mml sept/oct

Mira Mesa LivingVolume 1, Number 2

Look Inside for Coupons & Classifieds

Eat, Dance & Dress:Step Into

a New Culture

Masquerading Marauder: The truth behind MMHS’ Mascot

Street Fair 2010: Music, Food & Fun

Photo by Brengel Productions

Bringing the Community Together!

Mira Mesa Living

Welcome to the second issue of Mira Mesa Living. Notice anything different?In our attempt to provide the best neighborhood in San Diego with thehighest quality publication, we have made some physical upgrades to thisissue. Gone is the newspaper with its runny ink. From here on, out we are allglossy. We want MML to live on your coffee table for several weeks until ournext issue is out for your enjoyment and information, so your guests willknow you’re tapped into the heart of all things Mira Mesa.

We are also taking steps to fulfill some promises from the first issue. Ourgoal is to have MML bridge the cultural gap among our neighbors. Peoplefrom dozens of countries with countless backgrounds live in Mira Mesa.Starting now, we focus on what makes us different and work to knock downwalls and dissolve stereotypes. What better way to start than with food? Thisissue features recipes from several different cultures; from a traditionalJewish fall favorite to a spicy Thai dish that might make your nose run.

There is so much happening in the coming months and as a publication weare trying to fit it all in while maintaining continuity, so you know you cancount on us to have a new issue out at the same time, every other month.With that in mind, we tried to include as much information about the StreetFair as possible. For updates, you can always visit our website,www.miramesaliving.com or the Town Council website atwww.miramesatowncouncil.org.

At MML we strive to be Mira Mesa’s numberone community resource. We can’t do itwithout your help. We know we’re a youngpublication (2 issues, what is that in dogyears?) but we have already had an amazingoutpouring of community support. We can’tthank you enough for letting us into yourhomes and becoming part of your life. Wewill continue to respect that commitmentfrom you by providing the highest level ofquality and information we can. And pleasedon’t stop helping us grow. As always, thereare several ways to reach us:

To Advertise –[email protected] submit articles, news and events –[email protected] Contact the Publisher –[email protected] Join Mira Mesa Cultural Group –[email protected]

Thanks for your support and we’ll see you onthe streets, living in Mira Mesa.

Sincerely,The Staff at Mira Mesa Living

©2010 Mira Mesa Living. All Rights Reserved. Neither this publication nor any part thereof may be reproduced in any form, for any use without the written permission of the copyright owner. Contents of Mira Mesa Living are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the staff at Mira Mesa Living. The appearance of advertisingin this publication, including inserts and supplements, does not constitute endorsement by Mira Mesa Living. The information in this publication is gathered in a way to ensure maximum accuracy. Mira Mesa Living cannot, and does not, guarantee the correctness of information, or the absence of errors or omissions, or against the pres-ence of unintentional inclusions. Mira Mesa Living accepts no responsibility for ad contents or representations. Each advertiser is solely responsible for ad content. Representations made regarding the products, services or conditions are the sole responsibility of the advertiser.

Street Fair ProgramStage Schedule 6Statics/Demos 9Map & Vendors 12-13Sponsors 14

Cultural HeritageHoliday

Celebrations 18Cultural Recipes

& Stories 20

Schools 22Community 26Halloween 29Classifieds 30Calendar of Events 31

For Mira Mesa news updates and events, visitMiraMesaLiving.com

Welcome back!

Inside ThisEdition…

12 th Annual Street Fair

Presented by Mira Mesa Town Council

Saturday, September 25th10am to 4:30pm

CAMINO RUIZ ~ BETWEEN MIRA MESA BLVD. & NEW SALEM ST.

Community Ceremony:

11:45 AM on the Community StageMMHS AFJROTC DemonstrationsPresentations by MMTC President Ted Brengel and other Dignitaries

For up to date information, please check www.MiraMesaTownCouncil.org

www.MiraMesaLiving.com

Photos by Ted Brengel, www.BrengelProductions.com

to submit an article or events for publication e-mail [email protected]

Mira Mesa Living

By Pam Stevens

Photos by: Ted Brengel,www.BrengelProductions.com

Enjoy family fun at the 12thAnnual Mira Mesa Street Fair onSaturday, Sept. 25, 2010, from 10a.m. to 4:30 p.m., on CaminoRuiz between Mira MesaBoulevard and New Salem Street.

More than 100 crafters, businesses,non-profit groups, and foodvendors will have booths at theStreet Fair, hosted by the MiraMesa Town Council. The StreetFair features a carnival with ridesfor children and teens, as well ascontinuous entertainment on twostages. Special attractions includelarge earth-moving equipment andmilitary vehicles from MCASMiramar. Vulcan Materials willhost a free rock-painting booth forchildren to create their own "rockart." SDG&E will offer a lamp and

light bulb exchange, providingcompact fluorescent bulbs andfloor or table lamps for the lessenergy efficient incandescent bulbsand halogen torchiere lamps (freeto SDG&E customers – bring yourbill for ID). Friends of the MiraMesa Library will hold their biggestbook sale of the year from 9:30a.m. to 2 p.m. in the library’scommunity room. There will bestage performances of Filipino andHawaiian dances, martial artsdemos, and a variety of vocalartists and bands.

“The Mira Mesa Street Fair is theannual event to get out and meetyour neighbors (upwards of20,000 of them!), shop localcrafts/ vendors, and generallyhave an awesome day in yourown neighborhood and backyard...plus all the profits go rightback into your communityimprovement efforts, sponsored

by the MMTC,” said Street FairCommittee co-chair Mike Davis.

“The rock painting for kids andthe SDG&E lighting exchangehave been popular in past yearsand will be back again. Last year’sdunk tank (and face painting,both for a small donation to helpsupport the Mira Mesa Highwater polo teams) will be back,too,” Street Fair co-chair JeffStevens said.

The food court will have aninternational flair, including MaiThai’s Asian Cuisine, Mr. Joey’sTaco Shop, Egyptian DelightsMediterranean cuisine (popular atthe Mira Mesa Farmers Market),Smokin’ Joe Jones barbecue, and afood booth by the Mira Mesa GirlScouts featuring all-American cornon the cob.

Live entertainment is an importantpart of the Street Fair. MMTC Street

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Fair Committee volunteer John Daley has beenworking as Entertainment Chair to put together avaried program of performances throughout the day.Among the acts scheduled at the“Vulcan Rocks” Music Stage (inthe library parking lot) are thealternative pop/rock band, “Westof I-5,” which got its start in June2007 when the band performedat the Epicentre in Mira Mesa,and pop / acoustic singer/songwriter / guitarist JordanRiemer. Acts on the CommunityStage (on Camino Ruiz near Chick fil-A) will includea variety of vocalists, as well as the Kealo Hilani DanceTroupe, JING Institute of Chinese Martial Arts, andFASCA Filipino Traditional Dancing. Pro DJ RayPinnock (www.djundaground.com) will host theCommunity Stage line-up.

Find out more about what’s happeningthroughout Mira Mesa at the “big top” tent staffedby volunteers from the Mira Mesa Town Council,4th of July Committee, Community PlanningGroup, Recreation Council, and Chamber ofCommerce. Many other local non-profit, youth,educational and recreational groups will havebooths, such as RSVP (Retired Senior VolunteerPatrol), Miramar College, Mira Mesa WomensClub, and Mira Mesa Theatre Guild (whoseannual Monster Manor and Lite Frite is due toopen in October). There will be crafters withhandmade jewelry and other handcrafted items,as well as other vendors with a variety ofinteresting wares.

SDG&E’s lighting exchangestarts at 10 a.m. and continueswhile supplies last. Trade yourincandescent bulbs (up to 5)for energy efficient compactfluorescent bulbs, andhalogen lamps (any style) forenergy efficient torchiere ortable lamps (up to two). All

SDG&E customers are eligible; bring yourSDG&E bill for ID along with your old light bulbsand lamps.

