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Don’t miss the chance to have your artwork displayed in Mission Viejo’s new “Parkway Gallery.”
In July the City unveiled Orange County’s first art gallery enjoyable by car, the “Parkway Gallery.” Viewable along Crown Valley Parkway, these 16 pilasters in the median islands display changeable exhibits that the City will replace every 3-4 months. The first exhibit will remain until October and the City is encouraging the public to submit photographs for the second exhibit, “THE SPIRIT OF THANKFULNESS & CARING.” This new showing will feature photos from residents, so be sure to capture your impressions of Thankfulness and Caring in Mission Viejo and send them to the City’s website at http://cityofmissionviejo.org/uploads. These photographs will remain on display during the holiday months from November to January.
The deadline to submit photos is Friday, October 1, 2009. Please see the City website for additional details or to download a flier and waiver on the City’s website.
For more information, please call the Recreation and Community Services Department at (949) 470-3061 or send an email to recreation@cityofmissionviejo.org.
Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 1, local small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs can take advantage of free, weekly SCORE Counseling.
A resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE is a national nonprofit organization committed to the growth and development of small business. Since 1964 they have proffered advice and counseling to millions of entrepreneurs and will be conducting sessions at the Mission Viejo Library’s Study Room E on business start-ups, marketing, budgeting, customer service and more.
Sign up for one-hour appointments on Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. by calling (714) 550-7369 and for more information visit the website of the Orange County SCORE at www.SCORE114.org.
A new series of Lord of the Strings concerts is set to begin, and the season-opening show on Saturday, Sept. 5 will feature the internationally-revered guitar master Stephen Bennett.
Widely known for captivating performances with the harp guitar, an instrument he inherited from his great-grandfather, Stephen Bennett is also a slide guitar virtuoso on his 1930 National resophonic steel guitar. Audiences throughout the world have raved of Stephen Bennett’s versatile musicianship and stage-presence, and before embarking on a tour of Japan he will be performing in Mission Viejo.
This special concert begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Mission Viejo Civic Center, 200 Civic Center. Tickets are $20 and available by calling (949) 842-2227 or visiting www.lordofthestrings.com. For more information, please contact Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center at (949) 470-3062.
Appearing at the Sept. 12 Mission Viejo Readers’ Festival – among the more than two dozen authors, illustrators, and entertainers – will be bestselling author and former White House counsel John Dean.
Since serving as White House counsel to Richard Nixon, John Dean has authored a number of books on Washington including Broken Government and last year’s On Goldwater. His bestselling memoir of the Watergate era, Blind Ambition, has newly been republished with an up-to-date accounting of the events.
John Dean will be speaking from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Sycamore Room of the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center.
This free City event, sponsored by the Friends of the Mission Viejo Library, takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on the Village Green and Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center.
In addition to “Bringing Books to Life,” the Mission Viejo Readers’ Festival is serving as a way to support those less fortunate, as representatives of the South Orange County Food Bank will be present to accept donated canned or non-perishable food items.
More information on John Dean and all of the authors, illustrators, entertainers, and food vendors is available at www.mvreadersfestival.org.
Appearing at the Sept. 12 Mission Viejo Readers’ Festival – among the more than two dozen authors, illustrators, and entertainers – will be bestselling and critically-acclaimed author Lisa See.
While exploring the heritage of China and of her own family, Lisa See has authored the internationally noted works On Gold Mountain: The One Hundred Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, and the current Los Angeles Times bestseller Shanghai Girls. Her books have been translated to over thirty different languages, received numerous awards, and several motion picture studios have purchased their film rights.
Lisa See will be the opening headliner and speaking from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the Sycamore Room of the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center.
This free City event, sponsored by the Friends of the Mission Viejo Library, takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on the Village Green and Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center.
In addition to “Bringing Books to Life,” the Mission Viejo Readers’ Festival is serving as a way to support those less fortunate, as representatives of the South Orange County Food Bank will be present to accept donated canned or non-perishable food items.
More information on Lisa See and all of the authors, illustrators, entertainers, and food vendors is available at www.mvreadersfestival.org.
Nearly record high temperatures have been predicted for Orange County over the next several days, according to the National Weather Service, and residents are encouraged to take precautions in order to prevent heat-related illnesses.
