Laguna Beach’s Lindsey Pluimer works out with orphans in Kenya.

Living up to its name, With Our Two Hands, representatives of the Laguna Beach-based nonprofit will welcome orphans to a new home in Kenya this weekend. From funding through fruition, the seven-month, $40,000 project culminates in a ceremonial opening on Sunday, May 19, according to the founder.

Laguna resident Lindsey Pluimer, the organization’s founder, spearheaded building a new four-bedroom house on seven acres owned by an orphanage facing eviction elsewhere, only the latest in her organization’s philanthropic work in Kenya.

The former professional basketball player shot hoops in college at UCLA and later internationally for clubs in Spain and Australia. After a trip to South Africa where she volunteered in an orphanage, she decided to redirect her life and focus on helping the needy.

“I discovered it was something I had to do. It’d been in my heart for a while,” Pluimer says. “I found a little went a long way. The energy and love and joy of children is so beautiful to witness. I decided if I wasn’t going to do basketball, this is what I wanted to do.”

The primary mission of With Our Own Two Hands is to promote the tenets of yoga and sport as well as raise awareness and money to benefit children in Africa.

Pluimer, now a yoga instructor, explains that the practice of yoga requires self-disciplined breathing and body control and connecting to something greater than the self. Through sports, one also learns the value of teamwork in acting on a goal. By applying the two together, Pluimer thinks she can accomplish good works for children.

St. Ann’s will operate rent-free in their new home in Kikopey, Kenya. Though the orphanage owned land elsewhere, they lacked the resources for development, Pluimer says.

Though With Our Own Two Hands was established in 2010, the new home was not its first initiative for Kenya’s children. Previously, the organization provided school supplies and beds for another orphanage. As she spends the next week in Kenya following St. Ann’s opening, Pluimer will visit a school in Nairobi which may become a beneficiary also.

Plumier applies her twin interests in yoga and sport to fundraising also. For example, at a stand-up paddle event planned for June in Newport Beach, participants will perform yoga on the water. The organization will sponsor an upcoming 5k/10k run in November. The last run they put on drew 500 participants. And Pluimer plans a yoga retreat in Santa Barbara in August.

While Pluimer says contributions raised are spent entirely on operations, the organization’s financial results could not be verified at the nonprofit database Guide Star.

Additionally, a documentary about building the St. Ann’s orphanage is in the works, which Pluimer hopes will eventually be screened in Laguna Beach.

“I’m excited to show people where and what their contributions went for,” says Pluimer.

A screening of a 1947 film about returning WWII vets takes place next Thursday, preceding Memorial Day.

The Laguna Beach Film Society’s invites the public to attend a special screening of the Oscar-winning movie “The Best Years of Our Lives,” on Thursday, May 23, in recognition of Memorial Day, which falls the following Monday.

Actor Michael Hall, who played the son of one of the film’s protagonists, is slated to attend the film screening and speak at a 6 p.m. pre-film reception at the Laguna Art Museum.

A portion of the proceeds garnered through ticket sales are to be donated the Camp Pendleton branch of the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization that helps veterans with missing limbs adjust to civilian life.

“They rehabilitate the veterans both physically and mentally,” said Arnie Silverman, of Laguna Niguel, commander of the Laguna area Veterans of Foreign Wars post, who . had the idea to donate to the WWP. He is a Korean war veteran.

“It will boost the morale of maimed soldiers and let them know their sacrifice is appreciated,” said another key player in rounding up the veteran turnout, Laguna resident Frank Daniel, a member of VFW and the American Legion.

He hopes participation by veterans might attract new members among film-goers. Recruiting younger soldiers to join local vets groups isn’t easy, Daniel said.

Film Society chair George Weiss made 70 tickets available to the veterans groups to raise funds for the WWP through their sale.

“The Best Years of Our Lives” (1946) won seven Academy Awards, including best picture. It is the tale of three men who return home after fighting in WWII.

The film will air at 7 p.m. at South Coast Cinema, 162 S. Coast Highway. Presale tickets are $8 at lagunaartmuseum.org/lbfs, $10 at the door, and $5 for students.

The pre-film reception at 6 p.m. will be held at the Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Dr. The reception, which includes wine and appetizers, and the movie together call for a ticket of $20.

Osuna’s portrait of Poncho Villa.

