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OC Parks Presents 2018 Sunset Cinema Film Series

July 12, 2018 By Leave a Comment

The County of Orange and OC Parks are pleased to present the annual Sunset Cinema film series, featuring 14 free family-friendly movies at Carbon Canyon Regional Park, Craig Regional Park, Mason Regional Park, Irvine Regional Park, Yorba Regional Park, Laguna Niguel Regional Park and Bluff Park at Salt Creek Beach. Sunset Cinema brings recent and classic films to your favorite regional parks on select Friday and Saturday evenings June 16 – September 14 around sunset.

The first free movie night of the series kicked off on Saturday, June 16 at Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Brea with a screening of Disney’s new take on The Jungle Book.

On Friday, July 13, gather the family for the comedy Trolls at Mason Regional Park. The following week, join in on the ghost hunt with the comedy and action-packed original film Ghostbusters on Saturday, July 20 at Mason Regional Park.

Sunset Cinema then moves to Irvine Regional Park in Orange and invites families to experience a world of anthropomorphic animals in Disney’s Zootopia on Friday, July 27. Practice your best karate moves for the classic film, The Karate Kid screening on Friday, August 3 at Irvine Regional Park.

On Friday, August 10, gather friends and family for The Secret Life of Pets at Yorba Regional Park in Anaheim and discover what pets may be doing while their owners are away. Friday, August 17 welcomes the ’90s classic A League of Their Own at Yorba Regional Park.

Head over to Laguna Niguel Regional Park for Disney and Pixar’s vibrant tale of family, fun and adventure with Coco on Friday, August 24. The following week, join archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones on his journey in The Raiders of the Lost Ark on Friday, August 31 at Laguna Niguel Regional Park.

The Sunset Cinema series continues at Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point where families can take a virtual trip across the ocean to ancient Polynesia with Moana on Friday, September 7. Wrap up the summer with a thrilling seaside movie at Bluff Park at Salt Creek Beach during Steven Spielberg’s Jaws on Friday, September 14.

“Movie lovers of all ages can enjoy gathering outside with friends and family to watch their favorite classic and contemporary films at these fun, free events,” said Supervisor Andrew Do, Chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

Pack a picnic, blankets and beach chairs and head to OC Parks Sunset Cinema to enjoy recent popular films and introduce the young ones in your life to timeless classics. All movies are free to attend, with free parking beginning at 6 p.m. and show times starting around 8 p.m. after the sun begins to set. Movies will feature pre-show entertainment that varies per park including arts and crafts, activities, demonstrations and entertainers. Food trucks will be serving onsite and a beer and wine garden will be available to those 21 and over. For more information visit www.ocparks.com.

 

2018 OC Parks Sunset Cinema Schedule for the rest of this Summer:

Mason Regional Park

Location: 18712 University Drive, Irvine, CA 92612

Contact: (949) 923-2220, masonpark@ocparks.com 

Date: Friday, July 13

Movie: Trolls (2016, PG)

Date: Friday, July 20

Movie: Ghostbusters (1984, PG)

Irvine Regional Park

Location: 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA 92869

Contact: (714) 973-6835, irvinepark@ocparks.com

Date: Friday, July 27

Movie: Zootopia (2016, PG)

Date: Friday, August 3

Movie: The Karate Kid (1984, PG)

 Yorba Regional Park

Location: 7600 E. La Palma, Anaheim, CA 92807

Contact: (714) 973-6838, yorbapark@ocparks.com

Date: Friday, August 10

Movie: The Secret Life of Pets (2016, PG)

Date: Friday, August 17

Movie: A League of Their Own (1992, PG)

 Laguna Niguel Regional Park

Location: 28241 La Paz Road, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

Contact: (949) 923-2240, lagunapark@ocparks.com

Date: Friday, August 24

Movie: Coco (2017, PG)

Date: Friday, August 31

Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, PG)

Salt Creek Beach

Location: 33333 S. Pacific Coast Hwy., Dana Point, CA 92629

Contact: (949) 923-2280, southcoastops@ocparks.com

Date: Friday, September 7

Movie: Moana (2016, PG)

Date: Friday, September 14

Movie: Jaws (1975, PG)

Credit: OC Parks.

