Greer’s OC: Event proceeds go to Africa

The highly anticipated third annual A Harvest of Hope garden event in Newport Beach returns Friday through Sunday in support of providing sustainability and well-being to local and global communities.

Shop from one-of-a-kind home and garden items, attend free sustainable-living workshops and much more. A donation of $5 is suggested for admission. Proceeds will benefit the Orange County Food Access Coalition and A Self-Help Assistance Program (ASAP) operating in Zimbabwe and Malawi.

You can be the first to shop for one-of-a-kind wares at a preview wine and shopping event from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday. Special guest Chef Nikki Shaw (wife of assistant Lakers coach Brian Shaw) will be doing a cooking demo. Enjoy cheese from the new shop Vin Goat in Corona Del Mar, wine by Oak Ridge Winery, BJ’s handcrafted beers, a silent auction and more.

The preview event will cost a $25 donation, which gives you a raffle ticket for a chance to win an incredible item.

A Harvest of Hope is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at 2201 Santiago Drive in Newport Beach. For more information, visit https://www.aharvestofhope.com.

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Eclectic farmer’s market

Don’t miss the debut of the Sapphire Food Fare from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Anne School in Laguna Niguel. Think of it as an expanded farmer’s market, with a collection of fine foods, plus farm-fresh produce and herbs, artisanal breads, cheeses and chocolates, organic grass-fed beef, fresh seafood and local varietal honeys. Participating chefs will demonstrate recipes and provide samplings, and nutritionists and health experts will share tips on how to eat better. Chef and owner Azmin Ghahreman of Sapphire Laguna dreamed up this concept that offers fresh local foods as well as education.

Participating local farms, purveyors and artisans include Got Thyme, Jaime Farms, Garcia Organic Farms, Wong Farms, Fat Uncle Farms, Weiser Family Farms, Hay Ground Organic Gardening; meat and seafood from Santa Monica Seafood and Newport Meat Company; specialty foods from Sapphire Pantry, Picket Lane Bakery, Chocolate Soldier; and fitness from TaeKwonDoJang.

Chef Azmin also launched Sapphire at School at St. Anne School two years ago. The program provides students with a fresh and healthy hand-crafted selection of breakfast, snack and lunches. St. Anne School is at 32451 Bear Brand Road in Laguna Niguel.

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Cookies for Kenya

Join OC Mart Mix and Greer’s OC for the launch party for “Educating Jack and Milly: One Cookie At a Time” from 6 to 9 p.m. June 9. Greer Wylder will be debuting the new Jack and Milly chocolate chip cookie baked at Blackmarket Bakery in Irvine.

Purchase a cookie, and you’ll help change the lives of two young Kenyans by sending them to a university. Greer met Jack and Milly on a monthlong volunteer trip last year to their small village in western Kenya. A college education is allowing them and their families to escape a life of poverty (they live on about $1 per day in a small village with no electricity or running water).

Greer has already raised enough money ($4,000) to allow them to enroll in a university in Nairobi. However, more funds are needed to allow them to continue their education. Please consider changing the future of these two bright and caring Kenyans by attending the launch party. All proceeds will go toward their education. Enjoy wine, foods from Rasta Taco and Taste Buds and live music by Nicole Vaughn. The first 100 RSVPs at Gretchen@greersoc.com receive a free gift at the door.

OC Mart Mix is at SOCO at 3311 Hyland Ave. in Costa Mesa.

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Support music programs

The LAB is hosting a free Collective Sound Music Academy concert to help provide contemporary educational music programs for junior and senior high students throughout the world from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday.

Four bands will be performing, including the Fling from Long Beach, My Pet Saddle from Costa Mesa, the New Limb from Los Angeles, Micah Brown from Costa Mesa and the Kokomos, a student band from the Academy. The Youth Movement CoOp Series will continue offering free concerts in Los Angeles in July and Portland in August, with its final concert in Los Angeles in the fall.

Each concert gives Academy students a chance to perform with up-and-coming and established artists. The LAB is located at 2930 Bristol St. in Costa Mesa. For more information, call (714) 966-6661 or visit thecollectivesound.com.

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Can you pass the Bar?

The Bar Method is a revolutionary workout in Newport Beach that combines interval training, isometrics, dance principles and physical therapy. You’ll burn fat, flatten your abs, lift your seat, sculpt muscles and gain flexibility. The challenging class works your entire body in just one hour.

The Bar Method is offering a special package to keep you bikini-ready all summer long for less than $6 a day! Get three months of unlimited classes for just $175 a month, and new students can still purchase the new client special once we’ve said goodbye to summer.

The Bar Method is in the Crystal Cove Promenade at 7772 E. Coast Hwy in Newport Coast. For more information, call (949) 715-2199 or visit newportbeach.barmethod.com.

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Boys are admitted, too

Make it a fun girl’s night out at “Girls Night: The Musical” playing through Sunday at the Laguna Playhouse. The story follows five friends reliving their past, celebrating the moment and looking toward to the future on a hysterical karaoke night.

The comedic characters include Carol, who loves to party; Anita, who is unabashedly blunt; Liza, who has issues; cautious Kate, the designated driver; and Sharon, who isn’t always angelic yet and insisted on tagging along. You’ll recognize karaoke favorites like “Lady Marmalade,” “It’s Raining Men,” “Man, I Feel Like a Woman,” “I Will Survive,” “We Are Family” and many more.

Laguna Playhouse at Moulton Theater is at 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach. For more information, call (949) 497-2787 or visit https://www.lagunaplayhouse.com.

GREER WYLDER writes Greer’s OC for the Huntington Beach Independent each Thursday and the Daily Pilot and Coastline Pilot each Friday. She’s the founder and president of greersoc.com, a free daily e-mail service that provides the latest in Orange County fashion, dining, music, events and trends. Her blog can be viewed https://www.greersoc.com and she can be contacted at greer@greersoc.com.