Farewell to Swallows

How do you bid a proper farewell to favorite visitors who’ve been here since March and are now winging their 6,000-plus mile journey back home? If you’re the city of San Juan Capistrano, you declare open house and invite the neighbors over—about 800 of them last year—and lay on the wine, beer, food and music for a major blowout. To mark the annual departure of the city’s famed cliff swallows for their winter home in Goya, Argentina, the inner courtyard at Mission San Juan Capistrano will be converted into a “Little Italy,” devoted to SJC’s Italian sister city, Capestrano. In a beautiful setting under the stars, there’ll be generous tastings from 25 restaurants and 25 wineries, gaming tables and dancing to the music of Grammy-nominated Greg Adams and band. Should be a real, um, wingding.
Sat., Oct. 17, 6-10 p.m., 2009