Mid-Autumn Festival Returns to Great Park Sept. 26

Issue # 0486

Author

Joshua Tjia
15 Sep

In this Irvine Insider Issue . . .

😁 Laugh of the Day

🌤️ Irvine Weather

🪭🏮🪭 Mid-Autumn Festival Returns to Great Park Sept. 26

🚓 Irvine Police Department Hosts Annual Open House Sept. 20

🏙️💡 Irvine City Council Votes to Stay with OCPA

🚌🌟 62 IUSD Students Named National Merit Semifinalists

🫧🧼 Handwashing 101: The Simple Step That Beats Germs

🕊️ Spot Summer Birds at Irvine Regional Park – Sept. 17

🎨 After School Crafts at Heritage Park – Sept. 22

🎼🎼 Upcoming High School Music Calendar

🐕 Meet Bear: A Loyal Shepherd Ready for His Forever Home

⚽️ UC Irvine Men’s Soccer Stays Unbeaten at Home with 1–0 Win Over Yale

🏀🏐🎾⚽️ UCI Anteaters Upcoming Home Games

⚽️ Irvine Valley Improves to 2–3 With Shutout Victory Over San Diego Mesa

🏀🏀 Upcoming home games for the IVC LASERS

🏈 Crean Lutheran Football Stays Perfect with 34–0 Shutout of El Modena

🏈🎾 High School Athletics Calendar

🚔🛍️ Two Women Arrested After $2,000 Shoplifting Incident at Lululemon

🍏🥭🍑 Local Farmers Markets

🌟🏪🎉Irvine’s Best Kept Secrets: Is Your Business One of Them?

📅📅 Lots of Local Events

📞💡 Useful Contact Information

What do you call a pile of kittens?

A meow-tain.

We hope this joke brings some laughter to your day! 😁

Mid-Autumn Festival Returns to Great Park Sept. 26

The City of Irvine and South Coast Chinese Cultural Center will host the 5th annual Mid-Autumn Festival at Great Park on Friday, Sept. 26, from 5–9:30 p.m. Known as the Moon Festival, it is a cherished tradition in East and Southeast Asia celebrating the harvest and time with loved ones. The family-friendly event will feature cultural displays, live entertainment, crafts, artistic demonstrations, food trucks, and educational exhibits, highlighting Irvine’s cultural diversity.

Irvine Police Department Hosts Annual Open House Sept. 20

The Irvine Police Department is inviting the community to its annual Open House on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at the Irvine Civic Center. This free event will feature K9 and motorcycle demonstrations, games, booths, food trucks, and plenty of family-friendly fun. The first 200 visitors to the Community Outreach booth will receive a mystery gift.

Irvine City Council Votes to Stay with OCPA

On Sept. 9, the Irvine City Council voted 5–2 to stay with the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA).

  • Some councilmembers wanted to make Irvine’s participation conditional on OCPA repaying the city’s $7.5 million loan, freezing rates, and adding more seats for Irvine on the board, but that plan did not pass.

  • Instead, the Council approved a motion to remain with OCPA as it is, with the option to negotiate those issues in the future.

  • This keeps Irvine in OCPA for now without any firm commitments on repayment, rates, or board representation.

62 IUSD Students Named National Merit Semifinalists

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has recognized 62 Irvine Unified School District students as semifinalists in its scholarship program — the highest number in Orange County.

  • These seniors now have a chance to compete for nearly 6,930 scholarships worth $26 million in spring 2026.

  • Semifinalists, representing less than 1% of U.S. seniors, qualified by scoring high on the PSAT/NMSQT®.

Full details and the list of honorees are available at iusd.org/NationalMeritSemifinalists.

Handwashing 101: The Simple Step That Beats Germs

Hand sanitizer can help when soap isn’t around, but washing with soap and water is still the best way to get rid of germs, viruses, and even harmful chemicals.

  • Soap vs. Sanitizer: Soap not only kills germs but also washes them away. Sanitizer (60%+ alcohol) helps in a pinch but doesn’t clean off dirt or chemicals.

  • Limits of Sanitizer: Doesn’t work well on greasy or dirty hands, misses tough bugs like norovirus, and won’t remove pesticides.

  • Risks to Kids: Too little alcohol won’t kill germs — and swallowing sanitizer can be dangerous for children.

  • How to Wash Right (CDC): Scrub with soap and water for 20 seconds — front, back, between fingers, and under nails — then rinse and dry.

  • When to Wash: Before meals, after using the restroom, coughing, sneezing, touching pets, garbage, or whenever your hands look dirty.

  • Keep Skin Happy: All that scrubbing can dry you out — use fragrance-free hand cream right after washing.

Spot Summer Birds at Irvine Regional Park – Sept. 17


Join OC Parks for a free Summer Birdwatching Walk at Irvine Regional Park on Wednesday, September 17, from 7:30–9:30 a.m. Guided by an experienced volunteer, participants will search for nesting-season birds high in the trees and low in the shrubs. The walk begins at the Nature Center, is open to ages 12+.

