It was a “Taylor-Made” concert for local Swifties at Eastgate – ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

THE AMOUNT loved Melody Ebner and “Taylor Nation” at Eastgate Park (Orange County Tribune).

Tailor-made: Thursday’s free summer concert at Eastgate Park in Garden Grove was one in a series and definitely one of a kind.

It was a performance by Taylor Nation, a “tribute band” fronted by San Diego native Melody Ebner. If you’ve ever been to the International Space Station – or even if you haven’t – the real Taylor Swift is the biggest star in pop music since Michael Jackson.

Some “tribute bands” are just average imitators, but wow, this was truly an event with a capital E. Ms. Ebney dressed exactly, sang, danced and played guitar with the same voice, spirit and talent as the original, and a huge crowd – the largest I’ve seen since the summer concert series began – appreciated it (see photos on the front page).

So thanks to the City of Garden Grove and the Community Foundation for organizing and paying for all of this merriment. It wasn’t quite the real Taylor, but judging by the size of the crowd and the number of sing-along, arm-waving fans, it was pretty darn close.

But no Travis Kelce.

Money well spent: Hannah Shin-Heydom isn’t exactly a household name in Orange County, but in Stanton she’s a hero—or at least she should be.

This city manager just got a raise from the City Council, and it was a good decision to reward a leader who has spearheaded a wave of shiny new developments along Beach Boulevard that are going a long way toward improving the city’s shaky image.

She doesn’t want the fame, but instead points the finger at the City Council. But while she’s solving problems, the next big problem for the City Council will be finding a way to prevent larger cities from poaching her.