How to post on THE LAGUNAN

Come on in! The blog is all warmed up and ready for you! If you have an item you'd like to submit for consideration here on THE LAGUNAN, just send it as an e-mail to mcmurray@mac.com.

What are you involved in that you'd like your neighbors to know about? Got an idea for how to help the environment, make life as a parent, citizen, friend, neighbor better? Write it up and send it! It doesn't need to be perfect -- I can fix it up if you send it, but do try to write as if you're writing to a friend; make it first-person and include your first name and any contact info necessary for people to respond to your post, if appropriate. Photos welcome, the more unique the better. No dull boring yawnfest-inducing press releases, no promoting your undoubtedly wonderful business unless there's a charitable angle, and please no snarking. Just stuff that makes Laguna and its people a more interesting, community-spirited, heart-centered place to live.

Hope Comes to Town (well, to Newport Coast anyway)

While The Lagunan is not endorsing any particular candidate, she admits to a quickening of the pulse at the words "Obama in Orange County." The audacity of hope in the face of the meltdown that is the GOP at the moment creates an excitement and enthusiasm that I daresay no one under age 50 has witnessed in their lifetime. Keiko Sakamoto and Bill Witte are two of the Lagunans behind this breakfast fundraiser on June 11 (thanks, K&B!).


If you have a spare $1,000, you can come see for yourself what all the buzz is about. Senator Barack will rock the gateds and the unwashed paying masses at a private home in Newport Coast on Monday, June 11 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Requested contributions to attend this undeniably memorable event range from $25,000 (good for a photo with him, I'll bet) down to a mere $1,000 (perhaps a handshake, no pushing!). Required RSVP cutoff is June 6; contact Melahat Rafei at 350-7733.

Home of the Blues: "Come Hell and High Water" at BC Space Gallery

The beauty of N'awlins before Hurricane Katrina, the frightening events during it, and the unimaginable aftermath are documented in COME HELL AND HIGH WATER at BC Space Gallery, May 17 - July 7, 2007.

The extraordinary artwork of three New Orleans-based artists give new meaning to its tagline, "Home of the Blues." Photographers Jackson Hill, Brian Gauvin, and Thomas Neff were there to record it all. As a town with its own share of natural catastrophes -- although certainly not of this scale -- Lagunans can relate, and I hope they come to this show.

Jackson Hill is a professional photographer and educator whose studio is located on the streetcar line in downtown New Orleans. From this vantage, his "Night Nature" series captures the romantic vision of the New Orleans nightscape as it was before Katrina changed everything. Brian Gauvin is also a working photographer and exhibiting artist in New Orleans who was on the scene in the critical periods immediately after the storm struck. His insightful images capture the ensuing chaos and often bizarre physical juxtapositions created by Katrina. Thomas Neff' is a professor at the School of Art, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, who participated in the ensuing search and rescue missions where he recorded his compassionate photographs and personal narratives of the survivors of the storm.

The collective impact of the work by these three artists is a compelling portrayal of the cataclysmic effects Hurricane Katrina has had on the lives and landscapes in the Big Easy.

Abnormal gallery hours are 2-5 PM, Tuesday through Friday, with other hours easily arranged by contacting the gallery in advance. BC Space Gallery is located at 235 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach, 92651. For additional information you may call (949) 497-1880 or email bcspace@mol.net. You may also visit our website at www.bcspace.com.

People pics: Sandie Ward's Fashion Show, Mandarin Fine Art Gallery

A homegrown event by aspiring fashion designer Sandie was an amazing showcase of high-style fashions (bustiers, anyone?). Many thanks to Sandie for making it a benefit for Friendship Shelter, which helps highly motivated homeless adults from ALL of Orange County!

Speak out!

They did it!

Numbers haven't yet been tallied, but from the looks of the Boutique Benefit Saturday at Laguna Presbyterian Church, the hard work of Evonne Kane (second from left, in the dots) and her team of helpers paid off!

Their goal was to raise enough to pay Lisa, the amazing and wonderful caseworker who has been donating her time at the Laguna Resource Center to help families in need and homeless folks who need assistance. The amount and quality of the items donated from the closets and boutiques of Laguna were outstanding, and brought out the bargain-hunters in droves. This Lagunan bought two new tops from Lala, normally $98 each, for $20 apiece, and a cool brown suede coat for the same amount, plus a few other goodies. As promised, there were tons of designer items from some of the upscale shops in town, and a separate roomful of practical lower-priced and children's items. The cheerful helpers deserve a big round of applause, as does Evonne, who dreamed up the idea.

This homegrown fundraiser breathed new life into the Laguna Resource Center, a tiny non-profit that relies on the help of the community it serves. If you want to truly be of service, support organizations such as this one in its work to help people who need it the most. Some people think organizations like this draw homeless people to Laguna. I say they're here anyway -- why you not give them a place to shower, make phone calls, get food and give them the dignity every human deserves? A society is only as strong as its weakest link; if we rely on the Darwinian theory that only the wealthy or well-connected deserve to live here, we can't call ourselves much of a community, can we?