Filed Under: SoCal City Kids News

Free Concert at Universal CityWalk’s “5 Towers” stage! See Rising Music Stars in the Can’t Miss Concert of the Summer

July 11, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Singer-songwriter Shani Rose entertains as part of Universal CityWalk’s Street Performers Program.

 Universal CityWalk’s prolific Street Performers program will feature today’s brightest up-and-coming stars in a free concert performance at the “5 Towers” outdoor concert venue. Hailing from across the globe, an array of eclectic artists will take to the stage to perform original and cover songs as well as collaborated sets in front of an enthusiastic, standing-room-only CityWalk audience.

With its innovative platform for emerging artists, Universal CityWalk’s renowned Street Performers program has emerged as a beacon for aspiring talent who migrate to Los Angeles in the hopes of finding fame and fortune.

Today’s diverse roster of performers runs the gamut from singer-songwriter to Latin jazz, folk pop, steel drums, pop viola, country, blues and R&B soul, and will include the following.

                       Featured artists:

 

Brother Yusef (Bakersfield, CA)

Cass Miller (Pittsburgh, PA)

Daniel Morris (Pine Bluff, AK)

Drea Rose (Salinas, CA)

Beautiful Fragile (Chicago, IL)

Jackii Kennedy (Key Largo, FL)

John Russel (Savannah, GA)

Katie Ferrara (Los Angeles, CA)

Nico Franc (Portsmouth, RI)

 Ricky England (Seattle, WA)

Riot Child (Stockholm, Sweden)

Sajama (Santiago, Chile)

Sarah Lightman (Highstown, NJ)

Shani Rose (Los Angeles, CA)

Shashaty (Miami, FL)

Steegs (Grand Bend, Ontario)

Streetlight Cadence (Honolulu, HI)

Zen Thomas (Fort Lee, NJ)

Brother Yusef brings his soul sounds to Universal CityWalk’s Street Performers Program.

For more information on Universal CityWalk, visit www.CityWalkHollywood.com. Regular updates can be found on Universal Studios Hollywood’s Twitter @UniStudios, Facebook-Universal Studios Hollywood and Instagram @UniStudios.

WHEN:           Friday, July 13 at 7:00 pm

 WHERE:         “5 Towers” concert stage at Universal CityWalk

100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608.

 

Credit: Universal City Walk. Photos were also provided for posting. 

Filed Under: SoCal City Kids News

Nana Nae, July 12th Pet of the Week

July 11, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Nana Nae—sounds like the background to a pop song. But our Nana Nae’s been in the background too long, and she’s such a playful, friendly little doll that we thought that some publicity should get her a forever home! Nana Nae is a cream-and-white one-and-a-half-year-old kitty with an orange splotch on her muzzle—she looks as if she had her snout in a can of pumpkin pie mix. She was brought in as a stray, but her owner never came to claim her. So, hey! Meet Nana Nae at the Companion Animal Village at 7700 East Spring St., (562) 570-PETS. Ask for ID# A604563.

(This rescue encouraged by the usual suspects.)

Credit: Courtesy of the Companion Animal Village.

Filed Under: Pet Corner

mifold to Launch Second Booster Seat Innovation “hifold by mifold” With Crowdfunding Campaign

July 10, 2018 By Leave a Comment

mifold, inventor of the ultra-compact car seat category, today officially introduced its latest product, and second crowdfunding campaign, ‘hifold by mifold™’. The highback Grab-and-Go Booster™ brings unparalleled compact portability to the car seat category for parents and caregivers who prefer a high back booster seat. The official Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign will launch during the summer

Starting today, interested customers can register on https://gethifold.com/ for updates and the chance to be the first to place pre-orders with the best early-bird discounts of up to 50 percent off the recommended retail price.

hifold is the first-ever highback booster seat that is compact enough to pack in a backpack, duffle bag or small suitcase, relieving parents of headaches and concerns during travel and on-the-go situations.

hifold was created by parents for parents to make their busy schedules easier to manage. hifold ensures a child’s safety and comfort are priority, whether carpooling, traveling or during everyday situations. “We are living through a transportation revolution with a shift from car ownership to car usage,” said Jon Sumroy, mifold CEO and inventor. “More and more people are ride-hailing and ride-sharing. When you need to take your car seats to and from the car, they have to be lightweight, compact and portable.”

