BRIEFS

The Orange County Sanitation District in Fountain Valley was

recognized for its outstanding public service during the two-month

Huntington Beach closure investigation, which was conducted last year.

The public service award was given by the California Assn. of Sanitation

Agencies on Aug. 10 at its annual conference.

During the same time period, the Orange County Health Care Agency

closed more than four miles of the eight miles of city and state beaches

because of elevated bacterial levels. The sanitation district led a

three-month search for the pollution source before handing over the lead

in the continuing investigations to the city of Huntington Beach and

Orange County. The sanitation district is a public agency responsible for

safely collecting, treating and disposing of waste water and industrial

waste.

Planning meeting set for skate park

The Fountain Valley Public Works Department will hold a skate park

planning meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Fountain Valley

Recreation Center, 16400 Brookhurst St.

Information: (714) 593-4443.

Church sponsors program to help people lose weight

Weigh Down Workshop, a nationally known and inspirational method for

losing weight, will be the topic of two free orientation sessions -- 10

a.m. Tuesday and 7 p.m. Wednesday -- at Fountain Valley United Methodist

Church, 18225 Bushard St.

The program is a 12-week Bible study course designed to teach men and

women how to replace emotional hunger for food with a new focus on God.

The course involves video sessions, group sharing, prayer and home study.

Information: (714) 962-2593.

Mothers’ Club invites new moms to join

The Pacific Coast Mothers Club is accepting new members. The

Huntington Beach-based group brings moms together for companionship and

support in child rearing. Moms and their children, newborn to 5, attend

weekly play groups and holiday parties.

The longtime organization also holds monthly dinners and supports the

community with volunteerism and donations to a local charity each year.

New play groups are forming now.

Information: (562) 598-6180.

Church to stage musical presentation

“Experiencing God, the Musical� will be held at 9 and 10:45 a.m. Sept.

24 by the Celebration Choir and Band at Fountain Valley United Methodist

Church, 1825 Bushard St.

Admission is free, and a children’s ministry is available at both

services.

Information: (714) 962-2593.

Civil War Days set for Labor Day weekend

The city of Huntington Beach and the Huntington Beach Historical

Society present Civil War Days in Central Park on Sept. 2-3. The two-day

event will feature mock battles at 1 and 4 p.m. Sept. 2, and 11 a.m. and

2 p.m. Sept. 3. The event is free to the public.

Water district seeking applicants for summit

The Orange County Water District’s Groundwater Guardian Team and the

Blue Planet Foundation are seeking applications from north-central Orange

County students for an all-expenses-paid trip to the National Groundwater

Foundation’s 2000 Youth Summit on Environmental Health in Nebraska.

Seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders are being sought to compete for

this free trip. Only one student and a parent or guardian will be

selected to attend.

The Groundwater Guardian Team is looking for students who are

interested in the environment and who want to make a difference in their

community. Applications are due Sept. 15.

The three-day conference will bring together students from all over

the country to educate them about the connections between environmental

and human health, and inspire them to communicate a compelling message to

their community about the importance of protecting natural resources,

including soil, water, air and habitat.

Students interested in attending the Youth Summit will need to

complete an application and answer two short questions about Orange

County’s environment. Each student will also need to write a 250-word

essay about what he or she expects to get out of attending the summit and

what he or she wants to bring back to the community.

Also, a resume, including the student’s community service projects or

any experience related to the environment, should be attached to the

application. The district’s Groundwater Guardian Team will select the

student who will attend the conference as Orange County’s representative.

“Orange County Water District supports the Groundwater Foundation’s

programs so more people can understand both the value of and the need to

protect our ground-water basins,� said Irv Pickler, president of the

district’s board of directors.

The Groundwater Guardian Team is one of 24 Groundwater Guardian and

Child Health Champion communities across the country selected to send a

student representative to the Youth Summit. The Summit will be held at

the Arbor Day Farm, in Nebraska City, Neb.

The Groundwater Foundation -- the national organization sponsoring the

event -- will pay the travel, lodging and other conference costs for the

student representative and one adult sponsor to attend.

Information: Sharon Lien, (714) 378-3362.

3rd annual Surf City Business Expo set

The 3rd annual Surf City Business Expo and Art Show will again present

the Judge and Juried Art Show during its Sept. 9 and 10 event at Pier Plaza.

The show, sponsored by the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce, will

offer more than $1,200 in cash awards. The entry fee is $20 per piece,

limited to two. Artists can also sell their work and have demonstrations

during the event by renting a space for $50.

Deadline for applications is Friday.

For an application: (714) 536-8888.

Exhibit depict Latino landscapes at college

Golden West College will present the “El Nuevo Mundo: The Landscapes

of Latino Los Angeles� exhibit in the Fine Arts Gallery on Tuesday. The

exhibit includes more than 100 photographs depicting a new world in Los

Angeles, as noted by sociologist Camilo Jose Vergara.

Vergara’s photographs illustrate a personal account of the change in

physical character and social texture of Los Angeles County since 1992,

as its Latino population increased.

His work explores how Latinos are building and decorating their homes,

landscaping their yards, transforming their workplaces and creating

neighborhoods that resemble those in Mexico and Central America.

The show has been featured at the National Building Museum in

Washington, D.C., the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum at the

Smithsonian Institution in New York and The Natural History Museum of Los

Angeles.

The exhibit will continue until Oct. 6.

Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 6 to 9

p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. The college is at 15744 Goldenwest St.,

Huntington Beach.

Information: (714) 892-7711, Ext. 51032.

Surf City works with group to pick up abandoned carts

The city of Huntington Beach has hired California Shopping Cart

Retrieval Corp. to pick up abandoned shopping carts throughout the city.

Within 24 hours of a call from city staff, the group will pick up

abandoned shopping carts and return them to the appropriate store.

Cart retrieval is available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.

To report an abandoned shopping cart, the city has set up a hotline at

(714) 536-5271.