Don’t miss this event when Grape Day Park is turned into an art park for one special night. Fun for all ages, Glow-in-the-Park features illuminated art, inflatable artworks, art films shown on an inflatable screen, and opportunities to get creative yourself. It’s playful and interactive, with opportunities to participate.

Saturday, August 4, 7:00 – 11:00 pm
Free Event!
Organized by the Escondido History Center and the Escondido Arts Partnership

For more information visit: EscondidoArts.org

It’s hard to believe that each one of these used car tires is hand-carved by Belgian artist Wim Delvoye. The collection of tires features intricate pattern work with various motifs, like floral and Art Deco. He does an incredible job working with the original shape of each tire when designing each pattern. I can’t imagine how much time and patience each one took.

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From Tracy Kendall, a wallpaper for the outdoors made of Tyvek. ”Designed for a silver medal award winning garden at London’s Chelsea Flower show in 2011, the outdoor wallpaper puts together the most modern of materials with hand crafted workmanship producing a wallpaper which withstands the wind and rain of the British weather and beyond but still looks beautiful and serene.”

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Los Angeles has never been so shiny! Street art takes its place among building’s cracks and missing bricks, or in telephone booths. The Geode Street Art Project completes the cityscape with a shiny collection of crystalline-shaped geodes made out of paper. “Forming” in places where bricks used to be or in cracks showing the passage of time in our cities, these black, gold, silver or purple 3d paper gems have the necessary property of turning heads. This installation took shape in the mind of artist and designer Paige Smith of A Common Name, then started appearing on the streets of LA – some of them being so loved by passers-by, that they got stolen. “The finished shapes represent geodes, crystal, quartz, or any mineral formation that you would normally find in nature, now in our planned out cities. A parallel aspect of these “geodes” in nature and in the city is they are always unexpected treasures. You might go hunting for treasures but you generally happen upon them during your adventures or casual interaction with the environment “, explains the artist, noting that the crystal shapes will degrade affected by weather, as they might in nature.

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The Escondido Humane Society kicks off the ASPCA $100K Challenge at their first-ever “Furry Friendzy” Adopt-a-Thon on Wednesday, August 1st! Festivities begin at 8 a.m. with free Starbucks coffee, goodie bags for the first 25 adopters, activities for children, food & refreshments from 4 to 8 p.m. and live music by Hot Pursuit Music Entertainment at 7 p.m.

Adoption fees for dogs and cats will be waived, but even if you aren’t ready to adopt, feel free to come out to support the Escondido Humane Society in the 2012 ASPCA $100K Challenge! The Escondido Humane Society is the only shelter in San Diego County participating in the challenge, and one of only 50 shelters in the nation who have qualified for this opportunity to help more animals find loving homes!

For more information visit www.escondidohumanesociety.org.

New Yorkers who take lunch at Bryant Park may have noticed a curious solar-powered contraption hanging around – one that charges cell phones! Designed by Brooklynite Tommy Mitchell, the renewable energy gadget has been powering up people’s phones thanks to an 85-watt solar panel. Eight phones can charge at each solar-powered station in the park at no cost to the user, or to the environment.

Source: Inhabitat

Edison the Petit is the newest and brightest addition to the Fatboy family! This brilliant little piece of design is a portable, powerful light source that will provide hours of LED illumination with three different lighting options, and comes with everything you need including the battery and charger.

For a limited time, Edison the Petit is available for only 79.00 and you can BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE until the end of July. Hurry in now for this special offer while supplies last!

It’s been 12 years since the first concert was performed at Point Loma Park. Since then, the audience has swelled to 2500 at each concert – and the entertainment just gets better and better. This year’s lineup brings back past favorites and introduces a new band, Surf City All Stars, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Beach Boys. The U.S. Navy Band returns with a rock and roll sound after having performed pops standards during the inaugural season 12 years ago. Here’s the lineup:

Concert Schedule
July 13 – Atomic Groove, Variety Dance Band Entertainment
July 20 – Surf City All Stars, Authentic Beach Boys Tribute Band
July 27 – The Mar Dels, best music from the 50s – 70s
August 3 – The United States Navy Band Southwest
August 10 – Hot August Night, A Tribute to Neil Diamond

Again this year, the concerts will feature young talent on the “Junior Stage” sponsored by City Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer starting at 5:30 pm. Acts include The Blonde Brothers, Taco Tuesday, Revolt-Age, and Glen Fisher’s First Friday Club. All of the Junior stage acts including the announcers are local junior high and high school students who auditioned in April.

Concert goers bring their own seating and/or blankets – and can order dinner from one of the catering sponsors – Stump’s Family Marketplace, Barons Marketplace, Miguel’s Cocina, and newcomers Harbor Town Pub and Gabardine. Go to the concert web site to see the catering menu and schedule.

Point Loma Park is located at 1049 Catalina Boulevard, near the intersection of Varona Street. Free parking is provided at All Souls’ Episcopal Church, located at 1475 Catalina Boulevard. Enter the parking lot on Chatsworth Boulevard. The Peninsula Y is providing free shuttle runs between All Souls’ parking lot and Point Loma Park from 5:30 – 9:00 pm.

Since 2001, the Point Loma Summer Concerts have been bringing the community together to enjoy great music in a family-friendly environment. The concerts are the best example of community collaboration. The committee works with many volunteers from civic groups and service organizations including Point Loma Association, Peninsula Lions Club, Point Loma Optimist Club, Point Loma Rotary, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, and the Peninsula Recreation Council.

The concerts are supported by contributions from individuals, local businesses and foundations, the City of San Diego and County of San Diego. Willis-Allen Real Estate has been the Presenting Sponsor since the concerts began. AmericanWest Bank (formerly Sunrise Bank) has sponsored the stage for seven years, and CYMER returns as this year’s sound sponsor.

The newly formed Point Loma Summer Concerts 501(c)(3) continues to support local music programs with raffle ticket sales and is in its second year of lending major support to Correia Middle School’s Instrumental Music program. The school has already purchased much-needed instruments for students, and plans to put the donation to good use again in the next school year.

For more information visit: PLConcerts.org

It seems that you can make furniture out of just about anything. We’ve seen road signs, newspaper and old flour and Metrocards become chairs and tables. Here’s a line that might top them all. Re:composed from Springtime makes products from trashed cars, old clothes and agricultural waste, including tomato plants.

Considering what they’re working with, the Amsterdam-based “creative force” has created a surprisingly sleek and modern set of pieces. The tables, stools and trays are made with the raw, recycled materials combined with a bio-resin. The car waste is what’s left over and usually thrown away after the vehicles are mostly recycled. Springtime calls it “residual flow” – foam, upholstery, metal and sand. The shredded textiles are obtained from overstocked factories and stores, and from organizations that change uniforms and no longer need the old ones. The agricultural waste used is what’s left of plants after their fruits are harvested, like tomato plants that are no longer productive and are replaced by younger versions.

Kudos to Springtime for making furniture that uses materials few would consider useful, and making a product whose luxury belies its origins.

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Jeff Skierka created this coffee table that pays homage to a technology of the past: the cassette tape. I’m particularly fond of it because it reminds me of my youth… quickly hitting “record” on my boom box to try to capture “Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer as it played on the radio, popping those tapes into my portable tape players for a walk around the mall, and then into the stereo of my first car. The table is a 12:1 scaled replica of a cassette tape and is made of reclaimed maple, walnut and Lucite (future versions will have glass). The table is completely reversible just like your favorite tapes (sides A and B). This is a first prototype and one of a kind table, lovingly crafted by Jeff over the course of five years!

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