The deadline is nearing for aspiring filmmakers to submit their short films for the inaugural Mission Viejo Film Festival on May 21.
The Mission Viejo Film Festival is a showcase for impassioned filmmakers of all ages throughout Orange County that supports a great cause. All proceeds will benefit City of Hope.
To participate, submit your family-friendly film that is under 15 minutes by May 4 tohttp://www.missionviejofilmfestival.com. The categories include Elementary-High School and College and Indie.
Awards will be given in four categories during the festival that takes place from noon to 9 p.m. May 21 at the Kaleidoscope.
The Film Festival complements the City of Mission Viejo’s longtime support of arts and culture in the community.
For more information and to submit a film, visit http://www.missionviejofilmfestival.com. Information is also available on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/missionviejofilmfest. Tell your friends and spread the word.
Orange County Sheriff’s Department personnel will once again bring a new meaning to the term “protect and serve” by volunteering as servers Thursday, April 21 to collect tips for the Special Olympics.
The department is teaming up with Claim Jumper to bring the “Tip-A-Cop” program back to Mission Viejo. Working with Claim Jumper servers, uniformed Sheriff’s deputies will serve dinner alongside Special Olympics athletes from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the eatery off Santa Margarita Parkway.
All tips received during the fundraiser will benefit the Special Olympics Southern California, which provides athletes with intellectual disabilities year-round sports training and competitions.
Claim Jumper is located at 27845 Santa Margarita Parkway. For more information, call 949-470-8497.
The Marguerite Tennis Pavilion, YMCA and Mission Viejo Nadadores will host a special Open House and Concert on the Courts on Saturday, May 7.
Community members of all ages are invited to the event that runs from noon to 2:30 p.m. with the concert by “The U2Xperience” starting at 3 p.m.
The family event includes bounce houses, a rock wall and fun crafts. Folks will have the chance to participate in summer camp and martial arts demonstrations and swim assessments as well as witness an amazing Nadadores dive demonstration. Gourmet food trucks will be on site serving up delectable fare. The first 200 people to attend the event will receive free “swag” bags.
For more information, call 949-859-4348, option 4. Information about demonstration times is available at http://www.cityofmissionviejo.org/recreation.
Community members interested in challenging themselves to get fit are invited to take part in the 2016 Biggest Transformer challenge.
Led by certified fitness nutrition specialist Wendy Jameson, the Biggest Transformer is a 10-week competition for people interested in losing weight or just toning their bodies. Wendy will tailor a fitness and diet plan to suit each person. Folks who transform their bodies the most at the end of 10 weeks will receive a free 6-month membership to the City’s recreation and tennis centers (a $765 value). In addition, they will be entered in a raffle to win a custom nutrition plan.
People of all ages and fitness levels are welcome to take part in their own contest that runs May 2 to July 8. Cost is $120.
To register and for more information, email Brian Gruner at bgruner@cityofmissionviejo.org.
The City of Mission Viejo is gearing up to host its annual Earth Day and Arbor Day celebration with a planting and cleanup effort and Green Expo from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 23.
Volunteers will have an opportunity to plant trees, shrubs and clean up litter on along Los Alisos Boulevard near Mustang Run. Participants should bring a hat, gloves, boots and sunscreen. Free hotdogs and ice cream will be available for volunteers while supplies last.
Along with the planting, the City is hosting a Green Expo on Mustang Run that will feature earth-friendly activities and environmental exhibits with tips on water conservation, pollution prevention and recycling.
For more information, visithttp://www.cityofmissionviejo.org/green or clickhere.
Mission Viejo residents can anonymously drop off expired or unneeded prescription drugs on Saturday, April 30 as part of a national effort to prevent abuse and theft.
National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mission Viejo City Hall, 200 Civic Center. Police Services is teaming up with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to host the drive-through drop-off event. There is no cost to drop off medications.
The event is designed to prevent prescription drug misuse by eliminating the availability of unused or expired medications. The need for such an event is certainly there. Rates of prescription drug abuse are alarmingly high – more than half of teens abusing medicines get them from a family member or friend, including the home medicine cabinet, and often without their knowledge.
For more information, contact Mission Viejo Police Services at 949-470-8433. Information about other take back locations is available here.
Tickets are now available for the Rose Society of Saddleback Mountain’s annual “Elegant and Enchanting Garden Tour” on Saturday, May 7.
