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Get Your Motor Runnin’ - Cruisin’ Grand is Back!
Grand Avenue is where it’s at on Friday Nights this summer!
After a year-long hiatus, one of Escondido’s most famous and fun summer activities is back and revving to go. Cruisin’ Grand rolled into town on Friday, June 18, and will be parked on Grand Avenue every Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. through September 24.
The City of Escondido, which typically hosts several events and celebrations, went an entire year without any and the City and its community are thrilled to bring back this popular summer tradition.
“Cruisin' Grand is really one of the cornerstones of summertime here in Escondido,” said Teresa Collins, Deputy Director of Communications. “It really is a cherished event and it is great to welcome it back.” Collins said families were out in full force opening week and the event has maintained a steady flow of people every Friday night, who come to celebrate the American tradition of cars and cruising - from American-made classics to customs, vintage, muscle, and hot rods.
This summer’s weekly event is slightly different than in years past. Because many bars and restaurants still have outdoor dining that has spilled onto the street with k-rails as barriers, the traditional cruising element has been eliminated from the event for now. Instead, Grand Avenue has been closed off to traffic and the classic and specialty cars are parked along the street next to outdoor diners, allowing visitors the ability to walk freely on the street to admire the scenery.
Grand Avenue is closed for cruisin’ but open for perusing.
“That has been a great solution and it worked out really well,” added Collins. “Keeping the street side dining and retail is really important as our local businesses are moving into the recovery phase.”
Five City blocks from Escondido Boulevard to Ivy Street are blocked off for the classic cars to park and show off their unique features. Additionally, the side streets between Second Avenue and Valley Parkway are closed as these streets are where most car clubs traditionally congregate throughout the summer.
Cruisin’ Grand has been named, “The number one car cruise in the nation,” by Curbside TV and is considered the largest car show in the region.
Cruisin’ Grand creator and organizer Steve Waldron makes sure it’s a family-friendly event every week. He coordinates each week’s car theme and has both live music and a DJ to celebrate the cars and their era. Awards are given out by car clubs and sponsors to car owners every week as well. Kettle corn and games accompany the event, giving kids even more to do throughout the evening.
The event is also filled with surprises every week. The first week, Waldron managed to get the Grease Lightning car from the movie Grease to show up for the event. Spectators were able to take photos next to the famous car that had been signed by the movie’s lead actress Olivia Newton-John.
Other surprises from the past include cars from the Pixar movie Cars, Nitro Night (complete with the flame-belching nitromethane racers), model cars from various eras, and Hero Night (a salute to first responders, which runs the Friday closest to September 11).
Hero Night with responder vehicles from several decades.
“Steve puts a call out to all first responder vehicles both old and new,” said Collins, adding that everything from vintage fire trucks to SWAT cars, and old police cruisers show up, making this one of the event's most popular nights. “Everyone loves it, especially the kids.”
This year’s Hero Night will be Friday, September 10.
Many Escondido businesses also participate in the event with specials that run on Friday nights during Cruisin' Grand. The Escondido-based food app FabnGrab has many Cruisin’ Grand specials dedicated to this summer’s celebration, including a Two Tamale Combo at Tamales Jovita, Happy Hour Pizza at Bulgogi Fries, a Lunch Pizza at Grand Pizzeria, The Barrel Burger or Happy Hour Craft Beer at Barrel Republic.
Cruisin’ Grand is maintained mostly through volunteers and sponsorship. Sponsors include O'Reilly Auto Parts, Gosch Ford Escondido, Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, and Brian Habib, Realtor.
The calendar of events throughout the summer include:
July 9 - Classic T-Birds And Vintage Corvettes Night
Sponsored by Rock-n-Jenny's
July 16 - German and British Car Night
Sponsored by Esco Gelato
July 23 - The Drifters Car Club
Sponsored by Escondido Coin & loan
July 30 - Grand De Elegance Packard and Pierce Arrow Night
Sponsored by Tool Shed
August 6 - Country Gents And Little Guys Night
Sponsored by Free Builders Supply
August 13 - Model T's, A's and Early Fords
Sponsored by Tom and Patsy Hamlin
August 20 - Heartbeat Classics Night
Sponsored by The Enlow Family
August 27 - Axle Draggers Night
Sponsored by C&G Ford
September 3 - C-10 Trucks Night
Sponsored by HotRod & Custom Stuff
September 10 - Fire Truck Night - Hero's Night
Sponsored by Escondido Fire Association
September 17 - The Shafter's Night
September 24 - Vintage Racecar Night - NITRO NIGHT
Sponsored by Correct Carpet
More information on Cruisin’ Grand is available on the Website and Facebook.
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An Alley Becomes a Gallery: Escondido Art Association Brings Art to Everyone
Community members hit the alley for the Phase I unveiling in June.
The pandemic hit the art community hard. However, creative people tend to find outlets even in the most unlikely places. Many local artists and muralists simply took their brushes to the streets and kept busy painting the street barriers that were put up around outdoor eating sites throughout the City.
