LV Farmers Market Update
Plus: Aladdin: An Arabian Musical Runs this Week, Civita Summer Concerts, and LVTC General Meeting and Membership
Ed. note: We originally planned on taking the week off and not publishing an issue of the Linda Vista Update, but we realized there were plenty of things going on in the community in the days ahead, and we wanted to keep up the momentum regarding coverage of the Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market, so we decided instead to post an early Tuesday edition of the newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading it. We will return to our normal Thursday morning publishing routine next week.
Here is another update about our wonderful Love, Linda Vista Farmers’ Market. I know you think that all I write about is food, and you would mostly be correct. In fact this past week at the Farmers Market we bought sourdough cheese bread from Argos Bakery, ice cream from Twisted Trolley, Daikon Banh Mi sandwiches from Rollin Roots, teriyaki from Yakitori, and catfish, peach cobbler and beans and rice from Sweet Cravings by Paula (as well as strawberries and zucchini from the actual farmers market produce vendors). Now, don’t think all that was for me. Carnivore Sidekick and his friend were also there, as well as Steve, so the food got evenly divided. Well, as evenly divided as can be when a carnivore is in the mix. Everything, of course, was delicious, but I decided I better branch out and look into some vendors who are not selling food. I am so glad I did and I want you to meet a couple of them today.
—Celtic Kitten at the Farmers Market
You might think this is a vendor selling Irish cats. It is not. However, this is the cutest display you ever saw. Heidi Hawkins, the owner of Celtic Kitten, makes and sells bandanas for cats, dogs, kittens, puppies and any pet you may have. She told me she has even made a bandana for a rooster. Bet that is the best dressed rooster you ever saw!
These bandanas are made from a variety of materials including Hawaiian prints, floral and animal prints, and more, suitable for your male or female pet. They are also reversible and come in various sizes to fit any size animal. Heidi employs a scrunchie concept to make sure that your pet doesn’t get its claws caught as the collar part is stretchy.
Heidi tells me she has been sewing since she was a child (that’s what happens when you are a latch key kid – a very productive use of time). She is self-taught and her work is really excellent. The bandanas go for $15.00 and she said people have been getting them for all their pets, whether cats or dogs. They are very colorful as you can see from the pictures. Unlike the store bought bandanas which are mostly made overseas, these are very well made right here in Southern California by Heidi.
The proof is in the pudding as they say, so we bought one and brought it home to try on one of our cats, Zoomba. At first he tried to act like he didn’t want it on, but after a bit, he was prancing around showing it off, and making Pepper, our other cat very jealous. Guess we will have to get her one. You can see how handsome Zoomba looks in the above picture.
So welcome to Heidi joining our LV family at Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market Please come and say hello and help make your pet the best dressed cat (or dog) on your block.
And tell Heidi you read about her in the Linda Vista Update.
***
—Majestik Kulture at the Farmers Market
At the booth right across from Celtic Kitten is Majestik Kulture. I don’t know how Jonathan, the president of the Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market managed to get such great vendors, but here is another one I think you will love.
Kiki and Andre Duff are the owners of Majestik Kulture. This is a veteran owned family business (Thank you for your service Andre – 11 years in the Marines), selling natural gemstones, minerals, crystals, custom jewelry and more. They have an online store also (majestikkulture.com) but I recommend coming to the Farmers Market to see it all in person. In speaking with Kiki, she tells me that when the family was stationed in Japan, she was involved in the beauty business. As a trained aesthetician she had a clientele of many military spouses and did waxing, eyelashes, eyebrows, and more. She and her husband learned a lot about entrepreneurship while they were in Japan, and upon leaving the service decided to go into business for themselves. Of course, as with others I have written about, the pandemic struck and thus it became more important to develop a business that would work well for their family. As they have a passion for teaching people about the energy in crystals and minerals and how they are affected by them, they chose this path. They have been doing this now for about 2 years and you can find them at other markets including ones in Encinitas, Chula Vista, and Veggie Gang Friday market in the Miramar area. But you don’t have to go anywhere but Linda Vista to visit with them and learn about your chakras, and which of their products work for you. They have a beautiful selection of bracelets, earrings, rings, and necklaces, designed by Kiki with all wire work done by Andre. Their children often help with their work, making it a true family business. They also have sage bundles for burning to get rid of negativity priced from $4.00 to $6.00. I bought one of these as there is a certain negativity in my life that I would like to get rid of. I will let you know if it works.😉
I really enjoyed speaking with Kiki and Andre. Their aim is to bring balance and peace into your life. While I was sitting at their booth talking with them and enjoying the incense they were burning, I felt so relaxed I wanted to stay there.
