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Spring Fun Begins: Irvine Park Railroad’s Easter Eggstravaganza Returns March 7–April 4

Issue # 0584

Author

Joshua Tjia
09 Mar

In this Irvine Insider Issue . . .

😁 Laugh of the Day

🌤️ Irvine Weather

🥗🍔🍽️ Explore OC Restaurant Week: Dining Deals Across Irvine, March 8–14

🚧🌳 Temporary Closures Planned at Great Park During March Pavement Improvements

🚜🚲 Work Starts on Jeffrey Open Space Trail Extension, Weekday Lane Closures

🍴 Restaurants Now Provide Utensils and Condiments Upon Request Only

🌸🐇🌸 Spring Fun Begins: Irvine Park Railroad’s Easter Eggstravaganza Returns March 7–April 4

👀 New UC Irvine Study Sheds Light on Early Causes of Cataracts

🦆🪶 Spot Local Birds on a Guided Morning Walk at Irvine Regional Park, March 18

🍀🎻 St. Patrick’s Day Concert with Eileen Ivers Coming to Irvine Barclay Theatre, Mar. 17

🎼🎼 Upcoming High School Music Calendar

🐶🐱 Irvine Animal Care Center Seeks Foster Volunteers for Puppies, Kittens, and Wildlife

🏀UC Irvine Men’s Basketball Clinches Big West Title with Overtime Win Over UC Davis

🏀🏐🎾⚽️ UCI Anteaters Upcoming Home Games

🏀 IVC Women’s Basketball Advances to State Championship Tournament After 46–39 Win

🏀🏀 Upcoming home games for the IVC LASERS

⚽️ University Boys Soccer Wins CIF Regional Title, Advances to State Final

🏈🎾 High School Athletics Calendar

🚔🔒 Irvine Police Seek Help Identifying Suspect in 24 Hour Fitness Locker Break-Ins

🍏🥭🍑 Local Farmers Markets

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

📅📅 Lots of Local Events

📞💡 Useful Contact Information

Why do dogs make terrible dance partners?

Because they have two left feet!

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

Explore OC Restaurant Week: Dining Deals Across Irvine, March 8–14

OC Restaurant Week returns March 8–14 with more than 40 restaurants across Irvine Spectrum Center, The Market Place, and other Irvine shopping centers offering special prix-fixe menus, cocktails, and wine pairings.

  • Angelina’s Pizzeria Napoletana at Los Olivos Marketplace will offer a $25 lunch and $50 dinner menu with antipasti, Neapolitan pizza, pasta, and Italian desserts.

  • Taco Rosa at The Market Place will feature $20 lunch and $30 dinner menus plus $10 margaritas.

  • More details and participating menus are available at ocrestaurantweek.com.

Temporary Closures Planned at Great Park During March Pavement Improvements

Pavement improvement work will take place at the Great Park from March 9 through March 23. During this time, some areas of the park will temporarily close to allow crews to complete asphalt rehabilitation.

Planned Closures:

  • March 9–13: Parking Lot 1

  • March 16–20: Trails near the Reflecting Pond

  • March 23: Area surrounding the Reflecting Pond

Work Starts on Jeffrey Open Space Trail Extension, Weekday Lane Closures

Work on the Jeffrey Open Space Trail (JOST) extension between Barranca Parkway and Walnut Avenue begins today, March 9, connecting the existing trail to the new bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the I-5 Freeway and Walnut Avenue.

  • Weekday northbound lane closures on Jeffrey Road between Walnut Avenue and Smoketree are expected 7 a.m.–5 p.m., though access to homes and businesses will remain open.

  • The bridge and trail extension are expected to be completed this summer.

Restaurants Now Provide Utensils and Condiments Upon Request Only

Under California law AB 1276, restaurants will now provide single-use utensils and condiments only when requested, including with takeout and delivery orders. If these items are not included, customers may simply ask for them. The law is intended to help reduce unnecessary waste.

Spring Fun Begins: Irvine Park Railroad’s Easter Eggstravaganza Returns March 7–April 4

The Easter Eggstravaganza at Irvine Park Railroad is now open and runs March 7 through April 4. The seasonal event features spring activities and opportunities to meet the Easter Bunny.

  • Admission is free to enter the event area, and tickets for activities are available for purchase on-site.

  • Hours are 10 a.m.–6 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.–6 p.m. on weekends, offering families a chance to enjoy Easter-themed fun throughout the month.

New UC Irvine Study Sheds Light on Early Causes of Cataracts

A new University of California, Irvine study has identified a possible early step in the development of age-related cataracts. Researchers found that a subtle chemical change in a lens protein can make it more likely to stick to nearby proteins over time, gradually causing the cloudiness associated with cataracts. The findings provide new insight into how cataracts may begin at the molecular level and could help guide future research aimed at slowing or preventing the condition.

  • Cataracts affect about 25 million people in the U.S. and more than 65 million worldwide.

  • The study focused on crystallin proteins, which keep the eye’s lens clear but cannot be replaced once damaged.

  • Ultraviolet light and aging can cause oxidative changes that alter these proteins.

  • Researchers recreated this change using genetic code expansion (GCE) to study its impact.

  • The altered protein remained stable but clumped more easily when stressed, suggesting an early step in cataract formation.

  • Understanding these changes may help scientists develop future non-surgical treatments or improved lens technologies.

Spot Local Birds on a Guided Morning Walk at Irvine Regional Park, March 18

Join a guided Lakeside Bird Walk at Irvine Regional Park on Wednesday, March 18 from 7:30–9:30 a.m. Participants will stroll near the park’s Nature Center and search high in the trees and low in the shrubs for a variety of local birds while learning about the area’s wildlife and habitats.

