Get ready to Walk Against Drugs Oct. 20

The City of Mission Viejo and Orange County Sheriff's Department will promote a drug-free lifestyle during the 30th annual Walk Against Drugs on October 20.

With support from Saddleback Valley Unified School District, the event kicks off at 8 a.m. with a rally at Mission Viejo High School featuring keynote speakers Carson Kropfl, a 13-year-old inventor and environmentalist, and Undersheriff Don Barnes, a 29-year veteran with the Orange County Sheriff's Department. The winner of the Safe Schools Challenge will be announced at the end of the rally.

The crowd - led by horses from the Sheriff's Department's mounted enforcement unit and sporting red T-shirts - will then walk down Chrisanta Drive, La Paz Road and Oso Creek Trail. The 1.5-mile walk ends at the Village Green next to the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center, where participants will take part in a Community Fair and the 11th annual South County Disaster Preparedness Expo.

The fair and expo, which runs to noon, will feature interactive community booths, educational activities, displays, food for purchase, entertainment, games and fun for all ages. The Rotary Club will toss 1,500 free hot dogs to the crowd as they arrive at the fair site, a proud tradition of this Mission Viejo service club since 1991.

The Walk Against Drugs is held in conjunction with national Red Ribbon Week, which advocates for a healthful lifestyle while avoiding drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

Free round-trip shuttle services are available by the Capistrano Unified School District. 

For more information, call 949-470-8433.