Celebrate your local farmers at the Wednesday Mission Hills Farmers' Market, 3-7pm on Falcon and Washington. With an array of freshly picked, locally grown, pesticide-free produce, to an eclectic mix of gourmet hot foods and quality pre-packaged groceries, there's something for all types of consumers; from vegans to omnivores, and health nuts to those who have a sweet tooth. Whether you need a delicious dinner after work on Wednesday, or you need to stock your kitchen, come to our mid-week farmers' markets.

Get to know your local farmers and reap the benefits of their hard work to bring you a bounty of freshly picked produce. With much to choose from: Smit Orchards, growing the best organic apples since 2003; Carlsbad Strawberry with the juiciest strawberries around, lettuces and veggies; Behneman Farms with avocados, citrus varieties and veggies; California Fresh Almonds has raw and many deliciously flavored almonds, as well as almond butter; Meljess Bees with raw local wildflower honey and bee pollen; and don't forget your flowers for the week with Maldonaldo Flowers. Come support your local farmers and get to know where your food comes from!

Mission Hills newest restaurant, Brooklyn Girl, and the Mission Hills Town Council raised more than $12,000 yesterday in a sold out fund raiser for the annual Summer Concerts in Pioneer Park. Brooklyn Girl’s proprietors Michael and Victoria McGeath graciously hosted 150 guests at a pre-opening party on a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon. Guests got to sample Chef Tyler Thrasher’s farm to table cuisine including pork belly and beans, oyster sliders, bacon wrapped Vietnamese meatballs, hanger steak, and fried chicken that got Mission Hills buzzing with anticipation of their upcoming grand opening. The wine, craft beers, and cocktails flowed freely and neighbors got to mingle in the bright airy space as they welcomed Brooklyn Girl to the neighborhood.

IT'S OFFICIAL: Brooklyn Girl will be opening to the public on Friday April 27th, 5pm - midnight! They will just be open for dinner at first and then will be adding pantry service, weekend brunch, and lunch soon!

The Mission Hills Town Council is beginning to plan the 2^nd Annual Mission Hills BBQ Competition during the 4th of July Celebration in Pioneer Park. If you would like to be on the planning committee, please click here to contact us.  If you are interested in competing this year or being a sponsor please use the links below.

BRAVO to the Vons in Mission Hills - you guys did a great job not only of building a beautiful store that fits the character of the neighborhood, but more importantly, you stocked it with the kind of produce, meats, seafood, and products that an upscale neighborhood like Mission Hills would expect.  I love to cook and eat and my biggest fear was that the shiny new store would be like so many of the other grocery stores in the area - lacking.  So you can excuse my goose bumps as I explored the new Vons a day after the grand opening.  In fact, I was so excited that I pulled out a notepad so I could report back to my wife some of the vast and unexpected selection that I found.

The produce section is huge and organic is definitely not an afterthought, but conventional fruits and vegetables are also available.  I was shocked to see a whole fresh mushroom section with a wide range of atypical varieties.   There is also an interesting selection of fresh english peas, purple artichokes, dragon tongue beans and other items that when you see them called for in a recipe you know you are going to have to find a substitute due to lack of availability.  Satisfied by that department, I moved on to the most important part of the store to a carnivore grill master like myself - the meat department.  I found bone-in short ribs, grass fed beef, whole beef tenderloins, bison, lamb, veal, well-marbled steaks, beautiful pork butts and more.  The seafood department also looked good with whole dungeness crabs and lobster, but I didn't have time to do a full inspection of what fish they had on offer.  I quickly popped down most of the grocery aisles and was happy to see a well stocked spice selection and all the basics of course. Moving into the wine and beer section I was blown away by the super premium wines they carried including Opus One, Caymus, and Perrier Jouet in the flower bottle!  They also have a sushi bar, sandwich bar, baked on premise bakery, olive bar, Starbucks, florist, fresh soups, and a nice selection of prepared foods.

Bottom line: if you are a serious cook you may no longer need to go to several stores to do your shopping!  Pat yourselves on the back Vons Management, you did an exceptional job and the neighborhood thanks you!