“One of the ways local artists tried to stay sane during the pandemic was painting as much of downtown as they could.” said Carol Rogers, a member of the Escondido Art Association and co-owner of Stone and Glass, which she owns with her husband and glass artist, James Stone. “One of the things that became a big canvas were the barriers used to extend the outdoor restaurants and retail. Instead of white barriers, local artists would paint them. The artist would decide on the painting and most shop owners gave them the freedom to paint. This went on throughout the pandemic.”
Fueled with the idea to find new and interesting places to give artists more space to paint, Heather Moe of Design Moe Kitchen and Bath realized the 350-foot brick wall — owned and occupied by John Paul Catholic University, which sits opposite the alley of her building — would be a great place for art.
The Esco Alley committee. From left to right clockwise Carol Rogers, Kati Cowan, Suzanne Nicolaisen, Louisa Magoon, Dan Forster, Heather Moe, Stella, Tristan Pittard.
She began discussing the idea with her art community friends including Rogers, Kati Cowan, Suzanne Nicolaisen, Louisa Magood, Dan Forster and Tristan Pittard. They began creating a plan that became Esco Alley Art.
The project is a three-phase project where 8x8 or 4x8 murals are painted on plywood and attached to the building. The idea sprouted in March and a call for artists went out shortly after that. Eleven artists were chosen and the Phase I murals went up on June 12. The team provided the artists with the plywood canvases and a stipend to pay for their supplies. The murals are also coated in a tag-resistant sealer created by Sculpt Nouveau, an Escondido paint and finishing company.
“The art that came from this is remarkable,” said Rogers. “The only direction was that it would be public so it has to be tasteful.”
All 11 artists have a connection to Escondido with many of them having their art in galleries in Escondido or mural art throughout the City. Each of them has a unique story to tell too. Each mural has a QR code on it that viewers can scan to find out more about the piece and the artist.
For Rogers, she feels the biggest point of doing this outdoor art is to bring art to the people. “We know there are people who will never step foot in an art gallery,” she said. “This is out there to show people that art is accessible to everyone.”The City of Escondido is helping to increase the foot traffic to the murals. They are posting photos to Instagram and asking others to tag themselves when they are there.
“Those murals are amazing,” said Teresa Collins, Deputy Director of Communications for the City of Escondido. “They’re lovely and you know, being an alleyway, it’s kind of one of those cool discoveries when you find it. So we are helping to push more people to find it.”
The murals will hang indefinitely at this point with 11 more murals coming from Phase II in August and another 11 in October from Phase III. At this point, all the artists have been selected for Phase II and there are still openings for artists in Phase III. Applications can be found here.
Eventually, Rogers said the murals will be sold privately and a portion of the sales will go to the Downtown Business Association, the Escondido Art Association, and a portion to the artists themselves. The committee is also deciding how to create and sell prints of the images. The entire project was created with the help of donor funding and the committee continues to solicit donations to continue to advance this unique Escondido art project. Donation information can be found on their sponsor page.
Esco Alley Art is located in the alley south of Grand Avenue between Broadway and Maple.
Lining the alley, Phase I murals bring a fun and creative vibe to the City.
About the Artists
Mauro Alvarez has a passion for cars and a love for Escondido. He is making a name for himself outside of the City and his mural art can be seen at The Barking Dog Deli as well.
Julia Martinez mixes her Mexican heritage into her work, bringing traditional and folk elements to all her designs.
Jinx Lennon’s pieces are hung throughout the world. Her piece is uniquely Escondido and was painted while watching people wandering through the City.
Madeline Reich plays with linear lines in her piece as she compares it to the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cindy Peters is an Escondido resident. She too was inspired by COVID-19 in her work and used the sunflowers to represent hope.
Leslie Mayer painted the famous Kumeyaay woman, Hal-ah-wee, later named Felicita LaChappa who helped preserve her culture’s rich history in San Diego. Mayer also has a 180’ wall mural in Escondido called, “The Wall Speaks”.
Daniel Kilgore is a landscape and seascape artist, and his mural contribution gives a spectacular representation of one of many magical San Diego sunsets.
Maya Sorvala is the youngest muralist. At just 18, this is her fourth mural design. She is headed to Vancouver Institute of the Media Arts in the fall to study game art and design.
Tristan Pittard is a founding member of Esco Ally and runs the website. He is a fan of public art. His contribution is a reflection of the laws of nature and abstract thought.
Brenda Townsend’s piece was originally meant to be the backdrop for a production at the Patio Playhouse Youth Theatre. Townsend is also the director of the Patio Playhouse Youth Theatre.
Katie Gaines pours her life experiences into her work. Her mermaid mural features many symbolic elements that relate to her personally. As a muralist and decorative painter, she has also made a name for herself as a social media influencer.
Natalie J.D. Cuenca (Cachi) incorporates her spirituality into her work. She created a mural filled with meaning for her.