The restaurant, which is joining the busy Home Depot-anchored Plaza de la Paz shopping center, is going big, offering free lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The menu features traditional Greek fare, including pitas, entrees, salads and sides and desserts.

The restaurant was founded in 2014 by cousins Big Nick, Little Nick and Baby Nick. In addition to California, it has locations in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Kansas, Texas and Missouri. The Laguna Niguel eatery is the brand’s sixth in Orange County.

Address: 27221 La Paz Road, Suite E.

Burlington opens in Garden Grove

The bargain retailer Burlington Stores is opening July 25 in Garden Grove.

The store takes the place of a shuttered Party City at 9661 Chapman Ave.

Burlington touts prices up to 60% off other retailers’ prices on brand name merchandise, which includes clothing, housewares, accessories, shoes and more.

The new addition in Garden Grove brings the store count in California to 114.

Medical facility opens in San Clemente

Providence Mission Hospital recently opened a multispecialty medical facility in San Clemente.

The 12,000-square-foot facility, which provides primary, specialty and urgent care services provided by partner Mission Heritage Medical Group, is just off the 5 freeway near the Outlets at San Clemente.

The center offers a multispecialty clinic, an imaging center and walk-in urgent care services staffed by Providence Mission Heritage physician partners.

Address: 395 W. Avenida Vista Hermosa.

Urgent care is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Phone: 949-304-2116.

Honda Center hiring

The entertainment hub within the Honda Center is hiring a host of positions in food and beverage categories and operations.

Open positions include cooks, attendants, hosts and server assistants with wages between $19 and $22 hourly. Other jobs in janitor, parking and public safety departments also are available with hourly wages between $21 and $25 dollars.

For more information on the jobs and others not listed, go to ocvibe.com/jobs. Applicants also can email a resume and cover letter to jobs@ocvibe.com

New hotel near Joshua Tree

Reset Hotel opens July 21 in Twentynine Palms, not far from the north entrance of Joshua Tree National Park.

The hotel, which sits on 180 acres, was built using modular building methods in order to reduce its impact on the environment with a shorter construction phase.

Features include 65 guest rooms, each with patios and stove fire pits; a clubhouse with co-working space, café, retail and a communal fire pit; a bistro offering seasonal fare; a 1,000-square-foot salt water pool and jacuzzi; saunas, cold plunges, yoga and other desert-inspired programming.

Room rates, according to a search Friday, run from $175 nightly up to $457 (high seasons and holidays), depending on the days booked.

The hotel was co-founded by HP Investors in San Diego-based, entrepreneur Adam Wininger, and designer Benjamin Uyeda.

Address: 7000 Split Rock Ave., Twentynine Palms. To see more, go to stayreset.com

On the move

Rich Gripp at California Faucets was recently promoted to vice president of Accounting and Finance at the Huntington Beach company. He joined the company in early 2023 from Newlight Technologies, starting as director of Finance. Gripp also was director of Finance at Newlight, and before that, American Woodmark/RSI Corp.

Dr. Gary E. Deng, a specialist in integrative medicine, is the new director of the Integrative Oncology Program at the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. The new center operates in partnership with the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute. Deng, who spent nearly two decades at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said his goal at UCI Health is to help patients achieve “the best outcomes by improving their mental, physical and spiritual well-being in their fight against cancer.”

Attorney Shayne Wulterin recently joined the law firm Kahana Field in Irvine as a partner in the General Liability and Construction Defect practice groups. His move to Kahana also brought to the firm a team of 14 other attorneys and paralegals from Ford, Walker, Haggerty & Behar. His specialty is general liability cases involving catastrophic loss, professional liability, premises liability, malpractice and negligence.

Brian Schaefgen is the new chief financial officer at the Orange County Community Foundation. Previously, he was CFO at Bellingham Marine, Bellwether Financial Group and 5 Bars. Schaefgen has also served as a board member, treasurer and committee member fornonprofit organizations including ForKids, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and Families Forward.

Coming up

Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire will host their fifth annual Pickleball for Wishes tournament from 2-7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 at the Tennis and Pickleball Club at Newport Beach. Proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish program, which grants wishes forchildren suffering from critical illnesses. For more information and to register, go to PickleballForWishes.org.

Good works

Team members at SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union participated on June 11 in an annual Development Education (DE) Day of Service, volunteering at Second Harvest Food Bank’s Harvest Solutions Farm in Irvine. They and other volunteer groups from the region harvested 6,000 pounds of fresh produce, which was delivered throughout the county to college food pantries, senior centers, homeless shelters and other community groups.

Milestones

Cassi Hallam, the chief marketing officer at System Pavers in Santa Ana was honored recently with the Green Industry Pros, Women in the Industry “Unsung Hero” award for 2025. Hallam earned the distinction because of her “significant contributions” at the company, where she leads a team of more than 100 associates in brand, digital, field marketing and contact center operations. She joined the firm in 2019.

Status Update is compiled and written by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos to sgowen@scng.com. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.