From 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. there will be aCommunity Ceremony at the Community Stagefeaturing the Mira Mesa High School AFJROTC

and presentations by Mira Mesa Town Councilpresident Ted Brengel and other dignitaries. Comemeet some of the MMTC Street Fair Committeevolunteers who have worked all year behind thescenes to make the event possible.

The 12th Annual Mira Mesa Street Fair programincluded in this September/October issue of MiraMesa Living contains a list of participating non-profit groups, businesses, food booths, crafters,and other vendors, as well as a map showing thesections of the street where particular vendors’booths and other activities are located. Theprogram also includes the entertainment schedulefor both stages.

For more information, seewww.miramesatowncouncil.org.

to submit an article or events for publication e-mail [email protected] 6 to submit an article or events for publication e-mail [email protected]

Mira Mesa Living

Vulcan Materials Musical StageTIME PERFORMERS ENTERTAINMENT 10:45 - 11:45 Riki Michelle & Tim Tormey Jazz12:15 - 13:00 Causing Problems13:15 - 14:00 Ramekega14:15 - 15:00 West of I-5 Alternative Rock15:15 - End Jordan Reimer Bubblegum

Community StageTIME PERFORMERS ENTERTAINMENT 10:05 - 11:00 Carl Durant Acoustic Rock11:05 - 11:20 STUDIO FX Dance

& Performing Arts Hip-Hop11:25 - 11:45 Junk Yard Dance Crew Hip-Hop11:45 - 12:15 Community Ceremony

w/ROTC Color Guard12:30 - 13:00 Kealo Hilani Dance Troupe Hawaiian dance13:00 - 13:15 JING Institute of

Chinese Martial Arts Kung Fu/Wushu & Tai-Chi13:15 - 14:00 Swiftkick Karate14:00 - 14:30 Antarnaad School of Dance Indian Dance14:30 - 15:00 GO Project Rap15:00 - 15:30 FASCA Filipino

Traditional Dancing Filipino Line Dancing15:30 - 16:30 Subliminal Trip Contemporary

Mira Mesa Street Fair Schedule

Come and dunk the Mira Mesa HighSchool Water Polo Team at the MiraMesa Street Fair on September 25th!

Water Polo is exciting because the play-ers are excellent athletes who swim,‘egg beat’, catch,throw and scoreback and forthacross the pool foran hour without‘touching’ the bot-tom. They oftenappear to flyacross the poolwith a beautifulenvious agility thatmakes the sportlook easy…but ittakes a lot of prac-tice to achieve thiscompetitiveness.Last year, theMMHS boys’water polo teamfinished 2nd in the City CentralLeague and they won the ‘silver’ in theEl Capitan Invitational.

Please visit the MMHS website to learnmore about this exciting sport. We sin-cerely encourage each of you to comeby the Water Polo Dunk booth at thestreet fair to help us raise money forthis awesome sport. The MMHS teamis struggling to stay afloat. The SanDiego Unified School District does notadequately fund this sport which is

costly due to pool rentals. The team isforced to fund raise to have a seasoneach year.

Join our Water Polo team boys at thedunk booth and get your face painted

by our water polo girls’ team. Helpsupport our efforts to keep this sport inMira Mesa!

The MMHS Water Polo team is inneed of a sponsor(s) for the wholeteam or individual players. Many play-ers cannot afford the $250 seasonalcost and will opt to not play. If you canhelp, please contact the team coach atMMHS website or Water Polo MomDonna Carter (through Mira MesaLiving Magazine).

Water Polo Comes Alive at the Mira Mesa Street Fair Dunk Booth

By Donna Carter, Water Polo Mom

Plaza Wine & Spirits

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• Beer • Wine • Liquor • Check Cashing • Money Orders

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Mira Mesa Living

page 8 to submit an article or events for publication e-mail [email protected]

“Marvelous Marv” MilesReal Estate Broker

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Property GalleryArea’s Oldest Real Estate Office9396 Mira Mesa Boulevard

ChamberMeetings/MixersUpcoming Dates :

September 21st858 Graphics

9705 Carroll Center Rd

October 19th - Being Fit / Robeks / Extreme Pita8292 Mira Mesa Blvd

(Near Vons)Social - 5:30pm

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• Low Membership Fee ($120 per year)

• Free Farmer's Market Booth for Members (Limited Time)

• No Meeting Attendance Fee for Meetings/Mixers

• Member to Member Discounts

• Listing in MMCC Business Directory on Site

• Your detailed business data included with contact information

• Chamber marketing of your business viaprograms such as "Shop Mira Mesa"

MMCC Member Benefits

At TheCenter ofSan DiegoCommerce!



Source: Public Affairs Office,MCAS Miramar

The world-famous MCASMiramar Air Show returns to SanDiego with our theme “Marines:A Tradition of Uncommon Valor”.In 2010, for thesecond year ina row, the BlueAngels will bejoined by theCanadianSnowbirds, a24-membershow team thatis the only onein NorthAmerica to per-form with ninejets flying inclose formation.The show alsofeatures military and civilian jets,propeller planes, old warbirds, asailplane, hang glider and jetpowered truck.

This year’s air show takes placeOct. 1, 2, and 3, with a twilight airshow Oct. 2.

The annual MCAS Miramar AirShow is an open house opportuni-ty for our neighbors and for visi-tors from far-off places to getacquainted with an operating airstation. Visitors to the MCASMiramar Air Show will see a

thrilling and dynamic Marine AirGround Task Force (MAGTF)demonstration, with special-effectspyrotechnics taking place over,around and right in front of them!

Miramar has played a key role in

military aviation since the earlydays of World War II, whenMarine and Naval aviators trainedhere to defend our freedom acrossthe far reaches of the Pacific.Today, 60 years after the end ofthat war, Marine and Naval avia-tors of another generation honetheir flying skills here before goingforward to support coalition forcesin Iraq and Afghanistan.

Admission and parking for theair show is free. Visitwww.Mi r amarA i rShow. comfor additional information.

Miramar Air Show to Celebrate “Marines: A Tradition

of Uncommon Valor”

Photo by: Ted Brengel, www.BrengelProductions.com

5820 Autoport Mall • San Diego, CA 92121

858-450-9494www.tomsmm.com

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Welcome Back To School!

• USMC

• SD Fire Dept.

• SD Police/SWAT

• Large ConstructionMachinery (Vulcan Materials Company and HansonAggregates)

• SD CERT

• Exotic/Classic Cars & Motorcycles

Mira Mesa Street FairStatics / Demos

• Neighborhood Atmosphere • Attentive and Friendly Staff• Over 30 FREE Group Exercise Classes/Week

8292 Mira Mesa Blvd. (Near Vons)

858-549-3456www.beingfit.net


A Love Affair And ChickenThe owners of Chick-fil-A fell in love with the company and each other

Photo by Ron Morales, www.ZoomShots.net

On a sunny Thursday afternoon in June, achicken restaurant that started in the southernUnited States opened its latest West Coaststore. The couple behind the chicken sandwich-es has a long-standing love affair with their cor-poration and another, even stronger love, forone another.

Ashley and Brent Baillio opened Chick-fil-A(10750 Camino Ruiz, www.chickfila.com) just afew years after joining the team as interns. Theymarried last winter in a whirl-wind romance sur-rounded by lightly breaded chicken, pickles andbuttered buns.

Ashley started her career with Chick-fil-A as acollege student. She joined the team as a mar-keting intern. Brent joined the nation’s secondlargest chicken restaurant chain as a teenager.While Brent has been with the company forseveral years, it didn’t take nearly that long tofall in love and wed Ashley. It was more likeseveral months.

In March 2009, the company placed the twoon the same team and assigned them to push

the product and convince people to chooseChick-fil-A across the country. After working on

a few assignments, they started dating andbecame a couple six months later, inSeptember. According to Ashley, Brent pro-

posed in October and the couple married inDecember. Four days after their special day,Chick-fil-A headquarters told the couple to packup and move west to Mira Mesa.

