Around Town: Heroes Hall offers preview of ‘Bravemind’ exhibit

The public can get a peek this week of “Bravemind: Using Virtual Reality to Combat PTSD,” the newest exhibit planned for the Heroes Hall veterans museum in Costa Mesa.

The interactive exhibit will showcase the virtual reality technology that is being used to help treat and assess post-traumatic stress disorder for military service members and veterans.

The free preview will run Thursday through Sunday at Heroes Hall at the OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive. “Bravemind” will officially open with the start of the Orange County Fair on July 13.

Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. For more information, visit ocfair.com/heroes-hall.

Vestal Village event in Huntington will celebrate beach culture

The 10th annual Vestal Village — an event that celebrates beach culture — will be held Thursday through Sunday at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach.

Mickey Avalon, Black Lips, Poolside and many others will perform.

For more information about tickets and the music schedule, visit bit.ly/2Mr4XhY.

Auction of abandoned vessels is Friday in Newport Beach

The city of Newport Beach and the Orange County Sheriff Department Harbor Patrol will present an auction of abandoned vessels from 8 to 10 a.m. Friday at the Marina Park Sailing Center, 1600 W. Balboa Blvd., Newport Beach.

For more information, visit bit.ly/2IvkOJR.

OCC to hold summer camps in robotics, chess and more

Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa will host children’s summer camps beginning Monday and continuing through Aug. 17 in activities including robotics, chess, magic and Lego engineering.

The camps — for ages 6 to 12 — will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays.

For fees and other information, visit bit.ly/2K9ZrUi.

Seniors’ Independence Day celebration set in Fountain Valley

An Independence Day celebration will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Center at Founders Village Senior and Community Center in Fountain Valley.

The program is for adults 55 and older. Tickets can be purchased for $7 at the center’s reception desk at 17967 Bushard St.

Fourth of July brunch in H.B. will benefit Bolsa Chica Conservancy

A brunch to benefit the Bolsa Chica Conservancy will be held from 9 to 10:30 a.m. July 4 at Fred’s Mexican Cafe, 300 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach.

Admission is $65 for individuals and $125 to $600 for a table.

For more information, visit bit.ly/2KsYKBK.

Movie nights returning to Fashion Island

Fashion Island movie nights will begin at 7:30 p.m. every Friday in July at the Neiman Marcus-Bloomingdale’s Courtyard at 601 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach.

“Jaws” will be screened July 6, “A League of Their Own” on July 13, “Dirty Dancing” on July 20 and “Pretty in Pink” on July 27.

Admission is $10, which includes popcorn. For tickets, visit bit.ly/2lCDjmG.

Free park concerts coming in Fountain Valley

Free concerts will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. every Thursday in July at the Recreation Center and Sports Park at 16400 Brookhurst St. in Fountain Valley.

Pop Vinyl, a dance music band, is slated to play July 5, followed by Desperado, an Eagles tribute band, on July 12, Beatunes, a Beatles tribute, on July 19 and Uptown Funk, a Bruno Mars tribute, on July 26.

Local volunteers honored for supporting cancer patients

Lynn Duncan of Fountain Valley and Stephanie Deagle of Huntington Beach were recently given awards by the American Cancer Society of Orange County for driving cancer patients to their treatments.

Duncan provided 2,300 rides to patients and Deagle provided more than 500 over the past several years.

Duncan and Deagle are volunteers in the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program.

Laguna Beach High teachers get grants for fine-arts department

Four Laguna Beach High School teachers recently received grants of $5,000 each from the Festival of Arts Foundation to help grow the school’s fine-arts department.

“Visual-arts students appreciate the continued support of the Festival of Arts Foundation that allows students to develop skills for creativity and innovation in post-secondary careers,” said Bridget Beaudry-Porter, a visual-arts teacher at Laguna Beach High. “As a teacher, I am very grateful for this historically artistic community, which so strongly supports arts education.”

The foundation has awarded $2.6 million in grants to the Laguna Beach art community.

Event raises $91,000 to support military families and veterans

Stand and Salute, a “giving day” to honor Orange County veterans and military families, raised $91,068 for 11 local nonprofits that provide support services to military members.

The June 14 program was organized by the Newport Beach-based Orange County Community Foundation in partnership with the nonprofits.

“We have a longstanding commitment to creating positive futures for our military veterans and their families through the Orange County Veterans Initiative,” foundation President Shelley Hoss said in a statement.

Costa Mesa mayor’s award goes to veteran volunteer

Scott Williams — a retired Army first lieutenant, Vietnam veteran and active volunteer — is the latest recipient of the Costa Mesa mayor’s award.

Williams is president of the Freedom Committee of Orange County, which seeks to bring veterans’ “living history” into classrooms countywide.

“We want veterans to continue to give back to the community,” Williams said in a statement. “That’s what we do by telling our stories and hoping that those who hear our stories pick up the character traits like responsibility, teamwork and getting there first.”

Mayor Sandy Genis presented the award at the June 19 City Council meeting.

Orange County women’s nonprofit names new president

The Newport Beach-based Junior League of Orange County recently named Jennifer Watkins as its president.

The women’s organization promotes volunteerism.

Watkins, of Orange, has assumed several roles in the Junior League over the years, including executive secretary of the board of directors. She is a senior litigation paralegal with Neshanian Law Firm Inc. of Irvine.