Around Town: Newport sculpture photo contest open for entries

The Newport Beach Arts Commission is sponsoring a photography contest focusing on the newest sculptures at Civic Center Park.

The contest is open to professional and amateur photographers of all ages. Complete entry guidelines and instructions are at newportbeachca.gov/culturalarts. Entries will be accepted through April 15.

Prizes will include gift certificates to local restaurants.

Costa Mesa chamber luncheon Thursday to discuss homelessness

The Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce’s monthly luncheon Thursday will provide a business perspective on homelessness — what doesn’t work, what can work and what business owners can do. The presenter will be Bill Nelson, a Costa Mesa Homeless Task Force member and the pastoral care minister at Fresh Beginnings Ministries.

The luncheon runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Plaza Pacifica lobby at the OC Fair & Event Center. Tickets are $20 in advance for chamber members and $35 for non-members and for all tickets sold at the door.

To register or for more information, visit costamesachamber.com.

Fishing, boat and travel show this weekend at fairgrounds

This weekend’s Pacific Coast Sportfishing Tackle, Boat and Travel Show will bring seminars and a free trout pond for the kids to the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa.

The show runs from 1 to 7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for military personnel with ID and free for children 12 and younger. Parking is $8.

Karate tournament coming to Costa Mesa

The 47th annual Genbu-Kai Goodwill Karate Tournament is coming to the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa this weekend

There will be competitions in multiple weapons, with a separate contest for swords, on Saturday and contests in karate on Sunday, plus special guests and demonstrations.

The event will run from 9 a .m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday in the Hangar.

Tickets are $5 for general admission and $3 for children ages 3-11. Parking is $8. Enter at Gate 8.

Susi Q Center to host disaster-preparedness seminar in Laguna

The city of Laguna Beach and Laguna Friends of Architecture will present a disaster-preparedness seminar Tuesday night.

The event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Laguna Beach Community & Susi Q Center, 380 Third St.

For more information, call Jordan Villwock at (949) 497-0389.

‘Peace boat’ will cruise into Newport for fundraiser

A historical “peace boat” will sail into Newport Harbor next week to promote the abolition of nuclear weapons.

The Golden Rule, a 34-foot ketch, will dock at Newport Sea Base, 1931 W. Coast Hwy., for a fundraiser Feb. 25. The party, which will raise money for an upcoming voyage to Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Guam and Okinawa, will feature a silent auction and the premiere of the documentary “Sailing for Peace: The Voyage of the Golden Rule.”

Four Quaker peace activists tried to sail the Golden Rule from San Pedro to the Marshall Islands in 1958 to interfere with U.S. atmospheric nuclear bomb testing. The Coast Guard stopped the Golden Rule in Honolulu and arrested the crew. Another American sailor ventured into the test zone and also was arrested.

The publicity kicked off a movement that helped lead to a testing moratorium and the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963 banning nuclear testing in the air, water or space.

Tickets to the fundraiser are available for $30 at bit.ly/GoldenRuleFundraiser.

Costa Mesa seeks committee applicants

The city of Costa Mesa is seeking applicants for several advisory committees.

Spots are available on the city’s Access Building, Fire and Housing Board of Appeal, Bikeway and Walkability Committee, Cultural Arts Committee, Finance and Pension Advisory Committee, Historical Preservation Committee and Housing and Public Service Grants Committee.

For more information on the committees or how to apply, visit costamesaca.gov/apply. The application deadline is 5 p.m. March 1.

Laguna Unified employees receive honors

Irene White, director of special education for the Laguna Beach Unified School District, was named 2018 Special Education Administrator of the Year by the Assn. of California School Administrators Region 17, the district said in a news release.

White was nominated by school psychologist Luisa Mossa. She will receive the award May 7 at a banquet in Irvine.

In addition, Laguna Beach High School counselor Nichole Rosa has been honored by the College Board’s inaugural 2018 Counselor Recognition Program.

The program “seeks to highlight the important work of innovative, results-oriented school counselors who exemplify excellence and commitment to student success and opportunity,” the district said in a news release.

Rosa will receive an award during a conference in Los Angeles in July.

Festival of Children Foundation to present fundraiser in San Francisco

The Costa Mesa-based Festival of Children Foundation and Global Genes, an Aliso Viejo-based rare-disease patient advocacy group, will present a fundraiser Feb. 28 in San Francisco.

The inaugural RARE Carousel of Possible Dreams will be held at the Children’s Creativity Museum and will use the LeRoy King Carousel built in 1906.

Group raises money for H.B. youth shelter

Wayfinders, a nonprofit that serves youths in need, raised more than $120,000 to benefit the group’s Huntington Beach youth shelter.

The eighth annual “Love Grows by Giving” event took place Friday at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Huntington Beach. Dennis Kuhl, chairman of Angels Baseball, was the event chairman.

Newport schedules seasonal lifeguard tryouts for March 3

Newport Beach will hold its annual competitive lifeguard tryouts the morning of March 3, with top finishers returning for interviews March 5.

Applications are due online by 5 p.m. Feb. 27. Starting pay for seasonal ocean lifeguards is $17.79 per hour.

For more information, call (949) 644-3047 or visit newportbeachca.gov/jobs.

Reading showcase coming to Laguna

Kate Buckley, Laguna Beach’s inaugural poet laureate, has launched a showcase series of readings, according to a news release.

A free showcase will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. March 8 at the Laguna College of Art + Design’s gallery at 374 Ocean Ave. It will feature Buckley, novelist Victoria Patterson and award-winning poet Francesca Bell.

Channel cleanup event coming in March

Adopt-A-Channel and the USC Alumni Assn. will hold a cleanup of the East Garden Grove/Wintersburg Channel from 9 a.m. to noon March 10 across the street from 16882 Gothard St. in Huntington Beach.

The purpose is to prevent trash and debris in the channel from flowing into the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.

Registration is available at bccuscalumniservice.eventbrite.com.

For more information, call Kenny Perez at (714) 846-1114.