Summer Camp

Families interested in giving their children a chance to get deeper into nature over the summer can attend an informational meeting Saturday. The Environmental Nature Center is hosting a Summer Nature Camp Open House from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1601 E. 16th St. in Newport Beach. Families can learn about the different camps, walk nature trails and participate in activities like making a volcano, a cloud in a jar and launching a poppin' rocket. Families can also visit the Butterfly House and get up close to reptiles, amphibians, arthropods and mammals.

The Costa Mesa High School Cheer squads just returned back from their summer camp at UCSB. Both squads learned new materials, challenged themselves on harder stunting and bonded as a new team. The girls out did themselves and dominated the competition in the evaluations and competitions. The varsity team consisting of Captains: Brianna Endo, Lauren Borboa and Ally Krikorian, Chelsea Liebel, Sara Tith, Teagan La Bare, Bree La Bare, Bree Arellano, Jenny Huebner, Cierra Fullmer, Kelsey Finch, Katie Weber, Krystal Fisk, Charlene Hack, Elainne Huaong, Patricia Cruz and Yazzy Tyler Won CAMP CHAMPS, all superior ribbons on their evaluations, LArge Superior Trophy, spirit sticks every night, top banana and the special spirit stick called the Smooth Moves Stick that only 5 schools were awarded throughout the entire nation this summer at UCA camps.

Twenty or so kids at Crystal Cove Park are getting a taste of what it’s like to live off the land this week, as Program Director Jacque Tahuka-Nunez teaches them from her own experiences and heritage as a member of the Juaneno Band of Mission Indians. “Our camp is one that focuses on the history of Orange County and the amazing lifestyle of our ancestors,” she said. A ninth-generation descendant of the Rios family — which played a critical role in the building of the San Juan Capistrano Mission — Tahuka-Nunez places a great emphasis on history.

No good deed goes unpunished, right? That clearly was the case Thursday in Newport Beach as 15 professionals ended up behind bars, with $1,000 or more bail staring them in their jail-hardened faces. They had been caught by police, some were handcuffed, and all were read their Miranda rights. Fortunately for them, their jail was at the Tommy Bahama Cafe and Emporium, and their bail was going to the Muscular Dystrophy Assn. And their Miranda rights told them they could call as many friends as possible to help raise the bail.

Marisa O'Neil A summer camp with a mission hit the streets this weekend to clean up local communities. More than 1,600 teenagers taking part in a summer camp through Soul Survivor Ministries went to Costa Mesa and Santa Ana on Saturday to pick up trash, clear weeds and paint fences in run-down or neglected areas. The cleanup was a culmination of a five-day summer camp at Newport Dunes last week. "I'm glad that we're helping out children that are needy," 15-year-old Costa Mesa resident Michael Jugan said.

Dressed in black and white prisoner's garb, Irrelevant Week founder Paul Salata found himself in the slammer Thursday. Salata was one of 15 local professionals who were hauled into a makeshift jail Thursday at the Tommy Bahama Cafe and Emporium. Once in custody, the convicts had their mug shots taken and were allowed to call friends and ask for "bail," which was donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Assn. After he was processed, Salata said jokingly that he has been arrested "a couple times here but a lot of times elsewhere.

GETTING INVOLVED runs periodically in the Daily Pilot on a rotating basis. For information on adding your organization to this list, call (949) 574-4298. BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA INC. Volunteer opportunities for the Orange County Council include fund-raising, program development and training to existing troops and packs. (714) 546-4990. BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF NEWPORT-MESA The three area clubs need volunteer coaches and arts and crafts workshop teachers.

"No school and no homework." ANGIE RODRIGUEZ, 12 Costa Mesa "Summer camp, because I get to meet new people and do fun things." KIARA MORA, 11 Costa Mesa "I like the free time to go camping, swimming or go to the beach." SINDY RAMIREZ, 12 Costa Mesa "Surfing in Huntington Beach, because it is fun and relaxing." WES LECLAY, 12 Costa Mesa "I like staying up late and doing whatever you want." PEE DEE MUNIGUIA, 11 Costa Mesa "Going to the pool and to the beach, because it's fun and you go with your friends."

A Costa Mesa group hosts beach cleanup About 70 students from local high schools joined a Costa Mesa environmental group's effort to clean up trash at the mouth of the Santa Ana River on Dec. 7. Earth Resource Foundation, based in Costa Mesa, sponsored the "Human Broom Beach Cleanup" event. Students and group leaders met at Huntington State Beach, at Brookhurst Street and Pacific Coast Highway, at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and began picking up trash from the sand.

Lolita Harper Welcome to Hulaville, Costa Mesa. Population: about 20. City motto: Have fun and make some money. Hulaville is a little society that exists in the confines of Girls Inc. in Costa Mesa. It is part of the summer camp program "Youth Empowerment and Self-Sufficiency," which is designed to teach the girls how to manage their own businesses. Hulaville is the proud home of a nail salon, a jewelry/snow cone store, candy store, a tattoo parlor and a games shop, program counselor Sandra Asencia said.

