Around Town: Get ready to munch at popcorn celebration this weekend

Popcorn is the word this weekend at the Orange County Market Place, the swap meet at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa.

The venue will celebrate National Popcorn Day by offering free popcorn from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Captain Popcorn, a strolling pirate, will hand out free bags of Gaslamp Popcorn from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Kaptain Kernel, “the King of Korn,” will perform “butter than average” magic and comedy from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., including juggling popcorn balls and turning kernels into popcorn from his magic bag.

Other festivities will include a Popcorn Prize Wheel from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., where guests can win free Gaslamp Popcorn. Market Place vendors Ragin’ Cajun Kettle Korn and California Spice Kettle Korn will offer specials at their booths.

The Orange County Market Place is at 88 Fair Drive. Admission is $2 for guests 13 and older and free for children 12 and younger and military personnel with identification.

For more information, visit https://www.ocmarketplace.com or call (949) 723-6660.

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Lemonade stands will help fight skin disease

Students of Springbrook Elementary School in Irvine will run four lemonade stands from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to raise money to fight a rare skin disease contracted by Springbrook third-grader Mikey Fullmer.

The painful disease, epidermolysis bullose, causes skin to tear, blister and shear off the body. There is no cure.

Students organized the event as a day of service to honor late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday will be celebrated Monday.

The lemonade stands will be on East Yale Loop between Springbrook North and Thunder Run.

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Irvine’s Lalloway named OCTA board chairman

Irvine Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Lalloway was selected chairman of the Orange County Transportation Authority board of directors, the agency said this week.

Lalloway replaces Shawn Nelson, the county’s 4th District supervisor, who remains on the Transportation Authority board.

“I’m honored to have the chance to lead an agency dedicated to the mobility needs of Orange County’s residents, workers and visitors,” Lalloway said in a statement.

Lalloway, an Irvine council member since 2010, has served on the OCTA board since January 2013.

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District accepting school transfer requests

Parents in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District may request school-choice transfers through March 16 for the 2015-16 school year.

The parent or guardian of any resident student may request a school transfer, which will depend on availability. Applications must be completed online at https://www.nmusd.us/transfers.

A lottery will be held to rank the applications. Parents will be notified of the status of their transfer request by email or in writing by May 15, the district said.

For more information, call (714) 424-5000.

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Forever Footprints acquires Inland Empire nonprofit

Forever Footprints, a Costa Mesa-based organization that provides support and resources to families who have lost a pregnancy or an infant, announced its acquisition of Walk to Remember Inland Empire, a nonprofit that serves Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The annual OC Walk to Remember, including a 5K walk and a memorial service, is scheduled for Oct. 10 at The District at Tustin Legacy. The Walk to Remember Inland Empire will be held Oct. 24 at Cal State San Bernardino.

For more information, visit foreverfootprints.org.