To say the Baillio’s have had a hectic year is likesaying Chick-fil-A is a mildly profitable compa-ny; silly. The company boasts 42 consecutiveyears of positive sales growth. The couple hopesto settle into a similar groove in Mira Mesa.Ashley said Mira Mesa is a desirable neighbor-hood personally because it is a tight-knit com-munity and professionally because the highschool is only a block away.

Calling Mira Mesa home might take some get-ting used to for Ashley, a southern belle fromGeorgia, and Brent, a native of Honduras, butthe owners of the community’s newest fast-casual restaurant are happy here and have noplans to leave. They say they love Mira Mesabecause it is so diversified in people and overallliving environment. Of course, they hope theirneighbors stop diversifying dinner menus anddecide to eat more chicken.

Photo by Ron Morales, www.zoomshots.net


Mira Mesa Living

Mira Mesa Street Fair Committee 2010

• Jeff Stevens• Mike Davis• Ted Brengel• Karen Burger• Donna Carter• John Daley• Michael DeVilla• Virgil Harris• Jon Labaw • Ray Pinnock• Ernie Schnepf• Pam Stevens• Robin Stutsman• Chuck Sweet• Bari Vaz• MMHS AFJROTC• Sgt Randy Crouch

Along with help from:• John Malo• Sandy Smith• Steve Stutsman• Michelle Tsai

Thank You!The Mira Mesa Street Fair

2010 Committee thanks our volunteers, local stores, and restaurants for donating time, food and resources

to help make our event a success!



Mira Mesa Mall 8220 Mira Mesa Blvd

858-578-6670collinsfamilyjewelers.com

All Your Favorites…

2010 Mira Mesa Street Fair VendorsAreas A & E

• NCA Entertainment• Amusement Rides

Areas B• A Scrap of time• Asian Art• Barb's Beads by Julie• Best Buy• Black Mountain

Democratic Club• Blue River• Christ Community

Church• Church of Jesus Christ

of Latter Day Saints• COSTCO• Dermal and Wellness

Center• Duncan Hunter for

Congress• Easy Turf, Inc.• Gymboree Play &

Music• Harmonium, Inc.• Kute Desk• Lucky * Star• Max Renovations• Mira Mesa Bible

Baptist Church• Modestate Wireless

• Mt. Moriah ChristianChurch

• Navy Federal CreditUnion

• Operation Samahan,Inc.

• Park Lane/MaryKay/Brenda’s Beasties

• PNB RemittanceCenters

• Praise Fellowship• Rancho Family YMCA• RC Realty of San

Diego• Relay for

Life/MiraMesa RanchoPenasquitos

• River Church SanDiego

• Sahaja Meditation• San Diego County

Credit Union• San Diego Gas and

Electric• San Diego Union

Tribune• Sandcritters• SAY San Diego• SDSU Foundation WIC• Sokoni• Wells Fargo

Area C• Alcoholics Anonymous• American Red Cross• Amazing Sheets• Bank of America• Christ the Cornerstone

Church, Academy• Cookie Lee Jewelry• Cub Scout Pack 1209• Girl Scouts• Grondin Construction,

Inc.• Kiwanis Club of

Scripps-Mira Mesa• Mira Mesa

Presbyterian Church• Miramar Chiropractic

& Health Center• NEST• Reggae World• Rosen For Schools• Stillwater Co.• Sylvan Learning

Center of Mira Mesa• Time Warner Cable• TOPS• Turning Point Pregnancy

Resource Center• Walgreens

Area F• Advanced Exteriors• Calvary Chapel Mira

Mesa• Councilmember Carl

DeMaio• Creative Memories• eLiveLife.com• Exchange Club of San

Diego• Friends of Los

Penasquitos CanyonPreserve

• Horizon Hospice• Khausak• Lunasea Studios• Marvin Miles• Mira Mesa Christian

School• Mira Mesa Girls

Softball• Mira Mesa High

School AFJROTC • Mira Mesa High

School Foundation• Mira Mesa High

School Water Polo• Mira Mesa Theatre

Guild

• Mira Mesa Town Council

• Mira Mesa Women'sClub

• Miramar FederalCredit Union

• Pacific Coast TheatreCo.

• Pacific HomeRemodeling

• RSVP• San Diego Executive

Lions Club• San Diego

Herpetological Society• San Diego Miramar

College• Ten Hands Gift House

Area G (Food)• Barrett's Lemonade• Egyptian Delights• Garden State Ice• Girl Scouts• Mai Thai’s Asian

Cuisine• Matheny's Wagon

Works• Mr. Joey's Taco Shop• Muscle Beach Café• Smokin' Joe Jones

• Summer Harvest KettleCorn

• Woody Wagon IcyTreats

• YogurtLand Mira Mesa

Area H• Being Fit Fitness

Centers• California Solar

Innovations• Friends of Adult

Health Care Centers• Harbor Presbyterian

Church• Islamic Charity

Foundation• Rainbow Kids Integral

Preschool• Roy's Handmade

Jewelry• Scentsy, Estela

Sagredo• Sofia’s Precious

Creations• Non Surgical Spine

Care Center• Vulcan Materials


Diamond Sponsors:

Emerald Sponsors:

Ruby Sponsors:Gen-Probe858 GraphicsMira Mesa Office and Medical MallVonsHomeland Petroleum

Sapphire Sponsors:Callahan's

Thank You 2010 Mira Mesa Street Fair Sponsors!

Photo by Ted Brengel, www.BrengelProductions.com

August 18, 2010 – Greer, SC –Diners in San Diego are in for a new,upgraded experience as all 10 of thearea’s HomeTown Buffet® restau-rants will be completely transformed.The re-imaged restaurants will offernew food stations with delicious,contemporary menu items, as well asnew dishes and flavor profiles. Eachrestaurant will also showcase anentirely new ‘look and feel’ withupdated design and fresh, new décor.

A list of re-imaged restaurants fol-lows and consumers can accesswww.Facebook.com/HomeTownBuffet for updates and news about there-launched restaurants. The majorreimaging in San Diego coincideswith the launch of the company'snew marketing platform, the "Landof &," which communicates a diningexperience with personalizedoptions where requiring decisionsbetween one option or another does

not exist. HomeTown Buffet is partof the Buffets, Inc. family of restau-rants, the nation’s largest steak-buffetrestaurant company.

“Other restaurants, even those withbuffets, often require guests to makechoices between one food genre oranother,” said Monte Jump, execu-tive vice president of marketing forBuffets, Inc. “HomeTown Buffettakes the ‘or’ out of dining by provid-ing culinary adventures and optionsthat go on ‘and’ on. We believe therestaurants’ new look and feel willbetter reflect our position as ‘TheLand of &’ while offering a greatatmosphere for memorable mealsbetween family and friends.”

HomeTown Buffet’s transformationprocess will be tiered, with each of the10 local restaurants taking approxi-mately two weeks per store, begin-ning with the Mira Mesa location

which re-opens on August 15.Chosen for its great growth potentialand loyal customer-base, completionof all San Diego stores is expected byJanuary, 2011. Specific dates aredependent upon permitting schedulesand will be announced throughwww.Facebook.com/HomeTownBuffet. The company’s goal is to continueexpanding the transformation processto other markets in the future.

The re-imaged San Diego-areaHomeTown Buffet restaurants arealso introducing several new recipeswith exciting new flavor profilesserved throughout the week. Manyof these items are also highlighted inthe company’s new television adver-tising campaign, “The Land of &,”which debuted at the end of July.

Asian, Italian and Mexican cuisinesare showcased along with theAmerican Fare ‘Market’ which offersupgraded classic items, as well asnew sliders and new Country-StyleRibs. There is also a new CarvingStation, a Fresh Market for customiz-able salads and Soup Bar. TheBeverage Bar will offer traditionalsoft drinks and coffees, and newbeverages will be added includinghorchata (a cold drink made withrice, almonds, cinnamon, sugar andlime zest), pineapple cooler, lemon-ade, pink lemonade, iced coffee, andraspberry tea. Of course, for a truly‘sweet’ ending to a meal,HomeTown Buffet offers its famousBakery and Ice Cream Stand, nowwith new hard-packed ice cream inaddition to its traditional soft-serve.Additionally, all remodeled restau-rants will feature ICEE beverages

and may include cherry, blue rasp-berry and Coca-Cola flavors.