Sumroy continued, “Many people asked us to bring the benefits of compact portability to highback booster seats. After more than two years of intensive development, we created hifold. Children still travel without a child restraint in at least 25 percent of car journeys. Our vision is to have a child restraint for every child, in every car, on every journey, every time.  hifold folds up to be so compact, portable and convenient that parents no longer need to cut corners and take risks with their child’s safety.”

Highlights of hifold include:

  1. Ultra-Compact: Lightweight, foldable and portable; 3x smaller than a regular highback booster when folded and easy to carry around.

  2. Safety First: Designed, engineered and tested to meet or exceed the regulatory requirements of every country on earth. Eight ultra-compact impact protection zones, with four layers for protection, safety and comfort.

  3. Adjustable: The most adjustable high back booster seat – the height, lap and shoulder width, and head rest can easily be adjusted to grow as the child grows.

  4. Advanced: Patented design and engineering.

  5. Comfortable: A soft, comfortable PU foam with airflow washable fabric™, and energy absorbing, dense EVA foam layer for added comfort and support.

  6. Proven Success: hifold is the product of mifold, a trustworthy company with a record of success.

 

mifold is known for its flagship product, the original mifold Grab-and-Go booster seat, which created the ultra-compact car seat category. Three years ago, mifold became the most successful crowdfunding campaign ever for a juvenile product: raising nearly three million dollars and delivering seats to customers in more than 150 countries. Since then, mifold has sold more than half a million seats around the world.

hifold will come to market in early 2019. It will be sold in the United States for $179.00 MSRP. Learn more about how to use the product here.

For more information or to sign up for updates, visit https://gethifold.com/.

Credit:  mifold

mifold created the ultra-compact car seat category with the 2016 launch of the mifold Grab-and-Go booster seat. Today the range of mifold seats is helping deliver the vision of a child restraint: for every child, in every car on every journey, every time.  As the leader in advanced, compact, portable and safe car seats mifold allows children to be safe no matter whose car they are in. Created by Jon Sumroy, a father of four, the original mifold seat and the new hifold highback seat are great child passenger safety options for families traveling, ridesharing, carpooling and more. Learn more at www.mifold.com

Filed Under: Announcements

Monster Jam® Returns To SoCal with L.A.’s First-Ever Action-Packed Arena Event, Monster Jam Triple Threat Series™

July 10, 2018 By Leave a Comment

**Ultimate Showdown of Eight Extreme Monster Jam Teams

Going Head-to-Head in Seven Endurance Competitions

Driving Three Different Vehicles: Monster Jam Trucks, Speedsters & ATVs**

After five record-breaking stadium events playing to packed crowds at Angel Stadium earlier this year, Monster Jam® is revving it’s way up to Downtown Los Angeles with an all-new action-packed weekend of events for the first time ever at STAPLES Center, featuring the SoCal debut of the indoor arena-based Monster Jam Triple Threat Series™ that will keep motorsport fans on the edge of their seats with adrenaline-charged, high-flying, four-wheel excitement that is fun for the entire family!

     

Unlike any other Monster Jam event seen in SoCal before, the Monster Jam Triple Threat Series features eight of the most intense Monster Jam athletes in a fierce battle for the championship that tests the versatility and endurance of the athletes as they go head-to-head in a points-based format with seven different competitions driving three customized high-powered vehicles:  the larger-than-life 12,000 lb. Monster Jam trucks, Monster Jam Speedsters and Monster Jam ATVs.  These extreme athletes battle for points in challenging Racing and Freestyle events that push themselves and their machines to the limit – delivering what fans want to see the most… more trucks, more racing, more freestyle, more donuts, more wheelies, more action!

