Fun stuff

COSTA MESA

Camp Costa Mesa

The city of Costa Mesa Recreation Division will conduct Camp Costa

Mesa 2002, a nine-week summer day camp for children 6 to 12.

The camp, which will start Monday, runs from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. through

Aug. 23. Only three of the nine weeks are still open. One week began

Monday and the other two will begin July 29 and Aug. 12.

Campers will meet at TeWinkle Park, and may choose to pay $110 for

extended hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., or $90 for regular hours of 8 a.m. to

5 p.m. Children will enjoy many activities, including games, arts and

crafts, and all-day excursions to places such as Universal Studios, the

San Diego Zoo, Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm.

Camp registration may be made at the Balearic Community Center, 1975

Balearic Drive. Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis,

until the program is full at the center, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday

through Friday. (714) 754-5158.

Family Night Out

Costa Mesa Recreation Division’s Family Night Out program offers

families a chance to participate in day and night excursions with

children. The next scheduled outing will be July 13, when families and

children will be able to enjoy an Italian dinner and gondola ride in

Newport Beach. $20 per participant, and one adult must participate with

every five children registered. After that, the night out will be an Aug.

2 baseball game in which the New York Yankees take on the Anaheim Angels.

$15 per person. (714) 754-5158.

Trains on the tracks

On the third weekend of each month, engineers climb aboard their

trains and travel on three miles of track at Fairview Park to display

their steam and diesel engines. The public is welcome to join them at the

park at Placentia Avenue and Estancia North. The Orange County Model

Engineer program started in 1989, when engineers wanted to display their

engines, while educating and entertaining the community about the past.

(949) 548-7246.

Fight against crime

The 19th annual National Night Out crime and drug prevention event

will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 6. Costa Mesa residents, along with

people nationwide, will lock their doors, turn on outside lights and

spend the evening outside with neighbors and public safety personnel.

Costa Mesa Police Department officers will serve food and sodas, and

raffle prizes donated by local businesses.

Mobile Skate Park

The Recreation Division’s Mobile Skate Park travels to various park

locations throughout the city three days a week to provide skateboarders

and in-line skaters a state-of-the-art skate park. The mobile park

consists of two quarter-pipes, three wedges, two spines, a fun box and

rail. Participants are required to have a signed Waiver and Release Form

to use the park. Appropriate safety equipment, including a helmet, elbow

and kneepads, are required at all times. Access the city’s Web site ato7

www.ci.costa-mesa.ca.uf7 s to get a form. Call (714) 327-7560 for schedule of days, times and locations of the skate park.

Orange County Fair

An Orange County tradition will return July 12 to the Orange County

Fairgrounds. The 110th Orange County Fair will run daily through July 28,

offering a variety of exhibits, foods, entertainment, rides and hands-on

activities. This year’s theme is “Leap Into the Fair.” The fair will

feature a summer concert series, a working farm and petting zoos, thrill

rides, contests, and games. Fair hours are noon to midnight Monday

through Thursday and 10 a.m. to midnight Friday through Sunday. General

admission for visitors 13 to 54 is $7, seniors 55 and older get in for

$6, children ages 6 through 12 get in for $3, and children 5 and younger

are free. (714) 708-3247.

Hot Blues on a Cool Summer Night

The Village Green at South Coast Plaza is the site for a blues concert

and food festival on July 25. South Coast Plaza is at 3333 Bristol St.,

Costa Mesa. (714) 284-5464.

Costa Mesa-Orange County Jazz Festival

Music from the 1920s through the ‘50s, including boogie, Ragtime,

Dixieland, rock ‘n’ roll and swing, will be on display Aug. 1-4 at two

venues, the Hilton Costa Mesa and the Holiday Inn Costa Mesa. (888)

215-6222.

Annual Indian Powwow

A Native American festival featuring a dance competition, native

crafts and food will be held Aug. 23-25 at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

The cost is $6 for adults, $3 for teens 12 to 17, $1 for children 6 to

11, and children 5 and younger are free. (714) 663-1102.

NEWPORT BEACH

Balboa Fun Zone

Children can ride the Ferris wheel, the merry-go-round and the bumper

cars, as well as play video games, pose for a portrait or browse through

souvenir shops along the boardwalk, at the Balboa Fun Zone, which has

been attracting businesses since 1936. The fun zone offers many eating

choices, including Balboa Bars, which are chocolate-covered ice cream

bars sprinkled with toppings. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. 400 E.

Bay St., Balboa Peninsula. (949) 673-0408. o7

www.BalboaNewportBeach.com.f7

Upper Newport Bay Ecological Preserve and Nature Preserve

Canoe and kayak tours are available to experience six diverse habitats

for more than 200 bird species that either live there or visit during the

birds’ Pacific flyway migration. Campfire programs are also offered, as

are free two-hour walking nature tours departing from Shellmaker Island

every first and third Saturday at 9 a.m. Call the Department of Fish and

Game at (949) 640-6746, or the Friends of the Newport Bay at (949)

646-8009.

Upper Newport Bay Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center

Adults and children can explore 15 hands-on interactive exhibits and

communicate with the Newport Bay Naturalists and Friends through

interpretive educational opportunities or watch a “visual poem” of Upper

Newport Bay presented on five monitors, showing such acts as birds in

flight and the flow of running water in an estuary. The

10,000-square-foot interpretive center offers hands-on opportunities to

experience the inner workings of an estuary. 2301 University Drive,

Newport Beach. Open daily, except Mondays and major holidays, from 10

a.m. to 4 p.m. (714) 973-6820.

