Happy Wednesday!

Before we get to this coming weekend, here are a few things that need to be on your radar now. These are the ones most likely to sell out.

🍂 Make your own nature gratitude journal. Create a journal from scratch, then take it along on a walk to Barbara’s Lake in Laguna. Free with limited spots on Nov 20, so sign up early.

🇬🇧 The English Beat performs at The Coach House on Dec 11 & 12. This show sells out every year so get your tickets now.

🍋 Yotam Ottolenghi is coming to Irvine on October 14. The bestselling cookbook author behind Jerusalem, Plenty and Simple will be at the Irvine Barclay for one night only.

To all the new readers, welcome to The Scene… Our motto is: the more you know, the more you’ll go. That’s what this newsletter is all about, sharing ideas big and small to make it easier (and more fun) to get out and enjoy OC.

See you out there!
Lorna & Jason

🤠 Cowboy Canyon Nights at Giracci Vineyards
Vineyard setting, country-western atmosphere, linedancing and evening market.
Fri, Oct 2 | 6–10pm | Giracci Vineyards & Farms, Silverado

🎃 Sugar Plum Halloween Festival
Shop handmade Halloween décor, art, baked goods, vintage finds and seasonal collectibles from local makers and curators.
Oct 1 - 4 | 10am | Woodbridge Village Center, Irvine

🎸 Guitar Hero Orianthi Hits the Coach House
The Australian guitar virtuoso brings her blistering solos and hard-rock swagger to one of South OC’s most intimate stages.
Fri, Oct 2 | 8pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano

🎶 Sunset Serenades: Uncanny Valley
Close out the fall Sunset Serenades series with Uncanny Valley and a set promising “music you forgot you loved.”
Fri, Oct 2 | 5:30pm–sunset | Heisler Park Amphitheater, Laguna Beach

🎸 CHECK FRIDAY’S LIVE MUSIC →

➡️ NEXT WEEK
Scroll down to see events happening next week and beyond.

⚖️ The Jury Experience
Take a seat inside an immersive courtroom drama, examine the evidence and vote on the final verdict.
Sat, Oct 3 | 4pm and 7pm | Orange

🎨 Watch 30 Master Artists Paint Laguna in Real Time
The Laguna Plein Air Invitational opens with nationally recognized painters setting up their easels along the Heisler Park cliffs, and the public can wander between them and watch the paintings take shape.
Sat, Oct 3 | 9am–noon | Heisler Park, Laguna Beach

🍷 RELISH Brings Celebrity Chefs, Wine + Cocktails to Newport
Geoffrey Zakarian, Scott Conant and other culinary heavyweights headline three days of tastings, chef demos, wine seminars, cocktail events, dinner and Sunday brunch.
Fri–Sun, Oct 2–4 | Newport Beach/Costa Mesa

🧛‍♀️ Brides of Dracula Afternoon Tea
Halloween tea gets a gothic makeover with hauntingly beautiful bites, sweets, tea and cocktails from the crypt, plus a little spooky story magic.
Through Oct 31 | Story Anaheim, Anaheim

🎃 Pumpkin Diving
Mission Viejo turns the Montanoso pool into a floating pumpkin patch, then adds decorating stations and carnival games once everyone dries off.
Sat, Oct 3 | 2–5pm | Montanoso Recreation Center, Mission Viejo

🐶 Pet Fair & Vet Clinic
Bring your furry sidekick for low-cost vaccines, microchipping, physical exams, pet adoptions, a costume contest, canine demo, giveaways, and more.
Sat., October 3 | 9–11am | AV Ranch, Aliso Viejo

🎸 CHECK SATURDAY LIVE MUSIC →

🎨 The Two-Hour Painting Race
Thirty master painters get exactly two hours to create a Laguna landscape, followed by a meet-and-greet and silent auction where the just-finished paintings go up for grabs.
Sun, Oct 4 | 1–6pm | Heisler Park + Festival of Arts, Laguna Beach

🎶 Folk-Pop Harmonies with a Celtic Twist
Raynes blends three-part harmonies with folk, pop and Celtic influences, a polished sound they cheekily call “expensive folk.”
Sun, Oct 4 | 6pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano

💃 Latin Heritage Sunday
Ballet Folklórico, a hands-on cultural craft and fresh churros fill Casa Romantica’s free family day.
Sun, Oct 4 | 10am–2pm | Casa Romantica, San Clemente

