Paul Thomas Anderson Filming Around Borrego Springs

By Dennis Mammana Week of March 8-14, 2026 If you hear the word "superstar," what immediately comes to mind? Perhaps names like Tom Hanks, Taylor Swift or LeBron James? That's certainly understandable; they are all undisputed superstars who attract the attention of paparazzi and fans alike. If you're an astronomer, however, you may answer this question differently. For example, when I hear the word "superstar," I think of UY Scuti, WOH G64 or RSGC1-F01. Yes, these are superstars, but not quite how people may think. These are some of the largest stars known in our galaxy and, for that reason, are quite intriguing to us celestial paparazzi. Regular readers of this column know that our sun is also a star. It appears big and bright in our daytime sky because not only is it rather close (about 93 million miles away), it's also pretty large (nearly a million miles across). It sounds huge, but our star is rather small on a cosmic scale, and believe it or not, there are stars out there that would dwarf our sun and make it look tiny. These are the true superstars! Until recently, the largest star known was given the hopelessly poetic name of UY Scuti. At a distance of some 9,500 lightyears from Earth, UY Scuti is what is known as a red hypergiant star, with a diameter some 1,700 times that of the sun! All that changed recently, however, when astronomers found a gargantuan star some 2,150 times larger than our sun! It's named Stephenson 2-18, and if you'd like to get a peek at this stellar behemoth, you'll need more than your eyes. At a distance of some 18,900 lightyears, it appears 5,100 times fainter than we can see without a telescope. If you have no telescope but would still like to see a celestial superstar, you're in luck. There's one shining in our night sky right now; it's one of the brightest up there and is named Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse sparkles brightly in the northeastern corner of Orion, the hunter, and you can see its orange light midway up in the southern sky after dark this week. With about 15-20 times more mass than our sun, Betelgeuse is known as a red supergiant star for good reason. While we could align 109 Earths across the face of our sun, we would need at least 700 suns to cross the face of Betelgeuse! Indeed, this star is so immense that if it replaced our sun at the center of our planetary system, Betelgeuse would engulf the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, and stretch part of the way to Jupiter! Yet it appears as a simple point of light in our night sky because of its tremendous distance from us — some 3,100 trillion miles, or about 520 lightyears. Betelgeuse is easily one of the largest known stars, though its size fluctuates by as much as 60% as the star shudders and pulsates on its way to an eventual supernova explosion, thousands or millions of years from now. Or tonight. We just don't know.  I hope you'll step out under the night sky soon to meet this remarkable superstar for yourself! Visit Dennis Mammana at dennismammana.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. Learn More About Borrego Springs

Presented by Borrego Springs Community Concert Association

Borrego Springs, CA The Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association (ABDNHA) will host the 2026 Borrego Home & Garden Tour on Saturday, March 14, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The public is invited to explore four private homes and gardens at their own pace in Borrego Springs. This annual tour is a fundraiser benefiting ABDNHA, the educational 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports interpretation, education, and stewardship connected to the Anza-Borrego Desert region. Event details Event: 2026 Borrego Home & Garden Tour Date: Saturday, March 14, 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Format: Self-guided tour of four private homes and gardens Tickets $30 General Public $24 ABDNHA Members $20 ABDNHA Volunteers Early purchase discount: Buy by March 8 and save $2 per ticket . How to purchase Tickets are available online at abdnha.org/gardentour and in person at the ABDNHA Desert Nature Center , 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs . Questions: (760) 767-3098 Important guidelines Tickets are non-refundable . For guest safety and property rules, no strollers or dogs are permitted. About ABDNHA The Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association (ABDNHA) is a nonprofit organization that supports education and interpretation in and around Anza-Borrego Desert State Park through programs, exhibits, and community engagement. Media Contact: ABDNHA Desert Nature Center 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA (760) 767-3098 abdnha.org/gardentour

BSCCA 50th anniversary celebration at BSPAC with the Waddington Brothers Borrego Springs Community Concert Association (BSCCA) celebrated 50 years of live concerts on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at the Borrego Springs Performing Arts Center. The evening began at 6:00 PM with cake and sparkling cider, then the theater filled for the 7:00 PM concert by the Waddington Brothers. Earlier the same day, the group also performed a student concert at BSPAC for Borrego Springs High School.

