100-gallon sewage spill closes part of harbor...

100-gallon sewage spill closes part of harbor

About 100 gallons of sewage spilled into water near the Harbor

Tower Marina on Monday, and Orange County health care officials

closed the area to swimming.

The area will remain closed until it meets acceptable standards.

A city of Newport Beach sewage collection vehicle discharge caused

the spill, health care officials said in a late afternoon press

release.

Actual groundbreaking begins on concert hall

Backhoes and other construction machines on Monday shredded the

asphalt that lies over the site of the Renee and Henry Segerstrom

Concert Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Monday marked the first day of actual construction -- not to be

confused with the ceremonial groundbreaking in February that featured

choreographed heavy machinery. Absent the direction of esteemed

maestro Carl St. Clair and the fireworks, construction workers began

work on the site Monday morning.

Construction of the expansion project marked the 20th anniversary

of the construction of the original Center, which broke ground July

7, 1983. The hall should be ready Sept. 29, 2006 -- exactly 20 years

after the initial Center opened, officials said.

Performing Arts Center has new July programs

The Orange County Performing Arts Center has five new programs

this month.

The American Ballet Theatre will perform Don Quixote from July 22

to 27 and feature a repertory program Tuesday through Thursday. The

program will include Sir Frederick Ashton’s “Dream,” a one-act

version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream;” “Within You, Without You: A

Tribute to George Harrison,” which features eight of the late

Beatle’s songs; and Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. Tickets are

$20 to $80.

Disney’s newest musical, “Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida,” is

being presented through July 13. The shows run at 8 p.m. Wednesdays

through Fridays; at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Sundays. Tickets are $27.50 to $64.50.

Romulo Larrea Tango Ensemble presents “Tangos for La Milonga,” a

tribute to the rhythms and dance steps of tango’s golden age. Running

July 17 to 20, shows will be at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and

at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $49 for the evening

shows and $46 for the afternoon shows.

“Mamma Mia,” a musical featuring more than 20 of ABBA’s greatest

hits woven into love stories, will run July 29 through Aug. 10. Shows

are at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, at 2 and 8 p.m. on Saturdays

and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $44 to $68.

The Center also offers free public tours through the Segerstrom

Hall facilities beginning at 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. The

tour takes about an hour and 15 minutes and requires reservations for

groups of more than 10 persons or for private tours.

For information on any of these programs, call (714) 556-ARTS.