Around Town: South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island prepare for tree lightings
Two luxury malls are gearing up for their annual holiday tree-lighting ceremonies this week.
South Coast Plaza will go first with its tree lighting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Town Center Park at 686 Anton Blvd. in Costa Mesa, next to the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel.
The 96-foot white fir tree will be adorned with 150,000 LED lights. The ceremony also will include a visit from Santa Claus, a holiday-themed performance from the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana and a finale with a synchronized light and music show.
Fashion Island’s lighting of its 90-foot tree will begin at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Neiman Marcus-Bloomingdale’s Courtyard at 401 Newport Center Drive in Newport Beach.
Both nights will feature KOST 103.5/FM radio personality Mark Wallengren, performances by the nonprofit troupe Young Americans, “snowfall” and a countdown to the tree lighting led by Santa Claus.
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Boutique at country club to benefit therapeutic riding program
The National Charity League’s annual Holiday Boutique on Thursday at the Newport Beach Country Club will feature more than a dozen local vendors selling items to benefit the Back Bay Therapeutic Riding Club.
Back Bay provides therapeutic horseback riding programs for people with physical or developmental disabilities.
The boutique will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Breakfast will be available from 8:30 to 10 a.m. for $25.
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Laguna calls for children’s holiday art
The Laguna Beach Arts Commission is accepting designs for its children’s holiday palette competition through Friday.
Students ages 5 to 17 may submit to the city their designs, painted or drawn on 81/2-by-11-inch paper, for possible display at City Hall in December. Up to 12 designs will be selected for mounting on wooden palettes.
The submission deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. For more information and to get an application, visit lagunabeachcity.net.
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Clothing drive to gather business garments in Laguna Beach
The Laguna Beach Professional Alliance will hold an all-day clothing drive Friday for WHW, a group that offers unemployed and underemployed people resources and business attire for job searches.
The drive, coordinated by Laguna Beach resident Loreen Gilbert, will be at Anderson Law Group Inc., 1000 N. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach.
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Santa to skydive into Huntington Beach
A skydiving Santa Claus will land on the beach in front of the Pacific City shopping center in Huntington Beach on Saturday to mark the beginning of the holiday season.
Residents can watch for free as Santa lands at noon. He will be available for photos afterward.
Pacific City is at 21010 Pacific Coast Hwy.
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Tropical colors will blanket runners in Huntington Beach
Huntington State Beach will host Color Run Tropicolor, a 5K on Saturday in which runners will be sprinkled with tropical colors.
The event will benefit Resolution Run, a nonprofit that raises funds for Orange County schools, and the McKenna Claire Foundation, which promotes awareness and research for pediatric brain cancer.
The run will start at 8 a.m. at the state beach, 21601 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Tickets start at $44.99. To register, visit thecolorrun.com/locations/huntington-beach-ca.
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OCC singers will raise funds for the road to Carnegie Hall
The Orange Coast College Chamber Singers and Chorale will hold a Fall Choral-Vocal Showcase at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the school’s Robert B. Moore Theatre to raise funds for a trip to Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Orange Coast faculty members Eliza Rubenstein and Ricardo Soto will direct the performance. The event will include a silent auction.
Tickets for $10 and are available at occtickets.com or at the door.
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DUI patrol planned for Saturday night in Laguna
Laguna Beach police this weekend will be on the lookout for drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol as part of an ongoing enforcement campaign.
From 9 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday, officers will be stationed at areas with a high frequency of DUI-related collisions and/or arrests.
Thirty percent of drivers in fatal crashes had one or more drugs in their systems, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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Local churches taking Operation Christmas Child donations
As part of Operation Christmas Child, local residents can donate shoeboxes containing school supplies, toiletries and toys through Monday at drop-off stations including Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, 2850 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa; St. James Anglican Church, 2995 Airway Ave., Costa Mesa; Shoreline Baptist Church, 10350 Ellis Ave., Fountain Valley; and Refuge Calvary Chapel, 7800 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach.
Operation Christmas Child is a charitable project under Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelical organization.
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Surfboard builders join Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach
Seven surfboard crafters were honored Saturday with induction into the International Surfboard Builders Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach.
Among the honorees was Huntington Beach board maker and lifeguard Gene Belshe.
Also inducted were Californians Randy Wong, Wayne Rich and Robert Millner, East Coast builder Greg Loehr and Australians Mike Davis and Bob McTavish.
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Newport Dunes to light up bay for the holidays
The 26th annual Lighting of the Bay will shed holiday spirit on Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort on Nov. 25.
Santa Claus will flip the switch at 5:30 p.m. to light dozens of floating “trees” and other decorations on the water.
The event also will include food, a magician, puppet shows, performances at 3 p.m. by OC Song & Dance and the Corona del Mar High School Choir and a 6 p.m. screening of “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
Parking and all the activities are free.
Newport Dunes will open its Christmas Tree Farm from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily Nov. 26 through Dec. 24.
The resort is at 1131 Back Bay Drive, Newport Beach. For more information, call (949) 729-3863.