Men walk alongside the Our Lady of La Vang float as it leaves the Christ Cathedral during the Walking With Mary procession at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Young girls carry flowers during the Walking With Mary procession as the Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary, at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

People carry banners and flowers during the Walking With Mary procession as the Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary, at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

People carry flowers and umbrellas during the Walking With Mary procession as the Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary, at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Women carry flowers during the Walking With Mary procession as the Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary, at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

People carry banners during the Walking With Mary procession as the Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary, at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Performers carry flowers during the Walking With Mary procession as the Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary, at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A woman uses a fan to shade herself to the Christ Cathedral during the Walking With Mary procession in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Men walk alongside the Our Lady of La Vang float as it makes its way back to the Christ Cathedral during the Walking With Mary procession in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Priests walk behind the Our Lady of La Vang float as it makes its way back to the Christ Cathedral during the Walking With Mary procession in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Men carry banners during the Walking With Mary procession as the Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary, at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire.. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A woman uses a large fan to shade herself to the Christ Cathedral prior to the Walking With Mary procession in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Thousands of people carry flowers, banners and umbrellas during the Walking With Mary procession as the Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary, at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire.. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

People carry flowers, banners and umbrellas during the Walking With Mary procession as the Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary, at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

With Christ Cathedral as a backdrop, people take part in the Walking With Mary procession as the Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary, at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Performers carry flowers during the Walking With Mary procession as the Christ Cathedral and the Diocese of Orange hosts the fourth annual Marian Days, a celebration of the Virgin Mary, at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 12, 2025. The festivities are centered around the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, a 16-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire.. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A procession of thousands on Saturday, July 12, at the Christ Cathedral and into the surrounding streets in Garden Grove capped off the fourth annual Marian Days.

The two-day event is a celebration of the Virgin Mary with lectures and workshops, special Masses and cultural performances. This year’s theme was “Walking With Mary.”

The Diocese of Orange created its Marian Days festival following the completion of its Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, and the event draws from the Vietnamese Catholic community around Southern California and beyond.

Many of the activities take place at the shrine, with its 16-foot-tall statue of the Virgin Mary dressed in a traditional Vietnamese ao dai and holding the baby Jesus. In the shrine, she is surrounded by trees representing the forest of La Vang where it is believed the Marian apparition appeared in 1798 to comfort persecuted Catholics in Central Vietnam.

Fravien, 13, recently won the California state championship competition of the National Civics Bee, hosted last month at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.

That means the incoming Walton Intermediate School eighth-grader is spending the next four months studying every day for the national championship in Washington, D.C., scheduled for November.

In addition to working from a study guide — packed with topics covering founding principles and branches of government — Fravien studies civics topics on YouTube and watches civics bee competitions from other states to prepare to represent California in the national championship.

“I feel proud and honored that I get to represent California because when I entered the competition, I wasn’t sure I was going to get first place,” Fravien said.

To get to the D.C. bee, Fravien had to win the California competition, which saw middle schoolers compete in two rounds of multiple-choice questions about constitutional amendments, federal government and laws before five finalists were selected to present community problems and their ideas for solutions.

Fravien proposed a “trash force,” a coalition of volunteers to clean up the Orange County parks.

Fravien has already done the work.

He is part of a college and career prep program at Walton, where he is required to complete community service hours. The middle schooler and his father, Romain Fravien, pick up trash around local parks as part of that required service.

And after winning the statewide competition, Fravien is getting more involved.

He gathered volunteers for his first volunteer cleanup event in June at Haster Basin Recreational Park in Garden Grove, Fravien said.

He created flyers and reached out to local organizations to draw people into his event. His friends and family, as well as Kiwanis Club members and OC Parks Rangers, helped with the clean-up event.

As did Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein and members of the City Council after he presented his project idea to them, said Johnathan Garcia, public information officer for the City of Garden Grove.

“A lot more people showed up than we thought would, and we got a lot more done than when it was just me and my dad,” Fravien said. “It felt good that I was able to get more people involved in a major problem in my community, helping deal with it.”

Romain Fravien said he appreciated seeing the small-scale activity with his son branch out into an engaging community project.

“One of the reasons I like to take them to do trash pickup,” the older Fravien said, “it forces you to see your community in a way that’s different than other volunteer work. Anything where it’s forcing you to think about how others live or how others interact, I always think is a good way to show kids about their community.”

This was the first time California participated in the national competition, said Richard Schroeder, chief education programming officer for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, because of the institute’s involvement.

The National Civics Bee is not yet in all 50 states, but 2025, the competition’s third year, saw turnout from 39 states, according to its website.

The competition is intended to bolster youth civic knowledge and participation as a part of a nationwide effort from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, according to a press release.

Schroeder, who attended the state finals, said he felt Fravien set himself apart from the competition the most with his poise on stage while answering the judges’ questions during the question-and-answer period.

This section, Fravien said, was what made him most nervous. He noticed he got many of the questions wrong and almost did not make the top five. Fravien said he found the questions more difficult than in the previous regional competition, where he placed second.

But Fravien said his speech about his trash cleanup idea was what made him the most confident. He was the last person to present, he said, so seeing other kids read from cards before him, instead of having their speeches memorized like he did, boosted his confidence.

It did not hurt that Fravien had a plethora of family and friends in the audience — his parents, aunt, uncle, cousins and teachers — holding cut-out signs of his face, cheering him on.

Walton history teacher Ashley Stevens encouraged Fravien to apply for the competition. Stevens, who also coaches Fravien on the academic pentathlon team, knew he was a strong presenter and therefore anticipated his success.

