Things to do in San Bernardino County – Welcome to San Bernardino County

This section focuses on family-friendly events that are sponsored by the County Library, Museum, Regional Parks, Special Districts and other county departments and offices.

County Library partners with Ono Hawaiian BBQ for fall reading program

The San Bernardino County Library is pleased to announce a new partnership with Ono Hawaiian BBQ restaurants to promote reading among children between the ages of 0-17. It’s an Ono Autumn at the Library program will run from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30 at all San Bernardino County branch locations.

“We are thrilled to partner with Ono Hawaiian BBQ to promote literacy and a love for reading among our youngest residents,” said Board of Supervisors Chair and Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe. “In order to achieve our Countywide Vision, we need to ensure our children are meeting their grade level requirements, particularly with reading.”

San Bernardino County residents are invited to participate in the program by signing up through Beanstack at sbclib.beanstack.org. In order to earn an achievement award, participants must check out five books with their library card, read those five books and track their reading through Beanstack. A voucher for a free kid’s meal will be issued at any of the 32 San Bernardino County Library locations. Participants may earn up to three vouchers for the duration of the program.

Participants do not need to have their own library card to participate but are encouraged to sign up for one. Receipts must be presented at the service desk during the library’s operating hours, including renewed items. Ono Hawaiian BBQ restaurants will honor the vouchers at any Southern California location. All vouchers are available while supplies last.

In support of the Vision2Read literacy campaign as well as San Bernardino County’s Opportunity Campaign, this program aims to improve literacy rates among children between the ages of 0 to 17 by inspiring an excitement to read, providing achievement goals and encouraging a reading routine.

The San Bernardino County Library system is a dynamic network of 32 branch libraries that serves a diverse population over a vast geographic area. The County Library system strives to provide equal access to information, technology, programs and services for all people who call San Bernardino County home.

The County Library plays a key role in the achievement of the Countywide Vision by contributing to the educational, cultural and historical development of our county community.

For more information about the San Bernardino County Library system, please visit http://www.sbclib/org/ or call (909) 387-2220.

Calico Days returns with skilled miner competitions, gunfight shows, live entertainment

Do you ever wonder how Calico miners lived and worked? Join San Bernardino County Regional Parks and Calico Ghost Town for its 58th Annual Calico Days event held over the weekend of Sept. 28-29, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Calico Ghost Town that recreates the life and times of miners during the late 1800s.

The event focuses on the spirit of the Old West and features an 1880s costume contest, reenactment skits, pie-eating contest, Miner’s Triathlon competition, Burro Run competition, Bucket Brigade contest, live musical performances, egg toss competition, gunfights and more.

The Miner’s Triathlon and Bucket Brigade will be held on Saturday, Sept. 28 and the Burro Run will be held on Sunday, Sept. 29.

The triathlon for men and women competitions include rock pulling, muckraking and tug-of-war events. The burro race is a competition featuring contestants guiding their burro from station to station across town to be the first to reach the finish line. The Bucket Brigade is a race to see whose team can scoop and pass buckets of water to fill up the water barrel first.

Food options during the event include the Calico House Restaurant, Lil’s Saloon, and food vendors. Attendees can also visit Calico shops and attractions including Maggie Mine, Mystery Shack, Dorsey’s Gourmet Dog House shop and the Odessa Railroad train ride. Calico is pet-friendly and leashed pets are welcomed.

This family-friendly event embraces the life and culture of the 1880s when Calico was a bustling silver mining town from 1881 through the late 1890s when Calico began to see a steady decline in population as silver lost its value and people fled the town.

At the height of its glory, the town’s population rose to about 1,200 people in 1887, and had about 22 saloons, a schoolhouse, post office, its own version of a China Town, a cemetery and its own newspaper. The town produced about $86 million in silver and about $45 million in borax, hauling its product by the infamous 21-Mule Team.

In 1966, Walter Knott, the founder of Knott’s Berry Farm, donated Calico to San Bernardino County, which is now managed by the Regional Parks Department.

Costume Contest registration

All ages are welcome to enter the contest. To pre-register and view the costume rules, scan the QR code on the flier or visit https://bit.ly/4dGYNHw. Ticket prices are $10 per adult and $5 for children ages 4-11. Children under age 3 are free. For more details and a daily schedule of events, visit parks.sbcounty.gov/calico-days. For prices on all Calico attractions and ghost tours, visit www.calicoattractions.com. Calico Ghost Town offers full and partial camping at the park. Reservations may be booked directly online at www.sbcountyparks.com. Cabins and bunkhouses may also be available.

Calico Ghost Town is located off I-15, just 10 miles north of Barstow at 36600 Ghost Town Rd. in Yermo.

Follow Regional Parks on Facebook and Instagram, and Calico Ghost Town on Facebook for all event updates and park news.

Annual Recovery Happens community fair this weekend

Join the Department of Behavioral Health as they host Recovery Happens on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Inland Empire 66ers Stadium located at 280 South E. Street in San Bernardino.

Recovery Happens is a celebration of the power of resilience through recovery and a chance to recognize the hard work and dedication of our staff and community who strive to help others live a life in recovery. Click here to RSVP.

Subaru Loves Pets campaign returns this October

This October San Bernardino County Animal Care is partnering with Subaru of San Bernardino to provide the love and support every pet deserves.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)®, nearly 6.5 million companion animals entered shelters nationwide last year, where many wait to find a loving home.