“The current forecast calls for hotter than average high temperatures extending through the weekend,” notes Dr. Eric Handler, Orange County Health Officer. To help combat the temperature surges, the Norman P. Murray Community & Senior Center and the Mission Viejo Library are designated cooling centers for the public and residents may visit these facilities during their regular hours. The Norman P. Murray Center is open on Friday and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and on Sunday 12:00 to 8:00 p.m. The Mission Viejo Library is open Friday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday 12:00 to 5:00 p.m.
For more information, contact Public Services at (949) 470-3064, the Norman P. Murray Center at (949) 470-3062, or the Mission Viejo Public Library at (949) 830-7100.
Please use the following link for information on recommended precautions from the County of Orange Health Care Agency:
http://www.ochealthinfo.com/press/2009/2009-08-26.pdf
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has issued an Endangered Missing Person alert for a woman who was last known to be in Mission Viejo.
Fatima Shah was last seen at her group home on the 22000 block of Valdivia, Mission Viejo on Aug. 27 at 11:00 p.m. Ms. Shah has the mental age of a six year old and has various illnesses that require daily medications. It is believed that she is on foot in the South Orange County area.
Ms. Shah is 26 years old, 5 feet 1 inch, 110 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing jean Capri pants with white Sketchers tennis shoes.
For more information, please see the attached Special Bulletin at this link.
Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Fatima Shah is asked to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at (714) 647-7055 or (714) 628-7170.
Mission Viejo is in the process of implementing a new tool to help combat crime.
The City will launch the Tracking Automated and Graffiti Reporting System (TAGRS) to reduce graffiti as part of a public service effort to improve the quality of life for residents. The Sheriff’s Department’s system helps investigators identify and prosecute graffiti suspects.
The system allows City Public Services employees to use cell phones equipped with cameras and global-positioning devices to document and track graffiti and the cost to remove it. The information is sent automatically to the TAGRS database, which serves as an investigative aid in graffiti crimes. When vandals are identified, the database is used to determine if they have committed other graffiti crimes. The free program can help cities with seeking restitution.
Costs associated with graffiti are significant – an estimated $12 billion a year is spent across the nation cleaning up graffiti, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Graffiti contributes to lost revenue associated with reduced ridership on transit systems, reduced retail sales and declines in property value. It also generates the perception of blight.
Like many readers, Jake and Lilly Grant just can’t wait until the doors open at the City of Mission Viejo Library. With access to their favorite books, DVDs, and use of the library’s free computers, it’s easy to see why the library is a cool place to spend the hot days of summer — and this week DVD fans will find even more reasons.
Patrons who stop by the Mission Viejo Library between Thursday, Aug. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 5 will be able to check out up to five entertainment DVDs on their library cards, and also check out new-release Rental DVDs with no limit. Relax this Labor Day weekend with a selection of DVDs from the library.
The Mission Viejo Library is open Monday to Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and on Friday 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Normal hours on Saturday are from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The library will be closed for the Labor Day holiday on Sunday, Sept. 6 and Monday, Sept. 7, and closed for the Mission Viejo Readers’ Festival on Saturday, Sept. 12.
For more information on the Mission Viejo Library’s programs and services, visit www.cmvl.org.
Presentations by bestselling authors Dean Koontz and Henry Winkler at the Sept. 12, 2009 Mission Viejo Readers’ Festival are expected to be very popular – and the only way to gain your entry will be to receive a wristband from the “Welcome” booth.
These free wristbands will be distributed beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the Friends of the Mission Viejo Library “Welcome” booth, located by the entrance of the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center. The wristbands will be limited to one per person, and are only available to the first 500 attendees for each event on a first-come-first-served basis. There will be two line-ups at the “Welcome” booth, one line for the Dean Koontz talk and one for the Henry Winkler event, and in order to see both presentations each person will need to get a wristband from each line.
Both events will be in the Sycamore Room of the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center. Henry Winkler will be speaking from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. and Dean Koontz will be presenting from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.
The Mission Viejo Readers’ Festival, a free City event sponsored by the Friends of the Mission Viejo Library, takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Village Green and Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center.
In addition to “Bringing Books to Life,” the Mission Viejo Readers’ Festival is serving as a way to support those less fortunate, as representatives of the South Orange County Food Bank will be present to accept donated canned or non-perishable food items.
More information on the speaking schedule, authors, illustrators, entertainers, and food vendors is available at www.mvreadersfestival.org.
