SO U T H A N D E A ST COUNTY HAPPENINGS
City councils
El Cajon, 3 p.m. Tuesday; La Mesa, p.m. Tuesday; Santee, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday 6
Annual L.G. bonfire set for Friday evening
Lemon Grove hosts its 23rd annual Bonfire “COVID-style” (drive-thru) from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at Treganza Heritage Park, 3200 Main St. Stay in your car and enjoy festive lights, special characters, photo opportunities and a goody bag. Call (619) 825-3800.
Festive Fridays start this week in Santee
The city of Santee hosts Festive Fridays from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11 and Dec. 18 with four socially distanced holiday selfie stations available each night. The stations are: Santa Claus, Santee Trolley Square, 9869 Mission Gorge Road; “Frozen” characters, Town Center Park East, 550 Park Center Drive; Holiday Animal Inflatables, Plaza de Cuyamaca, 9771 Mission Gorge Road; and Rudolph & Friends Inflatables, Lowe’s Center, 9416 Mission Gorge Road. Reservations are required for the Santa Claus and “Frozen” stations. Visit https://bit.ly/37kzr1a to reserve and find a map. Also at that website, children can write a letter to Santa and play holiday games at Santa’s Village.
Free waste disposal in Lemon Grove, La Mesa Lemon Grove and La Mesa host a free household hazardous waste disposal for residents from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. Household hazardous waste includes all batteries, fluorescent bulbs, electronics, paints, solvents, cleaners, chemicals, used motor oil and antifreeze, medical sharps (syringes), pool and garden products, and propane. Limit of 15 gallons, 125 pounds, or five monitors/ TVs. Appointment required; call (619) 287-5696, ext. 4270 or email lmhhw@edcodisposal.com.
Blood drive at Chula Vista church
Saint Pius X Church is hosting a blood drive with the San Diego Blood Bank from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday at 1120 Cuyamaca Ave., Chula Vista. Donors will receive a voucher for a free entrée (up to $14), courtesy of The Broken Yolk. People who weigh at least 114 pounds and are in good health may be eligible to donate blood. Appointment and photo ID required. Call (800) 469-7322 or visit SanDiegoBloodBank.org.
Grants awarded to help manufacturers
The South County Economic Development Council and East County Economic Development Council recently announced a partnership with CMTC’s California’s Manufacturing Network to support their region’s small and mid-size manufacturers. Each received $65,000 in grant funding to help at least 200 businesses over the next nine months. The councils are providing free resources and services such as: help with supply chain optimization and talent recruitment and development. For more information on South County EDC, visit www.SouthCountyEDC.com. For more on East County EDC, visit https://eastcountyedc.org, call (619) 258-3670.