“Mexico at the Hour of Combat: Sabino Osuna’s Photographs of the Mexican Revolution,” an exhibition of rare photographs from 1910-1914 shown for the first time in Orange County, will open at Soka University’s Founders Hall Art Gallery in Aliso Viejo on Monday, May 20.

The exhibition and book are based on the Osuna Collection of 427 glass negatives of the Mexican Revolution, which are held in the Special Collections section of UC Riverside. The entire archive is historically important and this is a unique opportunity to experience this rarely seen photography, says a university statement.

Little is known about the principal photographer, Sabino Osuna, though evidence suggests the Mexico City commercial photographer shifted from portraiture to capturing the revolution’s protagonists.

The exhibition is curated by Tyler Stallings, director of UCR’s Sweeney Art Gallery,  and Laguna Beach resident Ronald H. Chilcote, a UCR professor emeritus.

LOCA Marks Its 20th Year With a Nod to Local History

Author Lorraine Passero

LOCA invites members to a reception with author Lorraine Passero on Wednesday, May 22, from 6 to 8 p.m., 2835 Bernard Court.

Passero is the author of newly released biography about former Laguna resident, artist, and writer Clara Mason Fox (1873-1959), the great-great aunt of her husband, sculptor Jon Seeman.

This event will be a unique opportunity to view Fox’s 1890s drawings of Arch Beach and family photos about her life. San Marino’s Huntington Library is featuring some of her botanical watercolors from 1894 in the “When They Were Wild” exhibition.

For reservations, call 949-363-4700 or 949-510-4469 or email locaArts@yahoo.com. $20 per person. Space is limited.

Pacific Edge Shows New Baas Work

“Tricoastal,” an exhibition of 38 new oils from Laguna Beach master oil painter Jacobus Baas, opens this Saturday, May 18 with a reception for the artist from 5 to 8 p.m. at Laguna Beach’s Pacific Edge Gallery, 540 S Coast Hightway.

The show continues through May 31.

Create a Watercolor at Treasure Island Beach

LOCA is offering a tidepool tour and art class on Sunday, May 19.

Laguna Outreach for Community Arts is offering a Watercolors on the Beach class at Treasure Island Beach on Sunday, May 19, from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Participants will enjoy a tour and viewing of the live tidepool creatures, followed by watercolor mixing instruction with artist September McGee. Beginners are invited.

The cost for adults is $35, and $20 for children ages 5 and up. Supplies and refreshments are provided. Advance registration is required: visit www.LOCAarts.org. or call (949) 363-4700.

Future Leanings Shown

The Art Cube Gallery will host an opening reception Saturday, June 1 for “Nostalgia For the Future,” a showing of Laurie Hassold running from June 1-30 at 266 Forest Ave.

For more, contact Victoria Chapman at Victoria@artcubegallery.com.

Gallery Q Hosts Student Artists

An example from the show.

The Susi Q Center’s Gallery Q hosts “Kreative Kids,” opending Monday, May 20, showcasing the wide-range of artistic exploration offered at the Boys and Girls Club to kids between the ages of 5 and 17.

The show runs until June 20 and the public is invited to an awards ceremony and reception on June 13, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., 380 Third St.

Teri Ralston

No Square Theatre presents Broadway singer Teri Ralston in a one night, 7:30 p.m. solo concert on Monday, May 20, 384 Legion St.

Ralston, who grew up in Laguna Beach, will reprise her cabaret show, “Songs I’ve Grown Into.” She is currently in “Steel Magnolias” at Laguna Playhouse.

Reserved seats are available exclusively at nosquare.org.

Short Films Debut in Short Fest 

The Laguna Animation Film Festival, made up of films produced by students of Laguna College of Art and Design, will be held in Laguna Beach’s historic South Coast Cinema, 162 S. Coast Highway, on Saturday, May 18 beginning at 10 a.m.

The screening lasts an hour. Student filmmakers will be on hand to speak about their work.

Laguna Beach Books welcomes former resident and mystery writer T. Jefferson Parker, author of “The Famous and the Dead” on Sunday, May 19 at 4 p.m. at 1200 S. Coast Highway.

There is no charge for the event.

Jeff Grice

Jeff Grice, a real estate investor and broker with a background in property management, has joined Re/Max as owner of its newest office in downtown Laguna Beach, 302 Glenneyre St.

