Around Town: Beach cities ready to celebrate Independence Day, other July activities also in the works
Independence Day celebrations are returning to the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort. Activities this Fourth of July will include an inflatable water park; watersports rentals such as kayaks, pedal boats and stand-up paddleboards; food trucks; live music; and a fireworks show set to begin at 9 p.m.
Admission is free, but food, beverages, on-site parking and rental costs will vary. Parking will be available the day of on-site until sold out for $50 a vehicle. VIP parking will be available for $100. Free street parking is limited.
Visit newportdunes.com/event/independence-day-on-the-back-bay for more details.
‘Let Freedom Ring’ is theme of the Old Glory Boat Parade Sunday
The Old Glory Boat Parade, organized by the American Legion Yacht Club, is returning to Newport Harbor this Sunday. It will follow a path similar to the annual Christmas Boat Parade around Newport Harbor, starting at 1 p.m.
This year’s theme is “Let Freedom Ring” and the grand marshal is H.R. McMaster, who was a national security advisor for the Trump administration and served as a lieutenant general until May 2018.
According to the page for sign-ups as of Friday morning, about 57 boats have registered to participate in the parade. For more information, visit alyc.com.
Fourth of July in Laguna Beach
Fireworks: Laguna Beach has scheduled its Independence Day fireworks show for 9 p.m. from Monument Point in Heisler Park.
The Monument Point area will be closed on Sunday. Due to preparation for the fireworks show, parts of Heisler Park from Myrtle Street to the Rockpile Beach stairs at Jasmine Street will be closed beginning around 5 p.m.
Heavy traffic is expected following the fireworks. The Laguna Beach police department will be providing personnel for traffic control as visitors leave town. The center lane on Laguna Canyon Road will be reversed between Canyon Acres and El Toro Road to provide for an additional northbound lane.
Fireworks are illegal in Laguna Beach. Police department members can seize fireworks. Anyone in possession of or discharging a firework can receive a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $1,000 and possibly six months of jail time.
Entertainment: Laguna Beach has two scheduled performances on the Promenade on Forest on the Fourth of July coming from local singers and songwriters. Jason Feddy will be on the performance deck from 12 to 2 p.m., and Andrew Corradini will go on right after, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Transportation: The Laguna Beach trolley service will be operating with modified hours. The Canyon route will begin service at 8:30 a.m., the Coastal route at 9:30 a.m. and the Summer Breeze route at 10 a.m. All routes in the city will end service at 7 p.m.
The regular schedule for the summer trolley service will return on Monday, July 5.
Laguna Beach Festivals Opening Week
It is opening week for the festivals in Laguna Beach. Information about each one is available below:
Sawdust Art Festival: The Sawdust Festival opened its doors on Friday and runs through Sept. 5.
The hours for the Sawdust Festival are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. From Sunday to Thursday, the hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Sawdust Festival will be putting on its 55th annual event, and a total of 167 artists are expected to participate this summer.
Admission for the festival is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and $5 for children between the ages of 6 and 12. Children ages 5 and under and veterans receive free admission. Tickets can be purchased at sawdustartfestival.org, or by going directly through the box office, and they may be used for any day of the festival.
Art-A-Fair: Neighboring the Sawdust Festival, Art-A-Fair is also celebrating more than 50 years as a fine arts destination for Southern Californians in the summertime.
The festival promises to showcase the work of more than 100 award-winning artists and artisans and offer both two-dimensional and three-dimensional artworks.
Art-A-Fair, which also opened Friday and runs through Sept. 5, is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The festival will be closing at 6 p.m. this Sunday and Monday.
General admission to Art-A-Fair is $9, and senior tickets are $7. Children who are age 12 and younger, active military and Laguna Beach residents with ID are admittted free. Attendees are asked to wear a mask if they have not been vaccinated.
Festival of Arts: The Festival of Arts fine art show opens to the public on Monday and continues through Sept. 3.
Attendees will get to view and shop for the work of over 100 award-winning Orange County artists, with the works ranging from paintings to photography and from ceramics to glass.
General admission for this festival is $10; students and seniors, $7; and children 6 to 12, $5. On weekends, general admission tickets are $15; students and seniors, $11; children ages 6 to 12, $5.
Festival of Arts members, Laguna Beach residents with identification, military and children under 5 admitted free.
The Pageant of the Masters opens on Wednesday, July 7.
Passport to the Arts: For $29, fans of the arts receive unlimited admission to Laguna Beach’s art festivals throughout the summer.
The passport grants access to 500 artists and live music seen at the Sawdust Festival, Art-A-Fair and the Festival of Arts.
To purchase a Passport to the Arts, visit lagunabeachpassport.com.
City of Costa Mesa to host recruiting event July 13-15
Costa Mesa’s Parks & Community Services Department is hosting a recruitment event at the Balearic Community Center July 13 through 15 to fill multiple part-time positions across several city programs.
