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Two on the town: couple of festivals to feature arti­sanal cheese and tamales




The wedges will entice and beverages will flow at the Escondido Downtown Business Association’s The Wedge Arti­sanal Cheese Festival on Saturday.

Thirteen downtown businesses will deliver fine cheese, regional craft beers and boutique wines and eight Grand Avenue restaurants will offer cheesey dishes and craft beverages as well.

A Wedge Tasting Passport provides access to all 21 gourmet tasting stops on the tour. Cheeses come from award-win­ning California creameries that are care­fully paired with beer or wine choices.

Participants pick up wristbands and tickets at 12:30 p.m. at Maple Street Plaza to start the tasting tour that takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. The tour is for people over 21 years only.

Grand Avenue and Heritage Park will be floating with live music from the buskers and musical combos. Working artists, dairy and agricultural exhibits, sources of locally grown and produced goods and gardening information will be offered at Heritage Park at Juniper Street and Grand Avenue.

Information: wedgeescondido.com

The Downtown Business Association is expecting 5,000 visitors to its annual Tamale Festival in Grape Day Park on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Both commercial and private tamale makers will compete for prizes and cus­tomers at the event, which takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Experienced tamale-makers Clau­dia Sandoval, winner on TV’s “Mas­ter Chef, Season Six,” Executive Chef James Montejano at the La Valencia Hotrel and Jesse A. Paul, owner of Es­condido’s Wooden Spoon restaurant will judge the corn-shuck-wrapped entries.

A Chihuahua costume contest, a quinceanera costume contest and fash­ion shows for both are on the menu on the Pequeno Stage.

Performers, including the Mariachi Divinas, Ballet Folklorico from Tierra Caliente Academy, trick roper Tony Mu­noz, Herencia Charra Escaramuza y Las Golondrinas, the Tradicion Mexicana dancers, and 11-year-old singer Daniela Maldonado will perform on the Grande Stage.

The Pequeno Stage will offer enter­tainment for children. The San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum (pinatas, free), Sugar Skulz, (sugar skull crafts, fee $5) and San Diego Makers Guild (kid’s air rocket building, free) will offer crafts instruction at the Grape Day Park playground. Face painting and a bounce house will be availble for a small fee.



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