Around Town: 5K ready to run in Fountain Valley

The Fountain Valley Community Foundation will present the Fountain Valley Fit Body Boot Camp 5K run at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Fountain Valley Sports Park, 16400 Brookhurst St.

All ages are welcome. Registration fees vary. Visit fvcommunityfoundation.org to sign up.

Newport chamber hosts blood drive

The Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce will present a blood drive between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday at the chamber office, 4343 Von Karman Ave.

Walk-ups are welcome, but appointments are preferred. The chamber will validate parking.

To sign up, visit bit.ly/2RWwUFK.

Surf City Splash returns Saturday to Huntington Beach

The annual Surf City Splash, rescheduled from New Year’s Day because of high winds and surf, will run from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in Huntington Beach.

The event will begin with a pancake breakfast at 9 a.m. at the International Surfing Museum, 411 Olive Ave. A costume contest will be held at 11 a.m., and guests will head to the pier for a dip in the Pacific.

Registration is $25. For more information, visit bit.ly/2RWf31x.

Native Americans and wetlands are topics of Newport event

The Newport Bay Conservancy will hold a program about Native Americans and the wetlands from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Back Bay Science Center, 600 Shellmaker Road, Newport Beach.

The event will include prayers, music, dance and kayak tours.

For tickets, visit goo.gl/mVxkgu.

Class teaches how to grow tea

Visitors can learn how to grow and harvest tea Saturday at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa.

Leah Matsuoka will teach growth, harvesting and preparation techniques for Camellia sinensis, the plant that produces green, black, white and oolong teas, in the Centennial Farm Silo Building.

The class starts at 10 a.m. and costs $10. To sign up, visit ocfair.com/gardenclasses.

Paint your own valentine at Roger’s Gardens

Guests can make one-of-a-kind watercolor valentines Saturday at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar.

Artist Kimberly Heimbach, a Laguna College of Art + Design instructor, will lead a two-hour class starting at 10 a.m.

The $100 cost includes instruction, materials, a 36-color watercolor palette and two cards to take home.

To sign up, visit bit.ly/2DII8Vs.

Newport Beach library to sell used books

The first Newport Beach Friends of the Library used book sale of the year is Saturday.

The sale runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Friends Room at the Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave.

Monarch Butterfly Day postponed

The 10th annual Monarch Butterfly Day scheduled for Saturday in Fountain Valley has been postponed because of a forecast of inclement weather. A new date is to be determined.

The event lets guests get close to monarchs as they learn how to plant a butterfly garden.

Bonsai tree exhibit headed to Sherman Library

Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar and the Orange Empire Bonsai Society will present a bonsai tree exhibit from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Sherman Library, 2647 E. Coast Hwy.

Experts will guide participants in the basics of caring for bonsai trees.

For more information, visit bit.ly/2WtpqbO.

Newport mayor to hold town hall Monday

Newport Beach Mayor Diane Dixon will hold a town hall meeting Monday at Marina Park.

Dixon will go over the state of the city, a recent trip to Washington, D.C., an explanation of the city’s general plan update process, highlights of a City Council planning session Saturday, an overview of budget preparations and an introduction of the city’s new harbormaster.

The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. at the park’s community center, 1600 W. Balboa Blvd.

UCI is top University of California campus in in-state freshman applicants

UC Irvine recently became the most popular University of California campus for the state’s college-bound high school seniors.

The school tallied 70,540 in-state freshman applicants this fall, more than other UC campuses.

“This exciting news is a result of what we have set out to achieve: sending the message to California residents of all cultural and economic backgrounds that an exceptional education is not only available but affordable at UCI,” Chancellor Howard Gillman said.

Ex-conservancy president to speak at chamber meeting

Newport Bay Conservancy past president Peter Bryant will discuss microscopic sea life Tuesday at the monthly Marine Committee meeting of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.

The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Marina Park community center, 1600 W. Balboa Blvd.

In addition to his work with the conservancy, Bryant is a longtime teacher of biodiversity and conservation at UC Irvine. He specializes in photographing invertebrates down to the smallest insects, as well as various aquatic species.

Chefs to battle it out in Newport

Guests can watch local chefs compete for culinary glory and sample their handiwork Wednesday at Chef Battle Orange County in Newport Beach.

Chefs will whip up their own picks before a live audience during the one-hour timed event at Envy Lounge, 4647 MacArthur Blvd. Onlookers can taste the chefs’ work and vote for their favorites. Winning chefs will advance to the West Coast Regional Chef Battle.

The event starts at 6 p.m. and is for ages 21 and up.

Tickets are $40 to $80 and are available at bit.ly/2UwtBSt.

Newport city manager to offer updates

Newport Beach City Manager Grace Leung will give City Hall updates Feb. 7 at the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Wake Up Newport breakfast meeting.

The event starts at 7:15 a.m. with a continental breakfast in the Friends Room of the Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave. The program starts at 7:45.

Admission is free but reservations are suggested to Pam Smith at [email protected] or (949) 729-4411.

Laguna Arts Alliance accepting applications for $5,000 grant

The Laguna Beach Arts Alliance is accepting applications for a $5,000 grant.

The Seven-degrees grant — funded by and named after the Laguna Beach venue — will pay for an 11-month art project or program.

The deadline for applications is March 1, and the winner will be announced at the Arts Alliance’s annual Art Star Awards on April 7.

For more information, visit bit.ly/2B93Sbx or email [email protected].

OCC students named semifinalists for national scholarship

Six students at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa were recently selected as semifinalists for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, a national award for community college students.

The six semifinalists, a record for OCC, are Chelsea Gonzalez and Viktoriia Vasileva of Costa Mesa, Colby Labounty of Huntington Beach, Daisy Le of Anaheim, Tram Nguyen of Garden Grove and Mai Lan Jones of Westminster.

Winners will receive financial support, college planning help and other advisement and networking opportunities with other Cooke scholars. The winners will be announced in April.

Financial literacy program gets $2-million donation

LIFEvest, a financial literacy program for teenagers, recently received a $2-million gift from the Newport Beach-based Pacific Life Foundation.

The program is part of the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business Center for Investment and Wealth Management.

“We are thrilled to receive this transformational gift from the Pacific Life Foundation,” said Christopher Schwarz, an associate professor of finance. “LIFEvest makes a huge impact in these young people’s lives. Not only does it teach important financial skills, but [it] gives students the confidence to pursue a college education and plan for the future.”