Around Town: BMX competition will wheelie into H.B. Friday
The Vans BMX Pro Cup Series World Championships will take place at Vans Off The Wall Skatepark in Huntington Beach Friday through Sunday.
The competition is free for spectators. The skatepark is at 7471 Center Ave.
Sherman Library to host fungi lecture and lunch
Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar will host a lunch and lecture about fungi on Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Speaker Joanne Schwarz is an avid amateur mycologist, having studied fungi since the 1960s. She will describe methods for locating and identifying wild mushrooms in Southern California and beyond.
The event is $40 for library members or $50 for non-members. Attending just the lecture will cost $5 for non-members and is free for members. Reservations are required and can be made by visiting slgardens.org or calling (949) 673-2261.
Sherman Library is at 2647 E. Coast Hwy.
O.C. fairgrounds to host sand sports expo
The Sand Sports Super Show will return to the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa Friday through Sunday.
The expo, dubbed the world’s biggest for sand sports, will include demonstrations, sales of accessories, apparel and more. Tickets are $15 for one day, $30 for two days or $45 for all three. Parking is $9.
For more details and a complete list of events, visit sandsportssupershow.com.
Counter-Strike video game competition coming to H.B.
A National Championship Series major division video gaming competition is coming to Localhost in Huntington Beach Friday through Sunday.
The “Fragadelphia” event will feature players of Counter-Strike, a first-person shooter game series.
One-day spectator tickets start at $12. For more information and to buy tickets, visit lobby.gg. Localhost is at 15241 Transistor Lane.
CMSD to host learning academy for residents
The Costa Mesa Sanitary District is bringing back its Citizens Environmental Protection Academy, starting Saturday.
The series of educational presentations will run through Sept. 27 and focus on water and wastewater topics. The academy also includes a tour of the Orange County Water District’s groundwater replenishment system.
For more information, or to RSVP, visit cmsdca.gov.
Moon Festival coming to Fountain Valley
Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do is hosting a Moon Festival event Saturday at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley.
The festival will include poetry, music, a parade and dancing from 5 to 9 p.m. at the park’s Freedom Hall, 16801 Euclid St. Admission is free.
Surf City Days and He’e Nalu Aloha Pier Fest will bring fun, food to H.B.
Huntington Beach’s Downtown Business Improvement District is organizing Surf City Days and the He’e Nalu Aloha Pier Fest on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The events at Main Street, Fifth Street, Pier Plaza and the beach will include music, vendors, food, a surfboard demo day on the first block of Main Street on Saturday, volleyball on Saturday and Sunday, Dory boat races Sunday afternoon, surf contests on Saturday and Sunday, skateboarding and the Kowabunga Van Klan on Main Street Saturday.
For more information and a complete list of events and times, visit hbdowntown.com.
Fountain Valley to host fix-it clinic
The Fountain Valley Community Foundation is hosting a free “do-it-yourself” fix-it clinic from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the city’s recreation center, 16400 Brookhurst St.
Guests are invited to bring broken electronics, small appliances, toys, bikes and similar items, as well as tools that could be helpful. For more information, email fixitfv1@gmail.com or call (714) 839-8611.
MADD to honor widow of fallen Costa Mesa fire captain during walk in Long Beach
The Southern California Region of Mothers Against Drunk Driving will honor Shanna Kreza, the widow of Costa Mesa fire Capt. Mike Kreza, during a 5K event in Long Beach Saturday.
Funds raised during the event — which starts at 7 a.m. at Granada Beach, 5000 E. Ocean Blvd. — will enable MADD “to provide necessary community services to those affected by drunk driving,” according to a news release.
For more information, visit walklikemadd.org/SoCal.
Mike Kreza was hit while riding his bicycle off duty in Mission Viejo on Nov. 3 and died from his injuries two days later.
The man accused of driving the van that struck Kreza — Stephen Taylor Scarpa, 26, of Mission Viejo — has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder. Sheriff’s deputies and a forensic toxicologist previously testified at a court hearing that Scarpa showed signs of impairment right after the crash, and tests showed he had several substances in his blood, including methamphetamine, painkillers and sedatives.
