Around Town: Orange County Coastkeeper reaches 20,000 pounds of collected trash

By Daily Pilot staff

Dec. 13, 2017 5 PM PT

Costa Mesa-based Orange County Coastkeeper reached a milestone last weekend, with a total of 20,000 pounds of trash collected since regular beach cleanups began in 2011, according to a news release.

Volunteers gathered at Huntington State Beach on Saturday and created a temporary art installation in the sand to illustrate the impact of coastal pollution.

Wreaths to be laid at veterans’ graves in Corona del Mar

The nonprofit Wreaths Across America will place holiday wreaths on nearly 1,000 veterans’ graves Saturday at Pacific View Memorial Park and Mortuary in Corona del Mar.

Volunteers are sought for the wreath-laying ceremony, which begins at 9 a.m. To sign up, visit wreaths.fastport.com/donateLocation.html?page=14751.

More than 1,200 cemeteries nationwide are expected to participate in the event, with more than 700,000 wreaths laid.

Christmas festivities to accompany ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ at Lido Theater

Moviegoers attending the Lido Theater’s evening showing of the holiday favorite “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Saturday also can visit with Santa Claus, listen to carolers and sip free hot cocoa.

The theater at 3459 Via Lido Way in Newport Beach will screen Frank Capra’s classic film at 7 p.m. Friday through Dec. 21, with additional 1 p.m. matinees Saturday and Sunday. Santa’s visit on Saturday will start at 6 p.m.

Tickets to the movie are $9 to $11.50. For more information, visit RegencyMovies.com or call (949) 673-8350.

Santa and puppets on the way to fairgrounds swap meet

Visitors to the Orange County Market Place, the weekend swap meet at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, can take free photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and watch free performances by the Puppets & Players Little Theatre at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday.

There also will be free face painting for children from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Market Place admission is $2 for adults and free for children 12 and younger. Parking is free at gates 2 and 10 at the fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive. Shopping hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Old World presents International Celebration of Christmas

Old World Village in Huntington Beach will present its 17th annual live nativity play and International Celebration of Christmas on Sunday.

The event will bring together a diverse group of churches, singers and dancers from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Old World Festival Banquet Hall, 7561 Center Ave.

Admission is free, but donations are accepted for World Vision, a Christian charitable organization.

For more information, visit oldworld.ws/nativity.html.

Holly Jolly Holiday comes to Pacific City

Pacific City in Huntington Beach will host Holly Jolly Holiday, a free celebration from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.

The event, on the shopping center’s second level near the movie screen, will include holiday crafts, hot cocoa, chocolate chip cookies, balloon animals and glitter tattoos.

A screening of the 2014 TV special “Toy Story That Time Forgot” will begin at 3 p.m., and afterward, Santa Claus will greet visitors for photos.

Pacific City is at 21010 Pacific Coast Hwy.

H.B.’s ‘Light a Light of Love’ raises $100,000 for youth shelter

The annual “Light a Light of Love” event in downtown Huntington Beach on Dec. 3 raised more than $100,000, according to a news release.

The proceeds will benefit the youth shelter operated by the nonprofit Wayfinders, which provides counseling and support services to Orange County children and families.

The event included live music and a lighting of giant snowflakes placed around Main Street and the Huntington Beach Pier.

UCI and Maria Shriver nonprofit launch women-focused Alzheimer’s research effort

UCI MIND, UC Irvine’s Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, announced a new research initiative in partnership with the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, a nonprofit founded by former California first lady Maria Shriver.

The initiative, with fundraising by both organizations, will make funding available to UCI researchers for scientific proposals investigating the role of gender in Alzheimer’s disease.

“Recent investigations indicate that genetics, hormones and even lifestyle factors may affect women’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease differently than men,” Dr. Joshua Grill, co-director of UCI MIND, said in a statement.

Shriver said in statement that the new initiative is a crucial starting point for researchers. “Women are at the epicenter of the Alzheimer’s crisis,” she said, adding that “two out of three Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease today are women.”

“That’s why we must be at the heart of the solution.”

Grill said the initiative is expected to enable investigators to collect essential preliminary data that will enable larger federal grants over time.

“The long-term goal of the initiative is to substantially increase the focus of study on this critical topic in order to improve understanding, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease,” he said.

CdM firm raises $30,000 for Movember

Hanley Investment Group, based in Corona del Mar, raised more than $30,000 in November for the annual Movember campaign, according to a news release.

The campaign promotes men’s health. Participants grow mustaches throughout the month.

Hanley has raised more than $187,000 toward Movember since 2011.

Sage Hill hosts computer coding event

Sage Hill School recently hosted its first Hour of Code event.

The event at the Newport Coast campus Dec. 1 featured more than 110 students learning about computer coding from high school students Daniel Chou, Caleb Yun and Sage Hill’s Hana Stauss and Gordon McNeill Jr.

“Coding is the universal language of the future,” Miya Stauss, director of Hour of Code, said in a statement. “It is our club’s mission to get as many students exposure to coding. Technology drives every aspect of our lives, so we believe it is critical to offer everyone an opportunity to learn.”

Newport Beach Public Library again a ‘Star’

For the fifth year in a row and the ninth time in 10 years, the Newport Beach Public Library was recently named a “Star Library” in a national ranking compiled by Library Journal.

More than 7,400 U.S. public libraries were scored this year on the LJ Index of Public Library Service, comparing five areas: circulation, library visits, program attendance, public-access computer use and e-circulation.

Of the 259 named as Star Libraries, 13 are in California. Newport Beach’s is the only library in Orange County to receive the honor.

Free events to precede ‘Motown the Musical’ shows at Segerstrom Center

The Tony Award-nominated Broadway hit “Motown the Musical” is coming to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa from Tuesday to Dec. 24, but music lovers don’t need a ticket to the show to get a taste of the classic pop, soul and R&B.

The center will present “The Sound of Motown,” free 45-minute pre-performance events, at the new Julianne and George Argyros Plaza at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 20-23, plus 1 p.m. Dec. 23. The programs will tell the Motown story with insider tales and historical videos of early Motown publicist Al Abrams from a 2010 lecture at the University of Michigan. There also will be an exhibit of rare photos and costumes from Detroit’s Motown Museum, and at the evening events, R&B singer Roderick Chambers will perform selections from the Motown catalog.

The Segerstrom Center is at 600 Town Center Drive. For more information about “Motown the Musical” and “The Sound of Motown,” visit SCFTA.org.