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This Saturday: Bruno Mars & Food Trucks in the Park 🎤

This Saturday: Bruno Mars & Food Trucks in the Park 🎤

Dance under the stars with Locked Out of Heaven and all your favorite hits.

Kate Gullett
August 05, 2025

Good morning, SCV. This is The SCV Insider, your unofficial sponsor of small talk at the grocery store. (“It’s so hot, huh?” “When did it get to be August??”) Don’t worry—we’ve got everything happening locally so you can change the subject fast.

In today's SCV Insider:

Upcoming events 🥳
128-unit affordable housing complex coming to CC 🏘️
16-year-old cadet is SCV’s rising aviation star 🌟

Let’s get into it.

— Kate

🆕 New & Upcoming Events

Tuesday, August 5

🏛 Grand Opening: Senator Valladares' District Office | Tuesday, August 5 | 5:30–7pm | 25060 W. Avenue Stanford, Suite 130, Valencia | Free | Swing by for a peek inside Senator Suzette Valladares’ brand-new district office in Valencia. Meet the team, explore available services, and chat with the senator herself. It’s open house vibes — but with civic flair.

Thursday, August 7

🎉 3rd Annual Black Business Month Celebration | Thursday, August 7 | 5:30pm | CalArts, Valencia | $45–$55 | Celebrate local excellence. The SCV Chamber honors Black Business Month with its third annual celebration spotlighting standout entrepreneurs — this year featuring GlowHouse Enterprises, Hammer & Nails, and The Venue Valencia. Join the community at CalArts for an inspiring evening of recognition, connection, and impact. Tickets available now.

🎸 SCV BandsCast: Soul & Blues Night | Thursday, August 7 | 7–9pm | The MAIN, Newhall | $15 at the door | Bluesy riffs, soul vocals, and a whole lot of groove. SCV BandsCast brings the vibes with opener Victoria Sanches and headliner Mojo Filter Blues. It’s all happening live at The MAIN — no presale, just show up, pay $15, and let the music do the rest.

Friday, August 8

🍝 ‘Celebrate’ Culture Series: Italy | Friday, August 8 | 6–9pm | Canyon Country Community Center | Free | Mangia, dance, repeat. This month’s Celebrate event whisks you away to Italy — no passport required. Expect live music, delicious bites, hands-on art, and all the cultural charm of the boot-shaped country. Part of the city’s monthly series spotlighting global traditions (next up: Thailand in September).

Saturday, August 9

🎒 Back to School Bash | Saturday, August 9 | 11am–1pm | Valencia Town Center (near H&M) | Free | Kick off the school year in style! Valencia Town Center’s Back to School Bash has it all: surprise character visits, face painting, snacks, drinks, and a mini runway show featuring the coolest backpack looks. Free and fun for the whole fam — while supplies last!

🎨 Lusian Art Exhibit Opening Reception | Saturday, August 9 | 4–6pm | Canyon Theatre Guild, Newhall | Free | Sip, snack, and stroll through 40 original works by artist Nadia Lusian at this special exhibit opening. The Scotland-born, SCV-based painter brings color and emotion to the walls of Canyon Theatre Guild. Opening night includes live music, wine, and small bites — artsy weekend plans = handled. Exhibit runs through Aug. 31.

🎤 Concerts in the Park: Bruno Mars Tribute | Food trucks at 5pm, music at 7pm | Central Park | Free | Uptown funk’s gonna give it to ya. Locked Out of Heaven, a tribute to Bruno Mars, is bringing the moves, the hits, and the high energy to Central Park. Grab dinner from the food trucks, bring your dancing shoes, and get ready to vibe all night long.

🔄 Recurring Events

🎭️ Local Theater & Performing Arts

👠 NEW! Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella | Canyon Theatre Guild, Newhall | Runs: July 26–August 30 | Select Sat at 8pm & Sat/Sun matinees at 2pm | A magical, modern spin on the classic fairytale featuring beloved songs like “In My Own Little Corner” and “Ten Minutes Ago.” Opening night includes a complimentary wine and champagne reception.

🕊️ Stupid F**king Bird | The MAIN, Old Town Newhall | Runs: July 25–August 10 | Select evenings & matinees | A bold, darkly hilarious riff on Chekhov’s The Seagull that takes on love, ego, and the pain of making art—sometimes literally. Presented by Theatre Extempore

Local Stories

Community

🏥 Henry Mayo earns top honors for stroke care. Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus award, along with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll recognitions. These national awards highlight the hospital’s commitment to providing timely, research-based stroke treatment that improves recovery outcomes and saves lives. The in-hospital program ensures care teams follow the latest evidence-based guidelines, with a focus on early detection, rapid treatment, and ongoing patient education. The result? Fewer readmissions, lower mortality rates, and better long-term outcomes for SCV stroke patients. (The Signal)

Business

🏘️ Affordable housing is coming to CC (minus the frills). A 128-unit complex called Creekside Commons is moving forward at 27200 Sierra Highway, aka the spot where the old community center used to be. The whole project will be income-restricted (think under 80% of median income), so the developer is using California’s “affordable = more units, less red tape” rule to pack in nearly double the typical housing allowance. But don’t expect resort-style vibes—plans cut things like a pool, storage, outdoor patios, and even the usual block wall (they’re swapping it for a 6-foot steel fence, very industrial chic). Parking? Also minimal. Just 88 spots for 128 units, so maybe brush up on your parallel skills or make friends with a bike. Still, it’s a step toward more accessible housing in the SCV, even if the playground and lounge chairs didn’t make the cut. (The Signal)

Education

✈️ This Canyon Country teen’s got his eyes on the skies. Levi Dginguerian, 16, just earned the prestigious Billy Mitchell Award from the Civil Air Patrol—a milestone achieved by less than 15% of cadets nationwide and a major flex in the world of youth aviation. Translation: this kid is crushing it in leadership, aerospace knowledge, and PT, and now holds cadet officer status. Levi, a student at the Christa McAuliffe Academy (yes, named after that teacher-astronaut), is currently working toward his glider pilot license, taking college courses, leading his school’s new Aviation Club, and ranking in the top 1% academically because clearly sleep is for the weak. He’s gunning for a future at the U.S. Air Force Academy with plans to become an F-35 fighter pilot—which means we might all be saluting him one day. For now, he’s soaring high as one of SCV’s brightest cadets. (SCV News)

Mystery Link

👀 Pssst… Curiosity called. It said to click this.

Headline Hunt

New day, new word. Can you guess the 5-letter mystery word from today’s stories? Let’s see what you’ve got!

Thanks for reading today.

If anyone asks… yes, you read the whole thing and yes, it changed your life.

Cheers,

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