Waddington Brothers at BSPAC Borrego Springs High School students spent part of the school day at the Borrego Springs Performing Arts Center (BSPAC) for a live performance by the Waddington Brothers. This Borrego Springs Community Concert Association student concert paired a professional theater experience with a clear educational message about discipline, entrepreneurship, and creative careers. Students did not just hear music. They experienced live acoustic instruments in a real theater, watched professional musicians interact on stage, and listened as the band spoke honestly about building a life in music. A Theater Experience During School Hours For many students, walking into BSPAC during the school day shifts learning into a different space. They are not watching a video or listening through headphones. They are hearing sound resonate in the room and seeing how musicians communicate without a script. As the band shared, “Music is a huge part of our life. But ultimately, it’s communication.” They encouraged students to “listen with intent,” explaining that sitting down and truly listening to music can be revealing. That message reframed the concert as more than entertainment. It became an exercise in focus and engagement. About the Waddington Brothers The Waddington Brothers are four siblings from rural North Dakota, a region better known for ranch country than bluegrass scenes. Their sound blends traditional bluegrass with western cowboy influences reminiscent of The Sons of the Pioneers. They have played together all their lives and launched the band professionally in 2019. The lineup includes: Seth on guitar and lead vocals Ethan on banjo Jacob on mandolin Job on bass In 2023, they earned first place at the SPBGMA International Bluegrass Band Competition in Nashville, gaining national attention. They have since signed with the Live on Stage agency in Nashville and are touring more extensively across the United States. During the concert, they explained that there are “a lot of different ways to make music,” describing touring, recording sessions, commercial work, and side businesses that help support a music career. “You have to find a market that you fit in,” they told students, emphasizing persistence and adaptability. What Students Learned Between songs, the Waddington Brothers explained what it takes to work as professional musicians. They talked about long travel days, the cost of touring, and why many musicians also do other work so they can keep playing and keep improving. Their takeaway for students was straightforward: building skill takes practice and consistency, and creative careers still require planning, reliability, and strong work habits.

By Dennis Mammana Week of March 1-7, 2026 Attention, night owls and insomniacs! The sky show this week is just for you! Much of North America is about to see the moon experience one of nature's most beautiful sky shows: a total lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon slips into the Earth's shadow far out in space, either partially or completely, and that's just what will happen during the wee hours of March 3. Skywatchers throughout North America will see the start of this eclipse (weather permitting, of course), but depending on where you live, you may see only a portion of the sky show. In general, the farther west you live, the more of the eclipse you will see before the moon sets behind the western horizon. The eclipse begins at 12:44 a.m. PST (3:44 a.m. EST), when the moon enters the Earth's light outer shadow (known as the penumbra), but this shadow is so thin that no one will notice a darkening of the moon's appearance. Within an hour or so, that will change significantly. As the moon approaches the dark inner shadow of the Earth (known as the umbra), skywatchers will notice the eastern side of the moon beginning to darken slightly. The real show begins at 1:50 a.m. PST (4:50 a.m. EST) when the moon officially enters the umbra. No one gazing skyward will have any doubt that a "bite" has been taken out of the moon — a bite that will grow larger with each passing minute. For the next hour or so, the moon will dim as it slips more deeply into our planet's umbra, until 3:04 a.m. PST (6:04 a.m. EST) when it's completely engulfed and the total eclipse begins. Unfortunately, those in the far eastern part of North America may miss this since the moon will lie quite close to (or even below) the western horizon. During the total phase, the moon will take on a dim coppery hue. This occurs because sunlight passing through our atmosphere is reddened and bent inward toward the darkened surface of the eclipsed moon, now suspended eerily against the stars of Leo, the lion. Only those viewing from the Midwest to the West Coast will see mid-eclipse, which occurs at 3:33 a.m. PST (5:33 a.m. CST). Those in the Midwest may miss the end of totality at 4:02 a.m. PST (6:02 a.m. CST), however, as the moon will be setting in the west. The entire event will end at 5:17 a.m. PST (4:17 a.m. MST) with the moon approaching the western horizon for viewers in western North America. Unlike an eclipse of the sun, a lunar eclipse is perfectly safe to view without protective filters. Your eyes are all you need to enjoy the show, but you'll have even more fun viewing through binoculars or a small telescope. If the sky is cloudy that morning, or if you live where the eclipse won't be visible, you can watch a livestream of the sky show online. Visit timeanddate.com and click on "Sun, Moon & Space" at the top to find details for your location, as well as links to view the eclipse live online. Visit Dennis Mammana at dennismammana.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.  Learn More About Borrego Springs