Designed by Cuningham GroupArchitecture in Minneapolis, the re-imaged San Diego-area HomeTownBuffet restaurants will feature raisedceilings in the food area and haveupdated, warm-toned décor servingas a neutral back drop so that all buf-fet-areas ‘pop’ visually. Each color-ful, cuisine-specific buffet or Market‘store-front’ will be newly designedto reflect the appropriate region andits food specialties, i.e.; a bright redAsian pagoda and authentic tiles atthe Mexican Market. The BeverageBar, Bakery and Ice Cream Standwill also have new looks and appro-priate signs hanging from the ceiling.Updated artwork throughout, new

tables, chairs and banquette/boothscomplete the makeover.

About Buffets, Inc.

Buffets, Inc. is the nation’s largeststeak-buffet restaurant company,which currently operates 532 restau-rants in 38 states, comprised of 515steak-buffet restaurants and 10Tahoe Joe’s Famous Steakhouse®restaurants, and franchises sevensteak-buffet restaurants in six states.The restaurants are principally oper-ated under the Old CountryBuffet®, HomeTown Buffet®,Ryan’s® and Fire Mountain®brands. Buffets, Inc. employs approx-imately 30,000 team members andserves 165 million customers annual-ly. For more information about theCompany, please visit our Web sitesat www.Buffet.com

San Diego’s HomeTown Buffet®

Restaurants Undergo Transformation10 Local Stores to Re-Launch as “The Land of &”





By Pam Stevens

The Mira Mesa Town Council (MMTC) is a volunteer non-profit group that anyone who lives in Mira Mesa or is inter-ested in the community can join. The Mira Mesa Town Council organizes the annual Mira Mesa Street Fair and otherprojects that make Mira Mesa a better place to live. Find out more about what’s going on in Mira Mesa at any month-ly MMTC meeting on the first Monday of the month, 7 p.m. at the Verne Goodwin Mira Mesa Senior Center. The pub-lic is welcome to participate in all discussions.

A suburban community within the City of San Diego, Mira Mesa stretches from I-15 on the east to I-805 on the west, and fromMCAS Miramar on the south to Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve on the north. The Mira Mesa Town Council was formed as a non-profit corporation on September 21, 1972. MMTC began the first Mira Mesa Street Fair in 1999 as an expansion of the former “ILove Mira Mesa Day” community information fair that took place at the Mira Mesa Mall from 1976 through 1997 and in Mira MesaCommunity Park in 1998. MMTC holds monthly “town hall” meetings that provide information to community members and offera forum to discuss issues and solve community problems together with representatives of elected officials at the City, County, State,and Federal levels.

Voting membership in MMTC is open to any Mira Mesa resident (age 16 or older), property owner, or representative of a non-prof-it group or business with an address in Mira Mesa. Mira Mesa has two zip codes, 92126 for the majority of the community east ofCamino Santa Fe, and 92121 for the residential part ofSorrento Valley on Lopez Ridge in the northwest and theindustrial/commercial Sorrento Mesa area along westernMira Mesa Boulevard, which are both part of Mira Mesa.Anyone with an address outside Mira Mesa but who isinterested in Mira Mesa as a community can join MMTC asan associate (non-voting) member.

Come learn the latest news about education in Mira Mesaat the MMTC’s annual “Education Night” program onMonday, Oct. 4, 2010, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the VerneGoodwin Mira Mesa Senior Center, 8460 Mira Mesa Blvd.

For more information, see www.miramesatowncouncil.org.

Get to know your Mira Mesa Town Council

Get to know your Mira Mesa Town Council

Mira Mesa Street Fair 2009 Photo by Ted Brengel, www.BrengelProductions.com

Mira Mesa Street Fair 2009 Photo by Ted Brengel, www.BrengelProductions.com

Upcoming Town CouncilMeetings:

Date: September 13th (meeting date changed due to Labor Day on first Monday) & October 4th

Time: 7pm to 9pm

Location: Verne Goodwin Mira MesaSenior Center (8460 MiraMesa Blvd, next to Epicentre)

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By Steve Nicoles

Photos by Ted Brengel,BrengelProductions.com

In the United States, we don’treally need much excuse to throw

a party, but it never hurts tohave an actual reason

to imbibe onmoonbeams

or consumeapplesdipped in sweet,sweethoney.Theremight not

be a betterplace to

celebrate a

plethora of holidays with food,drink and dance than Mira Mesa.So many people from so many dif-ferent backgrounds, cultures andcountries call the neighborhoodhome. Each culture has its own cel-ebration that occurs in Septemberor October.

East meets West: Many Asiancultures celebrate the HarvestMoon. In China, it comes on the15th day of the eighth lunarmonth. This year that happens tobe September 22. According towww.chiff.com the harvest moonis considered the brightest moonof the year and the Chinese don’twaste the night. Most everyonegoes outside to gaze at the fullmoon. Mooncakes are a populardessert treat this time of year. Theyare round pastries often filled withchocolate and nuts.

In Vietnam, the mooncakes tend tobe square. Several stories accompa-ny the holiday including a tale of

the Moon Lady and one of a carpthat wants to be a dragon.

In a Land Down Under: InWestern Samoa, they celebrate theTeuila festival for two weeks.According to www.nzdestina-tions.com Samoans like to sing anddance about their culture, andDeputy Prime Minister MiniTelefoni has said the festivaldefines Samoans. The party isdescribed like a street fair in theU.S. (visit Mira Mesa’s street fairon September 25th) only muchbigger and lasting much longer.There are booths with vendors sell-

ing food and homemade jewelry.There are also intense boat races.In Samoa, they use longboatscalled fautasi, which have 40 row-ers each!

Party South of the Border:September 16th marks Mexico’sindependence from Spain. Thisyear is the bicentennial. The sightsand smells of Mexico’s independ-ence are noticeable in Mira Mesa.Mexican flags fly from homes.Fresh punch made from sugarcane,raisins and apples is made andshared with neighbors. In Mexico,Independence Day looks similar to

Mira Mesa Living Celebrates Cult

Tracy Ludwick and the girls are wearing muumuus. They are formal dresses wornin parts of Micronesia. Also shown is a lava-lava, a cloth fabric wrapped around the

waist. Men generally wear this, and it is much less formal than the muumuu.

One can see in Mira Mesa that someof our community’s oriental originsheavily influence the community inwhich we live. The culture and tradi-tions of our Asian residents evenreach our younger generations. In theart building of the local high school,every Friday at lunch, in a room usu-ally used for teaching art, one canstep into a world halfway across the

earth. Mira Mesa High School creat-ed The Rising Sun: Asian PopCulture Association in 2008. Its pur-pose is to teach students about Asiancultures and their many branchesand networks. The club discussesyears of culture and history alongwith current events and modern fads.(Written By: Maggie Kam; Edited By:Naomi Hernandez

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America’s. After the sun sets on aday of partying and celebrating,fireworks light up the night skycelebrating the end of a 10-yearwar for independence.

Toast to the King: Many peopleequate Oktoberfest with heavydrinking of heavy German beer.While drinking does occur often,the two-week celebration actuallystarted as a wedding reception ofsorts for King Ludwig I and QueenTherese nearly 200 years ago in1811. It wasn’t until 1887 thatbreweries left their mark on theparty. Today, Oktoberfest celebra-tions occur worldwide and aremost often celebrated with beer.

Happy New Year: OnSeptember 9, Jews around theworld and in Mira Mesa will cel-ebrate the Jewish New Year, RoshHashanah. It’s going to be 5771on their lunar calendar. Jews willgo to temple in the morning, andafter services there is much toeat. The most common staple of

the holiday is apples dipped inhoney. They symbolize a hope ofa sweet upcoming year. RoshHashanah is 10 days before YomKippur, the Day of Atonement.This is arguably the most seriousholiday for Jews. They spend theday in temple, often fasting, pray-ing and thinking about their sinsfrom the previous year.

