Aquathon 2022 Recap
Photos by Mary Hurlbut
As reported by staff photographer Mary Hurlbut, on Sunday, Sept. 25, near the Aquathon water and snack station at Woods Cove, the tide was very high, with intervals of calm seas and then large sets of waves. Aquathon swimmers and paddle boarders headed south, some swam into the cove, others braved coming across the rugged tidepools and a few came down the stairs, opting to walk part of the way on the streets due to the rough conditions. Many participants either swam by the rest stop or stayed up on the streets.
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Co-organizer Gary Cogorno and his wife Diana
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Woods Cove
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Former LB lifeguards Casey and Gina Parlette
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Ted Reckas and son jump off Diver’s Rock also known as Chicken Rock by the younger generation
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Group of Aquathon participants
Hurlbut captured many of the highlights and happy moments at Woods Cove. Participants would only later find out that one of the veteran Aquathoners Art Salcido died shortly after coming to shore to complete his swim.
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Art Salcido (on left) and close friend Kevin Griffin
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Hudson Waggoners, the 15-year-old Junior Lifeguard that assisted in Art Salcido’s rescue attempt with an Aquathoner
In addition to being an annual gathering, the Aquathon provides financial support to the Laguna Beach Ocean Lifeguard Foundation, a nonprofit run by three former lifeguards – Mark Klosterman, Jon Brick and Rob Patterson. To date, the Aquathoners are close to a $9,000 donation. Alyssa Hayek and Gary Cogorno have recorded two segments at KXFM on Laguna Beach lifeguards. Check them out here.
For more of Mary Hurlbut’s photos, click on slideshow below:
Fair Game
By TOM JOHNSON
Young, exciting quarterback, full of potential, takes the helm of Breakers’ football team
Laguna Beach High School’s football team started off the season with high hopes. Unfortunately, those seemed to be dashed early as the season took a turn for the worse in their opening game some six weeks ago against Homedale, when they traveled to Idaho and lost 46-14.
What particularly hurt in that game was that starting senior quarterback Sam Garwal went down with an injury. That injury forced Ethan Das into the mix to take over the helm. And, although Ethan did an admirable job, helping the team right the ship by winning three out of their next four games, Breakers Coach John Shanahan knew he had a potential savior waiting in the wings.
You see, sophomore QB Jackson Kollock spent the first part of this season sitting on the bench, waiting for CIF sanctions to pass, due to his transfer back to Laguna Beach after spending his freshman year at Santa Margarita. Well, that waiting period is over.
Kollock, all 6’4” and 215 lbs. of him, is what Coach Shanahan calls an “exceptional kid, with lots of competitiveness, capable of making any throw on the field and able to get the ball to his receivers quickly.” Add to that mobility and you begin to understand why Shanahan and the team, “particularly Breakers receivers, are very excited.”
Jackson, at 16, is the oldest of six kids of Ryan and Teresa Kollock, who have lived in Laguna Beach the last 17 years.
He initially went to Santa Margarita to play football, but according to Ryan, “He really wanted to play for his home school and varsity coach John Shanahan, so he is back in Laguna and so excited to compete as a Breaker.”
Jackson appears to be the real deal. This past summer he could be found competing in different football camps and showcases, demonstrating his skills. At the FBU Top Gun Showcase in Florida, he was selected as one of their QB MVPs from the class of 2025 and invited to compete in the National Combine in San Antonio, Texas. He has also been selected to play in the Dream All American Bowl at SoFi Stadium on December 30th.
Jackson is not only good on the football field, but he also excels in the classroom, carrying a 3.75 GPA.
And last year, during his freshman year at Santa Margarita, Jackson got to compete in the Trinity League against some of the top high school athletes in the nation, against the likes of Mater Dei and St. John Bosco. The experience “taught me a lot about work ethic, leadership and what it takes to achieve my goals,” said Jackson.
But family struggles getting six kids to school every day presented their own challenges for the Kollock family. Jackson, who had met Coach Shanahan four years ago when he was going what he called “through the hardest part of my life. My baby sister, Catalina, had just passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly and my whole world fell apart,” recounted Jackson. “My parents sent me to a camp (Shanahan) was running at the high school hoping it would help me to get back into football and deal with my grief. He saw something in me and took extra time to train me.”
That relationship brought Jackson back to Laguna Beach to now compete for the local school, most importantly, under the tutelage of Coach Shanahan.
“Because I transferred, I (had) to sit out half the season but (now) I expect to come in and win,” said Jackson. “I hope to show my leadership, take our team into the playoffs and win CIF. We have a great team and I can’t wait to go to battle with them! GO BREAKERS!”
There’s a story I remember from a former coach recalls Jackson, “Every day in Africa a lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve and every morning a gazelle wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest lion or it will die. Moral of the story, once the sun comes up you better be running. That’s the intensity and mentality I want to bring to Laguna.”
Laguna Beach appears to have a bright second half of the season ahead of them. The Jackson Kollock era begins tonight, when he and his teammates take on Segerstom at Guyer Field, beginning at 7 p.m.
This could be fun!
Courtesy of Kollock family
Jackson Kollock on the move as a freshman at Santa Margarita
• • •
Laguna College of Art + Design’s BFA program in Drawing and Painting presents the opening reception for Parallel Disasters, an exhibition of paintings, on Thursday, Oct. 6 from 6-9 p.m.
Parallel Disasters, a two-artist exhibition of paintings by John Brosio and Perin Mahler, juxtaposes things like tornados engulfing the skies above familiar suburban landscapes, specters of the Confederacy hovering over shells of spacious single-family homes; such fantastic and haunting scenes characterize the exhibition.
“Rooted in crisis and speculation, both personal and social, Brosio and Mahler’s paintings peer into uncharted territories rife with new systems of logic, possibility, and risk. Mahler and Brosio’s works ring urgently in a climate – social, political, environmental, and otherwise – that increasingly demands new resolve to address looming catastrophes, but also possibilities.”
The exhibition is located at the LCAD Gallery, 374 Ocean Ave. and gallery admission is always FREE!
• • •
A Rotary Club grant brings to life a new and free, Laguna Beach Live! children’s program, Live! Music Matters. The program is a music class for ages up to 4 years old, with caregiver involvement.
Local musician Zach Churchill will lead the sessions while attendees will sing, dance and play child-friendly percussion instruments.
The program will take place at Laguna Beach Library and runs for six consecutive weeks beginning this Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 11:30 a.m.
Spaces are limited. To reserve a spot, please call the library at 949.497.1733, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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Driftwood Kitchen and The Deck on Laguna will host its 8th Champagne & Oyster Sip & Shuck Fundraiser on Sunday, Oct. 9.
Guests will have the opportunity to experience a variety of hand-shucked oysters, Champagne, sparkling wines, spirits and more from around the world, all while enjoying panoramic ocean views. Executive Chef Rainer Schwarz and his team will prepare delicious tastes from The Deck, Driftwood Kitchen and Hendrix.
General admission tickets for the 21-and-over event are available for purchase for $200 pre-sale (2:30 p.m. entry) or $250 for VIP (1:30 p.m. entry). Admission includes oysters and other decadent bites, as well as access to Champagne, wine, cocktail and beer sampling.
The event benefits Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Orange County.
Traffic-focused discussion examines citywide enforcement, calming measures for Temple Hills and Bluebird Canyon
By SARA HALL
Last week a traffic-focused committee discussed improving enforcement citywide and how to slow drivers down on two popular residential streets.
During their September 22 meeting, the Parking, Traffic, and Circulation Committee heard an update on citywide traffic enforcement efforts and, in another item, moved forward with possible traffic calming measures on Temple Hills and Bluebird Canyon drives, including consideration of speed humps or speed tables.
