Arts and Barbecue Share the Spotlight Saturday at Civic Center Park

A day of dance, music, a new exhibit honoring the city's horse heritage, plenty of good eats and more is planned for Saturday at Civic Center Park.

In celebration of its new exhibit, the Lemon Grove Historical Society will present the Western duo Two Guys Will Move U as part of the grand opening of The Great Mission Rancho Horse Show & Rodeo, 1941-1957 at the Parsonage Museum.

Don Holcomb and Rufus Perry are the "two guys" whose singing chops have delighted San Diego County residents for more than a decade. Their diverse repertoire ranges from Tin Pan Alley to rhythm and blues to the haunting cowboy laments of the Old West. Expect to hear their strong voices and virtuoso double guitars all over the park as they evoke the pioneer spirit that built Lemon Grove in its agricultural heyday.

Sharing the spotlight with Holcomb and Perry will be Trolley Dances, performed by the famed modern dance troupe, Jean Isaacs San Diego Dance Theater. The day of performances, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Civic Center Park and on adjacent Main Street, will mark the 14th season of the innovative trolley-related choreography and the 40th season of Isaacs' company.  

The dancers will be joined by an acrobatic duo trained by Cirque du Soleil. The music director for Trolley Dances is former Lemon Grovian, Steve Baker, the noted jazz/classical pianist and Dean of Music at Grossmont College.

Audiences can enjoy fresh, hot, savory barbecue from Coop's West Texas Barbeque, liquid refreshment from the Historical Society, and face painting by Buddy the Clown.  

Special booths will feature presentations by the Lemon Grove Organic Gardening Club and Lemon Grove HEAL Zone, which is promoting healthy eating and active living in the community.

Lemon Grove's own Apollo Stables run by Anna Baker will feature a demonstration of saddling and bridling, and explanations of horseshoes, how to feed a horse and even how to draw one at the "horsey art table."

You might even win a 7-foot, pre-lit Christmas tree on wheels, or one of the last Lemon Grove handmade belt buckles in existence at the raffle table.

The Parsonage Museum will feature two floors of informative exhibits. The Pete and Cherie Smith Gallery will house the Mission Rancho exhibit, which incorporates the story of St. John of the Cross Church, where the horse show was launched. An extensive display of vintage photographs of the event feature Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Trigger, Buffalo Bill Cody, Andy Devine, Red Ryder and other Hollywood Western stars.

All events and exhibits are free—but bring cash for the food ($5-$10) and refreshments. Tables and chairs will be available, but feel free to bring a picnic blanket for the grass.

Festivities start at 11 a.m. The Historical Society’s celebration continue to 3 p.m., and Trolley Dances performs until 5 p.m.

For more information, call 619-460-4353.