Sherman Library & Gardens

More than 2,000 plant species, ranging from desert cactus to tropical

flowers, can be found in the gardens at this educational and cultural

resource center dedicated to the study of the Pacific Southwest. The

conservatory on the two-acre parcel bears tropical plants and a koi pond,

and the Discovery Garden, specifically designed for those with impaired

vision, appeals to the sense of touch and is accessible to wheelchairs.

Docent tours available. The garden are open daily, and the library is

open on weekdays. 2647 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. (949) 673-2261.

Lido Marina Village

Boutiques, gift shops, custom jewelry stores, art galleries, boardwalk

cafes and restaurants featuring continental, Mexican, Italian, Greek and

California cuisine can be found on the tree-lined cobblestones paths of

Via Oporto in Newport Beach. 3400 Via Oporto, Newport Beach. (949)

675-8662.

Cannery Village

A historic village tucked in upper Balboa Peninsula, Cannery Village

offers an enclave of shops containing anything from French provincial

furniture to sand sculptures and sterling silver items. The village is

bounded by Newport Boulevard, 31st Street, Lafayette Avenue an 29th

Street. Public parking is available on 30th Street between Villa and

Newport Boulevard.

BEACHES:

Newport Beach Municipal Beach

Beachgoers can enjoy everything from surfing, flying kites and

volleyball at the beach stretching from the Santa Ana River jetty to the

Newport and Balboa piers to the Wedge. Municipal parking lots are

available at both piers. Bodysurfers flock to the Wedge, which offers

spectators the chance to see views of boats entering Newport Harbor.

(949) 644-3151.

Big Corona Beach

The family beach features fire rings, picnic tables, volleyball

courts, snack bar, restrooms and showers. The city provides volleyball

nets for those who bring a volleyball. Proceed south on East Coast

Highway and turn right on Marguerite. Proceed two blocks to Ocean

Boulevard, turn right at the stop sign and follow signs to the Corona del

Mar Main Beach entrance. Sandcastle-builders flock to this beach in

September for a sandcastle-building contest. (949) 644-3044.

Summer Concerts at Fashion Island

The summer concert series at Fashion Island will begin at 6 p.m. July

3 and continue each week throughout July and August, offering a variety

of music, including jazz, rock ‘n’ roll and country. Seating for the free

concerts is available on a first-come, first-served basis, but preferred

seating can be purchased from the concierge. Future dates for the series

are Wednesdays July 10, 17, 24 and 31, and Aug. 7, 14, 21 and 28. (949)

721-2000.

FOURTH OF JULY

Beach-side festivities featuring entertainment, contests, face

painting and games will be offered at the Newport Dunes Waterfront

Resort. (949) 729-3863 or o7 www.newportdunes.comf7 .

Newport Beach’s celebration will kick off at Mariners Park at 10 a.m.,

when the bicycle and walking parades begin. Activities planned include a

picnic, games, raffles, a barbecue and a visit by Barnaby the Clown.

Spectators joining the bicycle and walking parades should meet at

Mariners Park at 9:30 a.m. (949) 644-3151.

Newport Landing Sportfishing

Open party or private charter trips to local waters or Catalina Island

are available, including harbor cruises aboard the Newport Landing Belle,

an authentic stern-wheeler built in 1993. The vessel is available for

special events, including weddings, rehearsal dinners, bar mitzvahs,

anniversaries, graduations, meetings and cocktail parties. Open party

summer fishing is available from 6:30 p.m. to midnight. Boats depart from

6 a.m. to noon and 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. daily. $26, $19 for 12 and younger

and people 60 and older for a half-day. Newport Landing rents rods and

tackle packs, and sells fishing licenses. Packages that include a ticket,

rod, tackle and license are available.

Different occupancy charter boats are available from the Nautilus and

Patriot boats, which can hold 72 and 76 maximum passengers, respectively,

to the 48-passenger Amigo boat, to the 30-passenger maximum Ultra boat.

Prices vary for holidays, weekends, weekdays and length of trip. Visitors

can rent rods and tackle packs, as well as buy licenses with the charter

boats. Newport Landing Sportfishing is at 309 Palm St., Suite F, Balboa

Peninsula. (949) 675-0550 or o7 www.newportlanding.com.f7

Davey’s Locker Sportfishing

In the Balboa Pavilion, Davey’s Locker Sportfishing in Newport Beach

provides full-day, half-day and 3/4-day outings, as well as twilight

fishing, private charters and 14-inch boat rentals to satisfy the

fisherman. Visitors can go on fishing trips to Catalina Island and San

Clemente Island, or fish the waters of Newport Harbor for tuna, rock cod,

bass, barracuda, sheephead, sculpin, bonita and marlin.

Newport Harbor Sightseeing Cruises

Mississippi-style riverboats Pavilion Queen and Pavilion Paddy depart

the Balboa Pavilion daily for either 45-minute or 90-minute cruises of

Newport Harbor. The boats will take visitors to see fireworks on July 4.

Special luncheon and cruise rates are available for groups. (949)

673-5245 or (800) 830-7744.

Newport Dunes Movies on the Beach

Every Friday night during spring and summer, the 100-acre Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort offers a series of free films shown on the sand

beginning at dusk on a 9-by-12-foot screen. Campfires will be available

for people to roast marshmallows. No admission fee, but parking is $7.

(949) 729-DUNE or o7 www.Newportdunes.comf7 .