Following up on a request to the Laguna Beach Police Department to provide the committee with recommendations on how many officers are needed for citywide enforcement to meet resident requests, LBPD Professional Services Administrator Jim Beres reported that the department is in the process of expanding the traffic enforcement unit. They currently have two motor officers, but that will eventually grow to three or four, he confirmed.
“It won’t happen immediately,” Beres noted. “It is going to take some time because the police department is dealing with some staffing challenges at the moment. We have a lot of vacancies in patrol that they’re trying to fill, but as new officers are hired and fill those vacancies, we are going to almost double the size of the traffic enforcement unit.”
The department will be reorganizing to accommodate for the additional traffic enforcement, he explained.
The move is based not just on prior PTC recommendations, but the comments from the community at large, he added.
“This is one of the top complaints and requests that come from residents,” Beres said. “The chief is trying to prioritize and put the correct staff where they need to be to deal with the quality-of-life issues that are of primary concerns to both residents and business owners as well. So he’s moving the chess pieces on the board around so it’s going to result in, eventually – but hopefully not too long – in another one or two motor officers for dedicated proactive traffic enforcement.”
They regularly study the data to determine the busy times and statistics for complaints and calls for service, he said.
There’s been an uptick in traffic collisions, Beres said.
“It’s clear to the chief that more attention needs to be paid to traffic enforcement, so he’s making those moves to make that happen,” he added.
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Photo by Mary Hurlbut
The committee discussed increasing police traffic enforcement efforts citywide
Committee members also asked about the specific statistical information they requested at their July 28 meeting, asking LBPD for citywide data, excluding state highways, covering accidents, citations, speed surveys and staffing data from 2016-2022.
“It would be nice to know which residential roads exactly need police assistance and traffic enforcement,” said committee member Andrew Baxt. “It’s more (about) being as informed as we can and having the data that we need to target these problem areas throughout the city.”
They hear about issues time and again and it would be beneficial to have supplemental data to support their recommendations, he explained.
That information would be helpful for the subcommittee working on the city’s overall transit plan and trying to improve how people get around the city, whether it’s by driving, walking, or biking, added Committee Vice Chair Gary Kramer.
Beres suggested returning to the committee in early 2023 with an end-of-year report with traffic collision and citation statistics. It would be a “big picture overview,” he said.
Committee members were glad to hear about the additional traffic enforcement officers, but wanted to ensure that there would be coverage of the residential streets and not just the main thoroughfares.
“There’s a little bit of a concern that any new officers would still be going to the busiest roads and not residential roads,” Baxt said.
Committee Chair Lauriann Meyer hoped the new traffic officers will focus on the internal streets, which is one of the committee’s main concerns, she said.
“We know that Coast Highway and 133 is a big deal, but we need to spread them out,” she said.
The internal streets will be considered and patrol routes will be partially based on complaints on where the need is, Beres said.
“Once the officers are hired, trained and released for duty – they’re out there actually driving around (and) patrolling – we’ll obviously update the committee and let you know,” the areas of focus, he said.
After Coast Highway and Laguna Canyon Road, the priority is on Temple Hills Drive, he added.
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Courtesy of City of Laguna Beach
A map of the proposed locations for traffic calming measures along Temple Hills and Bluebird Canyon drives
The need for better enforcement on Temple Hills Drive was also mentioned during a discussion on a new business item later on the committee’s agenda.
Committee voted 6-0 to move forward with noticing about potentially installing additional traffic calming measures along Temple Hills Drive (between Thurston Drive and Dorn Court) and along Bluebird Canyon Drive (between Cress Street and Rancho Laguna Road).
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ADU workshop presented by Housing & Human Services Committee is a hit with homeowners
The City of Laguna Beach’s Housing and Human Services Committee and the Susi Q presented an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) workshop on September 19. The informative session drew a capacity crowd of more than 100 at the senior center and an online audience of 40. The City of Laguna Beach has added a Link to the video recording and presentation slides on its ADU web page.
The free workshop provided a practical introduction to the reasons, benefits, and challenges of creating an ADU, types of options, costs and financial benefits, steps for creating one and permitting an unpermitted unit.
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Submitted photo
Panel members at the ADU workshop included (L-R) Elizabeth Pearson of Laguna ADU, builder Michael Laux, city building official Dennis Bogle, city senior planner Anthony Viera, architect Todd Skenderian and REALTOR® Gary Boisen. A video of the event can be viewed on the city website at https://bit.ly/3SG0fPl.
The presentation was given by a panel of experts, with the program’s second hour devoted to answering attendees’ questions.
“Since 2020, the city has seen 173 ADU applications and 38 completions. The number of applications so far this year is double what it was for the same period in 2020,” said Cody Engle, ADU Subcommittee chair. “We encourage residents to go online to review the abundance of ADU information.”
Architect Todd Skenderian, one of the six panelists, commented, “The city staff has done an excellent job implementing the new ADU program. And it has continued to develop and improve the process to suit the community’s needs. I don’t believe the city expected the program to be so popular, but it has adapted exceptionally well to the demand.”
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Submitted photo
Housing and Human Services Committee members (L-R) Jacquie Schaefgen, ADU Subcommittee Chair Cody Engle and Ketta Brown organized the ADU workshop held last week
Panelist Elizabeth Pearson, president of Laguna ADU and former mayor of Laguna Beach, concurred. “I wanted to impress upon residents how helpful and patient the staff and most of the city council have been regarding creating ADUs. They truly have been open-minded and understanding with applicants.”
Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, are seen as an affordable, innovative and effective option for adding housing options to the community. Also called granny flats, in-law units, backyard cottages, or secondary units, ADUs are seen as one way of addressing the state’s housing crisis.
This was the second of two ADU workshops presented by the city.
Locally composed: Laguna Beach’s Artist in Resident premieres site-specific piece
By THERESA KEEGAN
This story is a part of our Arts section. Visit www.stunewslaguna.com/arts for more arts stories as well as our arts calendars.
Summer may be over, but the premiere of Laguna Beach Suite: From the Canyons to the Sea brought the Festival of the Arts facility to life on September 24. In fact, the music seemed to resonate off the canyon walls which inspired part of the suite by composer Pamela Madsen.
“I love site-specific work,” she said, and as the Laguna Beach 2020 Artist in Residence, she was thrilled to bring her nationally recognized talent to fruition in her own hometown, albeit two years later than originally planned.
“I go into a place and listen carefully. I listen to all the sounds in the environment and bring them into my music.” And during 2020, as COVID changed everything, the sounds of Laguna Beach were no exception.
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Photo by Theresa Keegan
Composer Pamela Madsen introduced her work during its world premiere at the Festival of Arts on September 24. As the Laguna Beach Artist in Resident, she composed “Laguna Beach Suite: From the Canyons to the Sea” in 2020.
Finding the sounds in silence
Madsen wandered about a town that was largely vacant and, to an untrained ear, seemingly quiet. There were no throngs of tourists laughing, shouting or talking. Crashing ocean waves were not offset by car engines racing past.
“The quiet of the town was really amazing for me as a composer,” she said. “That just washed over me. The streets were empty. I could wander through the streets – I didn’t have to worry about cars – and I thought of the significance of the years and what it was like 100 years ago, with poets and artists and the origins of our town as an artists’ colony.”
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Courtesy of Pamela Madsen
Composer Pamela Madsen is also a professor of music composition and theory at Cal State Fullerton and specializes in site-specific compositions
Reflecting Laguna Beach’s history
While some felt alienated by the orange construction fencing keeping them from the beach, Madsen experienced a welcoming feeling.
“I went every day to the ocean to be inspired and to listen,” she said.
