East County Happenings, June 4: La Mesa pancake breakfast; Friday Nights Live in Santee; El Cajon offers flagpole plaques

City councils: Lemon Grove, 6 p.m. Tuesday

School boards: Alpine Union School District, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday; La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, 6 p.m. Tuesday; Santee School District, 6 p.m. Tuesday

Pancake breakfast also offers emergency training

The Heartland Firefighters of La Mesa present a pancake breakfast fundraiser from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at La Mesa Fire Station 11, 8034 Allison Ave. Tickets are $5 at the door for pancakes, eggs, sausage, coffee and orange juice. Proceeds benefit the Heartland Fire Explorers Program. The event will feature emergency preparedness training for the public at “training stations” in CPR, Basic First Aid, and Crime Prevention.

Friday Nights Live finishing up this week

The city of Santee hosts the Staump Music School as musical guests at the final installment of Friday Nights Live from 5:30-7 p.m. Friday at Santee Trolley Square, 9884 Mission Gorge Road. Free; bring a picnic or grab a bite at one of the Santee Trolley Square eateries; check out the kids activities. Visit SanteeSpecialEvents.com.

Chamber co-hosts mixers at local businesses

The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce is hosting mixers with these local businesses. Free to chamber members; $15 for guests. Reserve to rsvp@lamesachamber.com or at lamesachamber.com:

• Claim Jumper Steakhouse & Bar, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at 5500 Grossmont Center Drive, Grossmont Center, La Mesa. The restaurant will be showcasing their Happy Hour menu in the bar area, where attendees can meet Natalie Luciano and her team.
• Westmont of La Mesa, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 13 at 9000 Murray Drive. Westmont of La Mesa is a retirement community offering independent and assisted living, including memory care, in a three-story building that can house 150 residents. Meet the staff and sample appetizers prepared by their chef.

Holocaust exhibit at El Cajon library

The “RUTH: Remember Us The Holocaust” exhibit is now open at the Rancho San Diego Library, 11555 Via Rancho San Diego, El Cajon. The exhibit was curated by Sandy Scheller in memory of her mother, Ruth Goldschmiedova Sax, a Holocaust survivor. The display features photos and documents of 13 Holocaust survivors who later called San Diego County home. Tours will be available from 10 a.m. to noon Thursdays or upon request. Call (619) 660-5370.

STEM researcher to speak at AAUW meeting

STEM researcher Heather Haeger, Ph.D., will be the guest speaker at the Saturday meeting of the La Mesa-El Cajon Branch of the American Association of University Women. Haeger is from the College of Education at the University of Arizona. The luncheon meeting begins at 11 a.m. at the Bay Club Hotel and Marina, 2131 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego. Cost for the luncheon is $40 (not $10 as previously noted). For lunch selections and reservations, visit lamesaelcajon-ca.aauw.net.

Flagpole plaques available in El Cajon

The El Cajon Main Street Flag Program has been placing American flags along Main Street on selected national patriotic holidays, supported by American Legion Post 303, Boy Scout Troop 361, the city of El Cajon, and the El Cajon Optimists, Lions, Elks, Kiwanis and Rotary clubs. Many of the flag poles bear plaques with the names of purchasers or their loved ones. They’re available for $100 and will be affixed to poles between Chambers Street and Claydelle Avenue. The next dates for flag displays are Flag Day (June 14) and Independence Day (July 4). To buy a plaque, download a form at elcajonflags.us. Make checks payable to Rotary Club of El Cajon, c/o Main Street Flag Program (Tax ID#95 6141259), PO Box 643, El Cajon, CA 92020. Flags are also flown on Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving.

Free home checks while folks vacation

The Rancho San Diego Sheriff’s station on Campo Road in Spring Valley is encouraging residents of Spring Valley, Jamul and Rancho San Diego as well as unincorporated La Mesa and El Cajon to use its free vacation-check program. The San Diego Sheriff’s Senior Volunteers will conduct daily checks, including all doors and windows, front and back, and will pick up newspapers/flyers left on porches, walks and driveways. If they find anything unusual or suspicious, they will notify an emergency contact and/or call a deputy to investigate. Call the sheriff’s Volunteer Office at (619) 660-7021.

Blood drives

The San Diego Blood Bank hosts these blood drives. All donors will receive a limited-edition T-shirt while supplies last:

• Fox Factory, 12:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, 750 Vernon Way, #600, El Cajon. All donors will receive a limited-edition T-shirt while supplies last.
• Sharp Grossmont Hospital, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, 5555 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa, parking lot behind the Hospital for Women and Newborns
• Kaiser Permanente, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, 8080 Parkway Drive, La Mesa, lower parking lot
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 11, 13208 Lakeshore Drive, Lakeside, Holy Family Center

Those 17 and older, weighing at least 114 pounds and in good health, may be eligible to donate. A good meal and plenty of fluids are recommended before donating. Appointments are honored first, and walk-ins are welcome. Photo ID required. Call (800) 400‑8251 or visit sandiegobloodbank.org.

Please send notices of events to fyi.east@sduniontribune.com at least two weeks before events take place.