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Consider attending a number of holiday-themed events happening this Saturday, including a chime instrument concert in Fullerton, Winter Wonderland’ celebration in Huntington Beach or holiday lights at Heritage Hill Historic Park. On Sunday, attend a Celtic Christmas celebration at the Donald Dungan Library or consider listening to a talk on car customization at the Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center. This is just a handful of the many free events and activities happening throughout Orange County – funded by public tax dollars. CHECK OUT OUR FULL CALENDAR HERE Every week, Voice of OC reporters work hard to help residents stay connected to upcoming civic events, putting locals in a position to save tax dollars and hold leaders accountable. You can cut through the noise every morning by reading the free Voice of OC daily email newsletter. Sign up here. You can also bookmark the Voice of OC calendar to stay ahead of key civic meetings impacting your quality of life during the week. That same kind of watchdog reporting now fuels a vibrant weekend calendar, choc full of free public services and assets your tax dollars finance. Here are a few noteworthy free events happening this weekend. North Orange County Holiday Chime Instrument Concert Listen to carols including Jingle Bells, The Little Drummer Boy, Winter Wonderland, Joy to the World and Silent Night during a chime instrument concert at the Fullerton Public Library’s main branch. When: December 13, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Where: 353 W. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, CA, US, 92832 Cost: Free For more details, contact the library at (714) 738-6326 Adult Holiday Craft Adults are welcome to build a winter cookie house using graham crackers, icing and candy provided by the Brea Library. No crafting experience necessary. Registration required. To register, attendees are asked to email ocpl.brea@occr.ocgov.com or call us at (714) 671-1722. When: December 13, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Where: 1 Civic Center Cr., Brea, CA 92821 Cost: Free For more details, contact the library at (714) 671-1722 Cruising with Science Visit the Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center in Anaheim for a talk on car customization, including the science behind hydraulics and the artistry behind pinstriping. When: December 14, 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Where: 241 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, CA 92805 Cost: FreeFor more details, contact the Muzeo at info@muzeo.org or call (714) 765-6450 Central Orange County Outdoor Volunteer Opportunity Volunteers and OC Parks staff walk the North Loop trail in Peters Canyon on Aug. 9. 2025. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC Spend the morning volunteering at restoration sites inside Peters Canyon Regional Park. Registration is required. When: December 13, 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Where: 8548 E. Canyon View Ave., Orange, CA 92869 Cost: Free For more details, contact resource specialist Shelly Marshall at (714) 973-6625 or shelly.marshall@ocparks.com Winter Baking Demo Learn how to use the letters and numbers cake pan available for checkout at the Fountain Valley Library by following a cranberry cake-baking demo. Supplies are limited, but no registration is required. Where: 17635 Los Alamos, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 Cost: Free For more details, contact the library at (714) 962-1324 Fitness Hike on Paved Road Hicks Haul Road on April 10, 2024. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC Enjoy panoramic views of Orange County on a morning fitness hike on Hicks Haul Road. The hike will travel 8.5 miles out and back, walking along the Loma and Shoestring trails. Registration is required. When: December 14, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Where: 11911 Hicks Haul Rd., Irvine, CA 92602 Cost: Free For more details, contact the Irvine Ranch Conservancy at info@irconservancy.org or visit letsgooutside.org Coastal Orange County Winter Celebration Families are invited to a ‘Winter Wonderland’ celebration at Huntington Beach’s Main Street Branch Library. The event will have crafts, games and prizes. Children must be accompanied…

Anaheim City Council members this week put the future of Angel Stadium back in play – years after a series of corruption scandals involving local politicians clouded the future of the facility. Seemingly out of nowhere, during a public workshop about the city’s strategic plan on Tuesday, city staff asked city council members if they could begin discussing Angel Stadium with the state Housing and Community Development Department about the Surplus Land Act. “We believe the time is right to engage in preliminary conversations with the state regarding the Surplus Land Act process and other state level considerations to move a project forward that could positively impact the Southern California economy,” Deputy City Manager Ted White said at Tuesday’s meeting. Top-level city staff met with Angels representatives and a real estate consultant at the beginning of this year to discuss the Surplus Land Act. [Read: What’s the Future of Angel Stadium?] This week, in response to the city staff public request and in a stark change from earlier negotiations, city council members publicly said they want residents to weigh in on the stadium’s future before any deals get struck. [Read: Anaheim City Council Talks Potential Angel Stadium Negotiations Publicly for First Time] City council members’ statements seemingly mark a shift in previous approaches to the stadium, which were marked by secrecy and last-minute sale proposals. “We need to understand what the community would like to see there. We all think everybody wants to keep the Angels in town, let’s make sure that our residents want just that so that it’ll drive some of the staff’s work as they continue down that path,” Councilwoman Norma Campos Kurtz said at Tuesday’s meetings. Her council colleagues agreed. Mayor Asheligh Aitken said a public outreach campaign can gauge “how much of a priority is it to have the land tied up with a baseball franchise.” “I think we make a lot of assumptions, but we haven’t really worked with our communications team to go out there and ask the residents of Anaheim how much are you willing to invest and or pay to keep the baseball franchise, versus unrestricted land, versus another professional sports franchise,” Aitken said Tuesday. Council members also told city staff to begin talking with state officials about California laws regulating the sale of public lands. A Shadowy History and an FBI Probe Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu at the March 5, 2019 City Council meeting. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC If public discussions and early community engagement does happen, it could mark a major shift from how past city council members tried selling one of Anaheim’s largest public assets through shadowy negotiations and a rushed deal. [Read: Speed of Anaheim’s Stadium Sale Proposal Raising Concerns] Those dealings ultimately landed former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu in prison earlier this year for lying to federal investigators about the failed Angel Stadium sale. [Read: Disgraced Former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu Sentenced to Two Months in Prison] Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava said she wants the city council to publicly discuss a slew of issues surrounding the stadium. “It would be good if maybe we have a dedicated meeting to explore the issues we currently have,” Rubalcava said during Tuesday’s city council meeting. She said that kind of public meeting could help city council members better understand what went wrong last time. “Give this council an opportunity to understand all of the issues that occurred with the prior deal that was in place, what our options are now and then we can give additional directions on getting surveys and talking to the community.” In 2022, state housing department officials alleged Anaheim violated state law when it began the Angel Stadium land sale and didn’t put the property on the auction block for affordable housing developers. [Read: Anaheim Denies Breaking State Law While Agreeing to $96 Million Fine for Breaking State Law] At the…