CALENDAR OF EVENTS

To submit an upcoming communi t y event, email it to valleyeditor@reedermedia.com, put “attention events” in the subject line.

CHILDREN’S EVENTS

Feb. 17 – 5-6 p.m. Critter

Encounters at Kahoots Feed and Pet, 31789 Temecula Parkway, Suite 3, in Temecula. Enjoy close encounters of the wild kind with a local animal rescue with an assortment of fun and friendly rescued animals. Come meet and learn all about their beloved exotic animals. A fennec fox? A tegu?

An owl? Who knows who you might meet?

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Feb. 11 – 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Shop Temecula Farmers Market at Old Town Front Street and 6th Street in Temecula year-round every Saturday for local produce and vendors.

Feb. 11 to March 3 – 2-4 p.m.

Dorland Mountain Arts Colony’s “Harmony 2023” artwork show will feature Dorland artists at the Dorland Community Arts Center on Highway 79 in Temecula. Artworks will be for sale at the show. Call 951-302-3837 or visit http:// www.dorlandartscolony.org

Feb. 11 – 8 a.m. Menifee’s free bulky item community collection event will be held at Mt. San Jacinto College. The accepted items include appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, washers and dryers with a limit of three per vehicle, air conditioners, barbecue grills, bundled branches and bagged green waste. Come Saturday, April 22, for a second collection event at 8 a.m. at Kabian Park. Proof of residency is required. Residents can also schedule up to four free bulky item curb pick-up each year by calling Waste Management at 800-423-9986.

Feb. 11 – 8-10 a.m. Menifee

Moves Community Walk will be held at La Ladera Park, 296629 La Ladera Road, in Menifee for an all family community walk with pets welcome.

Feb. 18-19 – 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The 2023 Eastvale Lantern Festival celebrates the Year of the Rabbit in Eastvale with food, shopping and cultural performances at 7447 Scholar Way in Eastvale.

Feb. 23 – 7:30-9 p.m. Bohemian

Queen, a tribute to Queen will perform at Old Town Temecula Community Theater, 42051 Main St., in Temecula. The ultimate Queen show celebrates Freddie Mercury’s Queen in Concert from the 1970s. For tickets and more information, call 866-653-8996.

Feb. 25 – 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Check out the Wellness Market at Valley-Wide Regional Park, 901 Esplanade Ave., in San Jacinto for an event dedicated to holistic health and wellness. The live event

PLAYGROUND from page B-1 have it ready for construction. All the decided play safe components were were concreted in using 110, 80-pound bags of cement. The 155 cubic yards of engineered wood fiber was manually moved from one big pile and spread over the playground area with shovels.

“This job would have taken professional playground installers about four or five days to complete and you did it in five hours,” Dixon told the crowd after the project was completed. He added that KABOOM! had scheduled six hours for the build but volunteers showed up early and in force that enabled them to complete it an hour ahead of schedule. The estimated cost of the build, just for materials, is about $100,000.

Children are not the only ones who will benefit from the project. Picnic tables and planter benches were constructed and placed in the courtyard area near the main entrance. The church already had a covered patio area where it served lunch to all the volunteers which provided a view of the new playground for supervision purposes.

More than 150 volunteers from Pacific Dental Services worked on the customized playground. PDS, headquartered in Irvine, currently supports more than 2,600 dentists at more than 915 practices nationwide by providing business support and operational efficiencies while dental practice owners and clinicians healthcare will have yoga, afrobeats dancing, DJ Skully J, nutritionists, financial literacy courses, poetry and more. Vendors wanted. To contact the organizer on Instagram @brownsugarcoffeellc.

March 10 – 6 p.m. The 19th annual Black History Month Awards Ceremony will be held at Center for Spiritual Living, 40460 Stetson Ave., Hemet. For more information, contact Mary Morse at marymorse@humanrelationscouncil.com

ONGOING – The city of Menifee offers in-city or out-of-city special event vendor applications online or at Menifee City Hall to apply for signature and other special events. Contact Menifee City Hall, 29844 Haun Road, 951-6726777, or online at businesslicensing@cityofmenifee.us

ONGOING – Riverside Transportation Commission is offering Park and Ride lots to connect with carpools, vanpools and transit systems in Beaumont at 600 E. Sixth Street, in San Jacinto at 501 S. San Jacinto Avenue and in Temecula at Grace Presbyterian Church, 31143 Nicolas Road, open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. but not on weekends.