She realized that, despite all the changes, there were fundamental scenarios taking place that also took place a century earlier when the country was emerging from the Spanish Flu pandemic, the scars of the Civil War were still fresh and economic and social divisions were creating havoc.
In addition to being a composer, Madsen is also a historian and theorist.
“I’m allowed to shine a light on things that are beautiful or need listening to,” she explained of her music. “It is not just what I’m hearing – they’re not just songs – but they’re songs that have a social impact as well – social issues and concerns are highlighted.”
In addition to her landscape-inspired creations (she also produces an annual piece for Crystal Cove and has received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts), Madsen is a professor at Cal State Fullerton and her opera Why Women Went West just premiered to rave reviews. Excerpts from the opera were presented by Brightwork newmusic, featuring soprano Stacey Fraser, at the Festival show before the suite was performed.
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Photo by Theresa Keegan
The Eric Dries Trio, including Eric Dries, Trevor Ware, Peter Buck and vocalist Meloney Collins are joined on stage with composer Pamela Madsen following their performance of Laguna Beach Suite
While composing Laguna Beach Suite, Madsen delved into the past with vigor, including discovering poetry that reflected the three composition areas: Main Beach, Heisler Park and Village Entrance – from the Canyon to the Sea. Initially, there was to be one piece for each area and it would be performed on site. But when COVID restrictions made three unique gatherings a thing of the past, Madsen shifted gears, decided on one performance and added another sequence to each piece. The Laguna Beach Suite, which is now about a 30-minute performance, is enhanced with the lengthier compositions.
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Council agenda includes wildfire mitigation report, Cleo Street Beach improvements, consent calendar projects and contracts
By SARA HALL
Next week’s City Council agenda covers a variety of issues and projects during both regular business and on the consent calendar.
At the Tuesday (Oct. 4) meeting, during regular business, council will: Hear an update on the project implementation of the Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety report and a status report on the citywide Fuel Modification Program; set their meeting schedule for 2023 and hold a public hearing for proposed undergrounding utilities along portions of Diamond Street and Crestview Drive.
On the council’s consent calendar (usually passed without discussion, unless an item is pulled by a councilmember or member of the public) are several items of interest: Cleo Street Beach access improvements; contract for furnishing and installing the Riddle Field playground replacement; purchasing rugged technology devices for fire and marine safety departments; trolley service for the Sawdust Art Festival Winter Fantasy event and second readings of several noteworthy resolutions.
Council will also hear an appeal of an approval of a Three Arch Bay residential project.
Up first during regular business, is an update on the Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety report project implementation and status report on the citywide Fuel Modification Program.
On July 23, 2019, the Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety subcommittee presented a comprehensive report which included 42 opportunities to increase fire safety within the city. Council unanimously approved the recommendations and staff has since been implementing the short-term and some medium-term funded items.
At the Aug. 24, 2021, meeting, council heard an update of the project implementation from the Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Subcommittee.
Highlights of the report include: Four additional outdoor warning sites are scheduled for installation by the end of 2022 and in early 2023, including two new locations in Bluebird Canyon and two locations still to be determined; four fire detection cameras were installed in the city’s open space and project design approval was obtained for several utility undergrounding projects.
The Fuel Modification Program highlights include: Streamlined the Coastal Development Permit process for future fuel modification zone development; three new FMZs were implemented; completed phase one for the Bluebird FMZ; completed maintenance of all implemented FMZs and updated the program maps and educational materials.
Staff is also working on expanding the city’s fuel modification program next year, including to initiate the process to develop the final two FMZs in Hobo Canyon and Diamond Canyon.
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Photo by Joel Goldstein
Council will consider a contract for preliminary design of Cleo Street Beach access improvements
Earlier in the meeting, on the consent calendar, council will consider a task order contract with Stantec, in the amount of $160,786, for preliminary design of Cleo Street Beach access improvements.
In addition to the task order contract amount, staff is recommending that council authorize the city manager to approve change orders in an amount not to exceed $16,000 for any unforeseen additional design-related services.
Fiscal year 2022-23 budget includes $200,000 to design the Cleo Street Beach access improvements project, the staff report explains. The scope of work includes replacing and extending the existing stairs and handrails to reduce the drop-off from the bottom step to the sand.
Preliminary design services include an analysis of alternatives, conceptual design, public outreach, environmental compliance, design review and other entitlements. The final design service needs will be determined after the preliminary process is complete.
Task order proposals were requested from three on-call consultants. The proposals received were ranked based on similar work performance, availability of key staff dedicated to the project and cost reasonableness. Stantec’s proposal ranked the highest.
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Art courtesy of Innovative Playgrounds Co./City of Laguna Beach
A conceptual rendering of the proposed playground at Riddle Field
Also on the consent calendar, council will consider a contract with Innovative Playgrounds Company, Inc. in the amount not to exceed $249,872, for furnishing and installing the Riddle Field playground replacement.
The project includes replacement of the playground equipment, an ADA access ramp and the installation of a shade canopy for the spectator bleachers. The variance was requested because the shade canopies on the proposed new playground structures exceed the maximum structure height permitted in the recreation zone.
A plaque displayed on the play structure will honor former local resident, Jack Norworth, who wrote the popular baseball anthem “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in 1908. Although not included in the proposed wording of the plaque, Norworth also founded the LB Little League in 1952, the oldest in Orange County.
On September7, the Planning Commission unanimously approved the design review and a variance for improvements at Boat Canyon Park, the play area at Riddle Field.
Commissioners also approved additional conditions directing staff to reconsider the dark green color of the mat surface and consider an additional shade structure by the bleachers. Although the dark colors still appear in the project being presented to council next week and the staff report does not include the commissioners’ comments.
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&Art’s inaugural open studio gathering takes place on October 8
Mark your calendar for &Art’s inaugural free open studio gathering taking place on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 4-10 p.m. at 2535 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach.
Featured resident artists include Stephanie Bachiero, Candice Brokenshire, Jorg Dubin, Katlin Evans, Mark Garry, Colas Moore, along with guest artists Baldemar Fierro, Jim Olarte, Emily Howell and Tyler Brooks.
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Submitted photo
Artist Stephanie Bachiero’s, “Helix,” 2020, engineered aerospace composite and automotive lacquer, 24 x 22 x 22
Beginning at 7 p.m., music will be provided by Ben Wagner & Friends and The Sherman Underwood.
Festivities include artwork for appreciation and acquisition, live music, yard games, a photo booth and a taco guy. Please bring your own beverage.
There is no onsite parking, so attendees are encouraged to use Lyft, Uber, a cab or Laguna Beach Local (a free service). The lot is located on the outbound side of Laguna Canyon Road. No parking is allowed at the main campus lot.
For more details, follow them @andArtLaguna on Instagram.
Gallery Q’s far-reaching approach welcomes a variety of artists with themes ranging from cultural fusion to celebrating nature
By THERESA KEEGAN
This story is a part of our Arts section. Visit www.stunewslaguna.com/arts for more arts stories as well as our arts calendars.
Leave it to Laguna Beach to not only have a community and senior center, but to also have a gallery within this civic-minded structure.
“We’re very pleased we can show artwork in this setting,” said Bill Atkins, art director for Gallery Q, which is located within the Susi Q Center. He explained the gallery is a labor of love and is essential to the community because of the diverse artists who can be represented.
In a town that has juried shows and exclusive galleries, Gallery Q is a welcome beacon for artists who may be intimidated to try elsewhere.
“We are open to artists of all levels and all ages,” said Judy Baker, who wears the dual hat of finance manager and Gallery Q arts coordinator. “It’s a nice opportunity for them to exhibit here, especially if they haven’t had the courage to try for a festival or if they’re new in the area. “
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Photo by Bill Atkins
The mantle in the elegant and inviting library room at the Susi Q doubles as part of the Gallery Q display area
The gallery is a great leveling ground, with new artists mingling with established artists who are veterans at the Sawdust Festival or Festival of the Arts.