Garden enthusiasts will have the chance to tour four picturesque and unique gardens in south Orange County from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“California Garden” is the theme of this year’s Elegant and Enchanting Garden Tour that will take patrons into the hills of San Clemente and to a quaint cottage in San Juan Capistrano.
Advance tickets are $25 and are available athttp://rosesrosesroses.org. On tour day, the price is $30.
A portion of the tour’s proceeds will sponsor plant science and horticulture college scholarships.
For more information, call 949-837-2141.
If you haven’t yet made plans for Saturday, April 23, mark your calendar to see a world-renowned musician in Mission Viejo.
Finger-style guitarist extraordinaire Richard Smith will perform in the Lord of the Strings concert at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber at 200 Civic Center.
From Bach to Beatles and barn-burners to ballads, Richard delivers a performance like nobody you’ve ever seen. His ever-growing repertoire includes Scott Joplin rags, Sousa marches, Chopin, Mozart and fiddle tunes. It ranges from jazz standards to Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed to Django Reinhardt gypsy swing, not to mention intriguing original music. He delivers both lightning fast barn-burners and beautiful ballads, occasionally spiced with his signature vocals.
A Nashville resident, Richard tours the world as a solo artist, studio musician and honored band member to a long list of famous music stars.
Tickets are $30 are available by calling 949-842-2227 or at the door.
Two vacant buildings on the southeast corner of Marguerite Parkway at Avery Parkway will be demolished sometime this summer to make way for the GreenStreet Center.
Green Street Development, LLC is moving forward with plans to build a new two-story commercial center at 28662 Marguerite Parkway. Construction drawings were submitted to the City this week for a 15,709-square-foot building and parking garage with an “eco-friendly” auto spa on the lower level. When completed, the project will include a mix of retail, services, professional offices and restaurants.
For more information, visithttp://www.greenstreetdevelopments.com.
Incredible young artists will be recognized on Sunday, May 1 during the Arts Alive Festival for their inventive artwork that’s on display at the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center.
The students’ work is part of Youth Art Month, administered by the Council for Art Education, which celebrates visual arts for grades K-12. The Youth Art Month program emphasizes the value of art education for all children and encourages support for quality school art programs.
The students will be feted at a special 4:30 p.m. reception hosted by the Mission Viejo Friends of the Arts inside the community center during the City’s Arts Alive Festival.
Celebrating the art and culture of the 1990s, the festival is from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1 at the Oso Viejo Community Park on the Village Green at 24932 Veterans Way.
Along with talented young artists, festival-goers will enjoy watching street painters transform the blacktop into magnificent works; arts and crafts; musical and dance performances as well as tasty fare, a beer-and-wine garden and much more.
A shuttle bus will be available from the Civic Center at 200 Civic Center from noon to 6 p.m. on both days.
Volunteers are sought to help with different roles during Arts Alive. To join our volunteer team, complete the online volunteer application here or email MVEventVolunteer@cityofmissionviejo.org with your name, contact information and availability.
For more information about Arts Alive, visit http://www.cityofmissionviejo.org/artsalivefestival.
The public will have an opportunity on April 24 to donate their used clothes or electronic waste for a great cause.
The City will host a Clothing Fundraiser and E-Waste Recycling event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 24 in the City Hall parking lot at 200 Civic Center.
Clothes, shoes, blankets, quilts, bedspreads, gloves, hats, purses, sheets and towels, stuffed animals and decorative rugs in any condition are all sought for recycling through Clothes for the Cause.
Folks can also drop off computers; laptops; monitors; keyboards; copiers; fax machines; ink and toner cartridges; MP3 players; cell phones; printers; scanners; hard drives; cables and cords; and other electronics for recycling by Beachside Recycling.
All proceeds will benefit Relay for Life of Mission Viejo, a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society.
For more information, contact Denise Matson at dmatson@cityofmissionviejo.org or 949-470-3010.
Art lovers rejoice: The Mission Viejo Library is showcasing the 17th annual Spring Reflections Juried Art Show at 100 Civic Center.
The artists represented in the exhibit are known for their creative styles and subject matter – landscapes, still life and portraits – expressed through watercolors, oil and acrylic paintings and mixed-media artwork.
The Saddleback Art League is a nonprofit organization devoted to providing educational, networking, social and promotional opportunities for its members.
The exhibit will be on display through May 20. For more information, call 949-470-8440.
Kelly Tokarski
Public Information Specialist
City of Mission Viejo