Re/Max Evolution will open with five agents – Mark Miller, Kim Avery, Kim Larsen and Angela McIver — and will serve the communities of Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Dana Point, San Clemente and the surrounding area. The office will offer a range of services for residential real estate, property management and commercial properties.

More info, visit: www.coastalcitiesrealty.com, or call: 949-342-2244.

New Juice Bar Receives Approval

Laguna Beach’s Planning Commission last week approved a conditional use permit for Juice and Shakes, a fresh juice and take-out salad shop at 154 S. Coast Highway, formerly occupied by Haagen Dazs.

Owner Chris Keller, who owns two other Laguna Beach restaurants as well as a bar, aims to capitalize on the flourishing juice. And he’s a fan himself, admitting he maintains his physique by relying on juice drinks three days a week.

Paradise Creations Relocates

Student Sharlene Zarrabi

After three years on Diamond Street in a building remodeled as a spa, bridal salon owner Judy Morrison recently relocated her formal wear shop Paradise Creations to another Laguna Beach storefront, 1891 S. Coast Highway.

While the shop is still in transition, the doors are open and taking care of girls seeking prom dresses, said Morrison, of Laguna Niguel, who’s operated the shop formerly located in San Clemente and Mission Viejo for 30 years.

Recently, the shop, Tanya Clark hair salon and photographer Ed Krebs outfitted high school student Sharlene Zarrabi for an academic scholarship competition.

“When the need arises, we try to help people out,” said Morrison, who choose her pursuit because “you make people happy.”

Heather Lloyd and her great-grandmother, Lillian Lloyd, last year.

Laguna Beach resident Lillian Lloyd celebrated her 101^st birthday this week. She outlived her late husband Stanley and lives in a retirement park, still enjoying cooking, cleaning, spending time with her family and friends and watching basketball, says great-grandaughter Heather Lloyd.

Stanley and Lillian Lloyd in the ‘30s

Tyler Russell

Music, art, and film from around the world will showcase local and global heroes at My Hero Project’s sixth annual Laguna Hero Fest, taking place Thursday, May 23 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Seven Degrees, 891 Laguna Canyon Rd.

The reception is free and open to the public and will culminate with a music performance by Nick Hernandez. To RSVP, visit: myhero.com/rsvp.

This year’s community hero award will go to Tyler Russell for creating a not-for-profit FM radio station KX 93.5. Special awards will go to the Boys and Girls Club and to The Susi Q Center for their community-building efforts.

The My Hero Project is also hosting an afternoon program for children and families at Seven Degrees on May 23 from 3 to 5 p.m. Police Officer Nikie Hernandez will give a brief talk about disaster preparedness.

Heart Healthy Eating

Laguna Presbyterian Church, 415 Forest Ave., hosts guest speaker dietician Miriam Matulich on Sunday, May 19 at 10 a.m. as part of the ongoing adult education series presented by the Parish nurses.

Matulich, an out-patient community nutrition educator at Hoag Hospital, has 35 years of experience.  She is a humorous speaker who will answer diet and nutrition questions.

For more info: visit www.lagunapreschurch.org or call the church office at (949) 494-7555.

Church Auction Brings Back the ‘60s

“Flower Power,” invoking the energy and tie-dyed creativity of the ‘60s, is the theme of a fundraising auction and raffle at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on Saturday, May 18, 429 Cypress Dr., starting at 6:30 p.m.

Auction items include ocean view meals, wine tastings, massages, artwork, and numerous fun adventures. Complimentary drinks and appetizers. Free raffle tickets to everyone in costume.

 Revisiting Architect John Lautner

Laguna Friends of Architecture will hear from scholar Jon Yoder, Phd, a Syracuse University professor, on on Tuesday, May 21, discuss the framing of vision in architect John Lautner’s work and its influence on a younger generation of architects in Los Angeles.

The meetup will be held at Laguna College of Art and Design, 2222 Laguna Canyon Rd., Studio 12 at 6:30 p.m.  Go to www.lagunafriendsarch.com for directions or email Sean McCracken @ smccracken@surterreproperties.com.

Glennwood House Hiring Staff

Glennwood House plans a job fair Wednesday, May 22, from 1 to 8 p.m., 2130 S. Coast Highway, to accept applications for potential staff at its facility for 50 young adults with developmental disabilities, now due to open in July.

