By Justin Bevins | Featured
The 2015 Canyon Lake Car Show rolled into the lodge parking lot yesterday and it was an impressive display of gleaming chrome, high horsepower engines, and highly polished paint. It was a hot day on the pavement (nearly 100 degrees), but that didn’t stop car enthusiasts from coming out to look at the hundreds of […]
By Justin Bevins | Canyon Lake Events
Fall is here! But that doesn’t mean the summer fun has to stop. Canyon Lake has your October loaded with great events for the whole family.
This will be the 10th annual Canyon Lake Car Show, a family friendly event that brings in more than 300 classic and custom pre 1973 vehicles, plus food and merchandise vendors. Following the event there will be a Car Show Dinner-Dance with live entertainment at 6:00pm at the lodge. Admission for the dinner-dance is $25. As Canyon Lake Events go, this is always a community favorite. Here’s the schedule but you can also get more information on the Canyon Lake Car Club website.
Schedule:
7-9am Classic cars park and shine
9am Show begins
9-11am Judging
2pm Temescal High School Drum Line
2pm Live charity auction for the Progeria Foundation
3pm Car Show awards
3:30 Cruise around the lake
The Canyon Lake Farmers Market will hold its annual Pet Parade in the Towne Center Free to all pets as long as their in costume. Some of the categories in the pet costume contest are Cutest, Spookiest, Funniest, Most Original and Pet/Owner Look Alike. There will be prizes!
Members of the Jr. Women’s Club and the Family Matters Club are combining forces to present the inaugural Renaissance Faire at Holiday Harbor.
The North Ski Area will be busy with the “PB Challenge 3,” which stands for “personal best.” Skiers will be put to the test, to beat their personal best. The slalom starts both days at 8 a.m. Come out and cheer on your local skiers to beat their personal best. It will be a lot of fun to watch!
The annual Parade of Frights will be held in the Towne Center on In addition to trick-or-treating for candy at local businesses, there will be carnival games and costume contests.
Canyon Lake Community Theatre is hosting “a trip down memory lane” at Indian Beach. In addition the Community Theater Group is hosting a benefactor dinner and concert. This is a multimedia event showcasing 20 years of the club’s musicals.
The Family Matters Club will hold its 2nd annual Halloween Carnival at Holiday Harbor. The free event will offer game booths, prizes, tattoos, costume contest and face-painting. Snacks will be available for purchase.
That is your guide to Canyon Lake Events for October, so get out and enjoy the changing of the seasons and activities in Beautiful Canyon Lake.
As a reminder, the Canyon Lake Golf Course will be closed for Maintenance – On Monday, October 5 through Friday the 23, for annual over-seeding and maintenance. The Country Club Restaurant will also be closed Oct.12 through Oct.15. When the course re-opens expect the fairways and greens to be ready for a great fall/winter season.
By Justin Bevins | Canyon Lake Recreation
Canyon Lake has a new club dedicated to the sport of show skiing called the “ShowCal Skiers”. If you’ve ever seen a ski show at Sea World, Cypress Gardens, or Magic Mountain, then you’re familiar with the excitement and crowd pleasing action these show skiers provide. And in fact many of the members of Canyon Lake’s newest club have performed professionally at those ski show venues.
Show Skiing has been called the most entertaining discipline in the sport of water skiing. It is fast-moving, exciting, graceful, and most of all, fun to watch. Virtually all aspects of the sport – barefooting, jumping, slalom, tricks, wakeboarding and kneeboarding – are choreographed into one grand performance. Unique to show skiing are ballet/swivel skiing, adagio doubles, adagio trios, freestyle jumping and human pyramids.
It makes sense to have a club like this in Canyon Lake since it’s already considered a classic water skiing community, and home to numerous national and world champion skiers, boarders and hydrofoilers. ShowCal Skiers bring yet another dimension to the already popular sport. They plan to perform several Ski Shows for our community throughout the summer.
And anyone can participate in this new club even if you don’t have any experience – the club is open to all members of the community.
“The biggest advantage to joining ShowCal Skiers, is that you and your family will have the ability to utilize Canyon Lake’s Greatest Amenity – The Lakes – without having to own a boat or water ski equipment. It truly is an organization where all members of a family can participate together. Age and skill are not factors since ski club performers can range from young children to grandparents and beginner to expert.”
