Laguna Art Museum presents Lunchtime Lecture on Wednesday
On Wednesday, Dec 4 from 1 to 2:30 p.m., Laguna Art Museum presents its next Lunchtime Lecture.
Julia Friedman will discuss “Impressionist Landscape: 1860s to 2019” in this lecture in a series on landscape in Western painting from the 1800s to the present day.

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Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1874, oil on canvas, Muse Marmotton, Paris
The impressionist revolution that began sometime in the late 1860s showed a whole new way of representing nature. Optical perception and observation-based painting took over memory and concept.
Cutting edge and controversial at first, impressionist technique turned into a style as the century turned, creating a school of plein air landscape that continued to thrive alongside unceasing innovations within the genre.
Tickets are $25, or $20 for museum members. Advance tickets are recommended.
To purchase tickets, visit www.lagunartmuseum.com.
Laguna Art Museum is located at 307 Cliff Dr.
Something for everyone in our wilderness parks
Sign up online:
www.lagunacanyon.org/events
(949) 923-2235
Laguna Coast
Wilderness Park
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Fitness Hike at Ridge Park
Thurs, Dec 5
8:30 – 11 a.m.
Raise your heart rate and your spirits on this difficult, strenuous, and fast-paced 6.6-mile hike (1,100-ft. elevation gain) over very steep, uneven terrain with Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteers. Please be aware this is a fitness hike; the pace is approximately a 19-minute mile. For ages 15 and up. Ages under 18 are welcome with a signed waiver from a parent. The waiver can be downloaded at: www.lagunacanyon.org/waiver. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Ridge Park Staging Area (Newport Coast Drive to Ridge Park Rd east to end; meet at the gate). For questions, call (949) 497-8324 Mon-Fri or (949) 923-2235 Sat/Sun. Parking: $3 per vehicle.
Long Distance Hiking
Sat, Dec 7
8 – 11 a.m.
Join Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteers in exploring the beauty and diversity of the trails in the backcountry of the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. This will be a strenuous 6.9-mile hike (900-ft. elevation gain) over rocky, steep, and uneven terrain. The group will hike through sycamore and oak woodlands, coastal sage scrub, and along ridges with beautiful vistas. Participants should be fit and able to hike long distances – not for beginners!
For your safety and comfort bring 2-3 liters of water, a hat, a hearty snack, and proper hiking shoes. Ridge Park Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Ridge Park Staging Area (Newport Coast Drive to Ridge Park Rd east to end; meet at the gate). For questions, call (949) 497-8324 Mon-Fri or (949) 923-2235 Sat/Sun. Parking: free.
Family Hike
Sat, Dec 7
3 – 5 p.m.
Come and enjoy an easy 2.5-mile family hike over moderate but uneven terrain (45-ft. elevation gain). Starting at the James Dilley Preserve, the group will hike one of the most diverse areas of the park to Barbara’s Lake and back. The hike will be led by Laguna Canyon Foundation naturalist volunteers. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, James Dilley Preserve (I-5 or 405 south to 133 south to stoplight at 73 toll road; make a U-turn, go 1 block. Dilley is on the right). All ages are welcome; children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. For questions, call (949) 497-8324 Mon-Fri or (949) 923-2235 Sat/Sun. Parking: $3 per vehicle.
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Aliso and Wood Canyons
Wilderness Park
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Discovery Hike
Wed, Dec 4
8:30 – 11 a.m.
Explore beautiful Wood Canyon and discover its native flora and fauna with Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteer naturalists on this steep, uneven, and rocky 5-mile hike (depending on trail choice, up to a 500-ft. elevation gain). While the group will stop from time to time, spending moments to “discover,” this hike isn’t for beginners. Please wear closed-toe hiking shoes and sun protection and bring plenty of water. Meet at Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, Canyon View Staging Area. From Pacific Park/Canyon Vistas intersection, go northwest on Canyon Vistas. Park legally (note street signs) on or near Canyon Vistas, preferably between Coastal Oak and Madia (22144 region of Canyon Vistas). The group will meet on the paved sidewalk easement leading toward Wood Canyon Trail. For questions, call (949) 497-8324 Mon-Fri or (949) 923-2200 Sat/Sun. Parking: Free.
Keep It Wild
Sat, Dec 7
8 – 11 a.m.
Join Laguna Canyon Foundation and OC Parks for a habitat restoration stewardship event in Aliso and Wood Canyons. Volunteers will learn and work together to create a healthier home for the park’s native plants and wildlife. Depending on the time of year, volunteers may assist with: removal of non-native plants, seed collection, planting of native plants, and/or trash pick-up along the creek. No experience is necessary and tools will be provided. Please wear long pants, closed-toe shoes, sun protection, and bring water. Join the team to help restore the wild lands we all enjoy. Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park HQ, 28373 Alicia Pkwy, Laguna Niguel (from Alicia Pkwy, turn onto Awma Road, then left into parking lot). Age Requirements: Ages 5 – 16 are welcome but must be accompanied by a parent. Students 16-18 years old are welcome with a waiver signed by a parent/guardian that is collected at the start of the event. The waiver will be sent to you after the online registration form is completed. For questions, call (949) 497-8324 Mon-Fri or (949) 923-2235 Sat/Sun. Parking: Free for Keep It Wild volunteers!
Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach announces year-end holiday “Blue Door” giving campaign
Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach is asking the community to help more kids begin a great future with a tax-deductible year-end gift today as part of its year-end Holiday Blue Door campaign.
This special drive offers the general public the opportunity to contribute to the life changing programs the Club offers to children and teens in Laguna Beach and its surrounding area.
“Day in and day out, our Boys & Girls Club staff and mentors deliver quality experiences that make a difference in a youth’s life beyond their time at the Club. Research shows that kids who have an optimal experience at our Club are also more likely to have positive self-esteem, volunteer, and be engaged in school,” said Pam Estes, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach.
“Our year-end Holiday Blue Door campaign is a special time when we ask the community to contribute to the amazing impact our Club has on the lives of kids and teens,” Estes adds. If a kid can dream it, they can become it at the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach. They just need the community’s help. “Any donation – big or small – will make a difference! We thank all donors for helping us build a stronger community, and we couldn’t do our work on behalf of the children without their continued support.”

