Fish

A fter the baseball or soccer game this weekend, take the family to Lions Park for the 63rd Fish Fry sponsored by the Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club. Besides deep-fried cod and fries, there will be hamburgers, hot dogs, apple pie, popcorn, sodas and more. There will be a baby contest, a variety of music from the main stage and good old family fun carnival rides and games for kids of all ages. Saturday's activities begin at noon and go until 9 p.m., while Sunday's activities begin at noon and go until 6:30 p.m. or when all the fish are gone!

The 63rd annual Fish Fry sponsored by the Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club will take place Saturday and Sunday at Lions Park, which is located on 18th Street between Park and Anaheim avenues.     The event, which features music, games, raffles and activities, raises money for schools, clubs and non-profit organizations. The schedule of events is as follows:   Today Noon to 1 p.m.: Opening and Davis Choir 1–2 p.m.: CMHS Jazz Band 2– 3 p.m.: SOY Youth Group 3-4 p.m.: Endeavor School of the Arts 4– 4:30 p.m.: Raffle 5– 8 p.m.: The Fabulous Nomads 8–8:30 p.m.: Raffle   Sunday Noon – 1:30 p.m.: Lou Larocco’s Music 1:30 – 2 p.m.: Cheer Groups 2-3 p.m. BABY CONTEST 3– 4 p.m.: Starlight Stage Group 4– 4:30 p.m.: Raffle 4– 6 p.m.: Avalon Highway 6– 8 p.m.: Latino Band 8– 8:30 p.m.: Raffle

The two fishermen who hauled a massive black sea bass to shore at the Balboa Pier pleaded guilty Wednesday and were sentenced to 120 hours of community service. They had faced up to six months in jail for catching the endangered species. Prosecutors had charged the two with misdemeanor possession of a black sea bass after they were videotaped with the fish, and their images landed on YouTube . Orange County Commissioner Richard E. Pacheco agreed to the plea bargain, which reduced their violation to an infraction.

An animal rights activist wants a memorial erected on a street corner where 1,600 pounds of live fish died in a three-vehicle crash, but an Irvine official says there are no plans to put up such a sign. Dina Kourda, a volunteer with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, wrote to the Irvine Public Works Department to request that a sign be placed at the intersection of Walnut and Yale avenues to honor the lives of the fish -- believed to be saltwater bass -- lost in the accident.

In human terms, the three-vehicle crash in Irvine was casualty free. But as for the 1,600 pounds of live fish that sloshed onto the roadway after a truck flipped over Thursday, well, that's another story. The load of life fish, which authorities believed to be saltwater bass, spilled near the intersection of Walnut and Yale avenues in front of a local firehouse, said Capt. Marc Stone of the Orange County Fire Authority. Stone said the fish -- estimated to be worth roughly $13,000 -- were stored in large tanks that cracked open, and when firefighters opened the back of the truck, many of the fish spilled out, some dead and others still flopping around.

The Orange County Fair is still more than a month away, but Costa Mesa residents got a taste of carnival fun Saturday at the annual Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club Fish Fry. The event, which continues today at Lions Park, 567 W. 18th St. in Costa Mesa, is the club's major fundraiser for local charities such as the Boys and Girls Club and the Costa Mesa Senior Center, said club president treasurer Raul Jara. The event has raised about $2 million since its beginning, Jara said.

Kids don’t generally enjoy long sermons and Communion wafers, and some older people might get a little impatient around a bunch of rowdy children, but it all comes together like a chorus after church Fridays at the weekly fish bake. At least that is the philosophy behind the long-standing Lenten tradition at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic church in Newport Beach, where parishioners serve fried cod and baked ono each meatless Friday during the 40-day period leading up to Easter.

Jennifer Kho COSTA MESA -- This year's Fish Fry remains imperiled, but the Lions Club and the city's Special Events Committee have not yet given up hope. "We're optimistic," Lions Club member Mike Scheafer said Thursday. "They understand our concerns, we understand their concerns and hopefully we can work this thing out." Between 10 and 12 Lions Club and Special Events Committee members met for two hours Wednesday to brainstorm ways to keep the Fish Fry from flopping this year.

Mathis Winkler NEWPORT BEACH -- Pulling the "Patriot" into her spot just north off the ferry on Balboa Peninsula at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Captain Jim Reed said the fish were still hiding. "It's pretty slow -- we just caught about 15 sculpins and eight rockfish," said Reed, who skippers one of Newport Landing's ships and takes people out on the ocean to fish. "But it should start picking up real quick." Reed's own love affair with fishing began at age 3, when his father took him along to freshwater lakes and streams in his native Pennsylvania.