Dry land practice is usually on Sundays at Holiday Harbor and rumor is there may be a wet practice on the jump lagoon March 23rd. Best to check out their calendar to confirm dates and times for all practices.
If you would like to get more information about the club membership or upcoming events, you can visit their website at showcalskiers.org or contact Mary Tortomasi at 951-722-2010 or Cherie Schiafone at 239-707-6002.
Check back here for updated photos of the ShowCal Skiers in action.
By Justin Bevins | Canyon Lake Recreation
The Canyon Lake community pool at the lodge is scheduled to open March 17th this year. The pool is always one of the more popular attractions during the summer and fortunately for residents it stays open for an extended season. Right now the pool area is looking spectacular. There’s a lot of new paint, the deck is clean, and the pool water is a sparkling clear blue.
The Canyon Lake pool generally closes down in November for the winter and re-opens in early March. The pool is heated for these early season openings and even though we’re getting uncharacteristically warm weather this year, the heated water helps a lot on those brisk mornings.
Our large L-shaped pool has Olympic lanes at one end and generally varies from 3′ deep to 6′ deep. There is also a separate kiddie pool for the little tykes if the main pool is too deep or they want to warm up to the big pool. There are also dressing rooms, showers, drinking fountains, handicap lift, shade areas, and vending machines for member convenience. The view of the lake makes it easy to relax and enjoy the day poolside.
The pool opens in the spring and fall at 7:00am but is reserved until 10:00am for lap swimming and water aerobics. After 10:00am, it’s open swimming for everyone. The pool is open until 9:00pm Sunday through Thursday and until 10:00pm on Friday and Saturday nights in the summer and is open until 8:00pm in the spring and fall.
Water aerobics classes are a great way to get some low impact exercise and socialize with a fun group of fellow swimmers . Classes are offered Monday through Saturday at 8:30 in the morning for only $2 per class or $25 per month. Contact the Canyon Lake POA for more information (951)244-6841 x618.
Pool RulesThere are a few things you need to know about the Canyon Lake pool in order to enjoy your visit and stay safe. Here are the most important rules:
You can download a complete list of pool rules and guidelines here.
So whether it’s for exercise or fun, head over to the lodge and enjoy one of Canyon Lake’s best amenities this year. See you at the pool!
By Justin Bevins | Featured
One of the key features and favorite amenities in Canyon Lake is the beloved lodge. It’s been a central part of the community for many years. The current lodge gets great use as a restaurant, meeting & event space, and bar for events and TV sports… and of course delicious Sunday Brunches. But over the years, many folks have expressed an interest in remodeling the lodge to make better use of the space. So this month, the long anticipated remodel begins. Here are a few details from the good folks at the Canyon Lake Property Owners Association about what to expect during the remodel process and what the completed project will look like:
The Association will be starting the expansion of the bar and lounge area at the Lodge on March 3. This project has a six to eight week timeline.
The plan is to make a larger bar and lounge area at the Lodge by enclosing the covered patio, as well as remove the center staircase to create space for a new dance floor. The current “L” shaped bar will be replaced with a new expanded “U” shaped bar that will more than double the existing seating capacity of the whole bar area. The uncovered patio space outside would still remain.
The dining area will be enclosed with double doors and the existing fireplace will be removed and replaced with a sound proof wall. Enclosing the dining area and adding a soundproof wall will enable the restaurant patrons to enjoy a private dining room for quiet dinners.
The Lighthouse Restaurant will suspend services in both the restaurant and bar area beginning March 3. The restaurant will only be open for special events and holidays such as Easter Sunday and Mother’s Day.
The kitchen, Holiday Bay Room, Pool View Room and Sunset Beach Room will still be available during the project, so banquets and parties will still be able to take place during this time. For the lower level rooms, the main access point will be through the dining room elevator located near the entry door of the facility. All restrooms will be accessible on both lower and upper level floors of the facility.
Once complete the Lodge will have approximately 1,800 square feet of added usable space. The objective of this project is to make the facility much more functional for residents and increase the revenue the facility brings in.
Once complete, there will be a festive grand opening celebration that members are invited to attend. This event will feature signature Lighthouse Restaurant entrees and drink specials. The date and more details for this event will be announced as the project completion date nears.
