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ART AROUND ADAMS 2015northparknews.biz/digital Vol. 23 No. 5 May 2015

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Heights OptometryWelcome another local indepen-dent business to the neighborhood- Choose Local First!. PAGE 8

The roughly two-plus milesbetween Oregon Street in NormalHeights and Vista Street in Kens-ington will become a thoroughfareof art, music and entertainers onSaturday, June 6, when the 12thannual Art Around Adams is staged.

The event, which will run fromnoon to 8 p.m., is produced byAdam Rosen of Exodus Studios, anevents production company.

A free and family attraction, ArtAround Adams will showcasenumerous visual and performanceartists along the street. More than75 businesses will “morph” intoimpromptu art galleries or perfor-mance arenas for the day.

There will be more than nine per-formance areas, including the Kens-ington Kids Zone, featuring music,performance art, communitymurals, circus performers, dance,theater, projection art, intergalacticsuperhero wrestling and comedianson the event’s own “Comedy Trol-ley.”

“The Adams Avenue district con-tinues to evolve,” said Rosen. “Newrestaurants, eclectic shops, friendlypubs, even a brewery. AdamsAvenue has always seemed to put aunique spin on the businesses thatpopulate its oasis. Art AroundAdams stays on the threshold ofthat evolution, bringing new cut-ting-edge artists to the avenue yearafter year.”

Musical Performers Among the musical performers

will be: Lyrical Goove, The Bassics,

Hocus, Rhythm & The Method,Skelpin, Daniel Schraer, CountryRockin Rebels, Avilo & The Dwells,The Shifty Eyed Dogs, Bloodflow-ers, Jackie Austin Singer, MarieHaddad, Rosewood & Rye, SierraWest, Lightning, Triton Eye, Leagueof Liars, Sue Del Guidice, Too FastFor Love, The CherryBluestorms, True Stories, Rock ‘n’Roll San Diego All Stars, RichMcGee, and more.

Art Around Adams began withNormal Heights’ artists and busi-ness owners getting together at alocal coffee house to create an eventthat would focus on the exhibitionof local art in businessstorefronts. They realized that therewere a number of art studios (com-prised of very talented and interna-tionally known artists), a framingshop, coffee houses, antique stores,and gift shops within walking dis-tance that would make great venuefor displaying art.

The event was launched on April3, 2004 with a limited budget frombusinesses and artists. The firstevent was considered a major suc-cess, with audience estimates at over300.

Over time a trolley was added toprovide free transportation alongthe avenue, an event staple to thisday. Since its incarnation, it evolvedinto the much loved ‘Comedy Trol-ley,” shuttling guests up and downthe avenue.

In 2008, Rosen came on as theevent organizer.

Rock n Roll 1/2Marathon onAdams AvenueMay 31 Normal Heights Community Association seeks volunteers.PAGE 9

Dining with LolaPainter Kathy Rush releases hernew monthly cartoon series to promote local Food establishments.PAGE 9 & 16

Winnie’s PicksWinnie Hanford of Kensingtonvideo talks about movie’s we shouldsee this month. PAGE 16

Visitors to Art Around Adams are likely to see jumbo pieces of art, like these.

A Positive Community Newspaper Created by Locals, for Locals, Supporting Local Businesses

ADAMS AVENUE NEWS

Satanic Peppeteer Orchestra is a major attraction.

Marie Haddad is one of many performersappearing at the festival.

The crooner.

A variety of bands will play in more than nine performance areas during the festival.

Lyrical Groove will make an appearance.

BRINGING OUT THE ARTSY SIDE OF ADAMS AVENUE

2 | northparknews.biz/digital | May 2015

Leading Cast MembersAnnounced For Old Globe’s‘Arms and the Man’

The Old Globe leading cast mem-bers for George Bernard Shaw’s “Armsand the Man,” the romantic comedythat continues the Globe’s 80thanniversary festivities as part of theBalboa Park Centennial Celebration.The production runs through June14 on the Donald and Darlene ShileyStage in the Old Globe Theatre, partof the Globe’s Conrad Prebys TheatreCenter.

Tickets can be purchased online atwww.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at(619) 23-GLOBE, or by visiting theBox Office at 1363 Old Globe Way inBalboa Park.

The beautiful Raina Petkoff is aboutto marry the heroic soldier Sergius.But the battlefield sweeps into herboudoir when an enemy soldier takesrefuge under her bed. Soon she willhave to decide between her romanticideals and the surprising sensations ofnew love. “Arms and the Man,” utterlyromantic and one of the wittiest andmost charming plays of the Englishstage, mixes smarts and silliness in awonderfully entertaining tale of loveand war.

Balboa Park ConservancyHires New Executive Directorand CEO

The Balboa Park Conservancy hashired Thomas Herrera-Mishler as theorganization’s new executive directorand CEO following a national search.

Herrera-Mishler will officially start hisnew position on July 1, after serving asCEO and president of the OlmstedParks Conservancy in Buffalo, N.Y.,since 2008.

“Helping to keep Balboa Park mag-nificent is a job I will relish,” said Her-rera-Mishler. “As a nexus of arts andculture, recreation, and horticulturewithin such a diverse and dynamicurban setting, few places are as per-fectly poised as Balboa Park to serveas both an economic catalyst and pri-mary cultural resource for its neigh-borhoods and region.”

Herrera-Mishler will provide lead-ership and direction in strategic plan-ning and setting goals, ensuring theyare aligned with the organization’s mis-sion for enhancing the visitor experi-ence through improving access, sus-tainability and a vision for the future.

“We are very fortunate that a candi-date of Thomas’s caliber came forwardin our national search,” said CarolChang, president of the Balboa ParkConservancy’s board of directors. “Hissuccessful tenure working with the Cityof Buffalo to operate and restore thehistoric Olmsted parks system, thenation’s first park system, makes himuniquely qualified to help us sustainand enhance Balboa Park for futuregenerations.”

Born in Mexico and fluent in Span-ish, Herrera-Mishler moved to theUnited States as an adolescent. Heholds a bachelor’s degree in Spanishlanguage and literature with a minorin business administration and a mas-

ter’s degree in landscape architectureand regional planning, with a special-ization in urban design, from the Uni-versity of Michigan.

Prior to serving as CEO and Presi-dent of Olmsted Parks Conservancy,where he helped to secure over $30million for capital improvement pro-jects, he worked as the executive direc-tor of the Awbury Arboretum inPhiladelphia, Airlie Gardens in Wilm-ington, N.C., and the MassachusettsHorticultural Society in Boston. As alandscape architect and planner, Her-rera-Mishler has designed projectsacross the US, the Caribbean, Mexico,and Spain.

South Park’s Kim RichardsSelected as Panelist in TownHall Program

South Park resident Kim Richards,co-founder and director of STEAM-Connect, has been selected as a pan-elist in an upcoming town hall discus-sion on STEM vs. STEAM educationhosted by VH1 Save The Music Foun-dation. The event will be held at thePaley Center in New York City onThursday, May 7, at 7 p.m. ET, andwill be livestreamed for parents, edu-cators and community leaders acrossthe country at live.vh1savethemusic.org.

