Articles by The Grapevine

Ukuleles from New Zealand with love

You don’t have to ask Ukulele Ray where the hot ukulele action is this season. Simply head over to the California Center for the Arts, Escondido (CCAE). World-renowned, The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra takes center stage at the 1,523-seat main concert hall on Tuesday, Feb. 2. The New Zealand entertainment powerhouse’s repertoire consists of “ukulelefied” versions of many contemporary pop classics by Justin Timberlake, Dolly…


The Hair Lounge is where style meets grace

There’s a new Hair Lounge in town. High-end, yet accessible, and approachable, “It’s all about the talent here,” said Russ Fromm, who recently purchased the cutting edge salon along with his wife Roberta Angelica. Talented hair stylists are hard to find, but it’s not hard to find The Hair Lounge, Escondido Promenade’s ode to happy hair treated with loving care. “We are very fortunate here,…


Valley Center meet Oscar

By Robert G. Lerner, Valley Center Historian The familiar gold statuette handed out at the Academy Awards ceremony is seldom seen on public view, but there will be a rare chance to get up close to Oscar during a one-month exhibition beginning Feb. 2 at the Valley Center History Museum.  The show is called “And the Oscar Goes to…”.  The Oscar on display was awarded in 1932 to…


5-hour SD Sheriffs SWAT standoff starts with murdered turtle at San Marcos mobile home

Around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, a 27-year-old San Marcos man touched off a touchy incident at Rancho Vallecitos Mobile Estates, 3535 Linda Vista Dr., San Marcos. First, he killed his mother’s turtle. Then, he threatened to kill his mother. Nearby homes were evacuated during a five hour standoff ended by the San Marcos Sheriffs SWAT Team with tear gas. After about a five hour standoff with…


ESCOGELATO ESCONDIDO

Today’s short post was written by Cathy.  It was just too hot to think much about food that day. The mmm-yoyo!!! men, Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) will write about food when they are ready. Another hot and humid day in San Diego County a few months ago when we went to EscoGelato, and not much can keep you cool or relaxed. Unless, maybe you…


Food for fines went fine, volunteering and more Escondido community news

Library ‘Holiday Food for Fines’ program deemed successful Escondido Public Library’s principal librarian Joanna Axelrod didn’t mince words. “Escondido Public Library’s annual Holiday Food for Fines program proved once again to be very successful,” Axelrod said. “During the collection drive, which ran from Monday, Nov. 30 through Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, the Library accumulated 50 crates of food weighing an estimated 1,500 pounds.” The program lets library…


Deadly driving week around Escondido

It was a deadly start of the driving week on Escondido roads with the San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office late Tuesday identifying the latest local road victim as Galileo Esteban Diego, 21, of Temecula. Diego died immediately after he crashed his silver 2006 Dodge Caravan westbound on Country Club Lane near Broadway just before 7:30 p.m. Monday. His minivan was nearly torn in half when…


California Center of the Arts, Escondido ’tis always the season (for hair) (updated)

Opening this weekend at The Museum at California Center for the Arts, Escondido is “The History and the Hair Story: 400 Years Without A Comb” exhibition running from Jan. 16 to March 6, 2016. Curated by Starla Lewis (Professor of Black History at San Diego Mesa College), “The History and the Hair Story: 400 Years Without A Comb” follows hair trends from Africa, into the…


Patio Playhouse presents Obie Award winning Circle Mirror Transformation

Genuine encounters between people as they learn, grow, and challenge themselves are at the core of Circle Mirror Transformation. Running at Patio Playhouse through Jan. 31, this comic drama takes an intimate look at the attendees of a Vermont Drama Class as they interact with – and learn about – one another through theatrical exercises. Performances are at 8 p.m. with 2 p.m. Sunday matinees….


Mmm-yoso!!! Suzy Q’s Diner (Escondido)

(Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!  Cathy is writing a short post today.  Kirk got caught up in something at work and Ed — from Yuma — is also crazy busy.) I somehow was on one of the one way streets in Escondido earlier this year, took a turn to try to find my way back to some sort of familiar landmark and was…