After School Crafts at Heritage Park – Sept. 22

Kids in grades 4–8 can unwind after school at Heritage Park Library’s After School Club: Crafts! The next session is Monday, Sept. 22, from 3:30–4:30 PM. Enjoy creative projects, games, and fun activities with friends.

We will resume with the high school music calendar events when the schedule is available for the fall semester.

Meet Bear: A Loyal Shepherd Ready for His Forever Home

Meet Bear! He’s a 1-year-old German Shepherd at the Irvine Animal Care Center who loves playtime, sniffari walks, and making new friends once he warms up.

  • Bear needs an adult-only, single-dog home with someone willing to continue his training (a free $200 GoodPup Scholarship is included!).

  • He’s been waiting a while for his forever family — come meet him during weekend adoption hours, noon to 5 p.m. at cityofirvine.org/animals.

  • More information

UC Irvine Men’s Soccer Stays Unbeaten at Home with 1–0 Win Over Yale

UC Irvine men’s soccer edged Yale 1–0 to remain unbeaten at home (5-0-1). Freshman Gustavo Gonzalez scored his first career goal in the 13th minute, and goalkeeper Joe O’Shaughnessy posted his fourth shutout. The Anteaters finished ahead in shots and corners, marking the program’s 350th win. Next up is a road match at No. 25 San Diego on Sept. 17.

UCI Anteaters Upcoming Home Games

Special Event

  • Fri, Sep 19 – Rameelo Raas Garba with Jignesh Barot, 7:00 PM

Women’s Soccer

  • Sun, Sep 21 – vs UC Riverside, 1:00 PM

Women’s Volleyball

  • Fri, Sep 26 – vs Long Beach State, 6:00 PM

  • Sat, Sep 27 – vs UC San Diego, 5:00 PM

Irvine Valley Improves to 2–3 With Shutout Victory Over San Diego Mesa

Irvine Valley men’s soccer earned a 6–0 victory over San Diego Mesa, moving to 2–3 on the season. Goals were scored by Finn Monk, Isaac Nixon, Armin Tehrani, Drew Payne, and two from Andrew Roldan. IVC finished with a 24–3 edge in shots.

🏐⚽🏀 Upcoming home games for the IVC LASERS 

Men’s Soccer

  • Tue, Sep 23 – vs Cuyamaca, 4:00 PM

  • Tue, Sep 30 – vs Orange Coast, 3:00 PM

Women’s Volleyball

  • Fri, Sep 26 – vs Orange Coast, 6:00 PM

Women’s Soccer

  • Fri, Sep 26 – vs East Los Angeles, 1:00 PM

Crean Lutheran Football Stays Perfect with 34–0 Shutout of El Modena

Crean Lutheran kept their strong start going with a 34–0 win over El Modena, improving to 4-0.

  • Quarterback Caden Jones led the way with 301 passing yards and three touchdowns, while teammates Cole Ocana, Taiga Takada, Mateo Munoz, and Dillon Booth added big plays.

  • The Saints’ defense stayed steady with turnovers and sacks, continuing a season where they’ve given up only two touchdowns and are holding opponents to under 10 points per game.

High School Athletics Calendar

**

Updated With September Schedule

Upcoming Irvine High School’s Varsity home games:

September 2025

Tuesday, September 16

  • Girls’ Tennis (VR) – 3:30 PM vs. Northwood at Heritage Park

  • Boys’ Water Polo (VR) – 4:30 PM vs. Tesoro at Woolett Pool

Thursday, September 18

  • Girls’ Tennis (VR) – 3:30 PM vs. Sage Hill at Heritage Park

  • Girls’ Golf (VR) – 4:00 PM vs. Woodbridge at Oak Creek Golf Course

Two Women Arrested After $2,000 Shoplifting Incident at Lululemon


Last Friday, Irvine Police officers responded to a shoplifting case at Lululemon in Spectrum. Two women were caught with about $2,000 in stolen merchandise after leaving the store with bags full of clothing.

  • Officers arrested Tenea Rebecca Williams (35, Downey) for shoplifting and conspiracy, and Marie Anne Mayugba (36, Sacramento) for burglary, receiving stolen property, and conspiracy.

  • Both were booked into Orange County Jail.

S

Irvine’s Best Kept Secrets: Is Your Business One of Them?

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  • Kaiser Permanente Irvine Farmers Market

  • Saturday Farmers Market at Mariners Church Irvine

    • When: Saturday, 8 AM - 12 PM

    • Where: 5428 Bonita Canyon Dr, Irvine, CA 92603

  • Great Park Certified Farmers Market

  • Manassero Farmers

    • When: Daily, 9 AM - 4:30 PM

    • Where: 33 Irvine Valley, Irvine, CA 92604

  • Tanaka Farms

    • When: Daily, 9 AM - 5 PM

    • Where: 5380 3/4 University Dr, Irvine, CA 92612

    • More Info:Tanaka Farms

September 20 Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch Opening 9 AM - 6 PM

September 20 IPD Open House 10 AM - 2 PM

September 25 Limón Dance Company 8 PM

September 26 Mid-Autumn Festival 5 - 9:30 PM

September 27 Joshua Redman Quartet 8 PM

September 28 Barclay Block Party 1 PM

September 30 Calidore String Quartet 7 PM

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