Around Town: Reptiles take center stage at Orange County fairgrounds show

Leaping lizards, it’s Repticon time this weekend at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa.

The show of reptiles and exotic animals will feature animal encounters, presentations about reptile care, door prizes, exhibitors and vendors offering reptile pet products and more.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The Fair & Event Center is at 88 Fair Drive.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 5 to 12 and free for kids 4 and younger.

For more information, visit repticon.com.

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Segerstrom Center hosts celebration of community service Sunday

Segerstrom Center for the Arts will present its first Center Celebrates Community event from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Arts Plaza, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.

The free event, which commemorates National Philanthropy Day, will feature music, dancing, family activities, an Imagination Playground, food trucks and local community service agencies.

The first 500 children 10 or younger will receive a voucher good for a $5 donation to one of the participating organizations.

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Angels owner among Newport boat parade grand marshals

The Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade’s grand marshals will include sports figures and entertainers during the five-night holiday tradition next month in Newport Harbor.

The lineup includes Arte Moreno, owner of the Angels baseball team; Christen Press and Amy Rodriguez, U.S. women’s national soccer players; Brian Johnson, Jacob Rummell, Bay Brooks, Barry Minniefield and Kelsie May, contestants on Season 8 of the TV show “The Voice”; and the Tournament of Roses queen and court.

“We’re thrilled to have such a fantastic group of athletes, entertainers and community members as part of this year’s parade,” Steve Rosansky, president and chief executive of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.

The parade will feature 100 decorated boats Dec. 16 through 20, beginning at 6:30 p.m. daily at Bay Island and ending at 9 p.m. at the same site after completing a 14.7-mile route around the harbor. This year’s theme is “Seas the Holidays.”

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Charity group to meet Tuesday in Newport Beach

Chew for Charity, a 35-member group of women who raise funds and awareness for Community Service Programs, a Santa Ana-based nonprofit that provides counseling and other support services to struggling Orange County children and families, will hold its next monthly meeting at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at Harborside Restaurant, 400 Main St., Newport Beach.

CSP Executive Director Ronnetta Johnson will be the featured speaker.

Chew for Charity has raised more than $80,000 for CSP since 2007, according to a news release. Money is raised through opportunity drawings at each lunch, and group members help sell tickets for CSP fundraising events.