🎻 90s Unplugged by Candlelight
The Lido with its Art Deco setting with thousands of candles: ’90s songs stripped down and rebuilt for strings under candlelight.
Sun, Oct 4 | 7:45pm | The Lido Theater, Newport Beach

🐾 RSM Cares Pet Food Drive
Help stock the shelves for RSM’s food bank by donating small bags or cans of dog and cat food. Donations benefit local families who need a help feeding their four-legged family members.
Through Wed, Oct 14 | Donations accepted at 25012 Las Marias Ln, Mission Viejo

🥩 Steak, Cigars & Sunday Football
Winston’s serves up its Sunday steak dinner with beans, potato salad and cornbread while NFL games fill the big screens. A solid Sunday headquarters for steak-and-cigar people.
Sun, Oct 4 | All day | The Winston’s Club, San Juan Capistrano

🎺 Five-Time Grammy Winners Snarky Puppy
The genre-bending collective mixes jazz, funk, R&B, rock, soul and gospel, with Grammy-nominated Indian vocalist and flautist Varijashree Venugopal opening.
Sun, Oct 4 | 7pm | Irvine Barclay Theatre, Irvine

🥾 Hike to Dripping Springs
This seven-mile guided trek heads into normally restricted Limestone Canyon to a fern-covered rock face where water seeps from an earthquake fault, creating a wildlife watering hole.
Sun, Oct 4 | 7–11am | Limestone Canyon, Irvine

🎸 CHECK SUNDAY’S LIVE MUSIC →

➡️ NEXT WEEK
Scroll down to see events happening next week and beyond.

P.S…A Quick Favor:
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For eight days, one of Southern California’s grandest historic estates is getting a Gilded Age floral takeover.

Greystone Mansion, the sprawling 1928 Doheny estate in Beverly Hills, will be filled with elaborate, life-size floral mannequins inspired by the characters and extravagant costumes of HBO’s The Gilded Age.

The 55-room mansion, with its grand staircases, marble floors and formal gardens, feels practically made for it and this is a great opportunity to check it out.

I recently visited Newport’s RI’s Gilded Age mansions and watched all three seasons, so this one immediately caught my eye. Tickets required.
Oct 28–Nov 4 | Greystone Mansion & Gardens, Beverly Hills

✅ B. Florence Griffith Joyner!

Florence Joyner Olympiad Park sits on Olympiad Road in Mission Viejo and was dedicated in 2000 in memory of Flo-Jo, who lived in Mission Viejo with her husband, Olympic gold medalist Al Joyner.

The park also honors the many Olympic athletes who have lived or trained in the city, including Brian Goodell, Greg Louganis, Tiffany Cohen Adams, Michelle Mitchell, Julie Foudy and many others.

And here’s the coolest part: the park itself sits along the route of the 1984 Olympic cycling road race, which Mission Viejo hosted.

Today you'll find an Olympic Plaza, plaques honoring local Olympians and a larger-than-life bronze statue of Flo-Jo crossing the finish line.

Fun fact: Flo-Jo won three gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and her 100m and 200m world records still stand. 🏃‍♀️💨

The Mission Viejo city council JUST recognized five decades of Olympic history during it’s September meeting.

To learn more about Mission Viejo’s connection to the Olympics of the past, present and future, this video goes over it in detail.

In Case You Missed It

💃 5 Unexpected OC Date Nights

☕ Late Night Coffee House in MIssion VIejo

🎞️ Newport Beach Film Festival Announces Lineup for 2026 Season

🍔 The Canopy at Great Park Starts to Take Shape

🥡 Vox Kitchen Opens in Aliso Viejo offering Chinese-Peruvian fusion food.

👩‍🍳 Goldfinch Restaurant in Rancho Santa Margarita Opened on Saturday

🚘 After Laguna Hills Closure, DMV looks for New South OC Location

👋 6 OC Starbucks Permanently closed Last Weekend (3 in South OC)

🥱 Boring Stuff

Publication Disclaimer: Everything included here is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. It is always best to double-check links to be sure event information hasn’t changed if you plan on attending something.

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©️ 2025 The Scene: South OC | All content and information set forth above was created by Lorna Ladd and Jason Ladd and is the intellectual property of this publication. It is protected under US copyright law, including but not limited to “The Digital Millennium Copyright Act.” Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or duplication of any material, in whole or in part, without express written authorization & consent, is strictly prohibited by law and may result in legal action. Violators will be subject to prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.