The OC Buzz — Issue #19

☀️ GOOD MORNING, OC

Good morning. Costume season is officially on, the beach towns are pouring wine, and the county has two big food festivals on the same weekend. Bring an appetite. Bring cash for parking. ☕

This week in OC: The OC Japan Fair began in 2009 as a one-day gathering organized by a Huntington Beach event coordinator. This weekend it fills the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa for its 19th edition. hoodline.com

In today's Buzz:

• OC Japan Fair takes over the Costa Mesa fairgrounds, Fri to Sun

• California Wine Festival pours on the sand in Huntington Beach

• Laguna's Coast Film and Music Festival opens with a Jack Johnson film

• Free Halloween nights at Heritage Hill, plus Boo at the Zoo

• A honky tonk coffee shop and a wood-fire spot are coming

• Laguna Beach is today's town, and it was an art colony before it was a city

— Kevin

🔥 THE BIG THING

OC Japan Fair is back. The 19th OC Japan Fair lands at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa from Friday, Oct 16 to Sunday, Oct 18. More than 60 Japanese food vendors are serving ramen, yakitori, takoyaki, sushi, taiyaki and shaved ice, alongside a live tuna-cutting show, taiko drumming, J-pop performances, a cosplay competition and a kimono show. It is one of the biggest Japanese festivals in Southern California, and most of the crowd is people who just love the food. Come hungry and pace yourself.

Here's what to know:

• When: Fri Oct 16, 4pm to 10pm. Sat Oct 17, noon to 10pm. Sun Oct 18, 11am to 7pm.

• Where: OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Dr, Costa Mesa. Parking is $15, usually via Gate 1.

• Tickets: General admission has been listed at $15.71 online through Oct 15 and $17.85 from Oct 16. Kids 6 and under and adults over 65 are free.

• The local move: Go Friday evening or Sunday afternoon. Saturday night is the crush.

• Details and tickets: oc-japanfair.com

Sources: Hoodline, OC Drop, TravelTodayLA.

📅 AROUND TOWN: THIS WEEKEND

Worth leaving the house for (Fri Oct 16 to Sun Oct 18).

🍷 California Wine Festival (Fri Oct 16 and Sat Oct 17, Huntington Beach). Friday is the Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting, 6:30pm to 9pm. Saturday is the Beachside Wine Festival, 1pm to 4pm (noon for VIP), at the Paséa Hotel & Spa with hundreds of California wines, local bites and live music. Proceeds benefit the Sandy Feet Initiative. Tickets were reported at $85 to $300 depending on the event. ($) (Tickets) → californiawinefestival.com

🎬 Coast Film & Music Festival (Oct 16 to Oct 25, Laguna Beach). Ten days, more than 80 films and shorts, and concerts at the Irvine Bowl later in the run. Opening night is Friday at 7pm with SURFILMUSIC, the Jack Johnson story. Check the schedule for ticketed events. (Tickets) → coastfilmfestival.com

🌏 Mega Night Market (Sat Oct 17 and Sun Oct 18, Irvine). Lao, Khmer, Hmong, Iu Mien, Thai and Vietnamese street food, music and dance at Great Park Live, 11am to 10pm both days. Wear cultural attire on Sunday and you get in free. → cityofirvine.gov

🎃 Witches Wave Halloween Run (Sun Oct 18, Huntington Beach). A costumed half marathon at 7:30am, plus a 5K and 10K at 8:30am, at Bolsa Chica State Beach. → enjoyorangecounty.com

🎻 Carmina Burana (Sat Oct 17, Costa Mesa). Pacific Chorale and Pacific Symphony at Segerstrom Concert Hall, 7pm. You know the big opening even if you think you don't. ($) (Tickets) → enjoyorangecounty.com

(Double-check times before you go. Events move.)

👨‍👩‍👧 OC WITH KIDS

Fall-O-Ween at Heritage Hill Historical Park, Lake Forest. Oct 16 to 18 and Oct 23 to 25, 4:30pm to 8:30pm, at 25151 Serrano Road. OC Parks decorates the historic grounds, and there is a straw maze, a scavenger hunt and spooky photo spots. Admission and parking are free. → enjoyorangecounty.com

Boo at the Zoo, Santa Ana. Oct 17 and 18, 5:30pm to 7:30pm, with trick-or-treating and nighttime animal encounters. It needs a separate ticket. ($) → enjoyorangecounty.com

Hana Field Pumpkin Patch, Costa Mesa. Open Wednesday to Sunday through Nov 1, 9am to 6pm. It is cashless and reservations are required, so book before you load up the car. → enjoyorangecounty.com

Here's what I'm doing with my three: Fall-O-Ween on Friday night because free is free, then a slow Sunday and a pumpkin. Not every weekend has to be a production.

🆕 NEW & NOTABLE

Honky tonk, but make it coffee. Wade's Coffee House is coming to the Vermeulen Ranch Center on Del Obispo Street in San Juan Capistrano. The owners call it California's first honky tonk coffee shop, with country music, leather seats, a patio, and kids and dogs welcome. It is slated to open in winter 2027. → ocregister.com

Reminisce, Old Towne Orange. A restaurant, bakery and coffee roastery with about 200 seats and a wood-fire kitchen, with Noma co-founder Mads Refslund as culinary director. It is slated for early 2027, likely on Almond Avenue near The Circle. The exact address is not confirmed. → ocregister.com

🍽️ EAT / DRINK

Sushi Blissba, Cypress. Now open as of Oct 1, from the group behind Sushi Nigiriba. Omakase and a la carte, with a 10-seat sushi bar, a patio and some showpieces: Funamori (sushi and sashimi on a boat-shaped platter) and anago torched at your table. The move: go with someone who will share. → ocregister.com

📍 TODAY IN… LAGUNA BEACH

Laguna was an art colony before it was a city. A few things worth knowing:

• The painters came first. San Francisco artist Norman St. Clair arrived in 1903, the first of many who formed Laguna's art colony. lagunabeachhistory.org

• The art association is old. The Laguna Beach Art Association was founded Aug 22, 1918, by Edgar Payne. lagunabeachhistory.org

• It became a city in 1927, the first incorporated city in South Orange County. lagunabeachhistory.org

• The Festival of Arts began in 1932, and the first one was held on El Paseo in downtown Laguna. foapom.com

• Coming up: the Coast Film & Music Festival takes over town Oct 16 to 25. coastfilmfestival.com

Next issue: where should we go next? Reply and vote.

🏡 HOME OF THE WEEK

The market: The latest weekly Orange County Housing Report from Orange County Real Estate, Inc. (dated Sept 28) puts average days on market at 66 and the median at 46. The $1 million to $2 million range is the fastest moving, with a median of 40 days. Homes at $2 million and up are sitting longer, at a median of 59 days. Translation: the middle moves, the top takes patience. ocrealestateinc.com

The listing: 10571 Morada, Orange. $3.1 million, 4 beds, 4 baths, about 3,842 square feet, built in 1980, on a full acre in Orange Park Acres, where the neighborhood has bridle paths instead of sidewalks. That works out to roughly $807 a square foot. Photos and details are on the listing page.

🌐 THE OC INTERNET

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👋 THAT'S THE BUZZ

That's the week. Eat something from another continent, catch a movie in Laguna, and take your kids somewhere free after dark.

Three tiny favors:

1. Hit reply and tell me where we should spotlight next. Reply and vote.

2. Forward this to the friend who is still deciding what to do on Saturday.

See you next week.

— Kevin

📣 ADVERTISE IN THE OC BUZZ

Want to reach Orange County readers who actually go out? Email theocbuzz@gmail.com.