Dining, Arts & Entertainment

Join Pine Mountain Club on August 19 through 21, as a multifaceted festival takes place at the base of Mt. Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest.  This third annual cultural celebration, inspired by Chumash legends, to whom Mt. Pinos was Liyikshup, or “Center of the World,” features Native American storytelling, storytelling videos, songwriting competition, and an amateur playwright competition, with plays about humankind’s relationship with nature and ecological challenges.
The eco-drama theme is based upon the Chumash concept of keeping balance with the universe and humankind.  Ten short plays, chosen from selections received from around the U.S., will be performed in a reader’s theater style.  The audience votes for grand prize festival winner.

Running a small business (the mom and pops of our community) in a world of large chain stores is a tough endeavor.  Most importantly, it requires commitment... a huge commitment.  It requires long, hard hours.  So you have to believe in it more than anyone else.  You have to be truly passionate about what you do.  Passion is not something that can be taught, but it’s something you definitely need.  If you love what you do, that love will be seen in your product.  And sooner rather than later everyone will be catching onto that passion.

With the hot summer months about to hit Santa Clarita, the demand for Sushi increases tremendously and it is important to understand the true essence of quality sushi.
Most people are unaware that 95 percent of the sushi served in this valley (and throughout the United States) is pre-processed and frozen.  Most sushi restaurants also use frozen Tuna, Salmon and other fish that has been artificially dyed and treated with color preservatives.  Finally, numerous half-price, or all you can eat sushi restaurants use water-injected frozen fish that expands the cells of the sushi to make it look much larger and also seems more tender because of all the water content – making poor quality fish taste better and filling you up quicker.

The Music Man brings a taste of Small Town, USA to life on the stage of the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons.  Presented by the Santa Clarita Regional Theatre, this is a musical for the whole family.  Young and old will enjoy this affectionate tribute to the small towns of America in a bygone era.  Meredith Willson’s The Music Man follows a fast-talking traveling salesman as he cons the people of River City, Iowa into buying instruments and uniforms for a kids’ band which he promises to organize – despite the fact that he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef.

Annual Michael Hoefflin Foundation Fundraiser to Feature Performance by Motown great, Louis Price of Temptations Fame. The night skies will sparkle on September 24 as the Michael Hoefflin Foundation presents its annual Evening Under the Stars, Gala Dinner and Charity Auction, this year featuring a headline performance by Motown great, Louis Price, formerly of The Temptations.  The gala will return to the spectacular outdoor setting of Mann Biomedical Park with festivities beginning at 6 pm. 

Downtown Fillmore is again host to the Sespe Creek Car Show and Festival on the 4th of July.  Back by popular demand is the Chili Cook-off, returning after a seven-year hiatus.  The Santa Clara Valley Explorer Post #2958 is producing the event for the first time in 2011, under the direction of Fillmore & Western Railway, who produced the event the past five years.
Pre-1975 classic cars are encouraged to enter the car show, with over 25 categories to compete in. 

Hey Comedy Fans,
We start the month of July off with the return of Craig Shoemaker, “The Lovemaster” for four big shows on July 1 and July 2 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. each night.  This is a rare treat to see one of the most in demand comedians in the country in such an intimate setting.
We are lucky to get star talent every week at J.R.’s, and this is our biggest event of the year.  Craig has been voted comedian of the year at the American Comedy Awards, and is a favorite on KLOS, and XM radio.  His legendary “Lovemaster” will put you in tears.  Do not miss out on this show.

The City of Santa Clarita has rolled out new summer service aboard the Hometown Trolley with a “tourism route,” a convenient, stress free way for visitors to enjoy the area’s attractions, dining, shopping, and signature events.
“Summer is high season for the Santa Clarita Valley’s tourism industry.  The City offers Trolley service for the busy summer months in an effort to support the hotels and tourism businesses in the community,” said City of Santa Clarita Mayor Marsha McLean. “The Trolley is a pleasurable way for visitors to travel around the community and experience premier attractions in Santa Clarita.”

