I hope that everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend, and there was much to do here in East County in remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in order for us to enjoy the freedom that we have here in East County.
Our own Betty McMillan went to the Lakeside VFW Post 5867’s Memorial Day ceremony and said it was a moving experience. Perhaps she will tell us more in her “Around Lakeside” column.
I hope that everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend, and there was much to do here in East County in remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in order for us to enjoy the freedom that we have here in East County.
Our own Betty McMillan went to the Lakeside VFW Post 5867’s Memorial Day ceremony and said it was a moving experience. Perhaps she will tell us more in her “Around Lakeside” column.
Our writer B.J. Coleman went to the Heartland Youth for Decency Vietnam War Memorial (a story she has exclusively covered), which was nicely decorated for the weekend and a prelude to what is coming up this weekend with La Mesa’s Annual Flag Day Parade.
This is an event not to miss and I am looking forward to spending Saturday watching La Mesa celebrate in all of its glory.
For the first time, I spent all day Saturday at the Santee Street Fair & Beer Festival. Normally I am hopping around from event to event, but decided this year to get the feel of the entire day and I have to say that I was more than impressed and fully entertained. It was a great event and props go out to the Santee Chamber of Commerce and the City of Santee for pulling this event off without a noticeable hitch. An estimated 35,000 attended throughout the day, and at times it felt that there were that many in attendance, but the set-up was great and there was plenty there to do and see the entire day.
During the day, I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with some old friends, made quite a few new friends and a plethora of people and organizations here in East County to follow up with. They all had some great stories that are worth sharing.
Even though there were plenty of people from outside of Santee, it was truly a Santee community event and that was evident in every aspect, from the vendors, entertainers and the beer garden, where I was happy to speak with the folks from Twisted Manzanita and Oggi’s Pizza & Brewing Company. All in all, it was a great day and will make sure next year that I reserve the full day again for the experience. It had something for everyone and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the kids on the carnival rides, but it was great to see laser tag and the zip line, something kids and adults could do together.
The day was full of surprises, as East County’s best came and performed at the stages and these performances came from local children (loved the gymnastics exposition). The beginning ceremony was touching as the U.S. Navy Sea Corps Challenger Division Honor Guard began the day presenting the colors. It was not surprising, but as a veteran, it was a wonderful sight to see how many active duty and veterans were present.
There is still a lot going on around East County coming up. On Saturday evening, the Lakeside Optimist is holding its Annual Fish Fry at the Lakeside Rodeo Grounds gearing up for the upcoming Lakeside Optimist Bulls Only Rodeo in July. If you want to see the many other events coming up and find a great place to take the family and be part of the community visit our online calendar for full listings. You can also find us on Facebook. It has become a great community tool in getting the word out on what’s happening locally.
