Orange County Holiday Events

[caption id="attachment_40" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Balboa Boat Parade"][/caption]

Wondering what to do for those holiday weekends in the OC? Wonder no more! We've got you covered.

Balboa Boat Parade, Newport Beach, CA

The boat parade, free to the public, will occur from Dec. 14-Dec.18. The entire harbor will light up with pride as over 250 boats, as well as beachfront properties, show off their lighting skill for public consumption. It begins at 6:30 PM on Collins Island, and will last about two and a half hours. There is an entry fee for participating boats. For more information, check this out.

White Christmas - Irving Berlin

And the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, CA does it again. They'll be putting on a production of composer Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" which will run from Dec. 13, 2011 to January 1, 2012. Need more details? Find them here.

Sawdust Winter Fantasy

The Sawdust Winter Fantasy festival ($6.00 Adults, $3.00 children 6-12, $9.00 Season pass) in Laguna Beach features live entertainment and craft-making. Look for more information here.

Irvine Park Railroad

Looking for a fun night ride with Santa? The Irvine Regional Park is hosting unforgettable railroad rides! You can read with Mrs. Claus, decorate Christmas cookies, and play carnival games. Children younger than 2 years old also ride free. Prices for activities vary. You can also purchase food and snacks. More here.

 

The Thanksgiving Post!

Want to know which stores are open for business on Thanksgiving?

According to MSNBC, Walmart, Toys R Us, Big Lots and Old Navy will be open on November 24. Also, Citadel Outlets and Walmart's 12 OC stores will be open, and, beginning at 10 PM, will begin Black Friday deals.

MSNBC adds:

All Toys R Us stores nationwide, including the side-by-side stores that include a Babies R Us, will open at 9 p.m. on Nov. 24. Like last year, all Orange County Big Lots stores will be open on Thanksgiving. More than 80 percent of Old Navy stores will be open on Thanksgiving, including at least 12 locations in Orange County.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

 

Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw at the Angel Stadium

 

Fan of country music? You're in luck then! Country music giants Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw are teaming up for a huge tour beginning in Tampa, and, somewhere in the middle of that, stopping by at the A stadium in Anaheim, California on July 14. The OC Register predicts that there'll be another nearby show the day after -- probably in LA or San Diego.

Tickets probably won't go on sale until after the New Year, but they're sure to sell out fast -- so make sure you grab yours soon!

 

Upcoming Orange County Events in November

Want to be informed of the latest events in Orange County? Look no further! Here are some November happenings:

Coming Up:

OC Jewish Arts Festival

The OC Jewish Arts festival started this past weekend and ends on November 19. It features dance, film, and literature written, composed, and performed by Jewish artists. You can register for the all festival pass here: it's $97 for members, $126 for the general public. Be sure to check it out!

Star Wars Exhibit @ The Santa Ana Science Center

From November 18 to April 15, 2012, The Santa Ana Science Center will host a Star Wars exhibit, hosted by the Bose corporation. The grand opening costs $15 for Science Center members, and $25 for non-members. The exhibit features real artifacts from all six Star Wars films, droid technology, and robots that you can build and experiment with.

Weird Al Yankovic Is Coming To Town!

Here's a recent interview with our favorite parody singer-songwriter, Weird Al Yankovic, who'll be performing at the City National Grove of Anaheim this Friday. Here's what he had to say about his fame, getting rejected by Prince, and his relationship with Lucasfilm.

OC Weekly (Ali Lerman): Let me first say, my best friend's brother is a huge fan, and he met you once and said you were "the nicest guy around." So I assume you're going to be really nice to me... 
Weird Al Yankovic: Oh, that is so nice, and well, I'll try my best. [Laughs]

So "My Balonyaa" was recorded in bathroom, and I was wondering, have you ever found any acoustics that match the greatness of those?
I'll be trying the rest of my life to try to duplicate the beautiful, natural, organic sound that I had in that original bathroom. I have 24-track digital bathroom now, but it's not quite the same as that old analog tiled-wall sound. So, it's just a fruitless quest, but I'm giving it my best shot!

You've been so successful in your career at poking fun at songs. Has anyone you've asked for permission to do so said no?
Ummm . . . the only person who has consistently said no over the years has been Prince, and he's never given a reason, so I'm not sure exactly why. He's just never wanted the Weird Al treatment, I guess. I had a few ideas back in the '80s, and if I get another idea, maybe I'll call him up again, but I'm waiting for the next Top 10 hit.

Regarding "The Saga Begins," the song came out around the same time as the first prequel movie. Did you get the inside track? I mean, you knew so much of the storyline!
You know, I tried to get an inside track when we approached Lucasfilm, and they were nice enough to let me do the song, but they didn't want to show me an advanced screening of the movie or give me a script. I mean, they're extremely super-private and secretive, as you well know. So enough things leaked out on the Internet with the previews that I was able to piece together the entire plot of the movie through rumors. I wrote my song based on Internet rumors! I'm very happy the rumors were pretty accurate, or I would have looked totally stupid. [Laughs]

You totally lucked out! Do you think UHF will ever be released on Blu-ray?
I'd love it to! I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be in all its high-def glory! Yeah, see me in high-def before my wrinkles set in. I would certainly support that, but I have no control of that.

Al's concert begins at Friday at 8 PM. Don't forget to check it out!