The fall is a grand time for holi-days, celebrations and commem-orations. Many date back hun-dreds and thousands of years.This is just a partial list of how aworld’s worth of cultures in MiraMesa might celebrate. Mira MesaLiving will celebrate cultural her-itage in each issue going forward.We want to invite all of you toshare your culture with us (cul-tural holidays, etiquette, recipesand more). Please email yourarticle and photos [email protected] you and we look forwardto hearing from you soon!

tural Heritage and Holidays!

Kayla Fang wears a traditionalHmong Sev (pronounced

“shey”). This clothing is oftenworn at weddings by the bride

and groom.

Neha Patel’s students are wearing traditional Hindu dance clothing.Neha is a guru, or teacher, of traditional Indian dance and runsAntarnaad Studio (www.antarnaad.com, [email protected]).

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Ingredients:

Ground pork 1/2 lb.Thai Basil To TasteThai Chili To TasteOyster Sauce 2 tbspFish Sauce 2 tbspSugar 2 tspGarlic 2 cloves (smashed)Vegetable oil 1 tbsp

Heat wok or pan to mediumheat. Combine oil and garlicand stir for 30 seconds. Addchili and mix all for about 20seconds. Combine pork untilit is cooked about halfwaythrough. Then add the fishsauce, oyster sauce, and sugar.Be sure to stir until the pork iscompletely cooked. SprinkleThai basil into the mix, turnoff the heat and serve on abed of white rice. In Thailand,we generally eat with a friedegg… Yummy!!

By: Tina Laorattanaphaiboon

In Thailand, we love our spices. People havegrown up next to fresh herbs and spices for thou-sands of years. We also love our heat. Thailand isalways hot, and if you’ve ever eaten at a Thairestaurant, then you know how spicy the food canbe. We also make a point to include natural herbsand spices native to our homeland in the food weprepare. This is one of my favorite recipes fromback home. It uses fresh basil and Thai Chili for afresh and hot Hot HOT taste! You can make it asspicy as you like. I like 10 out of 10!

Thai Recipe: Spicy Basil with Ground Pork

Ramadan: Lentil Soup RecipeBy Esther Alameddin

Though a growing portion of the MiraMesa population practices Islam, thereare so many among us who don’tknow anything about the religion atall. One thing people may havelearned already is that for one monthevery year, the month of Ramadan,Muslims fast from all worldly tempta-tions including food and water duringdaylight hours. This year their holymonth occurs from August 11through September 11. The purposeof Ramadan is to be more under-standing of what the poor endure, forintrospection of their beliefs andhopefully to return to a more healthyway of life.

Everyday through Ramadan a specialevening prayer, known as Tarweeh isconducted by Muslims. During thisspecial prayer a juz or 1/30th of theQur’an is recited so that by the end ofthe month the entire Qur’an will havebeen read.

Because the majority of Muslims arefasting during this holy month, week-end Iftars, the meals to break the fastat sunset, are offered for people to fel-

lowship and enjoy together. Usuallyrefreshing fruit and a gently soothingsoup are standards at any Iftar to keeppeople’s stomachs from overworkingafter resting all day. One soup in par-ticular, the silky, rich Addas or YellowLentil Soup, is a favorite in the MiddleEast. Fortunately all the ingredientsare easily located in the United Statesso this tasty and nourishing comfortfood can be enjoyed here as well.

Shorabah Addas (Lentil Soup)

• 1/4 cup diced onions,sautéed in 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 cup dry yellow or red lentils

• 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

• salt and pepper to taste (atleast 1/2 tsp of each)

Wash and sort the lentils, removing anydebris that may settle there. Meanwhilebring the broth to a boil. Add season-ings, lentils, and any optional items asdesired then cook until lentils double

in size. Feel free to add morebroth or water as needed,although this soup appearscreamy when finished, notwatery. Purée the ingredients ina blender until smooth. Ladlehot soup into bowls and gar-nish with 1 tsp fresh lemonjuice for a bright, tangy taste or1 tbsp plain yogurt for a cooler,creamy texture.

Makes six 1/2 cup servings. Perfect to start any meal!

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A Sweet JewishNew Year ~

Rosh Hashanah

By Leah R. Singer

On the sundown of September8, Jews from around the world –and throughout Mira Mesa – willcelebrate the new year of 5771.This marks the beginning of oneof the holiest Jewish holidays,Rosh Hashanah, or the JewishNew Year.

As with nearly all Jewish holi-days, food plays quite a role inthe celebration. Rosh Hashanahis no excep-tion. This holi-day focuses oneating applesand honey tomark thesweetness ofthe comingyear. As such,apple dishesare commonlyprepared aspart of the celebratory dinner.

One of my absolute favoriteapple dishes is an apple cakerecipe that was created by mygrandmother, Gertrude Singer.My mother has also beenpreparing this favorite dessert foras long as I can remember. Andnow I’ve continued this RoshHashanah dessert tradition in myfamily as well.

Grandma Gertrude’s Apple Cake

4 Tablespoon butter1/2 cup sugar1 egg1/2 cup milk1 cup flour1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt4 sliced apples

(I use Granny Smith)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With a mixer,cream togetherbutter andsugar. Beat eggwith milk, andadd tocreamed ingre-dients.

Combine flour,baking powder

and salt. Add to creamed ingre-dients. Stir just to combine.

Pour into a 10-inch greased piedish. Cover with sliced apples.

Mix together an additional 1/4cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon cin-namon. Sprinkle over slicedapples.

Bake for about 30 minutes, untila toothpick comes out clean. Topwith whipped cream or vanillaice cream. Or eat alone; it’s justas good!

Leah R. Singer is a freelance writer and blogs about family, motherhood, traditions, religion, cooking and other

such topics. Leah enjoys spending timewith her husband, daughter, and twodogs. You can follow Leah on her blog

at leahsthoughts.wordpress.com.

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Mira Mesa Living


The Mystery of the Marauder SolvedBy Thomas Sholan

For years members of the Marauderfamily have believed the fallacy that theMira Mesa High School mascot wasnamed after the US Air Force Martin B-26 Marauder. According to legend theAmerican World War II bomber, spenttime at Marine Corps Air StationMiramar.

Despite this widelyaccepted story, the truthabout the origin of theMarauder was recentlyuncovered. A Mira Mesaalumnus contacted theschool and brought thetruth to light. Former stu-dent Robert Hess and sixothers suggested thename Marauder in acontest to name themascot of the newschool in 1976. His friend JoanneCachapero drew a sketch of a “meanlooking hombre on horseback withweapons in each hand” and Hessbelieves that convinced students tovote for the name Marauder.

Mr. Russell Newell, an aircraft historianand math teacher adds, “I find no

record of [B-26 Marauders] ever beingat Miramar and it is unlikely they wereever there. If they were, nobody wouldhave noticed or cared as they werejunk.”

During the course of the 1976 contesta board of studentsand faculty reviewedthe entries and select-ed the one theybelieved to be themost original, creative,and appropriate entryfrom each age catego-ry. The final selectionwas based on the topselection from eachcategory. According to

Mira Mesa alumniRick Bellows, “Therewere, I think, three

or four choices including The Jaguarsand The Marauders. I don't thinkmost of us knew what a Marauder was,but we liked the drawing I guess.”

For the complete history of the mascot,visit www.miramesaliving.com.

This article appeared in the Marquee Newspaper

Original Mascot - Courtesy of Rob Lambeth

Girl Scouts in Mira Mesa

Photo by Tina Hayden, Leader Junior Troop #8167

It’s a great time to become a GirlScout. Membership in Mira Mesa isgrowing, new troops are forming withthe start of the new school year, andmore girls than ever are gettinginvolved in the community.

