Around Town: Big sandcastles coming to ‘Big Corona’ for 57th contest Sunday

People playing in the sand is a common sight at Corona del Mar State Beach, but on Sunday, it will have a more artistic bent.

The Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce will present the 57th annual sandcastle contest at “Big Corona” from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The theme is “Have a Ball!”

To sign up a team, go to bit.ly/2pAgXUU.

SOS Food Pantry Celebrity Chef Dinner is Thursday

The 28th annual SOS Celebrity Chef Dinner will be held from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday at the Paséa Hotel & Spa in Huntington Beach.

The event features local chefs and live and silent auctions. All proceeds will benefit the Share Our Selves Food Pantry.

Tickets are $195 and are available at bit.ly/2P79RlY.

The Paséa Hotel is at 21080 Pacific Coast Hwy.

Pacific Island culture on display at Huntington festival

The He’e Nalu Aloha Pier Festival and luau is set for Friday and Saturday at the Huntington Beach Pier.

The event celebrates Pacific Island culture through art, music, dance, crafts, workshops, exhibits and Hawaiian food. A vendor fair will be held both days. Admission is free.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. For the entertainment schedule, visit alohapierfestival.com.

Festival proceeds will benefit the International Surfing Museum in Huntington Beach and the Eddie Aikau Foundation.

ARTventure returns to Costa Mesa

ARTventure, an annual affair billed as Costa Mesa’s premier art event, returns this week for two days of live entertainment, hands-on demonstrations and other family-friendly activities.

The free event — which also includes a juried art show — will run from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the lobby of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Drive.

ARTventure is organized by the Costa Mesa Cultural Arts Committee. For more information, visit artventurecm.com.

Fire station open houses set in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach

The fire departments in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach will present public open houses at two stations this weekend.

The Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Department’s open house will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Fire Station No. 4, 2300 Placentia Ave.

The free event will include demonstrations of firefighting equipment and response techniques and a fire ground challenge for adults and children.

Parking will be available at Estancia High School, 2323 Placentia Ave.

The Newport Beach Fire Department will host a free fire service day and open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at Santa Ana Heights Fire Station No. 7, 20401 SW. Acacia St.

The event will include station tours, a live rescue demonstration, a live structure fire, auto extrications and firefighting, paramedic and lifeguard displays.

Holiday boutique Saturday in Huntington

The Huntington Harbour Philharmonic Committee’s 12th annual Holiday Boutique will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Huntington Harbour Mall, 16889 Algonquin St., Huntington Beach.

The boutique will feature jewelry, clothing, accessories, home decor, musical gifts, specialty gourmet items, prizes and more. Admission is free.

Proceeds will benefit the Philharmonic Society of Orange County’s youth music education programs.

Artisan Fair set in Huntington

The fourth annual Huntington Beach Artisan Fair is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at 5th & PCH, 155 Fifth St., Huntington Beach.

The Timeless Treasures Street Boutique will feature handmade, vintage and upcycled goods, demonstrations, samples, music and pet adoptions.

Admission is free.

Three locals to be honored for community service

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, along with Travis Nguyen of Huntington Beach and Patty Turrell of Costa Mesa, will be honored Saturday at the ninth annual Above & Beyond Awards Gala at the Avenue of the Arts hotel in Costa Mesa.

Rackauckas, who is running for reelection in November, is being recognized for initiating the Orange County Gang Reduction Intervention Partnership, which works in 13 communities to help prevent gang involvement among children.

Nguyen is project director for Zodiac Aerospace’s Give & Grow program, which focuses on improving school facilities, providing extracurricular support and raising money to fund schools and programs.

Turrell is the founder and president of the Women’s Journey Foundation, which provides opportunities for women through education, multi-generational events, peer connection and mentoring.

Nine other honorees from around Southern California will be recognized at the gala, presented by Angel Light Academy’s Leadership Training Institute.

Gala in H.B. will support autism services

The fourth annual Hope and Help gala to support autism services will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Paséa Hotel & Spa in Huntington Beach.

The event includes a reception, dinner, live and silent auctions and an after-party.

Tickets are $350 and are available at hopeandhelpgala.org.

Gala wraps up Surfboards on Parade

Huntington Beach’s Surfboards on Parade will culminate at 4 p.m. Sunday with the “Night of a Million Waves” gala and art auction at the Waterfront Beach Resort, 21100 Pacific Coast Hwy.

Surfboards on Parade is a fundraising event in which artists were invited to create art on surfboards made by famed shapers. The 23 surfboards have been “on parade” throughout Huntington Beach all summer to help celebrate Huntington’s surfing heritage. It is a project of the Rotary Club of Huntington Beach.

Tickets to the gala are $175 and are available at bit.ly/2NhYlCE. Admission includes a Surfing Walk of Fame 25th-anniversary coffee table book.

Tijuana Dogs to play at Newport’s Marina Park

The Newport Beach Recreation and Senior Services Department will present the band Tijuana Dogs in concert at Marina Park from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Food will be available for purchase.

Marina Park is at 1600 W. Balboa Blvd.

Costa Mesa seeks public input on possible shelter sites

The city of Costa Mesa is seeking the public’s help in identifying properties that could house a homeless shelter.

Suggestions and ideas can be given to city Public Information Officer Tony Dodero at (714) 754-5288 or citynews@costamesaca.gov.

“The city’s commitment with any location will be to design the highest-quality facility that is securely operated and free of loitering or neighborhood disruptions, and any impacts to the greater Costa Mesa community will be minimized,” according to a city news release Tuesday.

In response to direction from a federal judge, Costa Mesa officials have committed to securing 62 emergency homeless shelter beds. Of those, 12 would be available to people suffering a mental health crisis and are expected to be provided through a partnership with College Hospital, an acute care facility at 301 Victoria St.

F.V.-based agencies honored with public relations awards

The Fountain Valley-based Municipal Water District of Orange County, Orange County Water District and Orange County Sanitation District received 2018 Awards of Excellence last week from the Orange County chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

The Municipal Water District was honored for website development for rebuilding the district’s website, MWDOC.com.

The Orange County Water District and the sanitation district were honored for their bottled water campaign.

MWDOC plans water policy forum and dinner

The public is invited to the Municipal Water District of Orange County’s Water Policy Forum & Dinner on Oct. 11 in Costa Mesa.

The event will feature an inaugural address by the newly elected chairperson of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, who will be chosen Tuesday.

The dinner will run from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel, 686 Anton Blvd. Registration is $85 and includes a pre-dinner reception, the three-course meal and self-parking. To register, visit conta.cc/2ycNBzV.

Author Michele Khoury to talk at Newport library

Orange County writer Michele Khoury will appear at the Newport Beach Central Library from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 11 as part of a local authors lecture series.

Khoury will talk about her debut novel, “Busted,” which tells the story of a young artist who gets sucked into the world of wealth, luxury and cocaine.

Khoury will share stories from her years of research as well as her journey developing realistic characters and conflicts.

Admission is free. Books will be available for purchase and signing. The library is at 1000 Avocado Ave.