Around Lakeside – Eastbound’s Fireversary, Sherriff’s Coffee and more

When your phone rings at four in the morning, it’s rarely good news. When Ben Clevenger’s phone rang on March 26, 2016, he decided not to answer it. Ben is one of the owners of the Eastbound Bar and Grill in historic Downtown Lakeside. Noting the call was from the business’ security company, he felt he didn’t need to answer. But when the wife of one of his partners called shortly thereafter, Ben picked up. He heard the words no business owner ever wants to hear: his place was on fire.

When your phone rings at four in the morning, it’s rarely good news. When Ben Clevenger’s phone rang on March 26, 2016, he decided not to answer it. Ben is one of the owners of the Eastbound Bar and Grill in historic Downtown Lakeside. Noting the call was from the business’ security company, he felt he didn’t need to answer. But when the wife of one of his partners called shortly thereafter, Ben picked up. He heard the words no business owner ever wants to hear: his place was on fire.

About 10 minutes later, Ben pulled up to the corner of Maine and Laurel Avenues to see the roads blocked and about ten fire trucks parked in front if his smoking building. Not a good way to start the day. But the story has a happy ending.

One year later, Ben and his fellow business owners – Marco Rodriguez and Jason Nichols – threw a party to mark the one year anniversary of the event that nearly destroyed their livelihood. On Saturday, March 25, Eastbound held an all-day “Fireversary” celebration to honor and thank the folks who saved this business.

This story could have just as easily ended badly.

The apparent cause of the blaze was a freezer unit motor that went bad and sparked the fire in the middle of the night. From that point, a number of things went right to allow the old building to be saved.The fire was discovered by a delivery man who wasn’t even scheduled to drop off at that time. He opened the back door and saw smoke. He ran out front, saw a sheriff’s car at the intersection, and flagged down the deputy. Lakeside Fire District from Station #2 responded and was on scene in five minutes. According to the fire captain, another 10 minutes and the building would have been lost.

As it was, the fire destroyed the kitchen and all its appliances. The business had to shut down for two months.

The building dates back to 1950, built by Tom LaMadrid on the site of his blacksmith shop that he had owned and operated since 1920. In fact, there’s a great sandwich named after LaMadrid offered at Eastbound.

Current owner Ben Clevenger has been in Lakeside all his life. In fact, the Clevenger family came to town over 100 years ago. Still, he was taken aback by the outpouring of support from the community. Right after the fire, the Eastbound Facebook page received over 200 messages offering to help in any way needed. The business was up and running again by June 2016. Both the community and the employees were thankful to have Eastbound back, as it has become a cornerstone of Downtown Lakeside.

Eastbound has been part of Lakeside since 2010 and is known and respected for its community support and involvement. Most every Monday night, the bar and grill hosts a different fundraising event, donating 10 percent of the night’s take toward a specific charity or non-profit group. It’s just Eastbound’s way of giving back. For this event, monies raised went to the Burn Institute San Diego.

The idea behind the Fireversary was to honor the local heroes who worked together to save the restaurant.  A custom sign has been placed inside and reads:

“A Tribute to everyone who saved this building on March 26, 2016 4:17 a.m. and to all Fire Fighters and Law Enforcement who help protect and serve our community.”

Coffee with the Sheriff

Lieutenant Karen Stubkjaer of the Lakeside Sheriff Substation held a Coffee with the Community meeting at the Lakeside Branch Library on March 21. Joined by some members of her staff, the Lieutenant brought good news to Lakeside: FBI stats show crime is down in our fair town. In fact, a recent rating lists Lakeside as the sixth safest community in San Diego County.

However, that doesn’t mean we don’t have crime here and one of the most persistent problems is auto theft. Remember to lock your cars, no matter where you may park, and don’t leave anything of value inside. This will also impact car prowls as more than 50 percent of cars being entered have been left unlocked. Just locking our car doors and removing anything of value can seriously impact car-related crime.

Also of note: our county sheriff’s deputies should all be wearing body cameras by late summer of this year.

On a sad note.

Lakeside resident Richard White, 60, passed away on March 14. Richard was a past president of the Lakeside Historical Society (2002-2004) and the former editor of its newsletter. Services are scheduled for Friday, April 7. A gravesite memorial will be held at 11:00 a.m. at Singing Hills Memorial Park (2800 Dehesa Road in El Cajon), followed by a reception at the Olde Community Church of the Lakeside Historical Society, 9906 Maine Avenue in Lakeside, at 1:00 p.m.

Lakeside bits & pieces

The old Vons grocery store on Woodside Avenue will be converted into a Planet Fitness gym. The old Lakeside Hotel is under new ownership. The sober living facility will soon offer coffee drinks and deli sandwiches at the old bar. The new owner is keen on restoring the building’s appearance to its past glory and is working with MARA (Maine Avenue Revitalization Association) to this end. The Lakeside Hotel is one of the oldest buildings in historic Downtown Lakeside, dating back to 1887. It has a bit of history as well. Rumor has it the new Lakeside Library site may be the vacant lot on the north side of the 12400 block of Woodside Avenue (across the street from the old Vons). Negotiations are still underway so no confirmation as yet. Mentioned at the Lakeside Revitalization Meeting on March 23 was the possibility the old library building will be demolished and replaced with a redesigned entrance to the community center. Touch-A-Truck is coming back to Lakeside! Last year’s event was wildly successful. Mark June 11 on your calendars and stay tuned for more information.