Borders Books

1. PARTY STREET: The 3300 block of Bristol Street could easily be renamed Party Street. Borders Books, Music & Cafe at South Coast Plaza will kick off a two-day reopening celebration and fund-raiser from 7 to 9 p.m. today in conjunction with the Bridge of Gardens debut festivities, which will continue through Oct. 8. The store is at 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa. (714) 556-1185. 2. BE HAPPY, BE IRISH: An Irish festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the picnic grounds and Arlington Theater at the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center.

For author Taylor Brandon and illustrator Paris Sandow, impressing a child's wild imagination is the key to any great book. The duo, who self-published "The World's Greatest Children's Books," will lead story time at Borders Books, Music & Cafe in Costa Mesa today. Their collection of tales deal with animals who do the opposite of what they are known for -- a hyena that doesn't laugh, a pig that likes staying clean. The Venice Beach brothers think their stories are the "greatest" because the messages, though masked with lighthearted fun, creativity, catchy titles and illustration, get through.

STORY TIME STORY TIME AT BORDERS Story time with Miss Kathy begins at 10 a.m. Mondays at Borders, 1890 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa. Information: (949) 631-8661. PJs AND BOOKS A children's story time is presented at 7 p.m. Mondays and at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays at the Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave. Children may wear pajamas to the evening sessions. Free. Information: (949) 717-3801. SOUTH COAST STORY TIME A children's story time is held at 10 a.m. Wednesdays and 10:15 a.m. Fridays at Borders Books, Music and Café at South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa.

Borders Books, Music and Cafe will combine forces with NBC's "Today" show and VH-1 for a weeklong musical instrument drive from Monday to June 18. The event will benefit the VH-1 Save The Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes the restoration of music education programs in public schools. The Music Foundation donates new and used instruments to schools nationwide. Drop-offs can be made at any of the five Orange County Borders locations during regular store hours.

Local author Susan Hoffman will have a book discussion and sign copies of her book “Grand Wishes: Advocating to Preserve the Grandparent-Grandchild Bond” at Borders Books, 1890 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa. The event will go from 2 to 4 p.m. March 14. Assemblyman Van Tran — who introduced Assembly Bill 2517, which allows grandparents to petition the court for visitation of their grandchild after their grandchild has been adopted by a new stepparent — will be attendance.

For the week of July 29 through Aug. 4. TODAY (7/29) OUTDOOR BARBECUE Sponsored by: Santa Monica Seafood Where: Santa Monica Seafood, 154 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa When: 2 to 5 p.m. Cost: Free Contact: (949) 574-8862 COMEDY FESTIVAL Sponsored by: Orange Coast College's Repertory Where: OOC's Drama Lab Studio, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa When: 2 and 7 p.m. Cost: $5 or $6 Contact: (714) 432-5640 LEE GREENWOOD Where: Orange County Fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa When: 8 p.m. Cost: Free with fair admission ($7 for ages 13 to 54, $6 seniors 55 and older and $3 for children 6 to 12. Children 5 and younger get in free)

Send AROUND TOWN items to the Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; by e-mail to jeff.benson@latimes.com; by fax to (949) 646-4170; or by calling (949) 574-4298. Include the time, date and location of the event, as well as a contact phone number. SATURDAY Family Boat Building weekend runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and July 25 at the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum, 151 E. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. Thirty-five-member teams will construct their boats today and float them in the harbor Sunday.

Uncool adults, some say, were at one point cool kids before taking on the responsibilities of parenthood and full-time employment. But despite his age, Costa Mesan Derek Sabori never lost his “street cred,” and the cache that he holds in the eyes of children has helped him engage his kids and others in learning about energy conservation. The father of two, who spearheads Costa Mesa-based action sports apparel company Volcom’s sustainability initiatives, recently self-published an illustrated children’s book titled “Lu and the Earth Bug Crew,” where the protagonists are surfing, snowboarding bugs that fight waste and pollution.

Local author Susan Hoffman will have a book discussion and sign copies of her book “Grand Wishes: Advocating to Preserve the Grandparent-Grandchild Bond” at Borders Books, 1890 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa. The event will go from 2 to 4 p.m. March 14. Assemblyman Van Tran — who introduced Assembly Bill 2517, which allows grandparents to petition the court for visitation of their grandchild after their grandchild has been adopted by a new stepparent — will be attendance.

There are the well-known theaters of the area’s past, like the Port. Their buildings still stand, evoking easily accessed memories. And then there are the ones that live on in the minds of area residents — like the Mesa and the Paulo. The Mesa Theater was built in 1948 on Newport Boulevard at 19th Street. Local newspapers from the time hailed it for its lavishness. A year later, the Paulo Drive-in Theatre opened on the northwest corner of Newport Boulevard and Paularino Avenue.

STORY TIME STORY TIME AT BORDERS Story time with Miss Kathy begins at 10 a.m. Mondays at Borders, 1890 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa. Information: (949) 631-8661. PJs AND BOOKS A children's story time is presented at 7 p.m. Mondays and at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays at the Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave. Children may wear pajamas to the evening sessions. Free. Information: (949) 717-3801. SOUTH COAST STORY TIME A children's story time is held at 10 a.m. Wednesdays and 10:15 a.m. Fridays at Borders Books, Music and Café at South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa.

Submit AFTER HOURS items to the Daily Pilot, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626; by fax to (714) 966-4679; or by calling (714) 966-4624. TODAY 'PARIS PICTURESQUE' An exhibition of photographs by artist Barbara Higgins, "Paris Picturesque," will be on display through December at French Buckets, a florist at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Information: (800) 652-9551. DEC. 28-JAN. 2 "OLIVER!" The musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' story of an orphan who escapes a London warehouse and falls in with a gang of pickpockets will be performed at 8 p.m. at Segerstrom Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.

Send AROUND TOWN items to the Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; by e-mail to jeff.benson@latimes.com; by fax to (949) 646-4170; or by calling (949) 574-4298. Include the time, date and location of the event, as well as a contact phone number. SATURDAY Family Boat Building weekend runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and July 25 at the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum, 151 E. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. Thirty-five-member teams will construct their boats today and float them in the harbor Sunday.

TODAY 1Music players. Players restaurant is now offering live music from 9 p.m. to midnight every Friday and Saturday. Players is at 512 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa. No cover charge. (949) 646-5615. SUNDAY 2Jazz trio. Gulfstream Restaurant in Newport Beach presents a jazz trio Sunday through Wednesday as regular entertainment at 850 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach. Hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday and 6 to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. (949) 718-0188.

Young Chang The fact that a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame bears the words "Michael Bolton" as of Tuesday is "dreamlike," the star's namesake said. "It's beyond a dream," Bolton said, during a phone interview last week. "Much greater than what I could have hoped for." But the two-time Grammy-winning vocalist, author and actor -- who will perform Saturday at the Orange County Performing Arts Center -- is equally grateful for the more mundane perks of his high-profile life.

Young Chang Other Newport-Mesa venues that encourage strangers to get together to read the same book and talk about it afterward: Martha's Bookstore on Balboa Island holds a Balboa Island Book Club meeting on the first Monday of the month at the home of one of the owners, which is also on the island. Members pick a book together after finishing the one that was previously read and talked about. "And we have wine and hors d'oeuvres," said Stephanie Thomas, co-owner of the business.