Road rage over skateboarders on Nyes Place leads to robbery investigation when skateboard is taken

Police said a man driving down Nyes Place late Sunday morning told them that he had almost hit four teen aged male skateboarders on the hill.

Officers responded to the report and came across the four juveniles. One boy told police that the original caller had stopped his vehicle and began chasing them after he had almost run into them.

Police said three of the teenagers ran off but the driver caught one youth. Police added that the driver grabbed the boy, verbally threatened him then grabbed the youth’s skateboard and left.

Police said they are investigating the situation as robbery – a serious felony charge. The elements of robbery (taking by force or fear) would appear to be there and if that holds, police will ask the district attorney to issue a warrant for the suspect.

Police indicated that they know the identity of the suspect.

No other details were immediately available according to police Thursday and the suspect’s name will not be released at this time.

Reader nominated 2012 Laguna Beach Movers & Shakers

Thanks to those readers who nominated the following 53 Lagunans as 2012 Laguna Beach Movers & Shakers; and a pretty hearty list with truly many movers and shakers who will make a difference in town this coming year.

Our readers are our editorial board and it is you who both nominate and decide.

Now it’s time to vote!

Please consider the list below (in no particular order) and choose up to 10 Only and submit to us by January 31 at 5 p.m. – by email to: – moversshakers2012@gmail.com.

We’ll tally and announce your choices for the next issue.

To help in the process, you can download a printable PDF file at the bottom.

Dr. Joanne Culverhouse (Principal of LBHS)

Jane Hanauer (Owner of Laguna Beach Books)

Mark Porterfield (EVP at PIMCO)

Max Borella (Executive Director of Laguna Canyon Foundation)

Laura Tarbox (Laguna Beach Community Foundation Chair)

Kelly Boyd (City Council Member & Owner of Marine Room)

Jane Egly (Laguna Beach Mayor)

Toni Iseman (City Council Member)

Elizabeth Pearson (City Council Member)

Verna Rollinger (City Council Member; Mayor Pro Tem)

Chris Keller (Owner of La Casa del Camino, K’ya Bistro, The Rooftop, House of Big Fish & Ice Cold Beer)

Mike Tauber (Artist - Festival of Arts)

Chris Quilter (Co-Author of LAGUNATICS, No Square Theatre Board Member, Laguna Beach Seniors, Inc Board President)

Lisa Farber (Editor of Laguna Beach Times)

Kristine Thalman (Executive Director of Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce)

Nancy Milby (Founder and Executive Director of Laguna Culinary Arts)

Sherine Smith (Superintendent, Laguna Beach Unified School District)

Chris Prelitz (Chair of Complete Streets Task Force)

Carrie Reynolds (Owner of Reynolds Design Group)

Don Crevier (Former Owner of Crevier BMW - Philanthropist)

Dee Dee Chalis (Director of the Pageant of the Masters)

Harry Bithell (Agent with Prudential Real Estate)

Julita Jones (Artist - Sawdust Festival - CAP & LOCA)

Peter Blake (Owner of Peter Blake Gallery)

Lynn Epstein (Clinical Director at Laguna Beach Language & Speech Clinic)

Jinger Wallace (Laguna Bluebelt Coalition)

Mike Beanan (Laguna Bluebelt Coalition)

Charlotte Masarik (Laguna Bluebelt Coalition, Village Laguna)

Faye Chapman (Photographer, Faye’s Captured Moments, Homeless Advocate)

Lloyd Charton (Owner of The Retreat in Laguna, Benefactor of No Square Theatre)

Jon Madison (Owner of Madison Square & Garden Cafe)

Bob Whalen (President of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Laguna Beach, Law Partner at Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, Candidate for City Council in 2012)

David Wilson (Owner of David Wilson Automotive Group, OC’s Own “Layaway Angel”, SchoolPower Benefactor)

Jodie Gates (Artistic Director and Founder of Laguna Beach Dance Festival)

Sharbie Higuchi (Director of Marketing and Public Relations at the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters)

Sanja Simidzija (Owner of S Cube Gallery, Green Cube Gallery, and Art Cube Gallery)

Siân Poeschl (City of Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Manager, Artist - Sawdust Festival)

Carla Tesak (Owner of saltfineart)

John Pietig (Laguna Beach City Manager)

