By DAVE THOMAS
If you like food, wine and a good time, plan to head out to the 15th annual Mt. Helix Park Food & Wine Festival on Saturday, Aug. 20.
The event is going back to a full-scale production, and attendees are invited to “party with a purpose,” surrounded by spectacular 360-degree views, while supporting one of San Diego’s most beautiful historic places.
The sunset at 1,400 feet never disappoints and provides a stunning backdrop as guests experience San Diego’s best restaurants, beverage companies, and artists. Then, dance under the stars to music by well-known Beach Boys cover band, Surfs Up. The Responders will kick off the evening on the main stage, and local favorite, Surf Birdz, will keep the area at the summit rockin’.
Ticket prices start at just $65 and were to increase July 15. You can become a member of the Park for as little as $35 and save even more.
Vendors will return to this traditional event after two years of virtual and scaled-down versions. Returning vendors include Helix Brewing Company, Mike Hess Brewing, Trevi Hills Winery, San Pasqual Winery, Skrewball Whiskey, St. Petersburg Vodka, Liberty Call Distilling, Brigantine, Hooleys, The Hills, Curbside Eatery, D’Amatos, Terra Catering, Dream Dinners, Brew Spot Coffee.
Check the Park’s website to purchase tickets, for ongoing updates, and details at mthelixpark.org.
If you want to be a part of the Food & Wine Festival, here are three ways to contribute:
- Become a sponsor or purchase tickets.
- Donate a silent auction item, experience, or gift card.
- Make a donation to the event if you are unable to attend.
For more information, contact the Mt. Helix Park office at (619) 741-4363.
Or, you may reach out to Krista Powers, Mt. Helix Park Foundation executive director, by calling or texting 619 (985-1445) or emailing Powers at: KPowers@MtHelixPark.org.
La Mesa Courier recently caught up with Powers to talk about this event returning to a more normal format after two years of COVID interruptions.
LMC: What are some of the highlights of the event for attendees to look forward to this year?
Powers: Tickets are going fast as everyone is excited to be back in person and returning to our full-scale Food & Wine Festival event. Some have known the fame of the event as the “heART” or “Party on the Hill”, this year we are calling it exactly what it is, a Food & Wine Festival. This annual fundraiser is not only famous for the location on one of the highest peaks in San Diego with 360-degree views, but also because it is where the private, non-profit, Mt. Helix Park raises over half its necessary income for educational programming, cultural events, security, historical restoration efforts, and more. It’s a critical piece of keeping Mt. Helix Park free, clean, and safe for the community’s use and enjoyment. Additionally, the 21-and-over event is just a blast to be at. A perfect date night or evening with friends. In our much-anticipated return to the full-scale event, full of local restaurants, wineries, breweries, and distilleries, we will also have a few bands and artists to enjoy during the evening as you stroll about. We even have a special well-known Beach Boys Cover Band, Surf’s Up, coming all the way from Huntington Beach.
LMC: What kinds of attendance numbers did you have in previous years for the event?
Powers: 2020 was a blur. We started off strong with a large group of planning volunteers in a January kick-off meeting and within a few months, we had to put the brakes on and pivot to an online format. Fortunately, we are a strong community and we found beauty in the ashes. New volunteers came forward with ideas on how to salvage this critical fundraiser for the park. One of the things important to myself and the planning team was how we could support the local struggling restaurants that had supported us for so many years. Susan Schalin, Valerie Hapke, and Chris Kilrain came up with an idea to sell a VIP ticket level that would cover the costs for us to purchase dinners at the local restaurants and then have our board members hand-deliver them to people’s homes. At first, I thought they were crazy as I thought about the logistics but we made a plan and made it happen. We were able to purchase almost 200 dinners from local restaurants when indoor dining was shut down and raise enough money with our live stream programming to support the park. Local realtor Steve Rotsart, Steel Canyon Athletic Director Charles Tyler, and I were able to pull off an entertaining program with the right amount of comedy to bring smiles during a time we all needed to laugh a bit. My husband reached out to one of the bands he plays in and he donated the musical entertainment for the evening. McFarlane Productions helped us with the live stream, video production, and technical side of things. I am still amazed how we were able to pull it all together in 2020 and make the best of it. We are blessed to have so many people in our community who care about the park.
In 2021, we recognized that our full-scale event was still not appropriate. So we again pivoted to a small 200-person catered “Evening Under the Stars”, which sold out pretty fast. The community and businesses once again stepped up to help us raise the critical funds we needed.
LMC: Do you tend to get mostly locals at the event or get people too from throughout San Diego?
Powers: The annual event has become pretty famous in East County. I know even myself, as I lived out of the area for 20 years, would come back to town to take my mom to it. It is definitely a wonderful neighborhood event and often the one time a year you see all your neighbors, but I have watched the news of this one-of-a-kind evening and event location spread and we now have people come from up north and even other states.
LMC: For anyone interested in being a sponsor, volunteering at the event etc., is there still time for them to sign up?
Powers: At this moment we have five VIP sponsor tables left, starting at $2,500, early-bird general admission starts at only $65 per ticket. We are still accepting new volunteers and donations for the auction. Supporting the event is an excellent way for businesses to show they care and we highlight them in advertising for an entire year.
— Reach editor Dave Thomas at: Dave@sdnews.com.
