Celebrating Brazil in the heart of Pacific Beach PACIFIC BEACH — Pacific Beach will host San Diego’s third annual Brazilian Day on Sunday, Sept. 12 on Garnet Avenue between Everts and Bayard streets. The beach community’s central street will come alive with colorful Brazilian costumes, traditional cuisine, music, art and children’s activities, beginning at noon. A parade will begin its one-hour march at 3 p.m., showcasing batucada — a type of rhythmic samba percussion band — and lively Brazilian dance performances, including bossa nova and capoeira. A large Brazilian community is concentrated in Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, Point Loma, and Clairemont, which makes Pacific Beach a prime location for the celebration of Brazil’s favorite holiday. The street fair and parade is expected to attract more than 50,000 people this year. For more information, visit www.braziliandaysandiego.com. — MARIKO LAMB Pancake breakfast benefits Junior Lifeguard Foundation MISSION BEACH — The San Diego Junior Lifeguard Foundation will host its second annual Pancake Breakfast at the Santa Clara Recreation Center on Mission Bay on Saturday, Sept. 11, giving locals a chance to chow down to help fund the program. The event takes place from 8 to 11 a.m. at 1008 Santa Clara Place. “The Junior Lifeguard program teaches kids skills that are lifelong skills,” said Belinda Bencomo, a foundation volunteer. “With our close proximity here to the ocean and other bodies of water — that is just such an important skill for kids to learn.” All of the proceeds from the breakfast will benefit the foundation, which supports the junior lifeguards. Bencomo said she hopes to see between 200 and 300 people at the event. Tickets for the breakfast are $5 per person or five tickets for $20. For more information, visit www.sdjgfoundation.org. — ANTHONY GENTILE Girl Scouts raise funds BALBOA PARK — San Diego Girl Scouts will host their Urban Campout Feelin’ Groovy fundraiser Friday, Sept. 10 in Balboa Park. The theme this year for the 13th annual event is the 1960s. The event features gourmet food, a silent auction, groovy games and dancing. Among the silent auction items will be a Farmer’s Insurance Airship ride. The Airship, called the Zeppelin Eureka, is 15 feet longer than a 747 jet, and it offers passengers a 360-degree view. The adult-only event will take place at Girl Scout Headquarters, 1231 Upas St., in Balboa Park. Individual tickets are $175. For last minute tickets call (619) 610-0807 or e-mail [email protected]. 9/11 tributes planned: San Diegans find ways to honor lives lost on Sept. 11 DOWNTOWN — Freedom Walk 2010 The Veterans Memorial Garden, 2115 Park Blvd., in Balboa Park will be the site of Operation Freedom Walk 2010. Throughout the United States, participants will gather together and walk as a way to reflect on the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001. The walk is also a chance to unite, renew commitments to freedom and honor veterans, said Jae Marciano, Southern California chapter president of Operation Homefront and organizer of the event. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. A memorial ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. The walk will follow at 10 a.m. The first 500 registrants will receive a free T-shirt. To pre-register for the free event visit www.operationhomefront.net/socal. Veteran sets out on walkathon The Veterans Museum will send off Tony LoBue at 2 p.m. as he begins his walkathon across the country. He will end at Ground Zero in New York on Sept. 11, 2011. LoBue, known as “Tony the Vet,” is a 68-year-old disabled war veteran. He is setting out on this journey as a way to empower and help veterans and their families. The ceremony will include entertainment, a skydiving ceremony and an invocation by Chaplain Satterfield. There will also be a prisoners of war remembrance ceremony. Congressman Bob Filner will speak at the event, as will LoBue. The first day of his yearlong trek will take him to Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery before heading toward Tucson, Ariz. LoBue will be updating a blog along the way and footage of his journey will be uploaded to Youtube. To learn more about LoBue, visit www.tonythevet.org. The Veterans Museum is located at 2115 Park Blvd. For more information, call (619) 239-2300. USS Midway memorial and dinner The USS Midway will hold a tribute to honor fallen heroes on Sept. 11 at 2:30 p.m. on the flight deck of the ship. The services will include a presentation of