Positions include activity and volunteer director, chef-nutritionist, housekeeper, certified nurses aids, direct care staff and over night staff.

Workshop Focuses on Water Pollution

Top-notch researchers who have been responsible for scientific studies in various marine or aquatic environments will speak at a research workshop, “Water Contaminants and Pollution in the Newport Bay Watershed,” Wedesday, May 22, from 6 to 9:30 p.m.,  at the Back Bay Science Center, in the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve. Admission is $10.

Steve Bay, head of toxicology at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project will talk about the impacts of contaminants on water and sediment quality in Southern California coastal waters; Robert Hamersley, assistant professor of environmental microbiology at Soka University, will discuss his studies on wetlands; Sunny Jiang, UC Irvine professor of civil and environmental engineering and ecology and evolutionary biology will describe her work on bacteria and viruses; and Martha Sutula, of SCCWRP, will talk about the effects of macro-algal blooms on Southern California estuaries.

 School Power Extends Directory Ad Deadline

It’s not too late to be part of “the best read book in town” as SchoolPower has extended the deadline for advertising in the 2013-14 Student Directory to May 28.

All advertisers are invited to SchoolPower’s Business Appreciation Party at Nirvana Grille’s rooftop Bliss Bar on May 29 where the directory’s cover ad spaces will be auctioned. For more info: visit www.lbschoolpower.org or call 949-494-6811.

Hitting the Green to Help Glennwood

The Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce is hosting its first annual golf tournament on June 3 at the Coto de Caza golf resort.  The $175 per golfer fee includes networking, golf, prizes and food.

A portion of the proceeds will go towards the building and construction of Laguna’s Glennwood House, opening soon to provide housing for young adults with developmental disabilities.

Register at 949-494-1018 or on the Chamber’s web site lagunabeachchamber.org

Bungalows Open On the Edge

The crowd favorite Hobie and Tuvalu room; from left, Wendy Grand Pre, Susan Alter, Hobie Alter Sr, Laurie Alter, Dick Metz and Jeff Alter.

The Pacific Edge Hotel celebrated the opening debut of its five sand-level bungalows, five rooms reserved for daytime use, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., all surrounding a soon to be remodeled Deck restaurant at the hotel.

The rooms were given over to local companies and groups to sponsor them, with each of those sponsors decorating the rooms in their image.

The sponsors were Billabong, Fox Head, Inc., Hobie and Tuvalu, The Sleepy Hollow Group, and Gorjana and Griffins.

Support Grows For Community Garden

Chef Craig Strong in Montage’s Studio restaurant garden.

Montage’s executive chef Craig Strong shared his appreciation for locally grown produce at a fundraiser for the South Laguna Community Garden, held in the hotel’s culinary garden recently.

Local resident Myron Wacholder produced an impressive display of vegetables grown at the community garden and and emphasized its value building community. Nursery owner Ruben Flores encouraged the attendees to contribute toward the purchase of the garden, whose owner has put the property up for sale.

From left, Impact Giving partner Sheri Fetrow, grant recipient Chhahari, Inc. board member Peggy Long, Preston Fetrow, and Impact Giving chair and co-founder Karen Wilson.

Impact Giving, an Orange County women’s collective giving organization and the brainchild of several Laguna Beach women, awarded six grants totaling $130,000 at its fourth annual awards ceremony earlier this month in Irvine.

Recipients included four local and two international nonprofit organizations working to solve societal problems. They include $40,000 for San Diego’s Just In Time for Foster Youth; $13,000 to Santa Ana’s after-school learning center KidWorks Community Development Corporation; $20,000 to Santa Ana’s Access OC, providing aid for surgical procedures; $15,000 for  Irvine’s Families Forward, helping the homeless to gain self-sufficiency; $17,000 for Chhahari, Inc., for solar panels and batteries at an orphanage and school in Nepal’s Kathmandu; and $25,000 for Cambodia’s Lotus Outreach International, underwriting bikes to allow girls a way to school.

Impact Giving founding partner and grant chair Sam Dawson said the six were selected from 44 grant proposals. The group’s partners contribute $1,150 annually to the philanthropic pool and take active roles in the grantee selection process as well as in casting votes to determine the awards.

