Hot Weather for a Fiesta and Free Pops

With weekend temperatures as hot as salsa, the staff and students of a San Diego elementary school will host a Mexican fiesta Saturday, while, in the cool Escondido evening, the San Diego Symphony will perform a free pops concert Sunday.

The fiesta, open to the public, will help raise funds to buy playground equipment for the children of Sherman Elementary Business and Government Prep School, organizers said.

The fiesta is sponsored by the Latino newspaper, El Sol de San Diego.

With the help of school members and El Sol, the fiesta will offer plenty of entertainment. There will be a menudo cook-off by local restaurants, a salsa contest with community members bringing their own special recipes, music from a mariachi group and a contest for the best traditional Mexican attire.

Event organizers hope to raise money through food sales.

“The students, parents and staff of Sherman are very excited about hosting such a wonderful event,” said Cecilia Estrada, principal of the school. “We encourage everyone to come out and join us on this special day.” The fiesta will run from noon to 4 p.m. at 450 24th St., just east of downtown.

Weather for the event should be sunny and warm, said Wilbur Shigehara, chief forecaster for the National Weather Service in San Diego.

The high temperature at the fiesta will be from 74 to 84 degrees, Shigehara said. Nighttime temperatures downtown will drop to about 60, he said.

According to the weather service, a high-pressure system developing over San Diego County will keep the mercury higher than usual.

At the beaches, the high temperature should be close to 70 degrees all weekend. The water temperature will be 66, Shigehara said.

In inland areas such as Escondido, the temperatures should peak at 85 and 95 this weekend, Shigehara said. At night there, during the free San Diego Symphony’s “Pops Preview” on Sunday, temperatures will dip into the low 60s, Shigehara said.

The “Pops Preview” will be the first performance of the symphony’s SummerPops season. The orchestra will perform favorite selections from the SummerPops repertoire, including works by Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Bernstein and Gershwin, as well as show tunes, said Maureen McDonald, a spokeswoman for the Center for the Arts in Escondido.

Those who would like to spend an evening under the stars are encouraged to bring their own blankets or chairs to enjoy lawn seating, available for the first time this season, McDonald said.

Cabaret seating will also be available. It includes an al fresco supper, wine, parking and a tour of the Center for the Arts, McDonald said.

The free concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Grape Day Park, 130 W. Woodward Ave., Escondido. To reserve cabaret seating or for more information, call 743-3322.

Elsewhere, the deserts will reach nearly 112 degrees this weekend, Shigehara said. At night, temperatures will drop to about 74.

In the mountains, the mercury will climb to about 78, with nighttime lows of about 50, Shigehara said.