Around Town: Over 1,200 dogs to grace canine show at fairgrounds

The Santa Ana Valley Kennel Club will hold its 66th annual AKC licensed all-breed dog show Saturday and Sunday at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa.

More than 1,200 dogs will complete for the Best in Show trophy, and a silent auction will benefit the kennel club’s Police K9 Blood Bank Fund.

The show, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. both days. The Fair & Event Center is at 88 Fair Drive.

Youth sports available for Thurston Middle School students

For the second year, the city of Laguna Beach is offering after-school sports opportunities for Thurston Middle School students.

Practices begin Monday for girls’ basketball and boys’ volleyball for the fall season.

The city’s recreation department is handling the program and has scheduled three games for each sport, with the possibility of adding more. Students will compete against teams from Corona del Mar and Ensign middle schools and Harbor Day School.

Laguna Beach High School Coach Darren Utterback will coach the boys’ volleyball team, while former Dallas Mavericks player Moe Ager will guide the girls’ basketball team.

Boys’ volleyball practices will be held from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Mondays and Fridays. Girls’ basketball practices will be from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The cost per player per sport is $180. All practices will be held in the Thurston gym at 2100 Park Ave.

To register, visit secure.rec1.com/CA/city-of-laguna-beach/catalog and click on the “Youth sports” tab at the top of the page.

For more information, call Alexis Braun, Laguna’s recreation supervisor, at (949) 497-0762.

Cyclists to pedal from Oregon to Newport Beach for human-trafficking cause

A 1,500-mile bike ride meant to raise awareness of human trafficking in the United States will begin Friday in Bend, Ore., and end in Newport Beach on Sept. 25.

Cyclists on the Freedom Ride 2016 plan to ride 100 miles per day.

The first Freedom Ride last year was a solo journey by Beth Gegner from her Laguna Beach home to Bend.

Laguna Beach concert series starts Friday

The Laguna Beach Arts Commission will kick off its monthly concert series, dubbed Sunset Serenades, on Friday at Heisler Park.

Denmantau, a pop/rock band, will lead off, followed in successive weeks by musicians from a variety of genres, according to a news release.

The lineup of free concerts includes Anna Gliadkovskaya, a classical pianist, on Sept. 16; John Lester, singer and solo bassist, on Sept. 23; and Alexandra Jack, singer and songwriter, on Sept. 30. All concerts will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Laguna Beach’s hotels fund the series, the release said.

3 Newport restaurants sponsor golf tournament to benefit Marines foundation

Newport Beach restaurants Dory Deli, Malarky’s Irish Pub and Stag Bar + Kitchen announced their sponsorship for the Newport Beach Police Assn. Charitable Foundation’s annual Golf Classic.

The event, set for Monday at Big Canyon Country Club, will benefit the Newport Beach 1st Battalion 1st Marines Foundation.

“We are supportive and grateful for our men in uniform and always look forward to giving back to the community,” said Mario Marovic, managing partner of the three Newport restaurants sponsoring the event.

New recreation center in Newport Beach to hold open-house classes

Newport Beach’s Recreation & Senior Services Department is preparing a new Recreation Center for gymnastics, dance and activities with yoga equipment and weights.

Open-house activities for the center will take place from 8 to 10 a.m. Monday through Sept. 15.

Free sample classes will be offered and the center will provide 45 classes to choose from for all age groups.

The Recreation Center is at 870 16th St.

Pilates lecture series to begin at OCC

The dance department at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa will begin its Pilates Guest Speaker Series on Tuesday.

The workshops will be held from 11:10 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month through Nov. 8 at the college’s Art Center.

The cost is $20 per lecture or $80 for five.

Luncheon at Vanguard to raise funds for anti-human trafficking initiatives

The Global Center for Women and Justice at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa will present a luncheon Sept. 17 that aims to bring attention to modern slavery and raise money to fund anti-human trafficking initiatives in Orange County.

The annual Priceless Luncheon to End Human Trafficking will start at 11:30 a.m. at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach.

The keynote speaker will be Ernie Allen, founder of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Tickets start at $175. For more information, call (714) 966-6360 or visit www.vanguard.edu/gcwj.

Newport Rib Co. lends a hand to food bank

Newport Rib Co. is supporting the Second Harvest Food Bank throughout September, which is Hunger Action Month.

Patrons of the Costa Mesa restaurant at 2196 Harbor Blvd. are asked to bring in canned food that will be donated to the food bank.

100th birthday for Fountain Valley resident celebrated in Huntington Beach

A Fountain Valley woman recently celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends in Huntington Beach.

Dot Hite was born Dorothy Lydia Willis in Dover, Del., on Sept. 3, 1916.

Huntington Beach Mayor Jim Katapodis was among the party guests and presented Hite with a city proclamation.

During the party, Hite also rode a motorcycle, driven by her grandson, for the first time.

Hite, who enjoys gardening, cooking, card games and crochet, has three children, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She was married to Raymond Hite for 64 years before he died in 2008.

She lives in the Carmel Village retirement community in Fountain Valley.

Coastkeeper seeks to fill board vacancies

Orange County Coastkeeper, a Costa Mesa-based environmental organization, is seeking to fill three positions on its board of directors.

“This is an opportunity to play a major role in promoting clean, healthy water for all of Orange County,” Coastkeeper Executive Director Garry Brown said in a statement. “New board members will lead comprehensive solutions to environmental issues that affect everyone in the community.”

For more information, visit coastkeeper.org.

Fountain Valley-based water district sponsors merit badge for Boy Scouts

Directors of the Fountain Valley-based Municipal Water District of Orange County unanimously approved a partnership with the Boy Scouts in an effort to help more Scouts learn about water conservation.

The district will sponsor the Soil and Water Conservation merit badge in the Boy Scouts’ Orange County Council.

Requirements of the badge include instruction on runoff and watersheds, a visit to a water treatment or wastewater plant, and understanding water conservation practices and the hydrologic cycle, according to a news release.