St. Patrick’s Day Concert with Eileen Ivers Coming to Irvine Barclay Theatre, Mar. 17

Grammy-winning fiddler Eileen Ivers and her band Universal Roots will present a lively St. Patrick’s Day concert on Tuesday, March 17 at 8 p.m. at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, blending Celtic traditions with American musical styles. The program explores how Irish music influenced genres such as bluegrass, Appalachian, Quebecois, and Cajun, while sharing stories of Irish immigrants and their journey in America through music, storytelling, and recitation.

Upcoming Northwood High School’s Music Calendar

  1. March 11, 7:00 - 8:30 PM: Spring Vocal Music Concert, NHS Theater

  2. March 13: Night of the Arts – Jazz Ensemble I, Wind Symphony, Philharmonic, NHS Theater

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://timbmusic.org/events/

Upcoming Woodbridge High School's Music Calendar

  1. March 12: Orchestra Music Festival Concert, WHS Performing Arts Center

  2. March 13: Band Music Festival Concert, WHS Performing Arts Center

  3. March 16: Wind Ensemble & Philharmonic Festival, IHS Performing Arts Center

  4. March 20: WHS Carnival

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://www.whs-music.org/

Upcoming Woodbridge High School’s Vocal Music Calendar

  1. March 20, 7:00 PM: Spring Concert, WHS Performing Arts Center

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://woodbridgechoirs.weebly.com/calendar.html

Upcoming Irvine High Choral’s Music Calendar

  1. March 13: Spring Rally

  2. March 15, 3:00 PM: Plotkin Foundation Performance, Plotkin Art Gallery

  3. March 17, 7:00 PM: Spring Concert, Irvine High PAC

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://www.ihschoralmusic.org/calendar.html 

Upcoming Portola High School Music’s Calendar

No further events scheduled for this month.

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://www.phsmusicbooster.org/buy-ticket

Irvine Animal Care Center Seeks Foster Volunteers for Puppies, Kittens, and Wildlife

The Irvine Animal Care Center is looking for foster volunteers as spring brings an influx of puppies and kittens. The center needs help caring for underage animals, supporting dogs on behavior training plans, and transporting orphaned wildlife to specialized caregivers. All supplies and guidance are provided.

Community members interested in helping animals in need can learn more and sign up at cityofirvine.org/petfoster.

UC Irvine Men’s Basketball Clinches Big West Title with Overtime Win Over UC Davis

UC Irvine men’s basketball clinched the Big West regular season title with a 79–69 overtime victory over UC Davis. Led by Jurian Dixon’s 23 points, the Anteaters rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit and dominated overtime to secure the No. 1 seed in the Big West Championship.

UCI Anteaters Upcoming Home Games

Women’s Water Polo

  • Tue, Mar 10 – vs Concordia, 6:00 PM

Women’s Tennis

  • Tues, Mar 10 – vs Richmond, 12:00 AM

Men’s Tennis

  • Wed, Mar 11 – vs VCU, 12:00 PM

Men’s Volleyball

  • Wed, Mar 11 – vs UC Santa Barbara, 6:00 PM

IVC Women’s Basketball Advances to State Championship Tournament After 46–39 Win

Irvine Valley College defeated Fullerton 46–39 in the women’s basketball regional final. With the win, the Lasers advance to the 3C2A State Championships and will face Laney in the quarterfinals while riding a seven-game winning streak.

🏐⚽🏀 Upcoming home games for the IVC LASERS 

Baseball

  • Tue, Mar 10 – vs Riverside, 2:00 PM

  • Fri, Mar 13 – vs Riverside, 1:00 PM

Men’s Tennis

  • Tue, Mar 10 – vs Mt. San Antonio, 2:00 PM

Men’s Volleyball

  • Fri, Mar 13 – vs Orange Coast, 6:00 PM

Women’s Flag Football

  • Thu, Mar 12 – vs Cypress, 4:30 PM

  • Sat, Mar 14 – vs Long Beach State, 12:00 PM

Women’s Beach Volleyball

  • Fri, Mar 13 – vs Santa Ana, 10:00 AM

University Boys Soccer Wins CIF Regional Title, Advances to State Final

University High School’s boys soccer team won the CIF Division IV Regional Championship with a 2–0 home victory over Granite Hills, led by goals from Kasra Ghoddousi and Rayan Heyati while goalkeeper Lucca Clouthier secured the shutout. The Trojans advance to the CIF Division IV state final against Del Mar at Natomas High School.

High School Athletics Calendar

**

Updated With March Schedule

Upcoming Irvine High School’s Varsity home games:

March 2026

Monday, March 9

  • Lacrosse, Girls - 4:00 PM vs Woodbridge

Tuesday, March 10

  • Tennis, Boys - 3:15 PM vs San Clemente

Wednesday, March 11

  • Beach Volleyball, Girls - 4:00 PM vs El Dorado

  • Lacrosse, Girls - 4:30 PM vs Santa Barbara

Irvine Police Seek Help Identifying Suspect in 24 Hour Fitness Locker Break-Ins

Irvine Police are asking for the public’s help identifying a woman connected to several locker break-ins at a 24 Hour Fitness location in Irvine. Credit cards stolen from the lockers were later used to make purchases at multiple stores across Orange County. The suspect may be driving a silver Honda Accord. Anyone who recognizes her is encouraged to contact Detective Byrne at [email protected].

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

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Click the link below and fill out the Local Business Spotlight Application Form to be featured and let’s celebrate the spirit of Irvine together!

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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

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