AROUND TOWN - Feb. 8, 2006

calendar* Send AROUND TOWN items to the Daily Pilot, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626; by e-mail to lindsay.sandham@latimes.com; by fax to (714) 966-4667; or by calling (714) 966-4625. Include the time, date and location of the event, as well as a contact phone number.

THROUGH MARCH 30

“Upbeat Abstracts,” an exhibit by local artist Michaell Magrutsche, will be on display through March 30 at the Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach. Information: (949) 717-3870.

WEDNESDAY

The Manuscripts Book Discussion Group, held from 9:15 to 11 a.m., will discuss “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, which is considered by many to be the classic Vietnam novel. Free. Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach. Information: (949) 717-3800 or www.newportbeachlibrary.org.

FRIDAY TO SUNDAY

The “Fascination of Orchids” exposition is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Orange County Fair and Exposition Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Admission is $3. Information: (949) 645-3112.

A SCATS Gymnastics Competition is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the Orange County Fair and Exposition Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Information: (714) 895-2909.

FRIDAY

Orange Coast College will hold its third annual tribute luncheon to honor the famous Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. The luncheon is scheduled to begin at 11:45 a.m. in the student center, 701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Tickets are $50; all proceeds go toward an Orange Coast College scholarship for aviation students. Information: (714) 432-5707.

SATURDAY