Around Town: Levain Bakery opening at Fashion Island

The New York City bakery known for its famous 6-ounce cookies is coming to Newport Beach.

Levain Bakery will open its doors at Fashion Island on Friday, Sept. 4 at 8 a.m. It’s the first Orange County location and fourth Southern California location for the bakery, which features cookies, breads, pastries and coffee.

To celebrate the grand opening, the first 100 people in line on Friday will receive a custom Levain Bakery Newport Beach tote bag.

Following opening day, the bakery will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., with local pick-up and delivery also available.

Families invited to new Witte Hall program

Academy Award-winning animator, author and illustrator Alan Barillaro will be the first speaker to launch a new program geared for young readers at Witte Hall at Newport Public Library.

The one-hour event, part of the library’s Creative Pages series, gets underway at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12. Local families can join Barillaro for an interactive celebration of storytelling and creativity.

Registration is required and can be made at newportbeachlibrary.org.

Newsom signs Strickland’s student health bill

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law this week SB 1133, the Ready to Learn, Ready for Health Act authored by state Sen. Tony Strickland (R-Huntington Beach).

The legislation is aimed at promoting healthier habits among California students and will incorporate preventive health topics into the state’s existing curriculum.

“This bill is very personal for me as I lost a childhood friend too soon due to the health choices he made when he was younger,” Strickland stated. ``His passing at age 50 was a heartbreaking reminder that the habits we make early in life can have a lasting impact on our health and longevity.’’

Primrose Pop-Up Market coming to Huntington Beach on Sept. 6

The Bella Terra outdoor mall in Huntington Beach will be hosting a Primrose Market event on Sunday, Sept. 6 from noon to 8 p.m.

The market will feature 30 local vendors, live music and a free kids’ craft zone. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., children can meet a special gust who knows about a magical family, colorful casitas and Encanto.

Primrose Market is a family and pet-friendly event, and free of charge.

Indian restaurants in Huntington Beach hosting flood relief fundraisers

Himalayan Grill and Masala Waves, two Indian restaurants in Huntington Beach, are hosting upcoming fundraisers to support relief in the deadly flash floods in Nepal.

Himalayan Grill, located at Peter’s Landing in Sunset Beach, will be holding a free, all-you-can-eat buffet dinner on Friday at 5 p.m. Donations will go to the flood support efforts in Nepal.

Masala Waves, on Beach Boulevard, will be holding a fundraiser at lunch or dinner on Tuesday, Sept. 8. One-hundred percent of the day’s proceeds will go to flood relief, including dine in and takeout orders.

More than 1,000 have been declared dead in Nepal after last week’s devastating floods, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authoirty, while nearly 4,000 people are still missing.

— Daily Pilot Staff