Betsy Jenkins (LBUSD School Board President, serves on the Boards of Laguna Beach Live!, the Mission Hospital Advisory Board and the Laguna Beach Sister Cities Association)

Derek Ostensen (President of Laguna Canyon Foundation, Land Acquisition Consultant for The Conservation Fund)

Mark Christy (President and Co-Owner of Hobie Sports and Tuvalu Home, Partner at La Sirena Grill, Agent with Prudential Real Estate)

Robert Hayden III (Laguna Art Museum Board President, CFO at Industrial Metal Finishing)

Marcus Skenderian (President of SchoolPower, VP of Laguna Board of Realtors, Broker Associate at Surterre Properties)

Karyn Philippsen (Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau, Founder of KP Company)

Judy Bijlani (President & CEO of the Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau)

Amar Santana (Owner and Executive Chef of Broadway by Amar Santana)

Nancy Wilhelm (Owner of Starfish Laguna and Tabu Grill)

Marian Keegan (Owner of Art of Fitness, Children’s Book Author)

Joe Hanauer (Chairman of the Board of Move, Inc. (Realtor.com), Principal at Combined Investments, LLC)

Debbie Naude (Laguna Beach Dance Festival Board Member, Laguna Beach High School Scholarship Foundation Trustee)

Theresa O’Hare (LBUSD School Board Member)

Ryan Adams (Owner and Executive Chef of Three Seventy Common)

Special Note: A few readers nominated businesses and organizations in town. We haven’t included them inasmuch as most readers nominated individuals.

Download printable PDF version of nominees

Mid-year budget review gives city more money to spend – about $3 million more from room and sales taxes

City Manager John Pietig delivered some good news to the Council at Tuesday night’s meeting. Increases in hotel bed taxes and overall sales taxes had increased revenues by some $3,000,000 in the first half of Fiscal 2011-2012.

The City’s budget has an annual shortfall, which is covered through a reserve fund that is in addition to the amount that is required under the law.

Some members of the public testified before the Council and urged them to forego spending the found money in order to maintain the balance in the reserve fund. One woman said, “If we have the money, spend it.”

Spend it the Council did - $1,000,000 will go toward cleaning up the “dump” that was uncovered out in the canyon near Phillips Road from the Dec 2010 flooding that washed out a loose dirt that had covered it since the 1950s or 40s. The City was not made aware of its existence when the area was annexed from OC.

Most of the balance will be spent on continuing flood claims, the new Main Beach Lifeguard Headquarters and $544,900 for a new fire engine.

City bus will stop at the Senior/Community Center soon

Laguna’s seniors have been trying to get the city buses to include stops at the Susi Q/Community Center. City staff said Tuesday night that a solution had been worked out and that they could do a one-month trail starting in short order.

Buses from both the north and south routes will participate in the trial.

Raptors scare away nuisance birds at Montage

Photos and Text By DAVID LINNIG

Montage Laguna Beach is responsible for the entire maintenance of the city’s Treasure Island Park and as any organization maintaining a large grassy area knows, it’s very costly cleaning up after seagulls, pigeons, etc.

Montage gets specialized relief from Grisco’s Animals of Mira Loma, which brings several large raptors to the resort several days each week.

Glenn Grisco, owner and trainer of Grisco’s Animals, holds a Lesser Yellow-Headed Vulture from South America. Some nervous pigeons were overheard making reference to that well-known buzzard saying, “Patience hell – I’m gonna kill something”. The pigeons decided to visit a park further south.

“Montage asks us to visit each Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday,” explained owner Glenn Grisco on Sunday. “They like the fact that these large birds scare the nuisance birds…away from the Resort grounds.” Expect to find Grisco and some of his birds in Treasure Island Park on those days between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Each raptor is bound to a small roost on the grass with a pan of fresh water nearby. Passersby stopped to admire the birds and chat with Grisco.

The photographer apologized to this young Saker Falcon for getting too close

Grisco’s company has been a provider of large birds and other animals for film productions for more than 30 years.

See more Montage/Treasure Island Park raptors in the slideshow.

Click on the left picture to view

Dennis’ Tidbits

January 27, 2012

By Dennis McTighe

Good waves after a rain vs risk of Hershey squirts

More good news…I found out I’m not bipolar; turns out I’m “quadripolar”.

