From football to volleyball, a wide...

From football to volleyball, a wide variety of community sports

and activities are planned this summer in Newport-Mesa.

COSTA MESA

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 Thursday. South Coast Plaza is at 3333

Bristol St., Costa Mesa. (714) 284-5464.

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

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

gardens 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.