Atkins says the planning for Gallery Q’s five annual shows starts in January when he and Baker meet to decide the exhibition titles. Although they mix it up throughout the year in the fall, for the past five years, they’ve been thrilled to dovetail with the Laguna Art Museum’s popular Art & Nature Festival.
“This is always a popular show,” said Atkins. “Everyone loves nature, especially artists.” According to Baker, the synergy by having artists at the Gallery Q pursue a topic at the same time as the Laguna Art Museum is energizing. “It just gets the whole community involved. We really like to collaborate with other organizations.”
Pieces for the show will be accepted on October 13 at the Susi Q and the exhibition will run from October 19-December 14. As with all Gallery Q shows, there will be an elaborate public reception, with wine, music and food, this year on October 21 starting at 5 p.m.
“We often have over 120 people at receptions,” Baker said of the 90-minute indoor and outdoor event. “People love meeting the artists and talking with them, and the artists love showing off their work.”
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Courtesy of Susi Q
Organizers gathered during last year’s opening reception of the Gallery Q Nature exhibit including, (L-R): Judy Baker, Gallery Q arts coordinator; Carole Zavala, Gallery Q founder; Julie Perlin Lee, Laguna Art Museum executive director; Bill Atkins, Gallery Q art director and Nadia Babayi, Laguna Beach Seniors executive director
In addition to the people who come specifically to see the work at Gallery Q, hundreds of others see the art as they pass through the center’s hallways and in the five rooms where classes and meetings are held.
In fact, it was the organic, constant foot traffic, as well as the lovely lighting, that inspired artist Carole Zavala, more than a decade ago, to establish a gallery in the community building said Atkins.
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Courtesy of Susi Q
The opening receptions for the Gallery Q shows attract a variety of people from throughout the community and offer artists a chance to meet with the public
Although it took a few years, grants and a lot of determination to get Gallery Q established, it is now on steady footing explained Baker, and it operates with a budget under $10,000 annually. It is all museum-quality hanging and lighting options – a feature few community galleries could ever imagine. As a nonprofit, the gallery does not handle sales of artists’ work, but Baker is able to connect potential buyers with artists who have expressed a willingness to sell. Each show always has a few pieces that sell and Baker said she is probably the most ardent consumer, as she walks past the displays daily on her way to the office.
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Photo by Bill Atkins
The fully functioning museum-quality display system throughout the building allows all the art shown in Gallery Q to hang without ever having to hammer a nail in a wall
“There’s always a piece or two that just really speaks to me,” Baker laughed.
In addition to the Nature Show, this year Gallery Q hosted a popular show entitled Animals: Wild and Not so Wild.
“Many artists approached me concerned because they didn’t paint animals,” recalled Atkins.
“I told them to just have fun with it; I even suggested maybe it could be a picture of their ex. Don’t just say, ‘I don’t do animals so I’m not going to participate.’ If you can make the title work, it’s great. We just want artists to enjoy themselves.”
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Comedy Night fundraising gala at FOA grounds to support Extraordinary Lives Foundation
Extraordinary Lives Foundation (ELF) – a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving children’s mental health and wellness – will present its annual Comedy Night fundraiser on Wednesday, Oct. 19 on the scenic Festival of Arts grounds. This year’s featured comedians include headliner George Wang, Lowell Benjamin and comedian/host Frances Dilorinzo.
More than 200 guests are expected to attend the lively evening featuring a silent auction, dinner and comedy show. Headliner George Wang Jr. is an actor, professional comedian and skate coach known for his Cruzzin with Laffter Comedy Show, Inside the Laughter and What’s Up Fool? podcast.
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Submitted photo
Headliner comedian George Wang Jr.
Lowell Benjamin is a professional comedian and cohost of You Don’t Know Schiff podcast and the quick witted, creator of Dry Bar Comedy Special, Frances Dilorinzo, returns for the third year as fundraising host.
According to ELF Founder and CEO Mara James, “While this evening will bring a fun evening of light and laughter, it also sheds awareness and generates funding for our important children’s mental health and wellness programs.”
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Submitted photo
(L-R) ELF Founder/CEO Mara James, Fritz Coleman and 2022 Host Frances Dilorinzo
An estimated one in five children have a diagnosable mental health condition and funds from the Comedy Night will fund ELF’s Piggie Bear educational resources to increase children’s emotional development and their HUGS for Life Healing Center bridging the gap between mental health medical professionals and holistic healers.
The evening is cocktail attire and begins at 6 p.m. with social hour and silent auction followed by dinner, comedy show and live auction at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $225 and a limited number of tables of 10 and sponsorship opportunities are still available.
To register for the Comedy Night, visit www.charityauctionstoday.com/t/elfgala22-495ff0ea0f and for general information about ELF, visit www.elfempowers.org.
Festival of Arts is located at 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Free valet parking will be available.
Laguna Art Museum celebrates new Philanthropic Giving Group with inaugural dinner and awards night
Expanding support efforts and enhancing its mission to take the museum to greater heights, Laguna Art Museum (LAM) recently created the Directors Circle, a new high-level patron group of museum members whose philanthropic support will allow the museum’s mission to flourish.
The Directors Circle giving directly supports the museum’s major initiatives, education programs, exhibitions and community engagement. Members of this special group have access to unique opportunities and connect with other patrons to learn about museum initiatives and help the organization continue to grow as a sustainable and dynamic institution.
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Courtesy of Laguna Art Museum
(L-R) LAM Board Chair Joe Hanauer, Anna Hills Award Recipient Ranney Draper, LAM Trustee Rick Balzer and LAM Executive Director Julie Perlin Lee
“While we have a strong staff and Board of Trustees at the museum to guide us, it will take individual members of our community to achieve our goals and vision of being a locally loved and nationally recognized organization,” said Julie Perlin Lee, executive director of Laguna Art Museum. “In the past year, we have developed several programs, public and private, and among the most important is the establishment of the Directors Circle.”
On September 15, the museum celebrated the newest giving group with an inaugural dinner and awards night held at the beautiful Montage Laguna Beach, a major sponsor of the evening. The event was filled with energy and excitement, as Haddy Music provided entertainment, with florals from Cargo Creative, and delicious food and cocktails. Guests were also treated to limited-edition Electro Florals created by the 2022 Directors Circle featured artist Baldemar Fierro, and joined by artist John Sonsini, whose work is currently on display at the museum, and the forthcoming 2022 featured Art & Nature artist Rebeca Méndez.
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Photo by Mary Hurlbut
Laguna Art Museum
The evening also toasted California Art Historian Nancy Dustin Wall Moure for receiving the Wendt Award for her contribution to the arts and honored Ranney and Priscilla Draper with the Anna Hills Award for their generous support of the Laguna Art Museum and establishing a $1 million museum endowment fund, as well as their dedication to supporting the arts, environmental and educational causes that strengthen the local community.
“One of the highlights of the night was the presentation of the Anna Hills Award to Ranney and Priscilla Draper for their generous gift of $1 million to the museum’s endowment,” said Perlin Lee. “After the event, the museum received word that the Draper family’s generosity inspired not one, but two, individuals to pledge $100,000 gifts to ensure the longevity of Laguna Art Museum in our beautiful city.”
The museum offers a variety of support groups and membership levels that help keep art access alive and thriving. To stay connected and learn about upcoming events, follow the museum on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Laguna Art Museum is the museum of California art. It collects, cares for, and exhibits works of art that were created by California artists or represent the life and history of the state. Through its permanent collection, its special loan exhibitions, its educational programs, and its library and archive, the museum enhances the public’s knowledge and appreciation of California art of all periods and styles and encourages art-historical scholarship in this field.
