More Than 3,000 Expected for City Walk Against Drugs

More than 3,000 are expected at the 24th-annual Walk Against Drugs Saturday morning.

The crowd wearing red shirts will join for a rally at Mission Viejo High School's football stadium at 8 a.m. After the rally, people will walk down La Paz Road through the Oso Creek Trail to a community fair on the Village Green at Oso Viejo Park.

Westbound La Paz between Marguerite and Chrisanta will be closed from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Saturday for the walkers' safety.

A network of businesses, students, families and municipal services are uniting for the big day.

Free Shuttles:

• Newhart Middle School to and from Mission High School: 7 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. Riders can get picked up from the Norman P. Murray Community & Senior Center starting at 9 a.m.

Rally:

Peanut Louie Harper, a former professional tennis player, will kick off the day speaking at the rally. She collaborated with UCLA Coach John Wooden on the children’s book "Inch and Miles: The Journey to Success."

The rally will also feature 2012 Mission Viejo’s Got Talent Winner Katherine Cotter singing the National Anthem and her award-winning song "Astonishing."

Red Ribbon Walk & Fair:

After the rally, the crowd will form a red ribbon as they walk down La Paz Road through the Oso Creek Trail to a community fair on the Village Green at Oso Viejo Park.

The fair is from 9 a.m. to noon. It will include inflatables, games, crafts, obstacle courses, live music and free hot dogs, chicken nuggets, chips and salsa and ice cream.

Mission Viejo schools, clubs and nonprofit youth groups will host activity booths as fundraisers for their programs. There will be fun activities catering to children with special needs.

Supervisor Pat Bates will also host her 5th Disaster Preparedness Expo from 8:30 a.m. to noon featuring an earthquake simulator sponsored by the city and a lift truck provided by OC Public Works. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Emergency Management Bureau, Alert OC, American Red Cross, Southern California Edison-San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) and others will also be on hand.