Tag Archives for " Holidays "

Put on your party hat(s) and dancing shoes for these upcoming New Year’s Eve Celebrations!  The only problem you’ll have is picking out which one you’ll be going to!

Lighthouse Restaurant NYE Celebration ~ Canyon Lake

Light Up Your New Year’s at the Lighthouse Restaurant right here in Canyon Lake!  From 8:00 pm until 1:00 am on the Eve of the New Year, you can enjoy libations and dancing to a live DJ’s sounds.  Hors d”oeuvres will include shrimp cocktail, vegetable crudité, pesto bruschetta, cheese plates, fruit displays, stuffed mushrooms and Italian sausage, mini beef and chicken teriyaki, pot stickers, stuffed jalapeño poppers, mini assorted dessert choices and a complimentary champagne toast.  Tickets for this event is $30 per individual.  You can pick up your tickets at the Lighthouse Restaurant and make sure to call 951.244.6841 ext 771 to make reservations.

A Senior New Year’s Eve ~ Canyon Lake

Another Canyon Lake New Year’s Eve Party is the Senior’s New Year’s Eve Party celebrating New Year’s Eve on Central Time!  The party starts at 5:00 pm and held at the Canyon Lake Senior Center.  There will be music, fun and food for a ticket price of $25 per person.  Tickets are available at the Association’s Member Services Office.

Pepe’s Mexican New Year’s ~ Canyon Lake

Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina just outside of the Main Gate here in Canyon Lake is hosting their New Year’s Eve Party where seating times are at 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm (they ask that when you make your reservations to specify your seating time).  There will be dancing music provided by “On The Roxx” so get ready to dance the night away, too!  There are 3 different packages to choose from.  Package 1 is drinks from 9:00 pm until midnight with a glass of champagne to toast in the New Year for $50.  Package 2 includes prime rib or chicken cordon bleu dinner in the dining room and reserved seating in the bar, drinks from 9:00 pm until midnight with a glass of champagne for the toast.  Price of package 2 is $75.  Package 3 is $100 per person which includes all of package 2 with your personal cocktail server for drinks in the bar.  Each of these packages does not include the price of shots.  Please note that when making reservations, your credit card will be charged and there will not be any refunds.  Call and make your reservations by dialing 951.244.7373.

The Sports Stop New Year’s Eve Buffet ~ Canyon Lake

A buffet on New Year’s Eve?  What a great idea!  Nonstop fun and nonstop food at the Sports Stop!  The buffet will include fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, shrimp cocktail, tri-tip, chicken marsala, garlic mashed potatoes, salads, desserts including cheesecake with fresh strawberry sauce AND triple chocolate brownies!  Brunch starts at 5:30 pm and price per person is $18.99.  Brunch also includes midnight champagne to ring in the New Year!  So think about partying it up at The Sports Stop for New Year’s Eve!  After all, it’s just outside the Main Gate here in Canyon Lake!

An Old Town NYE Celebration at Baily’s ~ Old Town Temecula

Baily’s Nightclub New Year’s Eve Bash will be a night full of fun with two levels of people, three full bars and music from DJ Ruffnek and DJ A-Lyfe, Gogos Jazmine, Felicia & Kimmy Jayy!  There will be party favors and champagne for the New Year’s Toast.  It will be an “unforgettable experience” as their invitation states!  Presales tickets are available for $20 per person ($30 per couple as an online sale from Dec 15-28).  Click here for presale tickets if you’re interested!

Winery NYE Choices ~ Temecula

Head down to Winery Town in Temecula for a New Year’s Eve Celebration of fun!  Here are just a couple of wineries to check out for New Year’s Eve!

• Miramonte Winery’s NYE 2013 Bash

starts at 7:00 pm with the beautiful music of Missy Andersen.  Hang out with friends and the fun Miramonte staff and close in on 2014 til midnight!  There is no cover charge for this event so make sure to come early and grab yourself a table under the stars (by a heater).  🙂  You’ll for sure have a grand ol’ time!

