Around Town: Performances to highlight Laguna Dance Festival

The Laguna Dance Festival returns to the Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach from Thursday to Sunday with performances, classes and talks.

The Paul Taylor Dance Company will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday. Thursday’s show will be preceded by a discussion at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday’s will be followed by a reception with the dancers. Admission to Thursday’s performance is $65 for adults and $35 for students. Saturday’s show costs $75 for adults and $40 for students.

Ballet BC from Vancouver, British Columbia, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Both shows will be preceded an hour before by a talk with the artistic director.

Admission is $65 for adults and $35 for students.

Before the festival, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, a free onstage rehearsal demonstration will feature two dancers from the Paul Taylor Dance Company focusing on the three dances the company will perform during the festival.

The Laguna Playhouse is at 606 Laguna Canyon Road. For festival tickets and more information, visit lagunadancefestival.org.

Fountain Valley police to work for tips to benefit Special Olympics

Fountain Valley police will be serving grub at the Claim Jumper restaurant Thursday night as part of Tip-a-Cop, a fundraiser for the Special Olympics for athletes with disabilities.

Police employees will act as servers and hosts from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Claim Jumper at 18050 Brookhurst St. All tips given to police personnel will benefit the Special Olympics.

Newport meeting seeks input on management plan for snowy plover habitat

The city of Newport Beach will present an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Marina Park Community Center to provide information and gather community input as the city develops a Western Snowy Plover Critical Habitat Management Plan.

The western snowy plover is a small shorebird that is protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. A population of plovers lives on the Balboa Peninsula the majority of the year. Under the ESA, the area between B and G streets is designated as a “critical habitat” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the city is required to help manage and protect the area, according to a news release.

Representatives of various city departments, plus the Dudek environmental and engineering consulting firm, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Coastal Commission will be available during the event to answer questions.

An information and comment packet will be available at the open house. The Marina Park Community Center is at 1600 W. Balboa Blvd., Newport Beach.

For more information, call (949) 644-3036 or email recreation@newportbeachca.gov.

Costa Mesa show highlights sand sports

The Sand Sports Super Show this weekend at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa will feature more than 300 exhibits of products from the sand and off-road industry.

The show will be held from 4 to 10 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

General admission is $20. Children 12 and younger get in free.

The Fair & Event Center is at 88 Fair Drive. For more information, visit sandsportssupershow.com.

Author Amy Stewart to be at H.B. library on Friday

Author Amy Stewart will appear at 6 p.m. Friday at the Huntington Beach Central Library & Cultural Center in an event presented by the Friends of the Library.

Stewart’s latest book, “Miss Kopp’s Midnight Confessions,” is the third in her series of books telling the true story of one of America’s first female sheriff’s deputies and her two sisters in the 1910s.

Admission is $15 for adults and $5 for students. Proceeds go toward supporting the Huntington Beach Library system.

The Central Library is at 7111 Talbert Ave.

Local volunteers to join in for California Coastal Cleanup Day

Volunteers will pick up trash from Orange County beaches, bays and inland waters on Saturday for the annual California Coastal Cleanup Day.

Cleanups will take place at 53 sites countywide, including several in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. Post-cleanup parties will close the day at Huntington State Beach, Upper Newport Bay and Doheny State Beach in Dana Point.

The cleanups will run from 9 a.m. to noon, and the Trash Free OC Jamboree parties will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. To pick a site and register, visit coastkeeper.nationbuilder.com/ccd.

Last year, about 7,200 volunteers collected more than 56,600 pounds of trash and recyclable materials around Orange County.

Pacific Islander Festival this weekend in Huntington Beach

Cultural performances, homemade food, 10 island villages and more will be part of the 10th annual Pacific Islander Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Central Park in Huntington Beach.

The festival, presented by the Pacific Islander Health Partnership, will showcase the cultures of Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, New Zealand, Polynesia, Guam, the Northern Marianas, Belau, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Fiji.

It will feature artifacts, mural painting, traditional Pacific island performances and demonstrations, island food and refreshments and health education booths offering screenings, community resources and care providers.

Admission is free. Central Park is at 7111 Talbert Ave.

For more information, call (714) 369-3979 or visit facebook.com/pacificislanderfestivaloc.

Digital Saturday at Newport library to showcase tech resources

The Newport Beach Public Library invites the public to the second annual Digital Saturday at the Central Library from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

The library will showcase its digital resources, including downloadable books, audio books and magazines, online research materials and homework help, and software and gadgets for creating digital art, photography, audio and film projects.

Programs will be held in the Media Lab at the Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave. For more information, call (949) 717-3800 or email library@newportbeachca.gov.

Memorial service in Newport to honor runner killed in hit-and-run

A memorial service celebrating the life of Juan Ramirez Garcia will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Newport Beach Civic Center, 100 Civic Center Drive.

Ramirez, 48, of Santa Ana, was a noted runner who was killed by a hit-and-run driver Aug. 23 while running near Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley.

To RSVP for the service, email friendsofjuan@gmail.com.

Newport Beach golf tournament to benefit Marines foundation

The third annual Newport Beach Police Assn. Charitable Foundation Golf Classic to benefit the 1/1 Marines Foundation is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Monday at the Newport Beach Country Club, 1 Clubhouse Drive.

Check-in begins at 11 a.m.

Registration is $300 per golfer or $1,200 for a foursome. An awards dinner will follow. Dinner-only admission is $75.

To register or for more information, visit nbpagolfclassic.org.

Longboard Golf Tournament set for Monday in Huntington Beach

The 26th annual Longboard Golf Tournament presented by The Longboard Restaurant & Pub is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday at SeaCliff Country Club, 6501 Palm Ave., Huntington Beach.

Check-in starts at 11:30 a.m.

Registration is $200 per player. Proceeds go to the Bobbie Kneeland Cancer Fund.

To register or for more information, call (714) 960-1896.

Seminar on aging to feature UCLA professor

A seminar on strategies for successful aging will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 am. Monday at The Center at Founders Village, 17967 Bushard St., Fountain Valley.

Dr. Gary Small, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA and author of “The Memory Bible,” will share his research on early detection and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related cognitive decline.

Tickets are $35, including continental breakfast. For more information, call (714) 593-4669 or email yolanda.markey@fountainvalley.org.

Newport Beach Fire and Lifeguard Appreciation Dinner set for Sept. 21

The 20th annual Newport Beach Fire and Lifeguard Appreciation Dinner will honor the year’s top firefighter, lifeguard supervisor and seasonal lifeguard in a ceremony beginning at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 21 in the rose garden of the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa, 900 Newport Center Drive.

Admission is $65, which includes dinner, live music and cocktails.

The event is presented by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.

For reservations, call (949) 729-4400 or visit newportbeach.com.