San Diego Weekend Guide: Feb. 17-19 – Cookies and Comics

You think you’re safe from temptation just because you got over the chocolate hump on Valentine’s? Au contraire, mon amour, this is Girl Scout cookie season and this San Diego weekend, we have a whole new way to indulge in this All-American delicacy.

How’s this for the most San Diego of ways to get your Thin Mint and Tagalong on? “Cookies on Tap” aims to bring together beer- and cookie-loving folks across San Diego and Imperial counties at local breweries which have created pairings with flights of craft beer. Each brewery, including Stone Brewing, will donate a portion of the proceeds to Girl Scouts San Diego. Other brewers with cookie/beer match events include Belching Beaver, Second Chance Beer Company and the Original 40 Brewing Company.

Prefer a cocktail to a pint? Imbibe something new while introducing yourself to the San Diego Legion, the region’s rugby team. San Diego Magazine hosts the Cocktail Kickoff at 1:30 p.m. Saturday with 20 restaurants, bars and brands offering up their best. Then celebrate the team’s return, as the Legion opens its new season at 4 p.m. at Snapdragon Stadium against the Utah Warriors – $60 admission includes the kickoff and the game.

The 2023 Live Arts Fest is set for Liberty Station’s Light Box Theater at 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday, with a matinee at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The event will feature this year’s winner of the Young Choreographers Showcase and Prize, Marcella Torres-Sanchez. Tickets start at $20.

Arts celebrations of Black History Month continue with:

• 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday – “Brother to Brother,” by the Visionary Dance Theatre in La Mesa, with choreography by Caley Hernandez, Caryn Glass-Ipapo, and Spencer John Powell depicting the life experiences of men of color in America. Tickets start at $19.
• 4 and 7 p.m. Sunday – “Black Voices/Black Writers,” at First Lutheran Church of San Diego, with actors Karole Foreman, Portia Gregory, Rhys Green and Bil Wright reading from works by great authors, Toni Morrison, James Baldwin and Lorraine Hansberry. Suggested donation of $20 to attend.

Engage your funny bone twice this weekend:

• 7:30 p.m. Friday – El Cajon’s Magnolia hosts Kountry Wayne and his “Help is on the Way” tour. Tickets start at $48.
• 8 p.m. Saturday – Harrah’s Resort SoCal in Valley Center hosts comedian Jim Gaffigan for the “Dark Pale” tour. Resale tickets are available.

Rocket Con, at the Scottish Rite Events Center in Mission Valley, marks its fifth anniversary, featuring collectibles, comics, toys and more for diehard superhero, anime and manga fans. Voice actors from” Dragonball Z,” “My Hero Academia” and “Naruto” are set to appear, along with artists from powerhouses Marvel and DC. Cosplay? Yep, with contests too. Doors open at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Badges are available (unlike the struggle at that other Con), ranging from $22-40.

It’s the time to party hard (and pay for it later. Ahem, Lent). In the spirit, Little Italy rooftop bar Coco Maya is partnering with the production company Guest List Only to celebrate the lead-up to Mardi Gras with its very own Carnival. Sunday’s full day of festivities, from 2 p.m. to midnight, includes Caribbean-inspired bites and beverages such as fried oyster ‘shrooms and coconut shrimpalongs, with two samba performances, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.