“It is an honor to be included in thisimportant discussion that aims tobring widespread awareness toSTEAM and the fact that every childcan learn and succeed through the artsacross all subject areas,” says Richards,who recently directed the STEAM-Connect Ascend Conference, whichwas attended by more than 500

national leaders in education and busi-ness.

Panelists from the worlds of educa-tion, the arts, policy, business, tech andmedia will share best practices, per-sonal stories, scientific study, tools andideas on STEAM education. With con-tinued input from the panelists, VH1Save The Music Foundation will com-pile a STEAM toolkit with recommen-dations and key findings for parents,educators and lawmakers to raiseawareness of STEAM and fosternationwide growth in the movement.This report will be available in fall2015.

The town hall discussion signals agreat step for VH1 Save TheMusic. For nearly two decades, theorganization has worked to restoreinstrumental music programs and hasdonated $51 million worth of newmusical instruments to 1,900 publicschools around the country. Most oftheir efforts have been focused at thelocal grassroots level, in the commu-nities where they grant in restoringschool music programs. Now, they arebringing together experts from acrossthe country and facilitating a nationalconversation on the importance of thearts to learning, retention, and creatingthe next generation of innovators.

New Boutique to Open onAdams Avenue

Alexandra Hall, founder and cre-ative director of Maven, the newestaddition to Adams Avenue, hopes tobecome the neighborhood’s go-to fortrends and brands that are otherwisehard to find in the Southern Californiaregion. Hall began to notice more and

more local shops popping up in theUniversity Heights and North Parkneighborhoods. “There was definitelya buzz happening that I wanted to bea part of,” she admits. Enter Maven.Alexandra chose the name after read-ing Malcolm Gladwell’s “The TippingPoint,” in which he describes a“maven” as someone who people relyon to connect them to new informa-tion, and are considered trustedexperts in the marketplace. She feltthis described her vision of what shewanted her shop to be in the SanDiego market.

Next, she acquired a corner spaceat Adams Avenue and 30th Street andset her sights on bringing a fresh per-spective to San Diego shopping. Witha soft opening on May 2 followed bya grand opening on June 5, Alexan-dra’s dream will soon be a reality.Maven is shaping up to be the newestgem on Antique Row. Hall has addedher own personal touch to the build-ing by completely renovating thespace, which formerly housed a realestate firm. Maven will carry clothing,accessories, apothecary items, andhome goods for women, men, andchildren.

Growing up in San Diego, Halldecided to pursue her dream of beinga fashion designer by enrolling at theFashion Institute of Design & Mer-chandising’s downtown campus.While at FIDM, Alexandra noticedthat she made all of her A grades inher classes that catered to the businessside of the industry. “It struck me as asurprise because I thought I wantedto be a designer,” she says. “But, on the

COMMUNITY NEWS

SEE COMMUNITY, Page 3

May 2015 | northparknews.biz/digital | 3

Ask Dr. ZEditor’s Note: South Park’s Dr. TaraZandvliet — Dr. Z — answers com-mon — and not so common — healthquestions for our readers.

Why doesn’t my husbandwake up when the baby cries

To the bane of new mothers every-where, it seems that the father of yourlittle one just fakes sleep when thebaby cries. But don’t whack him overthe head just yet! There is a biologicreason he sleeps right through it.

Studies have shown that hormonesinfluence our brains and what acti-vates it to wake up. Men tend to wakeup to alarm sounds — alarm clocks,police sirens, and car alarms. Secondon the list for them are footsteps anddoor creaks. The testosterone influ-ence gears the brain to wake up whenthere is a threat to the family. Whenthey are woken up, the adrenaline ispeaked, ready for a fight, and so theyoften cannot ease back to sleep forquite awhile.

Women on the other hand wake upconsistently to a baby’s cry, and any-thing that simulates it — cats, moto-cycle whine, etc. They are geared totake wake up when the weaker onesof the family need care. For both,these changes begin at puberty, when

the hormones begin to peak. So whenyour wife wakes you up asking if thatwas the baby, now you know why.

Why did my doctor give meBenadryl for my stomach flu?

Benadryl is related to the most pop-ular anti-nausea medication Phener-gan (promethazine). It blocks the his-tamine receptors, which is why it is anexcellent allergy medicine.

But those same receptors are foundin the stomach, and modulate nauseaas well as stomach acid. It works toquell nausea almost as well as Phener-gan. It is often used to help in patientswith severe gastric acid reflux as well.For children, it is based on weight. Foradults, 25-50 mg is the dose every sixhours as needed.

A good bet is the children’s chewabletablets. If the nausea is severe, it canbe broken and placed under thetongue. That way it absorbs throughthe mouth, and so it doesn’t matter ifthere is vomiting. It generally workswithin 15 minutes.

Dr. Tara Zandvliet welcomes your ques-tions. Send them to questions@ south-parkdoctor.com. She practices at 2991Kalmia St. Phone: (619) 929-0032.

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other hand, I wasn’t surprised at allbecause I was raised by twoentrepreneurs.” Both Hall’s parentshave owned and operated successfulbusinesses in California. You could sayentrepreneurship runs in the family.

Hall took some time away from theworkforce to start a family in 2011.When it was time for her to dive backin, she wanted to apply what shelearned in school and saw throughouther travels to her community. “Goingthrough my adolescence here as a con-sumer and avid shopper,” she explains,“I saw firsthand that San Diego’s retailwas lacking. I was fortunate enoughto travel a lot and I would visit placeslike New York or San Francisco onlyto be reminded that there was a nicheto be filled back home. I knew havingmy own store would be the perfect wayto sling the things I always wished Icould design when I was in school.”

Marquis at Hillcrest Sells for$13.7 Million

Cushman & Wakefield announcedthe sale of the Marquis at Hillcrest at1751 University Ave. in San Diego toLittletown Realty LLC for $13.7 mil-lion. The seller, Virtu Investments LLC,was represented by Tyler Sinks and KylePinkalla of Cushman & Wakefield’sMultifamily Advisory Group.

The 58-unit apartment buildingtotals 28,890 square feet on 1.84 acres.The unit mix is made up of studio,one-bedroom and two-bedroomapartments.

The five-story property was built in1921 and recently renovated in 2008.Property amenities include a fitnessand yoga center, courtyard, on-site

laundry and a business center. Unitamenities include hardwood floors,new cabinets, granite countertops andstainless steel appliances. The propertyfeatures panoramic views and is locatedin Hillcrest Village, in close proximityto Downtown and Balboa Park.

The apartment building is one of theonly 50+ unit properties in Hillcrest tobecome available for sale in the pastfive years..

Golden Hill Celebrates BalboaPark Centennial

The Golden Hill Community-Bal-boa Park 1915 Expo Centennial Festivalon June 20 will highlight the uniquecommunities of Greater Golden Hillin 1915 to the present and how theneighborhoods played a key role in thebuilding of the 1915 Panama-Califor-nia Exposition.

The festival will be hosted by theGreater Golden Hill CommunityDevelopment Corp. with funding sup-port provided by the city of San DiegoOffice of Small Business through theEconomic and Tourism DevelopmentGrant.

