Around Town: Pumpkin patch returns to Costa Mesa on Thursday

The annual Torelli Realty Pumpkin Patch returns to Costa Mesa on Thursday, offering an evening of free pumpkins, pumpkin decorating, a petting zoo, pony rides, a pie-eating contest, face painting and a bounce house-style obstacle course.

Festivities will run from 5 to 7 p.m. at 1700 Adams Ave.

For more information, visit torellirealty.com/torelli-realtys-2017-pumpkin-patch or call (714) 540-7355.

Health expo offers free flu shots Friday in Laguna

The Health+Wellness Senior Expo will offer a free flu shot clinic Friday in Laguna Beach.

Local organizations will provide medical and educational information as well as free demonstrations, screenings and other activities, according to a news release.

Free flu vaccinations will be provided for people 18 and older while supplies last.

The event will be held from 8:30 to 11 a.m. at the Community & Susi Q Center, 380 Third St.

For more information, call (949) 464-6645.

Alzheimer’s walk comes to Surf City on Saturday

Walk4ALZ, a benefit for Alzheimer’s disease research, is scheduled for Saturday in Huntington Beach.

Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the boardwalk at 21330 Pacific Coast Hwy. The walk is about two miles.

For more information, call (949) 955-9000 or email walk@alzoc.org.

Casino-themed gala in H.B. will benefit autism nonprofit

Talk About Curing Autism, a national nonprofit that helps families affected by the disorder, will present its 11th annual “Ante Up for Autism” gala beginning at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach.

The casino-themed fundraiser will include dinner, silent auctions and poker games, with appearances by radio host Tim Conway Jr. and other celebrities.

Last year’s Ante Up for Autism raised more than $630,000. Donations are allocated toward programs that connect families with professionals who can help them navigate the challenges of autism, according to TACA.

For tickets or more information, visit anteupforautism.com.

Wedding show Sunday at Island Hotel

The 11th “Wedding Show for the Modern Bride” will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach.

The show is intended to introduce fashion designers and other wedding professionals to brides from all over Southern California. It will include tastings, giveaways, dance performances and a multicultural runway show of the latest Indian, South Asian and traditional wedding attire and accessories for men and women.

The show is presented by Wedding Store 24 in Artesia.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $25 the day of the event. For more information or to register, visit weddingstore24.com/events-page, call (562) 366-3649 or email info@WeddingStore24.com.

Shooting Stars event to raise money for diabetes research

The 22nd annual Shooting Stars meet-up to help fight diabetes will be held from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Sunday at Java Bakery Cafe at the Bayside Center, 1064 Bayside Drive, Newport Beach.

Donations collected this year will support diabetes research by Jonathan Lakey, director of UC Irvine’s Clinical Islet Program.

To reserve a Shooting Stars T-shirt and register for the event, email Joanne Milo at joanne@TheSavvyDiabetic.com.

Donations also can be made online at connect.uci.edu/shootingstars.

H.B. Halloween Fest offers costume contests, pony rides and more

The annual Halloween Fest is coming to downtown Huntington Beach from 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31 with kids’ and canines’ costume contests, trick-or-treating, pony rides, a petting zoo, games and entertainment.

The kids’ contest starts at 5 p.m., and the dogs get their chance at 6:30 p.m.

The event, presented by the Huntington Beach Downtown Business Improvement District, is along the 100 to 300 blocks of Main Street and the 100 block of Fifth Street at The Strand.

Deadline near for artists to apply for 2018 Festival of Arts

The deadline to apply for the 2018 Festival of Arts fine art show is 4 p.m. Oct. 31.

Artists who would like to apply can submit three digital images per media and a completed application form to the Festival of Arts at foapom.com/apply.

For more information, call (949) 464-4234.

UCI MIND wins $11.35-million grant

UC Irvine’s Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, or UCI MIND, is receiving $11.35 million from the National Institute on Aging, according to a news release.

The money will be used toward humanizing mouse genes for Alzheimer’s disease research.

“Over the last two decades, the search for new Alzheimer’s drugs has been stymied, in part because it’s now clear that animal test subjects don’t fully mirror enough of the major features of the disease,” Andrea Tenner, UCI professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, said in a statement. “This project could reshape the fight against Alzheimer’s.”

Barbershops to host bone marrow registry event

Participating local Floyd’s 99 Barbershop locations will present a bone marrow swab registry event Nov. 4.

Swab envelopes will be available to encourage people to register for an international bone marrow registry that can match donors with people battling leukemia, lymphoma or other cancers and blood disorders.

Floyd’s has locations in Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach. For more information, visit floyds99.gotl.org.

Sunday hours returning to Huntington Beach Central Library

The Huntington Beach Central Library will resume Sunday hours beginning Nov. 5.

The hours were cut nearly a decade ago because of city budget cuts amid the recession, but with an improved economy, Sunday hours will be restored, according to a news release.

The Central Library will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. every Sunday, except holidays.

Fountain Valley board members sought

Volunteers are sought for positions on the following committees, commissions and boards in Fountain Valley:

• Planning Commission
• Fountain Valley Community Foundation board
• Housing and Community Development Advisory Board
• Advisory Committee for the Disabled
• Measure HH Oversight Committee

Candidates must be residents of Fountain Valley ages 18 and up. Terms are typically two years.

For position descriptions and applications, visit fountainvalley.org/395/Boards-Commissions. Applications also are available at the city clerk’s office at City Hall, 10200 Slater Ave.

The application deadline is 5 p.m. Nov. 22.

H.B. bar helps Vegas shooting victims

Tumbleweeds, a restaurant and bar in Huntington Beach, raised $10,500 on Oct. 14 for victims of the Las Vegas mass shooting.

The event featured live music, food and drinks. Proceeds will go to the Las Vegas Victims’ Fund on GoFundMe.

Ocean View district teachers receive funds

A record 107 teachers from 13 campuses in the Ocean View School District recently received grants from the Assistance League of Huntington Beach, according to a district news release. The grants totaled nearly $40,000.

The money will be used for additional learning tools and opportunities such as field trips.

Anti-Defamation League to honor Laguna couple

The Anti-Defamation League’s Pacific Southwest Region will honor Laguna Beach residents Sarah and Joe Kiani during a gala in Beverly Hills on Dec. 5, according to a news release.

The Kianis are receiving the Humanitarian Award. Joe Kiani is chief executive and board chairman of Masimo Corp., a medical technology firm. Sarah Kiani is a member of the board of the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare.

Karate studio to host women’s empowerment class

Bob White Karate Studio in Costa Mesa will host a free women’s empowerment and self-defense seminar Dec. 10.

The class goes from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the studio, 1125 Victoria St. It is limited to participants 13 and older.

The seminar will include presentations and instruction from Barbara White, a fifth-degree Kenpo karate black belt, and retired firefighter Ron Sanchez, a seventh-degree Kenpo karate black belt.

Registration is limited to 50 participants. To register or for more information, call (949) 645-0337.