ONGOING – Sun City Civic Association Monthly Square

Dance sessions are held Sundays from 1:30-5 p.m. at 26850 Sun City Boulevard, in Sun City.

ONGOING – If you know a homebound older adult, resources in Menifee are available, including grab-and-go, cooked and frozen food for pickup. Courtesy Pantry items and meals delivered with no contact. Three days of emergency food can be delivered immediately or restaurant meal delivery for those who don’t qualify for food assistance programs. Call 800510-2020 for help.

ONGOING – The Riverside County COVID-19 Business Assistance Grant Program is accepting online applications for business grants up to $10,000 at http://www.rivercobizhelp.org that can be used for employee retention, working capital, personal protective equipment purchases, rent or mortgage payments and paying vendor notices. Eligible businesses, including nonprofits, must be in Riverside County, with a minimum of one but less than 50 employees and operating for at least one year since March 1. For more information, call Riverside County Business and Community Services at 951-955-0493.

ONGOING – 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Temecula Winchester Swap Meet continues, 33280 Newport Road in Winchester. Saturdays and Sundays only. The small local swap meet is only 50 cents for entry, and anyone under age 10 is free admission. No dogs allowed.

ONGOING – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Every Sunday, Murrieta Village excellence.

Carli Kingsley, senior manager of corporate social responsibility for PDS, said several dental offices in the area are PDS partners.

“A large number of team members live in or near this area so it was a perfect location for us to build a playground with KABOOM!,” she said. “Every community, and every group of kids, deserves a playground.”

Sarah Milik, corporate social responsibility assistant of PDS, was happy to be involved with the PDS Foundation’s Smile Generation Serve Day with the We Serve Team. Each year, they work with KABOOM! to identify a playground-needy region. Whoever is named Region of the Year for giving back to the community gets to have a team-building event that promotes service to their community.

“This is our 18th build with KABOOM!” Milik said. “This year’s (Inland Empire) winners chose to support this project.”

Kingsley said, “At PDS, we believe that high performance, great culture and great teams deserve the opportunity to create lasting legacies, so we use these playground builds as a way to say thank you to our team members who have gone above and beyond throughout the year.”

She said KABOOM! is one of the only nonprofits that provides opportunities like this where more than 150 volunteers can all have a hands-on role in a project. She said within 24 hours of the volunteer

Walk Farmers Market is at Village Walk Place in Murrieta. The Sunday morning farmers market at Village Walk Plaza is a place to buy fruits and veggies, gourmet food and crafts. Come to the center in the northwest corner of Kalmia/ Cal Oaks at the Interstate 215 exit in Murrieta.

ONGOING – Temecula’s

Farmers Markets are offered in Old Town Temecula Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon, 4100 Main Street in Temecula; at Promenade Temecula, 40640 Winchester Road, outside JCPenney every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at Vail Headquarters, 32115 Temecula Parkway, every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In compliance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Riverside County Public Health orders, the farmers markets will be restricted to agriculture products only. Follow the Old Town Temecula Farmers Market on Facebook to stay updated. No pets are allowed.

WORKSHOPS, MEETINGS, NOTICES

Feb. 9 – 5:30 p.m. Voices for Children invites volunteers to come learn to be an advocate for children, or a Court Appointed Special Advocate, trained by Voices for Children. Volunteers serve 10-15 hours per month. Join the Zoom meeting at https://www. speakupnow.org/

Feb. 11 – 5 p.m. Gospel artist John P. Kee and the New Life choir is presented at Centerpoint Church, 24470 Washington Ave., in Murrieta and is hosted by SWRC Inland Empire. Tickets are $65 to $95. For more information, call 951-249-3656.

Feb. 16 – 4:30-6 p.m. Attend Mighty Me for Adults 18+ and enjoy performing arts and dance every Thursday for adults with mental and physical disabilities. The program is free and is designed for all abilities and capabilities. It is located at the Menifee Community Services Department, 29995 Evans Road, in Menifee.