colors and music from bagpipes and drums. Honor guards from the San Diego Fire Department, Orange County Fire Department and the U.S. Marine Corps will all be on hand to honor their fallen colleagues with those aboard the ship for the memorial event. The “Star Spangled Banner” will be sung and the names of those who perished will be read aloud, followed by a 21-gun salute. The ceremony is open to the public with paid admission to the museum. Immediately following the memorial, New York Fire Department Retirees of San Diego will host a dinner reception at the Old Firehouse Museum, 1572 Columbia St. For more information visit www.midway.org or call (619) 398-8252. — DEBBIE HATCH Old Town marks Mexican Independence Day OLD TOWN — Old Town will celebrate Mexican Independence Day Sept. 11 and 12 from noon to 6 p.m. The event, also known as Fiestas Patrias, will celebrate the Independence Day with dancing, storytelling and music. Games, corn husk doll making and relay races will be part of the day’s events. From 4 to 6 p.m., early California music will play in the background as attendees dance the fandango. The event is free, but the dancing will have a nominal fee. The event will take place at the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. For more information visit www.oldtownsandiego.org. — DEBBIE HATCH Taste the tequila BALBOA PARK — The Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park will present a bilingual lecture and tasting on the history and culture of tequila by Gonzalo Celorio. Born in Mexico City, Celorio is a writer, editor and literary critic. Following the 7 p.m. lecture, attendees will be able to taste Mexican tequilas. The doors will open at 6 p.m. The restaurant El Agave will provide the tequila as well as food. The museum also has an exhibition of 60 tequila bottles. They are also showing the art collection “Viva Mexico,” in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Mexican Independence. For tickets to the event call (619) 239-0003 ext. 405 or visit www.mingei.org/programs. — DEBBIE HATCH SATURDAY, SEPT. 11 Pacific Beach/Mission Beach • Pacific Beach Woman’s Club first meeting of 2011-12 year, 11:30 a.m., new women welcome to the luau themed potluck, for more information call Jody Ross at (619) 838-9299 Downtown • WitKids 9/11 Day of Service & Remembrance Event, 9-1:30 p.m., Amici Park, Little Italy, donation bins for care package items to be sent to troops, for more information visit www.witkids.org. La Jolla • Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institute of Oceanography presents “Snorkel with Sharks,” 8 to 10 a.m., La Jolla Shores; join naturalists for a swim with sea life, must provide own snorkeling gear, ages 10 and up; (858) 534-7336, $30 • Nell Carpenter Beautification /Streetscape Committee monthly cleanup, 9 a.m. to noon, meet at Wall Street and Ivanhoe Street; clean-up will focus on the post office in anticipation of its anniversary celebration, (619) 742-1373 • Free concert with harpist Sonia Olivas, noon, La Jolla Library, 7555 Draper Ave., (858) 552-1657 • La Jolla Post Office 75th anniversary celebration, 2 to 4 p.m., La Jolla Post Office, 1140 Wall St.; refreshments, speeches, dedication and tours, free • Surf legend and “Endless Summer” star Mike Hynson will sign his new book, “Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel,” 6 to 9 p.m., Papalulu’s, 2168 Avenida de la Playa; free screening of “Endless Summer,” presented by Ocean Girl, (858) 456-9283 • Poet Nicholas Karavatos will read from his new book, “No Asylum,” 7 p.m., D.G. Wills Books, 7461 Girard Ave., (858) 456-1800 • Open chorus auditions for La Jolla Symphony & Chorus, appointment only, University of California, San Diego, (858) 243-2045, [email protected] Point Loma/Ocean Beach • Jazz 88 OB Music & Art Festival, 10 a.m., Newport Avenue between Cable and Abbott streets, features 26 musical acts on seven stages, for more information call (619) 224-4906, or visit www.obmusicfest.org or www.oceanbeachsandiego.com, adults $30, children are admitted free SUNDAY, SEPT. 12 La Jolla • Singing quartet presents “Songs from the Silver Screen” to debut concert season, 5 p.m., Torrey Pines Christian Church, 8320 La Jolla Scenic Drive North, (858) 453-3550, free admission, donations accepted Point Loma/Ocean Beach • San Diego Music Awards, 7 p.m., Humphreys by the Bay, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, featuring several nominees from the Ocean Beach area, for more information, visit www.humphreysbythebay.com, $30-$75