Celebrating heritage

Barbara Diamond

Quirky Laguna Beach has always been different. Its history was

written by homesteaders, hotel owners, storekeepers and artists,

rather than the hidalgos, vaqueros and cattle that occupied the

surrounding areas. It is the oldest incorporated city in South

County.

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Laguna will celebrate its special cultural legacy throughout the

month of May with events sponsored by the Laguna Beach Heritage

Committee. The committee seeks to preserve the best of Laguna’s past

for its future.

The opening celebration of Heritage Month will be held from 5 to 8

p.m., May 6, at Madison Square and Garden Cafe, an exceptional

example of a Craftsman Bungalow, restored to the period.

Mayor Cheryl Kinsman and members of the Heritage Committee,

including cafe owner Jon Madison, will welcome guests.

No Square Theatre and the Ken Garcia Band will perform. Hors

d’oeuvres will be served. Admission is free.

The event will be over in time for guests to stroll or travel by

city tram to the First Thursday Art Walk, if not exclusive to

Heritage Month, certainly a splendid tradition in town. Art galleries

and the Laguna Art Museum will be open late.

A free tour of Historic Downtown Laguna guided by Heritage

Committee member from 10 a.m. to noon May 1 will be the first

official event of the month-long celebration. Tour guides advise

wearing comfortable shoes, a hat and sunscreen. Meet in front of the

library, 363 Glenneyre St.

The tour will be repeated May 8.

Also on May 8: A guided walk back in time to an early California

beach settlement: Crystal Cove Historic District. Meet at Los Trancos

parking lot on the inland side of Pacific Coast Highway. The tour is

free, parking is $5. For more information, call (949) 497-7647.

Author Roger Jones will be the guest speaker at a program

presented by Laguna Beach Historical Society at 7:30 p.m., May 17 in

the City Council Chambers, 505 Forest Ave. Jones owns the Villa

Rockledge, a Laguna Beach landmark on the National Register of

Historical Homes, and has written about it, as well as other books on

local history.

Refreshments will be provided. Admission is free.

The Historical Society sponsors programs of historical interest

throughout the year. Programs are free.

Most recently, the anniversary of the Bluebird Canyon slide was

revisited through shared memories, newspaper articles and

memorabilia, organized by Dale Ghere.

The society headquarters are at the Smith House, 278 Ocean Ave.,

rented from Wells Fargo Bank for $1 a year, open from 1 to 4 p.m.,

Friday-Sunday.

New society members are welcomed. Annual dues are $15 per family.

For more information, call 497-6834 and leave a message.

For a glimpse of what pre-developed Laguna Beach looked like,

reserve space for the Natural History Walk in Laguna Coast Wilderness

Park, set for 8 a.m., May 29. The three-mile hike through Laurel

Canyon to Bommer Ridge and down Willow Canyon is characterized as

moderate -- and he ocean views as fantastic.

Wear sturdy shoes, hat and sunscreen and take water.

Space is limited. Reservations are $2 for the hike and $2 for

parking. For more information and reservations, call (949) 923-2235.

For the more urbanized: Use the city’s brochure to tour historic

neighborhoods in North and South Laguna, by foot and by bus. The

“Heritage Walking Companion to Self-Guided Tour Laguna by Bus”

brochure is available at City Hall and on city buses. Regular bus

fares.

ROUNDING OUT THE MONTH

Throughout May, the Laguna Art Museum will display paintings,

photographs and memorabilia that reflect life in Laguna Beach from

circa 1900 to 1930. Although not a city-sanctioned event, “Greetings

from Laguna Beach: Our Town in the Early 1930s” complements the

official activities.

Other complementary activities -- doesn’t mean free, it means

extra goodies -- include Dance Day, Charm House Tour (see story, Page

B1); a Surfrider fundraising concert and the Laguna Beach Garden Club

Tour.

The performing arts are as ingrained in the Laguna Beach psyche as

painting or sculpture. The Pageant of the Masters is world famous.

Opera Pacific has its roots in Laguna Beach, growing countywide from

full-length performances sponsored in the Irvine Bowl Park.

Dance is an essential component in the history of performing arts,

here or any other place.

California Choreographers will present Dance Day on May 1,

offering opportunities to participate or just to relax and enjoy.

Free master classes at will be held at 9 and 10:30 a.m., noon and

1:30 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Community Center, “Legion Hall,”

384 Legion St. The day will culminate in a dance concert at 4:15 p.m.

on the Main Beach Park Cobblestones. For more information, call

497-8869.

Surfing in Laguna has a history that dates back at least to the

turn of the century. The museum recognized the tie in an exhibition

two years ago that had record-breaking attendance.

The Laguna Beach Surfriders Foundation will present a concert from

3 to 8 p.m., May 2 at the Ocean Avenue Brewery, 237 Ocean Ave. Set to

perform: the Ken Garcia Band, the Blues Offenders, Chris Wisler and a

regrouping of Alec Bridges, Nate Wood and Brian Rabben for the first

time in 10 years

Tickets are $5. Proceeds will benefit the foundation’s Laguna

Beach High School water quality testing program -- a nice touch

combining the city’s historic ocean playground with its future

leaders. No reservations required. For more information, call (949)

235-6079.

The annual garden tour will feature six North Laguna homes.

Tickets are $20 each, add another $10 for a box lunch. It’s too late

to mail in ticket requests, which are limited to 500, but try calling

the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce, (949) 494-1018.

For more information about Heritage Month or what can be done to

help preserve the city’s Heritage, call Ann Larson, senior city

planner and liaison to the Heritage Committee, at (949) 497-0320.

* BARBARA DIAMOND is a reporter for the Laguna Beach Coastline

Pilot. She may be reached at (949) 494-4321.