Around Town: Surf City Days to celebrate Huntington Beach on Saturday and Sunday

The Huntington Beach lifestyle will be celebrated this weekend during Surf City Days, a free event presented by the Downtown Business Improvement District.

Activities will be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday around Main Street, Fifth Street and Pier Plaza, as well as on the beach.

Both days will feature the 48th annual City Surf Contest and Duke’s CBVA Volleyball Tournament.

Saturday will offer the California Amateur Skateboard League City Jam Contest and the Kowabunga Van Klan VW Bus Car Show, while Sunday will feature music and dory races.

For the full schedule and more information, visit surfcityusa.com/event/surf-city-days/17667.

Off-road racing and exhibitions this weekend in Costa Mesa

The Sand Sports Super Show this weekend at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa will feature hundreds of off-road exhibitors along with Endurocross off-road motorcycle racing.

The show will be held from 4 to 10 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Endurocross will be from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday in the fairgrounds’ Action Sports Arena.

General admission to the show is $20; children 10 and younger get in free. General admission for Endurocross is $30; children 12 and younger are admitted for $15 and children 3 and younger get in free.

The Fair & Event Center is at 88 Fair Drive. For more information, visit sandsportssupershow.com or email events@familyevents.com.

21st Sunset Beach Chili Cook-Off set for Saturday

The 21st annual Sunset Beach Chili Cook-Off is set for Saturday with chili cooking, tasting and judging.

The public event will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sunset Beach Community Center, 16865 12th St.

Visitors can expect several varieties of chili, food booths, beer, wine and live music. People’s Choice voting will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with winners announced at 4. Cash prizes will be awarded.

Admission is $10. For more information, visit sunsetbeachwomansclub.com/chili-cookoff.

Balboa Island carnival to feature food and games

Carnival games and food stations will be highlights of the Balboa Island Carnival & Taste of the Island on Sunday.

The event, presented by the Balboa Island Improvement and Balboa Island Merchants associations, will feature rides, raffles, a pie-eating contest, a dunk tank and more from 1 to 5 p.m. in the 200 block of Marine Avenue.

For more information, go to visitnewportbeach.com/events/balboa-island-carnival-taste-island.

USA Water Polo presents Polofest in H.B.

Polofest 2018 will celebrate Water Polo Day in Huntington Beach on Sunday.

The event, presented by USA Water Polo, will be from 2 to 8 p.m. at Old World German Restaurant, 7561 Center Ave. Admission is a $15 donation, with all proceeds going to support the national water polo teams.

The donation is good for entry to Polofest and Oktoberfest activities, the Old World dog races, a meal and live music. Admission packages for families and groups are available online.

For tickets and more information, go to usawaterpoloinc.networkforgood.com/events/6941-polofest-2018.

Dead Sea Scrolls are topic of discussion series at Newport church

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls? Who wrote them and why? And how do the scrolls affect modern understanding of the Bible?

Those are some of the questions that will be explored when biblical scholar Bill Yarchin visits St. James Episcopal Church in Newport Beach for a three-Sunday series about the scrolls, beginning this weekend.

The series will continue Sept. 23 and 30. All three sessions will begin at 9 a.m. at St. James, 3209 Via Lido.

Yarchin has been a faculty member at the School of Theology at Azusa Pacific University since 1993 and teaches courses in biblical exegesis and interpretation.

For more information about the Dead Sea Scrolls series, call (714) 625-8172.

New senior pastor takes over at Mariners Church

Mariners Church recently named Eric Geiger as its new senior pastor, replacing longtime senior pastor Kenton Beshore.

Geiger is the head pastor for all locations of the Irvine-based non-denominational church, including in Huntington Beach at 7822 Warner Ave.

Geiger served for seven years as senior vice president of LifeWay Christian Resources, the world’s largest provider of Christian Bibles, Bible studies, research and church music.

He also worked eight years as executive and teaching pastor of Christ Fellowship Miami, a multicultural church with seven campuses across the Miami-Dade County area.

