Sand will be thrown in the sea...

Sand will be thrown in the sea for fire victims

Tibetan monks, who spent 14 days creating a colored sand painting

devoted to fire victims at Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, will bring it

to Corona del Mar today to deposit the sand from the painting in the

ocean “to heal the victims.”

The sand painting was made in conjunction with the museum’s

exhibit “Tibet: Treasures from the Roof of the World.” Sand is

cautiously poured from a traditional copper funnel. The monks hold

the funnel while moving a metal rod over it, and a vibration causes

the sand to flow like a liquid.

The sand will be dispersed after a traditional 30-minute ceremony

at the museum, 2002 North Main St., at 2:30 p.m. The sand will be

released at the corner of Poppy Avenue and Ocean Boulevard.

Meeting set to discuss community center

The Newport Coast Advisory Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday

at the Newport Coast Elementary School in the multipurpose room, 6655

Ridge Park Road.

The committee is charged with bringing a recommendation to the

City Council on how to spend about $7 million to build a community

center that some residents hope will serve as a town square for

residents of the various Newport Coast subdivisions.

Among the items for discussion are assessment district tax

rebates, fuel modification zones and the issue of whether to build a

community center for Newport Coast. For more information, visit the

city’s Web site at https://www.city.newport-beach.ca.us or call (949)

644-3000.

Costa Mesa achieves destination status

Costa Mesa was a popular tourist destination from April through

September, thanks to a promotion by the Costa Mesa Conference &

Visitor Bureau.

In all, 2,810 room nights, representing nearly $300,000 in gross

revenue, were booked as a result of the “Drive and Dine On Us”

promotion. The Costa Mesa Conference & Visitor Bureau created the

promotion, which ran from April 10 through Sept. 7.

The promotion highlighted Costa Mesa’s convenient location in

Orange County and emphasized its world-class shopping venues,

internationally acclaimed visual and performing arts and

award-winning dining. The city’s closeness to beaches, Disneyland and

Disney’s California Adventure was also promoted.

Upon check-in, guests received $40 dinner certificates for each

night of their two-night minimum stay. As a special incentive, guests

were sent $25 to offset the cost of gasoline, along with a gift

certificate package worth approximately $250. These items were mailed

within a few weeks of their visit to Costa Mesa.

The promotion drew visitors most heavily from Los Angeles County,

which accounted for 32% of the total.

Park to be named

for fallen officers

Costa Mesa will dedicate its newest park on Nov. 21 to two police

officers who died in the line of duty.

Ketchum-Libolt Park will honor Dave Ketchum and Mike Libolt, who

died in a helicopter crash on March 10, 1976, during the pursuit of a

stolen vehicle. They were both 15-year veterans of the city’s police

force.

The dedication ceremony will include city council members,

families of the fallen officers and city staff. The

15,000-square-foot park is at 2150 Maple St. It contains a tot lot, a

memorial plaque and a pad for the Mobile Recreation Program.

For more information, call (714) 327-7527.

Registration will begin for teen camp Nov. 24

Costa Mesa will host a two-week Winter Teen Camp from Dec. 22 to

Jan. 2 for kids in the seventh, eighth and ninth grades. Campers will

enjoy daily excursions to places such as Magic Mountain, Knott’s

Berry Farm and the Aquarium of the Pacific, as well as local malls.

There are only 13 spaces available.

Registration will start Nov. 24 and continue until the camp is

full. For more information, call the Downtown Recreation Center at

(714) 327-7560.