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Newsletter March 2024

Sensory-friendly concert with Pacific Symphony

concert

Families are invited to a sensory-friendly concert with Pacific Symphony musicians on Saturday, March 2.

The fun begins at 10 am in the Norman P. Murray Community Center Sycamore Room.

This free concert is designed to create a welcoming and comfortable arts experience for folks who benefit from a more relaxed experience including people with autism, sensory sensitivities, or other social, learning or cognitive disabilities. The 45-minute program features an interactive multi-sensory musical performance.

The Norman P. Murray Center is located at 24932 Veterans Way.

For more information, contact arts@cityofmissionviejo.org.

 

Mission Viejo: Our Stories, Our Food – Kick Off Event March 2

family food

Do you have a family recipe? Maybe it’s a recipe passed down through generations, connecting you with your heritage every time you make it. Perhaps it’s a new recipe you’ve created, reflecting your identity and the values you carry with you into the world every day. The City is seeking contributions for the Mission Viejo Community Cookbook, and residents are invited to share their treasured recipes with the community.

In 1986, the Mission Viejo Realty Group published a community cookbook that captured a unique snapshot of the community at that time. Nearly 40 years later, we are seeking recipes and personal stories for a new edition of the Mission Viejo Community Cookbook that reflects the richly diverse fabric of Mission Viejo’s cultural landscape. 

Community members are invited to attend two free programs associated with this project - a recipe binder DIY program and writing workshop on crafting your personal narrative. Library staff and local artist Erna van Dyk will lead community members of all ages in creating their own unique recipe binder. Children 6 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. This DIY program is on March 2 from 3-4:30 pm. The writing workshop is on March 23 from 1-2:30 pm and again on March 29, 5:30-7 pm. All programs are in the library’s Storytime Room. Attendance at the writing workshop is not mandatory for recipe submissions but is recommended.

Set for publication this summer, the cookbook will include one recipe accompanied by a brief personal narrative from each selected contributor. Selected participants will have their dish professionally photographed and included in an exhibit at the Norman P. Murray Community Center with an exhibit reception on June 29 from noon-2 pm.

Recipe submissions will be accepted March 1-31. Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges, and selections will be based on recipe type, culinary merit, and cultural heritage significance.

For more details and to submit your recipe, visit this page.

This project is supported in whole or part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

 

Children’s Top three Programs for March

kids programs

We are past the middle hurdle of the school year and summer is on the horizon! Let us help your child finish the school year strong with Homework Help. Students in grades 2-6 can work with volunteer tutors every Tuesday during the school year. Students should bring their current homework and assignments to work on. Registration opens one week before each session. To sign up, call 949-452-8343. 

No springtime garden is complete without worms — Wondrous Worms. This March bring your family to learn about the little friends that are an important part of our ecosystem. Enjoy songs, puppets, experiments and live wriggly worms. This free program is at 10:30 am on Saturday, March 16 in the library’s Storytime Room.

Stop by the library on Monday, March 18 for a fun celebration of the Percy Jackson series! Join us at 4 pm in the Storytime Room for fun crafts and activities inspired by the books. You can also find out who your Olympian parent is and test your knowledge of Greek mythology! No signup is required. This program is geared for youth 8 and older.

 

Take part in the Mission Viejo Library Writers Group

mvl writers group

We are looking for adults 18 and older who want to improve their writing to join our new facilitated writers group, which will meet one Saturday a month from 10 am to noon.

Contact libraryprograms@cityofmissionviejo.org for detailed information and registration instructions. There are a limited number of spaces, and a wait-list option is available.

 

Miniature Painting Workshop for Beginners March 4

miniature painting

Aspiring artists: listen up! Have you wanted to join the community of miniature painters but not sure where to start? If so, this program is for you!

This workshop introduces basic techniques for painting tabletop miniatures using base, shade and layer paints.

The workshop is open to people 14 and older and takes place March 4, April 1, and May 6 from 6 to 8 pm at the Potocki Center for the Arts. Seats are limited, so be sure to sign up for one or all three dates!