The family-fun event will be a his-torical and musical celebration featur-ing a Historical Exhibition, AntiqueCar Show, Live Local Music,Historic Craft Beer Garden, Kid’s Fam-ily Village, Community Groups,and Isthmus Food & Vendor Alley withlocal artisans.

The centennial celebration will takeplace in Balboa Park at Golden HillPark. In the 1860s, this communitypark was the first area of parkland tobe improved. Many of its trees wereplanted by the city’s horticultural iconKate Sessions. It is located adjacent tothe historic neighborhood of GoldenHill at the end of 25th Street and RussStreet, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

COMMUNITYCONTINUED FROM Page 2

From North Park’s history to currentworld news and every printed word inbetween, you can find it at Paras News-stand. The unassuming store withamazing inventory has filled the spaceat 30th Street and University Avenuewith magazines, newspapers, comicbooks and novels, among other mer-chandise, for more than six decades.

Paras Newsstand sits in the north-west corner of what was originally theUnited Stores Shopping Center, a largebrick and concrete building construct-ed in 1928 by Orndorf ConstructionCompany for the United Realty Com-pany.

Owl Drug Companyrefined the corner space at3002 University Ave. forits drug store that openedFebruary 1929 and stayedthrough the Depressionand World War II. JosephJessop & Sons Jewelersoccupied that main spacethrough the 1950s.

The space held by ParasNewsstand started as theBasham Beauty Shoppe in1930 and was MelodyBeauty Shop later in the1930s. During the 1940s,the space was alternatelya beauty shop, gift store,and vacant. When the1950s began, the spacewas listed in the CityDirectory as Baker’s Cigarand News Stand. Itbecame Paras Brothers

Cigar Store starting in 1953. The Paras brothers, Christ (Chris),

Stratie, and William, were born in Illi-nois of Greek parents. Their father,George, came to the U.S. through EllisIsland in 1903, where his last name waschanged from Paraskas to “Paras” tobe shorter and easier to pronounce.George was the proprietor of a confec-tionary store in Chicago in the 1930s,and listed his employment on hisWorld War II Draft Registration Cardas “Self employed, Newsstand,” whichmay be why his sons went into thebusiness when they came to California.

Eldest son Chris was born in 1923.He served in the Navy as a machinist

mate on the aircraft carrierUSS Intrepid, participatingin many harrowing battlesin the Pacific. By the mid-1940s, the family had allcome to California. Theyinitially lived in Escondidoand later La Mesa, but in1959 they are listed in theCity Directory at 3930Kansas St., just one blockwest of Paras Newsstand.

While Chris operated theNorth Park store, middlebrother Stratie, born in1928, operated a ParasNewsstand at 4861 NewportAve. in Ocean Beach. Therewas a third Paras store in LaMesa for many years.Youngest brother William,born in 1929, also clerked inthe stores.

Chris and the North Parkstore were a favorite news

topic through the years. The March 18,1980, San Diego Union Currents sec-tion featured a story by Frank Green,“Read All About It At Paras’” The storeis described as “the oldest, best-stockedmagazine shop in the city” where “thereis something for everybody.”

Chris said, “I get people of all agesfrom all over the area. I have a certaintype of merchandise they’re lookingfor, so they go out of their way to comehere.” Indeed, the large photo in thearticle shows a counter crowded withcopies of TV Guide and Reader’s Digestas well as every snack imaginable,including Velamints, Chewy Pecan Pra-lines, and Bubble Burger chewing gum(“We made it FUN for YOU!”).

Reporter Bob Rowland visited Parasin November 1994 and proclaimed“North Park newsstand is world of itsown.” He interviewed Kent Snyder,who had started working at the shopfor Chris in 1986 (and still works theretoday). When asked who shops atParas, Snyder replied, “Hard to say—everybody, I guess.” And in answer tothe follow-up question —what are theylooking for? — he said, “Just abouteverything.”

Twenty years later, the answers arestill the same. Chris sold the businessin 1987. After his retirement, he andhis wife Olga devoted a lot of time tothe VFW and Fraternal Order ofEagles. They enjoyed socializing withtheir numerous friends at home-cooked meals prepared lovingly byOlga and at San Diego’s classic restau-rants including the Westgate, Hob Noband Rudford’s. Chris passed away in2010 and is buried at Fort Rosecrans

National Cemetery. But Paras Newsstand goes on. Broth-

ers Rocky and Mike Attallah boughtthe store from Chris in 1987, and abouteight years ago Junior Najor and Kenand Ann Gabbara bought the storefrom them. All kept the Paras name.The Gabbaras, who are the sole ownersnow, previously owned the Big K Mar-ket on Federal Boulevard, which theyhad bought from Rocky and MikeAttallah in 1985 and sold two years ago.

Being experienced store owners, theGabbaras are not only committed tomaintaining selection, they are alsomaking interior improvements toenhance the customer experience. Theyare remodeling the interior to createmore visibility for the expansive inven-tory, including comic books, paper-backs and, of course, magazines aboutevery topic imaginable in just aboutany language. Ann also wants to

improve the convenience store supplieswith healthy snacks and fruit for themultitude of riders who embark anddisembark on the faithful No. 2 busline right outside the door.

Of particular importance to theNorth Park Historical Society, ParasNewsstand is the only retail store inNorth Park’s commercial core to stocktheir definitive history of North Park’sfirst 50 years, “North Park: A San DiegoUrban Village, 1896-1946,” by the lateDonald Covington. Although ParasNewsstand started just after that bookended, the store continues to be animportant part of North Park’s historyand future.

Katherine Hon is secretaryof the North Park HistoricalSociety)

4 | northparknews.biz/digital | May 2015

North Park’s Historic Corner Find it at Paras NewsstandBY KATHERINE HON

Ken and Ann Gabbara are the current owners of Paras Newsstand.

Olga Paras, widow ofChris Paras, who operat-ed the North Park store inits early years, and herson, Omar Altman. (Photoby Katherine Hon).

May 2015 | northparknews.biz/digital | 5

The sitcoms of 1950s televisiondepicted neighbors coming togetherto borrow a cup of sugar or washingtheir cars on adjacent driveways.These days some Arizona Streetneighbors chat with those next doorabout their reptiles, community gar-den, and “small free library.”

John and Hannah Santos sharedsome of their story as they strolledup the street one Sunday afternoonwith their little red wagon holdingsix complacent tortoises; just someof the charm and surprise in thisNorth Park neighborhood.

Add to the mix, one rescued pit-bull named Cody, an adopted catnamed Kitty, and some fish that livein a rain barrel, and these two busypeople have cultivated not only apet and plant friendly yard, but alsoa fulfilling life.

John, a biology teacher for 10years, has long been a “plant guy.”The garden began with a group offriends, and over the years a fewpeople from the area stopped by andgardened for a season or two. Headvises that communication is key.Meeting up occasionally is impor-tant to determine plantings, main-tenance, and for sharing harvests.

The planters now grow nativeplants, flowers, grasses (for the tor-toises), herbs, and milkweeds tosupport Monarch butterflies and

caterpillars, tomatoes, eggplants,peppers, and zucchini.

It took some work, but in the yardthey created areas appropriate fortheir cat, and for El Tigre, Lion,Gemma, Bobcat, Socket, and Dino(the tortoises), separate from theirless tolerant dog.