That’s why, as part of their annual #SubaruLovesPets initiative, Subaru of San Bernardino is providing Animal Care with direct funding through a grant administered by the ASPCA® to help us cover essential costs for preparing animals for adoption, veterinary expenses and more.

The Big Bear and Devore Animal Shelters will offer free adoptions for qualifying pets, which includes spaying/neutering, microchipping, and most vaccines. Be sure to stop by and help us find loving homes for pets in need!

For more information about pets available for adoption, please visit San Bernardino County Animal Care at animalcare.sbcounty.gov/pets or call (800) 472-5609. To make a donation to assist animals at the shelter, visit arffund.org.

Traverse the Old Spanish Trail at Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery

Travel back in time with the San Bernardino County Museum as we venture across the Old Spanish Trail on Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Join us for an adventurous day which will include live entertainment from Ballet Folklorico Cultural de San Bernardino, mule-packing demonstrations, arts & craft activities and light refreshments.

According to Curator of History, Drisel Perez, “Old Spanish Trail Day is an event held to commemorate the new Mexican families who ventured across the Old Spanish Trail in the early 1840s and established the communities of Agua Mansa and La Placita. Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery reminds us of those brave individuals who created the first non-native settlements in the San Bernardino Valley over 175 years ago.”

The Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery is located at 2001 Agua Mansa Rd. in Colton. The historic site is open Sundays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free, donations are welcome.

The San Bernardino County Museum’s exhibits of regional, cultural, and natural history and the Museum’s other exciting events and programs reflect the effort by the Board of Supervisors to achieve the Countywide Vision by celebrating arts, culture, and education in the County, creating quality of life for residents and visitors.

For more information, visit museum.sbcounty.gov or follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

Mojave Narrows harvest festival, haunted hayrides return with bewitching tales

Get ready for the witches of the narrows! Mojave Narrows Regional Park is hosting its 2nd annual Harvest Festival and Haunted Hayride event on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 12:30 to 9:30 p.m. The festival celebrates the beginning of fall with the theme, Witches of the Narrows, to spook and bewitch our hayride guests.

The event will also include trick-or-treating, a costume contest for all ages and pets, family games, live music and entertainment, food vendors, a petting zoo, live animal presentation and more. All ages are welcome, including leashed pets!

The hayride seating is limited to the first 325 who pre-register and pay for the event using the QR code or visiting in person. The hayrides will be scheduled from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. (9:30 p.m. being the last ride of the night). The rides will run every 15 minutes with a maximum of 25 people per wagon.

The event will be held rain or shine, and no refunds will be issued. Park entry can be prepaid in combination with the hayride tickets or separately.

Park admission is $10 per vehicle and $5 for hayride tickets. Scan the QR code to purchase tickets and park admission or click here.

For schedule of events and hayride rules, please visit parks.sbcounty.gov/harvest-festival. Mojave Narrows is located at 18000 Yates Road in Victorville. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest park news.

Museum shakes things up by adding treats to their annual Shake or Treat Earthquake and Emergency Preparedness Fair

No tricks, just treats! Bring the entire family to the San Bernardino County Museum on Saturday, Oct. 19 for their annual Shake or Treat Earthquake and Emergency Preparedness Fair. Local businesses and county departments will be handing out candy, goodies and emergency preparedness material as kids and families walk through the parking lot dressed in costumes.

This free event offers residents the opportunity to learn how to prepare themselves, their families, their homes and their neighborhoods for wildfires, earthquakes and other disasters. The day will also feature hands-on preparedness demonstrations, resources and emergency supplies at partner booths.

The museum has partnered with a multitude of departments and organizations throughout the county that will be on hand, including the San Bernardino County Office of Emergency Services, San Bernardino County Fire, San Bernardino County Transitional Assistance Department, San Bernardino County Public Health, San Bernardino County Behavioral Health, San Bernardino County Airports, San Bernardino County Public Works/Special Districts, San Bernardino County Children and Family Services, Devore Animal Shelter, Redlands CERT, LifeStream, Redlands Police Department, Inland SoCal United Way and more to get you better prepared for any kind of disaster.

The San Bernardino County Museum is located at 2024 Orange Tree Lane in Redlands. Museum galleries will be open during the event with general admission pricing which is $10 (adult), $8 (military/senior), $7 (student), and $5 (children ages 6 to 12). Children 5 & under and museum members are free. For more information, visit museum.sbcounty.gov or follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

The San Bernardino County Museum’s exhibits of regional, cultural and natural history and the museum’s other exciting events and programs reflect the effort by the Board of Supervisors to achieve the Countywide Vision by celebrating arts, culture and education in the county, creating quality of life for residents and visitors.

Child Support Services to hold third annual trunk or treat event

San Bernardino County Child Support Services (CSS) will hold its third annual Trunk or Treat, a free community event to provide a safe and fun way for children to celebrate Halloween and receive some free candy too, on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 10417 Mountain View Ave., Loma Linda.

The popular outdoor event features over 25 community partners who will provide services and resources to families in San Bernardino County.
CSS professionals will be available to provide child support information and case specific services. There will be games, prizes and special treats for the whole family. Don’t forget to dress up in your favorite costume and invite your friends.

Additional County Update News – September 26, 2024