Feb. 11 – 6 p.m. Valentines Day

Til’ Death Do Us Part sip and shop event will take place at 24771 Washington Ave., in Murrieta. The $25 entrance fee will provide a complimentary drink ticket and a souvenir Valentine’s Day cookie. Waiting for attendees is the “To Die For” photo op for that pictureperfect moment and 15 of Made Local’s unique vendors, ready with custom gifts and desserts Games and other entertainment. For more information, email events@madelocalmarket.org

Feb. 15 – 8-10 p.m. Menifee Business Assistance Program will host a consultation during the free Zoom training. Join the webinar on Zoom with Meeting ID: 811 6549 2354. Register at http:// request going out, they had all they needed.

“To me, that speaks to the heart of service of all these individuals; it’s remarkable,” Kingsley said.

After completion of the playground, Gratzke thanked everyone who came and explained why they were “part of a miracle here in Homeland.” He said as he surveyed the damage the morning after the fire in 2016, he caught sight of a young boy with his mother outside the fenced-off area. The boy gave the pastor seven coins and that was considered the first offering.

“That 39 cents turned into $2 million to rebuild a broken community,” he said. “We have a lot of hardships here. Before the fire, we had a small food pantry that served 40 households a week. We are now serving more than 1,600 households and over 6,000 people monthly.”

Gratzke, who has been the church’s pastor since 2010, spent 10 years as a missionary pastor in Mexico alongside his wife Kim before returning to the United States. They thanked KABOOM! for all the logistics and administration throughout the project.

“It was a pleasure following your step-by-step instructions; you made it easy for us,” Gratzke said. “Now, Pacific Dental Services and Smile Generation, how awesome are you for being part of rebuilding a community? Thank you for being so generous and kind to the children of Homeland.”

Regional partner Kim Valko shared her appreciation with the www.cityofmenifee.us/sb1383

Feb. 24 – 4-7 p.m. Storm Baseball is looking to form a Lighting Band Pep Squad Band at the Lake Elsinore Diamond Stadium, 500 Diamond Dr., in Lake Elsinore with paid positions. If you are a brass, saxophone, percussion instrumentalist or color guard member and 18 or older, contact CBrock@stormbaseball.com

Feb. 26 – 1 p.m. Attend a free concert at Grace Presbyterian Church, 31143 Nicolas Road, in Temecula with The Bell Players Trio with piano, cello and flute. March 3-4 – 7 p.m. and 2 p.m. respectively. Canyon Lake Community Theater presents “Into the Woods” at the Lake Elsinore High School, 21800 Canyon Dr, in Wildomar with limited engagement. Tickets are $20-$30. For more information, visit http://www. MTIShow.com

April 4 – Save the date: Miller Jones Menifee Memorial Park and Mortuary, in partnership with the city of Menifee and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1956, will bring the replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall to the city Tuesday, April 4, under escort and parade. Volunteers may be needed; contact Miller Jones Mortuary or cbollinger@cityofmenifee.us

ONGOING – Want to help deployed American troops remotely? Help shop for most needed items without leaving your home! This is an easy way to help support deployed men and women by purchasing items remotely and having them delivered to MilVet at designated drop-off locations for packing. All items on the list are special requests from deployed military men and women. MilVet is a nonprofit organization that holds monthly packaging events at different community locations in the area.. For drop-off locations and packaging locations visit http://www.milvet.org/militarycare-packages

ONGOING – Multiple Sclerosis Support Group Meeting meets the third Monday of each month at the Mary Phillips Senior Center, 41845 6th Street, in Temecula from 10 a.m. to noon. For more information, email gaugustin206@ gmail.com or join the meeting.

ONGOING – Sons of Norway/ Scandinavia meets at noon the first Saturday of every month, September to June, at the Heritage Mobile Park Clubhouse, 31130 S. General Kearny Road, in Temecula. A potluck lunch is followed by a cultural program and short business meeting. Please come and enjoy company with fellow Scandinavians. Call 951-3091597 or 951-849-1690 for more information.

ONGOING – Noon to 1 p.m. Attend Murrieta Wildomar Chamber of Commerce’s weekly business briefing via Zoom or watch live on Facebook every Wednesday. Registration required at https://bit.ly/MWCBizBriefing

The chamber business briefing is an opportunity to hear from city, county and business leaders about current and relevant business information.

