Around Town: Local youth leagues welcome baseball season

By Daily Pilot staff

March 1, 2018 4 PM PT

It’s baseball time again, and local youth leagues are back in the swing for their spring seasons.

Laguna Beach Little League’s opening night is Friday at Riddle Field.

On Saturday, Costa Mesa American Little League gets rolling with opening ceremonies at Costa Mesa High School, while Costa Mesa National Little League does the same at TeWinkle Middle School.

Also opening Saturday are Fountain Valley Little League at the Fountain Valley Recreation Center & Sports Park and the Newport Harbor Baseball Assn. at Mariners Park in Newport Beach.

The Newport Beach Baseball Assn. opens the season March 10.

Little Leagues serving Huntington Beach had their openings last weekend.

Segerstrom Center postpones ‘Hamiltunes’ sing-along

The Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa said Thursday that it has postponed Saturday’s “Hamiltunes: An American Sing-Along” to March 31.

The free event, based on the hit musical “Hamilton,” was to have been held at the center’s outdoor Julianne and George Argyros Plaza. The venue said inclement weather in New York City was preventing “Hamiltunes” host and Broadway veteran Seth Rudetsky from traveling to Orange County, which also is expecting a wet weekend.

The March 31 event is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. For more information, call (714) 556-2787 or visit scfta.org.

UC rowing competition hits the water Saturday in Newport Beach

Rowers from five University of California campuses will go stroke to stroke Saturday in the Henry T. Nicholas III UC Challenge Cup Regatta at Newport Harbor.

Men and women in eight-member crews from UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego and UC Davis will compete with their eyes on a national competition in May in Georgia.

Nicholas, co-founder of Broadcom, will present the trophy to the crew with the highest cumulative score.

Races will be held from 8 to 10:30 a.m. The 2,000-meter (1¼-mile) course starts at Lower Newport Bay and runs north along the inner channel to Lido Marina Village.

Festival of Arts honored for renovation project

The Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach has received the 2018 Outstanding Historical Renovation Project award from the American Society of Civil Engineers for the $10-million revamp it debuted last year.

The grounds at 650 Laguna Canyon Road feature a 31,774 square-foot art exhibit space, workshops, a retail area and a concert stage.

The Festival of Arts is one of Laguna’s major summer art shows and is home to the famed Pageant of the Masters “living pictures” show.

“This award exemplifies our dedication to offering world-class art and stunning cultural live performances for our local community and visitors to enjoy,” former festival board president Fred Sattler said in a statement.

The festival commissioned Bauer Architects, Fuscoe Engineering and landscape architect Spurlock Poirier to design the renovation of the grounds, which were last remodeled in 1964. The facility was updated to meet accessibility standards and included new elements such as tensile roof pavilions that shield art from sunshine and rain, a relocated lawn for picnics and concerts and a relocated and expanded retail space.

Nonprofit donates more than 1,500 books to Oak View Elementary

Oak View Elementary School received more than 1,500 donated books courtesy of the Assistance League of Huntington Beach.

The nonprofit made the donation Wednesday during an assembly at the Huntington Beach school to celebrate the Assistance League’s “Legacy of Literacy” event.