Hillcrest is extra festive this holiday season

Hillcrest is dependably a fun place to be during the holiday season It features festive traditions like the Mama s Kitchen World AIDS Day Tree Lighting Hillcrest Taste N Tinis Shop Hillcrest for the Holidays and over-the-top decor at plenty of of our neighborhood bars and restaurants And to add to all of that this year the popular Hillcrest Cleanup Cocktails will host an extra-festive edition on Saturday Dec and everyone is welcome to participate Not only will participants volunteer their time to pick up litter and work on several other beautification projects around the neighborhood but Hillcrest s biggest Christmas card photo ever will be taken at the start of the event with all participants receiving printed copies of the photo at the conclusion of the day s exercises Everyone is invited to join the holiday card photo under the Hillcrest sign whether or not they stay for the cleanup and other festive sessions Hillcrest Cleanup Cocktails was envisioned by Rick Cervantes and me in late after hosting neighborhood litter cleanups for a great number of years and needing to find a spark to get more people involved A friend visiting San Francisco sent us a photo of a flyer she saw on a light pole advertising an event called Castro Cocktails Cleanup which gave us an idea We had consistently hosted informal gatherings at local bars or restaurants following our cleanups but thought that an event called Hillcrest Cleanup Cocktails with a formalized official afterparty would do the trick You may have noticed we reversed the order of the name The San Francisco event is called Cocktails Cleanup and we figured it was likely best to have the cocktails after we cleaned up the neighborhood With the power of Rick s hillcrestsandiego Instagram account we have been able to reach a wide audience and promote the event driving participation Hillcrest Holiday Party And what a success Hillcrest Cleanup Cocktails has become It has been hosted quarterly since January and the Dec event will mark the eighth edition Each event has had at least participants with our largest turnout being contributors signing in We have engaged nearly unique individuals in Hillcrest Cleanup Cocktails who have come from all over San Diego County to help make Hillcrest a better place After years of organizing neighborhood litter cleanups we never imagined that so numerous people would be excited about getting up on a Saturday morning to join us at a m I m sure the promise of a free drink and bites after the cleanup has helped The concept of Hillcrest Cleanup Cocktails is simple helpers gather starting at a m on the northwest corner of th and University directly underneath the Hillcrest sign and enjoy refreshments courtesy of Sunnyboy Biscuit Company Cleanup supplies are also available as participants arrive Just before a m there are safety announcements and locality updates then the entire group safely heads into the intersection underneath the sign and in seconds or less takes one of our now-famous group photos After that participants are free to fan out alone or in groups of their own choosing to clean up litter and occasionally work on other pre-organized projects Around a m helpers begin to wrap up their cleanup efforts and return their garbage bags to the check-in site which are collected by the Hillcrest Business Association s Clean Safe staff Participants who give at least an hour of their time are given a wristband which entitles them to one free drink of their choice at Urban Mo s light bites provided by Mo s and a fun after-party At this special edition of Hillcrest Cleanup Cocktails participants are encouraged to wear Santa hats festive onesies or holiday costumes that they don t mind possibly getting a little dirty so that we can bring festive cheer to the neighborhood while cleaning up A limited supply of Santa hats will be available for contributors who would like one Before participants head out for their cleanup efforts we will gather as usual under the Hillcrest for our group photo which this time we will call Hillcrest s biggest holiday card photo ever and while participants are out cleaning the neighborhood the photo will be printed onto a nice holiday card style print and everyone will receive a copy during the Cocktails portion at Urban Mo s Everyone is welcome to participate and we d love to have you there whether you just want to join in the photo or take part in cleaning and cocktails To RSVP or for more information please visit bit ly SantaCleanup Hope to see you there Building a public in Hillcrest What makes Hillcrest Cleanup Cocktails special is that it is less about cleaning up litter and more about building society in Hillcrest This neighborhood is special so a large number of people who have never lived here consider it to be home Hillcrest is one of the largest part welcoming places in San Diego with an ethos rooted in the LGBTQ society Multiple people attend Cleanup Cocktails specifically to meet new friends or neighbors and establish a connection to the area Nearly of our helpers over the last two years have come from all sorts of places between San Ysidro and Oceanside I have heard multiple stories of friendships that blossomed at Urban Mo s following the cleanup of people who were nervous about coming alone but left excited for the next one and those who had never volunteered or participated in any area pursuits before and had a blast As Hillcrest continues to grow and change it s more vital than ever that we continue to host events like this that are inclusive of all and embody the fun dynamic that the neighborhood is all about The hillcrestsandiego Instagram account and the Kiwanis Club of Hillcrest All-Inclusive will host the annual Hillcrest Region Holiday Onesie Party Sock Drive on Thursday Dec from - p m at Uptown Tavern and you re invited The purpose of the event is to bring all of our neighbors together for a festive holiday affair and do something good for those in need Partygoers are encouraged to dress in a festive holiday onesie though they are not required and join in for an evening of hosted appetizers drink specials and Hillcrest holiday cheer Those who are able to donate new unused socks of any size or type to benefit our unhoused neighbors are also encouraged to bring them There is no charge to attend no agenda just a lot of fun with neighbors and people who love Hillcrest Stop by if you can Kiwanis Club of Hillcrest All-Inclusive update The Kiwanis Club of Hillcrest All-Inclusive began its most of up-to-date administrative year on Oct with a new board of directors taking office to lead the organization After serving for two years as president and two years as president-elect I have officially become the immediate past president of the club and Rick Cervantes has taken on the reins of president serving through Sept The club has grown substantially over the last four years becoming one of the largest chapters in California so Rick s major goal is to ensure the sustainability of the club for years to come by implementing processes and procedures that will enable the club to remain stable and able to focus on its mission of provision to the group Along with Rick the officer gang is rounded out by Edgard Portela as vice president Katherine Dextraze as secretary and Mayra Pi a who is serving a second term as treasurer The board directors are Mike Bacon Lenny Bolton Melissa de Leon Gil Loredo and Anna Rauh-Krueger Club meetings resume after the holiday break on Thursday Jan - p m at Uptown Tavern and are held every second and fourth Thursday of the month More information can be detected on the club s Instagram page kiwanishillcrest Have a wonderful holiday season and I can t wait to see you around town at one of the numerous festive gatherings in the neighborhood