Around Town: O.C. Fair organizers seeking to fill 1,000-plus summer jobs

The OC Fair & Event Center is seeking seasonal workers for the upcoming 2023 Orange County Fair, which runs July 14 through Aug. 13, and has about 1,000 different positions for people 16 and older.

Most openings are seasonal, part-time opportunities to work as a ticket taker, build exhibits or serve as an administrative assistant or customer service representative. Departments hiring include parking, security, janitorial, landscaping, maintenance and admission.

A limited number of year-round jobs are also available. Employee perks include free fair admission, the option to purchase discounted tickets for friends and family and an opportunity to win an O.C. Fair employee scholarship.

Job postings are online at ocfair.com/jobs. For more information, contact the human resources department at (714) 708-1563 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center to host baby shower

The Huntington Beach nonprofit Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center invites the public to celebrate a springtime baby shower on Saturday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where participants can see baby birds and mammals on site, talk to wildlife specialists and more.

Entrance to the fundraising event is free and offers participants a chance to learn more about the conflict between wildlife safety and human interaction, shop at a bazaar and engage in drawings and educational activities for kids.

The center is located at 21900 Pacific Coast Highway, at the corner of PCH and Newland, in Huntington Beach. Free overflow parking is available across PCH with a pass that can be picked up at the center. For more, visit wwccoc.org or call (714) 374-5587.

PMMC plans ‘The Next Wave’ kickoff event

Laguna Beach’s Pacific Marine Mammal Center invites members of the public to a community event on May 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., as staff and volunteers kick off “The Next Wave” campaign to mark improvements coming to the Laguna Canyon facility.

A new water reclamation system will help save 15,000 gallons of water each week, while other expansion efforts will allow the nonprofit to improve its research, provide more students access to educational programs and increase the standards of animal care.

The free event will include food, music and prizes. Visitors may RSVP at pacificmmc.org/thenextwave.

Sherman Gardens hosts Spring Garden Art Faire

The Sherman Library & Gardens’ Volunteer Assn. will spotlight local artists whose works have been inspired by the Corona del Mar botanical garden during the Spring Garden Art Faire on May 20 and 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event will include artists painting in different locations throughout the gardens, art classes, a children’s birdhouse craft as well as an interactive community art project.

Craft-minded volunteers, who call themselves the Sowers, will present unique, handmade springtime items for sale, with 100% of proceeds benefiting Sherman Gardens. The event is free with garden admission. For more, visit thesherman.org.

O.C. teens receive $200K in scholarships at Boys & Girls Club ceremony

In a ceremony Friday, 61 graduating seniors and members of the Boys & Girls Club of Central Orange Coast’s College Bound program received a combined $200,000 in scholarships to assist them as they move onto colleges like Harvard University, UC Berkeley, Vanguard and Chapman universities, among others.

College Bound targets at-risk Orange County youth who face high dropout rates and a lack of equitable access to resources, opportunities and mentors, about 90% of whom identify as Latino, low-income and first-generation college students.

Launched in 2014, College Bound has helped serve 2,239 high school students and secured a collective $2,100,462 in financial assistance for 2022 graduates.

Community service day Love Costa Mesa takes place May 20

Local residents are invited to participate in the annual Love Costa Mesa, a service day where volunteers sign up to tackle a number of improvement and philanthropic projects in a fun, one-day festival that concludes with food, music and activities for families.

This year’s event, which takes place from 9 a.m. to noon, includes dozens of opportunities to give back, from school cleanup sessions and a blood drive to tree-plantings and packing lunches for unhoused individuals.

For a full list of projects and to sign up, visit lovecostamesa.org/neighboring and click on “Volunteer.”

Friends of Library book drive at Mesa Verde Library May 20

Friends of the Costa Mesa Libraries is hosting a book drive to coincide with Love Costa Mesa volunteer day Saturday, from 9 a.m. to noon. Money raised from the sale of the books goes to support numerous programs at the Mesa Verde and Donald Dungan libraries.

Volunteers will be on hand to collect gently used children’s and adult fiction books. Mesa Verde Library is located at 2969 Mesa Verde Drive East, in Costa Mesa. For more, visit friendscmlibraries.org.

MWDOC awarded $3M grant to offset water-wise rebates

The Municipal Water District of Orange County has been awarded $3 million by the United States Bureau of Reclamation for sustainable landscape improvements to residential, commercial and public properties countywide.

The award will help offset the $7.6-million project cost of offering rebates to customers to convert water-intensive outdoor landscaping to California-friendly, drought-tolerant landscapes and install high-efficiency irrigation equipment.

The program’s incentives will allow for more than 1.9 million square feet of turf that is anticipated to be replaced, 5,360 smart irrigations to be installed and more than 700,000 square feet of landscaping to be transitioned from spray to drip irrigation.

In total, the program is estimated to conserve 1,197 acre-feet of water annually, lowering the county’s dependency on imported water. For more information on available opportunities, visit mwdoc.com/savewater.

Historical Society to host talk on late animator Chuck Jones

Craig Kausen, the grandson of the late animator Chuck Jones, will speak on the history of animation at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 20 in the Adams Room of the Donald Dungan Library, 1855 Park Ave., Costa Mesa.

Jones worked at Warner Bros. in the days of Looney Tunes. He created iconic characters that are still popular today and was inducted into the Animation Hall of Fame.

Admission is free but reservations are required. Call the Costa Mesa Historical Society at (949) 631-5918 or respond by email: cmhistory@sbcglobal.net by Thursday, May 18.

Free compost giveaway at Estancia High School

The Costa Mesa Sanitary District and waste hauler CR&R invite Costa Mesa residents to attend a free drive-through compost giveaway event May 20, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Estancia High School, 2323 Placentia Ave., in Costa Mesa.

Households are limited to two bags of compost while supplies last. Countertop kitchen compost pails will also be available to customers upon request, although supplies are limited.

Proof of Costa Mesa residency, such as a utility bill, driver’s license or other form of ID is required. Attendees are asked to remain in their vehicles during the drive-through and to follow traffic control signs. For more, visit cmsdca.gov.

OCC Symphony presents all-Beethoven concert Saturday night

Members of the Orange Coast College Symphony and alums of the school’s choral program will present a Beethoven Spectacular Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Robert B. Moore Theater.

The evening begins with the overture to “Fidelio” and the composer’s Symphony No. 4, to be followed by the Choral Fantasy with piano soloist Prof. Janelle Kim. The event was originally intended to mark Beethoven’s 250th birthday in 2020 but was canceled during the pandemic.

Tickets are $10 and may be purchased online at occtickets.universitytickets.com. Parking is free. Orange Coast College is located at 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa.