Coronado Times

The Golden Hour: Responding to Strokes
2026-05-21 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | John D. Spreckels Center, 1019 Seventh Street, Coronado, CA, 92118, United States
Learn how to recognize the early signs of stroke and take immediate, lifesaving action at The Golden Hour: Responding to Strokes, held at the John D. Spreckels Center in partnership with Sharp Coronado Hospital.

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and the primary cause of serious, long-term disability in adults in the United States. Acting quickly is critical and understanding the warning signs can make all the difference.
Hear from Sharp Coronado Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer and Stroke Program Manager as they share expert guidance on what to look for and how to respond in an emergency. Emergency department nurses will also be on-site offering free blood pressure screenings.
This annual presentation offers practical information that could help save a life.
For more information or to register go to www.coronado.ca.us/civicrec, call 619-522-7343, or stop and visit at 1019 Seventh Street.

Brains and AI: The Future of Education and Learning
2026-06-10 18:30 - 19:30 | Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA, 92118, United States
On Wednesday, June 10 at 6:30 pm, join the Coronado Public Library as we welcome UCSD’s Dr. Terrance Sejnowski who will share insights into the future impacts of AI on education and learning. Classrooms, teachers, lessons, homework, reading, writing, and arithmetic look the same today as they did when we were children, what will the future bring to education? How will artificial intelligence (AI) and personal social robots shape the next generation? This lecture is based his personal experiences with “Learning How to Learn,” a wildly popular Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), with 6 million viewers in 200 countries, his insights from how brains learn, and the recent developments in AI described in his book ChatGPT and the Future of AI. This free lecture is open to all.
Terry Sejnowski received his Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School before joining the faculty at Johns Hopkins, where he was a Professor of Biophysics. He currently holds the Francis Crick Chair at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies and is a Distinguished Professor of Biology and Computer Science and Engineering at the University of California, San Diego, where he is co-director of the Institute for Neural Computation. He also is the founding editor-in-chief of Neural Computation and is currently President of the Neural Information Processing Systems Foundation Board. In 1992, Sejnowski co-authored The Computational Brain with Patricia Churchland and in 2002 the book Liars, Lovers, and Heroes; What the New Brain Science Reveals About How We Become Who We Are with Steven R. Quartz. His book, The Deep Learning Revolution, was published by the MIT Press in 2018.

Celebrating Independence Day with Richard Lederer
2026-06-23 11:00 - 12:00 | Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA, 92118, United States
On Tuesday, June 23 at 11 am, San Diego legend Richard Lederer will be serving up his trademark wit and wisdom in a special performance at the Coronado Public Library. This year, we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, our nation’s birth certificate and mission statement. Union Tribune columnist and International Punster of the Year, Richard Lederer will talk about the significance of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address.
With more than 60 books to his name, including the exceptional Anguished English series, Dr. Lederer has a unique ability to make language both enlightening and fun. Dr. Lederer is also the founding co-host of the popular KPBS program, “A Way With Words.” A recipient of the prestigious Toastmasters International Golden Gavel award, Dr. Lederer will be sure to leave you laughing and learning. This event is free to attend thanks to the support of the Friends of the Coronado Public Library and the City of Coronado. Head to cplevents.org for more information.

San Diego Scam Jam: Building your fraud-prevention toolkit
2026-06-26 14:00 | John D. Spreckels Center, 1019 Seventh Street, Coronado, CA, 92118, United States
This free informative presentation is designed to help you stay safe, prepared and empowered.

Learn how to spot, avoid, and respond to scams with confidence. This engaging presentation explores the tactics scammers use to create urgency and build trust while providing practical strategies to protect yourself and your loved ones. Through real-life examples and hands-on scam spotting exercise, you’ll build a fraud prevention toolkit and learn where to turn for reporting, recovery, and support. Presented by San Diego County Aging & Independence Services.
To reserve your spot today, register online at www.coronado.ca.us/civicrec, call 619-522-7343, or stop by the John D. Spreckels Center at 1019 Seventh Street.

Spice It Up, Coronado!: Stories and lore on honey
2026-06-26 15:00 - 16:00 | Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA, 92118, United States
Golden, sweet, and treasured for thousands of years, honey has flavored feasts, medicines, celebrations, and legends around the world. Storyteller Marilyn McPhie, an enthusiastic participant in the “Spice It Up, Coronado” program, will share the folklore, history, and delightful lore surrounding honey — from sacred honey cakes and ancient remedies to tales of abundance, sweetness, and temptation.
Note: There is no featured sample spice for the month of June. We will be meeting in person in the Winn Room.
Registration is not required.

Marilyn McPhile is the President, Storytellers of San Diego, www.storytellersofsandiego.org
ORACLE Award, National Storytelling Network, 2022
TEDx talk: “Storytelling: Do Try This At Home”
Miramar College, Child Development Advisory Committee
Global Neighborhood Project, Board of Global Advisors

See photographs and recipes from past Spice It Up, Coronado! HERE, then click on Open Access.

Disclaimer(s)

Free And Open

Project Heartbeat CPR & First Aid Training
2026-07-10 11:30 | John D. Spreckels Center, 1019 Seventh Street, Coronado, CA, 92118, United States
This free informative presentation is designed to help you stay safe, prepared and empowered.

Gain valuable lifesaving knowledge or refresh your knowledge in the free AED and Hands-Only CPR training. Participants will learn how to recognize the signs of cardiac arrest, use an automated external defibrillator (AED) and perform hands-only CPR. While a certificate is not provided, this class offers essential skills that can help save a life.
To reserve your spot today, register online at www.coronado.ca.us/civicrec, call 619-522-7343, or stop by the John D. Spreckels Center at 1019 Seventh Street.

