Around Town: Newport Beach Triathlon coming Sunday

The 37th annual Newport Beach Triathlon will draw swimmers, cyclists and runners to the Back Bay on Sunday.

The event offers competitors two courses to choose from. The Sprint course includes a half-mile swim, a 15-mile bike ride and a 3-mile run. The Super Sprint course is half as long.

There’s also a course for youths.

Racing will start at 7 a.m.

Registration is open until Saturday. Fees are $150 for the Sprint course, $135 for Super Sprint, $250 for relays of all distances, $35 for youths and $250 for VIP, which includes a TriLab gift card and other extras. Participants will get a race T-shirt, goody bag, finisher medal, post-race food and entertainment and a swim cap.

For more information, visit newportbeachtriathlon.com.

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Irvine school named Blue Ribbon winner

The U.S. Department of Education named New Horizon School in Irvine as a Blue Ribbon winner on Tuesday.

It is the first Blue Ribbon for the private Islamic elementary school, which opened in 2001. It is one of 335 schools nationwide that received the honor this year.

The National Blue Ribbon Program recognizes schools for exceptional performance, special programming or work in closing achievement gaps among ethnicities or income levels.

Top education officials in each state nominate schools for the title. Only 420 campuses may be nominated each year.

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Costa Mesa Fire Department specialist receives city award

Brenda Emrick, a Costa Mesa Fire Department community education specialist, was recently awarded the CEO Leadership Award by the city of Costa Mesa’s chief executive, Tom Hatch.

Emrick was recognized for her emergency response training and time spent in China training emergency personnel there.

She also was part of a regional team that accepted a Federal Emergency Management Agency award.

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Art soiree to benefit at-risk neighborhoods

The annual KidWorks, WINGS Auxiliary Soiree is set for 7 p.m. Oct. 16 at HD Buttercup at South Coast Collection, 3305 Hyland Ave., Costa Mesa.

WINGS (Women Investing In Graduates Success), which was founded in Newport Beach, focuses on promoting education in Santa Ana. It has helped support seven academic scholarships at Mater Dei High School.

KidWorks is a nonprofit that focuses on tutoring, mentoring, exercise, accountability and encouragement to help needy Santa Ana neighborhoods.

The soiree will feature a collection of fine art from 14 Orange County artists, including Anthony Salvo, owner of Anthony Salvo Fine Art in Newport Beach. The art will be for sale, and a portion of the proceeds will go to KidWorks through the WINGS Auxiliary.

An artist reception will begin at 6 p.m. Tickets are $75 and include a light dinner, wine and beer.

For tickets or more information, visit kidworksonline.org and click on “WINGS.”

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YES event will celebrate 45th anniversary

Youth Employment Service, based in Costa Mesa, will present its Evening of Excellence on Nov. 5 to celebrate the organization’s 45th anniversary.

The event will be held from 5:30 to 10 p.m. at the Radisson hotel, 4545 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach. It will include dinner, live and silent auctions, live entertainment and an awards ceremony.

For more information, contact Wendy Weeks at (949) 642-0474 or wendy@yesworks.org.