Event briefs: Jan. 2

JCompany Youth Theatre features Mamma Mia!

JCompany Youth Theatre will present Mamma Mia!, which tells the story of Donna, an independent hotelier in the Greek islands, preparing for her daughter’s wedding with the help of her two longtime friends. Meanwhile, daughter Sophie secretly invites three men from her mother’s past in the hopes of meeting her real father and having him escort her down the aisle on her big day.

Directed by Joey Landwehr at the David and Dorothea Garfield Theatre in La Jolla, the cast includes many local artists such as Flavia Valente (Sophie), Aydin Sencan (Eddie), and more.

Mamma Mia! runs Jan. 11-26, with showtimes Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sundays at noon and 3:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the box office or online at jcompanysd.org.

Expert to discuss decluttering tips at speaker event in Del Mar

Need to make space for your new holiday gifts? Do your New Year’s resolutions include getting rid of clutter? Need suggestions about where to donate unwanted items?

Answers to these questions and other “decluttering” tips will be presented by Linda Diller in a talk at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 8 in Del Mar Town Hall, 1050 Camino del Mar. This talk is sponsored by Del Mar Community Connections, a nonprofit senior services organization.

For reservations and more information, call 858-792-7565, email dmcc@dmcc.cc, or visit dmcc.cc.

Solana Beach Library events

The Solana Beach Library offers a number of special events in January and February. For information on all programs offered go to www.sdcl.org and select Solana Beach Branch. The Solana Beach Library is located at 157 Stevens Ave, Solana Beach, 92075.

Friends of the Cardiff Library to present free concert

The Friends of the Cardiff Library will host a free concert on Jan. 8, from 7-8 p.m. featuring Mr & Mrs Something. Weaving the soulful passion of blues with the honesty of folk, Mr and Mrs Something offer a refreshing taste of hope that feels like coming home.

The concert will take place at the Cardiff Library Community room, 2081 Newcastle Ave., Cardiff. For more information, contact Friends of the Library Book Nook/Bookstore: 760-635-1000.

Public Farm Tour

Coastal Roots Farm offers behind-the-scenes glimpses of their production methods as the public tours the ever-evolving and diverse vegetable, herb and flower gardens. This 90-minute public tour takes place 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12 at Coastal Roots Farm, 441 Saxony Road. Guests will learn about the farm’s innovative practices and programs and visit the edible labyrinth, market-style production beds, Education Farm and Gardens, chickens, compost operations and Food Forest. Suggested donation: $18. (760) 479-6505.

Totally Tidepools

The San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy and Living Coast Discovery Center present Totally Tidepools, a family-fun interactive presentation of the tough life animals have in the tidepools. Children will discover the amazing adaptations that help animals survive through animal encounters, a discovery table, and movement activities.

The event will be held Saturday, Jan. 11 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the La Colonia Community Center, 715 Valley Ave. Solana Beach 92075. This free program is funded by the City of Solana Beach and limited to 50 persons. Participants should arrive early for parking and finding a seat.

Registration is required: sdrvctotallytidepools2020.eventbrite.com. Questions: Email Ana Lutz-Johnson, ana@sdrvc.org, or call 858-755-6956.

Volunteer: Restore Harbaugh Seaside Trails

The community is invited to join Nature Collective for a special habitat restoration event on one of the Collective’s newest saved lands. A Nature Collective biologist oversees the process. The event takes place 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Jan. 11 at Harbaugh Seaside Trails, parking available at Seaside State Beach Parking (for a fee) or Park Streetside Highway 101. Free. (760) 436-3944.

Happy Tales

Rancho Coastal Humane Society’s reading program gives children from ages 6-12 the opportunity to read to adoptable dogs, cats and rabbits. Next reading takes place 4-5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17 at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society, 389 Requeza St. $5. Space is limited and preregistration is required at bit.ly/happytalesreadingprogram For more, call (760) 753-6413 or email education@sdpets.org

Music by the Sea: Piano Duo

Since 2017, national and international award-winning pianists Hye Won Souh and So-Mang Jeagal have presented a Northern California concert series, Piano Talk, to sold out audiences. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17 at the Encinitas Library, 540 Cornish Drive, they will perform a virtuoso piano solo and duet works for four hands by Mozart, Schubert, Kurtág, Paganini, Poulenc and Bernstein. Tickets are $14 at encinitas.tix.com (760) 633-2746.

Citizenship Class

Those beginning the process of getting their United States citizenship are invited to attend a free class 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the Encinitas Library, 540 Cornish Drive. The classes are conducted in English and all materials are provided for free. (760) 753-7376. sdcl.org

Osher Learning Open House

Discover the joys of continued learning at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute’s Open House, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 4 on UC San Diego’s main campus, 9600 North Torrey Pines Road. This membership program, for ages 50 and up, offers daytime lectures, seminars and guided tours by university faculty and community leaders. Subjects include medicine, science, law and society, history, art and humanities, international relations, literature and social sciences.

There are no prerequisites, exams or credit — simply the joy of learning. Winter Quarter lectures on Japan, The Influence of Eastern Art on Western Art, Musical Cultures of the Africa Diaspora, Re-Writing Life: the Ethics of Gene Editing, and others. (858) 534-3409. olli.ucsd.edu

Tickets for ‘Bloomsday’

 If you’ve ever wished you could go back and have a second chance at a decision you made in your 20s, a winsome tale will simmer in your mind long after the play ends. The San Diego premiere of Steven Dietz’s “Bloomsday,” runs Jan. 8 to Feb. 2 at North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. Set amid tourists exploring the pubs and streets of James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” the love story promises to “transport audiences into a compassionate world of history, humor and heartache, capturing the intensity of experiences that pass by fleetingly as an older couple retraces their steps to discover their younger selves.” There’s a talkback with the cast and artistic director at the Friday, Jan. 17 performance. Tickets from $46. (858) 481-1055. northcoastrep.org

New Music Fest

 The 13th annual soundON Festival of Modern Music, “Thresholds,” begins 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9 and continues 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12 at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St. Curated by guitarist and conductor Colin McAllister, the festival welcomes seven guest composers this year. San Diego New Music is a nonprofit dedicated to the public performance of notated music of the highest integrity and artistic caliber from the 20th and 21st centuries. Festival Pass (three concerts): $55 members, $70 nonmembers, $15 students. Single ticket: $20 members, $25 nonmembers, $5 students. (858) 454-5872. ljathenaeum.org/sound-on

Scripps Family

History Lecture

 Kevin Hardy will discuss the many contributions of The Scripps — aka “The First Family of San Diego” — 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21 at Point Loma Assembly Hall, 3035 Talbot St., Point Loma. Suggested donation: $10. laplayatrail.org

New Play Readings

 The 8th annual Powers New Voices Festival kicks off 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10 at The Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park with “Celebrating Community Voices,” an evening of short works created by San Diego residents through the Globe’s arts-engagement programs. These readings include “Codeswitchin’ Is Conscious” by Andréa Agosto; “Pussycats” by Thelma Virata de Castro; “Tune Up” by Tim Cole; “The Mojave” by Jaime Estepa; “Transit Stop” by Jordan Jacobo; “When the Sun Dies” by Melanie Taing and “Courtesan Way” by Zakiyyah Saleem. The readings will be directed by Gerardo Flores Tonella and Katherine Harroff. New American plays will be read 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11 and Sunday, Jan. 12. Free. (619) 234-5623. theoldglobe.org 