We took a few Fridays off. We're back — and so, apparently, is summer.
It's October on the calendar and 100 degrees in the forecast, and there's an Extreme Heat Warning from Friday morning through next Thursday. Plan your outdoor stuff for the morning and save the afternoon for anything with a roof or a pool. Conveniently, Mission Viejo is putting pumpkins in one.
📅 This weekend
FRIDAY
Three big football games, all at 7 p.m. Santa Margarita comes in 5–0 and hosts Mater Dei — at Saddleback College, not the RSM campus (tickets: $12 adults, $5 seniors, $3 kids 5–14, plus parking; sealed plastic water only, no insulated bottles). Mission Viejo hosts Edison at MVHS Stadium (tickets), and Trabuco Hills hosts Brea Olinda at home on Mustang Run (tickets). All phone tickets through GoFan.
Not a football family? The Saddleback Big Band plays the McKinney Theatre at 7:30 (up to $14.50, parking included).
SATURDAY
Mission Viejo Farmers Market & Crafts, 9–1 at the North Paseo, 25282 Marguerite. Go early. It'll be hot by noon.
Stories and Signs: Pancake Party, 10:30 at the MV Library. Storytime in American Sign Language, plus free pancakes. Free, no registration, but seats are limited.
Pumpkin Dive, 2–5 p.m. at Montanoso Rec Center, 25800 Montanoso Dr. The kids jump in the pool, grab a floating pumpkin, then decorate it poolside, with carnival games. $5 if you register online by Friday at 11:30 p.m., $10 at the door while pumpkins last. Families in the city's ABLE adaptive program can come in at 1.
BARK! Read to a Dog, 2–3 p.m. at the RSM Library. Kids 6–11 read out loud to certified therapy dogs. Free.
Saddleback Symphony: Beethoven's 7th, 2:30 matinee, McKinney Theatre. Air-conditioned Beethoven for up to $14.50.
Mission Viejo residents only: free e-waste and household hazardous waste drop-off, 9–11 a.m. at City Hall. Bring ID showing an MV address. It's drive-through only.
SUNDAY
Ladera Ranch Farmers Market, 9–1 at Daisy St & Avendale. Open to everyone, no Ladera card needed.
That's honestly the whole Sunday calendar across three towns. Do the market, then find some shade.
🎡 Next weekend: Rancho Family Fest is back
Rancho Family Fest, Sat Oct 10 (1–10 p.m.) and Sun Oct 11 (1–8 p.m.), RSM Central Park, 30842 La Miranda.
Saturday lineup: Vintage Vinyl at 4, Blonde Ambition (Madonna tribute) at 6, The Reflexx at 8.
Sunday lineup: Yachty By Nature at 4, Tijuana Dogs at 6.
Tickets: a $25 wristband covers both days, and there's no one-day ticket. Kids 12 and under and active-duty military get in free, and working one volunteer shift gets you in free too.
Leave at home: pets, coolers and umbrellas. Low-back chairs are fine, but not before the 1 p.m. gates.
Same weekend: free Movies in the Park: Toy Story 5 Saturday at Crucero Park in MV, and St. Kilian's Oktoberfest Oct 10–11 (hours not posted yet).
🍴 Open & shut
OPEN: The Goldfinch, RSM. We've been writing "coming soon" about this one since July, so it feels good to type this: it opened Saturday, Sept 26, at 22312 El Paseo in Plaza El Paseo, next door to Redshift. Lunch and dinner daily from 11, brunch Saturday and Sunday 10–2, and open until 11 on Friday and Saturday nights. (Instagram)
SHUT: the Starbucks at 28562 Oso Pkwy, RSM (Plaza de las Flores), one of 250 stores Starbucks is closing across North America. According to Patch, the newer Starbucks in the same center stays open.
Still waiting: Wholesome Choice in the old Orchard Supply on Marguerite was aiming for September, and we can't confirm it's opened yet. Pasta Viva on Santa Margarita Pkwy now says "Q4 2026."
💬 Around town: Rancho finally has its own farmers market
For years the answer to "where's the farmers market in RSM?" was "Mission Viejo." Not anymore. The RSM Chamber of Commerce now runs the RSM Certified Farmers Market in the parking lot by the Lakeshore Amphitheater at RSM Lake: produce, food and local makers, and they're adding vendors every week.
The catch is the schedule: it runs only on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays, 8–11 a.m., year-round. So there's no market this Saturday. The next one is Oct 10, the morning of Rancho Family Fest.
The three-town market cheat sheet:
RSM: 2nd & 4th Saturdays, 8–11, RSM Lake
Mission Viejo: every Saturday, 9–1, North Paseo
Ladera Ranch: every Sunday, 9–1, Daisy & Avendale
All three are open to the public. No HOA card, no membership.
💎 One good thing: Heritage Hill
Heritage Hill Historical Park, 25151 Serrano Rd, Lake Forest, about 10 minutes from either Parkway.
What's there: four restored buildings on a quiet green hill, including the Serrano Adobe (built around 1863), an 1890 one-room schoolhouse, an 1891 chapel and a 1908 ranch house.
Tours: free guided tours Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 11, no reservation needed for groups of 7 or fewer.
Hours: open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 to 5. It costs nothing.
Why this weekend: the tour starts before the day gets hot, and it's the most history you can get for $0 in South County.
🗒️ Good to know
Mission Viejo's Halloween & Fall Home Decorating Contest is taking entries through Fri Oct 9 at 5 p.m. It's free, and open to MV homes that aren't in a gated community. You've got a week to out-skeleton your neighbors.
Your turn: it's going to be 100 on Sunday and there are already pumpkins on porches. What's the first thing that actually makes it feel like fall to you around here? Hit reply. We read every one.
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