After 17 years, the dark wood booths and stone hearth of Hooley's Public House in La Mesa's Grossmont Center will go quiet for the last time on Sunday, March 29. What started as a vision of Irish pub culture has grown into a fixture of East County social life — a place for birthday parties, sports watch parties, Rotary Club gatherings and St. Patrick's Day traditions that residents have built their own traditions around.
Before the lights go down for good, the pub will host one final celebration of local music talent. The Evans Academy Extravaganza takes the stage Friday, March 20, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. The showcase is built around Evans Kontopuls, founder of the Evans Academy of Music in La Mesa, and features six bands and more than a dozen performers — nearly all of them former students who trained under his instruction as children and are now in their 40s.
Headlining the night is Nathan Raney, son of Jerry Raney of The Beat Farmers, the iconic San Diego band. Nathan will lead a special tribute to Warren Zevon, whose "Werewolves of London" and other eclectic anthems recently earned him a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. Also performing is Tiffany Gyomber, a Berklee College of Music valedictorian who has toured nationally and composed for film and television before returning to La Mesa to open her own academy.
The closure follows Grossmont Center's broader redevelopment plans. Since anchor tenants like Macy's departed, the mall's new ownership has been pivoting toward a new master plan — one that reportedly includes demolishing several existing structures, including the building Hooley's has occupied. Owner Craig MacDonald, described by Kontopuls as "a great man and a humanitarian," built a reputation for supporting local nonprofits and community groups throughout the pub's run.
Hooley's original location in Rancho San Diego remains open. MacDonald has indicated through social media that the group is actively exploring potential new La Mesa locations, so Friday's show may mark an end to an era — not necessarily the last call for the community it served.