Science or symphony? OCC opens its doors to families with back-to-back events

Even those not seeking an associate’s degree will have two good reasons to visit Orange Coast College next week, as the campus hosts a science-themed night for students one evening and a haunting Halloween symphony performance the next.

The Costa Mesa community college is opening its doors to area elementary and middle school students and their families Oct. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m., for a Community Science Night featuring exhibits, demonstrations and hands-on activities related to chemistry, marine science, astronomy, geology, engineering, health science, biology and more.

Now in its 25th year, the free STEM-centered celebration invites visitors to explore the OCC Planetarium, the Dennis Kelly Aquarium and several indoor and outdoor spaces specially set up for the evening.

A student learns about starfish during Orange Coast College’s Community Science Night in 2023. The event returns Oct. 4.

(Courtesy of Orange Coast College)

“Our job is to serve the community, and we want to extend that beyond just the students we serve, and one of the ways we can do that is by exciting younger generations about science,” said Tyler Boogar, interim dean of OCC’s Math and Sciences Department.

Kids can look up at the night sky through a telescope, play with robots, experience marine life forms in a touch pool, see how plants are grown in an aquaponics farm and enjoy projects led by faculty and staff across departments.

While much of the programming is targeted for students in fourth through sixth grades, Boogar promises the evening will have a little something for everyone.

“We have some variations between exhibits, so there are some things I think even adults can enjoy,” he added. “It doesn’t matter what age you are — the planetarium is still exciting.”

A girl tries on a mask on display from OCC’s Anthopology Department at a 2023 Community Science Night.

(Courtesy of Orange Coast College)

Admission is free, as is on-site parking in Lot E off of Merrimac Avenue and Lot H off Adams Avenue.

Spooky music for ‘Haunt’

The following evening, members of the Orange Coast College Symphony will perform a repertoire of spooky and atmospheric musical selections during “A Halloween Haunt” on Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m. on the campus’ Robert B. Moore Theatre.

Led by Conductor Mathew Ward and featuring OCC students and players from the community, the symphony begins with “Masquerade Suite: Waltz” written in 1941 by Soviet-Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978).

Known for its haunting and dark undertones, the multi-movement piece will be followed by “Danse Macabre” and the “Carnival of the Animals,” two 19th-century symphonic poems by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921).

OCC Symphony Conductor Mathew Ward will lead players during an Oct. 5 performance “A Haunted Halloween,” featuring a spooky medley just in time for fall.

(Courtesy of OCC Symphony)

While audiences might not know the composers, many will likely recognize the melodies from popular cartoons, advertisements and other spine-tingling uses.

“It’s all spooky music that people are familiar with, whether they know the names of the pieces or not,” Ward said Thursday.

Rounding out the one-hour performance will be works by famed Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881), including “Night on Bald Mountain,” made famous by the 1940 Disney classic film “Fantasia.”

Ward said the music selections are intended to appeal to a broad audience of all ages.

“You don’t have to know anything about the idea of classical music to appreciate this. It’s very tuneful and very fun for the whole family,” he said.

Admission to “A Halloween Haunt” is $15 for adults, $10 for students. Parking is free. Orange Coast College is located at 2701 Fairview Road, in Costa Mesa.