In its fourth year of grantmaking, the group’s 40 partners have awarded $475,000 to 26 nonprofit organizations, said Karen Wilson, Impact Giving chair and co-founder. “We believe we can do more together than we can individually.”

Ellie Tipton Ortiz

Ellie Tipton Ortiz, current president of Laguna Beach’s Woman’s Club and a member of Soroptimist International locally, earned nomination by the Orange County Business Journal for its annual women in business award.

Ortiz is an experienced divorce mediator whose company, Laguna Beach Legal Document Service, specializes in divorce mediation, family law, child and spousal support, living trust and estate planning.

“Anyone can prepare paperwork, but to make a difference in people’s lives and guide them to work together for the sake of their children, is where I feel I am serving a higher purpose,” said Ortiz.

For further info: call 949-497-9800 or visit lagunabeachlegal.com.

Award Possible for Entrepreneur Finalist

Alan Fuerstman

Alan Fuerstman, founder and chief executive officer of Laguna’s Montage Hotels and Resorts, was among 18 finalists for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 Award in Orange County.

The award program recognizes high-growth entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to one’s business.

Award winners will be announced at a gala on Thursday, June 6 at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point.

Robert “Wingnut” Weaver, left; with Peter Mel, winner of the invitation only Mavericks Surf Contest held in January, alongside a few of the many surf boards sold at auction.

The vintage surf auction “California Gold” went off at the OC Fair & Events Center in Costa Mesa yesterday with total sales of $680,000.

The event was organized to raise funds for San Clemente’s  Surfing Heritage & Cultural Center, whose mission is preserving surfing’s history. Hundreds of surfers and collectors attended the event to enjoy the art, music, book signings, vintage cars and of course the silent and live auctions.

Surf legends and industry icons in attendance included Tom Curren, Peter Mel, Keith Malloy, Robert “Wingnut” Weaver, Mark Cunningham, John Van Hamersveld, Greg Noll, Larry Bertlemann, L.J. Richards, Mickey Munoz, Peter Townend, Rich Harbour, Rusty Miller, C.R. Stecyk III, Paul Naude and Fernando Aguerre.

With more than 50 surfboards from the early 1900s through today, a highlight of the auction included the Pete Peterson 1949 California Point Break Board, which sold for the highest price of $32,400. In addition, the most anticipated portion of the evening, the sale of “The Surf Riders of Hawaii” book by A.R. Gurrey, Jr. sold for $27,000.

Laguna Beach surf authors Craig Lockwood, left; with Paul Holmes.

Reef beach sandal company co-founder Fernando Aguerre walked off with the California Point Break board.

“I’m stoked that all of the surfers and collectors supported the event’s debut in California,” said Scott Bass, director of the Surfing Heritage Vintage Surf Auction. “The strong demand for the rare surfboards and memorabilia, was demonstrated by more than 90% of the lots selling,” said Bass, who looks forward to reprising the event again in two years.

Photos by Jim Collins

“Mosaic Garden” on Monterey Street, designed by Ben Simon and Linda Morgenlander of Acme Architecture, is featured in the Charm House Tour, Sunday, May 19, noon to 5 p.m., beginning at 31872 S. Coast Highway at Mission Hospital. Tickets: $45. Info: 472-7503.

Friday, May 17

Artist Wyland will make a personal appearance at Wyland Galleries, 509 S. Coast Highway, 6-10 p.m. Also 5/18.

Sawdust Art Festival Art Classes: 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. www.sawdustartfestival.org/studioartclasses  949-494-3030. Also 5/18.

40 Oz To Freedom, tribute band, 9 p.m. Mozambique, 1740 Coast Hwy. www.mozambiqueoc.com.  949-715-7777 $10

“The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins,” a Dr. Seuss exhibit opens, Fingerhut Gallery, 210 Forest Ave.

Michael Dena, 8:30 p.m., Hotel Laguna, 425 S. Coast Hwy. 949-494-1151. (Also, Sat. May 18)

Public Art Tour, 4-6 p.m. Heisler Park.

Performer Lisa Nemzo at Sunset Serenades, 6:30 p.m., Heisler Park Amphitheatre

Martin Sexton, Bree Harlow, 8 p.m. The Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. 949-496-8930 www.thecoachhouse.com

Saturday, May 18

Boutique Benefit, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Neighborhood Congregational Church, 340 St. Ann’s Dr. Admission, $4.

