Orange County Blog

Irvine Park Railroad Welcomes the Arrrival of the Easter Bunny

“The Easter bunny is coming to Irvine Park Railroad! Beginning Saturday, April 2nd through Saturday, April 23rd, for the cost of $10, children can meet and have their photo taken with the Easter bunny. Each additional photo is $6 dollars. Children ages 2 – 12 can also participate in daily Easter egg hunts; all eggs are filled with candy or a prize. Other Easter Eggstravaganza activities include hay rides, a moon bounce, cookie decorating, carnival games, face painting and more.”

Important details:

•  The Easter egg hunts start promptly at the times indicated.  This event at Irvine Regional Park is one of the most popular Easter events in Orange County.  Plan to arrive early.
•  The Easter egg hunts are for children ages 2 to 12.
•  Be sure to bring your own Easter basket(s) for the Easter egg hunt. Irvine Park Railroad will offer Easter baskets for sale.
•  The Easter train is for children of all ages as well as adults. 

Be sure to check the website for other family friendly activities as well activity schedules!

Irvine Park
1 Irvine Park Road
Orange, CA 92869
www.irvineparkrailroad.com

It’s Whale Watching Season!

And Dana Wharf is ready to  “delight (you) in the exciting sights and sounds of the many types of magnificent ocean creatures that live off the coast of Dana Point - a known landmark for whale sightings. Dana Wharf's tours offer rare glimpses into a huge variety of underwater wildlife that you'll never forget.”

The Whale Watching Season runs through the end of April and over 130 Gray Whales have already been spotted!

“Each winter, the Pacific Gray Whales pass by Dana Point, many believe that Dana Point is a landmark on their journey.  After spending the summer feeding in the food-rich waters of the arctic, the Grays swim south along the coast to the bays of Baja California, where they mate and nurse their young. Along the way they pass Dana Wharf, where you can witness the annual winter journey.”

A hot tip for the budget conscious family is 1/2 priced Tuesdays available from December through April, and 1/2 priced Wednesdays available in April only.

For other great entertainment options, click the Entertainment tab on the home page!

Event Complete's Taste of Ladera, now in its 7th year running, features a celebration of the finest local eateries, specialty vendors, musical performances and fun for the entire family to take place Saturday, April 30th, 2011 and Sunday, May 1st, 2011 North of Corporate Drive on Windmill in Ladera Ranch. The hours of the festivities will be from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Saturday, April 30th and from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Sunday, May 1st.  Live entertainment with the "Ladera's Got Talent" will be announced in April.

This annual festival will have rides, slides, and activities for the entire family with event proceeds benefitting local nonprofits, schools, and youth programs. Special pricing will be available online for Ladera Residents. General admission pre-sale tickets and a limited number of VIP tickets and suites are available starting March. VIP tickets and suites include access to party pit at main stage, private VIP pavilion with bars, seating and bathrooms.

Taste of Ladera is produced by Event Complete. Event Complete is an event marketing firm specializing in strategizing with clients to bring customers to seminars, charitable events and large-scale productions. For more information about ticket and booth sales, sponsorships and volunteering, please visit www.EventComplete.com or email info@eventcomplete.com.

“I can see clearly now the rain has gone” …

One of the many gifts of living in Orange County is the fabulous weather.  Yes, it rains in Southern California and we recently had a doozy of a storm.  So if we want to keep an eye on the gorgeous vistas, we need to keep our windows clean.  Enter: First Choice Window Cleaning.

With their "Always Clean" service they come out every month and just clean the outside of your VIEW windows for a very low rate (starting at $30).  Consider this great view maintenance--and then no need to clean all the others too often. 

So all you OC residents, let’s keep those mud splatters away and let the sun shine in!

For more information on First Choice Window Cleaning: http://www.orangecountyresourceguide.com/directory/listing.php?id=170299

It arrived quietly and still isn’t widely known.  This unassuming farmers’ market features booths selling produce, sweets, treats, goat cheese, plants, and more.  One of the perks of shopping at farmers’ markets is the samples!  We taste tested apples, oranges, warm roasted peanuts, caramels, and delicious cakes (this resulted in a purchase!)   Sadly we had just made trip to the grocery store so we didn’t need much in the way of produce, but my culinary bent daughter bought a bag of fresh snow peas.  She also couldn’t live without eating a pickle on a stick! Laguna Hills Nursery had a great booth and we left with two blueberry plants along with all the necessary info to help them grow strong and healthy.  Planning ahead for our next visit, we will bring our own bags, an appetite for the tacos, and more time!
It is located in the Big Lots shopping center on Avenida De Las Flores and is open from 2 to 6 p.m. on Fridays. We found that several of the booths shutting down prior to 6:00 as it gets dark so early.  There is talk that during the spring, it will be open both on Fridays and from 10 – 2 on Saturdays.  We certainly hope this comes to fruition!
Let’s support this local venue by planning your visit now.
For a list of other farmers markets, visit: http://www.orangecountyresourceguide.com/farmers-markets.html

“Since 1969 the South Orange County Regional Chamber of Commerce has been recognized as the premier business organization dedicated to creating a vibrant business community, advocating on behalf of business, helping business grow and prosper, while preserving a quality of life for residents and visitors to enjoy.” 

http://www.socchambers.com/

Here are just a few of member benefits:

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
INCREASE YOUR VISIBILITY IN THE COMMUNITY
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
STAYING INFORMED AND CONNECTED
MEMBER ONLY DISCOUNTS
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

For more information on South Orange County Regional Chambers of Commerce or to locate the chamber for your city, click Chambers of Commerce under the Quick Links tab.

