Serving San Diego’s Premier Urban Communities for 20 Years sdnorthparknews.com
Vol. 20 No. 3 March 2012
NORTH PARK SCENE
SAINTS’ LEGENDARY COACH BY CECILIA BUCKNER
‘Forever Plaid’ Debuts at The Birch “Forever Plaid,” the popular musical that has delighted audiences in San Diego for years, will debut at the Birch North Park Theatre on March 30 and 31 and April 1. Performances the first two days are at 8 p.m. and the April 1 performance is at 2 p.m. The deliciously goofy revue centers on four young, eager male singers killed in a car crash in the 1950s on the way to their first big concert, and now miraculously revived for the posthumous chance to fulfill their dreams and perform the show that never was. Singing in the closest of harmony, squabbling boyishly over the smallest intonations and executing their charmingly outlandish choreography with over-zealous precision, the “Plaids” are a guaranteed smash, with a program of beloved songs and delightful patter that keeps audiences rolling in the aisles when they’re not humming along to some of the great nostalgic pop hits of the 1950s. Ticket prices start at $20.
Magic lives in childhood memories — playing “red light, green light” in the street, prank calling the local grocer and watching scary movies, late night, while at a sleepover. This same kind of magic is detectable in the voices of those who recall childhood memories of a man who has been an integral part of the North Park youth sports community for several decades
Bill Whittaker saw his St. Augustine boys turn into good teachers and coaches — and pro athletes
— Coach William “Bill” Whittaker. “I dispute whether or not his right fielder fell in a ditch!” said Wes Braddock, laughingly. Braddock, principal at Monte Vista High School and former San Diego High School student, spent many a summer in North Park playing sports. He hit a grand slam as a young athlete in a game against Whittaker’s St. Augustine High School team. To this day, Whittaker still jokes about how his player missed the ball, Braddock said.
“Whittaker,” as the boys at Saints respectfully called him, got his start coaching at the city of San Diego Park & Recreation Department in 1946, after graduating from St. Augustine, North Park’s Catholic school for boys. He coached the full gambit at the Rec — football, basketball and baseball, while attending San Diego City College, but baseball was his expertise. “I wasn’t a good player, I just loved baseball and we were very successful. I have a pretty good eye for talent,” SEE COACH, Page 6 Bill Whittaker doffs his cap at Saints, where he coached for more than three decades.
Valet Service Comes To North Park Citizens Patrol Will Follow
Residents living near North Park’s commercial sector have often complained about the scarcity of parking on weekend nights when restaurants, bars and other businesses lure gobs of patrons to their establishments. A new program launched in February is now working to free up those scarce parking spaces — a valet service connected to the North Park Parking Garage. And for some of those same residents who have griped about rowdy behavior around local bars, the North Park Community Association is preparing to launch a North Park Citizens Patrol modeled after the Stonewall Citizens Patrol in the Hillcrest area. You’re invited to a March 13 meeting to hear about it. Valet Service The North Park Valet Service is the result of a pact between the city, Ace Parking, which operates the city-owned parking garage on 29th Street, and North Park Main Street. The service is provided on Friday and Saturday nights. Motorists can leave their vehicles at any one of three locations in the area and valets will park them in the garage. The cost is $5.
Shop Farmers Market and Help Schools The Cash Crops program at the North Park Farmers Market provides a way to support local schools, local farmers and the local economy by doing something SEE SCENE, Page 4
SEE VALET, Page 13
Adams Avenue Unplugged
CLICK & SHOOT George’s Camera in focus BY DELLE WILLETT
Weekend music festival has all the right sounds
It’s been voted “Best Camera Store in San Diego” year after year for a good reason. George’s Camera is unique. One of the country’s largest single-store operations, it’s the only full-service camera store in San Diego, providing everything that focuses on photography. The shop sells and rents equipment and all types of supplies. It teaches classes and offers photo finishing services. And it’s been at it for a long time — 40 years.
Adams Avenue Unplugged will make its debut along a two-mile stretch of Adams Avenue on Saturday, April 21, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, April 22, noon to 7 p.m.. This exciting new weekend music festival — formerly called the Adams Avenue Roots Festival — is free and open to the public.
SEE CAMERA, Page 5
David Rivera took over management of George’s Camera in 1999 from his father, George Rivera, who opened the store in 1972.
SEE UNPLUGGED, Page 19