Including today’s whale sighting, that brings January’s total to 27, that’s one a day. What was special about today’s was this one actually breached, a rare treat. It happened about 11 this morning about 200 yards past Brooks Street’s second reef. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen so many whales!

This January has turned out to be one of the nicest ever. Only two rainy days totaling nearly an inch, but for the most part it’s been incredible. Wednesday and Thursday this week saw highs in the mid to upper 70’s, 10 to 12 degrees above normal. The normal high/ low for January 27 in Laguna is 66°-43°, unless you live out in the canyon where the normal low is more like 36 or 37. It’s a whole nother climate out there. If it’s 38-40° in town, guaranteed there’s frost out there on clear pre-dawn hours.

We’re on a little roll lately surfwise. Last Sunday produced overhead sets here in town. Despite the crummy water quality after Saturday’s rain runoff, many surfers took to the water anyway. It dumped again Monday so be careful out there; take mucho antibiotics and bring a medic to the beach. I guess a few overhead barrels are worth the risk of a bout with the Hershey squirts.

There’s a new healthy WNW swell building today, Thursday and should be overhead Friday and Saturday. That’s when the “Queen of the Coast” lights up. Rinconada del Mar, Little corner by the Sea, better known as Rincon, one of the best righthander point breaks on planet Earth. The waves were 8’ plus up there last Sunday with 100-130 players dancing on the Con’s flawless walls. When it’s on it’s a 300 yard joy ride.

Last Sunday’s strong WNW swell and accompanying 6.6 high tide removed a big load of sand from some of our local beaches, particularly noticeable at places like St. Ann’s and Thalia Street, at least five feet or more. Before the onslaught of waves, there was so much sand at St. Ann’s the first seven or eight steps at the bottom of the stairs were covered; now you have to climb down all these big boulders and really watch your step. It’s called sand migration.

And finally, January’s rainfall totaled just shy of an inch, about two inches below normal for the month. Our season total is a little more than four inches, about 2.3 inches below normal.

See you next Tuesday, until then, ALOHA!

Lonesome Traveler will perform for Laguna Playhouse benefit at the Marine Room Jan 30

The Laguna Playhouse will host a fundraiser at the Marine Room on Jan. 30 that will provide a unique social experience of folk music themes and social fun. Members of the cast of Lonesome Traveler will perform music from the folk-era, a time when history made music and music made history.

Light appetizers and festive flavors will be served to complement a no-host cash bar.

“As usual, The Marine room remains the place to see and be seen, and it will only cost you $30 to join in on the fun of this unique playhouse event,” said event organizer Elizabeth Pearson.

Advance tickets are available now at www.lagunaplayhouse.com, 497-2787 or at the event. The Marine Room is at 214 Ocean Ave.

Bolton Colburn hired as executive director of the Surfing Heritage Foundation in San Clemente

Photo by Tom Servais

Bolton Colburn

In a move that seems likely to shake up the surf industry, the Surfing Heritage Foundation of San Clemente has hired Bolton Colburn, the adventurous former director of Laguna Art Museum (LAM), as executive director.

Colburn left LAM in May of last year and will work with the Foundation’s board and staff to lead the organization’s development efforts, develop innovative programs crossing a range of disciplines, and raise the profile of the Surfing Heritage Foundation in the museum world.

For months, rumors have been circulating that Colburn, 56, was being courted to join the Surfing Heritage Foundation, which has been likened to “the Smithsonian” of surf museums by ESPN.

The mission of the non-profit institution, which opened in San Clemente in 2004, is to preserve, present, and promote surfing’s heritage for the appreciation and education of current and future generations.  Housed in an 8,000 square foot building which is open to the public, the institution has a large collection of some 500 surfboards; 250,000 photographs; and an extensive archive including film, literature, clothing and other artifacts representing surfing culture. It is the largest and most significant collection of surfing at any cultural institution in the world.

Currently on view at the Foundation is Surfing Through Time, an educational program designed for community youth groups, schools, clubs, and camps that provides an overview of the history of surfing using primary objects from the collection.

Dick Metz, founder and board member of Surfing Heritage Foundation and the driving force behind the Hobie Sports retail chain stated, “Mr. Colburn’s extensive museum experience as well as his background in surfing makes him an ideal person to lead the Surfing Heritage Foundation in the next phase of its development.”