ONGOING – Menifee Community Services offers online driver’s education courses for a $21.95 fee. The course includes animated driving scenarios, instructional videos, sample test, licensed instructor available to answer questions, DMV approved certificate of completion with all lectures and exams completed from home. Designed for students and does not include behind-thewheel instruction or a California driver’s permit. Contact 951-7233880 or visit the city of Menifee to register at http://www.city of menifee.us.

ONGOING – 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Michelle’s Place Cancer Resource Center and The Elizabeth Hospice host a virtual support meeting for caregivers every second and fourth week of the month via Zoom. Get helpful tips and learn from others who are also dealing with similar challenges. For more information and to register, contact The Elizabeth Hospice Grief Support Services at 833-349-2054.

ONGOING – Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, a free 12step recovery program for anyone suffering from food obsession, overeating, undereating or bulimia, has meetings throughout the U.S. and the world. Contact 781932-6300, or for local meetings, call 925-321-0170 or visit http:// www.foodaddicts.org

ONGOING – The Murrieta Garden Club meets each month at the Murrieta Community Center, 41810 Juniper St. Anyone who likes to garden or is interested in plants is welcome. Membership is $10 per year. Find more information about the monthly event or project on Facebook.

ONGOING – Temecula Valley Rose Society meets each month. For more information and new meeting dates and places, visit http://www.temeculavalleyrosesociety.org

ONGOING – Menifee Toastmasters meets every Thursday at noon for one hour at a designated place to have fun, enhance speaking capabilities, gain self-confidence and improve social skills. For new dates, call 760-807-1323 or visit http://www.MenifeeToastmasters.org for more information.

ONGOING – Homeless veterans can receive free help by dialing 877-424-3838 for 24/7 access to the VA’s services for homeless, at-risk veterans. Chat is confidential for veterans and friends. See http://www.va.gov/homeless

Volunteers transport planters to the church’s courtyard. Valley News/Chris Adams photo volunteers.

“The lasting imprint that you will leave on this community will be felt for years to come,” Valko said.

Regional partner Lionel Clayton said, “I am truly blessed in my heart for this incredible day and this incredible event and we couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you.”

Kingsley told the group, “I feel truly inspired to go into 2023 with a heart full of service to give to others and to serve others. Thank you for inspiring me and I hope you all are inspired as well.”

For more information, visit http:// www.homelandcog.org , http://www.kaboom.org and http:// pacificdentalservices.com

Movie review: ‘Pathaan’

Bob Garver Special to the Valley News

Without a lot of new mainstream releases stepping up to the plate this past weekend, there was room for a surprise hit. Enter “Pathaan,” an action movie from India that racked up nearly $6 million at the domestic box office despite playing on fewer than 700 screens. My guess is that many theater owners are going to look at the film’s over$8,000-per-screen average and decide that they want a piece of that action. So even if “Pathaan” isn’t playing in your market already, it may be coming soon.

Shah Rukh Khan stars as Pathaan, one of the greatest secret agents in all of India. He has recently resurfaced after being missing for two years. The first half of the film is largely devoted to what happened before he went missing, and frankly the flashback goes on so long that it’s easy to forget that it’s even a flashback. Two years ago, Pathaan was on a mission to stop a terrorist named Jim, played by John Abraham, himself given flashbacks to explain his motivation. While on the mission, Pathaan met up with Rubai, played by Deepika Padukone, an agent from a rival agency that also saw the threat that Jim presented. A few flip-flops later, and Pathaan found himself in a Russian prison and disavowed by India. Fortunately, he had a brother named Tiger, played by Salman Khan, from another arm of the apparently very popular YRF Spy Universe to help bust him out and disappear for two years.

Now Rubai has been conspicuously seen on a security camera in Paris. If she’s back, then so is Pathaan. The joint resurfacing means that Jim’s three-year – yes, three-year – plan is close to fruition, and the whole world is in danger, especially India. Fortunately, they’ve got an agent the caliber of Pathaan on the case, but is he back at full capacity? A shootout, chase and daring helicopter escape in the hideout of a weapons dealer indicates that yes, he is.

