You can certainly smell spring in the air! Get out there this weekend and enjoy an array of outdoor events that include a lot of fun for the kids, good laughs for the parents and a few sips of vino as you enjoy a nice flower show or botanical art-fest during the day and wind down your evening by treating yourself to a ballet show or an independent film. If your thing is hanging out with your BFF pup – then so be it! Take your dog out to the Del Mar Fairgrounds and sign up for a varying list of contests that include the ugliest dog and dog and owner look-alikes. Have a great weekend taking advantage of many of these free events.
FOR THE KIDS
Make Friends at the ScholarShare’s Toddler Time: Friday, April 8 from 10-11 a.m. Celebrate Earth Month with a garden harvest! Make friends by singing and dancing and exploring our garden.
Earth Month Garden Workshop: Saturday, April 9 from 3 – 4 p.m.
Take a trip outside and see what’s growing in our organic garden! Learn how to care for growing plants and vegetables, discover the world of butterflies and bugs and participate in colorful garden art activities and games. www.thinkplaycreate.org
KPBS Kids Workshop: Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Saturday, April 9 from 10:15 a.m. -12 p.m.
Join San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum for the KPBS Kids Workshops featuring Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Workshop, which fosters discovery, cooperation and friendship. This is your opportunity to make new friends and leave a lasting art “print” on our community.
Special visit by a costume character. 320 North Broadway Escondido www.sdcdm.org FREE with Paid Museum Admission.
FESTIVALS
San Diego Botanic Garden ArtFest: Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
A delightful combination of a Fine Art Show, Quick Draw Contest, Art Demonstrations and Asian Art Show. The Fine Art Show will feature over 20 artists who will be showing and selling their work including sculptors, painters, glass artists, potters and gourd and fiber artists. Many of the artists will be providing interesting demonstrations of their craft. FREE with Paid Admission or Membership. 230 Quail Gardens Dr. Encinitas. www.sdbgarden.org
21ST Annual Ugly Dog Contest: Sunday, April 10 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Got an ugly dog? Sign him up for this Sunday’s contest and he may very well carry all the characteristics to becoming the ugliest dog at the competition! However, if you think your pup is the cutest thing ever or that you two are one and the same in looks, there will also be contests for cutest dog, dog with the best tricks and the dog who looks like their owner and many more. 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. Del Mar. Info at: www.delmarfairgrounds.com
5th Annual Healthy Living Festival: Saturday, April 9 (10 a.m. – 6p.m.) and Sunday, April 10 (10AM -5PM)
Don’t miss San Diego’s largest health and fitness expo this weekend at the Del Mar Fairgrounds where you can learn more about eating healthier, finding a healthy weight, getting into healthy activities and keeping a healthier home. You’ll have the option to choose from thirty free workshops, seminars and cooking demos, get free medical testing from Sharp HealthCare, join yoga and Qigong classes, belly dancing and Zumba shows and much more.
SHOWS
Stand Up Comedy with Al Madrigal: April 7 – 9
He is The Daily Show’s “Senior Latino Correspondent”. Madrigal’s stand-up comedy is story-based, centering on his personal life, family and the confusion caused by his multiethnic background (half-white and half-Mexican). His true-life tales have been featured on The Tonight Show, Conan, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Jimmy Kimmel. Get a good laugh and check him out at 818 B 6th Ave. $18 www.americancomedyco.com
FOOD
Tacos & Beer Tasting: Thursday, April 14 from 6p.m. – 8p.m. Enjoy tastings from several popular craft breweries, snack on a variety of delicious tacos from local taco shops and restaurants, explore exciting exhibits and revel in the fun atmosphere inside one of San Diego’s top museums. Museum of Man 1350 El Prado at Balboa Park. $20 -$30. www.museumofman.org/tacos-and-beer
FILM & ARTS
Embrace of the Serpent: April 8 – 12 Filmed in stunning black-and-white, SERPENT centers on Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and the last survivor of his people and the two scientists who, over the course of 40 years, build a friendship with him. The film was inspired by the real-life journals of two explorers (Theodor Koch-Grünberg and Richard Evans Schultes) who traveled through the Colombian Amazon during the last century in search of the sacred and difficult-to-find psychedelic Yakruna plant. Now playing at the Media Arts Center 2921 El Cajon Blvd. For ticket information and movie times visit: www.digitalgym.org
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet: Thursday, April 14 from 7:30p.m. – 9p.m. Aspen Santa Fe Ballet combines rugged athleticism with liquid grace in a lively performance that will leave audiences breathless. With a pioneering spirit that rises from its dual home cities – nestled in the Rocky Mountains and Santa Fe – this spectacular ensemble effectively dissolves the divide between ballet and modern dance. Characterized by their European sensibility glossed with American ebullience, the company epitomizes the contemporary-classical genre. 340 N. Escondido Blvd. Escondido. $20 -$60 admission. www.artcenter.org
A LOOK AHEAD
San Diego Earth Fair: Sunday, April 17 Prep up for Earth Day at Balboa Park, this IS the largest environmental fair in the world with over 60K visitors. www.earthdayweb.org
The Annual Coronado Flower Show: April 16 -17 This is the largest tented flower show in the nation with a wine and beer garden as an added bonus to the show. The perfect spring event. www.coronadoflowershow.com
Celebrate Culture and Community: Sat. April 16 The San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum will be presenting the Escondido Roots Series celebrating the city’s Mexican heritage. www.sdcdm.org