The fish, which eat mosquito lar-vae, live in a rain catchment barrelwhich collects more than enoughwater for the garden. The “small freelibrary” to the side and in front ofthe garden holds some good booksfor passersby to borrow.

Hannah and John live in the sameCraftsman house that was owned

by his great-grandmother. John citesthe post-World War II dream of ahouse with a front and back yard asreason for the types of neighbor-hoods we live in. People could stayhome and enjoy their space, buthouseholds were also insular andisolated. What he and his wife havedone is to make a community ofplants, animals and people.

John says, “When you havedemanding jobs like ours, it’s goodto have something else that ‘needs’you and requires your time andinvestment. It’s easy to get suckedinto your work and bring it homewith you. It’s easy to give up at theend of the day and just wait aroundfor your next day to start, but thenwhere is the quality of life and rich-ness? It is really fulfilling to sharingthis experience with Hannah andour neighbors, and it adds some tex-ture to our existence.”

Should you be curious seeing thetortoises eating the clover flowers inMorley Park, be sure to engage Johnand Hannah in what they call a“good conversation,” neighbor-to-neighbor, and experience a bit ofArizona Street living.

John and Hannah Santos in their garden with their six tortoises: El Tigre, Lion, Gemma, Bobcat, Socket and Dino.

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOODJohn and Hannah’s Arizona Street garden is a community affair BY SUSAN TAYLOR

The Santos family on the family porch.

John Santos at work in the garden.

Planters grow native plants, flowers, grass-es, herbs and milkweeds.

INVESTOR IS INTERESTED IN ACQUIRING MAJORITY

OWNERSHIP in a profitable asset based business with $2-

10mil in EBITDA from a retiring or exiting majority owner(s).

Currently the business must be run by manager(s) with

equity position that are willing and able to remain, operate

and grow the business. For a confidential discussion please

call Michael Fenton (760) 450 6200.

6 | northparknews.biz/digital | May 2015

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A hands-on circus is the next bigexhibition at the Reuben H. Fleet Sci-ence Center.

“CIRCUS: Science Under the BigTop” is a family-friendly exhibitionthat features 20 multi-station interac-tive exhibits that delve into everythingfrom clown makeup to the art of con-tortion to animal communication.

Visitors can explore the sciencebehind the spectacle while learning thetricks of the sword swallower, uncov-ering the illusion of the flea circus anddiscovering the psychology of com-mon circus sounds.

The exhibit opened on May 2 andcontinues through Sept. 7.

Every feature of the exhibit isdesigned to teach visitors about sci-

ence in a fun, interactive way. Visitorscan test how their center of gravityworks on the Balance Bar. The Featsof Strength exhibit shows how lever-age, compression and tension are usedto do the seemingly impossible.

Experiment with The Human Can-nonball to learn how the angle andthrust of an explosion can dictatewhere an object lands. Visitors canexperience the science and mathinvolved in juggling and acrobatics, orjust have fun clowning around.

The exhibition has something foreverybody. Youngsters will enjoy pre-tending that they’ve joined the circusat the Circus Costume Station, wherethey can dress up like a ringmaster, alion or a bear. Older kids will revel inthe “daredevil” elements of the exhi-

bition, such as Elastic Acrobatics andThe High Wire.

The Elastic Acrobatics exhibit willgive visitors the chance to practicetheir best mid-air tricks from the safetyof a harness. For the High Wire,adventurous visitors 46 inches or tallerwill strap into a harness six feet abovethe ground and test their balance bywalking across the nine-foot long wire.Best of all, the opportunity for visitorsto test out their high-flying circus skillsis included in the cost of admission.

“We’re very excited to feature CIR-CUS: Science Under the Big Topbecause it shows that science is every-where you look,” said Steve Snyder,CEO of the Fleet Science Center. “Sci-entific concepts have been incorporat-ed into performance and entertain-

ment for centuries. An exhibition suchas ‘CIRCUS’ gives a context for under-standing science outside of the typicalrealms of classrooms and labs.”

The Fleet is also adding a SideshowScience performance to the current“Don’t Try This at Home” live scienceshow. Beginning May 2, the Fleet’steam of science demonstrators willdelve into the science behind manypopular circus feats. Sideshow Sciencewill be in addition to the current rota-tion of “Don’t Try This at Home”shows: “Too Loud, Too Messy and TooShocking.”

“CIRCUS: Science Under the BigTop” was developed by the OntarioScience Centre in Toronto, Ontario,Canada.

FLEET EXHIBIT TEACHES SCIENCE IN A FUN, INTERACTIVE WAY

Science Under the BigtopPHOTOS BY DARRYL MORAN/THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE

ADAMS AVENUE NEWS

May 2015 | northparknews.biz/digital | 7

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It’s Working!I've been in business nearly 9 years,

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tomers when they come in the door.

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Rock ‘n’ Roll 1/2 Marathon coming to Normal HeightsThe Suja Rock ‘n’ Roll 1/2 Marathon is going through

our streets again this year! You have three options how tospend the early morning (5:00-10:00a.m.)of May 31st:

1. Sleep through it

2. Stand in front of your house (or a friend's) and watch them go by.

3. Participate in our neighborhood water station!

Once again, Normal Heights Community Association,with the leadership of Norma Stafford, is teaming upwith the well-oiled machine of the Suja Rock ‘n’ Roll1/2 Marathon and running an official water station.They are looking for volunteers to help at mile marker4 1/2 at North Mountain View & the West End of Arthur.At least 50 people are needed, can you step in?

Though early, this event is FUN! It is very organized,fast-faced, and a good way to meet people in the neigh-

borhood. Also, it's inspiring to see thousands of peopletry their best to run for miles, dress up in crazy costumes,struggle for a cause, or just better themselves. They areappreciative of any encouragement given along the way.Grab your crazy jungle/safari clothes and decor and helpearn accolades for our community for your enthusiasm,station set up, and cleanliness! Please sign up today andbring a friend! To sign up, please send Norma all of thefollowing information toNorma@StaffordConsultingGroup.com

NameAddressPhone #Emergency Name & Phone #T-Shirt size (S – XXL)

Please direct any questions to Norma atnorma@staffordconsultinggroup.com. Normal HeightsRocks! Let’s show the runners at the Rock ‘n’ Roll HalfMarathon just how much we rock!

10 | northparknews.biz/digital | May 2015

Construction executive CarmenVann of North Park and Hillcrest res-ident Awetash Keflezighi — motherof marathon champion Mel Keflezighi— were honored as Girl Scouts SanDiego’s Cool Women 2015 during arecent luncheon and ceremony at theDel Mar Country Club.

Keflezighi was recognized for suc-cessfully paving a path to higher edu-cation for her children — against allodds, and without any former school-ing herself. The family fled war-tornEritrea in 1986, arriving in San Diegowith just the clothes on their backs. Inthe face of hardship, Keflezighi con-tinually instilled the importance ofacademics. Today, the 10 sons anddaughters of Keflezighi and her hus-band Russom are all highly accom-plished. They include one college stu-dent and nine California Universitygraduates. Among them, Meb, the onlyathlete in history to win the Bostonand New York marathons, and anOlympic medal.