Descendants of Early San Diego lecture and genealogy workshop
2026-08-12 11:00 - 12:30 | Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA, 92118, United States
What does your family history reveal? Join the Descendants of Early San Diego (DESD) where we will learn about solving the mysteries of your family tree. We will hear about the remarkable stories of DESD members who are examples of how modern genealogy tools can rewrite what we thought we knew about our own origins. Then, take part in an interactive workshop with practical guidance on genealogy resources, DNA testing basics, and more. This is the perfect opportunity to get what you need to start exploring your own family story.

Shakespearean dramaturgy in action
2026-08-16 15:00 - 16:00 | Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA, 92118, United States
Dramaturgy is the art or technique of dramatic composition and theatrical representation. Dr. Gideon Rappaport, retired teacher and active dramaturge, who has spent over 45 years teaching Shakespeare, will explain how a dramaturge helps to improve the quality of the productions of Shakespeare’s plays for the benefit of the audience.

We Must All Hang Together: How Revolutionary Americans imagined the United States into being
2026-08-20 11:00 - 12:00 | Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA, 92118, United States
During the American Revolution, Americans were not only fighting for independence. They were also trying to imagine what their new nation would look like. Revolutionary leaders such as Benjamin Franklin and George Washington helped promote powerful visual symbols — from flags and seals to allegorical figures like Liberty — that expressed the ideals of the emerging United States and helped unite a diverse population around a shared identity. At the same time, writers such as the enslaved poet Phillis Wheatley and radical voices like Abigail Adams used words and imagery to challenge Americans to think about who should be included in this new nation. This talk explores how a wide range of Americans helped create the symbols and ideas that allowed people to imagine — and ultimately bring into being — the United States.

Edward J. Blum is a professor of nineteenth-century United States History in the History Department at San Diego State University. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky. His research, writing, and teaching involve politics, constitutionalism, war, society, and culture in the United States from the founding of the nation through the era of the Civil War. He has particular interests in how numerical information, data, demography, statistics, and the Census play roles in shaping the course of United States history.
Professor Blum is committed to both top-notch scholarship and reaching out to the broader public. He is the author and co-author of several books including War is All Hell: The Nature of Evil and the Civil War (2021), Reforging the White Republic: Race, Religion, and American Nationalism, 1865-1898 (2005; reissued 2015), W. E. B. Du Bois, American Prophet (2007), and The Color of Christ: The Son of God and the Saga of Race in America (2012). For these, he has won the C. Vann Woodward Prize from the Southern Historical Association, the Peter Seaborg Award for Civil War Scholarship, the Gustave O. Arlt Award in the Humanities, and the John T. Hubbell Prize for best article published in Civil War History in 2015.
Publicly, Blum has authored pieces for the New York Times, CNN, the Atlantic Monthly, Newsweek, and many other outlets. He is also the Project Director for the American Revolution and Constitution History Project at SDSU, which looks to energize civic and patriotic reflection in San Diego.

Wine & Lecture: The Silver Strand History Panel
2026-09-10 17:30 - 19:00 | Coronado Historical Association, 1100 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA, 92118, United States
Kick off the Coronado Historical Association’s fall Wine & Lecture season with an engaging panel discussion on one of Coronado’s most iconic landmarks! Join CHA for The Silver Strand: Nature’s Bridge to Discovery, as our featured speakers explore the fascinating history, present preservation efforts, and future outlook of this unique narrow strip of land.
Enjoy a glass of wine, connect with fellow history enthusiasts, and discover the ecological and historical impact of the Strand on our island community. Space is limited, so reserve your seat today to join the conversation.
Join us on Thursday, September 10, at 5:30 pm for a wine & cheese reception followed by the lecture from 6:00 to 7:00 pm.
Tickets are available now by clicking here.
Member: $20 eachNon-Member: $30 each
Important Registration Information: Reservations are required. Please be aware that tickets for the wine & lecture events are nonrefundable, as proceeds support our educational mission. If you have any questions, please email info@coronadohistory.org or call 619-435-7242.

Liza Butler has been a driving force in transforming Coronado’s southern boundary for nearly four decades. Guided by her lifelong belief in “beauty and nature above all else,” the New Jersey native and clinical social worker turned her beach walks along Silver Strand into a monumental grassroots movement. As a founder of the Silver Strand Beautification Project (SSBP), Liza united local residents, city leaders, state agencies, and the U.S. Navy to revitalize public spaces. Her vision and tenacity led to landmark achievements, including the award-winning Nature’s Bridge to Discovery interactive trail, the undergrounding of coastal utilities, five landscaped highway medians, the unique Silver Strand bus shelters, and the creation of Grand Caribe Shoreline Park. Today, Liza continues her advocacy, inspiring the community to protect and preserve these scenic coastal treasures for future generations.

David R. Landon is a native of Guilford, Connecticut, who graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1975 with a BS in Business Administration. He entered the U.S. Navy in 1976 and retired as a Captain in 2006 after 30 years on active duty. He has commanded HSL-51 in Atsugi Japan, HSL-41 in San Diego California, Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility in San Diego and Naval Base Coronado, which included NAS North Island, Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, NALF San Clemente Island, the Silver Strand Training Complex, La Posta Mountain Warfare Training Complex and OLF Imperial Beach. Since retiring from the Navy, David has worked as the Chief Operating Officer and co-owner of Priority Solutions, a permanent placement- recruiting firm and as a Program Manager and leadership advisor for Scientific Applications International Corporation (SAIC). He assumed the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of Systems Technology Incorporated (STI) in 2011 and retired from STI in DEC 2017.