“He’s always willing to share unique ideas and answer questions in ways that seem very insightful,” Stevens said. “He’s always thinking of the bigger picture, so I think that gave him an edge for the civics bee because he’s able to think outside the box.”

The competition helped show off talent from everyday students who, free from conceptions around grades or college concerns, are kids who care about the U.S. and its history.

“When we engage our young people and allow them to think about ideas that can make our communities better places, it just allows us to go to the future of our country,” Schroeder said. “And that’s what the Civics Bee is really all about in my mind.”

Romain Fravien said his son has always demonstrated an interest in civics and history outside of school, saying he frequently reads books around the house on various stories and maps throughout history.

Support from not only his parents but his teachers — and ultimately the city — empowered Fravien throughout the process, and the competition is something Romain Fravien said he thinks will stay with his son for a long time.

“It’s not so much that it helped him win the competition, but it’s showing him a positive way to interact civically,” Romain Fravien said. “People empowered him, and I think that’s going to live with him forever.”

Samantha Avina-Flores, 17, has launched a grassroots community aid drive that’s already drawn lots of support, putting together care boxes for families who are afraid to leave their homes for fear of being targeted in an immigration enforcement operation.

“I was seeing everything that was being posted online and I shared resources too, like graphics and tips of what to do when you’re detained. But I wanted to do more. I felt like posting wasn’t enough,” said the rising senior at Garden Grove High School. “It just made me really sad what was going on and I knew people needed help, and I thought this was the best way to help people directly.”

On Saturday, she and her mother, Claire Avina-Flores, camped out on the sidewalk outside Garden Grove High School for two and a half hours, collecting a carload of donations for families.

“We had nonstop donations,” said Claire Avina-Flores. “My car got filled up and friends had to stop by and pick stuff up as well.”

Now the mother-daughter duo is planning a second food and supply drive from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 5, in front of the school auditorium. Items requested include cereal, rice and beans, canned foods, water, diapers, personal hygiene items and toilet paper.

Claire Avina-Flores said Garden Grove High School offered to open up the school to store donations.

“It’s sad, but we know that the need is going to continue,” she said. “We’re going to create care packages with the items we collect and work alongside the city and school district to help those most in need.”

The drive is one of several efforts that have sprung up across the district. At Santiago High School, soccer coaches and faculty teamed up to launch a food drive and delivery effort on Saturday, June 28. Volunteers, including student athletes, packed and distributed groceries through Jam Sports, a local youth league that offered up drivers.

By the end of the day, more than 70 families had received care packages.

The drive was born out of conversations between Santiago coaches and school board Trustee Walter Muneton, who said they started brainstorming after realizing how many families are being affected by the immigration raids.

“Some teachers are on summer break right now, (but) we got a bunch of teachers that have donated,” Muneton said. “We had our Santiago teacher-coach Nicole Doone, who went out and utilized all the contributions from our Santiago staff to go to Costco and purchase a bunch of items.”

Flappy’s Wings and Bar provided boxes and bags to help package donations, while BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse supplied pizzas for volunteers. Santiago alumni also showed up to help.

“The reason that we started this more than anything, was because we want to help the local community,” said Erick Borrayo, who coaches the girls’ soccer team. “If they can have a week’s worth of groceries and an excuse for them not to go out, that’s huge for us.”

“Me and Coach Carlos (Cruz), we’re from the local community,” Borrayo went on. “We live in the Garden Grove area and we’re both alumni of Santiago High School. And so this really did impact ourselves, our family and our students, as well. So we really wanted to create something that helped families out.”

Cruz, the head coach for the boys’ soccer team, spearheaded Saturday’s food drive.

“It’s all been really just a grassroots, homegrown kind of effort from Santiago staff and faculty,” Muneton said. “We’re just trying to do what we can to best support the community.”

The idea has already spread to other campuses. Los Amigos High School is collecting donations throughout the summer.

While these efforts are being led by volunteers, the state does operate official summer meal programs that offer free meals to all children 18 and under at approved sites in local communities. However, Muneton said current rules that generally require students to eat their meals onsite may be making it harder for some families to access the program, especially as fear keeps many from leaving their homes.

“I’ve spoken with our food services director, and because it’s relatively early, the data doesn’t really show a major, major decrease, but me, as a board member and being out in the community, I obviously am hearing the concerns of folks stepping out,” he said. “But as it stands right now, if a student wants to go and get a summer meal, they have to physically stay at our site and eat the meal. So as of now, there isn’t a way to work around that.”

He added that he hopes the state will give schools more flexibility.

“I think it’s going to take advocacy throughout the state, by folks contacting their local electeds, state senators, state assemblymembers, and seeing if they can give the school districts a little bit of a leeway,” Muneton said.

The immigration enforcement operations are ongoing, and for now, so is the need, Muneton said.

“We don’t know how long this is going to be,” he said. “But hopefully when school is gearing up, we’ll get our heads together and plan.”

“Please note that no schools, school programs, or district-affiliated activities have been targeted by federal agents — and we do not expect them to be,” district spokesperson Fermin Leal said. “However, there have been enforcement-related disruptions in neighborhoods within our district.”

The decision, made weekly by district administrators along with the extended learning team, summer principals and the superintendent’s office, will be re-evaluated again next Monday, Leal said.

“We believe it’s in the best interest of our students to keep all summer activities on campus for now,” he said.

