The theme of the 38th annual Conference will be "Head for the Hills - A History of East San Diego County."

Confirmed speakers will be: (not in order)

El Donna Lay - History of El Cajon and Santee.
Mormon Battalion - Blazing the Trail Through East County.
Jan Tubiola - History of Laguna Mountains.
Wayne Donaldson - Historical Preservation and Politics.
Gary McClitock - Saddlemaker - Granny Martin, Last of the Mt. Empire Vaqueros.
Pamela Bensoussan - Mills Act - Save Tax Dollars with Historic Preservation.
Roy Challbery - Settlers of Campo and Far East San Diego County.
Chris Wray - History of the Upper San Diego River.
Dianna Lindsay - Indians of the Desert and SD County.
Helen Ofield - History of Lemon Grove.
Albert Simmonson - Trails and Roads of East County.

There will be other speakers as well    The cost is $20 for both days. Attendees will go out to local restaurants for their lunch

blast the hole deeper ... they would light the fuse and try to get out of the hole before the last.  Then they would haul up the dirt and rocks in a bucket that had been lowered into the hole.
  Later, he was able to afford to buy an old truck with a drill on it. The water well business got easier then. Wife, Shirley, was always the bookkeeper and business person in the partnership.  Sons Stan and Rex grew up helping their Dad and were his partners when they grew up. Later Rex went to Julian to continue to dig wells and Stan stayed in Lakeside and opted to dig bigger holes for foundations, freeways and buildings.
  Ralph is proud that he helped build the County Administration building downtown, way back in the 1930s during the depression; it was a W. P. A. project.
  When he and Shirley first moved to Lakeside they bought 20 acres in Eucalyptus Hills and camped there while they built their house . . . now that's the pioneer spirit!
  Congratulations Ralph, and may you have many more birthdays.