Local Girl Scouts have participated in avariety of events, including cultural cele-brations and the Mira Mesa Street Fair.They’ve made Mira Mesa more beauti-ful by planting flower gardens, andexpanded their horizons in Girl Scout-sponsored science, math and technologyworkshops. Most recently, local troopsmarched in the 4th of July parade.

Girl Scouting is all about opportunities—to discover new things, connect withnew friends, and make a difference inyour community. Girls can choose fromcountless activities that match their ageand interests. Ordinary days becomeextraordinary adventures as they lead

service projects, learn new sports, earnprestigious awards or even travel toexotic destinations around the world!

If you are interested in joining GirlScouts, stop by the Girl Scout for a Dayevent on Sunday, October 17 from 1-3p.m. at the Mira Mesa RecreationCenter.

For more information or to find out howyou can volunteer with the organization,please e-mail Joselyn de Leon [email protected] or visitwww.sdgirlscouts.org.Girl Scouts is America’s premier leader-ship development organization for girls.Membership is open to all girls ages 5-17—regardless of their racial, ethnic,socioeconomic or religious back-ground—who make the Girl ScoutPromise, accept the Girl Scout Law, andpay annual dues of just $12. Financialassistance is available.

Mira Mesa Living


Messagefrom

At Hickman Elementary School, we aretruly excited about the upcoming schoolyear! We are looking forward to a yearof working together, sharing successes,overcoming challenges, reflecting uponour work, and setting high expectationsso that our students are afforded thebest opportunity forlearning.

As the proudPrincipal ofHickmanElementary School,I am thrilled toenter my secondyear at this amazing school. From thestudents to the teachers to the familiesat our school, we are top notch inteaching and learning!

Our staff has remained rather intact forthis school year. We wish a fondfarewell to Lisa Eisenberg (5th grade)and Jessica Coleman (SchoolPsychologist) and thank them for all ofthe wonderful work they dedicated on

behalf of our students. We welcomenew School Psychologist, Kristie Calton,who will only serve to compliment thehard working, dedicated staff wealready have at Hickman.

Hickman is very fortunate to have suchstrong support from our parents and com-

munity members.This kind of mutualhome/school/com-munity support iswhat makes ourschool so special. Wetruly appreciate yourinvolvement and

dedication to helping us achieve the bestpossible education for our children. Pleasebe sure to check out our website at:http://new.sandi.net/school/hickman aswe will update it quite frequently tokeep you current with what is happeningat the school. We look forward to an out-standing year!

Jennifer WroblewskiPrincipal, Hickman Elementary

Message from

I hope you had a wonderfulvacation and you are readyfor an exciting year atMason. We are looking for-ward to the new learningthat our children willacquire during the 2010-11school year! We need stu-dents to attend school dailybecause we have so muchto teach them and we can-not educate an empty chair.

At Mason, we are focusedon State Standards and stu-dent productivity at profi-cient levels. We believe all children have theability to learn. We encourage all childrento work to their fullest potential. We expectthem to always do their personal best. Wealso expect our children to be good citi-zens. We will continue to build our schoolwide, Character Education Program. InSeptember we will focus on Responsibility.In October our focus is self control.

Please be sure to review the websitewww.sandi.net/mason each week andmonitor the school calendar for eventsand activities that are important to ourstudents.

Deidre HardsonPrincipal, Mason Elementary

MasonElementary

Conflict ResolutionStory by Steve Nicoles • Photos by Ron Morales, www.ZoomShots.net

As a small five-year-old growing up in the ever-dangerous South Central Los Angeles, D.Davis encountered harassment and selfdefense situations . A traditional Tae KwonDo master, MasterKim, saw Davis andstarted training him inthe martial arts. Thirty-three years later andDavis is a six-time andcurrent AmericanNational Jiu Jitsu cham-pion. It took him fiveyears to become ablack belt in BrazilianJiu Jitsu. Most peopletake 15 years.

Not only has Davismastered his martialart, he says Jiu Jitsu hasallowed him to mastercontrol over every situation of his life. He said,“With Jiu Jitsu, I feel completely complete. Idon’t feel like there’s anything I’m missing.”

The confidence Davis gained from being ableto defend himself as a child in one of the coun-try’s most dangerous towns brought him to

Mira Mesa to conquer a task most people failwithin three years. Davis opened PrimalTraining Center (9811 Mira Mesa Blvd.www.primaltrainingcenter.com, 858-530-

0990) in 2007. He said, “It’sthe thing for me to look outfor the underdog here atPrimal.”

Davis believes Jiu Jitsu ismore practical than othermartial arts. There is nopunching or kicking, justcontrol and leverage. He saysthe size of the fighter doesnot matter. He is giving hisstudents another way to pro-tect themselves while alsoteaching conflict resolution.Davis says it doesn’t have tobe violent; Jiu Jitsu will teachstudents to maintain control

and overcome obstacles in everyday life like sit-ting in rush hour traffic or wading throughcrowds at the grocery store.

Of course, arguing against Davis today will like-ly end in a much different result than when hewas a kid.



Wow! I must say, what a summer it has been so far. A lot has happened thissummer for teens here at the Epicentre, many enjoying their summer herewith us and fulfilling their community service. Everyone dancing, playing,and even singing their hearts out.

As a member of the Teen Advisory Council, I would like to announce thatwe are having elections for officers in the beginning of October. If you areinterested in becoming a member of the council and would like to be an offi-cer, we are still recruiting. We have epic events coming up such as dances,volunteering at a soup kitchen/feeding the homeless and open mic. Comeon down and join the fun! For applications or questions regarding the TeenAdvisory Council, please contact Sigrid Batara at the Epicentre, (858) 271-4000 or [email protected].

Due to incidents last year with Chelsea King and Amber Dubois, the Epicentreis holding a Community Safety Awareness Night (TBD in the early fall). Themeeting is going to discuss some helpful tips and ideas for teens and for theirparents on how to be aware and safe of their surroundings.

Well teens, our summer is almost over, so make the most out of it and makeit safe. Remember to treat yourself with respect: eat healthy and exercisedaily. Get ready for the upcoming school year because I have a feeling thatit is going to be awesome!

by Yazmin Hernandez

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Services that promote well-being

Providing Community-Based Services Since 1975

9245 Activity Road, Suite 105 San Diego, CA 92126 Phone (858) 684-3080 Fax (858) 684-3181 www.harmoniumsd.org

Children’s ProgramsPrimeTime, Klassic Kids, Preschools & Infant/Toddler Childcare CentersOur licensed and regulated (non-licensed) centers provide caring and

for children with activities in arts, crafts, science, music, sports and more.Contact: (858) 684-3080

Harmonium’s Innovative Education Division provides education, trainings and special presentations on a variety of topics to families, communities and professionals.

Youth/Teen ProgramsEpicentre is a San Diego Regional Teen Center that prepares teens for success. We provide a safe environment where youth can gather with friends to participate in age appropriate activities. Contact: (858) 271-4000

Counseling & Parent to Parent ProgramsCounseling and related services are provided by highly trainedprofessionals, tailored to meet the needs of individuals, families, and

neighborhood locations. We specialize in counseling services for children, adolescents, couples and families. Contact: (858) 566-5740

Harmonium was established in 1975 through an enterprising blend of vision and necessity to respond to Mira Mesa’s rapidly growing need for juvenile diversion services. Harmoniumcontinues to shape its mission, goals and services by listening to the needs of neighborhoods, individuals and families.

Harmonium believes creative planning, collaboration, and strength-based intervention results in high quality services that promote well-being. Today, Harmonium is a cornerstone of San Diego communities and continues to strengthen the lives of neighborhood families every day.

“My son has been a part of the Harmonium program at Hage approximately2 ½ years. He began in the summer of his kindergarten year and we couldn’tbe happier. Eddie was extremely shy and had trouble in social situations. AtKlassic Kids, he started to come out of his shell with the help of his counselors.He was able to transition easily into the program and made a lot of friends.During the school year he is enrolled part time. I feel safe knowing Klassic Kidsis on the Hage campus and the counselors are always out front waiting for thekids to arrive. When I go to pick him up he has already gotten his exercise,finished his homework and has had a light snack. He is always happy and Inever feel guilty having him there. I always recommend this program to otherparents and have gotten one of my friends in. I am grateful to have such agreat place for my child!”