The move comes as immigration sweeps by federal agents continue across Orange County, with the National Guard stationed in downtown Santa Ana and some businesses there reporting sharp drops in sales and foot traffic.

“They’re scared that they’ll come home to nobody,” Diana Lopez, a psychologist in the school district, said of her students at a recent City Council meeting where hundreds of residents demanded the mayor take a stronger stance on the raids. “Some of our students have never left the city and these field trips matter to them, but the fear of deportation is very big right now.”

The Garden Grove Unified School District last week launched a helpline staffed by bilingual school liaisons to connect families with legal and social service organizations, food resources and emotional support.

Walter Muneton, a Garden Grove Unified board member, said the helpline is designed for families who may be afraid to leave home to access resources.

“There is a fear of stepping outside of your home and going from point A to point B,” Muneton said. “So if we are able to provide a resource via telephone, we can assist our families so they can access resources and not have to physically step foot from their home.”

The line will be staffed in Spanish and Vietnamese from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Support in Arabic and Korean is available upon request.

“There isn’t legal advice happening on the phone,” Muneton said. “What this helpline is for is that emotional support, that guidance, and we’re providing a case management perspective to link them to our own trusted partners.”

“Right now there’s just so much information out there,” Muneton added, “that we just want to take the headache away from them and give them directly what they need.”

The district’s helpline can be reached at 714-663-6257.

His journey mirrors California’s own story of evolving attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community since the state legalized same-sex marriage 12 years ago — around the time Nguyen-Amigo came out to his parents.

“Over the last 12 years, we’ve seen a real cultural shift within Orange County,” OC Pride co-President Manny Muro said as rainbow flags fly around the county and events are held during this Pride Month. “Even in places that once felt unwelcoming, there has been growing openness to LGBTQ+ families.”

“It’s not perfect,” he added. “There’s still a lot of work to be done, and we’re living in a moment where LGBTQ+ people are under political attack.”

“Pride is not just about being celebratory,” Muro said. “It’s about being loud and confident and visible. That’s why Pride matters. That’s why coming out matters. The more visible we are, the harder it is to deny our humanity.”

Nguyen-Amigo distinctly remembers the moment he disclosed his sexuality to his parents, a recent high school graduate weeping between his mom and dad in their bed.

“It was Valentine’s Day, 2014. I remember it vividly,” he said. “Like it was yesterday.”

Nguyen-Amigo didn’t necessarily mean to tell his parents the truth right then and there. But a tidal wave of emotions pushed the words buried deep in his chest to the shores of his lips.

“Duy, you’re our son,” his father said, wrapping him in a warm embrace. “You can tell us anything.”

Except, it turned out, the forbidden words he was about to speak.

“Mom, Dad. I’m gay,” he said in Vietnamese between hyperventilating gasps.

At first, his parents said nothing as they quickly withdrew their hug.

“We were in shock,” his mom, Thuy Nguyen, recalled.

“Are you joking? What did I do wrong as a parent?” his dad, Hung Nguyen, remembers thinking to himself.

“The silence was deafening,” Nguyen-Amigo said. “I’m sure there was only about 10 seconds’ worth of silence, but it felt like an eternity.”

“I could see the look in their faces shifting from shock to confusion to anger,” he added. “I knew they would react that way, and that was the saddest part.”

Feelings of liberation and despondency clashed in Nguyen-Amigo’s chest like a head-on collision.

“I felt like a huge weight had lifted off my shoulders,” he said. “For the first time in 18 years, I could finally be free.”

“But, immediately, I had another burden to carry — my family’s reaction.”

Looking back, Nguyen described the moment like a “whirlwind,” a word the musician recently borrowed for the title of what he calls his “most vulnerable” single.

That emotional “whirlwind” is all too familiar to many LGBTQ+ Vietnamese Americans and their families, said Uyen Hoang, executive director of Viet Rainbow Orange County. The grassroots group based in Little Saigon supports LGBTQ+ Vietnamese Americans and their loved ones through research, education and advocacy.

“We kind of assume certain attitudes are held by the older generation, but you’d be surprised how many are open and want to learn,” Hoang said.

For the Nguyens, the learning process about Duy’s identity took more than a decade, including a complete break in communication with their son. In time, they reconciled their love for him with acceptance of his authentic self.

Now, Thuy and Hung Nguyen are at peace with Duy as a gay man.

“It’s normal being gay,” his dad said recently after taking photos with his son wrapped in a Pride flag. “If he’s happy, we’re happy.”

“You are who you are,” added his mom. “We love him for who he is.”

Both parents said it took research —  scanning the internet, reading the news, talking privately with extended family — to come to terms with Duy’s identity.

Mostly, they said, it took time.

“The coming-out process was not just for me, but also for them, too,” Nguyen-Amigo said. “It’s a learning experience that took some time. They slowly but surely came around.”

Still, his parents say their son’s identity is not something they bring up with their Vietnamese friends and family.

“We are very proud of him,” his mom said. “But it’s still not something we talk about in the community, even with other parents of gay children.”

Fighting for visibility

Gina Masequesmay, a sociologist at Cal State Northridge, traces the “emergence of queer Vietnamese America” back to the late 1990s.

“You could say the organizations, such as Ô-Môi and the Gay Viet Alliance, were started super underground,” Hoang said.

