Encinitas celebrates its recent and more ancient history with a two-for-one celebration Saturday, Oct. 1. The 25th anniversary of the city’s incorporation will be feted by the city's Parks and Recreation Department at the same time the San Dieguito Heritage Museum honors our agricultural roots with the third annual Lima Bean Cookoff. If you’re looking for a reason to attend, we’ve got 25 of them:
1. The “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” theme will catch you up on everything Encinitas, thanks to heritage museum displays, information booths featuring local organizations, and an area to peruse the general plan update.
2. Feast on lima beans at the cookoff — categories for professional and amateur chefs include Savory Soup/Entrée, Amazing Appetizer, Simply Salad, and Anything & Everything.
3. If lima beans aren’t your thing, you can sate your appetite with food from , , Chronic Tacos, Sam’s Place, Kona Ice, and
4. Make all your wishes come true by visiting the 13-pound Peruvian Giant Onyx Lima Bean stone, which is said to have magical powers.
5. Make a day of the festivities and visit the nearby which will offer free admission Oct. 1. Be sure to visit the San Diego International Orchid Fair there.
6. The entertainment lineup is varied, including magician Joel Ward, juggler/unicyclist Bobby Hartman, and Jack Tempchin and the Rocket Science band…
7. …And last but by no means least, The Credentialed, a band made up of personnel from the San Dieguito Union High School District…
8. …Who, with any luck, will play their version of the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way.”
9. The best place to catch one of the performances? On a straw bale underneath a palm tree, both of which are being brought in specifically for the event.
10. You can take home a lasting memento by bidding on a plant at the silent auction.
11. Write an ode to Encinitas at the booth, where participants can write about their vision of the city 25 years from now.
12. Or exercise your creativity with the Artists 101 Colony, which invites attendees to pick up a brush and contribute to a mural project.
13. We were told there would be cake — and not just any cake, but a vanilla cake with strawberry ribbon filling from . All attendees get a free slice.
14. Kids can get an close-up look at the city’s biggest fire truck.
15. KUSI’s Ed Lenderman will be on hand as the emcee.
16. No Encinitas-centric event would be complete without a surfing element. The Swami’s Surfing Association will present a display about the sport’s past, present, and future at the event.
17. You can “Cop a Cheap Feel,” courtesy of the. At the party, pay $1 to pet a dog ($5 gets you six chances to pet a pooch). You get a sticker that says, “I copped a cheap feel at Rancho Coastal Humane Society,” and the animals get pet food, medical care, and other services with the money raised.
18. Captain Book, who “sails” on the Good Ship Literacy, will be in attendance to promote the joys of reading, as part of the Treasure Chest Literacy Program sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Greater Encinitas.
19. The Kiwanis Club plans to give out its 50,000th book to a local student as part of the program that promotes the joys of reading for children, a mission more valuable than a treasure chest full of pieces o’ eight.
20. You can get a first look at the new heritage museum exhibit opening the same day. Al’s Barbershop—won by Grant Ulysses Johnston during a game of cards—was a mainstay in downtown Encinitas from the 1920s through the 1940s, and has been re-created at the museum.
21. Admission to the party is free.
22. You can mingle with neighbors, hobnob with city leaders, and get to know your fellow community members.
23. Because — just like the years-long effort to bring together Encinitas (old and new), Cardiff, Leucadia, and Olivenhain — this event is made possible thanks to the tireless work of volunteers, city staffers, local businesses, and volunteers coming together for a common civic goal.
24. Get there early and get a party favor — an “Encinitas 25” pin.
25. Encinitas Patch will be there! Keep an eye out for our booth, and come say hello.
The event takes place from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 1 at the museum, 450 Quail Gardens Drive. Admission to the anniversary party is free; tasting tickets for the cookoff are $5 to $10. For more information, visti Encinitasparksandrec.com, sdheritage.org.
