Around Town: Crystal Cove tree lighting Saturday on the beach

The Crystal Cove Conservancy will present the 21st annual holiday winter family festival and tree lighting Saturday.

Festivities will begin at 10 a.m. with a seasonal bazaar featuring handcrafted items by local residents and artists, as well as old-fashioned holiday decorations.

Santa Claus will arrive at 4 p.m. for family photos. The tree lighting will occur about 5 p.m. on the beach at Crystal Cove State Park.

This year, the conservancy partnered with Make-A-Wish of Orange County and the Inland Empire, which will select a child to help light the tree.

The Beachcomber will provide free hot chocolate, apple cider and baked treats.

Guests can park at the Los Trancos lot on the inland side of Coast Highway or at the Pelican Point lots north of the Historic District lot for $5 per hour or a maximum of $15 for the day.

For more information, visit crystalcove.org.

Pageant of the Masters tickets go on sale Friday

Tickets for the 2018 Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach will go on sale Friday.

The 90-minute showcase, themed “Under the Sun,” will focus on impressionists and plein air painters who set up easels outdoors.

Nightly performances will begin at 8:30 July 7 through Sept. 1 at the Festival of Arts grounds, 650 Laguna Canyon Road.

The pageant will celebrate its 85th anniversary next year.

For more information or to buy tickets, call (800) 487-3378 or visit pageanttickets.com.

Electric Bike Expo this weekend at fairgrounds

The 2017 Electric Bike Expo comes to Costa Mesa this weekend, offering the opportunity for visitors to try out more than 100 different e-bikes.

An e-bike is a pedal-assist bicycle with an integrated electric motor.

The event, presented by the Electric Bike Assn. and Bosch eBike Systems, will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive.

Admission is free. Parking is $8.

For more information, visit electricbikeassociation.org/events/costamesa.

UC Irvine hosts Run for a Claus on Saturday

About 2,500 runners dressed as Santa Claus, reindeer, elves, menorahs, dreidels and more are expected Saturday for the fourth annual Run for a Claus at UC Irvine.

The 5K (3.1-mile) run and 1-mile kids’ run/walk will benefit charitable organizations including Toys for Tots, the Salvation Army and the Kids Run the OC Foundation.

The event also will feature a Holiday Expo with entertainment and free pictures with Santa. All runners will receive a Santa hat and beard and a medal and hot cocoa when they finish.

Awards will be given for the best costumes for adults and children.

The event begins with registration and the expo opening at 6:30 a.m. The kids’ run/walk is at 8:30 a.m. and the 5K begins at 9.

Registration fees range from $10 to $40, depending on the race and the participant’s age.

Donations to the organizations can be made at runforaclaus.com.

Fountain Valley to light holiday tree

The city of Fountain Valley will present a tree-lighting ceremony Saturday.

The event, from 4:30 to 8 p.m., also will include a visit from Santa Claus, plus crafts, games and a fireworks show. It will be at the city Recreation Center & Sports Park at 16400 Brookhurst St.

For more information, call (714) 839-8611 or visit fountainvalley.org.

Corona del Mar Christmas Walk set for Sunday

The Corona del Mar Christmas Walk returns to the business district Sunday.

The Chamber of Commerce will present entertainment, food, prizes and games from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Festivities will include merchant promotions, live bands, the Fireman’s Grill BBQ provided by the Newport Beach Fire Department, restaurant samples, photos with Santa Claus, bounce houses, bungee jumping, holiday characters, a petting zoo, vendor exhibits, a beer and wine garden in Bandera’s lower parking lot, a drawing with more than $15,000 in prizes, and performances by high school and community organizations.

In conjunction with the event, the Corona del Mar library will host a free open house including shows by magician Mark Gibson at noon and 2 p.m. There also will be holiday crafts, refreshments and children’s activities.

The library is at 420 Marigold Ave.

Light a Light of Love fundraiser for homeless returns in H.B.

The annual Light a Light of Love fundraiser is set for Sunday in Huntington Beach near Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway.

The event, from 3:30 to 7 p.m., will include Santa Claus, entertainment along the pier, a children’s holiday parade and a snowflake-lighting ceremony.

Proceeds will benefit Wayfinders, which runs a shelter that helps homeless youths and families.

For more information, visit wearewayfinders.org.

Home Depot store to host menorah workshop

Newport Beach’s Chabad Center for Jewish Life is organizing a menorah workshop to be held Sunday at the Home Depot at 2300 Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa.

The free event will take place from 10 a.m. to noon. Participants will be given materials to build and decorate menorahs to take home.