Jennifer Kho COSTA MESA -- City Hall has a group of new inhabitants -- bettas. The little blue, red or gold fighting fish have been spending their time swimming around in vases, nibbling algae off plant roots and generally brightening up the city employees' days. "That's Buddy," said Ruth Delaney, administrative secretary for the city clerk's office, pointing to her betta. "Everybody loves [the vases] here. They are beautiful, and I love Buddy. About six weeks ago, I saw him up there in the recreation area, said 'I want him' and took him right out of there.

The 66th annual Fish Fry and Carnival will take place May 31 through June 2 at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa. The three-day event will include the traditional world-famous $10 fish dinners, hamburgers, hot dogs, desserts, the annual cute baby contest, opportunity drawings, wine and beer. New for 2013 is the partnership with the Costa Mesa Community Run on Sunday the 2nd, and in celebration of the City of Costa Mesa's 60th anniversary. Friday night, May 31, has been designated as Costa Mesa night.

It was almost midnight when someone spotted the banana. Word on the boat spread quickly. Guys in the back corner were snacking on a bunch, people said, but it was unclear if they threw the talismanic fruit overboard. No matter - the damage had already been done. The Western Pride - a no-nonsense, 76-foot Ditmar that had taken off from Davey's Locker Sportfishing and Whale Watching in Newport Harbor about five hours earlier Wednesday evening - was headed back to port without having hooked a single squid.

Twenty-five years ago, Wing Lam's hair was shorter and the fish taco restaurant he co-founded was brand new. These days, however, Wahoo's Fish Taco is a household brand, with 64 stores in seven states, that continues to spread its fins. All that started in 1988 in Costa Mesa's Westside. The founders of the first Wahoo's restaurant at 1862 Placentia Ave. had an idea: Combine Mexican, Brazilian and Asian cuisine, give it all a North Shore vibe, and get a hungry surf community involved.

An animal rights activist wants a memorial erected on a street corner where 1,600 pounds of live fish died in a three-vehicle crash, but an Irvine official says there are no plans to put up such a sign. Dina Kourda, a volunteer with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, wrote to the Irvine Public Works Department to request that a sign be placed at the intersection of Walnut and Yale avenues to honor the lives of the fish -- believed to be saltwater bass -- lost in the accident.

In human terms, the three-vehicle crash in Irvine was casualty free. But as for the 1,600 pounds of live fish that sloshed onto the roadway after a truck flipped over Thursday, well, that's another story. The load of life fish, which authorities believed to be saltwater bass, spilled near the intersection of Walnut and Yale avenues in front of a local firehouse, said Capt. Marc Stone of the Orange County Fire Authority. Stone said the fish -- estimated to be worth roughly $13,000 -- were stored in large tanks that cracked open, and when firefighters opened the back of the truck, many of the fish spilled out, some dead and others still flopping around.

A drumline and cheerleaders welcomed six visiting Japanese exchange students to Corona del Mar Middle School on Friday. An assembly in a packed gymnasium recognized the visitors from Okazaki. The Japanese students are taking their turn in the U.S. after hosting Newport Beach students over the summer. They leave on Monday for San Francisco. The visiting delegation wrote in calligraphy, shared their dreams and performed traditional dance. Japanese student Yuta Ohura sang the U.S. national anthem for the first time.

A Newport Beach man's painted impression of his wife's Jewish cooking won him first place in the professional category at a recent Jewish art competition. Max Yamada placed first in the My Jewish Journey contest at the Merage Jewish Community Center of Orange County for his painting "Jo's Gefilte Fish. " The painting, created with a painting knife, reflects Yamada's culinary Jewish journey by showing his wife, Jolyn Yamada, preparing a gefilte fish meal. For the painting, Yamada took a photo of his wife making the food.

While beachgoers lounging on the shore can typically see pelicans plunge into the water for fish, it was Newport Beach's Animal Control officers who did the hunting for about 40 hungry birds last weekend. Animal Control brought 200 pounds of fish to the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center, which was close to running out of food after being inundated with young, injured and starving pelicans this season, said Wildlife Director Debbie McGuire. Storms in Mexico and warmer water can drive fish favored by the birds into deeper, cooler waters, where only more skilled hunters can scoop them up, she said.

A 65-year-old tradition turned a new page Saturday with Fairview Park in Costa Mesa hosting the annual Fish Fry and Carnival. To some, it was a tradition broken, but for past Lions Club president Jim Ferryman, every deep fryer has a silver lining. "I think that it's going to be good this year," Ferryman, 63, said. "And in the long run, this is a better venue. There is room to expand and we'll be able to fine tune the event itself. " Past years saw the Fish Fry at Lions Park - named for the Lions Club, which hosts the annual event - but city officials asked the club to relocate for fear that the newly renovated Davis Field would be damaged by the carnival rides, Ferryman said.