Fish

The Costa Mesa Newport Harbor Lions Club will hold its 65th annual Fish Fry in a new location: Fairview Park. Admission to the two-day event to the park, 2525 Placentia Ave., on June 2 and 3 is free, while the delicious fish dinners will be served starting at noon for a cost of $10. There will be carnival rides for all ages. Vendors will be selling corn on the cob, hot dogs and burgers, delicious pies and games of chance. And there is a baby contest and entertainment on the stage.

The Costa Mesa City Council on Tuesday approved a $1,514 stipend for Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer and Councilman Steve Mensinger, who plan to attend the annual International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Las Vegas later this month. The Costa Mesa Conference and Visitors Bureau will cover the other half of the cost. The trip is part of the city's effort to attract new commercial development, especially sit-down restaurants on Harbor Boulevard, council members said.

The California Fish and Game Commission will be considering new regulations this week on fish stocking in public and private ponds, lakes and streams that, at the very least, will severely impact the recreational fishing industry in California and could possibly destroy it. Like many Californians, some of my fondest childhood memories include days on the shore of a stream or lake fishing with my dad. It is a tradition I carried on with my own...

The Orange County Sheriff's Department has not determined why a fishing boat sank over the weekend in Newport Harbor, harbor patrol officials said Monday. A vessel assist company managed to pull the 40-foot fishing trawler up and tow it to a shipyard Monday afternoon after a failed attempt Sunday night, said Sgt. John Hollenbeck. The boat, which Hollenbeck described as "derelict" and run down, was reported sinking in the harbor about 7 a.m. Sunday by eyewitnesses. Harbor patrol deputies responded and dropped a 300-foot containment boom around the area to capture the boat's leaking fluids on the water's surface.

LOS ANGELES — A Superior Court judge on Thursday denied a subpoena for old emails that Newport-Mesa Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard's defense attorney claims could clear Hubbard of criminal wrongdoing. Sal Ciulla had requested that the Beverly Hills Unified School District — where Hubbard was superintendent before coming to Newport-Mesa Unified — recover Hubbard's deleted emails because the messages could show that he acted within the law when he approved payments and a car stipend increase for a former subordinate.

David Lee Fish, a former Newport Beach reserve police officer and restaurateur, died in Corona earlier this month. He was 63. Fish lived up to his name. He owned the Pacific Coast Diner, a former West Newport eatery, from 1975 to 1985, and was remembered by friends and family as an avid fisherman and master chef who could make any dish. FOR THE RECORD: This corrects where Pacific Coast Diner was. It was in West Newport, not Mariner's Mile as originally reported. Former employee Phyllis Truesdell worked for Fish at the diner for 10 years.

Summer traditions from funnel cakes to carnival rides are in full swing this weekend at the 64th annual Lions Fish Fry & Carnival. Families filled Costa Mesa's Lions Park on Saturday for the fundraiser, which included the famous $10 fish dinner, raffles, live music and games. Mike Scheafer, Costa Mesa Newport Harbor Lions Club board member and Fish Fry chairman, said 10,000 to 15,000 people were expected over the course of the weekend event, which continues Sunday. "This is the biggest community event in Costa Mesa," Scheafer said.

Sixty-four years is a long time. That's how long Costa Mesa's annual Lions Fish Fry & Carnival has been around, and it is in full swing and full sizzle this weekend. But do not delay, dawdle or procrastinate, because Sunday is the last chance for fish fry fanatics to do their annual deep-fried, carnival ride, kewpie doll-stuffed panda thing. In addition to the extreme fun factor, the Fish Fry raises about $50,000 for the Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club, which supports a boatload of great organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs, Sea Scouts, various schools and the Home for Washed Up Italian-American Mayors.

Maybe it's the super-secret ingredient in the fish batter, but something keeps locals coming back year after year — 64 years to date. The annual Lions Fish Fry & Carnival is set for this weekend, so club members are busy wrangling thousands of pounds of potatoes, fish and cole slaw into place. Organizers try to walk a tightrope between tradition and change. "There are a lot of new carnival rides, and we've got a lot of really good entertainment on the stage," Costa Mesa native and Lions Club board member Mike Scheafer said.

COSTA MESA — Two boat shows will combine to kick off the summer sport fishing and boating season at a two-day event hosted by Pacific Coast Sportfishing Magazine and the Southern California Marina Assn. The Newport Beach based-Pacific Coast Sportfishing Magazine held its first Saltwater Sportfishing Festival in June at the Orange County Fairgrounds. On May 21 and 22, the festival will merge with the Orange County Boat Show, at the fairgrounds. The boat show, now in its 40th year, is returning to Costa Mesa after a stretch in Anaheim.