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Newport Dunes Celebrates Labor Day Weekend With Live Music, Beach Movies and Waterfront Fun

By Greer Wylder

September 02, 2026

Summer isn't over yet. Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina is keeping the season going with a full lineup of live music, beach movies, food trucks and water adventures from Friday, Sept. 4, through Monday, Sept. 7.Families looking to spend the day can head straight for the resort's Inflatable Water Park, open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Labor Day. The floating obstacle course includes more than 25 inflatables, from slides and bounce platforms to icebergs and a jungle gym. For a calmer pace, the Upper Newport Back Bay is ideal for kayaking, pedal boating, paddleboarding or cruising…

Pacific Symphony Opens New Era with Joshua Bell, Celebrates Shelley’s First Season

By Greer Wylder

September 02, 2026

Alexander Shelley steps into his first season as Pacific Symphony's artistic and music director this fall, and he's bringing violinist Joshua Bell along for the ride. The two share the stage Saturday, September 24, at 8 p.m. at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall for a season-opening concert built around America's musical legacy.The timing isn't accidental. This season overlaps with the nation's 250th birthday and the approaching anniversaries of Segerstrom Center for the Arts and its concert hall, and Shelley has shaped his opening program around that convergence, pulling together works that trace where American orchestral music has been…

Sweet Arrival: Levain Bakery Opens First Orange County Location at Fashion Island

By Greer Wylder

August 29, 2026

Levain Bakery opens its first Orange County location at Fashion Island in Newport Beach on Friday, Sept. 4, at 8 a.m. The New York bakery, known for its six-ounce cookies, will bring its full lineup of cookies, breads, pastries and coffee to the fourth Southern California shop in its growing footprint. For longtime Levain fans and anyone with a soft spot for a good cookie, this is a big one. The wait for a taste of the cult favorite right here in OC is almost over.The first 100 people in line Friday will get a custom Levain Bakery Newport Beach…

Blind Boys of Alabama Bring Seven Decades of Gospel to Musco Center

By Greer Wylder

August 29, 2026

Musco Center welcomes the Blind Boys of Alabama, living legends whose reputation is well earned. Rolling Stone has called them "gospel titans," and after more than 70 years together, that title still fits.The group performs Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.Few acts in American music can claim the honors the Blind Boys have collected: Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Recording Academy/GRAMMYs, induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and six GRAMMY Awards, most recently in 2024. What sets them apart, though, is how they've used that stature. Rather than stay within…

Chef Turned Author Launches New Thriller Series

By Greer Wylder

August 26, 2026

Thomas Curran is a friend of mine, and he's the kind of person who is always creative and always looking for a new challenge. He spent three decades as a chef before he decided to walk across the country. Ocean to ocean. 3,235 miles, 231 days, 12 states, all to raise money for the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation. That story is part of why I featured him in my book, "Born in OC: The Artists, Entrepreneurs, and Visionaries of Orange County, California."His new book, "Dime Store Hitman," comes out Aug. 31. It's the first in a planned trilogy, and the…