Around Town: OC Night Market comes to Costa Mesa this weekend

The OC Night Market returns to Costa Mesa this week for the first of three weekend runs over the next few months.

The event, produced by Arcadia’s 626 Night Market, features more than 200 attractions offering food, merchandise, arts, crafts, games, music and other entertainment.

Hours are 4 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday and 4 to 11 p.m. Sunday at the OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive.

General admission is $5; children 3 and younger get in free. Parking is $8. Admission and parking are cash only, and most vendors accept only cash.

The OC Night Market also will be held June 15-17 and Aug. 24-26, also at the Fair & Event Center.

For more information, visit ocnightmarket.com.

Mayors to be guests at Leadership Tomorrow lunch

A panel featuring four Orange County mayors will highlight Thursday’s annual guest luncheon presented by Leadership Tomorrow, a nonprofit that serves Costa Mesa, Irvine, Newport Beach and Tustin through a series of nine monthly workshops intended to help businesspeople, residents and public employees learn more about leadership and local communities and issues.

The lunch, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Newport Beach City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive, is scheduled to feature mayors Marshall “Duffy” Duffield of Newport Beach, Sandy Genis of Costa Mesa, Don Wagner of Irvine and Al Murray of Tustin.

Admission is free for the general public and $10 for Leadership Tomorrow program alumni. Reservations are required and can be made at leadershiptomorrow.org/guest-luncheon or (949) 729-4408.

Duck-a-Thon races back to Huntington Beach on Saturday

Thousands of yellow rubber baby ducks will race to shore in Huntington Beach on Saturday for the 26th annual Duck-a-Thon.

The weekend-long festivities begin with food and wine tasting from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Huntington Beach Pier.

Saturday’s main event begins at 3 p.m. with more than 3,000 mock ducks being tossed off the pier to “race” to dry land. The owners of the first 60 ducks to reach the shore will win a prize. The first-place winner will get $1,000.

A race for local businesses will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Proceeds from sales of the rubber ducks will go toward AltaMed’s Huntington Beach Community Clinic.

Vendors will be at Huntington Beach Pier Plaza from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. There also will be a Kid Zone including a rock wall, bounce houses, games and prizes.

For more information, visit altamedfoundation.org/duck-a-thon.

Taste of the Nation set for Sunday in Laguna Beach

The 11th annual Laguna Beach Taste of the Nation will be held from 3 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Montage resort at 30801 S. Coast Hwy.

Prominent chefs such as “Top Chef” contestants Amar Santana and Joe Sasto will present various foods at the event. Festivities also will include a live auction with Dan Dotson of A&E’s “Storage Wars.”

General admission is $250; VIP tickets with early admission at 2:30 p.m. are $275.

Proceeds will benefit Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign against childhood hunger.

For more information, visit events.nokidhungry.org/events/laguna-beachs-taste-nation.

UC Irvine gets $300,000 gift to fund Teacher Academy

The UC Irvine School of Education announced it has received a $300,000 gift from SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union to establish a kindergarten through high school Teacher Academy to train Southern California educators.

“Building collaborations with our local schools is a priority, and we are grateful to SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union for its generous support,” said Richard Arum, dean of the School of Education.

The academy will feature workshops and symposiums that show teachers techniques to deal with issues affecting school districts, such as poor children.

The gift provides funding for three years.

Nonprofit to hold event in Laguna Beach to benefit neglected children

Chhahari Organization Nepal, a nonprofit created by Laguna Beach resident Christine Casey, will hold a charity event Sunday to benefit abandoned, orphaned and neglected children in Nepal.

The program — featuring live music, wine and beer, food and a live auction — will run from 4 to 7 p.m. at a private home in Laguna Beach.

Admission is $75. For tickets and more information, visit chhahari.org.

Newport Beach library adds new children’s show to streaming service

The Newport Beach Public Library recently added a new children’s show, “Kanopy Kids,” to its video streaming service.

“Kanopy Kids highlights films and TV series that inspire and inform, helping children develop empathy, mindfulness and self-esteem through entertaining and educational videos,” according to a library news release.

Library members can stream up to five free videos per month with their library card.

For more information, visit newportbeachlibrary.org/ebranch.

Costa Mesa resident honored by nonprofit that aids young mothers

A Costa Mesa resident was honored with about a dozen other women at a Fristers graduation ceremony last week at Mariners Church.

Fristers is an Irvine-based nonprofit that supports young mothers with a years-long program to help navigate parenting, relationships and job readiness.

Costa Mesa resident Gaby Aceves, who has been in the program for 10 years, was honored at the event.

For more information about Fristers, visit fristers.org.

Newport Beach Public Library to host author Eileen Padberg

The Newport Beach Public Library will host an event with author Eileen Padberg on May 22.

Padberg is known for “Out of My Lane: Leveling the Playing Field for Iraqi Women,” which concerns her task as a political consultant to draft a plan for Iraqi women to play a part in the rebuilding of their nation in the wake of the Iraq War.

The free event will be held at 7 p.m. at the Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave.

For more information, call (949) 717-3800 or email library@newportbeachca.gov.

Hundreds of kids will pick up trash in H.B. for Kids Ocean Day

Hundreds of students will gather May 24 at Huntington State Beach to pick up trash and form the words “Make waves” in an effort to promote clean oceans.

The event — presented by Orange County Coastkeeper and the California Coastal Commission — will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the sand at Brookhurst Street and Pacific Coast Highway.

The program is one of six similar events scheduled along the California coast for the 25th annual Kids Ocean Day.

Project Independence receives $9,300 in donations from OC Marathon

Costa Mesa-based Project Independence received $9,300 worth of donations during this year’s OC Marathon.

Volunteers and staff from the organization, which advocates for people with developmental disabilities, operated a water station during this month’s event.

“We thank our supporters … for their generosity on behalf of the people with developmental disabilities we serve,” Project Independence Chief Executive and President Debra Marsteller said in a statement. “Every donation is significant to us.”

For more information, visit proindependence.org.

H.B. looking for announcers for Fourth of July Parade

The city of Huntington Beach is looking to fill three announcer positions for its Fourth of July Parade.

Auditions for the volunteer spots will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. May 29 at the Pacific Hideaway restaurant in the Kimpton Shorebreak Hotel at 500 Pacific Coast Hwy.

For more information about the parade, visit hb4thofjuly.org.