Monster Jam Triple Threat Series world-class athletes vying to become champions will be:

  • Grave Digger® driven by Brandon Vinson
  • Max-D® driven by Jared Eichelberger
  • El Toro Loco® driven by Mark List
  • Megalodon driven by Travis Groth
  • Zombie™ driven by Tyler Groth
  • Wonder Woman driven by Collette Davis
  • Pirate’s Curse™* driven by 2017 “Rookie of the Year” Camden Murphy
  • Alien Invasion driven by Bernard Lyght

 

WHEN:           Friday, August 17, 2018                  

  • Event Time – 7:30 PM

 

Saturday, August 18, 2018

  • Event Times – 1:00 PM & 7:00 PM

 

Sunday, August 19, 2018

  • Event Times – 1:00 PM & 7:00 PM

 

WHERE:         STAPLES Center – 1111 S. Figueroa Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90011

 

 TICKETS:      Tickets are affordably priced for the whole family with seats starting at just $25 each*

 

Tickets are now available for purchase online at AXS.com, charge by phone at 888-9AXS-TIX or visit the venue Box Office.                  *ticket prices subject to change – additional venue/ticketing fees may apply

 Unexpected, unscripted and unforgettable, Monster Jam takes center stage in the world’s most iconic venues, sporting meticulously manicured dirt tracks created with the sole purpose of pushing these perfectly engineered, larger-than-life trucks to the limit.   Monster Jam is one of the only sports where male and female world-class drivers, some generational rivals, are equals competing for the same championship on the same track. New in 2018 across all Monster Jam events, fans in every city will have the chance to vote for the truck winner in the donut, wheelie and freestyle competitions by real-time, in-arena fan voting on their smartphones.

Credit: Feld Entertainment, Inc. Photos were also provided.

Filed Under: Featured Content, Featured Events

Yogurtland Celebrates National Ice Cream Day On July 15, 2018

July 9, 2018 By Leave a Comment

The popular self-serve dessert spot, Yogurtland announces plans to celebrate National Ice Cream Day at all US locations on July 15 with a buy one, get one free offer from 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM local time. After introducing ice cream to its lineup last summer, Yogurtland has continued to swirl up delicious handcrafted ice cream flavors for its fans. For National Ice Cream Day, Yogurtland will serve five ice cream flavors as well as other frozen yogurt and sorbet flavors, giving fans a variety of options to create a celebratory treat as unique as they are.

Yogurtland’s celebration of ice cream includes five delicious scratchmade ice cream flavors – Rich Chocolate Ice Cream, Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Malt Ball Ice Cream Made With WHOPPERS, Butter Pecan Light Ice Cream** and OREO® Cookies and Crème Ice Cream plus the usual lineup of craveable frozen yogurt flavors.

“Ice cream has become a huge part of Yogurtland’s attraction for those who desire to create their own treats. This is our first National Ice Cream Day celebration and we are bringing in these incredible flavors for this special day,” said John Wayne Carlson, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Development, and Operations at Yogurtland. “Normally we have three ice cream flavors on offer, but for this special event, we are bringing back two big favorites that feature OREO® cookie pieces and WHOPPERS.  Alongside these great flavors will be Yogurtland’s first Light Ice Cream**, our amazing Butter Pecan.  The WHOPPERS and OREO® flavors will be available again beginning on this day while supplies last, so we urge our fans to come early!”

Yogurtland’s flavorologists are continually creating craveable flavors that keep fans loving their frozen dessert experience. Yogurtland owns its own dairy, and by controlling the frozen yogurt and ice cream making process, the company can deliver the highest quality flavors, setting new standards for millions of fans.

Yogurtland features non-fat and low-fat yogurt flavors, ice cream, and non-dairy and no sugar added choices while using milk that does not contain antibiotics or added hormones. Fruit flavors are fortified with Vitamin C for an extra boost.

Presently Yogurtland has more than 320 locations across the U.S., Australia, United Arab Emirates, Guam, Myanmar, Oman, Singapore, Thailand, and Venezuela. Flavors are always subject to creative change and popular demand. For more information, visit http://www.yogurt-land.com or http://www.facebook.com/yogurtland.

