Corona del Mar Today: Lightning interrupts Junior Guards program

The Newport Beach Junior Guards program was underway Tuesday, with participants riding the ocean waves or taking a snack break on the sand. Then two whistles blew. Then two whistles blew again, and again.

Instructors had spotted lighting strikes and immediately cleared the beach and canceled the rest of the day’s activities.

Newport Beach police issued an emergency alert just before 4 p.m., warning that lifeguards had reported several lighting strikes close to the beach. A City Hall Facebook message said beach visitors should “immediately seek shelter away from the water and off of the beaches.” Newport Beach Junior Guards officials sent parents an email announcing that the program was shut down 20 minutes before the 4 p.m. end time because of weather.

“At 3:40 p.m., we started clearing the beach of Junior Guards,” said Capt. Brian O’Rourke, who oversees the program. “We moved everyone to the park in Balboa, and the instructors took final roll to make sure that we had everyone accounted for.”

The early cancellation and evacuation of guards was the first time that lighting has interrupted the 31-year-old Junior Guard program, O’Rourke said.

Visibile lightning strikes seemed very close to the Balboa area and were accompanied by “very active thunder,” he said. Instructors took about 700 guards into the Balboa Inn garage for shelter while awaiting parents’ arrival.

“It was a very organized and calm evacuation and cover by the instructors and the Junior Guard participants,” O’Rourke said. An all-clear was given at 4:40 p.m., he said.

Within minutes of the alert and the first raindrops, crowds heading away from local beaches jammed roads including Marguerite Avenue and Balboa Boulevard. The line for the Balboa Ferry was several blocks long.

The police alert warned that lighting is especially dangerous at the beach.

“Beachgoers should take shelter off the sand,” the alert said. “If you are in the water and hear thunder, return to shore and take cover off the beach as quickly as possible. Open spaces should be avoided; heading indoors is the safest possible option.”

In general, the alert said, people should wait until lightning or thunder has stopped for 30 minutes before returning to the beach.

*

High-end haberdashery coming to CdM

A new menswear store called Heron Haberdashery in set to open in August at 2700 E. Coast Hwy.

Owner Nathan D. Rosenbaum said the shop would be the first of five he hopes to open by 2018.

“We are an upscale, casual men’s apparel line,” Rosenbaum said. “It’s kind of skewed toward a resort casual. You could go to a high-end resort wearing our clothes and you could go from the pool to the restaurant to the bar — everywhere.”

The Heron Haberdashery line includes linen and cotton sports shirts, cashmere sweaters and casual footwear. Products are made in Italy, he said, though swimwear is made in Portugal.

“It’s a full-on outfitter for the Southern California lifestyle,” he said. The prices will be below the highest-end luxury lines, he said, but still high-end, with sports shirts costing about $300 to $350.

Rosenbaum said he and his father design the items in the Heron line, which was available online two months ago.

The building currently is painted red, but Heron Haberdashery will have a marine-blue facade by the time it opens, Rosenbaum said.

*

CdM principal is taking to Twitter

Inspired by the social networking of Harbor View Elementary School’s principal, Corona del Mar High School’s vice principal will use Twitter to reach out and engage with the community.

“I’ve created a Twitter feed @cdmveep for our growing student, parent and educational community,” Vice Principal Daniel Patterson said in an email. “This feed seeks to fulfill what I see as a need for more real-time information: to better inform, educate and interact with the CdM community and give an inside peek into CdMHS.”

The cdmveep Twitter feed will include important reminders, breaking news, insider tips, sports scores, articles and more, Patterson said.

“SchoolLoop is getting inundated, so this is a way for me, as the assistant principal, to communicate with those who wish to follow this professional feed,” he said. “It’s strictly school- and education-centered and, of course, positive. One big takeaway from 11 years at CdMHS is that our community is a valuable and vital component to our success — and hopefully this feed provides another medium to collect observations and input while keeping information flowing in real-time.”

Patterson said Todd Schmidt, Harbor View’s principal, inspired him to create the feed while leading a district training session recently about successfully working with the community through Twitter and other social media.

*

Worn-flags bin meets success in first weeks

In just more than two weeks, Newport Beach Fire Department employees have collected nearly 100 worn American flags in a newly installed bin at the Central Library.

A city library employee suggested the idea, and the bright-red bin was unveiled June 10 next to the book and video return area. Fire Department staff will collect the worn flags weekly and deliver them to the Newport Harbor American Legion, where members will dispose of the flags with proper etiquette and ceremony.

By July 27, 93 flags had been collected, said Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Kitch.

“I have emptied it twice, once per week, and both times the bin has been very full,” Kitch said. “Clearly there is a demand in the community for resources such as this, and we are pleased to be able to lend a hand.”

Traditionally, U.S. flags are disposed of by burning them amid silent reflection or a flag salute and burying the ashes.

*

SCAPE Gallery Announces Summer Exhibition, Reception

The SCAPE art gallery at 2859 E. Coast Hwy. will host a summer exhibition called “Currents” from Wednesday through Aug. 15.

A reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday.

The exhibition will be a “rotating summer group show presenting a selection of artworks that vary in composition and material but connect by way of their subtle reference to movement, and artistic reverence for water,” the invitation states.

For more information, call (949) 723-3406.