During the Cool Women luncheon,Keflezighi was introduced by 2011Cool Woman Ingrid Croce — artist,author, community advocate andowner/operator of Croce’s Park West.“I am very proud to present AwetashKeflezighi, a genuinely Cool Woman.I am in awe of her bravery and the

inspiration she brings to us all. Awe-tash’s story is brimming with Ameri-can values, parental sacrifice for thenext generation, the importance ofeducation, working your way up, anda positive attitude,” Croce told theaudience.

Vann, a former Girl Scout, was pre-sented by community volunteer LindaKatz, Cool Woman of 2012. As projectexecutive for Turner Construction —and one of the few women in the field— Vann leads the construction ofmajor developments, including thenew San Diego Central Library, Sem-pra Energy’s headquarters, Hard RockHotel San Diego and the 10 Fifty Baffordable housing high-rise. Indescribing Vann’s work, Katz noted that Vann completed the library pro-

ject in just two years, on time, and onbudget, leading a team of 600 con-structions workers.

Vann is a recipient of San DiegoMetropolitan Magazine’s 40 under 40Award, Engineering News Record Cal-ifornia’s Top 20 under 40 and the SanDiego Business Journal’s Women WhoMean Business awards. She is a memberof the San Diego Architect Foundationboard, and past chair of the AssociatedGeneral Contractors’ Education andTraining/Foundation for Success com-mittee. She has also served on the NorthPark Community Association board of

directors, and volunteers for RebuildingTogether San Diego.

Marson Hills resident Lori Waltonco-chaired the Cool Women luncheonwith fellow Girl Scouts San Diegoboard member Julie Dubick.

During the event, Cool Woman2015 Susan Salka, president and CEOof AMN Healthcare, made a personal$10,000 challenge donation, whichguests collectively matched.

Proceeds from the 15th annualevent will help support Girl Scout pro-gram outreach for girls in homelessshelters, the Girls Rehabilitation Facil-ity and schools in underserved neigh-

borhoods. Cool Women 2015 honorees also

included Karen Archipley, co-founderof Archi’s Acres, a hydro-organic farmwhere veterans learn agribusinessskills; Rabbi Cantor Arlene Bernsteinof Beth Israel; Lesley Cohn, co-founder of Cohn Restaurant Group;Dr. Karen S. Haynes, president, Cali-fornia State University San Marcos;Reena Horowitz, businesswoman, phi-lanthropist and jewelry designer; CarolLazier, president of the San DiegoOpera board of directors; Susan Swen-son, wireless pioneer and chair ofFirstNet, a federal agency developingthe nation’s first high-speed publicsafety network; and Rose Schindler,Holocaust survivor and educator.

This year’s Cool Girl was Girl ScoutAmbassador Elena Crespo. The DelNorte High School junior recentlydeveloped a computer lab for a schoolin Panama. Elena, who was a delegateto Girl Scouts’ national convention, iscompleting her Gold Award project.

“We are proud to honor theseexemplary women for their extraor-dinary leadership and community ser-vice,” said Jo Dee C. Jacob, chief exec-utive officer of Girl Scouts San Diego.“Our Cool Women’s personal andprofessional lives make them consum-mate role models for girls.”

Girl Scouts’ Cool Women North Park, Hillcrest residents honored

Girl Scouts San Diego’s Cool Women honorees included North Park resident CarmenVann (left), construction project manager for Turner Construction who led the develop-ment of the new Central Library, Sempra Energy headquarters and the 10 Fifty B afford-able housing high-rise development; and Hillcrest resident Awetash Keflezighi, mother of2014 Boston marathon winner Meb Keflezighi.

Cool Girl Elena Crespo

May 2015 | northparknews.biz/digital | 11

By Bart Mendoza

Musical Tribute Night at The OfficeOn May 25, The Office continues its series of musical tribute nights with a show dedicated to punk rock pioneers, the Ramones.While the lineup had yet to be confirmed at press time, the format sees a shared backup group, with a host of well-known localperformers singing the namesake bands biggest hits. This night’s set list will include such favorites as “Rockaway Beach,” “SheenaIs A Punk Rocker” and “I Wanna Be Sedated.” Previous shows in this series have included The Smiths, The Beatles and JohnnyCash, with the whole thing turning into a bit of a highly enjoyable audience sing-a-long. theofficebarsd.com

Jason Lee & the Rip-Tides Best SeenLiveFans of frenzied surf fretwork will definitely want to checkout Jason Lee & The Rip-Tides, appearing at the Tower Bar onMay 23. With his piled high blonde hair, you can’t miss Lee,but it’s still his guitar playing that’s the stand out, full of melodicdaredevil runs. As good as their self-titled debut album, releasedlast year, is, it’s nothing compared to seeing the group livewhere the interplay of all three band members comes together.Surf aficionados will love every second to this show, but instru-mental fans and soundtrack junkies (think Mancini’s “Banzai,”etc.) will also get a real kick out of this show. thetowerbar.com

The Crawdaddys Reunited with New MaterialThe month closes out with a set from one of the most impor-tant bands in San Diego’s music history — R&B ravers, TheCrawdaddys, appearing May 30 at Til-Two Club. The Craw-daddys were among the first bands to emerge in what is nowour modern day music scene. Formed in 1979, now reunited,with new material being worked up, the current band featuresit’s second, mid ’80’s lineup of singer Ron Silva, bassist MarkZadarnowski, guitarist Pete Meisner, drummer Gordon Mossand keyboard player Keith Fisher. The band excels at bluesytunes along the lines of the Animals, the early Stones, the PrettyThings and so on, with Silva’s voice still an amazing instrument.Fans from the Crawdaddy’s original run will find this showirresistible, but any San Diego music fan that hasn’t seen thembefore, should make an effort to attend as well.tiltwoclub.com.

Little Catbird’s Friendly Music for KidsParent’s who would like to immerse their children in musicfrom an early age may want to check out Little Catbird (akaAlison Marae) at Java Joe’s every Wednesday morning at 10a.m. Billed as a “music and creative dance class,” Little Catbirdprovides all original, feel-good, family friendly music for kids,based around guitar and ukulele. Marae is a charming per-former, though in this case it’s her 15 successful years of teachingmusic that will appeal to parents most. javajoessd.com

Delta Spirit Stages a Pair of “& Friends” ShowsFew bands can fill a venue on one night, let alone two consec-utive evenings, but Delta Spirit is doing well. On May 29 and30, the group will stage a pair of special “& Friends” shows,loosely based on the Band’s farewell, “Last Waltz” concert.While Delta Spirit is not splitting, they will be taking time offafter this current tour, making it important for fans to catch ashow while they can. What makes the whole thing unmissableis the “& Friends” part with guest artists promised at everystop. While it’s unknown who will join them in San Diego,members of the Walkmen, Deer Tick and Clap Your HandsSay Yeah are among the listed possibles. theirenic.com