Mira Mesa Living


Dances Bring People TogetherBy Steve Nicoles

Sometimes seniors might find it easierto sit at home alone than go out andmeet people. Not Lolita “Lily” Supnet.She’s been in Mira Mesa since 1992and volunteering at the Senior Centersince 1993. She said, “I take pleasurein speaking to people and helping oth-ers whenever I can.” Lily first metsome other Filipinos who could notspeak English well. They asked for herhelp, and the rest is history.

In 1994, Lily joined FASCA, theFilipino American Senior CenterAssociation. In her 16 years, she has

helped countless Filipinos get any helpthey needed. She also helped organizea FASCA social dance on the secondSaturday of each month. The Board ofGovernors dance is on the thirdSunday of each month. Lily says thedances bring lots of people together.Many are Filipino or American. Shesays it’s an easy way to make friends.

Anyone over the age of 50, regardlessof cultural background, can joinFASCA. For more information visitwww.miramesaseniorcenter.org or callFASCA at (858) 578-7325.

Board of Governors (BOG) & Golden FriendsThe Filipino-American Senior Citizen Association (FASCA)Offers a variety of classes and activities for Mira Mesa residents over 50 years of age.

Now Serving Lunch (Open to the Public)Monday through Friday at 12:00pmMenu available on Website: www.MiraMesaSeniorCenter.orgSuggested Donation: $4Site Manager: Gloria B. Supnet

Also join us for fun activities:A Monthly Dance and Social from 2:00pm to 4:30pm on the third Sunday;Exercise Classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings and Painting Class onThursday mornings are co-sponsored with the Community College ContinuingEducation Program; Bingo is offered on Friday mornings; Line Dancing is held from 7:00pm to 9:00pm on Friday evenings.Game Day is held at 1:00pm on Tuesdays.Game Night is held on Wednesday evening at 7:00pm.

Lily is 4th from the left. • photo by Ted Brengel, www.BrengelProductions.comVERNE GOODWIN MIRAMESA SENIOR CENTER

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Volunteer RecognitionBy Esther Alameddin • Photo by Steve Stutsman

To look at Raya Abadir, you would not consider her agiant by any means. Born in Russia, she barely reach-es four and a half feet in height and is known as“Grandma Tiny” by all. Yet despite her rapidlyapproaching 84th birthday, my mom continues tostretch beyond her comfort zones, learning Sudoku,participating in volunteer work, gardening, and always,always the educator she was meant to be. “I am grow-ing younger and stronger everyday,” she brags. And itcertainly does seem that way. There are many timeswhen I beg her to sit down – so I can have a rest!

Knowing this, I should not have been surprised thatwhen 10,000 Mira Mesa Living Magazines needed tobe delivered, Raya was the first, and certainly one ofthe most willing, of volunteers! She looked at themeager pile of 20 issues I set on her walker (which shehas lovingly nicknamed her BMW convertible) andexclaimed, “Is that all? I can push lots more aroundour neighborhood if you want!” We didn’t want.Thanks to so many wonderful volunteers, our cornerof the neighborhood was well taken care of. But isn’tit nice to know that if you need anything at all, youcan find a Tiny-but-Mighty-Grandma to help you out!

By: Steve Nicoles

Expect some heavy constructionover the next few years. ScrippsHealth broke ground on a $185million proton therapy centerAugust 5th. The center (9577Summers Ridge Rd.) will be built onseven acres of land in Mira Mesa. Itis expected to open by spring 2013.

The project will bring hundreds ofconstruction jobs to Mira Mesa overthe next 30 months and eventually120 full-time medical jobs to the area.

The proton therapy center will pro-vide another approach to battling can-cer. The building will include a three-story machine firing proton laserbeams with an accuracy of about onemillimeter, directly to a tumor.

The treatment only takes half anhour, but requires several sessionsover a 4-6 week period. That meanspatients and there families will spendmore time in our community.

Once complete, the proton therapycenter could be an economic boom forour community as well as a life-saverfor cancer patients around San Diego.

For our complete article on the pro-ton therapy center, visit our websitewww.miramesaliving.com.

Proton TherapyCenter BreaksGround

Photo: Steve Nicoles

Nestled within Mira Mesa is a grassypark especially designed for a signif-icant subset of the community’spopulation. No, not kids (althoughthere are plenty of children’s parksin Mira Mesa). Dogs … That’s right,dogs!

Mira Mesa is one of the few com-munities in San Diego that has afenced-in, off-leash dog park.Maddox Park (7825 Flanders Dr.) isa 65-acre park with picnic tables andbenches, plenty of grass, lots of plas-tic bags to help keep the park clean,shade and sun, plenty of street park-ing and drinking fountains for peo-ple and dogs.

There’s always a diverse group atMaddox Park – from the regularswho wouldn’t miss a day at the parkto those who are bringing theirpooches for the first time. It’s com-mon to see some Maddox Park regu-lars enjoying Friday afternoon happyhours and barbeques together.

And let’s not forget the dogs!Running about are canines from all

breeds, shapes and sizes. Retrievers,beagles and boxers run about, play-ing and respecting each other.

The park was conceived by formerCity Councilman Brian Maienscheinand has been a home to dogs andtheir owners for more than six years.There’s even a Facebook page forMaddox Park (www.facebook.comsearch Maddox Park)

Whether you’re a dog owner or want to see Mira Mesa’s finestcanines, visit Maddox Park for anentertaining afternoon.

By Leah R. Singer

Maddox Park Gives Mira MesaDogs a Place to Call Home

"Do you want a pet, the only onethat can curl up around you and

give you love?"

Mira Mesa Living


What’s in Season for Fall Produce?

By Leah R. Singer

September 22 marks the first day of the fall sea-son. That’s right, the traditional images ofautumn – falling leaves, pumpkins, witches, andturkeys – are just around the corner.

But one of the other exciting parts of fall is theadvent of the first crops of new seasonal pro-duce. Eating seasonally and locally is gainingmore recognition as people attempt to leadhealthier, organic lives and support their localcommunity farmers.

Eating by season allows you to enjoy the tasteof fruits and vegetables the way they are sup-posed to be eaten. Have you ever eaten astrawberry in the summer and then in thewinter? Summer is the natural time for har-vesting strawberries. They are at their peakripeness and will taste delicious if eaten intheir season.

By purchasing local foods in-season, you elim-inate the environmental damage caused byshipping foods thousands of miles, and yourfood dollar goes directly to the farmer. Buyingseasonal produce also provides an excitingopportunity to try new foods and to experi-ment with seasonal recipes. (Source:www.sustainabletable.org)

The fall harvest brings one of the most well-known seasonal crops – apples. But alongwith that juicy fruit also comes pears, pump-kins, pomegranates, butternut squash, andsweet potatoes to name a few.

You can start eating seasonally and supportingSan Diego County farmers by shopping forfruits and vegetables at the Mira MesaFarmer’s Market, every Tuesday from 3 – 7p.m. at Mira Mesa High School.

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Median PlantsBy: Steve Nicoles

San Diego’s stage two water alert isforcing Mira Mesa to come up withsome creative ways to save water. TheMira Mesa Maintenance AssessmentDistrict, or MMMAD, has a plan to cutback sprinkler use by about two-thirdsalong Mira Mesa streets.

MMMAD is in the middle of renovat-ing the medians in our neighborhood.Earlier this year they finished the first ofmore than 50 medians. It is in front ofJack in the Box on Mira MesaBoulevard just west of Interstate 15.

According to MMMAD ChairpersonTom Derr, his team dug up theHawthorn bushes in the median andreplaced them with a variety of nativeplants more tolerant to droughts. Derrsaid it will take about three months forthe plants to take hold in the ground.