Carnival, food festival coming to Balboa Island
The Balboa Island Improvement Assn. and Balboa Village Merchant Assn. are teaming up to host the Balboa Island Carnival & Taste of the Island on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
The event will take place along Marine Avenue, the island’s main thoroughfare. Festivities will include carnival games, rides, a dunk tank, bungee jumping, food and raffles.
Poet Patty Seyburn to sign books at Laguna bookstore
Poet Patty Seyburn will be at Laguna Beach Books starting at 4 p.m. Sunday to sign her most recent book, “Threshold Delivery.”
The bookstore is at 1200 S. Coast Hwy., Suite 105. For more information, call (949) 494-4779. Admission is free.
Shutterbugs invited to Back Bay photography session
Photographers can join a free nature and landscape photography session Sunday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve, 2301 University Drive.
Topics will include focusing on subjects, composition and lighting. Attendees must bring their own equipment. Registration is requested. To do so, visit bit.ly/2m8XVGF. Call (949) 923-2250 for more information.
Costa Mesa nonprofit to host fundraiser
Second Chance Orange County, a Costa Mesa-based nonprofit that helps people recovering from drugs, alcohol addiction and homelessness, is having a fundraiser on Tuesday.
The event in the Newport Beach Civic Center’s community room, at 100 Civic Center Drive, will run from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $80 and include dinner, drinks and a concert.
To register, visit secondchanceoc.org.
Community Foundation starts fundraising initiative
The Newport Beach-based Orange County Community Foundation is hosting its second Igniting Potential fundraising effort alongside other nonprofits — with a shared goal of raising $125,000.
Other participating groups include the Orange County Council of the Boy Scouts of America, MOMS Orange County and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County.
The effort begins Wednesday. For more information, or to donate, visit ignitingpotential2019.funraise.org.
Newport to honor top lifeguards, firefighters at appreciation dinner
The 22nd annual Newport Beach Fire and Lifeguard Appreciation Dinner is scheduled for Sept. 19 at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa.
The dinner will recognize the top lifeguard supervisor, firefighter, civilian and seasonal lifeguard of the year. For more information, call (949) 729-4400 or email rlindenlaub@newportbeach.com.
CdM group to host Sherman Library director
The Corona del Mar Residents Assn. board will hold its monthly meeting on Sept. 19 at Sherman Library & Gardens, 2647 E. Coast Hwy.
The guest speaker is Scott LaFleur, director of the library and gardens. RSVPs are requested and can be made by visiting cdmra.org or by calling (949) 478-2454. The meeting starts at 7:30 a.m.
Fall Festival returning to Sts. Simon & Jude in H.B.
Sts. Simon & Jude Catholic Church in Huntington Beach is hosting its 53rd annual Fall Festival on Oct. 4, 5 and 6.
The event will feature rides, games, food and live music, as well as a raffle for a $10,000 grand prize. Admission is free.
Visit ssj.org for more information. The church is at 20444 Magnolia St.
UCI ranks high on 2020 Best Colleges list
U.S. News & World Report named UC Irvine the ninth-best public university on its 2020 Best Colleges list.
Out of all universities, private and public, the publication ranked UCI 36th.
“We are thrilled that once again we are ranked in the top 10 in the nation among public universities by U.S. News & World Report,” UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman said in a statement. “And being No. 3 overall for social mobility validates our intentional agenda to promote the American dream by being an engine of upward mobility through higher education.”
UC Irvine professor named a presidential chair
Oladele “Dele” Ogunseitan, professor and founding chairman of the department of population health and disease prevention at UC Irvine, has been selected as a University of California presidential chair, according to a news release.
For his five-year term, he will “help advance campus-wide goals of encouraging new or interdisciplinary program development and enhancing the quality of existing academic programs,” the release states.
Ogunseitan has been with UCI since 1992. He is a U.S. State Department Jefferson Science Fellow and holds a master’s degree in public health from UC Berkeley and a doctorate in microbiology from the University of Tennessee.
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