RSVPs are requested by calling (949) 721-9800 or visiting JewishNewport.com.

Ocean View district collecting donations for local shelters

The Ocean View School District is collecting items through Friday to donate to local shelters for the holidays.

Items sought include new toys, stuffed animals, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo and conditioner, wash cloths, books, crayons, small towels, shirts, diapers, pencils and pens. Monetary contributions also are welcome.

The district office is accepting donations at 7200 Pinehurst Lane, Huntington Beach.

Volunteers are invited to wrap items from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday at College View Elementary School, 6582 Lennox Drive, Huntington Beach.

For more information, call Janet Rossman at (714) 270-8500 or Greg Smith at (714) 658-6431.

Costa Mesa toy drive to benefit children of Marines

The city of Costa Mesa and the Costa Mesa Military Affairs Team are seeking donations of new unwrapped toys for children of members of the city’s “adopted” 1st Battalion 5th Marine Regiment.

The collected toys will be given to the children at the unit’s annual Christmas carnival at Camp Pendleton. The children range from newborns to teenagers.

Donations can be dropped off until Dec. 8 in the foot locker in the first-floor lobby at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.

For Marines without children, stockings and stocking-stuffer donations are being accepted, including gift cards, toiletries, socks, video games and goodie bags.

For more information, call Dan Baker at (714) 754-5156.

Orange Coast College honored as eco-friendly campus

Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa was honored by California Community Colleges for creating a sustainable and eco-friendly campus.

Orange Coast received an award for its “significant savings incurred by retrofitting a vast majority of the college’s lamps and new ballasts, reducing OCC’s energy bill by more than $80,000 annually,” according to a news release.

Oak View Elementary receives $5,000 grant

Oak View Elementary School in Huntington Beach received a $5,000 technology-focused grant from the Barona Band of Mission Indians.

The grant will help buy Chromebooks and desktop computers for students at the school and community members at the Oak View Family Resource Center.

Festival of Arts works on exhibit at Laguna City Hall

Selected works from the Festival of Arts’ permanent collection will be exhibited through Jan. 19 at Laguna Beach City Hall, 505 Forest Ave.

The exhibit is free to the public during City Hall business hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every other Friday.

School survey available for Laguna Beach students and parents

Beginning Friday, Laguna Beach Unified School District students, parents and staff can complete the 2017-18 Local Control and Accountability Plan survey.

The survey addresses people’s perceptions of progress toward district goals in areas such as student achievement, instructional support, college and career readiness, professional development, learning environment and stakeholder engagement.

Laguna Beach Unified is partnering with Hanover Research on the survey, which can be accessed at surveys.hanoverresearch.com/s3/Laguna-Beach-Unified-School-District-2017-LCAP-Survey.

The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete and will be available until Dec. 15.

Toll roads CEO to speak at Wake Up Newport

Michael Kraman, chief executive of the Transportation Corridor Agencies, which operates Orange County toll roads, will be the featured speaker at the next Wake Up Newport meeting Dec. 7.

The meeting will be held from 7:15 to 8:30 a.m. at the Newport Beach Public Library’s Friends Room at 1000 Avocado Ave.

The free event will include a continental breakfast.

For more information, contact Pam Smith at (949) 729-4411 or psmith@newportbeach.com.

Laguna Beach Garden Club speaker will focus on nature photography

Nature photographer Steve Kaye will be the Laguna Beach Garden Club’s featured speaker at its monthly meeting Dec. 8.

Kaye will offer techniques for photographing hummingbirds and other garden visitors during the event, which begins at 10:45 a.m. and is free for first-time guests.

Coffee and a light breakfast will be offered at 9:30 a.m. in Tankersley Hall at Laguna Presbyterian Church, 415 Forest Ave.

Guests can buy plants and other garden items.

The club meets the second Friday of each month from September through May.

For more information, visit lagunabeachgardenclub.org.

Laguna Beach police seek applicants for Citizens Academy

The Laguna Beach Police Department is accepting applications for its Citizens Academy until Jan 19.

Classes will meet from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Thursdays for 12 weeks starting Jan. 25. The class is designed to help community members better understand the Police Department.

Topics will include department history, DUI investigations, traffic enforcement, gangs, narcotics, Neighborhood Watch, crime prevention, crime scene investigation, the police K-9 program and volunteer opportunities.

Academy members can shoot at the police firing range and participate in mock scenarios. There also will be a tour of Orange County Jail.

Applications are available at lagunabeachcity.net.

For more information, contact Ross Fallah at rfallah@lagunabeachcity.net or (949) 464-6624.