Newport Celebrates 30th Anniversary with Sister City
In honor of the 30-year Sister City relationship between Newport Beach and Okazaki, Japan, the Newport Beach Sister Cities Association will host a ceremony and reception on Tuesday, October 14 at 11 a.m. in the Bamboo Courtyard at the Central Library, 1000 Avocado Avenue.
Mayor Rush Hill, Sister Cities Newport Beach President Liddy Paulsen and other City officials will welcome Mayor Uchida of Okazaki and the delegation of 32 dignitaries from Okazaki that will be visiting Newport Beach.
To commemorate the occasion, a statue of Shogun Tokugawa, a gift from Okazaki Sister Cities, will be unveiled and blessed as a symbol of friendship between the City of Newport Beach and the City of Okazaki.
The ceremony will conclude with a traditional Japanese dance, Crane and Turtle, which celebrates joy and longevity, performed by Kyoko Kamio.
The public is invited to share in this celebration and attend the reception following the event. Light refreshments will be served.
The Newport Beach Sister City Association is a non-profit, volunteer organization which endeavors to promote international communication, understanding, education and friendship between the people of Newport Beach and the people of foreign cities.
For more information, contact Cultural Arts Services at (949) 717-3801 or visit the website at newportbeachca.gov/culturalarts under Sister Cities.
Santas to Crawl the Peninsula
Christmas is coming. And one of the first signs of the season will be the 3rd Annual Newport Beach Santa Crawl on Dec. 13 on the peninsula.
Newport Beach based event production company, Expo 4 Life, is hosting the festive event. Funds will benefit the Eli Home, an Anaheim-based organization that helps abused women and children. The event also includes a toy drive.
The crawl starts at 1 p.m. at Malarky’s Irish Pub, then makes stops at Newport Brew Co., Avilas Mi Ranchito and American Junkie before finishing at 6 p.m.
Organizers are expecting more than 300 participants, who are encouraged to dress as Santa, Mrs. Claus, Santa’s helper, reindeer or in other festive costumes.
The event will feature music, games, giveaways and a costume contest.
For more information, visit expo4life.com/santacrawlnb.
Bungalow Owners Buy Laguna Restaurant
Jim Walker and Louie Feinstein, owners of The Bungalow restaurant in Corona del Mar, have acquired The House of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer, and will rename the popular Laguna Beach restaurant Big Fish Tavern effective Nov. 1.
The deal announced Thursday, Oct. 9, saves the planned closure of the restaurant, which was previously owned by Casa Resorts Inc., operators of hotel properties in Anaheim and Laguna Beach. Casa Resorts planned to close the restaurant that has 50 employees sometime this month.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to add Big Fish Tavern to our restaurant portfolio and look forward to continuing to serve this innovative casual seafood menu to both the residents of Laguna Beach as well as visiting tourists during the summer season,” Walker and Feinstein said in a joint statement.
Walker and Feinstein plan to update the signage, interior décor and patio, as well as add a new craft cocktail menu.
