Recreation

Get ready to make a splash this Sunday, October 21 during our annual Pumpkin Diving - featuring the City's new SNAP initiative - at the Sierra Recreation and Fitness Center. 

This fun-filled event from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. transforms the Sierra pool into a floating pumpkin patch. Along with diving for pumpkins, you can decorate your autumn squash and play fun carnival games. 

You can't miss them. Hay-stuffed figures sporting costumes - some spooky, some not - placed around town for the City's 2nd Annual Scarecrow Contest. 

The scarecrows were made by local nonprofits, schools, faith-based organizations and the Chamber of Commerce. They'll be on display until mid-November.

You can help crown the winning scarecrows by voting for your favorites that are placed at the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center. 

With Halloween just around the corner be sure to mark your calendar for Hometown Halloween, a festive community celebration that caters to all ages.

Bring your family, neighbors and friends to this colorful event that takes place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, October 27 at the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center, 24932 Veterans Way.

If you're an enthusiastic fitness instructor, we want you! The City of Mission Viejo is seeking certified fitness professionals to teach Spin, Aqua Aerobics, Jazzercise, Boot Camp and Yoga classes at the Montanoso and Sierra Recreation Centers. Permanent and substitute instructors are sought.  

Fitness enthusiasts flock to Jazzercise and Aqua Aerobics classes at the centers throughout the week. Our Spin program continues to boom as do popular Yoga and Boot Camp classes at the Montanoso Recreation Center.  New class proposals are always welcome.  

Tennis enthusiasts from across Southern California will flock to the Marguerite Tennis Pavilion October 18-20 for the second annual Girls' Junior Tennis Classic - The Marguerite, a CIF-sanctioned event.

The Marguerite will feature the top 32 singles and 32 doubles entries from Southern, San Diego, Los Angeles and Central CIF sections. The players are ages 14-19, and each section is guaranteed placements in the draw. Selections are based on high school dual-match results, UTR and SCTA rankings.

Think those hay-stuffed figures placed in fields to keep fowl and fauna out ever appear in Mission Viejo? They do and will take over the City once again this Halloween! 

The City will place more than 50 scarecrows in public places throughout the community and is seeking nonprofit organizations - churches, scouts, schools and charities - to make a scarecrow for the chance to win prizes courtesy of the Friends of the Arts. 

Mark your calendar for two fabulous family nights this fall featuring Movies in the Park and tons of fun!

First up is the screening of the animated "Incredibles" on Saturday, September 29 at Cordova Park at 26931 El Retiro. Then on Saturday, October 6, "The Greatest Showman" will fill Flo Jo Park with music and the story of a visionary who created a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. Flo Jo Park is located at 22760 Olympiad Road.

The next time you drop by the Norman P. Murray Community Center, check out the impressive artwork on display.

The vivid creations are by Joyce Pekala, an award-winning artist who paints "en plein air" or "in the open air," a term first used by French impressionists.  She frequently travels to gain fresh subject matter while participating in some of the most respected art festivals.  Traveling to France gave her an opportunity to paint in the garden of impressionist artist Claude Monet, which was an artistic experience of a lifetime.

The City of Mission Viejo will host its inaugural Wheelchair/Adaptive Sports Tennis Clinic and Festival on Sunday, September 9 at the Marguerite Tennis Pavilion.

Partnering with Angel City Sports and the Southern California Tennis Association, the City will provide free daylong clinics and tennis play for both wheelchair and adaptive tennis players.

Join the Mission Viejo Community of Character Committee for a free screening of the "The Post" at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 16.