Colburn was a US Amateur Surfing Champion in the late 70s.

“The job that the board has sketched out for me is my dream job,” said Colburn. “In the last ten years Surfing Heritage Foundation has done extraordinary things. I’m thrilled to be in a position to help the organization go the next thousand yards. Surfing Heritage Foundation clearly has the collection, support, board of trustees, and staff to become a major player, regionally, nationally, and internationally in the museum field.”

Colburn is joining the Surfing Heritage Foundation at an interesting time. With the need for museums to engage larger audiences in more meaningful ways, the mission of the Surfing Heritage Foundation is extremely pertinent. Surf culture has exerted an effect on the world at large and in many ways Orange County, and Surfing Heritage Foundation, sit at its epicenter. With its expanded mandate and a possible future move to a larger location integrated into an urban environment, it will bring the arts and culture of surfing into the life of the greater community, affording the institution greater civic involvement and national cultural achievements.

In his tenure at LAM, Colburn championed scholarly exhibitions of historical and contemporary art that often looked at the crossover between popular culture and high art, such as the seminal Surf Culture: The Art History of Surfing (2002), which traveled to venues in Honolulu, Hawaii, New York, and Melbourne, Australia.  He was the founding director of the newly reformed Laguna Art Museum after its contentious merger with Newport Harbor Art Museum to become Orange County Museum of Art in 1996. When Colburn left LAM after 14 years at the helm, the museum had a full-time staff of eleven employees, a budget of $1,300,000, a collection of over 3,000 works of art, and an exemplary exhibition program that regularly produced scholarly publications.  Prior to that, he was Senior Curator at the Orange County Museum of Art (1995-1996), Curator at LAM (1987-1995), and Registrar at La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art (1981-1987)

Surfing Heritage Foundation is at 110 Calle Iglesia, San Clemente. SurfingHeritage.org - 949-388-0313, x 0. Exhibition hours, 1-4 p.m. Monday - Saturday

Laguna Bluebelt Coalition Photo Contest winners

Laguna Bluebelt Coalition announced the winners of its Photo Contest and we present the three first place photos. Three second place winners are included in the slideshow below (click on the photo on the left to see all three).

To see all of the photos entered in the contest, visit their website by Sandy Lee:

http://lagunabluebelt.org/photo-contest-entries/

First Place - On the Water

Billy Fried from his kayak

First Place - Underwater

Patsee Ober – sea anemone

First Place - Open

Eddie Yerkish – Heisler Park Panorama

Enjoy the Second Prize slideshow below

This Monday in the Artists’ Theatre

An LBUSD parent education event – The Reality of Orange County Teens: What Every Parent Should Know

The second segment of a four-part series, The Reality of Orange County Teens: What Every Parent Should Know, will present on Monday Jan. 30 at the LBHS Artists’ Theatre.  The parent-only education event is brought by collaborative efforts between the Laguna Beach Unified School District and California Youth Services (CYS).

The informative lectures will cover the following topics: current issues facing teens, how to recognize drug and alcohol usage by your teen, enabling versus empowering your teen, and when and how to seek help – what resources are available.

“After the success of our last parent education presentation, the LBUSD Parent Education Committee is proud to present another informational evening,” said LBHS Assistant Principal Bob Billinger.

Billinger encourages parents to attend and adds that resource and support agencies will be in the quad area prior to the presentation for the half hour prior to the event for parents to access.  The presentation will feature speakers Deputy Brian Nissen, OCSD Drug Recognition Expert and Duane Durst LMFT and CYS Clinical Director.

Thurston Middle School Assistant Principal Mike Modeer said: “The information presented is intended for an audience that wants to be aware and proactive about current trends with our kids.  I highly encourage all parents to attend – even if you are already proactive and having the important conversations at home.”

Exhibits, resources and support agencies will be available from 5:30 – 6 p.m. and the formal presentation will begin at six o’clock.

MY HERO Project presents Celebrate Heroism workshop for Boys & Girls Club kids ad seniors

Laguna Beach seniors and students will soon Celebrate Heroism through a workshop program in which they experience and create inspirational media related to heroes working in wildlife fields, ecological or emergency disaster relief and prevention. Developed by The MY HERO Project and initially implemented at the Laguna Beach Boys and Girls Club, Celebrate Heroism will be a model program that enables participants to contemplate heroism, discuss heroic deeds and figures, create inspirational media and share it with others through myhero.com, the Laguna Hero Fest and partnering venues.

