Around Town: Winter Fest OC returns Nov. 25 at OC Fair & Event Center

Winter Fest OC returns Friday, Nov. 25 and runs through Jan. 1 at the OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Opening day hours are noon to 10 p.m.

Ticket prices: weekdays, $19.95 general admission, $14.95 children ages 3 to 12, free for children 2 and younger. Members of the armed forces are admitted at $5 on select days. Parking is $10. Ticket discounts, packages, VIP and party rental information is are available at winterfestoc.com.

Annual Balboa Island Holiday Home Walking Tour is Dec. 11

Tickets are on sale now for the 24th annual Balboa Island Holiday Home Walking Tour, set for Sunday, Dec. 11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Balboa Island Improvement Assn.

Eight decorated island homes and cottages will welcome visitors. New this year is a holiday market at the Royal Hen Restaurant on Marine Avenue, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Tour tickets are $40 and may be purchased online at balboaislandnb.org. They can also be found on the island at the Balboa Island Museum, Crush Clothing and Sur Le Mer. Off the island, tickets will be available at Bliss Home Design on Pacific Coast Highway in Corona del Mar, Blue Springs Home on 17th Street in Costa Mesa, and Seaside Gallery & Goods on Tustin Avenue in Newport Beach.

Will call tickets will be available to purchase and pick up at the Balboa Island Museum, 210 Marine Ave., Balboa Island at 9:30 a.m. on the day of the event.

Rossmoor Holiday Home Tour takes place Dec. 4

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Rossmoor Holiday Home Tour organized by the Rossmoor Woman’s Club returns from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4.

This year the community fundraiser features five recently remodeled homes, most decorated for the holidays.

The event also includes a tea room with complimentary coffee and cookies, raffle baskets and a wine pull.

Tickets are $25 each and may be purchased in advance on the club website, rossmoorwomansclub.com, or on the day of the tour at the tea room, located behind Flags With A Flair, at 10651 Los Alamitos Blvd, Los Alamitos.

All net proceeds go to fund college scholarships for Los Alamitos High School seniors and to support charities throughout Orange County and Long Beach.

Chamber group to perform Sunday at Newport Beach Public Library

The Madeleine Trio, a chamber group focused on pieces written for flute, oboe and piano, will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Newport Beach Public Library, 1000 Avocado Ave. The three musicians, Lisa Yamamoto (flute), Jenny Jee-El Park (piano) and Maralynne Mann (oboe) met as students at Cal State Fullerton and formed their trio in 2011.

Hoag named official healthcare provider for former NFL players program

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian has been named by the Los Angeles Chargers to serve as the exclusive healthcare provider for its former NFL players, as part of the NFL Dedicated Hospital Network Program.

The first-of-its-kind program provides healthcare providers selected by each NFL team in every NFL city to provide primary medical care and other health services to eligible former players. The goal of the program is to help the former players maintain their health and wellness beyond their playing years.

Hoag has already been the official healthcare partner of the Chargers since 2017.

“Football is a very physical sport, very demanding on the body,” said Dr. Eugene Yim, director of Hoag Sports Medicine. “A lot of times I use the analogy of the military. You think of all of the veterans that receive such wonderful care because they went through so much physically to serve the country. And these players every week are going through significant physical stress just to play football and keep people entertained and happy. It’s a challenge keeping them healthy while they’re playing, but more importantly, it’s really important to keep taking care of them and make sure any long-term health challenges will be addressed and cared for, even after their careers.”

In addition to the Los Angeles Chargers, all eligible former NFL players, no matter which team they played for, are welcome to visit Hoag’s facilities to receive care through this program.

Costa Mesa is home to the Los Angeles Chargers team headquarters and annual training camp, while Hoag has community hospitals in Newport Beach and Irvine.

Huntington Beach to roll out food waste recycling program next year

Huntington Beach and Republic Services have announced they will launch a state-mandated food waste recycling program for all households in mid-2023.

To prepare for the new program, the city was awarded a one-time CalRecycle grant of $278,000 to assist with implementation. The funds will be used to purchase 2-gallon kitchen pails, for distribution to Huntington Beach residents, to collect food scraps.

When the program begins, residents will have to separate food waste into the green container for composting. For now, residents are instructed to put food waste with trash until instructed differently.

Newport Beach Library lecture hall to be named Witte Hall

Newport Beach city officials this week approved the names for the city’s library lecture hall lobby and the expanded courtyard just outside of it.

The lecture hall was named after Bill Witte and Keiko Sakamoto, who donated $4 million for its construction.

The courtyard will be named Stahr Courtyard after a commitment from Elizabeth Stahr, and the lobby will be named for Louise and Roy Woolsey, whose son, Ron Woolsey, is also a donor.

Naming rights were approved by the City Council on Tuesday. Groundbreaking for Witte Hall is expected to occur in 2023 with its grand opening projected for 2024.

F.V. sets holiday trash collection and street sweeping schedule

The Thanksgiving holiday will result in a one-day delay in trash collection for some Fountain Valley residents, city officials said in an advisory message.

Those scheduled to have their trash picked up on Thursday, Nov. 24 will have trash collection occur on Friday. Trash collection scheduled for Friday will take place on Saturday.

Street sweeping slated for Thanksgiving Day will happen on Friday, and those who would normally see the street sweeper roll through on Friday will see that service performed the following Tuesday, Nov. 29.

For more information, call the public works department at (714) 593-4433.

Love Laguna Beach volunteers will be out Saturday

Community members are planning to come together in the spirit of volunteerism for Love Laguna Beach on Saturday.

The first citywide volunteering event will kick off at 8 a.m. at the Community and Susi Q Center, 380 3rd St. Project leaders and volunteers will meet there before being put to task. Coffee and refreshments will be provided.

Residents are encouraged to get involved. Some projects include a cleanup effort at Main Beach, a food drive at Pavilions, Whole Foods and Ralphs in Laguna Beach, and painting the gazebo at Heisler Park.

For more information, visit lovelagunabeach.org.

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