Register online: March 4 / April 1 / May 6

The Potocki Center for the Arts is located at 27301 La Paz Road.

Nowruz Celebration March 9

nowruz

Families are invited to join Kooshesh Persian School and the Mission Viejo Library for a Nowruz Celebration! On March 9 from 1-3:30 pm, families are invited to celebrate the Persian New Year with a special Bilingual Persian Storytime, musical and dance performances, children’s activities, arts and crafts, and more. There will be a beautiful haft-sin, and families are welcome to wear colorful or traditional Persian clothing.

This free event takes place in the Storytime Room and The Kershaw Garden. For more information, email libraryprograms@cityofmissionviejo.org.

 

Walk-Through Solar System is NIFTY

solar eclipse

The Mission Viejo Library is one of six libraries in United States to be awarded funds to continue last summer’s NIFTY (NASA Inspires Futures for Tomorrow’s Youth) project and is offering 10 additional hours of STEM programming for kids aged 10-13. March and April programming will focus on solar science and solar eclipses and will include at least one virtual interaction with a NIFTY Role Model.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, March 30!
NASA Solar System Ambassador Richard Stember and members of local nonprofit Science Heads will visit Mission Viejo as part of the library’s NIFTY programming. Patrons of all ages are invited to “Walk-Through the Solar System” – an exhibit which incorporates scale models of the planets and includes several hands-on activities that allow guests to experience differences in size, mass, and atmosphere. The solar system exhibit will be on display in The Kershaw Garden from noon to 4 pm. At 6 pm, Richard Stember will discuss the upcoming April 8 solar eclipse in the Council Chamber at City Hall.  The fun is free and appropriate for all ages. The Kershaw Garden and Council Chamber are located at 200 Civic Center.

Additional NIFTY activities including a virtual meeting with a NIFTY Role Model will take place in April.

Stay tuned for details on our website.

For more information, email libraryprograms@cityofmissionviejo.org.

 

A Seed Library is coming to Mission Viejo

seed library

Our new seed library is here. Located next to the “ask-here” desk in the library, the seed library will feature Heirloom flower, herb, fruit, and vegetable seeds. These seeds have been graciously donated by Petaluma (CA) Seed Bank and from the Plant Depot in San Juan Capistrano.

There are rules and limits for borrowing seeds from the seed library, but this is a free service from the Mission Viejo Library. While it is not like checking out a book, a library card is still required to borrow from the seed library.

Stop by in March to learn more about our seed library. 

 

Monthly Local History Display – 1984 Olympic Official Staff Uniform

local history display case

The 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics is a big part of Mission Viejo’s Local History. When you venture into the library, check out the display in the southeast corner of the library. In the glass case, you will find an official staff uniform donated by a local community member who worked in the Olympic Village at USC in July of 1984.

This display of vintage Olympic clothing will change mid-March, so be sure to catch this one before then.

 

Land records with Lisa Medina March 16

soccgs logo

Family history often feels like time travel, and what is travel without an understanding of the place or a study of the land? This presentation provides context for the value of land records in genealogical research as well as the historical background of land acquisition and distribution in the United States. Join us as Lisa Medina discusses examples of land records and repositories helpful to research in the U.S.

Lisa is an enthusiastic and experienced lecturer who brings together the stories and methodologies of family history research with the effective strategies of a teacher in her presentations. She has experience researching in several U.S. states as well as the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nuevo León, Chihuahua, Sonora and Sinaloa. Lisa attended the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and is a ProGen alum.

This free presentation is at 10 am on Saturday, March 16 and is open to all. The in-person meeting takes place at the Mission Viejo Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 27976 Marguerite Pkwy. No registration is needed.

The South Orange County Genealogical Society Genealogy Research Center located at the Mission Viejo Library is open five days a week with docents available to help you.  Visit https://soccgs.org/library-hours/ for current hours.

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MV Life

The MV Life app has been updated!  Keep your finger on the pulse of Mission Viejo.

Get timely information about news, events, and recreation so you can savor the good life in Mission Viejo.

Don’t delay in downloading this app today to take advantage of all this great community has to offer.

 
Download App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.missionviejo
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