Farmers Market, Lumberyard Parking Lot next to City Hall. 8 a.m-noon  714-573-0374.

“Fireflies & Honey Bees: Children’s Poems for You and Me,” featuring local artist and poet Chip Fesko and actress Eila Ulyett, 11 a.m. to noon, Newport Beach Public Library, 1000 Avocado Ave.

Live Jazz, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Laguna Coffee Company, 1050 S. Coast Hwy. Free.   www.LagunaCoffeeCo.com

Saturday Wine Tasting, 1-4 p.m. Laguna Culinary Arts, 845 Laguna Canyon Rd. registration@lagunaculinaryarts.com 949-494-0745

Past Action Heroes, (‘80s band) 9 p.m  Mozambique, 1740  Coast Hwy. www.mozambiqueoc.com  949-715-7777 $10

DSB, Journey tribute band, Groove Kitty, Core An, STP Trib, 8 p.m. The Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. 949-496-8930 www.thecoachhouse.com

Kenny Barron Trio, 8 p.m., Soka University, Performing Arts Center, 1 University Dr., Aliso Viejo 949-480-4278.

Lyra sings music of the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian folk music, 7:30 p.m., free, Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, 3233 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar.

Sunday May 19

Sodalis Piano Quartet, 4 p.m., United Methodist Church, 21632 Wesley Dr. Tickets: $15.

Brunch jazz 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; dinner jazz, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Mare Culinary Lounge, 695 S. Coast Hwy 949-715-9581 www.mareculinarylounge.com

OC Dime Stories, 5 p.m., Laguna Culinary Arts, 845 Laguna Canyon Rd. $5 donation.

Simpkin Project, reggae,  5-10 p.m. Mozambique, 1740 Coast Hwy.  www.mozambiqueoc.com  949-715-7777

Pacific Symphony’s composer festival features “Duke Ellington Revealed” at 3 p.m. in the Segerstrom Center concert hall and a film event, “Faust,” with the soundtrack composed by Schnyder performed live at 7 p.m. in the center’s Samueli Theater

Monday, May 20

Teri Ralston concert “Songs I’ve Grown Into from Roy Rogers to Sondheim,” 7:30 p.m. No Square Theatre, 384 Legion St. www.nosquare.org

Ken Garcia Band, 6:30 p.m., Cliff Restaurant, 507 S. Coast Hwy. 949-494-1956   www.thecliffrestaurant.com/events

Tuesday, May 21

Beth Fitchet Wood’s Songwriter’s Showcase, 8-11 p.m. 214 Ocean Ave. 949-494-3027

Karaoke, 9 p.m. Hennessy Tavern, 213 Ocean Ave. 949-494-2743

‘Kevin Miso, 6:30 p.m. The Cliff Restaurant, 507 S. Coast Hwy. 949-494-1956   www.thecliffrestaurant.com/events

Wednesday, May 22

Karaoke at 9:30 p.m. Ocean Ave. Brewery. Over 21, 237 Ocean Ave. 949-497-3381

Eric Macek, 6:30 p.m., Cliff Restaurant, 507 S. Coast Hwy. 949-494-1956   www.thecliffrestaurant.com/events

Thursday, May 23

Salty Suites, 6:30 p.m. The Cliff Restaurant, 507 S. Coast Hwy. 949-494-1956   www.thecliffrestaurant.com/events

Karaoke, 9 p.m. Hennessy Tavern, 213 Ocean Ave. 949-494-2743.

Ongoing:

“Steel Magnolias,” Laguna Playhouse, 949 497-2787. Through 5/26.

Ricki Scott in this year’s Patriots Day Parade.

Jackson McKay Pries is the winner of the DAR American History Scholarship for Laguna Beach High School.

The organization also honored a score of other students at an awards program this past Thursday at at Laguna Presbyterian Church’s Tankersley Hall.

Counselors and teachers selected Jackson for the award because of his passion for American history as well as his intention to serve his community and society in the future.

Jackson, who will enroll in UC Santa Barbara as a history major in the fall, comes from a family that has worked with foster children at Olive Crest and in orphanages in Mexico. “Jackson has always had a heart for helping other people since it’s his father’s job to help others. He has also always loved history and reads books about American presidents like other kids collect sports information.  It’s just natural for him,” says his mother Lynn Pries, an architect.

