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Arts & Entertainment

East County Nightlife: Pre-Memorial Day Weekend Lull?

Your Patch guide to East County Nightlife, May 19-22.

Where has all the nightlife gone? There are typically so many things going on in East County on a given weekend that it’s almost painful to narrow this column down to manageable size. But the upcoming weekend is suffering from a noticeable drop in nightlife abundance, and the only thing it can be blamed on is timing.

As everyone knows, the following weekend is Memorial Day Weekend—the official start of summer and also the approximate time SDSU and the community colleges release their undergraduates back into the wild. Bars and other venues are likely cleaning up and stocking up in preparation for the deluge to come—which must be why many have left their event calendars blank this weekend.

That’s not to say that there’s nothing to do. East County knows how to have a good time, pre-Memorial Day or otherwise. So whether you’re into food truck cuisine, bluegrass music, or World War II-era theater comedies, there’s still plenty of nightlife offerings to choose from.

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THURSDAY

Where/when: Grossmont College, 8800 Grossmont College Drive, El Cajon, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday

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Why Go: Have you ever had to deal with a war between a current and former significant other?  Would it be better or worse if one of them was a ghost? See how novelist Charles Condomine fares in Noel Coward’s classic comic play, which originated on London’s famous West End theater district in 1941.

Price: $10-$12

FRIDAY

Where/when: West Main Street and North Magnolia Avenue, El Cajon, 6 to 8 p.m. Friday

Why Go: The third week of El Cajon’s festive outdoor concert series will feature rootsy bluegrass from the Taildraggers.  While you’re in the area, stop at Por Favor for a margarita or New York Bakery for some Italian cookies, but don’t veer too far from the main strip, lest the Unarius folks lure you in with promises of an outer space afterlife.

Price: Free.

Where/when: , 5500 Grossmont Center Dr., 9 p.m. to midnight.

Why Go: You could pretend you’re in an intimate pub in Ireland, listening to a few local mates bang away at the ol’ axe, or you could just enjoy your Guinness and corned beef taco and be happy you live in a place where corned beef tacos are even possible.  The Flophouse Playboys don’t mind either way, as long as you show up.

Price: No cover.

Where/when: , 9143 Campo Rd., Spring Valley, 9 p.m. Friday

Why Go: Fannie’s is one of East County’s oldest bars, and no one can say it doesn’t have a certain charm—one of its many attributes is its embrace of a wide variety of music acts, including classic rock bands, alternative singer/songwriters, and hip-hop DJs like Adrian.

Price: Free.

SATURDAY

Where/when: Boomers, 1155 Graves Ave., El Cajon, 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday.

Why Go: Far from their foreboding “roach coach” reputation, food trucks are quite trendy nowadays, and Boomers will host Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange County’s most popular and iconic food trucks this Saturday, including Grill ‘em All, the winner of Food Network’s Great Foodtruck Race.

Price: $5 per person (which includes $5 in game credits).

Where/when: Mission Trails Regional Park, 7 p.m. Saturday.

Why Go: Stargazing on your own might be peaceful, but it’s more fulfilling with the assistance of a “tour guide” and telescope. Mission Trails resident stargazer George Vargas will lead a mini-expedition of the heavens, with highlights including the moon, Ursa Major and the Whirlpool Galaxy.

Price: Free.

Where/when: , 8528 N. Magnolia Ave., 9 p.m. Saturday

Why Go: The local top 40/classic rock cover band’s website promises “serious fun,” and really, when has the Internet ever lied to you?  Serious Guise are Second Wind regulars (at the Navajo location as well), so if you miss them Saturday, they’ll be around to rock your world sometime soon after.

Price: No cover.

SUNDAY

Where/when: , 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove, 9 p.m. Sunday.

Why Go: Is there anything worse than finally getting up the courage to karaoke, only to watch as somebody else starts singing the ONE SONG you actually felt confident enough to sing? Dirk’s apparently hosts a pretty popular karaoke night, so get there early before your shining moment is yanked away.

Price: No cover.

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