South Coast Repertory presents the classic A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
adapted by Jerry Patch

19th-century London comes to life when your family joins the SCR family to celebrate Hal Landon Jr.’s 31st season as everyone’s favorite curmudgeon (“The quintessential Ebenezer Scrooge!” according to the Daily Pilot). Recapture the spirit of an old-fashioned Christmas with this timeless Dickens classic and all your favorite characters—Tiny Tim and the Cratchit family, the Fezziwigs, the Ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet-to-come—and, of course, Ebenezer Scrooge himself.

Performances: December 3 – 26, 2010
No children under age six will be admitted to A Christmas Carol. Regardless of age, everyone must have a ticket, sit in a seat and be able to sit quietly through the performance.

Box Office
Phone: (714) 708-5555

655 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

During the holidays, many families welcome the opportunity to look outside their own walls for ways to help others.  Crime Survivors is a wonderful organization helping victims of crime to recover from their experience mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially by receiving respect, support, and protection from law enforcement, the judicial system, and the community.

Crime Survivors is committed to serving our community by being an advocate and resource for crime victims and their families. All victims of crime have the right and responsibility to survive.  Here are two upcoming events in which we would like to encourage your participation to support victims and their families. 

Survivors Gift Drive

December 1st – December 18th, 2010

Bring a new unwrapped gift valued at $10 or more to Boomers, Irvine or Boomers, Fountain Valley and receive a 4 Hour Unlimited Play Pass for just $10. (Includes unlimited miniature golf, rock wall, bumper boats, go-karts and much more) www.boomersparks.com

Elf’s Holly Day

Sunday, December 19, 2010

1 PM – 4 PM at Boomers, Irvine

This year the Elf’s Holly Day will provide victims, survivors and their families the opportunity to pick up their food baskets and gifts and stay for a day of entertainment and fun, including snacks and treats.  Sponsorship opportunities are available and any help is appreciated.  Please contact Crime Survivors for more details at (949) 872-7892 or crimesurvivors@aol.com

Before settling down for football, family, and feasting, start your day with an invigorating run. The beautiful city of Dana Point provides the opportunity to tour its beautiful beach, majestic cliffs and coves on Thanksgiving Day with its annual Turkey Trot - a 5K, 10K, and/or Kids’ Gobble Wobble Race. Hosted by the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce, the Dana Point Turkey Trot is considered one of America’s most scenic coastal runs, and draws as many as 10,000 participants.  From beginners to elite runners, this event is for everyone!

This year on Thanksgiving Day, you can run so others can eat by partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank. When you register to run the race, please join the Pledge Drive and ask 10 people to donate $20 each or just make a donation. The 2008 Turkey Trot raised over $40,000 for Second Harvest Food Bank and this year the need is greater than ever. Second Harvest is working to eliminate hunger in Orange County. They provide over 1 million pounds of food each month for over 220,000 people in need. The Food Bank currently serves more than 397 member charitable organizations that reach the hungry, including church pantries, shelters, senior centers, rehabilitation centers, homes for abused children and many other emergency assistance organizations. Your donation will make a difference!

The deadline for mail in registration has passed, but the online registration doesn't end until November 22, 2010.  Make your commitment today!  For more information on this fabulous, not-to-be-missed event, go to: http://bit.ly/1KKaQG and click on Dana Point Chamber of Commerce.

What is the definition of “home”?  Well, in most dictionaries home is where you live at a particular time, a dwelling, an environment offering affection, safety and security, a haven.  But it also goes beyond the confines of four walls and a roof over our heads. 

Home is also used in a broader sense relating to or being where one lives or where one’s roots are; as in “my home town,” a place where something began and flourished and even possibly the country or state or city where you live.  So when we talk about Aging-in-Place, eventually we need to also address the importance and impacts of the built environments beyond our houses.  We need to evaluate if our neighborhoods and communities will enable successful aging and livability; You see, “our homes” contribute to the basis of our individual and common identities. They hold our memories and they give us a sense of place.

The year 2011 is seen by many as the beginning of the “Changing Face of Aging” in America.  It is when the first wave of baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) will start to turn 65; that is less than 2 years from now! How well will our communities as they are currently configured deal with this paradigm shift based on age? Their ability to adapt to the changing needs of an aging nation should factor into every planning decision that the community is considering.  How projects, developments and urban planning might impact older active adults can no longer be an afterthought if our communities are to retain their appeal and remain not only habitable but also profitable in every meaning of the word.

To read more and to find other valuable resources, click on http://www.orangecountyresourceguide.com/moving/relocation-resources/ or the Moving/Relocation Quick Link on the home page.