SDAC Members, join us for an open house, behind-the-scenes tour, and reception at the Imperial Valley Desert Museum. Members are invited to go behind the scenes with IVDM Staff to learn about their exhibits, curation and collection spaces encompassing 10 million years of regional and local history! Following morning tours, SDAC Members are welcome to join IVDM Executive Director Kristin O'Lear and SDAC Executive Director Stephanie Sandoval for wine and hors d'oeurves. Under IVDM's awning overlooking the beautiful Yuha Desert, they will discuss their organizations' mission, current work, and future projects! Please note: This event is open to current SDAC members only. If your membership has lapsed, you will be asked to renew in order to attend the event. Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023 Times: Museum Open House - 10 AM to 2 PM Behind-the-Scenes Tour - 10:30 AM & 11:30 AM Reception with Museum Directors - 12:30 PM Location: Imperial Valley Desert Museum 11 Frontage Road, Ocotillo, CA 92259 Cost: Free About the Imperial Valley Desert Museum The Imperial Valley Desert Museum is a new facility in the heart of the Yuha Desert housing Indigenous and historic artifacts found within the Imperial Valley and surrounding region. Opening a new museum in the twenty-first century, we do not want to be seen as an exhibit within four walls, but to engage and interact outside of the limitations of the "box" – both metaphorically and physically.

SDAC Members are invited to visit Balboa Park’s Fleet Science Center for a free screening of their Deep Sky IMAX documentary on the James Webb Telescope and its discoveries. Join us afterwards for a luncheon to meet other members, discuss the telescope incredible images, and wonder at recent advances in the sciences. Date: Saturday, January 27, 2024 Time: 11 AM to 1 PM (Film Screening: 11 AM; Lunch: 12 PM) Location: Fleet Science Center Cost: Free About the Fleet Science Center The Fleet Science Center is on a mission to realize a San Diego where everyone is connected by the power of science to create a better future. They are a community-focused countywide organization that collaborates with educators, scientific organizations, community leaders and champions of a-ha moments.

Seniors 65+ can enjoy free admission to the Center on Wednesdays. Discover the science of archaeology through our interactive Archaeology 101 exhibit, explore the cultural periods of San Diego, and uncover the Lives and Lifestyles on Block 112: The Untold Story of San Diego’s Working Class.

Join us on select Thursday mornings and afternoons for archaeology-themed story time at the Center. Stay afterwards to explore the museum with family-friendly activities like our Archaeology Quest and Field Lab. Kids 12 & under: Free; Adults: $5 (includes museum admission)

Join us on select Thursday mornings and afternoons for archaeology-themed story time at the Center. Stay afterwards to explore the museum with family-friendly activities like our Archaeology Quest and Field Lab. Kids 12 & under: Free; Adults: $5 (includes museum admission)

Enjoy a free day of activities for the whole family and get a taste of all the fun we’ll be having at our upcoming summer camp! Camp Leader Adam will kick things off with an interactive “What is Archaeology?” presentation and Education Specialist Hayden will teach kids how to make clay pottery. Kids can explore the museum on an Archaeology Quest, and families are invited to bring picnics to enjoy in the museum’s native plant garden along with lemonade and cookies. Please note: Activities will start promptly at 10 AM and 12 PM.

Sage smudging has become a viral trend. What's the truth behind the smoke? Documentary film screening followed by Q&A with Heidi Harper Lucero. Screenings at 5:30 and 7:30 PM on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at Blue Fire Brewing. Try Blue Fire's "White Sage" brew to support ASM Public Archaeology workshops! This event is hosted by ASM Affilates, the California Native Plant Society, and Blue Fire Brewing. Contact msherman@asmaffiliates.com for more information.

Free admission for kids on select Saturdays! Join us for family-friendly activities in our classroom, where you can create your own art with an archaeologist, become a junior archaeologist with our miniature excavation units, and curl up with a book on our cozy reading rug. Families can also explore the museum on an Archaeology Quest and check out our Excavation Station and Field Lab. Kids 12 & under: Free; Adults: $5 (includes museum admission)

Join us every 2nd Saturday of the month for two screenings of our Living Room Lectures by archaeologists, experts, and authors. Lecture screenings start at 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM and are included with museum admission. No reservations needed. Seating is first come, first served. 10:30 AM – More Than Just Food. More Than Just Faunal Remains. Ethnozoology of the Kumeyaay People by Richard Carrico For the Kumeyaay people of San Diego County, animals, birds, insects, and other creatures hold a special place in the cosmos and played a variety of important roles. Their embodiment is not always easily visualized because some creatures, large and small, exist in worlds not always seen by most humans, and rarely acknowledged by archaeologists. For many of the native people, there was a time when animals were actually human. In the mythic, ancient time what we now know as humans, or more correctly as mortals, did not exist. The world was inhabited by animals and by animals who were humans but not mortals—these were the Early People and some creatures could embody traits of what came to be known as the mortal humans and animals. Only later in time did the separation grow between animals and humans, and at that time the humans became mortal. This presentation will provide an analysis and discussion of the role and place of non-human creatures within the world and cosmos of the Kumeyaay people of San Diego County. 12:30 PM – Communing with Earth and Ancestors: Ancient Maya Cave Rituals by Jon Spenard The ancient Maya are perhaps best known for their jungle-covered cities with large plazas and grand temples standing taller than the forests encasing them. These built places are often depicted as the settings of elaborate state rituals where elites would perform their ceremonial duties in front of the masses. Yet important rituals were not performed only in cities. Archaeological research over the last few decades has come to reveal that caves and cave-like spaces were among the most potent and important places for ritual performances by the ancient Maya. They were the places where the ancestors originally emerged from and where they returned to after their passing. They were also portals to where powerful Earth forces, particularly the rain deity, could be ritually accessed and negotiated with. In this talk, Dr. Jon Spenard will discuss his ongoing cave ritual research in Belize with a particular focus on understanding the relationship between cave rituals and the ancient Maya collapse.