For more information, visit www.lagunaartmuseum.org.
Laguna Art Museum is located at 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach.
New hours as of September 12 are Tuesday-Sunday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Mondays, except Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth and Labor Day. Closed Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Avran Fine Art presents a special show with artists T Barny and Blu Smith
Avran Fine Art is holding a special show featuring artists T Barny and Blu Smith on Saturday, Oct. 8. Sculpture and painting come together in this show for a colorful, abstract and unique experience.
Come meet the artists in this joint show taking place from 6-9 p.m. There will be wine and light bites.
The event is free to attend, but please RSVP here.
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Photos courtesy of Avran Fine Art
Artist T Barny
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Artist Blu Smith
Avran Fine Art is located at 540 S. Coast Highway #106, Laguna Beach.
Letters to the Editor
Measure Q was not drafted by people in the know and must be defeated
Measure Q is inherently flawed; it must be defeated [vote no]. It uses language that is misleading; “major development” is nothing like major, “reasonable necessary number of parking” is nothing like reasonable. If you are thinking of voting yes, I urge you to read the actual referendum. It is not benign.
This measure is put forth by people who are not architects nor planners. They seem to simply distrust people who study this, who understand the physical ramifications of zoning codes.
I am a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (less than 2% of America’s architects) installed for the quality of my design work. I have practiced architecture for over 45 years here in California, across the United States, in Canada and in Europe. I have read this measure. I have no stake in this other than being a citizen of wonderful Laguna Beach, where I chose to live and raise my children some 43 years ago.
They propose to put to a citizen vote [who knows when, every two years] on projects that occupy lots of 6,000 sq. ft. or more. That is a little larger than a typical house lot (50’x100’). That is small for a commercial or institutional project. Under this measure:
–Susie Q couldn’t be built.
–Hotel Laguna couldn’t be built.
–The Sapphire restaurant complex, the Pottery Shack couldn’t be built.
–The Heidelberg center and The Plaza (Shirley’s Bagels) couldn’t be built.
The size of a building that they call major is 22,000 sq. ft. or more. It is not. Susie Q’s total area is larger than that.
This means virtually no new shopping facilities, restaurants, cafés, anything that gives life to our city.
What we need is a vision of what this city can be. We need to encourage quality buildings and projects that help us arrive at that vision. We need codes that enable the building of a vision. We need to encourage the engagement of talented planners and architects. Our city deserves this, our citizens expect this, and for our children we must be responsible enough to understand how to achieve this.
We can’t afford to have our public places, our public facilities, our civic identity designed by trite soundbite advertising propositions. This requires talented, dedicated professionals, educated and practiced in town planning, architecture, and urban design, having visualization skills, imagination, clarity of vision and boldness. We deserve nothing less! Please vote no!
L Paul Zajfen FAIA RIBA, Architect
Laguna Beach
Laguna College of Art + Design presents Parallel Disasters
Laguna College of Art + Design’s BFA program in Drawing and Painting is presenting Parallel Disasters, an exhibition of paintings at LCAD Gallery. The opening reception takes place Saturday, Oct. 6 from 6-9 p.m. The exhibition is on display through November 13.
Tornados engulfing the skies above familiar suburban landscapes, specters of the Confederacy hovering over shells of spacious single-family homes; such fantastic and haunting scenes characterize Parallel Disasters, a two-artist exhibition of paintings by John Brosio and Perin Mahler.
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Courtesy of LCAD
“After School,” oil on canvas, 2002, 36 X 48 by artist John Brosio
Rooted in crisis and speculation, both personal and social, Brosio and Mahler’s paintings peer into uncharted territories rife with new systems of logic, possibility and risk. Mahler and Brosio’s works ring urgently in a climate – social, political, environmental and otherwise – that increasingly demands new resolve to address looming catastrophes, but also possibilities. Answering the call to interrogate the past and present, and prepare for an uncharted beyond, Mahler’s mise en scénes set a framework with which to make sense of contemporary chaos and crisis, while Brosio thrusts us into worlds that demand new language. Both challenge us to reconsider what it means to be in control.
LCAD Gallery admission is free. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
LCAD Gallery is located at 374 Ocean Ave., Laguna Beach. For more information, visit www.lcad.edu.
Meet Pet of the Week Bambi
Bambi is currently taking over Pet of the Week. She is a 10-month-old Dobie mix. Bambi is very active and playful throughout most of the day and does well with other dogs. She will need to live in a larger home with a fenced yard.
Nancy Goodwin, shelter director, is hoping to have Bambi adopted as soon as possible.
Courtesy of the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter
Bambi is in search of a loving home to take her in
The Laguna Beach Animal Shelter adoption procedures are designed to make sure that both the potential family and the animal adopted are in the very best situation possible. Due to their approach to adoption, their return rate is five percent as compared to the national return rate of 50 percent.
The Laguna Beach Animal Shelter is located at 20612 Laguna Canyon Road. Call 949.497.3552, or go to the website for information on adoption procedures, www.puplagunabeach.org/our-pets.php.
Cultural Arts happenings
The Arts Commission invites the public to attend the (free) final concert of the 2022 Sunset Serenades season tonight – Friday, Sept. 30 – from 5:30 p.m. until sunset, at the Heisler Park Amphitheater on Cliff Drive. The concert features a sing-a-long to the Beatles with local musician Jason Feddy. The event is funded by the lodging establishments and City of Laguna Beach.
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Courtesy of City of Laguna Beach
Jason Feddy at Heisler Park Amphitheater tonight at 5:30 p.m.
Low-seating beach chairs are encouraged. Alcohol is permitted for guests 21 or older, but must be accompanied by a full meal. Solicitation of any kind is not permitted at city events.
The Holiday Palette Competition is open to artists (18 years of age and over) who live, work, or exhibit in Laguna Beach. There is no entry fee. The honorarium is $700. Artists may submit one (1) palette design each via physical drop-off to the Cultural Arts Department at City Hall, 505 Forest Ave., or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The deadline is Monday, Oct. 3.
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Courtesy of City of Laguna Beach
2021 palette by Noel Lashley
Selected artists will be provided with a 4’ x 3’ wooden palette on which to paint their proposed design. Completed palettes are displayed from lampposts throughout the city during the holidays. This competition is funded by the lodging establishments and City of Laguna Beach.
For more information on Cultural Arts events, go to www.lagunabeachcity.net/government/departments/cultural-arts.
Dr. William Yarchin featured speaker at LBUMC
Dr. William Yarchin, the Emeritus Endowed Professor of Religious Studies at Azusa Pacific University, will speak about the status of today’s Christian church, its challenges, as well as commonalities with other faiths, on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 11:15 a.m., in the sanctuary at Laguna Beach United Methodist Church (LBUMC). Dr. Yarchin recently led a well-received study of the Dead Sea Scrolls at the church.
The series is also being livestreamed and recorded for viewing on LBUMC’s Facebook page.
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Submitted photo
Dr. William Yarchin
Dr. Yarchin is one of three distinguished speakers who will address the nine-week World Religions Study. Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, Director of the Islamic Society of Orange County in Garden Grove, will speak on October 23 and Rabbi Peter Levi, Director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Orange County office and former president of the Orange County Board of Rabbis, will speak on November 13. Each speaker will discuss their own religion as well as similarities and common ground with the others.
Dan Gara, chairman of adult education at LBUMC, will provide the history of each religion on October 9 and October 30; LBUMC’s pastor Lynn Francis will offer their theologies on October 16 and November 6.