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Boys & Girls Club of LB offers life changing programs to children and teens
Those interested in contributing to the Club’s Year-End Holiday Blue Door campaign can visit www.bgclagunabeach.org or call Michelle at (949) 715-7584 to make a donation today.
The Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach’s service area includes Laguna Beach, Aliso Viejo, Lake Forest, and the surrounding communities, and occupies three sites in Laguna Beach: Canyon Branch, Bluebird Branch, and Lang Branch.
Together, the Club offers a nationally recognized and award-winning year-round out-of-school enrichment program that focuses on the whole family. From preschool to parenting classes, the Boys & Girls Club offers an array of services that focus on academic success, good character and citizenship, healthy lifestyles, and creative expression.
Being an indispensable asset to the families of our community is a Boys & Girls Club time-honored tradition. For over 65 years, the Boys & Girls Club strives to support the youth of Laguna Beach through out of school recreation that celebrates the whole child.
For more information about The Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach, visit www.bgclagunabeach.org or call (949) 494-2535.
Library Events
December
Tues, Dec 3
Math Club
3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Nothing like your usual math club! Crazy 8s is an over-the-top recreational after-school club for K-2nd graders that gets kids excited about math. Free. Registration is required.
Tues, Dec 3
Pajama Story Time
5:30 – 6:15 p.m.
Enjoy Family Story Time presented by the National Charity League, Laguna Storytellers. Light refreshments will be provided. All ages are welcome.
Wed, Dec 4
Toddler Techy Story Time
11 – 11:30 a.m.
Stories are important. That’s why the library has combined the classic story time with technology to introduce Techy Story time, making use of iPads, Apple TV, and occasionally a 3D printer to make it fun and educational.
Thurs, Dec 5
Family Story Time
10:30 a.m. – Noon
Welcome to the Peapod Academy. Join some of the cutest babies, toddlers, and preschoolers in town and adults of their choice at the Library. Little peas will enjoy books & story time, songs & music, finger plays, movement, hands on activities, arts & crafts, and other cadets. Each week has a different theme. Get to know others and support your little one’s developmental skills. No preregistration required.
Thurs, Dec 5
Teen Tech Day
3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Join in a monthly fun Teen Tech Day. The group will use tech gadgets to select, customize, and print a 3D object. The group will also explore the Library’s techiest resources, including Hoopla, Libby, and Universal Class.
Thurs, Dec 5
Read to a Dog
3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Kids ages K-17 can read aloud to the therapy dogs who are great listeners.
Fri, Dec 6
Stay N Play
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Babies and toddlers will meet to play and socialize. The Library provides developmental toys for these informal play sessions. Older siblings are welcome.
Sat, Dec 7
Banned Books Club
10 – 11 a.m.
Join this rebel reading group once a month to discuss a book that has been challenged and/or banned. The group will discuss the book as well as the controversy. This month, the group will discuss Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.
Sat, Dec 7
Poetry Workshop
2 – 4 p.m.
Participants should bring 10 copies of a poem they wish to have read and workshopped. Each poem will be read by the poet and perhaps by another reader. Participants then respond with emphasis on positive comments and constructive suggestions. Recommended for advanced poets – this is not a workshop for beginners. Meets in the Community Room. Contact Mike Sprake at (714) 318-1461 or mikesprake@gmail.com for more information.
Sat, Dec 7
Magic Show with Billy Bonkers
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Bonkers Magic Show is full of amazing magic, comedy, and non-stop audience participation with a unique British twist. You’ll be baffled by the levitation of a child in the audience! For all ages.
Mon, Dec 9
Third Street Writers Group
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Serious writers working on projects (short stories, novels, plays) meet to share feedback and support. This is not a workshop for beginners. Contact the library for additional information.
Mon, Dec 9
Art Lessons
3 – 4 p.m.
Laguna Beach artists from LOCA will teach a variety of techniques to create art. The children will read a book, review the artwork in it, and do an art activity. The art projects will focus on the season of winter. For ages 8-10. First come, first served.
Mon, Dec 9
Book Club
5:30 – 6:45 p.m.
This month the Book Club will discuss New of the World by Paulette Jiles. Light refreshments will be provided. Pick up your copy at the library.
Tues, Dec 10
Math Club
3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Nothing like your usual math club! Crazy 8s is an over-the-top recreational after-school club for K-2nd graders that gets kids excited about math. Free. Registration is required.
Irvine Subaru’s “Share the Love” supports Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach
The Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach’s El Toro Program is a chosen recipient of the “Share the Love” event, hosted by Irvine Subaru. For every car leased or sold now through January 2, 2020, Irvine Subaru will donate $250.
Consumers will have the option to donate to either the El Toro Program of the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach or the Memorial Care Foundation. “Both the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach and the Memorial Care Foundation are making huge strides to help our future generations, and Irvine Subaru is proud to support them in their efforts,” stated Irvine Subaru.