 

Credit: Yogurtland. Photo: Courtesy of Yogurtland. 

 

Filed Under: Featured Events

Ripple Safety gadget is a Must-Have this Summer!

July 6, 2018 By 1 Comment

Looking for a way to feel safer when you are out and about this summer? Introducing Ripple! Maybe you haven’t heard of it yet? Ripple: is a safety device that is as small as a dime, looks like a tiny fashion accessory, and if you click it, any kind of help you desire is on the way, immediately. This truly is a must-have!

I like that this is a way to feel safer and it’s so little that it’s not even noticeable! Different combinations of their buttons and professional monitoring packages are available on their website (starting at $19.99), via Amazon Prime ($19.99 plus a free month trial of pro monitoring), and on HSN ($129.99 for a Ripple Button and one year of pro monitoring).

Ripple is not a panic button or a safety app: it is a personal safety service that sits on the tiny device—if you click it, the device will know where you are and what kind of help you need:

  • low level help: like a coworker, classmate, parent or friend to call and/or come to collect you immediately from where you are (1 click) or; 
  • high level help: like police, fire and paramedic assistance (3 clicks)

 

Self Disclosure: I received a free sample to facilitate this post. Images/Videos were also provided. 

Filed Under: Featured Products of the Week

ABC Monsters: The Complete Season – Fun, Educational Introduction to Early Language Skills

July 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Enjoy the complete season of ABC Monsters! Embark on one phonics adventure after another while learning each letter of the alphabet in this complete set! Twenty-six cuddly ABC Monsters live within the walls of Capital Castle. Each monster represents a letter of the alphabet but should any of the monsters go missing for longer than a day, all the letters will be wiped out from every book in Capital Town! So it’s very important to make sure that all the ABC Monsters are safely back in Alphabet Gardens before the sun goes down. However, this isn’t as easy as it sounds. The ABC Monsters are naturally curious creatures and often wander off from Alphabet Gardens to try and find new and fun items, inevitably getting themselves lost in the process. When Alice, Brian and Cherry Berry set out to find the ABC Monsters, they learn to spell multiple items that start with that ABC Monsters letter as well as play other phonics games and sing songs! Get set for a spellbinding series of magical adventures that engages the imagination all while making learning the alphabet exciting and entertaining!

ABC Monsters: The Complete Season

By Ella L., KIDS FIRST! Film Critics, age 14

ABC Monsters: The Complete Season is a fun and educational experience for young kids. It inspires them to learn, enjoy learning and even encourages them to participate in physical activity. It is creative and interesting all the way through. If I was a parent, I would use this DVD to help me teach my kid about the alphabet and early language skills.

I have reviewed other episodes of ABC Monsters previously and enjoy how each episode is different. For example, one of the episodes is based on introducing kids to the letter “A.” In this episode, the Alphabet Monsters are so excited about the archery competition when suddenly, all the arrows go missing! Alice, Bryan and Cherry Berry (the protagonists) go on a mission to find the missing arrows and the missing letter of the alphabet, which just so happens to be Letter “A.” On the way, they go on a lot of mini quests such as helping Amy the Alligator find her armband and help Farmer Alex find his apple. At the end of the episode, Alice, Bryan and Cherry Berry review everything we learned in the episode and include fun little songs and dances for us to do and sing.

Everything about this show is child-friendly and appropriate for a young age group. The storylines are consistent without being repetitive and are quite easy to follow. This show would be very entertaining for young kids. The visuals are bright and colorful which will attract young viewers. The music is upbeat and cheery. The characters are adorable and likable. I think that all of these aspects are important in order for kids to enjoy watching a program.

I give this DVD 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for kids ages 1 to 5. I believe that this show will intrigue kids with its cute characters and interesting plotlines. It will get them excited about learning, music and physical fitness. It will help parents teach their kids about spelling, grammar and phonics while keeping them hooked and wanting to learn more. This show offers quality entertainment for young children who need to be introduced to the alphabet. Parents can feel confident about using this DVD to enlighten their little ones about the English language. It is available on DVD now so, check it out.

Credit: KIDS FIRST!

Filed Under: Media Reviews
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