• Wilson Creek Winery

has their very own Studio 54 New Year’s Eve Celebration where you can boogie the night away with Jimmy Jones and the Disco Inferno.  There will be lots of food stations set up for you party animals as well as an open bar, live entertainment such as go-go dancers, a DJ and a countdown to midnight!  Oh, not to mention, there will be champagne, too!  We can’t forget that!  Tickets are $190 and $170 for Wine Club Members.  Check out the Wilson Creek Winery’s website to make reservations.  Please note the prices above do not include tax or gratuity.

Tesoro’s Italian Cuisine’s Dance and Foodie NYE Celebration ~ Murrieta

Looking for somewhere to ring in the New Year closer to Canyon Lake and enjoy a great sit-down meal?  How about Tesoro Italian Cuisine in Murrieta?  Tesoro’s New Year’s Eve Celebration starts at 8:00 pm and includes a full course special dinner and champagne to toast in 2014.  The appetizer choices are fried calamari and chorizo-stuffed dates wrapped in maple bacon.  Salad will be strawberry spinach drizzled with a champagne vinaigrette.  Entree choices are filet mignon and fresh lobster or prime rib or Chilean sea bass with champagne risotto and asparagus and to finish you off, killer dessert choices of tiramisu and pumpkin cheesecake to boot!  Dance to jazzy Motown music played by TMK and the Allstars all night.  Prices are $80 per person (prepaid), $85 at the door (the night of).  Call for reservations 951.609.1266.  $40 deposit is required to hold your reservations.  The venue is quaint and small, so make sure to get your name on the list to ensure you get a good seat!

We’re sure there are more parties around town that you can choose from, but these are the ones that we knew about and wanted to share.

Let’s keep in mind….

Now, we all know the goal is to have a great time ringing in the New Year, but let’s make sure to stay safe and sound.  So, please don’t drink and drive and write down these numbers in case you need some transportation after a night of celebrating.

• Let’s Roll Taxi ~ 951.223.8294 (Canyon Lake)
• Blue Crown City Cab ~ 951.973.6011 (Menifee)
• Yellow Cab ~ 951.296.0007 (Murrieta)
• Finish Line Taxi ~ 951.473.0333 (Murrieta)
• Blacks Taxi ~ 951.551.8847 (Temecula)
• Red Top City Cab ~ 951.694.3333 (Temecula)

Have a great New Year, all and let’s make 2014 an even better one!

So this is Christmas…  It’s the time of the year when we all start to think of gift ideas.  One idea is the gift of time, the gift of YOUR time ~ in the form of volunteering!

Neighboring areas are in need of volunteers throughout the year but this Christmas season is when events are held all around town and the spirit of giving is so very welcome!

Lake Elsinore/Wildomar

Cornerstone Community Church hosts their Annual Adopt-a-Family for Christmas Program where you can volunteer to make the Holidays special for those in need.  There are four ways you can participate.

1. The first way is to take care of a family in need by providing them with a Christmas Tree, gifts for the kids and a Christmas Dinner
2. Another way is to select a child from their list and give that child the gift of their choice that can be found on his/her wish list.
3. The third way to volun-gift is to purchase grocery store gift cards in denominations of $25 or $50 so they can be provided to an Adopted Family in the program.
4. Make a monetary donation in any amount by check to Cornerstone

The adopted families in this program are the neatest people who are just down on their luck.  If you can bring some joy and spirit into their Christmas just by your humble act of giving, it’ll make all the difference in the world.

Wildomar

Community Outreach Ministry (COM) serves the community’s at-risk kids.  This year marks the 13th Annual Angel Tree Christmas Party where COM puts together a memorable event for the kids and the children get to interact with local Police, Sheriff’s Deputies, Firefighters, California Highway Patrol, Sheriff’s Explorers, and Border Patrol Agents.  Each group will educate the children on the importance of safety.  Then, the kids will receive Christmas presents donated by local businesses such as Curves, Massage Envy, Health Professionals, Wells Fargo and Beauty Salons.  There will be face painting and entertainment conducted by middle school and high school students.