The project will bring participants’ attention to local heroes effecting positive change and teach them to better communicate their own ideas using new media arts technologies.

The MY HERO Project invites members of our Laguna Beach community and businesses to make tax-deductible donations of new or used equipment for use in the Boys and Girls Club program.  Items needed include: USB Drives; Mac computers; software for editing video and photos; tripods; projection screen; microphones; digital cameras; canvas boards and acrylic paint.

At the Boys and Girls Club, the 12 week program led by MY HERO Media Arts Education Director Wendy Milette will begin in late February and include inspirational film screenings, discussions of heroic deeds and figures, dynamic speakers from our community, fieldtrips, and art and film production projects. Possible speakers include representatives from the Laguna Canyon Foundation, park rangers from Laguna wilderness and local police officers; a potential fieldtrip to the Crystal Cove Alliance may be involved as well.

The Boys and Girls club workshops will culminate in an exhibition of student work for family members on June 6, and artwork will be displayed in the children’s section of the Laguna Beach Public Library.

Seniors at The Susi Q Center will watch uplifting short films and discuss their own experiences and ideas about environmental and emergency relief heroes.  This program and its schedule are currently being developed in collaboration with Susi Q.

Students’ and seniors’ stories, art and short films will be submitted to the Laguna Hero Fest to be shared with the public. The Laguna Hero Fest is an annual family-friendly event to celebrate our local heroes, artists and filmmakers. All are invited to participate in the Laguna Hero Fest by submitting inspirational media by June 1 or attending this free festival in November 2012.

Participants’ work will enrich MY HERO’s digital multimedia library on myhero.com, so that individuals around the world may learn about the heroes, organizations, artists, students and seniors in our beautiful hometown.

The lesson plans, evaluation instruments, and assessment rubrics developed in this model program will be available through MY HERO’s Teacher’s Room myhero.com/teachersroom for after school programs and senior centers worldwide.

Celebrate Heroism is made possible by a generous grant from the Laguna Beach Community Foundation and Massen Greene Foundation.

The MY HERO Project uses media and technology to celebrate the best of humanity and empower people of all ages to realize their own potential to effect positive change. Through MY HERO’s website, workshops, mentorships and media festivals, the organization builds participants’ 21st century skills and inspires individuals to work towards positive change on local and global levels.

Brown Bag Chic to host Playhouse Artistic Director

The Woman’s Club is hosting its monthly Brown Bag Chic event on Wednesday Feb 1 from 12 – 1 p.m. to welcome Ann Wareham as the new Artistic Director of the Laguna Playhouse.  Wareham produced shows such as “Ain’t Misbehavin,” Pippin,” “Sweeney Todd,” and “Spring Awakening” and spent 27 years with the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles as a producing partner.

Wareham will discuss what’s “hot” in theater today, what’s trending and an update of the coming shows at the Laguna Playhouse.

Brown Bag Chic is a free event at the Woman’s Club located at 286 St. Ann’s.  Locals come to learn something new and enjoy the company of other Lagunans – bring your own brown bag lunch and enjoy coffee and dessert served at the event.

Birding in a SoLag backyard

An American Kestrel (Sparrow Hawk) submitted by Tyrone Borelli. The picture was taken Wednesday with a Canon Rebel XT 300mm zoom lens – thanks!

MacGillivray Freeman Films signs Meryl Streep to narrate new IMAX® 3D adventure To The Arctic 3D

IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX), Laguna’s MacGillivray Freeman Films, and Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that two-time Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep will narrate To The Arctic 3D. The film will be released exclusively to select IMAX® theatres starting April 20, 2012.

To The Arctic 3D, from two-time Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Greg MacGillivray (The Living Sea, Dolphins), is the first co-production from Warner Bros. Pictures, MacGillivray Freeman Films and IMAX Corporation, following the companies’ strategic alliance announced late last year.

An extraordinary journey to the top of the world, To The Arctic 3D is the ultimate tale of survival. The film takes audiences on a never-before-experienced journey into the lives of a mother polar bear and her two seven-month- old cubs as they navigate the changing Arctic wilderness they call home. Captivating, adventurous, and intimate footage brings moviegoers up close and personal with this family’s struggle to survive in a frigid environment of melting ice, immense glaciers, spectacular waterfalls, and majestic snow-bound peaks.