Following his studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Dr. Yarchin earned a Ph.D. in Religion at Claremont Graduate School and directed the Ancient Biblical Manuscripts Center at Claremont School of Theology. He later served as Associate Dean in the School of Theology at Azusa Pacific. His publications center on the history of Biblical interpretation and his research on Hebrew Psalms manuscripts has established a revision in the understanding of them that is globally accepted. In 2019, he was invited to lecture on his research at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
Laguna Beach United Methodist Church is located at 21632 Wesley Drive, up the hill from the Gelson’s Shopping Center in Laguna Beach. It is a Reconciling Congregation. For more information, visit www.lbumc.org.
The Plant Man: Rose care in autumn
By Steve Kawaratani
“I gather roses from thorns.” –Jerome, Roman church father
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Courtesy of Steve Kawaratani
Steve Kawaratani
The rose is my flower of choice; what other prickly plant can bestow a gardener with such elegant blossoms? Of course, one must earn the trust and respect of a rose. Water, fertilizer, vigilance against pest and disease, mulching and proper pruning will win its heart and fill your garden and home with beauty and fragrance.
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Courtesy of Steve Kawaratani
Felco – finest type of garden pruners
The quest for perfect roses in your autumn garden begins with pruning events that should be undertaken now; flower cutting, deadheading, grooming and disbudding. Although the initial cost of acquisition may seem a bit extravagant, I absolutely recommend the Felco line of pruning shears; not only are they the finest available, one pair will last a lifetime. My father used his same pair of Felco #4s for well over three decades, changing only its blades after they had worn out.
Cutting flowers is probably my most enjoyable pruning job; after all, many of us grow roses so they may be appreciated indoors. Those flowers that don’t make it indoors should be deadheaded; remove flowers as soon as they have faded and the petals are about to fall. This will prompt the rose towards developing additional flowers, instead of ripening seeds.
Don asked last week, “Where should I make the cut when I remove a rose flower?” I replied that rose leaves are compound, meaning they are comprised of leaflets, and there is always an odd number of leaflets to one leaf. The general rule is to cut just above an outward facing leaf with five leaflets. Cut higher at a three-leaf set and the subsequent growth will be weaker and produce smaller flowers; if you cut lower at a seven-leaf set, you’ll be removing a lot of stem.
Cutting at the proper five-leaflet site will be about halfway down the flower stem. At this point the rose will have the optimum strength to develop its best flower and remain attractively bushy. Take the opportunity to remove unwanted growth from dieback (stems which die in a downward direction from improper pruning) and blind growth (stems which continue to develop without producing buds).
Many rosarians recommend rose grooming on a constant basis during Laguna’s nearly yearlong season. “Grooming” consists of removing all yellow leaves and spindly growth from a rose. Cleanup any fallen flower petals and foliage from the ground to minimize future insect and disease problems.
Disbudding is the way to develop full-sized flowers, one to a stem, from roses that usually flower in clusters. Many grandiflora and hybrid teas produce such large flowers in tight clusters that none can open properly. This can be avoided by removing side buds from the dominant, central bud.
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Courtesy of Steve Kawaratani
Iceberg roses
I spent time grooming roses in my Laguna garden last weekend, discouraged a bit by the feeling that work can sometimes seem overwhelming. Then I made my way to my Iceberg roses, their white blooms so reliably floriferous and full of sweet promise. I couldn’t wait to enjoy them indoor as well, in my favorite Lalique vase, while I looked brightly into the future. See you next time.
Steve Kawaratani has been a local guy for seven decades and likes to garden and drive the Baja Peninsula with Catharine and Loki. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 949.494.5141.
Ruby St. Arch
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Photo by Gary Cogorno
One of our local natural wonders
Festival of Arts accepting applications for the 2023 Fine Art Show
Calling all Orange County artists! One of the nation’s most prestigious and highly competitive art exhibitions, the Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach is now accepting artist applications for the 2023 juried fine art show. Heading into its 91st season, the Festival of Arts Fine Art Show showcases original artwork from more than 100 of Orange County’s finest artists, attracting worldwide audiences of more than 200,000 during the two-month summer season.
Artists interested in applying for the 2023 Fine Art Show are required to submit three digital images per media and complete an online application on the Festival’s website by clicking here – by Monday, Oct. 31. Artists applying to the Festival of Arts must be able to show that they have resided in Orange County for at least one year prior to October 31 by 4 p.m. Jurying fees are $50 per medium submitted. The Festival jurors score the submitted artwork based on excellence of craftsmanship; facility with media; excellence in the use of design elements and professional presentation.
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Photo by Robert Hansen
Applications for the 2023 FOA Fine Art Show must be in by October 31
The Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (OCCCA) will host a free seminar to share all the necessary information on the Festival’s application and jurying process on Sunday, Oct. 9 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. The event will include a presentation by Festival of Arts Exhibits Director Christine Georgantas and also offer the opportunity for attendees to meet current and past Festival of Arts exhibitors.
The seminar will be hosted at OCCCA, located at 117 N. Sycamore St., Santa Ana. Click here to reserve a spot by Wednesday, Oct. 5. Refreshments will be served.
For questions on the seminar, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., call 949.464.4205, or visit the FOA artist event page by clicking here.
The Festival of Arts, a non-profit 501(c)(3), has always been a local leader that has helped with the growth and development of the community and the arts in Laguna Beach. Established in 1932, the Festival of Arts’ mission is to promote, produce and sponsor events and activities that encourage the appreciation, study and performance of the arts. For more than 90 years, the Festival of Arts has produced two world-class events: The Festival of Arts Fine Art Show and the Pageant of the Masters. Together both shows attract more than 200,000 visitors into Laguna Beach. For general information, visit www.LagunaFestivalofArts.org, or call 949.494.1145.
To stay up to date on all things Festival of Arts, follow the Festival on social media at @FestivalPageant and visit www.foapom.com.
PMMC is calling all “Ocean Heroes”
The ocean is critical to all life on Earth and we are fortunate enough to have it as an accessible feature in our own backyard. All the more reason for kids in Orange County to learn more about it, the inhabitants that live there and how we can protect it. You can get your kids involved in ocean science and conservation through an awesome STEM program opportunity at Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC) called “Ocean Heroes.” This highly engaging after school science club for children, ages 8-12, meets once a month for four months and exposes youngsters to a diversity of marine mammals and the ecosystems in which they reside though presentations, activities, experiments and art.
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Photos courtesy of PMMC
Children making notes while observing elephant seals
This fall, kiddos learn about some unusual marine mammals found in different parts of the world and why those animals and areas are important to us all, including the Tucuxi dolphin, the Minke whale, the crab eater seal and the right whale dolphin. Students play a game to “balance the biome” in the Amazon River basin to help save the Tucuxi and their habitat, work together in teams to tackle a STEM challenge to reduce vessel strikes along Minke whales’ migration routes and experience the effects of biomagnification of pollution in the food web through an interactive game. After learning how counter shading on marine mammals helps them camouflage from predators and prey, youth get crafty creating their own animal with adaptation to survive in the big blue.
The ultimate inspiration comes from the patients at PMMC’s marine mammal hospital. Children learn about their local furry marine mammals when they get a rare tour inside critical care areas of the facility where seals and sea lions are nursed back to health. Additionally, they have the opportunity to observe the animals each session, hear their stories, and talk with the experts that rescue and care for them. Each student receives a picture of their very own adopted animal to take home.
By the end of the program, youngsters are motivated and inspired to tackle the threats these animals currently face in the wild through ocean stewardship actions shared with them during the sessions. The fun doesn’t end there, as another series of Ocean Heroes sessions is offered in the spring, delving into a variety of “Mystery Mammals” in the sea.