In her research, Masequesmay says that support for queer Vietnamese Americans differed from the support for LGBTQ+ people in the “American mainstream.”

It often lagged behind, Hoang agreed.

That divide came into sharp relief in 2013. As California legalized gay marriage, private organizers of the Tết Parade — the largest Vietnamese cultural gathering outside Vietnam — barred a gay rights group from marching.

Hoang refers to the event as “The Exclusion.”

The move drew backlash and led to the founding of Viet Rainbow.

The fledgling nonprofit, in one of the first open displays of LGBTQ+ support in Little Saigon, gathered 250 community members on the parade’s sidelines dressed in rainbows and wielding Pride flags.

But a year later, organizers of the 2014 Tết Parade doubled down, once again voting overwhelmingly to exclude LGBTQ+ participants.

“They had an opportunity to make what’s wrong right, and they chose the same path as last year, which is to exclude us from a cultural event that we are a part of. We are part of the Vietnamese community,” Hieu Nguyen, then co-chair of Viet Rainbow, said at the time.

By then, after a year of organizing, Viet Rainbow had momentum on its side.

“Folks came together to strategize,” Hoang said. “We went on media, ethnic media, to share our stories. We went to deliver public comments at Westminster City Council meetings.”

“We also went to the big companies funding the parade and told them that funding a discriminatory parade could violate their company’s nondiscrimination clause,” she said.

Ultimately, Viet Rainbow convinced sponsors of the parade to pull about $80,000 in funding, which she said forced the organizers’ hands.

“Money talks,” she said. “We’ve been able to march ever since.”

Viet Rainbow’s inclusion in the 2014 Tết Parade marked a public softening of attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community in Little Saigon.

“Pride Month reminds us every year that visibility is not only a celebration, but it’s a testament to survival,” Muro said.

Getting By

Within weeks of the 2014 Tết Parade, Nguyen-Amigo came out to his parents.

His relationship with his dad immediately calcified, and he ran away from home.

His Filipino boyfriend faced a similar fate from his parents, leaving the pair of 18-year-olds to navigate life pretty much on their own.

“In each other, we found the only other person who ever truly accepted our entire identity,” Nguyen-Amigo said.

So, they married.

But their love story did not end happily ever after.

They were two 18-year-olds, without college degrees or vocational training, trying to make ends meet in Orange County.

Their stress, their youth, their romantic inexperience — each other’s first boyfriends before they married — all took an exorbitant toll on their bond.

“We couldn’t catch a break,” Nguyen-Amigo said.

He dropped out of Cal State Fullerton to take a low-paying fast-food job.

He re-enrolled. He dropped out again.

He had been a promising student, he said, but “life happened.”

“If we stopped working, we feared that we would end up reverting back to where we were at the beginning, back to square one, and we didn’t want that for ourselves,” Nguyen-Amigo said. “We had no safety net. We felt, at the time, that we were each other’s safety net. It was us against the world.”

A decade ago, there were few resources to support the Vietnamese queer community with long-term financial or emotional distress, Hoang said.

Nguyen-Amigo thanks his godfather for lifesaving emotional support. He also saw a therapist, but not one who was Vietnamese or understood the nuances of his family and cultural dynamics, he said.

Even today, Viet Rainbow, with its six staff members, is the only organization in Orange County exclusively dedicated to educating the families of LGBTQ+ Vietnamese Americans and advocating for Viet LGBTQ+ rights, Hoang said.

“There continue to be many places in Little Saigon that still feel too dangerous to go to as an openly queer person,” Hoang said.

“If you’re just standing in the corner of, say, a boba shop trying to blend in, it maybe isn’t as dangerous,” she said. “But it feels like you have to try to be stealthy.”

One place where Nguyen-Amigo said he began to feel safe as his full self was Garden Grove High, taking an AP psychology class.

“In that classroom, in that academic setting, I heard for the first time someone talk about being gay in a non-judgmental way,” he said. “I remember stepping outside of that classroom and breathing a sigh of relief. I guess I’m not weird. I guess I’m not crazy after all.”

His teacher ended up at his wedding.

More than a decade later, Nguyen-Amigo said he’s worried the Trump administration’s crackdown on DEI, including the president’s threat to withdraw federal funding from schools with diversity initiatives, could eliminate safe public spaces for LGBTQ+ students in a similar position to his.

“It’s not like we talked about the LGBTQ+ movement in math class or science class,” he said. “Looking back, I think I signed up for psych because I knew that topic would be brought up and I wanted to learn more about who I was.”

Hoang says the political climate for LGBTQ+ rights is “fraught everywhere right now,” but especially at the federal level, which can have a big impact locally by reducing the safe spaces for young people.

“There are certain walls that are not worth climbing with the energy that we have,” Hoang said of her six-member team. “We can’t change everyone’s attitudes. But we can focus our attention on local, county and statewide issues that are important for us.”

In recent years, for instance, Viet Rainbow pushed back against parental notification policies in local districts.

Gov. Gavin Newsom later signed into law a bill making it illegal to disclose students’ gender identities without consent.

Now, the Trump administration is investigating that law and threatening to pull funding from the state over it.

“We’re still seeing dangerous surges in hate,” Muro said. “There are always laws targeting LGBTQ+ people and attempts to roll back our rights.”