Besides the plants, MMMAD replacedthe sprinklers with drip irrigation. Derrsaid the new plant life and efficientwatering system will save about two-thirds the water as the previousHawthorn bushes and sprinklers.

Mira Mesa has 51 medians to replace. Itwill take about a year and a half to fin-ish the work. The cost of the work iscovered by local tax dollars.

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The Mira Mesa Banned Book Club willhold its title selection meeting for theyear ahead on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 7p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Mira Mesa Librarycommunity room, 8405 New SalemSt. The monthly book group, open toall interested readers, focuses on read-ing and discussing books that havebeen banned or challenged, as well asother thought-provoking titles that tieinto a “freedom to read” theme.

The group’s book selection meetingtakes place during the AmericanLibrary Association’s “Banned BooksWeek,” an annual celebration of thefreedom to read. (For more informa-tion or titles that have been banned orchallenged somewhere recently or inthe past, see www.bannedbook-sweek.org or www.ala.org/bbooks.)

The group meets regularly on the lastTuesday of the month (except Augustand December.) Drop-in participantswho’d like to talk about a particularmonth’s title are welcome, as well asregular members.

Anyone who’d enjoy recommendingand/or helping choose titles to read anddiscuss in coming months is encouragedto attend. For a list of books previouslydiscussed by the group, seehttp://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/news-events/bookclubs.shtmland follow the links under Mira MesaBanned Book Club.

For further details, email BannedBook Club facilitator Pam Stevens,[email protected] , or call the MiraMesa Branch Library, 858-538-8165.

Mira Mesa Banned Book Club to Choose Titles

to Read September 28th

By Pam Stevens

By Alexander Nguyen

The year: 2001. The Place: Mira Mesa.Two friends with a simple dream, tostart an all-volunteer, charity hauntedhouse. That is how Monster Manor gotstarted. The two friends, Tim Allen andJohn Hart, met at a haunt-builder enthu-siast gathering in 1999, and in 2001,they got together to discuss starting acharity haunted house.

Started in the parking lot betweenCallahan’s Pub & Brewery and El ToritoMexican Grill, Monster Manor hasbecome a Halloween staple, not only inthe Mira Mesa community, but also inthe region. From its humble origins,Monster Manor has grown to becomeknown as one of the best hauntedattractions in the region

“This is spectacular,” said Trey Barkley,president of Mira Mesa Theatre Guild.“For us to be around and thriving after10 years is an amazing accomplish-ment.”

This year’s Monster Manor theme is“Ghastley Studios: Murder, Mayhem andGore … It’s only movie magic … right?”

Another Monster Manor original is thedaytime attraction for kids. Started in2003, Lite Frite was a way for kids and

families to experience Halloween funwithout the fright.

This year’s Lite Frite is “Scooby-Dooand the Mystery of the BacklotPhantom.” The Mystery Inc. gang hasbeen asked to visit Ghastley Studios toinvestigate the strange happenings at

the studio back lot. Kids and parentsare encouraged to join Shaggy, Velma,Fred and Daphne in their investigation,

as they encounter ghouls, goblins and afew bad guys from the past.

Throughout all the changes in the past10 seasons, Monster Manor, at its core,is still a community charity hauntedhouse. The funds it raises go towards theMira Mesa 4th of July fireworks display

and Mira Mesa Theatre Guild’s longtimegoal of building its own theatre. Lookingback on that October in 2001, Hart,though he is no longer a part of MonsterManor, recalls fondly that it was thebeginning of something unique.

“(October 2001)was the first timein a long timethat October hadtwo full moonsthat month,”Hart said.“Monster Manorwas truly once ina blue moon.”

Monster Manoropens Oct. 9, 10,15, 16, 22, 23and 27-31 at 7p.m. “Lite Frite”opens Oct. 23,24, 30, 31 fromnoon to 4 p.m.Monster Manoris located 8235

Mira Mesa Blvd., at the corner ofCamino Ruiz and Mira Mesa Blvd. inthe Target Shopping Center. Ticketprices are $12 for Monster Manor and$5 for Lite Frite. For tickets or moreinformation, call (858) 222-4815 orvisit www.monstermanor.org.

The Little Haunt that could…

Photo by:AlexanderNguyen,Mira MesaTheatreGuild

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By Pam Stevens

If you, your family, or friends haveany photos from Mira Mesa’s “earlydays” – pre-1970, the 1970’s, or1980’s, or photos of significantevents from the 1990’s to the pres-ent, I’d like to hear from you assoon as possible!

I’m seeking photos I could borrowand scan in grayscale for possibleinclusion in an upcoming photohistory book I’m writing forArcadia Press, “Images of America:Mira Mesa.” Any size print is fine,black-and-white or color. I’m espe-cially looking for pictures thatshow people – kids and/or adults

– actively doing things and havingfun, with a backdrop of somethingthat’s either historic (rememberthose temporary elementaryschools in tract homes built in1969 and the early 70’s?), a recog-nizable community building, orsymbolic of Mira Mesa (such as agreat 4th of July parade!)

Call me, Pam Stevens, at 858-566-2261, or email me,[email protected], and I’d behappy to arrange a time to pick upand return your photos. I’ll be avolunteer at the Mira Mesa TownCouncil booth at the Mira MesaStreet Fair Sept. 25, so I’d be gladto talk with you in person there,too. If you don’t have any particu-lar photos but do have memoriesof Mira Mesa to share, call oremail me, too!

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Calendar of Events

9/13 Town Council Meeting, 7-9pm, Verne Goodwin Mira Mesa Senior Center

9/25 Mira Mesa Street Fair, 10am-4:30pm,Camino Ruiz (Mira Mesa Blvd.& New Salem)

9/25 - 9/26 - Pacific Islander Festival, Ski Beach, Free Event,www.pifasandiego.com

9/28 The Mira Mesa Banned Book Club will hold its title selection meeting for the year ahead. 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Mira Mesa Library community room, 8405 New Salem Street.

10/1-10/3 - MCAS Miramar Air Show, go to www.miramarairshow for more info.

10/8-9, 15-16, 22-23, 28-31 Monster Manor, Nighttime Haunted Attraction, Doors Open at 7pm, 8235 Mira Mesa Blvd.,858-222-4815, look for $2 OFF coupon inside Mira Mesa Living.

10/16 “Filipinos in San Diego” published August 2010. Lead Author JudyPatacsil takes readers on a pictorial history of Filipinos in San Diegofrom the early 1900s to present day. Book signing, cultural performances, and reception to be held at Miramar College.

10/23 9am – 2:30pm, * Vulcan Materials Company Open House*, $5.00Admission, EARN THE GEOLOGY MERIT BADGE, Come in scout uniform& receive a special surprise! 10051 Black Mountain Road, San Diego92126, See page 11 in Mira Mesa Living for more information.

10/23-24, 30-31, Scooby Doo and the Mystery Backlot Phantom, DaytimeChildren’s Haunt, 12-4pm, 8235 Mira Mesa Blvd., 858-222-4815,look for $1 OFF coupon inside Mira Mesa Living.

Every Tuesday – Farmer’s Market, 3-7pm, Mira Mesa High School

3rd Monday of each month – Mira Mesa Community Planning Group, 7pm,go to www.miramesatowncouncil.org/planning_group.htm for meeting location.

2nd Tuesday of each month – Mira Mesa Recreation Council, 7pm, Lopez Ridge Park

3rd Tuesday of each month – Mira Mesa Chamber of Commerce Meeting/Mixer,www.miramesachamber.com for meeting/mixer location.

3rd Tuesday of each month – Mira Mesa Women’s Club, 7pm, Verne Goodwin Mira Mesa SeniorCenter. Go to http://www.mmwomensclub.com for more info.

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mml sept/oct

Documents

issue of mira mesa living

mira mesa livingwelcome

things mira mesa

mira mesa livingvolume

contents of mira mesa

mira mesa cultural group

new issue

publication weare