Around Town: 4-day Newport Beach Jazz Party starts Thursday

The 17th annual Newport Beach Jazz Party & Big Band Blowout is coming to the Newport Beach Marriott hotel Thursday through Feb. 26.

This year’s party, featuring more than 100 musicians and six big bands, will include a Saturday and Sunday champagne jazz brunch, daily evening concerts in the Marriott’s Grand Pacific Ballroom and afternoon sessions by the pool.

The Marriott is at 900 Newport Center Drive. For tickets and more information, call (949) 759-5003 or visit newportbeachjazzparty.com.

Pacific City to host dinosaur story time

Parents and their children can take in a tale Tuesday about how dinosaurs choose their pets.

The free story time will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. at Pacific City, 21034 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach.

Kids also will be able to craft their own dinosaurs, but they must RSVP at bit.ly/2lYkfxn.

$100,000 raised for H.B. Youth Shelter

More than $100,000 was raised at a Feb. 10 wine-tasting fundraiser to benefit the Huntington Beach Youth Shelter, an emergency crisis and intervention program for youths ages 11 to 17.

About 500 people attended the event at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach resort. It was presented by Community Service Programs, the nonprofit that runs the shelter.

H.B. ranks 4th on ‘best fiscal shape’ list

Huntington Beach was ranked fourth on Fiscal Times’ list of the 116 cities in “best fiscal shape,” according to a city news release.

The publication looked at cities with populations of more than 200,000, using data from 2015.

“I am so proud of our City Council and our ongoing commitment to fiscal excellence,” City Manager Fred Wilson said. “We’ve come a long way since the last recession, and this ranking proves to our community that we’ve been diligent over the years to put our taxpayers first.”

Estancia to host conference on teen dating violence

Human Options, an Orange County-based nonprofit that aids victims of domestic violence, will hold a presentation and conference next week in Costa Mesa for parents and teenagers to help raise awareness about teen dating violence.

The “Love Shouldn’t Hurt” conference will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 25 at Estancia High School, 2323 Placentia Ave.

For more information, visit humanoptions.org or call (949) 737-5242.

Fashion show to raise funds for senior services in F.V.

The annual Fit & Fabulous Fashion Show, a fundraiser for senior services in Fountain Valley, is scheduled for noon to 3 p.m. Feb. 27 at The Center at Founders Village Senior and Community Center in Fountain Valley.

The event will include lunch, prizes and a fashion show by Chico’s.

Tickets are available for $15 at the center’s reception desk, 17967 Bushard St.

H.B. orchestra plans Russian composers concert

The Huntington Beach Symphony Orchestra will present its “Passions of Russian Composers Concert” on March 5 at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.

“Festive Overture” by Shostakovich will open the concert, followed by “Montagues & Capulets” by Prokofiev and “Romeo & Juliet Overture” by Tchaikovsky. “Scheherazade” by Rimsky-Korsakov will be presented in the second half of the program.

The concert will begin at 3:30 p.m. at OCC’s Robert B. Moore Theatre, 2701 Fairview Road.

Tickets are $20 in advance for adults ($28 at the door), $18 for senior citizens ($25 at the door) and $10 for students with identification.

Tickets are available at Fountain Valley Music, 8740 Warner Ave.; Mayer Music Academy, 10180 Adams Ave., Huntington Beach; AB Music Studios, 19171 Magnolia St., Huntington Beach; or online at hbsymphony.org. Credit cards can be used online and at the door.

Registration open for Huntington Beach Marine 5K

Registration is open for Huntington Beach’s 5K Marine fun run, which will raise funds for families of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines.

The run along the coast will start at 8 a.m. March 11 in the beachfront parking lot at Beach Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway.

The Huntington Beach Fire Department will provide a pancake breakfast, which is included in the registration fee.

Tickets are $40 until Feb. 19 and $45 afterward.

To register, visit bit.ly/2kNsT2o.

Costa Mesa seeks committee volunteers

The city of Costa Mesa is accepting applications from residents interested in serving on five city committees.

Seats are open on the following advisory panels: Bikeway & Walkability Committee, Cultural Arts Committee, Historical Preservation Committee, Housing & Public Service Grants Committee and Traffic Impact Fee Ad Hoc Committee.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. March 13 and can be submitted online; emailed to cityclerk@costamesaca.gov; faxed to (714) 754-4942; mailed to the city clerk’s office at P.O. Box 1200, Costa Mesa, CA, 92628-1200; or hand-delivered to City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.

For more information or to apply, visit costamesaca.gov/apply.

Wine and cheese fundraiser set for Huntington nonprofit

Tickets are available for Project Self Sufficiency’s annual wine and cheese fundraiser April 8.

The “Wine, Cheese and Chocolate, Please” event will be held at 5 p.m. at the SeaCliff Country Club, 6501 Palm Ave.

Project Self Sufficiency aids low-income single parents.

Tickets, which include dinner and entertainment, can be purchased for $75 at winecheeseandchocolateplease.com.

Registration open for H.B. walk/run to benefit library volunteers

Registration is open for the Huntington Beach Central Library’s annual 5K walk/run.

“Walk Run Read” will start at 8 a.m. April 8 at Huntington Beach’s Central Park, 18000 Goldenwest St.

Proceeds will benefit the Literacy Volunteers program at the Central Library.

Tickets are $35 before March 22 and $40 afterward. To register, visit walkrunread.com.

UCI launches new online master program in pharmacology

UC Irvine will have a new online master of science program in pharmacology under the School of Medicine.

The deadline to apply for admission for fall 2017 is June 1. To register, visit sites.uci.edu/mspharmacology.

For more information, contact Barbara Shainberg at bshainbe@uci.edu or (949) 824-3130.