“After seven great years of serving the church with the incredible team at LifeWay, Jesus made it clear he wants me back in the local church full time,” Geiger said in a statement. “The pull has been fierce and specific to Orange County and Mariners, and I’m excited to be the next senior pastor of this great church.”

Beshore will serve as pastor emeritus until 2020.

St. Mark in Newport Beach appoints associate pastor

After a year-long search, St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach has named the Rev. Hayes Noble to the newly created position of associate pastor to work with pastor Mark Davis.

“Pastor Hayes has a love for youth and family ministry, which he has demonstrated to the congregations large and small that he has served over the past 21 years,” Davis said in a statement. “Pastor Noble will bring his energy and talent to developing and leading our new youth ministry programs as well as providing pastoral care and support to members of our congregation.”

Noble, a native of South Carolina, most recently was associate pastor at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Yuba City. He and his wife, Alfa, now live in Huntington Beach with their two daughters, Allyson and Melora.

“My family and I hope to contribute all we can to this vibrant church family and to our community,” Noble said in a statement. “We realize this area has great resources — as well as people with great needs — which means we have huge opportunities to serve, nurture and help one another.”

Costa Mesa launches new maps for police and fire calls

The city of Costa Mesa has unveiled new interactive maps enabling residents to monitor service calls to the police and fire departments.

“Costa Mesa has embraced a highly valued level of transparency, and we felt this new interactive map will add to that approach by providing residents with a tangible perspective of the emergency incidents and calls for service their fire and rescue teams respond to on a 24/7/365 basis,” Fire Chief Dan Stefano said in a statement.

The maps are available at apps.costamesaca.gov/maps/PoliceIncidents.html and apps.costamesaca.gov/maps/FireIncidents.html.

Dinner will honor Newport Beach lifeguards and firefighters

The 21st annual Newport Beach Fire and Lifeguard Appreciation Dinner is scheduled for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa.

Special recognition will be given to the Lifeguard Supervisor of the Year, Firefighter of the Year and Seasonal Lifeguard of the Year.

Admission is $65 per person and includes dinner, live music and parking.

The Marriott is at 900 Newport Center Drive. For more information and to RSVP, visit newportbeach.com/events/21st-annual-newport-beach-fire-and-lifeguard-appreciation-dinner or call (949) 729-4400.

Fallen Laguna Beach officers to be remembered at ceremony

The Laguna Beach Police Department will present a remembrance ceremony Sept. 21 to honor Officers Jon Coutchie and Gordon French, who died on duty.

French, 48, died after being shot in the stomach by a suspect trying to flee on Feb. 13, 1953. French had served in the Laguna Beach PD for three years.

Coutchie, a motorcycle officer, was trying to find a vehicle that had eluded another officer when he was killed in a traffic collision Sept. 21, 2013, at age 41.

The remembrance ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m. outside the Laguna Beach Police Department at 505 Forest Ave. Refreshments will follow.

Costa Mesa council member to hold community meeting

Costa Mesa Councilwoman Katrina Foley and city staff members will hold a community meeting Sept. 25 to discuss traffic and safety issues in the area of Pomona Avenue and Victoria Street in the city’s Westside.

The meeting will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Victoria Elementary School, 1025 Victoria St.

Ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for Costa Mesa fire station

Residents are invited to a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 29 to celebrate completion of Costa Mesa’s Fire Station No. 1.

The celebration, scheduled for 10 a.m., will include refreshments, equipment displays, child-friendly activities and tours of the 11,740-square-foot station at 1570 Adams Ave.

Costa Mesa Sanitary District schedules open house

The Costa Mesa Sanitary District will hold its third annual State of the District and open house next month.

The Oct. 3 event will start at 9 a.m. in the district headquarters at 290 Paularino Ave. and will feature a presentation of the district’s accomplishments, programs and goals. Refreshments will be served.

For more information, visit cmsdca.gov.