Each week, Arts Orange County and Culture OC deliver you this look at the stories and events happening in our arts and cultural community.

SFJazz Collective: 20th Anniversary Celebration

The New York Times calls them "Contemporary jazz’s premier all-star band," and on Saturday they bring both freshly-commission works and bold new arrangements of jazz classics to the Irvine Barclay Theatre MORE

First Look at the Newly Renovated Lido Theater

Orange County – conservative? Puh! When we let our hair down, it can get pretty wild. Especially when community pride is at an all-time high, as it was for the grand reopening of the Lido Theater in Newport Beach on Saturday.

Originally opened during Hollywood’s Golden Age, it was long overdue for a facelift and the Fritz Duda Company, the theater’s owner, stepped up to do the job in 2019. But construction was delayed for four years by the pandemic and other issues. Finally, the old girl was ready and River Jetty Restaurant Group threw a big bash complete with a free concert by our favorite party band, Sugar Ray. What a scene!

Two Newbies Bring Popular Eats to Irvine and Yorba Linda

Two of O.C.’s most popular restaurants were working hard all summer and now they’ll treat us to fresh eats just in time for fall.

Georgia’s Restaurant has brought its signature Southern comfort food menu to the Irvine Spectrum. Meanwhile in Yorba Linda, The Blind Pig has changed over to a new concept by the same owner – it’s now Blind Coyote Cantina, offering Mexican food and craft cocktails.

Here’s the lowdown.

Looking for Comfort Food? Yotam Ottolenghi Says Make It At Home

You live alone and had a tough day at work. It’s supposed to be family movie night but your kids are still struggling with homework. Or maybe your partner has hit the wall after watching disaster after disaster on the evening news.

You need comfort food. So, why not take some tips from one of the world’s most popular chefs? Yotam Ottolenghi has your back. He’s just written an entire cookbook on the subject.

Each week, we recommend a variety of events and experiences from the listings at SparkOC.com, our free website for Orange County's arts and cultural community.

California Art Club's 113th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition

Masterful landscapes, still lifes, and street scenes from over 160 artists can be viewed, and purchased, at this renowned annual celebration of California's contribution to modern movements in painting, now on display at the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University MORE

Unplug Thursday

The Michelle Mangione Trio will put on a free acoustic concert out on the patio at the Fullerton Museum Center as the sun goes down MORE

Scarecrow Festival with Kids Imagination

Lions Park in Costa Mesa provides families who want some early Halloween celebrating with a costume parade, trick-or-treating stations, a scarecrow contest, and pumpkin decorating, capped off by an interactive dance party MORE

Anaheim Cemetery: Over 150 Years of Orange County's History

Free with a MUZEO ticket or membership, this talk by Cynthia Ward uses Orange County's oldest public cemetery as a window into local truths and legends MORE