“To The Arctic was filmed entirely in 15/70mm with spectacular shots designed to take full advantage of the IMAX 3D format, and the story and setting will be made even more powerful by Meryl Streep’s unmatched artistry,” said Greg MacGillivray, President, MacGillivray Freeman Films and director of To The Arctic.   “This is MacGillivray Freeman’s third collaboration with Meryl, and we are delighted to pair her prodigious talents with this emotional story of family and hope.”

Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures, stated, “Together with IMAX, we have transported audiences from the reaches of space to the depths of the ocean and, most recently, into the untamed jungle. We are thrilled to partner with IMAX and MacGillivray Freeman Films to tell an important story about a vanishing landscape and the animals that count on it for their survival.”

“The most enduring relationship is that between a mother and child, which is powerfully portrayed through the polar bear family in To The Arctic,” added Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “Greg MacGillivray’s engaging storytelling combined with the strength of the Warner Bros. and IMAX partnership will deliver for audiences an inspiring glimpse into how the ties between family prevail above all else.”

Meryl Streep most recently earned a Golden Globe Award for her leading role as Margaret Thatcher in Phyllida Lloyd’s new film “The Iron Lady.” Her numerous honors include an astonishing 16 Academy Award® nominations, including her two Oscar® wins for her work in “Sophie’s Choice” and “Kramer vs. Kramer,” as well as 26 Golden Globe nominations, with additional wins for her performances in “Julie & Julia,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Angels in America,” “Adaptation,” “Sophie’s Choice,” “The French Lieutenant’s Woman,” and “Kramer vs. Kramer.” Streep’s many other additional credits include the recent award-winning films “Mamma Mia,” “Doubt,” and “The Hours.” She next stars in the comedy “Great Home Springs,” to be released by later this year.

Laguna Beach Business Club announces new board members

The Laguna Beach Business Club (LBBC) announced the election of its new 2012 board members this week. Elected in December were:

President Bart A Zandbergen, CFP

Vice President Nicole Anderson, Attorney at Law

Secretary Lonnie Seide, Attorney at Law

Treasurer Jerry Immel

LBBC is a diverse group of highly respected business professionals who work or live in the community. They meet monthly for casual, ocean-view breakfast meetings with timely presentations by engaging speakers in the know.

Their next meeting is Thursday, Feb 16, 7:30 a.m. at Hotel Laguna, $25 for guests.

Special guest speaker at the meeting will be Mayor Jane Egly.

RSVP to Bart@creating-wealth.com or 949-455-0300.

We’re giving Maggi too much leeway to gloat!

Maggi stumped Laguna again this week…if we don’t get her locations right, she’s going to ask Shaena for a raise! (She’d have an easier job asking me!)

So here’s what we missed:

Yep – these “windows” are painted on the upper floor of a building located on St. Ann’s Dr just off Coast Hwy…the planter boxes are really there!

The slideshow locations:

1.) Tile mosaic on Brooks St near Coast Hwy. 2.) Sun on the roof of Café Zoolu. 3.) Sculpture on the path to Heisler from Main Beach. And finally, 4.) The Granada Building at S. Coast Hwy & Bluebird Canyon Drive.

Anyone tired of beautiful Pacific sunsets?

Great hues and a clear horizon all the way to Palos Verdes Wednesday night as Dennis Myers took this shot from Alta Vista – are you still tired of such shots?

AAUW needs volunteers for TLC after-school tutoring

Looking for a satisfying activity?  Want to give back to the community?  Like working with kids? A few spaces still available for a TLC volunteer opportunity.

If you have an hour or two a week to spare during the school year and would like to help a child learn, consider becoming a volunteer tutor for The Learning Club (TLC).

TLC is an after-school tutoring program at El Morro Elementary School in Laguna Beach for students in second to fifth grade, who have been recommended by their teachers as needing additional help with homework and basic educational concepts to better succeed in school.

AAUW volunteer Mike Easley tutoring a TLC student at El Morro School

TLC operates Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from November through May.  Local adults and teens are welcome to apply. No experience necessary; training is provided.