Rickie Scott in the recipient of the DAR Good Citizen Award, the highest honor that Daughters of the American Revolution gives to high school students. Rickie currently serves as president of the LBHS clubs R.O.C (Righteousness on Campus) and Make A Wish Club, where she spearheaded a $4,000 fundraising effort to grant the wish of a terminally ill teenager. She studied Spanish traveled to Nicaragua and Belize, donating her time to help with children’s charities. “I just want to use my writing and speaking skills to work with cool people and bring positive change in the world,” Rickie says.

DAR awarded excellence in American history awards to fifth grade students. At El Morro recipients were Jack Guenther, Emmalisa Randrup, Eva Becker, Connor Fink, Allison Mays, Gabe Tacklind, Caden Capobianco and Macy Michael; at St. Catherine of Siena Parish School recipients were Andrew Domanskis and Isabella Freeman; and at Top of the World, Jeremy Hayes, Ella Judd, Kayden S. Ibelle, Zachary Pierce, Bryce Dvorak, Claire Wittkop, Sahil Das and Malin Glade.

Good citizenship awards at St. Catherine’s went to Sydney Munushian, Alex Taylor,

Isabella Ciraulo, Trey Taylor, Taylor Campbell and Luke Zettler; and at Thurston Middle School, to Will Clark, Lauren West, Niva Razin, Grant Richardson, Claire Black and Ray Hunter; and at LBHS, London Carter, Eden Young, Leslie Dwight, Matthew Haim, Sarina Strickland and Austin Wilhoft.

The school transforms itself into a gallery of live art, where students pose in full-sized art works. This year’s exhibit includes Grant Wood’s “American Gothic,” Leonardo DaVinci’s “Last Supper,” and Hokusai‘s “Ryogoku Bridge” featuring St. Catherine’s kindergarten and first grade classes.

Parking is available in Albertson’s market’s lower level, 30922 Coast Highway, with complimentary trolley service from 5:30 to 10 p.m.

The pageant operates each year under the direction of parent volunteers. Their time and talent includes creation of the initial canvas, to lighting, costumes, make up and set design.

Before the pageant, visitors are welcomed to a student art exhibit.  Food and drinks are available for purchase and donations are generously accepted at the door.

Laguna Beach resident Madeline Arterburn graduated from Azusa Pacific University. She earned a bachelor of science degree in applied exercise science.

Schools Honor Their Staff

The school district’s longtime classified employees were honored this past Tuesday, May 14, at a school board meeting.

Students Make a Splash for Sea Animals

A few of the St. Margaret students stepping up for sea lions.

Students from St. Margaret’s Episcopal School organized an all-school fundraiser to help the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach.

The efforts of 19 students from the San Juan Capistrano school raised $6,504.62 for the center, enough to support 13 seal pups from rescue to release including fish and medication. This year, the center rescued a record-high number of seals.

Participating students were Zoe Mellard, Maddie Barkate, Bella Blount, Ann Weston, Claire Allison, Elizabeth Karzak, Natalie Yee, Julia Martin, Rosie and Grace Lawler, Carolyn King, Alissa Ohanesian, Emma and Addison Griffith, Natalie Schumacher, Amelia Parker, Izzy Morin, Caroline Brewster and Brayden Windes.

Local Families Needed to Host Exchange Students

Laguna Beach-based ASSE International Student Exchange Programs is seeking local host families for international high school boys and girls.  These students are 15 to 18 years of age and are coming to this area for the upcoming high school year or semester.

These exchange students are conversant in English, anxious to learn about this country through living as part of a family, brings his or her own personal spending money and expects to contribute to his or her share of household responsibilities.

Those interested in becoming a host family should call toll free: 800-733-2773.

Arts Camp Offered at UCI

Middle-schoolers who want to find their calling in the arts have an opportunity to experience how art, dance, drama and music all work together at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts Emerging Artists Academy.

The Emerging Artists Academy for students ages 12 to 14 is from July 8 through July 19. Classes are held Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The course fee is $850 and includes materials.

To register, visit https://commerce.arts.uci.edu/summer-academies-emerging-artists.