Chaz Bono: Chaz Bono will speak at the School Counselor Awards Banquet at the Mission Valley Hilton at 6 p.m. Bono is an American GLBT rights advocate, writer, actor and musician. He is the only child of American entertainers Sonny and Cher. Bono (born female) publically came out as lesbian in 1995 and in 2009 began the process of gender transition. As part of the Empowering School Counselors & All Educators to Support Our LGBTQI Youth conference, a special awards banquet will be held, featuring Chaz Bono. Tickets start at $50. The Mission Valley Hilton is located at 901 Camino Del Rio South in Mission Valley. For more information, call 916-548-4909 or e-mail events@cescal.org.

Peace builders: “Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace” a new exhibit at San Diego State University’s (SDSU) Love Library opens at 5 p.m. The exhibit opens with a talk by Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., dean of Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta. Exhibit on view through February 25 in Donor Hall of Love Library delivers “striking message about individual leadership and the difference that one person can make in promoting peace through nonviolent action” with photographs, quotations, historical information. The exhibit will take place in Love Library’s Donor Hall. Admission is free. To view a campus map, visit https://sunspot.sdsu.edu/map/. For more information, call 619-594-8276 or visit www.sdsu.edu.

Lake Hodges hike: The San Diego Museum of Natural History Canyoneers will hike along Lake Hodges’ north shore from 9-10:30 a.m. The dirt hiking and riding trails around much of the lake wind through ever-changing terrain and biological settings which include streams, lush river valleys, canopied oak forests, arid rocky terrain and open fields. The topography changes from elevated vistas to marsh-like wetlands. Bring a pair of binoculars to view birds as the group crosses the new lake foot bridge and explore Felicita Creek. Lake Hodges is located off the I-15 in Escondido. For map and directions, visit www.sdnhm.org/canyoneers. For more information, call 619-255-0203.

Winter Ovation: Advanced assemblies will perform a variety of classical music at the Copley Symphony Hall at 7 p.m. The assemblies will perfofrm Mozart, Barber, Bassi (featuring concerto competition winner Juhwan “Jay” Shin on clarinet), Borodin and Stravinsky. Admission starts at $10. Copley Symphony Hall is located at 1245 7th Ave. in Downtown. For more ifnromation, call 619-235-0804 or visit www.sandiegosymphony.com.

‘The Letter’: The San Diego Public Library East Village Branch will screen The Letter at 2 p.m. The Letter is a 2003 documentary about 1100 Somalia refugees who settled into a predominately white town of Lewiston, Maine after 9/11. The film is in English and Arabic with English subtitles. Admission is free. The San Diego Public Library East Village Branch is located at 820 E St. in Downtown. For more information, call 619-236-5800 or visit www.sandiego.gov/public-library.

Circus Vargas: Circus Vargas performs at Balboa Park at 7:30 p.m. The circus includes an opening parade featuring an enchanted forest with magical creature, juggling, clowns, an acrobatic casting routine, hula hoping, dancing productions and more. Admission starts at $15. Circus Vargas is located at the corner of Presidents Way and Park Ave. in Balboa Park. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.circusvargas.org or e-mail info@circusvargas.org.

‘The Fever’: Actor Bryan Bevell performs The Fever at the Compass Theatre at 4 p.m. Playwright Wallace Shawn (Aunt Dan and Lemon, The Designated Mourner) has crafted a haunting, harrowing drama in which an unnamed narrator’s visit to a beautiful country is marred by political struggles which force him to review the presumptions of a “liberal” existence in the face of harsh, murderous reality. Bevell reprises his role as the unnamed Traveler, which he performed to great acclaim both in 1999 and 2000. General admission starts at $23. The Compass Theatre is located at 3704 6th Ave. in Hillcrest. For more information, call 619-688-9210 or visit www.compasstheatre.com.

Code Red: The San Diego Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will host a benefit for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign at Bamboo Lounge at 7 p.m. Code Red will feature entertainment by house music DJ Michael Carrera, fabulous raffle prizes and awesome food and drink specials. Guests are encouraged to wear red. The San Diego Sisters of Perpetual Indulegence is a non-profit organization dedicated to the support, education and development of San Diego’s diverse communities. Suggested donation for the event is $5. The Bamboo Lounge is located at 1475 University Ave. in Hillcrest. For more information, visit www.sdsisters.org or e-mail InfoSPISD@yahoo.com.

Lemon Grove and ‘The Grapes of Wrath’: Lemon Grove Historical Society’s curator of historic sites, Helen Ofield, discusses John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath and its links to Lemon Grove during Great Depression at the Lemon Grove Library at 6:30 p.m. Set during the Great Depression, The Grapes of Wrath focuses on a poor family of sharecroppers, the Joads, driven from their Oklahoma home by drought, economic hardship, and changes in the agriculture industry. In a nearly hopeless situation, they set out for California along with thousands of other “Okies” in search of land, jobs and dignity. Admission is free. The Lemon Grove Library is located at 8073 Broadway in Lemon Grove. For more information, call 619-463-9819 or visit www.lemongrovehistoricalsociety.com.

Meditation: Pilgrimage of the Heart Yoga is offering a free weekly meditation class at 7:30 p.m. The class is led by Sujantra McKeever, student of late yoga master Sri Chinmoy. The Pilgrimage of the Heart Yoga is located at 3301 Adams Ave. in Normal Heights. For more information, call 619-640-4438 or visit www.pilgrimageyoga.com.

Chocolate and beer tasting: The Loft will host a Latin American chocolate and beer tasting at 6:30 p.m. Learn about specific wine, beer, and chocolate-producing regions while you indulge in bites and beverages. Tickets include four to five drink selections, sweet or savory snacks. Admission is $20. The Loft is located at the University of California San Diego Price Center East (4th floor) at 9500 Gilman Drive in La Jolla. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.artpwr.com or call 858-822-3199.

Meshell Ndegeocello: Meshell Ndegeocello will perform at Anthology at 7:30 p.m. Ndegeocello is a bisexual singer-songwriter, rapper, bassist and multi-instrumentalist. Her music incorporates funk, soul, hip-hop, reggae, R&B, rock and jazz. She has received significant critical acclaim throughout her career and has had ten career Grammy Award nominations. Admission starts at $10. Anthology is located at 1337 India St. in Downtown. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.anthologysd.com or call 619-595-0300.

‘The Marriage Bed’: The Diversionary Theatre will perform the West Coast premiere of The Marriage Bed at 7:30 p.m. The Marriage Bed evolves around Jeni and Val. The two love each other but is that enough reason to get married, especially when you’re not sure your girlfriend is over her ex, and one of you is not out to your family? Once the United Kingdom approved civil partnerships in 2005, same-sex couples had to ask themselves: “Do I want to make a commitment? Do we want to make a big splash? If so, what sort of splash? Shall it be the pink limousines, or shall we walk? Shall we invite my mother? (If she says no, it will make me feel really awful and spoil the day.) Do I want to be formally tied to another person?” All this and a fourposter bed! Admission is $29 with discounts for students, military and seniors. The Diverionsary Theatre is located at 4545 Park Blvd. in University Heights. For more information, call 619-220-0097 or visit www.diversionary.org.