Around Town: ‘Canstruction’ collects 80,000 cans of food and $9,000 to help fight hunger

Almost 80,000 canned food items were collected and more than $9,000 raised during the 10th “Canstruction Orange County” food drive, which ended last month.

Participating teams crafted sculptures entirely out of canned goods. The structures were displayed at John Wayne Airport, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center.

During a ceremony Thursday, WATG & Oltmans Construction Co. won the people’s choice award for its entry, “Stack Up on Tsum-Thing to Fight Hunger.”

McCarthy Building Cos. and Ficcadenti Waggoner and Castle Structural Engineers were awarded best original design for “World Hunger — Nothin’ to Smurf About.”

Money raised and canned goods used to create the sculptures will be donated to the Orange County Food Bank.

Wake Up Newport breakfast to cover county finances

The next Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce Wake Up Newport event Thursday will feature an Orange County financial update from Eric Woolery, the county’s auditor-controller.

The meeting starts at 7:15 a.m. with a complimentary continental breakfast in the Friends Room at the Newport Beach Public Library, 1000 Avocado Ave. The program runs from 7:45 to 8:30 a.m.

Admission is free but reservations can be made at newportbeach.com.

3 fashion shows coming to South Coast Plaza

South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa will present three fall fashion shows this week as part of a slate of 50th-anniversary events.

The shows will be at The Pavillon, a special-events venue near Saks Fifth Avenue and Bear Street.

The first is the Harvesters 25th annual fashion show and luncheon from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. Twelve luxury designers will be showcased.

From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Harper’s Bazaar and executive fashion and beauty editor Avril Graham will present an exclusive fashion show and trend presentation of looks from Brunello Cucinelli, Gianvito Rossi, Max Mara, Oscar de la Renta, Roberto Cavalli, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace and more. A party will follow with glam stations, photo booths, sketch artists, music, cocktails and small bites.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, designer John Varvatos will present “Wild at Heart,” featuring his fall and winter collection, followed by a concert with Vintage Trouble and a party. The event will benefit the Anaheim Ducks Foundation/Lady Ducks, with all proceeds donated to Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

For more information, visit southcoastplaza.com.

Armenian Festival returns to Costa Mesa this weekend

An annual celebration of Armenian food and culture returns this weekend to St. Mary Armenian Church in Costa Mesa.

The ninth Armenian Festival will feature homemade pastries, live music, traditional dancing, children’s games, raffle prizes and more at 148 E. 22nd St.

The event will run from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $3.

For more information, visit stmaryarmenianfestival.com.

UCI hosts event for Latinx students

UC Irvine hosted its La Bienvenida event Friday seeking to help incoming Latinx freshmen and transfer students learn about the campus.

More than 500 students attended — many of them the first in their families to attend college — as did all 25 of UCI’s Latinx organizations.

Latinx is a gender-neutral term for people of Latin American descent.

Former Los Angeles Times reporter Hector Tobar, an associate professor in Chicano/Latino studies and English literary journalism, was a keynote speaker at the event.

Costa Mesa accounting supervisor wins city award

Christine Tsao, an accounting supervisor for the city of Costa Mesa, was honored recently with the City Manager Leadership Award.

“Christine is a part of our top-notch finance team that continues to earn awards for excellence in budgeting and just recently helped us bring our Standard & Poor’s ratings to ‘AAA’ status,” City Manager Tom Hatch said. “I truly appreciate the leadership and dedication that Christine brings to her job each and every day.”

Tsao, a city employee since 2001, also is a certified public accountant and has a master’s degree in management science information systems from Cal State Fullerton.