Families interested in giving their children a chance to get deeper into nature over the summer can attend an informational meeting Saturday. The Environmental Nature Center is hosting a Summer Nature Camp Open House from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1601 E. 16th St. in Newport Beach. Families can learn about the different camps, walk nature trails and participate in activities like making a volcano, a cloud in a jar and launching a poppin' rocket. Families can also visit the Butterfly House and get up close to reptiles, amphibians, arthropods and mammals.

Camp James, an Orange County summertime staple in Irvine, is moving to Newport Beach to make way for the development of new apartments. The popular children's summer day camp will call the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina home when it opens for the summer. "We are very excited that our camp is relocating to the Newport Dunes," camp co-Director Scottie Roach wrote in an email. "We loved our home of 27 years, but we are thrilled to call the Newport Dunes our new home!

It is one of the most passionate charity events on the Orange Coast. The Muscular Dystrophy Assn.'s annual Gift of Hope Gala raised more than $430,000 at its 16th annual celebration earlier this summer. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens was honored as the MDA's Woman of the Year. More than 250 dedicated donors, led by event Chairman Frank DiBella and National Goodwill Ambassador and performer Abbey Umali , converged upon the Island Hotel in Newport Beach to raise funds needed to sponsor MDA programs, most notably its Summer Camp programs.

COSTA MESA — Taio Cruz' radio hit "Dynamite" set the rhythm to shake it. A small group of soon-to-be first-graders shook their stuff and a small plastic bottle filled with toilet paper and water as they made paper pulp. The shaking was just the first step to making paper — a process that includes using small screens to drain it and press it, and sponges to absorb any extra water. The science experiment was one of a series on paper and wood the kindergarten class had completed.

Fledgling fashionistas can learn the sewing and design basics, or hone their skills, at fashion-centered summer camps. Orange Coast College is hosting three camps for kids ranging from 9 to 15 years old with beginning to intermediate sewing skills. Camps are from 9:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday starting with Summer T-shirt, July 11 to 14; Rags to Riches, July 18 to 21; and Pretty in Pajamas, July 25 to 28. Each camp is $99 plus a $15 materials fee. To register call (714)

Kids interested in rockets, spies, mad scientists or chess have a place to explore their passion this summer. Orange Coast College is hosting half- and full-day weeklong summer camps on campus for 6- to 12-year-old children. The Mad Scientist's Laboratory session begins the week of June 27, July 18 and Aug. 8; the Rockin' Rockets and Aerodynamics session, July 11 and Aug. 1; and the Super Secret Spy Lab session, July 5 and July 25. All three science camp sessions run from 9 a.m. to noon.

CORONA DEL MAR — It was a sort of passing of the torch – make that a baton – from one generation to the next. The Corona del Mar High School's Sea Kings dominated the gymnasium floor on Thursday as dozens of varsity and junior varsity cheerleaders performed alongside elementary school children in what has become a popular fundraising event for the squads. Varsity and junior varsity coaches Lauren Anderson and Cami Marseilles had a full day organizing the event while throngs of proud parents looked on from the sidelines of the gym. It was quite the scene as tykes performed stunts in sync with the older, more experienced cheerleaders.

Summer is here, and with the help of the Newport Beach Public Library, you will never be bored! Escape the summer sun by enjoying one of the many available entertainments provided to you by the library for free. To start, be sure to pick up a good book to read (I'm a librarian; I can't help but think of books first!). The library has regular resources available for your enjoyment; check out our special events and programs specifically for summer. The summer reading programs for adults, teens, and children have started with full force.

"My father, who was the funniest man I ever knew, told me early in my career to always leave my audience with something warm and meaningful at the end of the show," said comedic legend Jerry Lewis, fronting the "Gift of Hope" annual gala Saturday night at the Island Hotel, in Newport Beach. He continued, "So permit me to leave you with this thought. A friend in need…is a pest." The audience roared. It was the conclusion of a half hour of impromptu, non-stop laughter, courtesy of a man who, for more than half a century, has done at least two amazing things in life: kept the world laughing hysterically at his antics and, more significantly, as the voice of hope for the Muscular Dystrophy Assn.

Twelve-year-old Christopher Camarillo imagined he was a heroic firefighter battling a blaze inside a New York City skyscraper. Eleven-year-old Jacob Lahodny from Newport Beach imagined he was sending a blast of water through a window into a burning building. Others looked at the wide “fog” pattern from the water blasting out of the fire hose as a force field, protecting them from the deadly flames. Whoever they imagined they were Tuesday morning, they were definitely kids having a fun summer morning at the Newport Beach Junior Firefighters Camp at Mariners Park.