Master Showman Robin HenkelThere are plenty of blues guitarists in San Diego, but nothingcompares to Robin Henkel. Appearing at Lestat’s on May 17,Henkel is a virtuoso musician, with a specialty for acousticblues, in numerous styles and a boisterous, over-the-top stagepresence, that’ll have you grinning and tapping along in sec-onds flat. Most often seen in solo mode around town, orpaired with blues chanteuse, Whitney Shay, for this showHenkel will be backed by a full band. A local institution, evenbeyond his wonderful guitar playing, Henkel is a mastershowman, with a deep cuts blues repertoire and a show that’sa heck of a lot of fun. Lestats.com

The Bedbreakers Offer Something SpecialBlues rockers the Bedbreakers perform at Bar Pink on May 23. Theband has been playing it’s brand of rock and boogie for more thantwo decades, with no loss of adrenalin in their shows. Perfect forswing dancing, the band pulls in a crowd of people that’s ready toparty, with song titles such as “Hot Little Mama,” giving an indicationas to the Bedbreakers good time orientation. You only get to be along-lived band if you’ve got something special to offer. The Bed-breakers really are one of the best at what they do. barpink.com

12 | northparknews.biz/digital | May 2015

There’s a transformation happen-ing in microbiology. The price ofDNA sequencing has dropped pre-cipitously in recent years, with indi-vidual genome sequencing fallingbelow $1,000.

Lab after lab has sequenced adiverse list of species including rice,algae, mosquitoes, fruit flies andhumans. The sheer amount of datanow obtainable — quickly, cheaply— has turned biology into an infor-mation science, and San Diego StateUniversity biologist Rob Edwards ishelping to usher in this new age.

“During the genomics revolutionof the mid- to late-‘90s, it becameclear that genomic sequencing wasgoing to completely change the bio-logical sciences,” Edwards said.“There are huge volumes of data.It’s driving every aspect of biology.”

When Rob Edwards joined SDSUin 2004, there were already quite afew familiar faces. The computerscientist with a background in biol-ogy had worked as a postdoctoralscholar with Stanley Maloy, SDSU’sdean of the College of Sciences, atthe University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He had co-authoredjournal articles with SDSU virolo-gist Forest Rohwer on the genomictaxonomy of bacteria-killing virusesknown as bacteriophages.

“I was supremely impressed bythe collaborative nature of theresearch at SDSU,” he said. “It’s nota competitive environment wherethe big fish eat the little fish andtake all the credit. We have extreme-ly friendly colleagues and terrificstudents.”

Take to the sea Edwards does regularly encounter

both big and little fish in hisresearch, however. He and his col-leagues hunt for new data all over

the world, making frequent trips toisolated coral reefs in the LineIslands and diving to collect geneticsamples from their watery sur-roundings.

They’ve even successfully taken adelicate and expensive DNAsequencer out to sea with them todo sequencing in real-time — thefirst time anyone had ever attempt-ed this feat

Closer to home, Edwards workswith SDSU's Coastal Marine Insti-tute, making frequent trips to SanDiego’s waters to study a variety oflife forms, such as the ecologicallyimportant kelp forests off the coastof Point Loma.

Sorting through all this raw datato find meaningful informationtakes a combination of biologicalknowledge and computationalknow-how. Last year, Edwards anda team of local and internationalcollaborators created a new com-putational tool called cross-assem-bly that allowed them to identify anever-before-seen bacteriophagepresent in three-quarters of theworld population.

New data, new drugs Edwards hopes that cross-assem-

bly and other tools like it will helpbiologists hone in on entirely newbacteria and viruses that couldbecome the next life-saving drugsof the future. These tools might alsobe used to identify aspects of knowngenomes that can predict someone’srisk for disease or how effectivelyone drug might work compared toanother.

“As we move toward personal-ized, precision medicine, these kindsof techniques are going to becomemore and more important,” he said.

(Article courtesy of 360, the magazineof San Diego State University.)

UNIVERSITYRESEARCH

SDSU biologist Rob Edwards hunts theworld over for new viruses using thelatest computer science technology

Robert Edwards, associate professor of computer science at San Diego State, offthe Point Loma coast.

BY MICHAEL PRICE

The purchase of the company devel-oping the Oculus Rift by Facebook lastyear opened many eyes to the possi-bilities of virtual reality.

But has it made VR any more real?That and other questions were

posed to Jurgen Schulze, research sci-entist at UC San Diego’s QualcommInstitute and professor in the schools’computer science department, duringa recent discussion in anticipation ofthe school’s virtual reality symposiumscheduled for June.

“What’s driving me is the vision ofcreating computer-controlled virtualworlds that help you solve problemsin a better way than you could dobefore,” said Schulze, who’s beeninvolved in the field for the last 15years. “I’m fascinated by exploring theworld of possibility.”

However, that possibility is still yearsaway, he admitted, likening VR, as it’scalled, to the stone age of computers,when machines the size of a roomcranked out small bits of informationfrom thousands of punch cards.

“Not until the 1980s, when homecomputers were created,” did we enterthe IT stage, said Schulze. “Technologyhas to be commonplace,” before wecan take the next giant step, he added.

Virtual reality has been the subjectof experiments since the 1960s, but itnever really caught on until last year,when Facebook creator Mark Zucker-berg paid $2 billion for Oculis VR ofIrvine because of the promise of thecompany’s experimental headset for3D gaming. At the time, Facebook saidit was investing in the product becauseit saw it as the future. As CNN report-ed: “This may be a savvy bet by Face-book CEO Mark Zuckerberg on thelong-term future of how we commu-nicate.”

Virtual reality is an artificial worldthat fools your brain onto thinking it’sreal through the application of sight,sound and touch via head gear likeOculus Rift or by sitting in a containedroom like UC San Diego’s StarCAVE,which allows you to explore worlds astiny as nanoparticles or as big as theuniverse by surrounding you with360-degree, three-dimensional soundand screens that you can experienceby wearing 3D glasses.

The more common way of experi-encing virtual reality, however, isthrough headsets containing smallLCD (liquid-crystal display) screensin front of each eye responding to

computer images or images fedthrough a cell phone as well as syn-chronized audio tracks. Motion is con-veyed through gloves containing fiber-optic sensors or by operating a stickor similar attachment as in videogames. A computer would control thedisplay while you control the comput-er with the glove or stick.

Right now, most of the technologyis in the experimental stage. However,as more applications are developed bythe military for training or to be usedin medicine, such as evoking biofeed-back or overcoming missing limbpain, the technology will breakthrough, said Schulze. Video gameswill be the first field to lap it up, butVR will need content to move for-ward. That could be anything from avirtual journey to Greece or shoppingat Jerome’s for a new sofa. The adap-tation of the cell phone to fit the newtechnology will drive the field.

“The experience is good now, but

what we are seeing are demos, andafter five minutes that’s not going tobe enough,” Schulze said. “Technologyhas to match content to keep peopleinterested so it’s more than a gadget.”For now, he added, “games are goingto have to be the driver.”

Ultimately, however, VR will takethe place of many everyday experi-ences. For example, why travel milesand hours to go to a meeting whenthe same experience can be sharedwith others right in your living roomor home office?

“We can do a lot of interaction invirtual space,” said Shulze. “My beliefis that was what (Zuckerberg) saw, andthat is where he wants to go. Facebookwants to be the YouTube of virtualreality.”