Live On Stage, Inc. and Borrego Springs Community Concert Association announce Sibling Bluegrass/Western band as part of their 2025-2026 Concert Season BORREGO SPRINGS, Cali. – (February 5, 2026) – Join the Waddington Brothers as they perform iconic Bluegrass and Western music with jaw-dropping authenticity in a live concert at Borrego Springs Performing Arts Center on Thursday, February 26, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. Individual tickets may be available in the lobby the night of the show. If you would like to get on the waiting list or for further information, please use the contact form on the website - borregoconcerts.org . Students are admitted for free. “…world-class musicians who connect with their audiences and bring sheer joy to those in attendance.” Michael Burgraff, Fergus Falls Center for the Arts The Waddington Brothers, a band of four brothers from rural North Dakota, perform what they live: music that is real to them, that takes listeners on a journey through the heart of the American West. Seth, Ethan, Jacob and Job skillfully blend cowboy and bluegrass music, creating a style that is timelessly classic and yet refreshingly new and unique. Their rich, stirring harmonies and instrumental versatility bring familiar favorites like “Old Home Town,” “Less Traveled Road,” and “Red River Valley” to life in way that is entertaining and engaging for audiences of all ages!

Among Eridanus’ prominent stars is Epsilon Eridani. Creators.com illustration

Student Concert and Evening Show at BSPAC

The Great Orion Nebula is visible with the unaided eye.

The 13th Borrego Springs Film Festival wrapped January 18, 2026, with sold-out screenings, red carpet moments, awards, and strong community turnout. The 13th Annual Borrego Springs Film Festival wrapped up January 18, 2026, closing five days of independent cinema, conversation, and community energy. Events were held throughout Borrego Springs, including free screenings at the Borrego Springs Library and ticketed block screenings and awards ceremonies at the Borrego Springs Performing Arts Center. Presented by the Borrego Springs Film Institute, the festival continued its traditional, theater-first format that brings people together to watch films in shared spaces and talk about them afterward. Several screening blocks sold out during the week, reflecting strong local interest and visiting attendance. That connection was clear during the live-streamed red carpet. Host Brianna Pinto described one of the festival’s defining qualities by saying, “Filmmakers get to interact directly with the audience,” noting that Borrego Springs draws viewers who truly watch and engage with the films.

This segment aired on KTLA's Off the Clock on Jan. 7, 2026.

Borrego Springs, in San Diego County, is experiencing an unusual winter wildflower bloom. Henderson Canyon is already colorful—just about a 90-minute drive from San Diego. (ABDNHA)

Weekly Community Burger Night Burger Night at the American Legion in Borrego Springs is a weekly community tradition that brings locals and visitors together for a casual, affordable meal. Open to the public every Wednesday evening, it’s an easy way to enjoy good food, connect with neighbors, and support a local veterans organization. Here’s what to know if you’re planning to attend. When: Wednesdays, 5:00–6:30 p.m. Where: American Legion Post 853 Address: 4515 Borrego Springs Road, Borrego Springs, CA 92004 Open to the public Burger Night features burgers or hot dogs with all the fixings , served in a relaxed, welcoming setting. The event is designed to be simple, social, and accessible—no membership required. Why Attend Burger Night is more than just dinner. It’s a standing weekly gathering that supports the work of American Legion Post 853 while offering a consistent place for the Borrego Springs community to connect midweek. Visitors staying in Borrego Springs are welcome, making it an easy addition to a Wednesday evening. Supporting Local Veterans By attending Burger Night, guests are also supporting the American Legion’s ongoing efforts on behalf of veterans and the local community. Events like this help keep Post 853 active and engaged year-round. A Simple Midweek Plan If you’re looking for something low-key to do on a Wednesday evening in Borrego Springs, Burger Night at the American Legion is a dependable option—good food, familiar faces, and a welcoming atmosphere. Learn More About Borrego Springs

SHORT | 24:35 | THE 2026 BSFF COMMUNITY FILM!

Learn about the Borrego Springs Community Concert Association's mission to enrich local youth through music. Discover how you can support and inspire the next generation.

Veterans Day Ceremony Honors Service and Sacrifice

Fr. Michael Plekon shares the story of his father’s D-Day heroism and the meaning of courage, faith, and freedom.

Join Bingo Nights every Tuesday at The American Legion Post 853 in Borrego Springs!