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Using microscopes to discover patient ailments
Parents weigh in on PMMC’s after school programming through program evaluations. Here is what they have to say: “Wonderful loving, passionate and knowledgeable teachers. Thank you!”
“After the class, my daughter would tell anyone that would listen all about it! Incredible program for any child interested in the ocean and marine life. Thank you!”
“What a FABULOUS, highly informative and relevant series of information for our children in today’s world! As a parent, I want my children to know more than just information, but also to learn material that is impactful and can help them to take care of our world and be a contributing and concerned citizen in the world in which they live. This is a responsibility we all need to embrace and appreciate.”
To learn more and sign up your own ocean enthusiasts, go to www.pacificmmc.org/ocean-heroes. Don’t delay! Ocean Heroes begins at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7.
Pacific Marine Mammal Center is located at 20612 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. For more information, visit www.pacificmmc.org.
Tickets nearly gone for Taste of Laguna
Tickets are nearly gone and VIP tickets are all sold out for the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce’s signature event, Taste of Laguna Food & Music Festival. The Taste features tasty bites from some of the area’s best restaurants and food artisans, in addition to the amazing sounds of The Mighty Untouchables on Thursday, Oct. 13 from 5-10 p.m. at the Festival of Arts grounds.
The participating restaurants, bakers and food artisans will be serving up delicious culinary creations. The 2022 Taste of Laguna Food & Music Festival has defiantly become the event of the year.
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Photo by Mary Hurlbut
The Taste of Laguna Beach will feature delicious culinary creations
“We are excited to welcome so many wonderful restaurants,” said Erin Slattery, president-CEO of the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce.
Participating restaurants include: Ahba, Alessa By Chef Pirozzi, Broadway By Amar Santana, Carmelita’s, C’est La Vie, Crumbl Cookies, Comedor, Driftwood, Filo’s Gelato, Finney’s Crafthouse, Freelance Coffee Project, Hendrix, Jedidiah Coffee, Kitchen in the Canyon, Larsen, Nick’s Laguna Beach, Pizza Bar Laguna Beach, Oak Laguna Beach, Ristorante Rumari, Roux Creole Cuisine, Rum Social, South of Nick’s Laguna Beach, Splashes, Tango, Terra Laguna Beach, The Cliff, The Loft-Montage Laguna Beach, The Rooftop and Wine Gallery.
Ticket prices are $85 for general admission. This is a 21+ event.
To register, visit the website at www.TasteofLaguna.org, or call 949.494.1018.
Festival of Arts is located at 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach.
Beth’s Tuesdays returns to the Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center on October 11
Same Beth, different Tuesday. Historically, Laguna Live!’s singer songwriter showcase, Beth’s Tuesdays, hosted by Beth Fitchet Wood, would take place on the first Tuesday of every month. After a two-month sabbatical, Beth will be back in the saddle on October 11, the second Tuesday of the month. Going forward, the second Tuesday will be the usual date for Beth and her guests. Guests for October are Tracy Ann Newman and CEJ.
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Photo by James F. Dean
Tracy Ann Newman
Tracy Ann Newman is an American television producer, writer, comedian and musician. Newman is a founding member of the improvisational theater troupe The Groundlings (as is her sister, Laraine Newman). She was co-creator and executive producer of the sitcom According to Jim (2001-2009). She is also a singer and songwriter, as well as an early member of The New Christy Minstrels and lead singer of Tracy Newman and The Reinforcements. She is the mother of artist/writer Charlotte Dean, with whom she co-directs the live comedy show Charlotte’s Shorts.
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Courtesy of LagunaLive!
CEJ
CEJ’s first CD, Sleepwalker In Paradise, landed on the Folk-DJ Top Albums list 2014. His next two CDs, Clovis Man (2017) and Adobe Road (2019) have expanded his radio presence. Friend Of The Sky, was released in the fall of 2020 and shows promise of outrunning the previous releases.
“CEJ is one of our favorite soulful, storyteller song writers,” said Fitchet Wood. “He travels the world as a therapist working with military veterans suffering from PTSD. If that isn’t grist for the songwriting mill, I don’t know what is. But his sensitive and insightful take on the world makes for wonderful music.”
Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door and available at www.lagunalive.org, or by calling 949.715.9713.
Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center is located at 235 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach.
No Square Theatre brings Access Excellence program to young vocalists in preparation for auditions
Get cast with Access Excellence! No Square Theatre is bringing expert advice to young people who plan to audition for any kind of singing role. Children and teens ages 11-18 now have affordable access to instruction and the “inside knowledge” of successful professionals in theater entertainment thanks to a new program, Access Excellence. The program consists of two opportunities – Square One and Square Two.
Learning how to audition well is the secret to success in musical theater. Casting decisions are sometimes based on factors you can’t control (age, height, vocal range), but consistently good auditions and call-backs are the key to long-term success.
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Courtesy of No Square Theatre
Student rehearsals
SQUARE ONE: The vocal audition
Who’s teaching? Respected professional entertainers and educators with decades of experience in the industry from L.A. to Broadway and around the world: Bree Burgess Rosen, Roxanna Ward, Ella Wyatt, Sabrina Harper and Susan Geiser.
How long is it? Twelve hours of instruction (six two-hour classes), beginning November 1, plus two performances on December 10. The performances will simulate actual audition experience and entertain friends and family.
What does it cost? $50 (scholarships available).
How do I prepare? Sign up at www.nosquare.org and attend classes. They’ll provide the rest.
What will I learn?
–A great song for you to use at auditions. At the first class, they’ll help you figure out your range and match you up with an audition piece. You’ll be provided with the sheet music and a rehearsal recording of that song so you can come to the next lesson prepared to work on it.
–Confidence that comes from knowing the procedures, vocabulary and what happens in an audition, as well as the tools to present your best self.
–How to choose audition pieces in the future, for any show role. What vocal material shows off your skills? Age-appropriate lyrics, ballad or upbeat, character or specialty songs, standard, or less well known? Learn how to select the right range and style for each show and role.
–What to know about your material’s source, composer, lyricist and performance history.
–Audition etiquette. How to dress, stand, slate, enter, exit, take applause and direction, prepare and present material to an accompanist (or secure an edited audio track).
–Some basics of singing, dance, acting as applied to the musical audition. How to interpret lyrics and correctly use phrasing and dynamics to present the most important element of a vocal audition: Telling the story.
–How to use character voices to cover range challenges, protect the instrument and support strong acting choices.
–How to warm up, improve memorization skills, and care for the vocal instrument and body.
–How to talk the talk with accompanists and musical directors. Sight reading at your call-back, music fundamentals.
–What to expect and how to plan for call-backs.
–What’s expected in a résumé.
–How to do homework and research for auditions: Breakdown, find sheet music and accompaniment tracks, edit charts or tracks to requested length (32 bars, 16 bars, for example). Basic audio editing for audition purposes (with Audacity software, provided).
–How best to add to your repertoire of audition and performance material.
To register, visit www.nosquare.org.
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Courtesy of No Square Theatre
Vocalist rehearsal
SQUARE TWO: The remote audition
Additional help with self-recordings for remote university and scholarship submissions.
–How to present a quality video, appropriate for university and scholarship applications when requested.
–Students with performance experience or who have completed Square One.
–You rehearse your selected song, scene, or dance over time, and schedule a date and time to return to the theater with a deep understanding and polished interpretation of your material. Their directors will then help you polish and record your submission.
–This support is available to any student seeking higher education in any musical theater discipline: Dance, acting, or voice.
How long is it?
Approximately two hours, as needed to create your best video.
What does it cost? This is a free support service provided by No Square Theatre to the community.
To register visit www.nosquare.org.