The popular bi-annual Mission Hills Community Garage Sale organized by Ginny Ollis will have some fresh faces behind it this year. A devoted supporter of the community and the anchor of the Coldwell Banker Mission Hills real estate office on West Lewis Street for more than 12 years, Ginny Ollis retired from her real estate career at the end of 2011.  With enthusiasm and support, Ginny passed the baton to her Coldwell Banker colleagues Maureen Tess-Fieberg and Antoinette Embry.

Maureen and Antoinette are pleased to announce that the much loved tradition of the Mission Hills Community Garage Sale will continue this year on Saturday, April 21^st from 8am-noon. Get started on your spring cleaning today!  Check your mail for a bright yellow announcement and registration postcard, or stop by the office at 1621 W. Lewis to pick one up. Deadline to register to be on the Garage Sale map is 3/31.  Deadline to register for the after-event charity pick-up of unsold belongings is also 3/31.  Questions?  Call (619) 574-5138 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

While the names and faces may be new, the commitment to the community of Mission Hills and its residents has not changed. As Ginny’s proud successors, Maureen and Antoinette pledge to serve the community and your real estate needs with integrity, authenticity, and character.

2012-2013 New-Student Enrollment Application: Open Enrollment Period: Feb 1 – Mar 9

Interested in enrolling your child in Old Town Academy K-8 Charter School for the 2012-2013 school year?

New-Student Enrollment Applications and information on charter school admissions procedures are available here: OTA Application_English_2012 [updated]
New-Student Enrollment Applications will then be accepted by fax, email, mail, or in person (between 3:30-5:00 only please) for a 5 week Open Enrollment Period ending March 9. Any new-student applications received during the 5 week open enrollment period will be entered into the lottery for available spaces (applications are not date-stamped so there is no need to rush to get them in tomorrow).

Mission Hills soon-to-open neighborhood restaurant, Brooklyn Girl, and the Mission Hills Town Council are throwing a FUN-raiser to benefit Mission Hills Concerts in the Park.  It will take place on Sunday April 15^th (DATE CHANGE!) from 1-4 PM. Guests will be served appetizer portions of approximately 20 items from the Brooklyn Girl menu and enjoy complementary cocktails, wine and beer. Be one of the first to get a taste for the flavor of the restaurant and support your community. All proceeds from the FUN-raiser will support 2012 Mission Hills Concerts in the Park. Come mingle with your neighbors and celebrate Brooklyn Girl’s introduction to Mission Hills!

For those of you who have already registered for the Brooklyn Girl Fun-Raiser, thank you for registering  Unfortunately, due to unavoidable construction delays with Brooklyn Girl, we must move the fun-raiser to Sunday, April 15 from 1-4 PM. We hope you can still make the event, however if you cannot attend we will refund your registration. Please confirm your attendance by emailing Carin Canale-Theakston at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We apologize for the inconvenience and do hope to see you on April 15^th – the FUN-raiser promises to be the event of the year in Mission Hills and all for a great cause!

$75 per person in advance
$85 per person at the door

To purchase tickets go to  http://missionhillstowncouncil.org/

Space is limited, reserve your spot today! Don't miss the social event of the year!

My first interaction with Storm International Florist was on the receiving end.  My wife had just given birth and her sister in London sent us a beautiful bouquet of multi-colored roses artfully placed in a modern glass vase.  We were quite surprised when we saw that she had ordered them via our neighborhood florist!  That is the power of the internet though - google something in London, get hooked up with a florist a few blocks from the lucky recipient's home.

Storm International Florist has been serving San Diego since 1983. They are family owned and operated and serve San Diego, East County, North County & South Bay area.  Besides a large inventory of fresh flowers they have a gift shop that has cards, gift baskets, candles, vintage jewelry, and other gift and home items.  They offer flower arrangement services for weddings and funerals as well. They are located on the corner of University & Goldfinch and have free parking in the rear.

Next time you are in need of flowers, forget the 1-800 companies and support your local Mission Hills florist!  Check out our Local Savings page for a coupon off your next order!

We may hear some possible pile-driving noise in our neighborhood as construction at the airport gears up - read below for the latest on what is happening across the highway from our neighborhood:

Pile Driving to Take Place on North Side of Lindbergh Field

The Airport Authority will begin construction on a receiving and distribution center on the north side of Lindbergh Field in mid-February. Initial construction activity includes pile driving, which will take place over 10-15 working days during daytime hours.