The Scene is officially one year old!

Somehow this went from “let’s try a newsletter” to a full-blown weekly plan for what to do around South OC. And you’re still here… which we’re taking as a good sign.

If it’s made your weekends a little more exciting, hit reply and say something nice, we run on praise and good coffee.

A few things worth flagging:

🌳 If you’re around this Saturday, the Mission Viejo Arbor Day Celebration is happening with tree planting along Oso Creek Trail, plus we’ll have a booth there, so come say Hi ! (see April 25th below).

🌻The Laguna Beach Gate & Garden Tour is one of those once-a-year chances to wander through some seriously beautiful private gardens (See May 2nd below).

👩‍🎤And a fun one… seven South OC Chambers of Commerce (local business groups) are teaming up for a Madonna night. Think costume contest + live tribute + proceeds go back into your city (see feature article below).

See you out there!
Lorna & Jason

💃 The Wildest Bingo Night in OC
Not your grandma’s bingo; comedian MCs, throwback anthems, dance-offs, lip-sync battles, confetti blasts, and real prizes; expect a lively 21+ crowd.
Fri, Apr 24 | 5pm or 8:15pm | Dave & Buster’s, Orange

👗 Madonna Costume Contest + Concert
Channel your inner Material Girl, then stick around for a high-energy Madonna tribute band, bringing all the iconic hits. It’s a networking event bringing together communities across South OC.
Fri, Apr 24 | 8pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano

🌸 Southern California Spring Garden Show
A four-day garden showcase with 45+ vendors, outdoor living displays, and plenty of plant inspiration. Free to attend.
Apr 23–26 | South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa

🀄 Girly Pop Mahjong Night
A fun, social night of mahjong with guided lessons, all supplies included, plus a café drink and boutique discount.
Fri, Apr 24 | 7–9pm | Morning Lavender, Tustin

🍷 Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting
Sip hard-to-find wines by the ocean with a champagne welcome and elevated bites, all set against a golden-hour coastal backdrop. Dress up a little, this one leans elegant.
Apr 24 | 6:30–9 pm | Laguna Cliffs Marriott, Dana Point

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

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

🌱 Mission Viejo Green Expo
Celebrate Earth Day & Arbor Day with tree planting along Oso Creek Trail plus eco-friendly activities, exhibits, and hands-on tips for water conservation, recycling, and pollution prevention.
Sat, Apr 25 | 8am–12pm | Oso Creek Trail, Mission Viejo

🎤 Bruno Mars Tribute at The Coach House
Locked Out of Heaven brings the vocals, choreography, and full Bruno energy—plus a high-energy opening set from OC band Slim Freaky. Get two tickets for the price of one with code HEAVEN26
Sat, Apr 25 | 8pm (6pm doors) | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano

🚗 Floral Park Home & Garden Tour + Classic Car Show
Tour historic homes and gardens while checking out a lineup of vintage cars, plus a vendor market, live music, food trucks, and a beer & wine garden. Car show is free to view.
Apr 25–26 | Floral Park Historic District, Santa Ana

☕ Latte Art Throwdown in Lake Forest
Redshift Roasters is celebrating its second birthday with a latte art showdown where baristas battle for bragging rights. Free to watch.
Sat, Apr 25 | First Pour 6:30pm | Redshift Coffee Roasters, Lake Forest

📚 Book Bedazzling Workshop
Decorate your own book with gems and sparkly details—materials, snacks, and a take-home kit included. Bring your own or grab one there.
Sat, Apr 25 | 2–4pm | Local Gem Collective, Orange

🛍️ Silverado Flea & Artisan Market
Handmade goods, vintage finds, and live music, plus free entry and parking.
Sat, Apr 25 | 9am–2pm | Community Center, Silverado Canyon

🍇 Beachside Wine Festival
Hundreds of wines, craft brews, live music, and a full spread of food stations take over a palm-lined park.
Apr 25 | 1–4pm | Sea Terrace Park, Dana Point

🥾 Guided Hike at Upper Chiquita Canyon
Explore a rarely accessed 1,100+ acre conservation area on a guided hike led by ecologists and wildlife experts. Registration required with ‘The Toll Roads Spring Tour’.
Apr 25 | 8–11am | Upper Chiquita Canyon, Rancho Santa Margarita

Seven South OC chambers of commerce are teaming up for one night at The Coach House Concert Hall and it’s not your typical mixer. Think live Madonna hits, a packed room of local business leaders, and channeling your material girl to win a costume contest.

Here’s the twist:
Each chamber has its own ticket link, and the more people who buy through it, the more they take the lead (and keep the ticket sales too).

What you’re walking into:

Participating chambers (click on the city you want to support so they get credit)
San Juan Capistrano • Dana Point • Lake Forest • Laguna Niguel • Laguna Beach • Ladera Ranch • San Clemente

You won’t want to miss this one: meet half of South OC in one room, make a few new connections, then stick around for the dance floor and Madonna impressions.

The details:
Fri, Apr 24 | Doors 6pm | Show 8pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano

🌿 Bluegrass, Brews & Blooms
An outdoor Earth Week party with live bluegrass, tacos, local brews, and a silent auction—all supporting Laguna Canyon Foundation and the 22,000-acre South Coast Wilderness.
Sun, Apr 26 | 5–7pm | Nix Nature Center, Laguna Beach

🌎 Earth Day Market at High Tide Coffee
Shop 25+ local vendors, sip coffee, and wander through face painting, a flower bar, tarot readings, live music, and hands-on crafts.
Sun, Apr 26 | 10am–2pm | High Tide Coffee Co., San Clemente

🌿 Nature Meditation Walk
A guided, slow-paced walk with mindfulness exercises, playful pauses, and a closing tea ceremony using native plants.
Sun, Apr 26 | 9–11am | Aliso & Wood Canyons, Laguna Niguel

🎨 Picasso Paints at Patsy’s
Paint, sip, and see what happens. This adults-only Sunday session mixes guided painting with cocktails, $5 drink specials.
Last Sunday of the month | 1–4pm | Patsy’s Irish Pub, Mission Viejo

🛍️ Late Edition Flea
Live DJs, thrift finds, coffee, and matcha in Old Town Tustin.
Sun, Apr 26 | Old Town Tustin, Tustin

🕵️‍♂️ The Maltese Falcon
A classic noir comes to life as a detective hunts for the elusive statue through a maze of lies and danger.
Thru Sun, May 3 | Laguna Playhouse, Laguna Beach

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

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

🧐 Trivia Answer:

✅ D — Dean Koontz

Best-selling suspense novelist Dean Koontz, known for Odd Thomas, Watchers, and more than 100 novels, now lives in Irvine’s Shady Canyon community.

Before that, he spent decades in Newport Coast, including a home in the Pelican Hill area, where he wrote many of his most popular books before selling the property for around $16 million in 2020 and relocating inland.

Koontz has sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide and built a career on fast-paced, character-driven thrillers that blend suspense, sci-fi, and the supernatural.

Despite that global success, he’s kept a relatively low profile locally, continuing to write from Orange County, trading ocean views for the privacy and space of one of Irvine’s most exclusive gated communities.

See Peru through the eyes of the women who call it home on Intrepid’s new Women’s Expedition. Travel with an expert female leader and a small group of like-minded women - trek the Andes, take part in a traditional textile workshop and join a female shaman’s spiritual practice on this immersive 8-day adventure.

Explore the new trips

🥱 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.