No Square Theatre is located at 384 Legion Street, Laguna Beach. No Square Theatre is sponsored by lodging establishments and the City of Laguna Beach, Patrick Quilter, Dorene & Lee Butler Family Foundation, Yvonne & John Browning, Chris Quilter, Rotary Club of Laguna Beach, FOA Foundation and Laguna Real Estate Charitable Assistance Fund.
Access Excellence is made possible by a grant from the City of Laguna Beach.
Laguna Beach Books hosts Soul Winner author/journalist David Clary on October 11
On Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 5 p.m., Laguna Beach Books welcomes journalist David Clary to its store. Clary will be discussing and signing copies of his new book, Soul Winners: The Ascent of America’s Evangelical Entrepreneurs.
Please note that this is a ticketed event. Tickets are $29.95 and include a copy of the book. They can be purchased online at https://davidclary.eventbrite.com.
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Photo by Tess Desharnais
Journalist David Clary, author of “Soul Winners: The Ascent of America’s Evangelical Entrepreneurs”
In Soul Winners, Clary argues that this entrepreneurial spirit has indelibly shaped evangelical ministries and their worldview. For generations, evangelical leaders have partnered with tycoons to pay for their churches, crusades and campuses. In turn, evangelicals adopted the pro-business, anti-government values of their conservative benefactors. White evangelicals evolved into the Republican Party’s most loyal voting bloc.
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Courtesy of Laguna Beach Books
Copies of “Soul Winners” will be available for purchase and signing
Clay’s narrative approach brings to life colorful characters such as the ballplayer-turned-preacher Billy Sunday, who condemned the “godless social service nonsense” of liberal churches, and Billy Graham, who brought evangelicalism into the highest precincts of business and politics. This book offers a fresh, balanced perspective on evangelicals and the consequences of their enduring influence on American life.
Laguna Beach Books is located at 1200 S. Coast Highway, Ste. 105, Laguna Beach.
For more information, go to www.lagunabeachbooks.com, or call 949.494.4779.
Local musician Zach Churchill leads Live! Music Matters series beginning on October 4
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Courtesy of Laguna Beach Live!
Laguna Beach Live! presents a new series of music classes Live! Music Matters at the Laguna Beach Library at 363 Glenneyre Street. The classes will be held on Tuesday Oct. 4, 11, 18 and 25 at 11:30 a.m. This new weekly music class hosts children up to 4 years of age, with caregiver involvement. Local musician Zach Churchill will lead the sessions while attendees sing, dance and play child-friendly percussion instruments. Attendance is free. To sign up call the library on 949.497.1733, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Driftwood Kitchen and The Deck to host Sip & Shuck fundraiser
The Deck on Laguna Beach, Driftwood Kitchen and Hendrix Restaurant & Bar, together with The Bungalows at Pacific Edge Hotel, is bringing back its popular Sip & Shuck fundraiser on Sunday, Oct. 9 from 2:30-6:30 p.m. This event, the eighth beachside soiree to benefit CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Orange County, gives guests the unique opportunity to experience a variety of hand-shucked oysters, Champagne, sparkling wines, spirits and more from around the world, all while enjoying panoramic ocean views.
Executive Chef Rainer Schwarz and his team will prepare delicious tastes from The Deck, Driftwood Kitchen and Hendrix. The event will include beverages from Ketel One, Grey Goose, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Nolet’s Gin, Casamigos Tequila, Captain Morgan, RumHaven, Bacardi, Stoli Vodka, Ballast Point Brewery, Laguna Beach Beer Company, Champs de Provence Rose, Veuve Clicquot, Salt Rose, Cloudy Bay, Milagro Tequila, Hendrick’s Gin, Kendall Jackson, San Benedetto Water, Coca-Cola and Lavazza Coffee, among others.
Submitted photo
Sip & Shuck will raise funds benefiting CASA
“After a hiatus during the pandemic, Sip & Shuck is returning with more of what has made it one of the most successful events in Laguna Beach and beyond. We are glad to be able to once again support CASA, a local Orange County group dedicated to helping children in need,” said John Nye, partner & director of operations for the restaurants. “With expectations set even higher for this year’s event, we are going to focus on sourcing an incredible array of fresh oysters, pouring terrific Champagnes, wines and spirits, and presenting lively entertainers. As always, guests can look forward to a few surprises along the way.”
General admission tickets for the 21-and-over event are available for purchase for $200 pre-sale (2:30 p.m. entry) or $250 for VIP (1:30 p.m. entry). Admission includes oysters and other decadent bites, as well as access to Champagne, wine, cocktail and beer sampling. Event attendees looking to enjoy the evening’s celebrations may take advantage of the Pacific Edge Hotel’s Shake, Stir & Stay packages.
The Deck on Laguna Beach is located at 627 Sleepy Hollow Lane, Laguna Beach. For more information on Sip & Shuck, visit www.sipnshuck.com.
CASA provides a powerful voice for youth in the child welfare system through a unique one-on-one relationship with trained and supervised court appointed volunteer advocates. It works to ensure that these youth are safe, have a permanent home and an opportunity to thrive. For more information, visit www.casaoc.org, or call 714.619.5155.
“Art in Public Places” – Support by Louis Longi
By DIANNE RUSSELL
Photos by Mary Hurlbut
Some of the art you see around Laguna Beach is the result of two city programs: “Public Art and Murals” and “Art in Public Places.” The goals of the Public Art and Murals and Art in Public Places (adopted in 1986) initiatives are to create diverse art installations of the highest quality that will, over decades, reflect the city itself and its citizens, and improve the quality of life and to be a source of pride to all Laguna Beach residents.
Overlooking Main Beach, Support was created by local artist Louis Longi in 1999. The 4-foot-high by 12-foot-long cast bronze and wood sculptural bench is located at Heisler Park, 375 S. Cliff Drive. Support was funded through a donation by the Inn of Laguna. It pays tribute to the City of Laguna Beach and how they support our local artists through commissioned projects and annual art festivals.
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The installation gives visitors a respite at one of the most panoramic views in town
An artist whose career spans more than 35 years, Longi’s sculptures use “lost-wax” foundry, a technique using wax to create a mold into which metal is later poured. Longi then welds together the bronze pieces extracted from the mold.
In 1987, Longi earned his degree in the Fine Arts Program with emphasis in sculpture and painting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. From 1988-1990, he was in an apprenticeship in bronze sculptures and lost wax foundation at the Ed Dwight Studio, Denver, Colo. and from 1990-1991, he was in an apprenticeship at Fedde Bronze Works, Denver, Colo.
Click on photo for a larger image
The bench is in front of “Seabreeze” created by Sukhdev Dail
According to Longi, “My objective as an artist is to sculpt forms that evoke emotion. The genesis of the sculpture is mine. The completion…is limited only by the imagination of the viewer.”
Longi settled in Laguna in 2008. In collaboration with artist John Barber, Longi also created Beacon and Usher as part of Art in Public Places. It’s located at 1900 Laguna Canyon Road.
This is the 78th article in our weekly series featuring Art in Public Places. Since there are more than 100 pieces of public art scattered throughout Laguna, it will take a while to cover them all.
For a map of Art in Public Places (not every piece is listed), click here.
To apply for the Arts in Public Places program, click here.
Police Beat Primer
Compiled by Suzie Harrison
Police Beat derives from information in the daily police and arrest logs published on the City of Laguna Beach’s website and required under CA Government Code Section 6254 (f). Additional information is obtained through communication with the Laguna Beach Police Department’s Public Information Officer.
Information in the logs is deemed reliable and Stu News Laguna is not responsible for any mistakes made available as public record by the Laguna Beach Police Department.
Any person arrested is innocent until found guilty in a court of law.
