Happy Wednesday!

Orange County has been enjoying a turn in the spotlight lately.

🎬 Netflix’s documentary A Toxic Love Story revisits one of OC’s strangest true-crime cases.

🍿 Meanwhile, on Apple TV, 60 Dates in 6 Months, a romantic comedy filmed in Dana Point and Laguna Niguel, follows a woman in her 50’s navigating modern dating.

🎸 And if you’d rather see a five-time Grammy winner in person, Robert Cray is coming to The Coach House August 13-14. This is your cue to get tickets before they sell out.

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

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🌊 HONK! The Sound of Laguna
Honk brings its longtime Laguna-born sound to the stage, with roots in the classic surf film Five Summer Stories and a set that blends rock, pop, jazz, gospel, Motown, and California nostalgia. Tickets required.
Fri, August 7 | 8pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano

🤠 Cowboy Canyon Nights
Line dancing, country music, beer, wine, vendors, and western fun under the string lights at Giracci Vineyards.
Fri, August 7 | 6–10pm | Giracci Vineyards, Silverado

🛍️ Sugar Plum Festival
Shop seasonal artisans, vintage treasures, cottage crafts, fashion, baked goods, and a sneak peek at fall favorites.
August 6–8 | 10am–6pm | Woodbridge Village Center, Irvine

🎶 Friday Concert Lineup
Ladera Ranch: Undercover at Founders Park, 6:30pm
Laguna Hills: Redneck Rodeo at Gallup Park, 7:00pm

🎶 🎶 Checkout all of this weekend’s Live Music Options

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

🎶 San Clemente Fiesta Music Festival
Two stages, oceanfront, local bands, and free live music all day long take over Avenida Del Mar for one of San Clemente’s biggest summer parties.
Sat, Aug 8 | 11am–6pm | Downtown San Clemente

🎻 Symphony in the Cities
Pacific Symphony returns to Oso Viejo Community Park for an evening of live classical music, with Prelude in the Park activities before the concert.
Sat, Aug 8 | 4–8pm | Oso Viejo Community Park, Mission Viejo

🎤 Venice Takes the Stage
Venice brings its folk-rock-soul sound to the stage, with family harmonies, personal songs, and a loyal following that spans decades. Tickets required.
Sat, August 8 | Show 8pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano

🏍️ Freestyle Motocross Stunt Shows
Watch Next Gen FMX riders launch motorcycles through the air in four 15-minute stunt shows featuring gas-powered and electric bikes.
Sat, Aug 8 | 4–6:15pm | 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo

🪩 Irvine’s 55th Anniversary Homecoming
Celebrate Irvine’s past, present, and future with live music, DJs, a silent disco, dancing, and food and drinks for purchase. Admission is free, and retro homecoming attire is encouraged!
Sat, August 8 | 5:30pm | Great Park, Irvine

🌀 Sound Bath Journey
Relax with an immersive sound bath featuring live handpan music and guided breathwork. Tickets required.
Sat, August 8 | 1:30–3pm | The Ecology Center, San Juan Capistrano

🎶 Saturday Concert Lineup
San Clemente: Fiesta Music Festival, 11am
Laguna Beach: Poncho Sanchez, 1pm
Mission Viejo: The Fabulous Thunderbirds, 7pm

🎶 Sunday Concert Lineup
Dana Point: Tunnel Vision + Common Sense, 2:30pm
Laguna Beach: Missus Jones, 5pm
Aliso Viejo: Flashback Heart Attack, 5pm
Rancho Santa Margarita: 90s Rockshow, 6–8pm

☕ New Cafe Alert
Vivot Craft Cafe serves first-harvest matcha flights and real fruit purées, Not a matcha person? Great regular coffee too. Pastries and lunch options. Lots of seating and power outlets. Open til 11pm!
Sun, Aug 9 | 7am–11pm | Vivot Cafe, Mission Viejo

👗 Festival Runway Fashion Show
Festival artists turn recycled and reclaimed materials into wild wearable creations. Donate a gently used clothing item at the gate for free Festival admission.
Sun, Aug 9 | 12–2pm | Festival of Arts, Laguna Beach

🚀 NASA’s Roman Space Telescope
Learn about NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope at a community presentation led by a NASA Solar System Ambassador. All ages welcome.
Sun, Aug 9 | 2–3:30pm | City Hall Council Chamber, Mission Viejo

😂 Comedy: Donnell Rawlings from Chappelle’s Show
Best known as the unforgettable Ashy Larry, Donnell Rawlings brings his bold, unfiltered stand-up to Irvine. His credits also include HBO’s The Wire and the Netflix special A New Day. Tickets required.
Sun, Aug 9 | 6pm | Irvine Improv

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🌺 The Shore, San Juan Capistrano
Opened August 1 with Hawaiian-inspired bowls, burritos and handcrafted shaved ice. It replaced Pacific Pearl Café, which moved into a larger space nearby.

☕ Redshift Coffee, Rancho Santa Margarita
The locally owned roaster soft-opened its second location on July 13 at Plaza El Paseo.

☕ Sabr Coffee, Lake Forest
Sabr Coffee House opened a larger flagship in Lake Forest, serving Middle Eastern and South Asian-inspired coffee, matcha and desserts.

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🍹 Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar, Shops at Mission Viejo
It will combine a full bar and restaurant with the Tommy Bahama store. No opening date yet.

🏋️ EōS Fitness Will Open in Rancho Santa Margarita
The gym will include cycling, group fitness, recovery areas and a movie theater workout room. Opens winter 2026.

⚾ Pro Baseball Comes to Irvine
Irvine is getting its own professional baseball team. The new club will join the Pioneer Baseball League and play home games at Great Park Baseball Stadium.

🎃 Spirit Halloween Announces 2026 Pop-up Locations
New this year are locations in former Joann Fabrics and Howard’s Appliances stores!

🌊 Two Laguna Beach Oceanfront Restaurants Are Closing
The Deck on Laguna and Driftwood Kitchen will close after August as the Pacific Edge Hotel prepares for redevelopment.

🧐 Trivia Answer:

✅ A - John D. Cooper Archaeological & Paleontological Center

Orange County has more than 6 million local fossils and artifacts, but unlike other Southern California counties, we do not have a natural history museum to display them.

Instead, most are stored at the John D. Cooper Archaeological and Paleontological Center, an unmarked, access-restricted warehouse in the Santa Ana industrial area.

So why the secrecy? The Cooper Center is not set up as a public museum. It is a protected research and storage facility filled with delicate fossils and artifacts, so the address is not publicly listed (except on this old Mapquest listing).

The star is OC’s largest fossil: a desmostylian, a hippo-like marine mammal from 8 to 13 million years ago.

Can you tour it? Nope. But you can see a small slice of the collection at the Ralph B. Clark Regional Park Interpretive Center in Buena Park, where fossils are on display and volunteers work in a glassed-in prep lab. (Note, the center is closed for renovations but opens back up next month.)

Of the more than 6 million fossils and artifacts in the collection, only about 350 fossils have been publicly displayed.

That means most of OC’s prehistoric history is still stored behind the scenes, making the Cooper Center one of the county’s most fascinating hidden history spots.

Learn how to become a volunteer or intern.

Get an Inside look at The Cooper Center

🥱 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.