There are two parties scheduled for these kids.  The first took place today and the next one is slated for Saturday, December 21, 2013.  If you would like to volunteer, contact the ministry at 951-698-7650 or email them at info@communityoutreachministry.org.

Menifee

The 4th Annual Menifee Christmas Dinner Group is looking for Volunteers.  On Christmas, food will be served to families and individuals in need.  Boxed dinners will also be available hot meals will be delivered on Christmas day to the homeless and seniors in the community by Volunteers.  Building up to Christmas, there will be food and toy drives resourced by Volunteers as well.  If you’d like to help this wonderful group of people either before Christmas or on the actual day of Christmas for the dinner, you can visit the Facebook page rightly called Menifee Christmas Dinner.  There will be toys and crafts for children to participate, dinner for the families; and of course, Santa may drop by.  If you’d like to help during the toy and food drives, serve dinner, help facilitate the event on Christmas or help drive the boxed dinners to the homeless and seniors in need; please let them know via the Facebook page, call 951-852-1668 or email menifeechristmasdinner@yahoo.com.

Temecula

Buck Kemmis started this dinner years ago to bring the community together and now heads this year’s 19th Annual Community Christmas Dinner.  This will be the first year with the dinner held at the Mary Phillips Senior Center.  Anyone is welcome to join and celebrate Christmas.  The dinner is a completely free sit-down turkey meal, sponsored by multiple anonymous donors and the Temecula Town Association.  Volunteers help by decorating, serving and organizing the day’s event.  Santa is there to give the kids presents as well.  For those that aren’t able to make it to the actual dinner, meals can be delivered to those who have health issues and are not able to drive or leave their home.  Volunteers are also in charge of wrapping the presents and and carving the turkeys.  If you’re interested in helping out and giving your gift of time, please call 951-678-2471 or visit TemeculaCalifornia.com for more information.

You’ll make all the difference in the lives of the people you unconditionally give your time to during the Holidays….and you will spread the spirit that is Christmas for sure….

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.

• If your camera has a night setting or fireworks setting, they sometimes also shoot holiday lights well.
• You can choose the action setting and you can adjust your white balance to “tungsten” if your camera has it.  If burst mode is available, that sometimes make it’s easier to capture at least a few good shots out of the series.
• Try turning off your flash to really capture the brightness of the lights from the boats.  Leaving the flash on, may wash out the lights.
• Use a tripod if you have it because most night settings on a camera will increase exposure and can cause blurriness if you don’t hold still.  If you zoom in to catch a far away boat, it just makes the problem worse so use the tripod for best quality photos.

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

Post Update

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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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 .

If you’ve got a spectacular home you want featured, please contact us at info@canyonlakesocal.com

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

Halloween is only 10 days away so this is prime time to find that perfect pumpkin to create your jack-o-lantern masterpiece.  There are some great pumpkin patches within a short drive of Canyon Lake, many that offer rides and other activities for the kids and adults alike.  Here’s a rundown of the best local pumpkin patches:

Norris Amusement Pumpkin Patch – 18614 Dexter Ave., Lake Elsinore

You’ve probably seen this little patch from the I-15.  The good folks at Norris Amusement can be seen out there every Halloween with pumpkins and at Christmas time with a tree lot.  They have a lot of pumpkins, small rides for the kids, and other entertainment.  Get off at HWY 74 and turn left at Dexter, right behind the Burger King.

Wickerd Farm Pumpkin Patch – 26852 Scott Rd., Menifee

The good folks at the Wickerd Farm have been bringing some of the best pumpkins to the area since 1991.  They are open everyday from 10-8 and until 9pm on Friday and Saturdays.  For next weekend they will have jumpers for kids, local vendors and food.  There will also be a pumpkin pie eating contest and costume contests.  Haunted Hayrides start at 8pm.  Get more information and driving directions on the Wickerd Farms website.

