California DMV

Ever hear of "trunking?" Neither had we. Chances are your children or grandchildren know what it is. We hope they've never tried it.

Trunking is what it sounds like: A person gets into the trunk of a car and rides in it. Teens call those who do it "trunkers."

(For "Sopranos" fans out there, we should note that trunkers tend to do their trunking voluntarily.)

So why do teens ride in trunks when they can sit in seats? State lawmakers have said some teens engage in trunking to get around provisional driver's license requirements that don't let first-year drivers transport anyone under 20 for a year. They figure an officer won't notice if they have a body - a live one - in the trunk. The officers do notice; more on that in a moment.

Most of the kids in trunks are joyriding or part of an effort to get as many kids into a car as possible, police said.

To submit your event listing, please e-mail event details and contact info to calendar@sdcitybeat.com. The deadline is Thursday, 5 p.m. the week prior to publication on Wednesday. Please include street address, neighborhood and phone number for events. No phone calls, please.

BALBOA PARK

CENTRO CULTURAL DE LA RAZA, 2125 Park Blvd., Balboa Park, 619-235-6135. Through Nov. 26: Dia de los Muertos Altares/Celebration de Ofrendas, an exhibition featuring Day of the Dead altars and murals. Ongoing: at 2 p.m. every second Sunday, experience Zapateado, a traditional Mexican dance performed by The Centros Ballet Folklorico; at 2 p.m. every third Sunday of each month, stop in for PalabraDAS, an open-mike and exhibit forum for local artists; and at noon every third Sunday of the month, check out Centro Mercado, a market featuring handicrafts by local artists.