Around Town: Emergency workers to eat oysters for charity in H.B.

Area first responders will go shell to shell Saturday in the third annual Shuck-It Competition, a charity oyster-eating contest at Ways & Means Oyster House in Huntington Beach.

Local lifeguards and personnel from the Huntington Beach police and fire departments will be given 60 seconds to eat as many oysters as they can while spectators cheer on their favorite teams.

The event begins at 10 a.m., and $3 from every oyster eaten by the winning team will be donated to the team’s charity of choice. Charities the event has benefited in the past include Colette’s Children’s Home, the McKennaClaire Foundation and the Huntington Beach Lifeguard Foundation.

Ways & Means is in the Pacific City shopping center at 21022 Pacific Coast Hwy.

Newport Beach author to discuss her Bill Clinton book Thursday

Newport Beach author Karen Heath Clark will talk about her new book, “Bill Clinton: America’s Bridge to the 21st Century,” at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Friends Room at the Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave.

Clark’s lecture will cover Clinton’s successes and failures as president, the role Orange County played in his election, insights on the Whitewater investigation and more.

Clark also is a lawyer, historian, former Newport Beach Public Library trustee and current member of the NBPL Foundation board of directors. She is retired from law practice after a long career at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Admission to the program is free. No registration is required, though seating is first-come, first-served.

Chamber committee meeting to feature Newport mayor pro tem

The Government Affairs Committee of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce will host Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem Will O’Neill at its meeting from 8 to 9:15 a.m. Thursday at the chamber, 4343 Von Karman Ave.

The meeting will address local political and legislative issues affecting businesses and the community as a whole.

Registration is suggested at newportbeach.com/events.

Pet Days this weekend at Orange County Market Place

The eighth annual Pet Days event is set for this weekend at the Orange County Market Place at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa.

Guests can visit with animals available for adoption and learn about unique and exotic animals. Vendors will offer information about animal welfare, spaying and neutering, microchipping, pet sitting and specialty animal food products.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free with a donation to a food and supply drive, including paper towels, towels, bleach, cat litter, potty pads, fresh pet food, gift cards and cash.

For more information, visit ocmarketplace.com.

Vanguard University to host cheer clinic Saturday

Vanguard University in Costa Mesa will host a cheer clinic Saturday for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Students will learn basketball cheers and a rally routine and perform alongside the university’s cheerleading team.

The event will be from 9 a.m. to noon. Registration is $30 and includes a shirt.

The university is at 55 Fair Drive. For more information about the clinic or to sign up, visit bit.ly/2Dp6rs5.

Costa Mesa author releases new book

Dave Cornelius of Costa Mesa has released a new book, “Elastic Minds: What Are You Thinking?” a collection of stories of successful students, artists, entrepreneurs, senior managers and professionals.

According to Cornelius, each article in the book is “another example of resilience over resistance, agility over adversity.”

“The essence of the message throughout: The disparate challenges faced by a fifth-grade math student, a single parent starting an online business from home or a hedge fund manager of million-dollar portfolios can all be resolved from the very same fundamental grasp of a common perspective on resilience,” he said in a news release.

Cornelius’ “strategic thought” methodology also is provided through educational outreach programs in local schools and the Boys & Girls Club of Central Orange Coast through the 5 Saturdays program and his “KnolShare with Dr. Dave” podcasts on GrokShare.com, according to the release.

For more information, visit ElasticMindsbook.com.

Festival of Arts Foundation taking grant applications

The Festival of Arts Foundation in Laguna Beach is accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations that promote fine arts in Laguna.

David Young and John Rayment created the foundation, independent of the Festival of Arts, in 1989 to hold funds in a permanent endowment reserved for Laguna Beach High School graduates and grants to nonprofits and educational institutions.

In 2007, the Festival of Arts assumed financial responsibility of the art scholarships.

Grant applications are available at LagunaFestivalofArts.org and must be turned in by Feb. 9.

UPDATES:

1:50 p.m.: This article was updated with the item about Dave Cornelius’ book.

This article was originally published at 6:15 p.m.