“June will always be Pride Month, not because it was granted by any administration, but because it was claimed by generations of LGBTQ+ people who refuse to be erased,” he said.  “Pride is not a holiday that was handed down by politicians. It was born from protest. The White House’s attempt to reframe that is a distraction and a dangerous one.”

‘My way’

While Nguyen-Amigo sees a tempest brewing on the horizon for LGBTQ+ rights, in his personal life, at least, the soon-to-be-30-year-old is sailing on calmer waters.

After divorcing his ex-husband several years ago, the eddies of his relational whirlwinds have slowed, and the currents of his music career have gathered pace.

Today, Nguyen-Amigo’s teen marriage live on not only in his hyphenated name but in his music career. His solo artist stage name is theoneDNA — for Duy Nguyen Amigo. And, the lyrics of his music harken back to his trials and tribulations with love.

“Whirlwind — but, I know I’m stronger than this,” he sings in the track named for the storm that followed his coming out. “This is a battle I must win, though it feels I’m hanging by a thread.”

His authenticity has garnered him attention in the Southern California avant-garde, both as a solo artist and as part of his band, Neon Pacific (formerly known as New Tradition).

His career reached new heights earlier this year when Neon Pacific performed for a month in Disney California Adventure’s Lunar New Year festival.

Nguyen-Amigo stood in the Happiest Place on Earth as the frontman of his band and his heritage.

“I still get choked up thinking back on it,” he said. “There are certain things in my culture that I don’t necessarily agree with, but I choose to focus on the aspects of Vietnamese culture that strongly resonate with me.”

“For the most part, I love my culture,” he said. “It’s my culture. It’s such a beautiful culture. I’m so proud to be Vietnamese and to give back to my community through music.”

Music is also how he reunited with his parents, who own the Mon Amour banquet hall in Anaheim.

Occasionally, Nguyen-Amigo sings there, his lyrics activating his parents’ empathy in ways his spoken words never did.

“In his songs, you can hear his suffering. You can hear the obstacles he’s had to overcome,” his mom said. “But you can also hear his happiness. His inner peace.”

“I couldn’t be prouder of him,” his dad said.

For a long time, Nguyen-Amigo said he struggled to serenade the crowds at Mon Amour.

“I felt that, if anything, whenever I performed in front of a Vietnamese audience, I had to remove so much of myself,” he said. “And that didn’t make sense to me. Music is supposed to do the opposite of that, right? It’s supposed to complete me.”

His catharsis arrived recently when he decided to perform a bilingual rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.”

“I sang the majority of the song in Vietnamese, and the last chorus, which is probably the most impactful chorus, I sang it in English, in front of a predominantly conservative crowd,” he said.

As he gazed at the dancing couples, he made peace with himself.

“The message just hit me so hard,” he said. “I will live my life my way.”

SRS Real Estate Partners said Tesla has a 10-year triple net lease with options to extend at 18011 Mitchell South.

The seller was North Palisade Partners, a Los Angeles-based developer. The buyer, Np Mitchell LLC, was represented by Costa Mesa-based Tidemark Real Estate.

SRS Capital Markets Senior Vice President Pat Weibel said the property offered up a well-known tenant in “an affluent demographic base in the heart of Orange County, on the border of Irvine and Newport Beach” with a high number of Tesla owners.

“We received national and international buyer interest from every active investor class including institutional, private high net worth family offices, 1031 exchange groups, and even non-traditional real estate investors within the automotive and green energy spaces, that were looking at alternative investments,” Weibel said.

The property on 2.4 acres was renovated in 2024.

Anaheim apartment building sells for $2.3M

A seven-unit, two-story apartment complex at 128 East Wakefield Ave. in Anaheim sold May 12 for $2,264,000 or $323,428 per unit.

Marcus & Millichap’s Orange County office marketed the property for the unnamed seller. The unidentified buyer was represented by Coldwell Banker.

The 64-year-old property includes four one-bedroom units and three two-bedroom units. All units were renovated and exterior features also got updated.

San Clemente shopping center swaps owners for $9M

A San Clemente shopping center anchored by DMV sold May 23 for $8.9 million.

Casual Cascade De, LLC sold the 24,933-square-foot retail center at 2727 Via Cascadita to Space Investment Partners, according to Tony Azzi and Rabbie Banafsheha of The Azzi Group of Marcus & Millichap.

The brokerage represented the seller. The buyer paid in cash.

“This was a very complicated transaction due to having to navigate the Coastal Commission, working with the city, and managing multiple moving parts simultaneously,” said Banafsheha, first vice president investments.

The property, anchored by the Department of Motor Vehicles, sits on a 2.81-acre lot next to the Outlets at San Clemente.

Taco Bell property chomps $2.35 million deal

A 2,527-square foot Taco Bell property at 10901 Garden Grove Blvd. in Garden Grove sold recently in a 1031 exchange for $2,350,000 in what the brokerage Marcus & Millichap called “a competitive bidding environment.”

“The property was on the market eight days prior to the Letter of Intent,” shared Sheila Alimadadian, first vice president investments in Marcus & Millichap’s Orange County office. “This was a highly competitive asset with multiple offers.”

Coldwell Banker Realty marketed the listing for the seller, CY Investment LLC. The buyer, The Fouladinejad Family Trust, was represented by Marcus & Millichap.