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Boys & Girls Club youth enjoy a day in the life of the club
“We are honored to be a beneficiary of the ‘Share the Love’ event,” said Pam Estes, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach. “Our partnership with Irvine Subaru enables us to provide a world-class experience for club kids and teens for a nominal fee. What people don’t realize is that the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach invests three times the amount of what membership fees cover every day. Within one mile of Irvine Subaru, there are two elementary schools with about 1,500 students. Nearly 70 percent of these families are socio-economically disadvantaged. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we never turn away families that are unable to pay program fees. We are here to make sure that these deserving children are not lost in the shadows of South Orange County affluence.”
The Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach’s service area includes Laguna Beach, Aliso Viejo, Lake Forest, and the surrounding communities. The club offers a nationally recognized and award-winning year-round out-of-school enrichment program that focuses on the whole family.
From preschool to parenting classes, the Boys & Girls Club offers an array of services that focus on: academic success, good character and citizenship, healthy lifestyles, and creative expression.
For nearly 70 years, the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach strives to support the youth of our community through out of school recreation that celebrates the whole child.
For more information about the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach, visit www.bgclagunabeach.org.
To volunteer or donate, contact Jennifer Costales, Director of Community Engagement, at (949) 715-7942.
Crystal Cove State Park
crystalcovestatepark.org