If members have any questions about the closure of the facility or upcoming banquets or events should contact Jeffrey Main, Director of Food and Beverage at 951-244-6841 ext. 723. For more information and updates on this project members are encouraged to follow the Association on Facebook.
Check back here for construction and completion photos in the coming weeks. We’re looking forward to the remodel and we’ll see you all down there after it’s done!
By Justin Bevins | Canyon Lake Real Estate
It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 6 years since the real estate market started it’s downward spiral that helped contribute to one of the worst economic downturns in U.S. history.
If you’ve been in your home that long, then you may have cringed like I did as you watched your equity and value plummet while homes were foreclosed and short sold all around you. Many lost their homes and much of their equity. Some have still not recovered. Hopefully you’ve landed on your feet by now and maybe even begin to build equity again.
The good news is that real estate turned the corner in 2013 and saw it’s strongest gains in the last 6 years.
Prices started perking up back in mid 2012 and shot up dramatically in January of 2013. Since then, it’s been month after month of increasing volume and price.
A look at the 1st chart shows that in the last 24 months, the median price of sold homes has risen from $240,000 to $336,000. That’s a 40% increase and most of that has happened in the last 15 months since about July of 2012.
The 2nd chart on the right shows that available homes for sale has steadily decreased over an 18 month period to nearly half of what it was near the peak.
This simple illustration of supply and demand really shows the increase in buyer activity that has helped bring the real estate market back
What can we expect in 2014? Likely the return of a more normal market with more normal appreciation somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-8%. The days of 25-30% appreciation are probably over… and that’s a good thing for the health and longevity of the market. -JB
You can receive our free 4 page weekly market report for Canyon Lake every Monday in your email inbox. Sign up here
By Justin Bevins | Canyon Lake Events
Every year this event gets better and better as Canyon Lakers come up with more creative lighting displays for their vessels. Growing by a few entries each year, the parade keeps getting bigger and makes for a great evening of entertainment and not surprisingly coincides with a lot of local Christmas parties.
The parade starts at 5:00pm on Saturday at the East Bay launch ramp and makes a full run down the East Bay through the boat tunnel, all the way up to the north end of the Main Lake and back down to finish at Holiday Harbor. If you live on the water or are partying with friends on the water, then you’ll have a front row seat almost anywhere on the lake.
If you don’t have a back deck to view from, here’s a list of public areas that are excellent vantage points: On the East Bay, Indian Beach, Roadrunner Park and Diamond Point Park all offer great views and lots of space to get comfortable with lawn chairs and a thermos of hot cocoa.
On the Main Lake, Holiday Harbor is a great venue and also happens to be where the boats finish the cruise at. Additionally, you can get refreshments and hot cocoa at the park while you’re watching. Sunset Beach offers the largest area to spread out and bring the family and offers the opportunity to see the parade twice as it passes by that area of the lake on it’s route. The boardwalk around the lodge and pool area near the Lighthouse is also a great area to get up close and personal.
If you live on the west side of Canyon Lake, then Moonstone Beach off of Whirlaway Ct. is a great viewing area. If you’re new to Canyon Lake or just visiting, refer to our map below for viewing locations.
If you are planning on photographing the parade, here are a few tips.
Want to catch some other fantastic Holiday Light Boat Parades this year? Try a few of these (click the links for more details and routes):
Newport Beach Boat Parade | Dec 18th-22nd – known as the oldest Holiday Boat Parade in the US at 105 years strong.
Dana Point Harbor Parade | Dec 13th & 14th – 39 years running and a pretty easy drive from Canyon Lake over Hwy 74.
Naples Long Beach Boat Parade | Dec 21st – always a fun event and close to Second street shopping and dining.
Marina Del Rey Boat Parade | Dec 14th – this long running event features a fireworks show (same day as Canyon Lake parade unfortunately).
San Diego Bay Parade of Lights | Dec 15th – almost 100 boats participate each year.
Remember to dress warm and bring a blanket and maybe some warm drinks to sip on. It’s cold down by the water.
Photo credits: MDR Boat Parade, Naples Boat Parade & Port of San Diego via Flickr.com
Well, it was a great boat parade this year with even more entries than last and some very creative efforts. We even had a fire breathing dragon! Here are a few photos taken from Indian Beach.