Office property in La Palma trades for $6M

A 21,216-square-foot office property at 22 Centerpointe Drive in La Palma for $6.025 million.

The buyer, a local owner-user, bought the asset from an unnamed institutional joint venture, according to CBRE.

On the move

Daniel Gehman in February joined the commercial real estate design firm Ware Malcomb in Irvine as director of Multifamily, where he will focus on expanding the firm’s architectural projects on the West Coast. For the past 27 years, Gehman was principal and studio director and senior designer at Danielian Associates Architects + Planners and Humphreys & Partners Architects, among others, focusing on residential infill and multifamily projects.

The real estate roundup is compiled from news releases and written by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos via email to  sgowen@scng.com . Please allow at least a week for publication. All items are subject to editing for clarity and length.

Isabel Ramirez waves to family and friends during Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Valedictorian Andrew Huynh waves to family and friends during Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Emily Phan, left, and Kristine Huynh wave to family and friends during Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Family and friends celebrate during Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Graduates celebrate at the end of the Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Family and friends celebrate during Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A graduate wears a 2025 tassel during Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jonathan Morales takes a selfie with the audience behind him during Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Vy Hong waves to friends at the end of Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Graduates sing their Alma Matter song during Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Calvin Nguyen during Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Phoung Pham throws her cap in the air as she joins her classmates during Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Kristy Mao shows off her diploma during Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Family and Friends watch the graduates during Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Graduates wait to get their diplomas during Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Bryant Long waves to family and friends during Bolsa Grande graduation ceremony in Garden Grove, CA, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Bolsa Grande High handed diplomas to the members of its graduating Class of 2025 on Tuesday, May 27.

In a commencement ceremony in the campus stadium, families and friends cheered as the graduates walked across the stage, marking the end of their high school careers and the beginning of their bright futures.

Graduations in the Garden Grove Unified School District continue this week, check the schedule for the district as well as other local high schools here.

A beloved tradition of the festival, the parade featured all the usual trappings, marching bands, local dignitaries, community groups, and lots of strawberry references.

Now in its 65th year, the Strawberry Festival continues Sunday and Monday — the four-day festival is always held over Memorial Day weekend — at Village Green Park. There is a midway with carnival-style rides, lots of shopping to do and food to eat, free concerts and performances on the Strawberry Stage and at the nearby Garden Amp in the afternoon and more.

On Sunday, the Berry, Berry Beautiful Baby Contest will be decided at 11 a.m. and there will be the Strawberry Fashion Frenzy Contest at 1 p.m.; on Monday the Redhead Roundup Contest will be at 11 a.m.

If you go

When: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday

Where: Village Green Park at Main Street and Euclid Street, Garden Grove

Cost: Free admission

Information: strawberryfestival.org

The holiday meant to commemorate the military personnel who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty often kicks off with parades and services across Southern California. If you’re looking for more ways to celebrate the holiday weekend, there will be additional events that are family-friendly, outdoors and stacked with live entertainment.

From a strawberry festival, an afrobeats party, beach activities, and more, here are 10 ways to celebrate Memorial Day weekend.

LA County Fair

The LA County Fair will be open through Memorial Day before saying goodbye until next year. The fair has been a staple of L.A. for over 100 years, and this year marks the beginning of warmer temperatures with summer right around the corner. It began as an agricultural fair and has maintained its popular family-friendly appeal while still holding traditional beauty and livestock contests along with more modern activities, such as acrobats, wine tastings, exhibitions, thrilling carnival rides, and tasty deep-fried foods. The fair also hosts live music and will feature separate ticketed performances by Cheap Trick on Friday, May 23, and Chris Janson on Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25.

Where: Fairplex, 1101 W McKinley Ave., Pomona.

When: 11 a.m.- 11 p.m. through Monday, May 26.

Admission: $18.50- $27.50 for ages 13 and older, $15.50 for kids 6-12 and seniors over 65 at the box office or via lacountyfair.com.

Afrobeats Day Party – Beverly Hills

If your Memorial Day weekend calls for dancing, good vibes, and global sounds, the Afrobeats Day Party in Beverly Hills is the place to be. Held at the chic Sofitel Hotel, this outdoor event promises a mix of Afrobeats, dancehall, reggae, Amapiano, and more, curated by Blaq Pages and friends. The crowd is 21+, and early arrival is recommended to beat the lines and get a spot. VIP table reservations are available for those looking to experience bottle service.

Where: Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, 8555 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles.

When: Sunday, May 26, 3 p.m.

Admission: Prices vary; tickets and table reservations available at eventbrite.com.

Topanga Canyon Country Fair

This annual Memorial Day fair nestled in the picturesque nature of the Topanga Canyon has quickly become a favorite among locals, and this year, it will honor local firefighters. Residents of all ages are invited to celebrate with live music, vegan food and healing arts programming all in the name of Mother Earth. The fair, which has a Woodstock-like feel to it, also hosts kid-friendly fun including three-legged races, water balloon basketball, tug-of-war, a DIY Memorial Day parade and more. Some of this year’s live music performances feature psychedelic surf rockers Allah-Las, The English Beat and Chevy Metal. Parking can get tight, but there is a free shuttle along Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

Where: Topanga Community Club, 1440 N Topanga Canyon Blvd., Los Angeles.

When: 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. Saturday, May 24 through Monday, May 26.