The Learning Club (TLC) is sponsored by The American Association of University Women, Laguna Beach Branch.

To volunteer or more information, contact Peggie Thomas at 499-1817, or pegthomas@cox.net, Barbara Antonacci at 241-5139, or anton21@cox.net or visit www.aauw-lagunabeach.org.

Friendship Shelter receives LB Community Foundation Gift

Friendship Shelter Board President Doug Anderson (right) joins Executive Director Dawn Price (center) in accepting a $2500 grant from LBCF Board Chair Laura Tarbox (left).

Friendship Shelter has received a grant of $2,500 to support its Self-Sufficiency Program, a rehabilitative shelter program that helps homeless adults achieve self-sufficiency.

The grant, awarded by Laguna Beach Community Foundation at its December 1 grant reception, represents the second in as many years from the Foundation, which seeks to encourage philanthropy in Laguna Beach.

“Friendship Shelter enjoys tremendous support from the Laguna Beach community, and always has in its nearly 25-year history,” said Dawn Price, Friendship Shelter Executive Director. “This grant is a wonderful example of that. The funds themselves are only the beginning. The Laguna Beach Community Foundation is raising the bar for philanthropy in our community, and all non-profits will benefit from a community more focused on giving. We are grateful, then, not just for the gift but for the impact LBCF is having city-wide.”

Friendship Shelter is the only residential shelter in south Orange County. A self-sufficiency program in Laguna Beach, for which there is always a waiting list, provides a home base, three meals daily and a wide range of support services to 32 men and women at a time. Graduates may apply to Henderson House, located in San Clemente, where 24 residents live for up to one year, allowing them to consolidate their gains and continue on the path to independent living. Friendship Shelter also operates the City of Laguna Beach’s overnight program at its Alternative Sleeping Location.

To learn more about Friendship Shelter, go to www.friendshipshelter.org To learn more about Laguna Beach Community Foundation, go to www.lagunabeachcf.org

Call for artists: Artists Invited to Art-A-Fair 2012 Jury Day

Submitted photo

Art-A-Fair, the Laguna Beach Art Festival, will hold its 2012 Jury Day on Sunday, Feb 12, at the Laguna Beach Boys and Girls Club. Art-A-Fair seeks new artists for its 46th annual season, to be held June 29 – Sept 2, 2012.

Artists are invited to bring their artwork on Feb 12, 2012 from 8-11 a.m. to be juried by professional fine artists and master crafts-persons. The jury will look for excellence in conception, execution and presentation as well as high levels of creativity and technical competence. All media may be submitted for jurying, including oil, acrylic, watercolor, sculpture, mixed media, digital art, ceramics, glass, jewelry, photography and wood, Artists may jury with more than one medium.

Three original works of art are required for each medium. Notification of Acceptance or Non-Acceptance will be given that day at pick-up, between 4 and 4:30 p.m. The Boys and Girls Club is located at 1085 Laguna Canyon Rd.

Art-A-Fair, one of the three premier art shows held each summer in Laguna Beach, is the only show that exhibits international, national and local artists and has no residency restrictions. Its reputation for high quality fine art and master crafts promises a diverse exhibition by approximately 125 artists that will attract tourists and patrons of the arts, both locally and across the United States.

Additional information and forms for submission, including the Exhibitor Prospectus and Application Checklist, are available at www.art-a-fair.com. Please call 494.4514 with specific questions.

Laguna Greenbelt ready to put LBCF grant to work

The Board of Laguna Greenbelt, Inc., wishes to thank the Laguna Beach Community Foundation (LBCF) and the Massen Greene Foundation for their generous grant of support for its Wildlife Corridor Outreach and Education Program.

Photo by Barbara McMurray

Bob Earl, LBCF; Board member Lance Vallery and President Elisabeth Brown, LGB; at the LBCF Awards Ceremony

LGB is in the second year of a major effort to ensure the construction and functionality of a planned wildlife corridor linking the Laguna Greenbelt to the Cleveland National Forest.  This will replace the historic connectivity between coastal and foothills wildlands lost to development.

LGB said in a press release, “The grant will enable us to make wildlife corridor presentations to other environmental organizations and community groups in Laguna Beach and other cities adjacent to the planned wildlife corridor, as well as local government and resource agencies.”

A dedicated website and print ad campaign are also planned.