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 starts Mondays, runs from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. through
Aug. 23. Only two of the nine weeks are still open. Those weeks 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 Saturday, 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 Friday 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.
Wednesday and continue each week through 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 July 17, 24 and 31, and Aug. 7, 14, 21 and 28. (949) 721-2000.
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 .
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