However, “transferring that kind ofinformation over the Internet is notyet possible. Networks have to bemuch faster,” said Schulze. But that daywill come, perhaps in the next decade.

Said Schulze: “What I want to see ispeople not just able to buy virtual real-ity technology. I would like to see linesin front of Best Buy when the nextOculus Rift comes out. I want to seehundreds of people…When you cansee as much interest as there was for

iPhones, that’s when I’ll know we’vemade it.”

Leonard Novarro andRosalynn Carmen are founders ofAsia Media America and the AsianHeritage Society.

May 2015 | northparknews.biz/digital | 13

VIRTUAL REALITY HOW CLOSE TO BEING REAL?

Doctoral student Kyle Knabb traverse an archaeological site in southern Jordan using a vir-tual ‘wand’ in the StarCAVE at the Qualcomm Institute/UC San Diego.

Jurgen Schulze of the Qualcomm Institute.Exploring virtual reality at the StarCAVE atUC San Diego’s Qualcomm Institute.

BY LEONARD NOVARRO AND ROSALYNN CARMEN

Greater Golden Hill CommunityDevelopment Corp. The CDC nor-mally meets at 6:30 p.m. the thirdThursday of the month at the Gold-en Hill Recreation Center, 2600 GolfCourse Drive. Email: info@golden-hillcdc.org.

Greater Golden Hill Planning Com-mittee meets at 6:30 p.m. the secondWednesday of the month at the Bal-boa Golf Course clubhouse, 2600Golf Course Drive. For information,call (619) 533-5284.

The North Park RedevelopmentProject Area Committee meets at 6p.m. the second Tuesday of themonth at the Lafayette Hotel, 2223El Cajon Blvd. Meetings focus onredevelopment projects in construc-tion or planning. For information,visit sandiego.gov/redevelopment-agency.

The North Park Main Street boardmeets at 7 a.m. the second Wednes-day of the month at its storefrontoffice, 3076 University Ave. NorthPark Main Street has more than 250members, primarily businesses pay-ing annual assessments in the city-authorized North Park BID. Forinformation, call 294-2501.

The North Park MaintenanceAssessment District Committeenormally meets at 6 p.m. the secondMonday of every other month atNorth Park Community Adult Cen-ter, 2719 Howard Ave.

The North Park Planning Commit-tee meets meets at 6:30 p.m. thethird Tuesday of the month at NorthPark Christian Fellowship, 2901North Park Way. The committee isan advisory group to the city onNorth Park land use, including thegeneral plan, infrastructure and den-

sity. For information, visit north-parkplanning.org.

The North Park Community Asso-ciation meets from 6 to 8 p.m. thefourth Wednesday of each month atthe Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El CajonBlvd. The Community Associationprovides a forum for issues and con-cerns about public safety, education,land use, public facilities and services,commercial revitalization, commu-nity image and cultural activities. Formore information, visit www.north-parksd.org.

The North Park Historical Societymeets from 6:30 to 8 p.m. the thirdThursday of each month. The His-torical Society conducts research andeducational outreach in order tofacilitate preservation of North Park'scultural and architectural history. Formore information, visit north-parkhistory.org.

The South Park Business Groupmeets on the last Wednesday of eachmonth at 8:30 a.m. at AlchemyRestaurant, 30th & Beech. The SPBGis comprised of business owners withstorefronts and service businesseslocated in South Park. The organi-zation produces the quarterly SouthPark Walkabouts and the annual OldHouse Fair. For more information,call (619) 233-6679 or emailPBG@lucyslist.net.

The University Heights CommunityAssociation meets at 7 p.m. the firstThursday of the month in the audi-torium of Birney Elementary School,4345 Campus Ave. For information,call 297-3166.

The Adams Avenue Business Asso-ciation board of directors normallymeets at 7:30 a.m. the first Tuesdayof the month at the Normal HeightsCommunity Center, 4649 HawleyBlvd. For time, place and more infor-mation, call (619) 282-7329 or visitadamsaveonline.com.

The Kensington/Talmadge Plan-ning Group meets at 6:30 p.m. thesecond Wednesday of the month atKensington Community Church,4773 Marlborough Drive. For infor-mation, call 287-3157.

The Lions Club of North Park meetsfor lunch every Wednesday fromnoon to 1:30 p.m. at the club, 3927Utah St. Prospective members arewelcome to enjoy their first lunch onthe club. For information, call (619)692-0540.

Uptown Rotary welcomes prospec-tive members at its 7 a.m. Thursdaybreakfasts at Jimmy Carter’s MexicanCafé, 3172 Fifth Ave. For more, call(619) 500-3229 or visit sdurotary.org.

The North Park Recreation Councilmeets at 6 p.m. the fourth Mondayof every other month at North ParkRecreation Center, 4044 Idaho St. Forinformation, call 235-1152.

14 | northparknews.biz/digital | May 2015

Community and Board Meetings

The opening of the St. Catherineparking structure at the Academy ofOur Lady of Peace in January hasbrought some closure to a long, nastybattle the all-girls Catholic schoolwaged for years with neighborhoodhomeowners and the city of SanDiego.

The $4.5 million, two level parkingfacility — named after Sister St.Catherine, a superior of the school atthe time it was relocated from Down-town to its present site at Copley andOregon streets in 1925 — was part ofa modernization proposal the schoolsubmitted to the city of San Diego inMay 2007.

That proposal sought permission tobuild a 20,000-square-foot classroombuilding plus a 104-space off-streetparking facility which the school saidwere desperately needed to enhancestudent instruction and to relieve con-gestion around the school.

Since it was first discussed in 2006,Our Lady of Peace’s expansion projecthad been a contentious issue in theneighborhood surrounding the school,an area of well-kept single-familyhomes between University Heights andNormal Heights that adopted themoniker “BeHi” for “BetweenHeights.”

The final plan called for removingtwo historic, Spanish eclectic-stylehomes the school owned to build alarge classroom building and parkinggarage.

In September 2008, the local com-munity planning group voted againstthe project, but that vote was just a rec-ommendation to the Planning Com-mission, a citywide body that votes onchanges to San Diego’s land use poli-cies.

Almost a month later, the projectwon unanimous approval from thePlanning Commission.

Because the project was deemedconsistent with the community plan,the Planning Commission, rather thanthe City Council, had final say onapproving the project. But whenneighbors appealed the PlanningCommission’s decision, the projectwent to the City Council for a finaldecision.

In the second hearing on the appealin 2009, the City Council voted toreject the project, following a recom-mendation by Councilman Todd Glo-ria, a long-time opponent of OLP’smodernization plan.

Our Lady of Peace sued the city overthe rejection, under a federal law thatrestricts how cities can apply land useregulations on religious entitites. Theschool alleged the decision put anunreasonable burden on its ability topursue its religious mission.

The federal jury that heard the caseruled in favor of Our Lady of Peace,and awarded the school $1.1 millionin damages.

But in February 2013, the CityCouncil voted in closed session toaccept a settlement offer. The councilagreed to pay $500,000 to the school,allow the construction project to moveforward and handle the relocation of

two historic homes from the property.In return, the school dropped its claimfor $4.5 million in legal fees.