Their prices are reasonable. Some of their natural products come from Brazil, Africa, and South America . They attend gem shows to find the finest gems at the best prices for you. Please come to their booth and say hello to Kiki and Andre and learn how their products might help you.
***
We hope to continue seeing many of our readers at the Farmers Market!
Aladdin Musical Runs This Week
In last week’s issue of the Linda Vista Update, we featured an article focused on this week’s upcoming local production of Aladdin; An Arabian Musical. The musical is being produced by the Linda Vista Recreation Center’s Theatre Arts Program.
After getting the opportunity to watch a dress rehearsal of the musical last night, we can guarantee you that audiences will find this production a highly entertaining experience. This rendition of the musical—which has been described as Disney;’s Aladdin meets Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton—is full of wonderful acting and singing with these young performers successfully acting out a witty script that will keep you chuckling. The 22 actors, with 19 of them ranging in age from 8 to 16, will amaze you with their great voices and dancing, as well as their ability to deliver humorous lines with great timing. And you’ll enjoy the setting which totally surrounds the audience. The director, K.J. Lecesne, has put together quite a show!
Cast members include Evanna Heredia, Eva Lester, Jolisa Samaniego, Kelsey Kruse, Green La Fond, Leia Viray, California Iacino, Natalie Gibson, Michelle Travis, Vanessa Limon, Janine Perry, Sofia Avila, Helena Villegas, Arianna Denogean, Talia Pena, Carolynn Tran, Willow Brown, Julianna Burgoin, Sarina Weiss, and Amanda Alvaraez.
If you still haven’t purchased tickets for this show, you can refer to the QR codes on the below flyer. Tickets are $5.00 and available for pre-sale only. Only ticketed patrons will be permitted into the auditorium.
Summer Concert Series Kicks off at Civita Park
Let’s hear it for summertime outdoor music concerts! Such concerts are a great American tradition. And there’s no better place to attend an outdoor concert this time of year than in beautiful San Diego.
I happened to attend my first outdoor concert of the summer just a couple days ago. The large Civita master-planned community development over in nearby Mission Valley held an outdoor concert at its impressive 14-acre, multi-level park. (You can check out a previous article we published about Civita Park in this newsletter by clicking here)
The concert was the first of four free Sundown Concerts scheduled to be held this summer at the park’s amphitheater. The band “Betamax” performed hits from the 80’s in front of a large crowd made up of people of all ages that enthusiastically got into the music. People seemed to really enjoy listening to songs from 80’s acts like Van Halen, Madonna, and Journey as they sat in their lawn chairs perched above the amphitheater on a small grassy slope. I was impressed by the size of the crowd and the number of cars parked all around the development. And District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo was on hand to introduce the band to the large gathering.
Though I enjoyed the music and the beautiful setting of Civita Park, I found myself imagining how wonderful it would be to have such a series of concerts in Linda Vista. I believe I was inspired by a sense of civic pride. After all, why must Civita get all the concert glory? Linda Vista people enjoy music too, right?
I eventually started to let my imagination go wild, thinking how our own LV community would appreciate a four-concert summer series of music. I even came up with some tentative names for this imagined series of concerts….names like Linda-Palooza, and LV-stock, and Linda-chella ran though my busy mind.
