Consider starting your weekend this Saturday by exploring the Saddleback Wilderness on an access day. Those wanting to volunteer can tend to the land in Aliso Viejo Community Park or take care of local hiking trails in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.
This is just a handful of the many free events and activities happening throughout Orange County – funded by public tax dollars.
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Every week, Voice of OC reporters work hard to help residents stay connected to upcoming civic events, putting locals in a position to save tax dollars and hold leaders accountable.
You can cut through the noise every morning by reading the free Voice of OC daily email newsletter.
You can also bookmark the Voice of OC calendar to stay ahead of key civic meetings impacting your quality of life during the week.
That same kind of watchdog reporting now fuels a vibrant weekend calendar, choc full of free public services and assets your tax dollars finance.
Here are a few noteworthy free events happening this weekend.
North Orange County
Morning Meditation
Start the day with a guided meditation session at the Yorba Linda Public Library.
When: October 25, 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Where: 4852 Lakeview Ave., Yorba Linda, CA 92886
Cost: Free
For more details, contact the library at (714) 777-2873
Halloween Crafts
Take the kids for an afternoon of Halloween crafting at the Buena Park Library. While supplies last, attendees can make paper plate spider webs and paper bag monster puppets.
When: October 25, 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: 7150 La Palma Ave., Buena Park CA 90620
Cost: Free
For more details, contact the library at (714) 826-4100
Crochet
Ages 12+ are welcome to crochet a water bottle bag at the Canyon Hills Library in Anaheim. No crochet experience is required.
When: October 25, 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: 400 Scout Trail, Anaheim, CA 92807
Cost: Free
For more details, contact the library at (714) 765-6444
Central Orange County
Wilderness Access Day
Mission Viejo resident Laurie Ha , 41, (right) and a friend finish hiking one of the newly opened trails at Saddleback Wilderness, part of OC Parks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space in Orange, Calif. on Satuday, April 8, 2023. (CREDIT:Jack Sundblad/VOICE OF OC)
Hike 3.3 miles of trails in the Saddleback Wilderness during a scheduled access day.
No registration is required, but access is first-come, first-served until parking capacity is reached.
When: October 25, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: 3081 Santiago Canyon Road, Orange, CA 92869
Cost: Free
For more details, contact the Irvine Ranch Conservancy at info@irconservancy.org or visit letsgooutside.org
Bilingual Storytime
Children of all learning levels are welcome to a storytime in Vietnamese and English at the Fountain Valley Library.
When: October 25, 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Where: 17635 Los Alamos, Fountain Valley, CA
Cost: Free
For more details, contact the library at (714) 962-1324
Movie at the Library
The entrance to the Costa Mesa Donald Dungan Library on April 28, 2024. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC
Enjoy a screening of the 1956 version of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” at the Costa Mesa Donald Dungan Library.
When: October 26, 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Where: 1855 Park Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Cost: Free
For more details, contact the library (949) 646-8845
Coastal Orange County
Trail Stewardship
Sunit Nangia from Laguna Niguel, Calif. helps collect seed at Laguna Canyon Foundation Headquarters on Oct. 5, 2024. Credit: FASHION CASTILLO, Voice of OC
Volunteer to take care of local hiking trails in the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. Volunteers will assist with clearing drains tl, pruning plants and moving dirt to restore impacted areas.
Registration is required.
When: October 25, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Where: 10 Phillips St., Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Cost: Free
For more details, contact volunteer@lagunacanyon.org
Adult Halloween Crafts
Make a “spooky” birdhouse craft at the Dana Point Library. The program is for adults only.
When: October 25, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where: 33841 Niguel Rd., Dana Point, CA 92629
Cost: Free
For more details, contact the library at (949) 496-5517
Visit the HB International Surfing Museum
A mural by Donald “DJ Mac” MacDonald on the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum on May 21, 2023. The piece was originally painted in 1996. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Learn about the history of surfing at the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum, a nonprofit museum located downtown.
The museum is free to enter, but donations are appreciated.
When: October 25 & 26, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where: 411 Olive Ave., Huntington Beach, Ca 92648
Cost: Free
For more details, contact the museum at (714) 960-3483
South Orange County
Outdoor Volunteering
Marjorie Rhodes, Laguna Canyon Foundation Restoration Project Manager, stops to talk to a volunteer about the native plant seed that they are collecting in Laguna Beach, Calif. on Oct. 5, 2024. Credit: FASHION CASTILLO, Voice of OC
Spend time volunteering in Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park alongside Laguna Canyon Foundation staff. Assist with removing weeds, watering, collecting seeds and planting native species.
No experience is necessary, but registration is required.
When: October 25, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Where: Aliso Viejo Community Park, 150 Cedarbrook, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
Cost: Free
For more details, contact volunteer@lagunacanyon.org or dulce@lagunacanyon.org with any questions.
Open Sewing Lab
Teens ages 14+ and adults are welcome to the Laguna Niguel Library’s open sewing lab. Receive support and inspiration for sewing projects.
Participants are asked to register by emailing ocpl.lagunaniguel@occr.ocgov.com or by calling the library.
When: October 25, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: 30341 Crown Valley Pkwy., Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
Cost: Free
For more details, contact the library at (949) 249-5252
Día de Los Muertos Celebration
Maria Martinez, Program Coordinator at Roosevelt Walker Community Center, standing in front of an altar at a free Día de Los Muertos celebration held at the center’s community garden on Nov. 1, 2023. Martinez is dressed as La Catrina, a symbolic figure rooted in Mexican culture. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Celebrate Día de Los Muertos in a free community festival at the Norman Murray Center in Mission Viejo. Attendees can enjoy live mariachi music, dancing, artisan vendors, cultural food, free craft workshops and beautiful community ofrendas honoring loved ones who have passed.
Día de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is celebrated by Latinos during the first two days of November in Mexico, the United States, and in other Latin American countries such as Guatemala, Ecuador, El Salvador and Bolivia.
People memorialize their loved ones by constructing altars with photographs of the deceased, food and unique offerings that relate to the person’s life.
When: October 25, 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Where: Norman P. Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo, CA
Cost: Free
For more details, contact Carol Manley, Mission Viejo Activities Committee Event Coordinator, at (949) 338-6061 or cmanley@cityofmissionviejo.org
If you know of a free public agency event that the Voice of OC should be aware of, send an email to etaylor@voiceofoc.org
For more events, please refer to the Voice of OC Calendar.
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