* Send AROUND TOWN items to...

* Send AROUND TOWN items to the Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay St.,

Costa Mesa, CA 92627; by fax to (949) 646-4170; or by calling (949)

574-4298. Include the time, date and location of the event, as well

as a contact phone number. A complete listing is available at

www.dailypilot.com.

TODAY

The Crossroads of the West

Gun Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and from 9 a.m.

to 4 p.m. Sunday in buildings 10, 12, 14 and the Parade of Products

at the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center in Costa Mesa. The

center is at 88 Fair Drive. $$9 for adults, $8 for seniors, free for

children age 12 and younger accompanied by an adult. For more

information, call (714) 708-3247 or visit www.ocfair.com.

SUNDAY

A Swedish Christmas Fair will

be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Costa Mesa Community Center.

The fair, which is sponsored by the Orange County Chapter of the

Swedish Women’s Educational Assn., will have numerous market stands,

Swedish art and handmade crafts for sale, traditional Swedish

Christmas food and baked goods, folk dancers and much more. The

center is at 1845 Park Ave. $5 for adults, free for children age 12

and younger. For more information, visit www.chapters-swea.org/

orangecounty/julmarknad.

MONDAY

First- to eighth-grade students are welcome to stop by the Balboa

Branch Library through Dec. 24 to make holiday crafts. From today

through Dec. 14, holiday cards will be made, and from Dec. 16 to Dec.

24, holiday ornaments will be created. There is no charge, and

registration is unnecessary. The library is at 100 E. Balboa Blvd.

It’s open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; and from 9 a.m.

to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday. (949) 717-3800.

WEDNESDAY

The Orange County Sierra Singles Club will host a snow sports

training program from 6:45 to 9:45 p.m. at the Costa Mesa

Neighborhood Community Center. The program will focus on how to be

safe and prepare for winter sports such as backcountry skiing,

snowshoeing, hiking and snowboarding. $10. The center is at 1845 Park

Ave. $10. For information, call (714) 963-6345.

FRIDAY

Orange Coast College will

hold its 26th annual Holiday Art Pottery Sale from 10 a.m. to 6

p.m. today through Sunday in the ceramics department room 113 of the

new Arts Center building. The sale will feature hundreds of

functional and decorative pottery items by OCC ceramics students. OCC

is at 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Fifteen percent of the proceeds

will go toward the purchase of equipment for the OCC’s Mudslinger

Club, while the remaining 85% will go to the ceramics students

themselves. For more information, call (714) 432-5843.

DEC. 8

The third annual Holiday

Classic Car Show and Pedal Car Invitational, featuring a toy drive

to benefit Project Cuddle, will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the

Automotive Road of Dreams area of the Orange County Market Place.

Cars decked out for the holidays will be judged in several

categories. Car show participants bringing an unwrapped toy or

clothing item will receive free show registration. Also held at the

Orange County Market Place on the Orange County Fairgrounds will be

Christmas Karaoke. It will be in the Artisans’ and Crafters’ Corner.

(949) 723-6663 or www.ocmarketplace.com.

The Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce’s 24th annual Christmas

Walk Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Corona del Mar

Plaza. Stores at the plaza and along Coast Highway between Avocado

Avenue and Poppy Street will be open for food sampling, entertainment

and, of course, shopping. Festivities will include story time with

Mrs. Claus; crafts for children; an elf with balloons for youngsters;

ornament decorating; holiday cookie decorating; and a treasure hunt.

The plaza is at MacArthur Boulevard and Coast Highway in Newport

Beach. (949) 790-9713 or www.ShopTheIrvine Company.com.

DEC. 23

The Holiday Market Place,

also known as the Orange County Market Place, at the Orange County

Fairgrounds will offer free admission today. Santa will be around for

photos. The Market Place at the Orange County Fairgrounds is open

from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

ONGOING

The Newport Beach Newcomers Club holds a general meeting on the

third Wednesday of every month. The organization is open to all

Newport Beach residents who have lived in the area fewer than five

years. For more information, call (949) 645-9922, or visit

newcomers-newportbeach.org.