Hello Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, and Happy Memorial Day Weekend! If you are new here, The Back Bay Buzz is dedicated to bringing you just the right amount of news and events for locals of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. No crime, politics, spam or boring stuff.

We are pleased to announce that we hit 1000 readers over the week, we are so glad to have you here 🥳 

Hopefully you are surviving the ‘heatwave’, we are hard launching the summer season withe a bevy of events, festivals and shows. Read on for the best that the sister cities have to offer on Memorial Day Weekend.

In today’s Buzz:

• Crystal Cove Named Best Beach

• Pushups for a Cause in Costa Mesa

• Like a million things to do for MDW

— Jon Dougher, Publisher, Back Bay Buzz

Crystal Cove Named Best California State Beach

The people have spoken — and they love Crystal Cove. In a new statewide poll by the California State Parks Foundation, Crystal Cove State Park earned the top honor as Best California State Beach.

More than 1,300 voters shared their favorite spots for hiking, camping, wildflower viewing, and kid-friendly adventures in the Foundation’s first-ever “Best of California’s State Parks” poll. Participants also submitted stories and snapshots capturing the magic of these parks.

“We launched this poll to celebrate the deep connection people have with our state parks,” said Executive Director Rachel Norton. With 280 parks, 340 miles of coastline, and 5,200 miles of trails, California’s park system is a natural treasure trove — and Crystal Cove just climbed to the top.

Costa Mesa Gym Raises Over $25K for Veterans with Push-Up Challenge

In the spirit of National Military Appreciation Month, Recoup Personal Training in Costa Mesa hosted its 14th annual Push Ups for Charity event on Saturday, raising more than $25,000 for the Boot Campaign—a nonprofit supporting veterans and military families through holistic health and wellness programs.

Owner Matt Fetters, whose family has deep military ties, launched the event over a decade ago and has since helped raise over $250,000. This year, about 45 participants took on the 90-second push-up challenge while a crowd of 125 cheered them on. Fetters himself capped it off with an intense 90 push-ups on three stacked medicine balls, raising $2,500 in pledges.

Among those in attendance was retired U.S. Army veteran Cassandra Cantin, an ambassador for the Boot Campaign, who credits the program with helping her recover from combat-related insomnia. “It helped me greatly, immensely,” she said.

“Get fit, have fun, and make a difference,” said Fetters, summing up the spirit of the day.

📺️ WHAT TO WATCH 📺️ 

Listen, its going to be mostly sunny all Memorial Day weekend, you really should be outside enjoying the coastal breezes and not inside watching TV. However, should you choose to indulge in a little post barbeque wind-down, below is what we recommend:

• Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning - Like, FINAL final? (Theaters)

• Fountain of Youth -John Krasinski is Harrison Ford (kind of) (AppleTV+)

• Sara Silverman: PostMortem. (Netflix)

• Pee-wee as Himself - “I’m going to leave out the part where we did enormous amounts of drugs…” (HBO Max)

• Earnhardt. Do it for Dale! Prime Video)

• Tucci in Italy - Where else would he be? (National Geographic)

• French Open. (TNT, TruTV, HBO Max)

—WHAT TO DO—

• Tour the Fields of Honor 🦅 - Castaways Park - Info

• Fourth Fridays Vintage Market on the Lido Deck - Lido Village - Fri 12-5pm - Info

• Newport Dunes Waterpark Opens for the Season
  The Inflatable Aquatic Park opens on Friday, May 23! You can reserve your time on the aquatic park or water sports rentals in advance to guarantee your fun during the busy weekend. Info

• Take an art class 🖼️ - Liv Saether Art School (17th St, CM) - Mon-Fri 10-1pm - Info

• Newport Beach Wine & Spirits Festival - Balboa Bay Resort - Fri 5/23 - Sun 5/25 - 1-5pm - Info

• Silent Disco at Irvine Spectrum
  Saturday, 24 May

  6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  Info

• Scottish Fest - OC Fairgrounds - Sat 5/24-5/25 9am-5:30pm - Tickets

• Spring Social Luncheon hosted by the Costa Mesa Historical Society - Costa Mesa Women’s Club - Sat 5/24 11am-1pm - Tickets

• Beach Cleanup - Tower 71, Newport Beach - Sat 5/24 - 8am-12pm - Info

• Farmers Market @ Newport Beach Pier 🧺 - Sun 5/25 - 9am-1pm

• Comedy Night @ The Harp Inn - Monday 5/26 - 8-10pm - Info

• Memorial Day Live Music - The Lab - Mon 5/26 - 12-2pm - Info

UPCOMING:

• Trivia Night @ Wild Goose Tavern - Every Wednesday 7pm - Directions

• Community Dinner - The Camp - Thu 5/29 6-9pm - Tickets

• Newport Beach Jazz Festival - Hyatt Regency NB - May 30th -Jun 1st 11am-11pm - Tickets

• 626 Night Market - OC Fairgrounds - May 30-Jun 1 4pm-11pm - Tickets

• Balboa Island Parade - Balboa Island - Sun 6/1 11am - Info

• Newport Beach TV Fest - Jun 5-8 - Info

• Wooden Boat Festival - Balboa Yacht Club - Jun 13-14th - Info

• Fun Run 5k 🏃 - OC Fairgrounds - Aug 10th 8am - Register

• 🍕 Half-Off Pizzas - Stag Bar - Every Tuesday - Dine-in Only - Info

Friday

61🌡️ 67 I ⛅️ I 14% Rain I 🌬️ ⬆️ S 12mph

Saturday

60🌡️ 67 I ☀️ I 5% Rain I 🌬️ ⬆️ S 12mph

Sunday

60🌡️ 68 I ☀️ I 6% Rain I 🌬️ ↗️SSW 9mph

Monday

61🌡️ 68 I ⛅️ I 5% Rain I 🌬️ ↗️SSW 10mph

🌊 Water temp = 62º

This Weekend:

• Live Music, Food Trucks, and Waveless Beach at Newport Dunes
  Friday, 23 May

  5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  Info

• Free Movie with Purchase of a Concession Item at Lido Theater Newport Beach
  

• Reading in the Redwoods in Newport Beach ($5-$7 - Registration Required)
  Saturday, 24 May

  10:00 am - 11:30 am
  Info

• Family Storytime at Costa Mesa Donald Dungan Library
  Saturday, 24 May

  10:30 am - 11am
  Info
  

• Kids Cooking at Northgate Market (Harbor Blvd, Costa Mesa)
  Saturday, 24 May

  11:00 am - 1:00 pm
  

• Aquatic Community Day at Back Bay Science Center in Newport Beach 🐟️ 
  Sunday, 25 May

  10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  Info

PLAN AHEAD:

• OC Fair Hiring Event 🍊 
  Perfect for students or recent grads! - Sat 5/31 - Info

• Down to A Science Camp 🌿 🔬- June 23rd-August 22 - Info

• PlayPie Coming Soon to Irvine - Info

Friday

• Live at Lunch: Joseph Yashar, Classical Guitar - The Camp - 12-2pm - Info

• Audio Bomb - Tiki Bar - Fri 5/23 7pm - Tickets

• Dig with Devon Thompson and Bloody Love Affair - Wayfarer - Fri 5/23 6:45 - Tickets

• Joe Cocker Tribute Mad Dogs + the Englishman - Campus JAX - 6:30pm - Tickets

• Flashback Heart Attack - The Harp Inn - 9pm-12:30pm - Info

Saturday

• Wild Night Van Morrison Tribute - Campus JAX - 6:30pm - Tickets

• Led Hot Fighter Pilots - The Harp Inn - 9pm-12:30am - Info

Sunday

• Fu Manchu with O Zorn! - Wayfarer Sun 5/24 9pm - Tickets

• The Slimtones - The Harp Inn - 4-7pm - Info

Monday

• Memorial Day Live Music - The Lab - Monday, 5/26 - 12PM-2PM - Info

🎵 PLAN AHEAD:

• Mater Dei Choir Spring Concert - Seagerstrom - Tues 5/27 6:30 PM - Tickets

• Grateful Dead tribute band - Tiki Bar - Fri 5/30 7pm - Tickets

• Jimmys Buffet - The Hangar (OC FAIR) - July 20th 7:15 - Tickets

• Fitz and The Tantrums + Aloe Blacc - Pacific Ampitheater - July 25th - 6:30pm - Tickets

• Ellis Bullard - Wayfarer Fri 7/18 7pm - Info

• BECK - Pacific Ampitheatre - Wed 7/30 7:30pm - Tickets

Thanks! Please ignore any typos, our editor tried to to a pushup.

PS: Feel free to let me know any feedback or inside scoops you have for the newsletter. Just reply to this email, I read every one. Thanks!