City representatives will provide on-the-spot-interviews for positions in the areas of aquatics, facilities, field ambassadors, Senior Center and youth programs. Applicants may drop in anytime. Applications are not required, but interested candidates are encouraged to bring a resume and wear a face mask during the event.
All employment offers are contingent upon a candidate’s successfully passing all components of the pre-employment process. Open positions include Community Services Leader II/III, lifeguard, instructor guard and senior guard.
The event takes place Tuesday, July 13, from 9 to 11 a.m., on Wednesday, from 1 to 3 p.m. and Thursday, from 3 to 5 p.m. at 1975 Balearic Drive, Costa Mesa. To view job descriptions and qualifications, visit costamesaca.gov/jobs. For more information, contact the Parks and Community Services Department at (714) 754-5300.
SoCal Plein Air Painters Assn. ‘Paints the Back Bay & O.C. Parks’ gallery show July 17-25
Members of the Southern California Plein Air Painters Assn. return to the Upper Newport Bay for a fine arts juried event and gallery Top 60 show and sale July 17 through 25 at the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center.
The event will showcase the top 60 plein air paintings, landscapes created outdoors in real time, from a juried art competition featuring scenes of the Back Bay and O.C. Parks. Paintings on display will feature the beauty and natural heritage of the era and will include watercolor, oil, acrylic and pastel works.
Jeff Horn, professor emeritus of drawing and painting at Irvine Valley College, will be the juror and judge of awards for this year’s show. The association grew from Horn’s classes 20 years ago and is still going strong.
The Muth Center is located at 2301 University Drive, in Newport Beach, and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, excluding Mondays. A portion of the proceeds from the sale will go to the Newport Bay Conservancy. The show will also be displayed online at socalpapagallery.com.
For more information on the show, email Dawn Buckingham at dbgfineart@gmail.com.
Newport Beach Public Library Bookstore to reopen, plans blow-out sale
The Newport Beach Public Library Bookstore, just inside the library’s main entrance at 1000 Avocado Ave., will open its doors to the public again on July 8. Regular hours are 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
A “Super Sensational Sale” will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. on Friday, July 9 for Friends of the Library (memberships are available at the door), when all books will be offered at three for $1. On Saturday, July 10, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the public is welcome to shop the sale and carry away books for just $3 per bag (the bookstore will provide the bags). Thousands of books, plus DVDs, CDs, audiobooks and LPs will all be in the mix of items on sale.
For more information visit newportbeachlibrary.org.
Beyond Blindness raises $165K for children with visual impairments
Beyond Blindness — a Santa Ana nonprofit that empowers children with visual impairments to achieve their fullest potential — during a June 12 ‘Vision Beyond Sight’ annual fundraiser helped raise more than $165,000 in support of its Orange County clients.
Held at the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin and livestreamed for supporters across the nation, the inaugural hybrid event raised funds in support of programs in the area of early intervention, education and enrichment and family support.
This year’s 4th annual gala also served as an unveiling for the 59-year-old organization’s new name and branding, designed to help position the group to establish a high-quality journey of care for even more area families.
“Our new name signifies our evolution and expansion to serve and positively impact a wider population of children with visual impairments and other disabilities and their families,” Executive Director Angie Rowe said in a June 23 release. “In this way, we will realize our vision of a world where all children, no matter their abilities, are equipped to live full and rewarding lives.”
For more information, visit beyondblindness.org.
360 Clinic merging COVID-19 operations with COVID Clinic
Orange County-based 360 Clinic is merging its COVID-19 operations with national nonprofit COVID Clinic, it was announced this week.
Many of 360 Clinic’s testing and vaccination staff will have the opportunity to stay on as COVID Clinic employees. 360 Clinic ceased its vaccination efforts at the end of June.
360 Clinic CEO Vince Tien, a Huntington Beach resident, said that his company will continue providing compassionate and accessible telehealth, multi-specialty and mobile healthcare services.
360 Clinic had partnered with the Orange County Health Care Agency during the pandemic to manage COVID-19 testing super sites at the Orange County Fairgrounds and Anaheim Convention Center.
Sherman Gardens brings back Plant-O-Rama sale
Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar is bringing back its Plant-O-Rama plant sale on July 17 and 18, for the first time since 1980.
The two-day sale will feature plants and plant experts from the Los Angeles International Fern Society, Saddleback Valley Bromeliad Society, SoCal Hibiscus Society and Newport Harbor Orchid Society.
The special event is included with garden admission, which costs $5.
Jehovah’s Witnesses livestream annual convention for second year
Orange County members of Jehovah’s Witnesses are joining their counterparts across the globe this summer in attending their annual convention virtually instead of in person over six weekends.
Themed “Powerful by Faith!” this year’s convention, like last year’s, is being livestreamed in more than 500 languages due to the pandemic, according to the organization, which was forced to cancel the in-person conventions of almost 6,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses conventions in 240 countries.
For more information about the livestream schedule visit jw.org or call (718) 560-5600.
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