Tom’s Farms Pumpkin Patch – 23900 Temescal Canyon Rd., Corona

Tom’s Farms has a great pumpkin patch every year and with all the other attractions at this local farmer’s market, you could spend the whole day there.  The pumpkin patch is open every weekend and there is even a pumpkin carving contest this weekend.

Hunter’s Pumpkin Patch – 40820 Winchester Rd., Temecula

Open every day from 10am to 9pm at the promenade mall Hunter’s Pumpkin Patch is a great time for everyone.  They have a huge inflatable slide that you can’t miss and there is so much more… tractor rides, petting zoo, hay maze and inflatables.  And of course, there are lots of pumpkins.

Big Horse Corn Maze and Harvest Festival – 33320 Temecula Pkwy, Temecula

Big Horse Feed and Mercantile offers a one of a kind experience with an 11 acre corn maze – one of the only corn mazes in Southern California.  This weekend, you can take the kids for pony rides, jump in the “corn box” or try pumpkin bowling.  Open weekdays from 1-5 and weekends from 10-4.  Check the Big Horse Corn Maze website for details.

Want some tips on carving a pumpkin?  These are pretty easy instructions to follow.

Happy Halloween!

Well, maybe not officially over but Labor Day has passed so no more big summer holidays.  Taco Tuesday is finished for the year.  No more Friday night movies at Holiday Harbor.

But don’t let that stop you from having some fun in Canyon Lake because fall is a great time for events and really probably the best time for getting on the water.  Average daytime temperatures typically run in the 70’s and 80’s and the water temp is still close to 80 degrees.  Most of the summer crowd have put the boats away so there is much less traffic on the lake this time of year.  It’s really ideal if you want to get some wakeboarding or waterskiing in.

It’s also a great time to play golf or maybe learn the sport for the first time.  Cooler temps make the golf course much more enjoyable and if you want take lessons, the guys at the pro shop offer outstanding instruction at a reasonable price.  Just keep in mind that the golf course is closed for over seeding for 3 weeks in October so check with the pro shop to get the exact dates.

The fall season is also a great time for events in Canyon Lake with a full calendar of great things to do.  Here are a few of our favorite activities:

Sunday Brunches – The Lighthouse is open every Sunday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm for brunch and there is no better time or place to relax and take in the beautiful fall days.

Miss Canyon Lake Pageant – Tickets are still available for Saturday night’s pageant and the crowning of Miss Canyon Lake.  You can purchase tickets at the event for $10 so come out and support all the ladies who have worked so hard to represent Canyon Lake.

Ski Tourney – The Canyon Lake Ski Club is running their fall tourney this weekend at the North Causeway.  If you want to see some impressive rooster tails, get out there Saturday and Sunday at 8:00 am and cheer on the skiers.  For big air, head to the Ski Jump Lagoon at noon Saturday.

Little Shop of Horrors / Canyon Lake Community Theatre – The biggest event of the year for the Community Theatre!  Come out to Indian Beach for an evening of entertainment under the stars while the Theatre rolls out Little Shop of Horrors.  It really is an impressive event for Canyon Lake with a professionally built stage and great talent from the community.  Shows run in the evenings for two weeks September 19th-21st and 26th-28th.  Shows start at 7:30.

Western BBQ – Come out for some great grub at Eastport Park October 5th from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

Car Show – The Canyon Lake Car Show will be at the lodge again this year on October 12th and you can expect to see some amazing hot rods and classic cars.  Lots of other fun events that day

Chili Cook-off – One of our favorite events  every year is the chili cook-off at Holiday Harbor.  Typically over 20 great cooks show up to vie for 1st place but your taste buds are the real winners.  Beer and wine are usually available and the cost is reasonable.  This year’s event is October 19th.

Oktoberfest – This rowdy and fun event will be held in the Towne Center this year on September 21st from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm and will feature all the great food, drink, and fun that Oktoberfest is known for.

Art Walk – The Canyon Lake Art Association will be showcasing some great community artists on October 19th and 20th during the Open Studios Tour.  Pick up your map and get more details at the POA office starting October 16th.  You don’t really have to walk; we suggest the golf cart.  😉

We’ll see you out there!