Admission: Tickets are $64, a two-day pass is $127, and a three-day pass is $148; the fun zone is $21–$48 at topangadays.com.

 Garden Grove Strawberry Festival

The Strawberry Festival is held annually over Memorial Day weekend at Village Green Park, between Euclid and Main Street in downtown Garden Grove. It celebrates the region’s rich agricultural history with strawberries at its center. Every year, the festival features live music, carnival rides, a 5k run, costume contests, and delicious strawberry-themed treats, including a giant strawberry cake-cutting ceremony.

Where: Village Green Park, 12732 Main Street, Garden Grove.

When: 1-10 p.m. Friday, May 23; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, May 24-Sunday, May 25; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday, May 26.

Admission: Free.

Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity

This Memorial Day weekend, take a break from the heat and explore the life and legacy of one of comic book history’s most influential figures. The Skirball Cultural Center’s Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity exhibition honors the co-creator behind icons like Captain America, the X-Men, and Black Panther. Through original artwork, rare prints, and personal memorabilia, the show highlights Kirby’s experience as a Jewish American, a World War II veteran, and an artist whose stories were unapologetically political from the start. The exhibition may be small in size, but it packs a powerful look at how heroism on the page was often rooted in real-life struggle.

Where: Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles.

When: Open 12–5 p.m. Tuesday–Friday; 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday–Sunday.

Admission: Included with museum entry starting at $18; more info at skirball.org.

Tunes at the Dunes

Family-friendly fun returns to the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina Tunes with beachfront entertainment features including live music, food trucks, a full bar, beach activities, an Inflatable Water Park and more. Live musical performances for this Memorial Day weekend include David Rosales, Showbiz Guys and Cali Conscious. While the performances begin at 5 p.m., attendees are invited to come early and bring their floats and beach chairs to enjoy the other beach activities and food trucks starting at 2 p.m. Parking can get pretty crowded on a holiday weekend, so early arrival is highly recommended. Public restrooms and an outdoor shower are available.

Where: Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina, 1131 Back Bay Drive, Newport Beach.

When: 5-8 p.m. Friday, May 23-Sunday, May 25.

Admission: Free.

Habitat Restoration Day at the L.A. River

If you’re looking to give back over the holiday weekend, consider spending a morning at the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve. Organized by Friends of the L.A. River, this hands-on event invites volunteers to help remove invasive plants from the area’s habitat—an effort that not only improves the local ecosystem but also reduces fire risk. Along the way, participants can learn more about L.A.’s watershed and the environmental challenges unique to the region.

Where: Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, 6100 Woodley Ave., Los Angeles.

When: Saturday, May 24; volunteer shifts at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Admission: Free with registration at support.folar.org.

Concert in the Dome

Enjoy a Sunday afternoon performance by jazz musicians in the dome structure housed on the 5,710-foot peak in the San Gabriel Mountains at the Mount Wilson Observatory, located near Pasadena. The Sunday show over the Memorial Day weekend includes performances by drummer Peter Erskine who has been voted Best Jazz Drummer of the Year ten times by the readers of Modern Drummer magazine; Bob Sheppard, saxophonist and professor of jazz studies at USC; Darek Oles, bassist and Poland native, who have performed with prominent jazz artists such as Pat Metheny, Bennie Maupin, Peter Erskine, Alan Pasqua and others. Guests will need to be able to climb 53 steps to reach the dome, and children under 12 aren’t permitted.

Where: Mount Wilson Observatory, Mount Wilson Road, Los Angeles.

When: 3 & 5 p.m. Sunday, May 25.

Admission: $60 at mtwilson.edu.

Fiesta Hermosa

Hermosa Beach’s signature Memorial Day weekend tradition is back, with rows of artist booths, food vendors, and live music stretching through the heart of town. Fiesta Hermosa is a casual, coastal blend of small-town charm and beachside bustle, offering something for just about everyone. Wander the stalls along Hermosa and Pier Avenues, pop into the Garden (a 21+ area with drinks and a $5 cover), or hit the beachside stage for live music. There’s also a family-friendly carnival happening a bit inland at Pier and Monterey, running into the evening on Saturday and Sunday. Whether you’re browsing handmade goods or just looking for a reason to post up near the water, this one’s a laid-back, long-weekend staple.

Where: Hermosa and Pier Avenues, Hermosa Beach.

When: 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Saturday–Sunday, May 24–25; 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday, May 26. Carnival hours vary.

Admission: Free; food, drinks, games, and access to The Garden cost extra. More information at fiestahermosa.net.

MAINopoly: A Taste of Main Street

If you’ve ever wanted to play Monopoly in real life—but with way better snacks—MAINopoly might be your move this Memorial Day weekend. Taking over Santa Monica’s Main Street for one afternoon, the event turns the neighborhood into a whimsical game board where “MAINopoly dollars” get you bites from local spots like Ashland Hill, Jameson’s Pub, Sunny Blue, and Holey Grail Donuts. It’s a lighthearted way to support small businesses and sample the best of the Westside. Costumes are encouraged so expect to see plenty of monocles and top hats, and VIPs can hit up the beer garden and “Go to Jail” lounge for extra perks.

Where: Along Main Street in Santa Monica (various locations).

When: Sunday, May 25, 1–5 p.m.

Admission: General admission is $39; VIP is $71; tickets available at mainopolysm.com.