In May 2014, Our Lady of Peacehosted a commemorative ceremony tokick off construction of the St. Cather-ine parking structure, but only a briefmention was made of the school’splans to build the additional classroombuilding. Said Head of School LaurenLek at the time: “This is the first in aseries of steps we are taking to improvethe Academy to ensure we are able tocontinue to provide a rigorous educa-tion rooted in 21st century learningprinciples. OLP is committed to ensur-ing access to all students who want aCatholic education and we have grant-ed more than $2.6 million in tuitionassistance and scholarships to makethis a reality.”

Besides the parking structure, theschool completed renovations to the8,800-square-foot St. Catherine’s Hallbuilding that allowed for eight newoffices for counselors, registrar, cam-pus ministry and retreats. A large

space in the center of the second floorwas set aside for a student learningcommons and learning lab.

A school master site plan adoptedby the school board of directors inMay 2014 said St. Joseph’s Hall wouldbecome a STEM facility with engi-neering lab space on the ground level.“The current theater will be relocatedto the new Performing Arts andLibrary building, activating 6,000square feet of learning space in theheart of the campus,” according to themaster site plan.

“This facility will serve as the bridgebetween the STEM classrooms andthe general studies in Aquinas Hall.”

The yet-to-be-built 20,000-square-foot building that was approved aspart of the modernization plan willhave dance, music, choral and dramaclasses in addition to the theater andlibrary learning commons.

(Voice of San Diego contributed to thisreport)

May 2015 | northparknews.biz/digital | 15

NORTH PARKCraftsman Ground Up Renovation $849,000

1914 Craftsman beauty! Authenticon the outside, modern amenitieson the inside. 1800 sq ft 4 bed 3bath 2 car garage w/yard. Laun-dry & lots of storage. West of30th & South of Univ Ave. Walk toeverything including BalboaPark!! 15 mins to beaches. Newelectrical, plumbing, kitchen,baths, windows, Furnace, ACready, updated foundation, etc.

The Chris Bedgood Team 858.480.5455Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty Chris.Bedgood@Sothebysrealty.com CaBRE 01380111

OLP Modernization PlanMoves Forward Parking structure opens after long, bitter fight

BY MANNY CRUZ

Rivka Bent, executive assistant to the head of school (left), and Emily Pippin, communica-tions director, at the St. Catherine’s parking structure at the Academy of Our Lady of Peace.

16 | northparknews.biz/digital | May 2015

Until now, San Diego art follow-ers have not been able to link a faceto the simple endearing charactersand innocent straightforwardhumor that they have been chuck-ling over for several years. Spring2015 is the right time for painterKathy Rush to release her newmonthly cartoon series, Diningwith Lola. The simple humor, colorand direct message is a freshapproach to the traditional pub-lished food/drink and businessreviews. Lola, a dizzy kitty takes upwith Pierrot, an adventurous side-kick pup and visits businesses inyour neighborhood. Instead of afive star critique, readers will get themessage by way of a… 4 PAWS UPrating!

This monthLola and Pier-rot dine onbaked brie andshare a bottleof FranciscanChard atKensington Café. Look for themonthly cartoon review and con-sider supporting the featured estab-lishment with your patronage. Forthe first time Kathy Rush is availableto create commissioned cartoonsfor the private and corporate artcollector. How fun would it be tosurprise your employees, partner,kids or boss with an original car-toon commission featuring them?

The last twenty five years Kathy’sserious portrait pieces of recognizedvisual, performing and literaryartist like Picasso, John Lennon andWillie Nelson, to name a few, havewon awards and help build her aSouthern California collector base.For inquiries on available art or toexplore a purchase of a commis-sioned cartoon, contact artmind-ed@me.com 619 213-2706.

Save the date June 6th and attendArt Around Adams 12th Annualevent that promotes regional artdirectly to the community. Startingat 12:00pm in front ofGALLERY4204 regional painterDonn Angel Perez Lopez will bedoing exhibition painting. This isan opportunity to watch an artistat work. Sculpted gourds by OnaLanza and original paintings byKathy Rush, creator of Dining withLola will also be featured. SteveOas, owner of OAS Center andLeslie Marchetti director ofGALLERY4204 and project man-ager of newly renovated AdamsHeritage Row 4202-4204 AdamsAve., will spearhead an outdoor artevent (during Art Around Adams)for the community children to cre-ate two large murals that will beau-tify and later become a futureendeavor to benefit a San Diegocharity. One mural is for childrenunder 10 years and the other for 11to 16 years. All materials will besupplied. Please contact Jaymee atinfo@gallery4204.com or 619 213-2706 to pre-register your little artistso we reserve canvas space.Marchetti says “the concept wasbrought to my attention by SteveOas. I thought it was a brilliant wayto merge our two businesses, fineart and children services togetherwith community involvement”.The children’s mural event calledthe “First Annual Kids ContributeArt” will begin at 12:30pm and endat 3:00pm at Adams Heritage Row4204 Adams Ave.

S. Leslie Marchetti

ArtmindedAround

Your Neighborhood

4 PAWS UP

Hello again! I do hope most of youwere able to see some of the movies Italked about last month. I watched“Cake” with Jennifer Aniston. Her act-ing is outstanding. She is playing thepart of a lady that has been in a terribleaccident, scarred and living in constantpain, surviving on pain pills. She isalso grieving over a loss. Jennifer has ahousekeeper and caretaker who playsthe part so well. She also adds somehumor to the situation.

I really suggest “Taken 3”. I knowyou are thinking usually the 2nd and3rd movies are not too good, but thisis a really good action film. Liam Nee-son is at his very best. You know I likethose action films. You sit there watch-ing and wondering how in the worlddid they do those car crashes. I think ifyou knew how, it would take a lot ofthe thrill and suspense from the picture.

I’m suggesting an older art film,“The Cats Of Mirikitani” for you tocheck out. It takes place on the streetsof New York. It’s about a Japanese manwho is a painter and lives on the streets.The story goes back into his painfulpast. He lives on the streets until a ladytakes him into her home. This filmhas won many awards.

“Big Eyes” is a true story. One ofthe most epic frauds in history. Paint-ing of waifs with big, black eyes. Manyof you may remember buying cardsand notepaper made from these paint-ings. I sold them in my gift shop about40 years ago. It is directed by Tim Bur-ton with Christoph Waltz and AmyAdams. Very interesting!

I loved “Bing Crosby Rediscov-ered.” Rich and I loved looking at thisvideo. Bing’s voice was so soothingand smooth. He could sing anythingand sound terrific. This tells his lifestory and about movies and T.V. spe-cials. It makes you want to see all theroad pictures he did with Bob Hope.The road pictures would be good torent and enjoy with the young people.The humor between the two of themis priceless. We all need something tolaugh about today. You will love Bingafter seeing this and want to see someof his pictures. ENJOY!

Don’t forget if you want to buy

any of these movies I have suggested,please contact Guy viakenvideo@cox.net. See you nextmonth.

Winnie Hanford is a long time residentof Kensington and owner of KensingtonVideo. Winnie plans to host a weekly filmcommunity group near the Kensington– Normal Heights Branch Library onAdams AvenueWinnie’s Picks!

25 Years Experience