If you love hiking, lace up those boots. The backcountry and wilderness areas offer you 18 miles of hiking trails through 2,400 acres of native wilderness, mostly the endangered coastal sage scrub plant community. For energetic backpackers, there are three environmental campgrounds, one in the canyon and two at the higher elevations. The higher trails offer beautiful vistas of the mountainous backcountry, geological formations and the Pacific Ocean. Exploring the lower trails offers hiking through riparian woodlands with oak and sycamore trees along the seasonal Moro Creek. Whether you trek the high or low trails or both, you will see native plants and animals that call this park home.
Sea Glass Jewelry
Wed, Dec 4
10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Enjoy a free sea glass jewelry making activity in the Education Commons in the Historic District at Crystal Cove State Park (park in the Los Trancos lot – PCH inland at Los Trancos stoplight then walk across the street or take the shuttle). Learn how to turn sea glass into a one of a kind creation. Day-use fee: $5/per hour (max. $15).
Family Night Hike
Fri, Dec 6
6 p.m.
Families with young children are invited to join a park naturalist on an easy one-hour, guided 2-mile Family Night Hike along Moro Canyon trail. Everyone stays together on this stroll into the canyon (strollers for little ones recommended). Meet at the Berns Amphitheatre (PCH inland at School-State Park stoplight, follow the signs to the Campground). Day-use fee: $5/per hour (max. $15).
Tree Lighting and Holiday Bazaar
Sat, Dec 7
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Crystal Cove Conservancy is hosting the 23rd Annual Tree Lighting and Holiday Bazaar. Santa will arrive in the Historic District of Crystal Cove State Park where the tree lighting will take place. Enjoy authentic vintage décor and strolling carolers. Hot cocoa and cookies will be provided by The Beachcomber Café. Park in the Los Trancos lot (PCH inland at Los Trancos stoplight then walk across the street or take the shuttle). Day-use fee: $5/per hour (max. $15).
Seaweed and Sea Creatures Walk
Sun, Dec 8
Noon
Explore the huge variety of seaweeds on a guided Seaweeds and Sea Creatures of Crystal Cove Beach Walk. There are countless species of marine algae – green, red, and brown – found on the beach. Learn about the biology, ecology, and even human uses of seaweeds. Meet at Pelican Point parking lot #2, at the top of the boardwalk near the parking lot (PCH coastward at Newport Coast, right at kiosk to first lot). Day-use fee: $5/per hour (max. $15).
Love birds?
Bring a pair of binoculars and look for feathered friends who have adapted to Crystal Cove, as you hike the trails, which go from easy to strenuous. Among the birds you might spot: Anna’s Hummingbird, American Kestrel, Black-Bellied Plover, Black Phoebe, Brown Pelican and the Great Blue Heron. For a directory of birds, visit www.crystalcovestatepark.org/
birds-of-crystal-cove. For a trail map, visit https://crystalcove.org/wp-content/
uploads/2017/05/CrystalCove_
Trails_Map.pdf.

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Cassins kingbird
About Tidepool Etiquette: Crystal Cove State Park is a Marine Protected Area. Taking or possessing tidepool sea life is illegal. To help preserve the longevity of the tidepools: never remove animals, shells or rocks; never pick up animals, observe them where they are; walk gently, taking care not to step on plants.
Laguna Playhouse presents a special stripped down to the abs holiday event Dec 10 & 11
Laguna Playhouse brings back last year’s sensation in an all-new outrageous holiday event, The Skivvies: I Touch My Elf, with two performances only on Monday, Dec 16 and Tuesday, Dec 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Broadway’s Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley return to the Laguna Playhouse for two nights of the most outrageous holiday show of the season. This undie-rock, comedy pop, award-winning duo perform stripped down, mashed up versions of holiday favorites and more. Expect to see ukulele, electric cello, and an array of zany instruments as well as many special guest artists performing along with and some even in their own “Skivvies.”

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Courtesy of Laurenmolina.com
Lauren Molina co-stars holiday comedy at Laguna Playhouse, “The Skivvies: I Touch My Elf”
The show will include guest performances by Nick Adams (Broadway’s Chicago, A Chorus Line, and Guys and Dolls), jackbenny (Disney Hall, Hollywood Bowl), Erik Altemus, Emerson Collins (Buyer and Cellar), Spencer Curnutt (The Lion In Winter), Laguna’s own Jason Feddy, Blake McIver, Tori Roze, Brett Ryback, and the Playhouse’s Veltria Roman.
Tickets range from $36 - $61 and can be purchased online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling (949) 497-ARTS (2787). Group discounts are available by calling (949) 497-2787 ext. 229. Prices are subject to change.
Laguna Playhouse is located at 606 Laguna Canyon Rd.
Messy Church offers advent gathering on Sunday
“After shopping for toys, come for comfort and joys,” says Barbara Crowley as she invites everyone to attend Messy Church’s Advent gathering on Sunday, Dec 8, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Laguna Beach United Methodist Church.
Messy Church offers an intergenerational, interactive opportunity for anyone who is uncomfortable at a traditional church service yet seeks spirituality and community.

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LBUMC presents Messy Church on Sunday, Dec 8
Crowley, who leads Messy Church, invites people of all ages to deck the halls with stars, angels, nativities, shepherds, and kings. “We’ll be making heirloom crafts, evergreen wreaths, singing Christmas carols by candlelight, and enjoying other activities related to the Christmas story,” she adds.
In addition, a meal is always served. RSVPs are welcome, but not required.
Laguna Beach United Methodist Church is located a 21632 Wesley Dr, up the hill from the Gelson’s Shopping Center.
For additional information, contact Patricia Reyes at preyes@lbumc.org or (949) 499-3088.