But then reality set in. First of all, I suddenly realized Linda Vista doesn’t have an amphitheater. How can a band play without an amphitheater? I guess we could put up a temporary stage for each concert, but that would cost lots of money and be a logistical nightmare. And if 80’s music was played, you would have rowdy people in their 50’s and 60’s jumping off the stage and into the mosh pit, resulting in all kinds of serious injuries. Secondly, we don’t have any grassy slopes for people to sit on and observe a concert from a convenient vantage point. All of our LV parks are relatively flat. Third, our Linda Vista parks don’t have many parking spaces (in fact, Edward Tyler Kramer Park doesn’t have any parking spaces); the only way we would be able to handle a large concert crowd would be if everyone arrived on scooters, and that might be asking too much (though Scooter-palooza has a certain ring to it).
Come to think of it, instead of fretting about the possibility of concerts in Linda Vista, maybe the best thing to do is to just rely on Civita and enjoy the rest of their summer concerts. Here’s the concert schedule, with each concert running from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm:
July 10 – Cassie B Project, with party music including the latest Top 40 and nostalgic hits.
Aug. 11 – Mighty Untouchables performs everything from Motown and classic rock to Latin and country.
Sept. 11 – Atomic Groove takes on dance jams from every decade, along with classic rock and jazz.
In terms of appealing to civic pride, we’ll just have to find other ways to compete with Civita.
LVTC General Meeting This Week
The Linda Vista Town Council will hold its monthly general meeting this Wednesday June 15 (tomorrow night) at the Baha’i Center. As mentioned in the above flyer, representatives from two LV businesses will serve as guest speakers. Attendees will have the opportunity to “meet and greet” from 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm, while the official part of the program will commence shortly thereafter.
The public is invited to attend this meeting. You do not need to be an LVTC member. The meeting is a great opportunity to network with local residents and representatives from local political offices, and to get an update about community matters.
***
LVTC Membership Addendum
Top Ten Reasons for Joining the Linda Vista Town Council (LVTC)
The LVTC — a non- profit civic organization that advocates for actions and projects that improve Linda Vista’s quality of life — is currently looking for new members to join up. The mission of the LVTC is to promote the civic, commercial, educational, cultural interests, and general welfare of the community of Linda Vista. People who live or work in Linda Vista are eligible to apply for membership. As long time members of the LVTC, we at the Linda Vista Update want to put a plug in for membership in the organization. If interested in joining, you can go to the LVTC’s web site here, or its Facebook page here, or attend Wednesday’s general meeting as mentioned above and sign up in person.
Why should you join this organization? Here are the top ten reasons we came up with for becoming a member. By joining, you will…
1. Stay informed about important Linda Vista matters such as the LV Community Garden and the Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market, as well as updates on new local businesses.
2. Be part of a community network of local residents and business owners.
3. Get timely email reminders about attending the LVTC’s monthly general meetings.
4. Receive one of the best bargains in town! The membership fee is only $20.00. And only $10.00 for seniors.
5. Get the opportunity to meet fellow residents, as well as local business owners, political office holders, and other civic leaders at the monthly LVTC general membership meetings.
6. Earn the right to get that long-sought-after “LVTC” tattoo on your bicep.
7. Fulfill your civic duty by participating on one of the LVTC’s committees, and thereby play a direct role in contributing to the advancement of this organization.
8. Be able to provide input on how the LVTC spends it monetary funds on community endeavors.
9. Be on the list of preferred invitees if the LVTC ever has a formal gala fundraising celebration attended by celebrity guests like Gwyneth Paltrow, Henry Kissinger, Tom Brady and his wife Gisele Bunchen, and any or all of the Kardashians.
10. Play a role in helping your community.
We hope you decide to join.
Subscribe to the Linda Vista Update
We invite everyone to subscribe to the Linda Vista Update. It’s free! Just click on the below “Subscribe now” button. Once you do so, you will be on automatic distribution for all future posts. Stay informed. Join our growing readership.
If you have already subscribed, please let your friends and family members know about the newsletter and encourage them to subscribe as well.
The Linda Vista Update is a weekly digital newsletter that publishes informative, interesting and fun news about Linda Vista and its neighboring communities.
If you didn’t catch last week’s issue of the newsletter, you can read it by clicking here.