San Diego Police investigating hate messages in East Village

SO MANY SWEET SOUNDS… are synonymous with Southern California, from waves rolling onto the beach to the call of wild parrots over the San Gabriel Valley to the Pacific Surfliner choo-choo-ing through the surf-close towns of Orange County. But one of the calls that fall fans listen for originates in some of our region’s higher elevation destinations, including Big Bear: It’s the “Go Now!” that signals peak foliage has commenced. The exclamation point is an essential part of the call, as it underscores the brevity of the spectacular situation, for a rust-hued leaf on a branch today may be crunching under someone’s sneaker tomorrow. If you’d like to soak up some scenic autumn-based awesomeness, find your way to the mountain community over the final weekend of October and definitely before Halloween.

BEYOND THE HIKING TRAILS, and they are plentiful, where can you go to spy the fall beauty that the area is known for? Plenty of eye-catching trees dot the Village and lake-close spots, in addition to the wilder reaches. But if you’re seeking other pleasures while visiting Big Bear, especially those that relate to the fall, those are happening, too: Glow in the Dark Putting is offering golf buffs the opportunity to enjoy a few illuminated swings Oct. 25, while “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” will screen Oct. 25 at the Driving Range at Bear Mountain Golf Course. And if you want to check out the ever-creative Community Scarecrow Competition? It’s on now at places around the pretty mountain hamlet.