There’s a new concept in town!  The Poached Pair provides a rotating menu of scones, cookies, cupcakes, and more, baked fresh every morning.  We close in the afternoon when everything is sold out, and if there are a handful of leftovers, we donate it to the Domestic Violence Center of Santa Clarita.  Our website has the entire menu, and each day’s available selection is posted on Facebook and Twitter by 6 a.m., then our doors open at 7:30 a.m.!  Call us early to hold your selection before it sells out, or place a special order a day or two in advance (large orders require more notice).

A taco is a traditional Mexican dish composed of a corn or flour tortilla folded or rolled around a filling.  A taco can be made with a variety of fillings, a local favorite being fish.  The taco predates the arrival of Europeans in Mexico. Indigenous people living in the lake region of the Valley of Mexico ate tacos filled with small fish.  The first “taco bash” in history was documented by none other than Bernal Diaz del Castillo.

Thousands lined Town
Center Drive for the popular Amgen Tour of California Stage 8 Start on Sunday, May 22.  The Amgen returned to Santa Clarita for the fourth time as our city was host to the start of the final stage of the race. Riders made their way to the overall finish in Thousand Oaks, completing more than 800 miles of scenic roadways during the eight-day event.

Can you believe it?  “I got dumped!”  Again.  This just goes to show that women are not the only ones that get dumped.  Do you ever wonder why this happens?  I have, and there are so many different reasons why this can happen.  Sometimes it is very easy to explain.  Then there are other times when you just don’t see it coming, and get blindsided.  I have had a few of these, and I wanted to share one in particular.  Some time ago I met this very nice lady, “of course.” 

If you’re like me when you go out to eat, you want it to be worth your while.  When it comes to food, I look forward to eating places where I know there are people that put their heart into what they’re cooking.  You can taste the difference in food that somebody made who chose the life of a cook because it is their life.  It is what they know; it is what they are passionate about.  A person who cooks only to earn a paycheck will never be able to make the same caliber food.

The sounds of live Jazz and Blues bands once again filled Town Center Drive in Valencia.  Celebrating the 13th year that the Lexus of Valencia Jazz & Blues has featured regional, national and international entertainers in a quaint street party setting while offering interactive activities for adults and children.
This year’s series, which began on Friday, June 10, will run consecutively for 12 weeks through August 26.  Hours for the concerts will be 7 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.  The events will take place on Town Center Drive at McBean Parkway in Valencia.

The trend of cupcakes continues to grow and nothing will truly take its place anytime soon, but there is another trend that is quickly becoming popular in the specialty bake shop mainstream, cake pops!  Like cupcakes, cake pops are great as party favors, wedding favors and desserts, baby and wedding shower favors, corporate gifts and more.  So why not complement your dessert with a take-home cake pop?  With cake pops as your party favor, everyone gets to take home a “piece of cake.”

Enjoy a summer full of feel good menu items that taste better than one might imagine a healthy meal ever could. Called the “Ultimate Italian Restaurant” in your city (as voted on by diners in the Santa Clarita Valley), for a quick lunch or a full gathering of friends and family.  We have made catering a top priority for the coming months, and a manager will be happy to assist you with whatever specific needs you might have.

To continue our refreshing summer cocktail hit list, you could fly down to the beaches of Rio de Janeiro for one of the greatest summer cocktails in history, or for those who are watching their wallets, you can make the Brazilian national drink, the Caipirinha, on your own.
With its beginnings humbly nestled in the countryside of Brazil, this cocktail has been reaching meteoric heights with the growing popularity of Cachaça. 

For several years, the biggest culinary trend in Europe and the major cities in the United States have been small plates or individual servings.  While some restaurants gravitated toward the tapas style of serving appetizer size portions, the true culinary pioneers are taking a different approach of “individualizing” the serving sizes and giving customers complete flexibility to “design” their own dinner.