocktail Festival is from 1 to 5 p.m. June 24 in the Paddock, and will feature more than 150 competition spirits entered in the Distilled Competition. Entertainment will include live music, educational Meet the Maker presentations, and a live Cocktail Competition. The VIP experience offers unlimited samplings, an exclusive lounge, gourmet food stations and signature cocktails. General admission is $33 and the VIP experience is $125. • The Farm to Table Dinner provides an opportunity to dine with local farmers in a garden. Farm to Table features locally-sourced food, prepared by the Fairgrounds’ Executive Chef Barry Schneider and Culinary Team, paired with beer and wine. Each $135 ticket includes Fair admission, a cocktail reception, a five-course meal, and preferred parking. This event will take place from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., and will include live music, farm/ chef paired stations and a five-course sit down dinner. Capacity is limited to 80 guests.
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