1. Newport Beach will host its 4th Annual Disaster Preparedness Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Central Library. The free event is open to all Newport Beach residents and will feature booths with information on disaster preparedness and first aid, and disaster preparedness kits will be available for purchase. For more information call (949) 644-3112. The library is located at 1000 Avocado Ave.
2. Celebrate California Coastal Cleanup Day from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Crystal Cove State Park and be part of a global event with nearly 100 participating countries. The park’s $15 day-use fee will be waived for volunteers who arrive between 8:30 and 11 a.m., and you should meet at Pelican Point parking lot #4 or the Reef Point parking lot. Bring water, sunscreen, closed-toe shoes and a hat, and plan to bring your own trash bags (recycled if possible) as well as buckets and garden trowels. Volunteers throughout the state are expected to collect thousands of pounds of trash and recycling that would otherwise end up in the ocean. For more information call (949) 497-7647. For other Orange County cleanup opportunities on Saturday, click here.
3. Roger’s Gardens will host “Basics of Garden Design with Cristin Fusano” from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday. Fusano is a garden designer and horticulturist who will discuss “structure/back bone plantings” as well as foliage color, shape, texture and more. Roger’s also will host food trucks, featuring California Grill on Saturday and SoHo Tacos on Sunday. Check out the Halloween Boutique while you’re there. Roger’s Gardens is located at 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road.
4. Taste of Newport — a three-day food, wine and music festival — will begin at 6 p.m. tonight and run through Sunday. The event, held near Fashion Island on Newport Center Drive, features food from 35 local restaurants and wines from 15 SoCal wineries, as well as beer and cocktails and cooking demonstrations. Musical acts include Andy Grammer on Friday, Blondie and Devo on Saturday and Roger Hodgson: The Legendary Voice of Supertramp on Sunday, along with other performers. The event ends at 11 p.m. tonight and will be open from 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. General admission costs $25 per person at the door, and food bites cost from $1 to $7, and parking is free. For full details, visit the event’s website.
5. The Tunnel to Towers – Newport Beach 5K Race will take place Sunday at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina at 1131 Back Bay Drive. The race is part of a nationwide tribute to Stephen Siller, a New York City firefighter who died in the Sept. 11 attacks, and 50 percent of proceeds will go to Building For America’s Bravest, an organization that helps build custom homes for severely wounded combat veterans, and the other 50 percent will be donated to the First Battalion, First Marines Foundation. The 1/1 is Newport Beach’s adopted battalion and members are currently deployed in Afghanistan. Registration costs $40 for anyone older than 12 years old and includes a t-shirt, and $20 for active-duty military members and their families. Registration begins at 7 a.m. and the race starts at 8 a.m. For more information or to register, visit the event’s website.
