Mayor's Welcome

13-year-old Garden Grove resident Arlo Fabian founded Trash Force, a volunteer-led movement to clean up local parks. What began as a school project has grown into a community-wide effort supported by family, classmates, and city leaders. GGTV3 reporter Angela Cranon has the story.

The community is invited to attend the City of Garden Grove’s Halloween-themed community event, Jack O’ Lantern Jamboree, on Saturday, October 25, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Atlantis Play Center, located in Garden Grove Park, at 13630 Atlantis Way.

Activities include train rides, inflatable obstacle courses, face painting, a pumpkin patch, carnival games, reptile shows, Trick-or-Treat Street, and more. Costumes are encouraged.

The City of Garden Grove’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), in partnership with the Garden Grove Police Department, will host its next basic academy from Wednesday, October 22, to Saturday, October 25, 2025. The free academy teaches community members how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, and how to provide support to first responders when professional resources are stretched.

The City of Garden Grove, in partnership with NeighborWorks Orange County, will host a Homebuyer Day on Saturday, October 4, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Garden Grove Community Meeting Center, 11300 Stanford Avenue. Admission and parking are free.

On Friday, September 26, 2025, from 6:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Historic Main Street, between Acacia Parkway and Euclid Avenue, and Stanford Avenue, between Seville Court and Main Street, will be closed to motorists for the City’s annual tasting event, Foods of Garden Grove Live. Drivers are encouraged to plan ahead and use alternate routes to avoid delays.

On Saturday, October 25, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the Garden Grove Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to the Garden Grove Police Department, located at 11301 Acacia Parkway, Garden Grove, CA 92840. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, ONLY pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

More flavors are being added to the menu for the 2025 Foods of Garden Grove Live (FOGG Live), returning Friday, September 26, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Village Green Park in Downtown Garden Grove. This popular tasting event brings together top local restaurants, live music at the Garden Amp, family activities, and a lively community atmosphere. Admission is free, with tickets required for food tastings.

The City of Garden Grove invites older adults to attend the H. Louis Lake Senior Center’s Resource Fair and Vaccine Clinic on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at the Community Meeting Center, 11300 Stanford Avenue. Admission and parking are free.

The City of Garden Grove is seeking boutique crafters for the Winter in the Grove community event on Saturday, December 6, 2025, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., in Village Green Park, located at 12732 Main Street. Interested crafters must apply by Friday, November 7, 2025, at ggcity.org/winterinthegrove.

Examples of preferred boutique craft items for sale include handmade jewelry, floral decorations, wreaths, ceramics/pottery, handbags, soaps, oils, lotions, candles, and more.