The story of “Pathaan” is nothing special, the sort of thing you’d se e in a typical James Bond or “Mission: Impossible” movie. Critics have pointed out that the virus-heavy plot strongly resembles the second film in the latter franchise. But the headline here isn’t the just-OK spy movie that the movie is on paper, it’s the blockbuster you’ll get if you see the movie in theaters. So much of this movie is a feast for the eyes and ears. For the eyes, you’ve got the aforementioned hideout sequence, an abduction sequence involving trucks and helicopters, a heist sequence with a precarious helicopter-assisted landing, an illfated train transfer and plenty of other inventive goodies. And that’s nothing compared to what your ears will get. This movie loves its gunshots and explosions, and the

Call for community vendors at Temecula’s 2nd annual CultureFest

TEMECULA ─ In commemoration of World Cultural Awareness Day, Temecula will host the second annual Temecula CultureFest Saturday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Town Square Park, 41902 Main Street, and at Sam Hicks Monument Park, 41970 Moreno Road, in Old Town Temecula. Temecula’s Community Services Department is looking for diverse vendor booths to s ell international foods, cultural crafts or event related products, as well as booths promoting education and awareness. Vendors can be, but are not limited to, local restaurants or caterers, community nonprofit organizations, high school clubs, religious organizations and/or local businesses.

Vendor applications are available online at http://TemeculaCA. gov/FestVendor through April 14. Vendors selling items will need to show proof of insurance and their music is exciting and catchy. When I say “the music,” I don’t just mean the score – though the score is most definitely included – I’m talking about two intoxicating musical numbers, one right in the middle of the film. Let’s see Tom Cruise try that. He might, he was in “Rock of Ages,” but I seriously doubt that even he’s fearless enough to interrupt an action movie like that. As for the one at the end, when was the last time you saw James Bond save the world then sing his own theme song to celebrate?

“Pathaan” is sure to lead to an increased presence of Indian action movies on the global stage, especially from this YRF Spy Universe. I’m looking forward to seeing more of them, as apparently they’re hard at work thinking up ways to top the craziness of this movie. The scripts could stand to be tighter, but otherwise they should keep up the good work. Don’t be thrown by the subtitles and cultural differences, the action and beauty of “Pathaan”

Valley News/Courtesy photo make for a party in any language.

Grade: B “Pathaan” is not rated by the MPAA, but it would be approximately a PG-13, bordering on R at times, for violence. Its running time is 146 minutes.

Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@ nyu.edu.

Pala Casino Spa Resort to host free viewing party for football’s Big Game at Luis Rey’s Sports Bar

mention offer: PalaMVP23.

As the Entertainment Capital of Southern California, Pala Casino’s wide variety of HD premium sporting events enhance an exciting array of live bands daily at both indoor and outdoor venues.

Temecula will host the second annual CultureFest at Town Square Park, 41902 Main Street, and Sam Hicks Monument Park, 41970 Moreno Road, Saturday, May 20. Valley News/Courtesy photo seller’s permit. Space is limited, and there is no vendor fee required for this event. This free, communitywide, special event will also include live music, dancing, special performances and fun activities for the entire family

PALA – Pala Casino Spa Resort announced it will host a free watch party for football’s Big Game Sunday, Feb. 12, at Luis Rey’s Sports Bar. Guests can enjoy the action on the 14-foot HD jumbotron starting at 2:30 p.m. The state-of-the-art system features lights and sound to offer guests an unparalleled viewing experience. Day-of event admission is free, but unreserved seating is based on first come first serve availability. To ensure seating, guests can reserve tables in advance for $25 per table, for up to four people each.

Stay tuned for more information, events and updates from the Temecula Community Services Department by following @ TemeculaParksAndRec on social media, and by visiting http://TemeculaCA.gov/TCSD Submitted by city of Temecula.

The full Luis Rey’s menu will be available during the event, featuring SoCal favorites, tempting starters and a full bar with 16 ice cold beers on draft.

For more information or to book a table, call 877-725-2766 and

Pala Casino has state-of-the-art amenities throughout the property, including an expansive gaming floor with over 2,000 slot and video machines, 78 table games, 10 restaurants, two lounges, 2,000seat Pala Events Center, outdoor Starlight Theater and luxury hotel. All events and promotions are subject to cancellation without notice. Learn more about the upcoming events at Pala Casino Spa Resort by visiting http://www. palacasino.com.

Submitted by Pala Casino Spa Resort.