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By Justin Bevins | Featured
Every year there are some spectacular light displays during the holidays in Canyon Lake. Apparently, some of our residents got their degree in “Exterior Illumination” from the same school as Clark Griswold.
So grab some hot cocoa, throw the family in the car (or golf cart) and take a drive around the neighborhood to see what your fellow Canyon Lakers have done to beautify their homes for the holidays. There are just a few of the many great displays of holiday spirit all over the neighborhood.
The homes in this gallery are all in the areas of Continental, Meadowlark, Gray Fox, Emperor, Cinnamon Teal, Buck Tail, and Cruise Circle .
[print_gllr id=1697]If you’ve got a spectacular home you want featured, please contact us at info@canyonlakesocal.com
By Justin Bevins | Featured
Canyon Lake sure is a one-of-a-kind community and if you live here you know that Canyon Lakers have their own language, customs, and idiosyncrasies. Wondering if you’ll fit in here or if you truly are a Canyon Laker?
You own more than one set of any of the following: golf clubs, fishing poles, water skis, wakeboards or paddleboards.See you around the lake. Happy Holidays!
By Justin Bevins | Canyon Lake Events
If you’re reading this, it means you survived Black Friday. And hopefully you’ve enjoyed a great Thanksgiving week with family and friends in Canyon Lake. The holidays are officially here and that means lots of great activities as we wrap up November and head into December and January. Here’s a brief guide to upcoming festivities.
Nov 30th, 1:00pm – Small Business Saturday at Canyon Lake Towne Center | Part of a national push to keep holiday dollars local and support small business, the event starts at the Towne Center at 1:00pm tomorrow. Swing by and see if you can fill a few items on your list with local businesses.
Dec 1st, 11:00am – Holiday Home Tour | See how a few of your fellow Canyon Lakers decorate for the holidays on this special tour of five homes. Swing by the lodge early for a Holiday Boutique and a chance to win holiday decorations. Cost of the tour is $15.
Dec 5th, 7:00pm – Gary Bonner Concert | Once again this year the Gary Bonner Singers are going to entertain Canyon Lakers with a variety of holiday music at The Lodge at 7:00pm. Get your tickets at the Canyon Lake POA offices before Thursday. Tickets are $25.
Dec 8th, 5:00pm – Tree Lighting | Come spread the holiday cheer at The Lodge starting at 5:00 and hang around for Mr. & Mrs. Claus. Please bring a few cans of food to help out the Junior Women’s Club Food Drive.
Dec 13th, Evening – Golf Cart Club Toy Drive | After a successful event last year, this year’s parade and toy drive is expected to be even better with oodles and oodles of toys for children in need.
Dec 14th, 9:00am – Breakfast with Santa | His sleigh isn’t ready yet, but his Mastercraft is! So join him at the Ski Club Pavillion as he skis in for photos with the kids. Pancakes will be served!
Dec 14th, 3:00pm – Choraleers Christmas Concert | The Canyon Lake Choraleers will be getting everyone in the spirit with their annual concert. Tickets are $8.
Dec 14th, 5:00pm – Boat Parade of Lights | Grab a thermos full of hot chocolate or warm toddies and find a spot along the shore or one of our many beaches to watch this fun annual event on the lake. Every year it gets a little bigger and the boats get more creative. Expect to see some old favorites and some new entries.
Dec 22nd, 10:00am – Brunch with Santa | He really gets around and on Sunday he’ll be joining the community at The Lighthouse Restaurant for brunch. Another great opportunities to get photos with Santa and enjoy a great meal at the same time. Free for kids under 7 and only $11.95 for kids 8-12.
Dec 31st – New Years Eve Party | They’ll be ringing in 2014 at The Lodge as is customary with dinner, drinks and of course champagne. There will also be festivities at the senior center.
Jan 1st, 11:00am – New Years Brunch | Crawl back to The Lighthouse restaurant for this special brunch to celebrate the new year. $19.95 if you go to the New Year’s Eve Ball.
January 4th – Polar Bear Ski Day | This event separates the boys from the men, the girls from the women or the sane from the crazy. Come out and take a run in your Bermudas if you dare. As a consolation, there will be a fire and hot cocoa, and you’ll have bragging rights… when your teeth stop chattering.
Photo credit: bonnermusic.com