Natalie Mayoral, a Texas native and a senior at Laguna College of Art + Design studying graphic design + digital media, has been awarded $500 to design this year’s Grapes for Grads logo. Grapes for Grads is the Laguna Rotary Club’s annual wine tasting event that raises scholarship funds for graduating seniors from Laguna Beach High School and students attending LCAD.
The 15th Grapes for Grads will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, at the Festival of Arts grounds, 650 Laguna Canyon Road. Wines from more than 80 wineries, culinary offerings from five Laguna Beach restaurants, live music by Typical Gypsys, raffle prizes and silent auction opportunities await ticket holders. LCAD students will be performing live demonstrations in painting throughout the event. Visit GrapesForGrads.com for tickets ($50)
Chamber Installs Directors, Gives New Award
Mayor Bob Whalen and the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce installed the 2020 board of directors on Thursday, Jan. 23, at the Marine Room Tavern.
Michael Kinsman was also honored with the first ever Chamber Champion award. Kinsman took on the fundraising task of selling Pageant of the Master’s tickets for the annual Chamber Night at the Pageant about 11 years ago. It’s estimated that he has raised over $155,000. He has served as the Chamber president, vice-president and treasurer, and was instrumental in rewriting the bylaws in his first year on the board.
Kinsman is a partner in Kinsman & Kinsman, CPA and is married to former mayor Cheryl Kinsman. They are celebrating 50 years of marriage this year. While he no longer serves on the board, Kinsman continues selling Chamber Night at the Pageant tickets.
SchoolPower Hosts Dinner Dance to Benefit Students
SchoolPower, Laguna Beach’s Education Foundation, will host its 35th Annual Dinner Dance and Auction at Montage Laguna Beach on Saturday, Feb. 8.
More than 300 community members will come together with a goal to raise over $300,000 to enhance the educational experience of students at Laguna Beach’s four public schools. This year’s theme, Shine, spotlights the work educators do to ensure Laguna students are engaged in real-life problem solving to prepare them for the world ahead.
The event’s online silent auction will include a range of products and unique experiences donated by local businesses and families, and for the first time, grant requests directly from Laguna Beach teachers, counselors and coaches. These grants include equipment for the El Morro kindergarten playground, English and foreign language classroom libraries, magnet kits for elementary STEM labs, training clinics and equipment for LBHS sports including golf, lacrosse, cross country, track, and swim teams, and lunchtime student support workshops at Thurston Middle School. Anyone, attending the event or not, can participate in the auction by texting “schoolpower” to 243725, where they can sign in to bid on items including jewelry from Fredric H. Rubel, glamping at Zion National Park, and fourth row Clippers tickets, as well as donate directly to help fund teacher grants.
During the live auction, event attendees have the opportunity to win packages including a week in a villa in Puerto Vallarta, a private party for 50 guests at The Wine Gallery, and a front-row family experience at Angels Stadium. Attendees also will be encouraged to raise their paddles to fund the yearly Fund-a-Need initiative, “Future Ready,” which supports the Digital Literacy and the Authentic Exploratory Research programs, as well as a “MegaGrant” for an inquiry-based project that will introduce high school students to important local and global environmental issues.
Event tickets can be purchased online at lbschoolpower.org/rsvp. For more info, visit lbschoolpower.org/dinner-dance.
LBUSD Presents Early Childhood Education Documentary
LBUSD’s Early Learning Community Task Force will present a screening of the documentary, “No Small Matter,” at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 10. The feature-length documentary film and national engagement campaign aim to bring public attention to the importance of early learner needs by sharing stories about the human capacity for early intelligence and the potential for quality early childhood care and education. The film explores how the country is raising its youngest citizens, why making the most of this time in their lives is so crucial, and what can be done to change the perception of when learning begins. Mission Hospital Laguna Beach, 31872 S. Coast Highway, will host the screening. A light dinner will be served, and a brief discussion will follow the film. To reserve a seat, visit www.lbusd.org/nsm.
Catmosphere Accepting Kit-Lit Submissions
Catmosphere Laguna is now accepting submissions for its second annual Kit-Lit Art & Writing Contest. Founded by self-proclaimed life-long cat lady, Gail Landau, Catmosphere Laguna doubles as a foster home for adoptable cats and kittens, rescuing nearly 100 felines since its inception in 2018. Now in its second year, the Kit-Lit program aims to celebrate Orange County’s creative cat-lovers and the artistic endeavors inspired by their feline friends.
Open to Orange County residents of all ages, Catmosphere’s Kit-Lit contest will offer three age tiers for submission: children 6-12 years, children 13-17 years, and adults 18 years and older. All genres of writing and art are welcome, and all submissions must be cat-themed. With the help of esteemed local judges, Catmosphere Laguna will honor contestants in each category. Rebecca Lyles, author, writer, and educator, will judge the written entries, while Joan Gladstone, artist and LCAD Trustee, will judge the art entries.
Written entries and high-quality photos of art may be submitted via email to [email protected], or entries may be dropped off or mailed to Catmosphere Laguna (381 Forest Ave, Laguna Beach, CA 92651) by Friday, Feb. 21. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, March 3. The winners in each category will have the opportunity to read or display their work during a celebration at Catmosphere on Wednesday, March 18, and again at the Blue Bell Foundation’s Cat’s Meow Champagne Brunch on Sunday, March 22.
Catmosphere Laguna is located at 381 Forest Avenue. For more information, visit www.catmospherelaguna.com.
KX 93.5 to Change Frequency to 104.7 FM
On Feb. 3, KX 93.5 will officially switch frequencies to 104.7 FM. The change comes after nearly eight years of broadcasting on 93.5 and being interfered upon by a Los Angeles station on the same channel.
Station Founder Tyler Russell said in a statement that the new frequency will allow for better coverage in all of Laguna Beach, and some new areas like the fringes of Dana Point, Corona Del Mar, Laguna Niguel and Aliso Viejo. The station will be known as “KX FM.”
KX FM on 104.7 will now also broadcast in HD, which creates a clearer signal, more reliable song information on car monitors and allows for the later addition of secondary “sub-channels.” Russell believes KX FM will be the only low-power FM radio station in the country to utilize HD Radio, normally only reserved for larger, corporate stations.
KX FM on 104.7 is on the air now. The station is still a 100-watt low-power, so there will be areas it does not cover, but folks can also tune in online at the new web address: KXFMRadio.org, on TuneIn or on the Android/iPhone apps.