Join the Save Our Heritage Organization to learn about the unique character of San Diego's historic neighborhoods through the eyes of impassioned writers and historians. Brought to life by esteemed local authors, Penning the Past promises to be an enriching exploration of San Diego's architectural legacy and historical tapestry.  The series is free for SOHO members, $10 per lecture for non-members. Your participation supports SOHO’s mission of education and advocacy to preserve the historic architecture, sites, and cultural landscapes that surround us and add meaning to our daily lives. Point Loma by Eric DuVall and Kitty McDaniel From the arrival of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in 1542 to the current world-class yachtsmen and women, San Diego's beautiful natural harbor hugs the peninsula of Point Loma and boasts a significant past. The strategic location of Point Loma has been home to both military defense and business genius. The fishing fleets of the Chinese and Portuguese communities earned the Roseville area of Point Loma the nickname "Tunaville." Today, Point Loma is one of San Diego's most historic neighborhoods; a destination for culture, fine dining, and sportfishing; and host to important military bases. Visitors from around the world enjoy spectacular vistas and waterfront views of the Pacific Ocean, harbor, city, and islands and mountains of Mexico from atop the peninsula at Cabrillo National Monument and Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Author bio Eric DuVall is a freelance writer, photographer, and graphic designer. He has worked in the hospitality industry, the grocery business, radio, television, print media, and had his own graphics and printing business. A graduate of Point Loma High and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, he was once a grad student at SDSU. Eric is the founder of the University Heights Community Development Corporation, co-founder of the University Heights Community Association, and is currently the president of the Ocean Beach Historical Society. He has twice been recognized by the California State Assembly for his work in the community. Eric has one cat, two adult daughters, and three grandchildren, who are, of course, his favorites. Kitty McDaniel is a native San Diegan who grew up in Pacific Beach during the 1960s and 1970s. She attended San Diego State University where she earned her BA and teaching credential. Her joy of teaching led to a successful career for 35 years, and she still enjoys tutoring children in elementary and middle school. She is president of La Playa Trail Association in Point Loma, and in her spare time she loves to run, surf, and research the history of her beloved hometown, San Diego. This event is hosted by the Save Our Heritage Organization. For more information, questions, and registration, please contact the event organizer.

Walk under pines, oaks, and incense cedars, on this 6-mile hike that follows the Agua Dulce fire road with a return on the Gatos Spur. This is an intermediate 5-mile hike with an elevation change of 750 feet. The hike is scheduled from 9 AM–2 PM. (Mount Laguna) From I-8 E, exit on the Sunrise Highway (S-1). Turn left and go 8.1 miles. Turn left at the Wooded Hills Campground sign. Go 0.6 mile to the Agua Dulce Trailhead parking lot on the right. A National Forest Adventure Pass is required to park. See http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/cleveland/passes-permits/recreation#adventure for more information. Facilities. (GPS N32.853845, W116.435488). This event is hosted by the San Diego Natural History Museum. Advance registration required. For more information, questions, and registration, please contact the event organizer.

Tour starts at the Marston House Museum Shop in the carriage house. What began as a ten-acre, barren enclave owned by George W. Marston is now the shady and secluded 3500 block of Seventh Avenue, a cul-de-sac that is perfect for a one-hour guided walking tour. This tour contains new content inspired by SOHO's celebration called Irving Gill: Progress & Poetry in Architecture. The Marston House Museum & Gardens is one of about ten homes on the street, built between 1905 and 1913. Many were designed by Gill, when he was a partner in Hebbard & Gill, and they illustrate his design progression from English Arts & Crafts to Prairie Style to his ultimate triumph, cubistic Early Modernism-all in the space of two years, 1905 and 1906. Marston was San Diego's most prominent leader of the Progressive Movement. He, Gill, and other Progressives championed civil rights for African and Mexican Americans, women's suffrage, child labor laws, food and drug safety measures, while they opposed corruption, alcohol and vice. Gill translated Progressive values of good health through fresh air and contact with nature, cleanliness and sanitation, and incorporated labor saving devices into his architecture, including the Marston House. This tour is ADA accessible. This event is hosted by the Save Our Heritage Organization. For more information, questions, and registration, please contact the event organizer.