What's up Laguna! The summer festivals are in their last few weeks and school starts a week from Thursday. Below you'll find this week's events, ways to give back, spots coming soon, the conditions, some local news, and a bit of Laguna lore.
Make sure to check the Give Back to Laguna section to Help Hannah.
This Week
Wednesday 8/12
A free storytime and craft hour for toddlers, this one all about sea stars. Kids come home with a sea star necklace they made; RSVP at
lagunaoceanfoundation.org.
Thursday 8/13
A guided walk through the resort's farm and garden with the crew that grows for the kitchen. It smells as good as it sounds; free, reserve at
theranchlb.com.
A live rock show in the little music venue above Mozambique, one of the best small rooms in town. Tickets about $13 at
ticketweb.com.
Friday 8/14
A group beach day on the bluff: food, drinks, lawn games, and strangers who might become friends. Free ticket at
eventbrite.com.
Saturday 8/15
An ice cream social inside the festival, with student art awards at noon and a surf band after. Free scoop, free entry for residents with ID, easy Saturday.
Sunday 8/16
A free concert in the park, bluegrass and roots as the sun drops. It's the last one of the summer, so bring a blanket and soak it in.
All week
All three art festivals
All three on Laguna Canyon Rd Daily
The final stretch: all three wrap in early September, and all three are free for Laguna residents with ID.
An art festival where 180 Laguna artists sell handmade work, with live music, glassblowing, and a beer garden under the eucalyptus. Three weeks left; opens 11am daily through Sep 6.
An art show where 120 juried OC artists sell their work, many painting right at their booths so you can watch. Through Sep 3; opens 4pm weekdays, 11am weekends.
An art festival with artists from around the country, plus margaritas and drop in classes. The mellowest of the three; through Sep 6, open 10am daily.
A stage show where real people hold perfectly still inside life size recreations of famous paintings, and somehow it works. Through Sep 4; tickets at
foapom.com, and every ticket doubles as a season pass to the Fine Art Show.
Weekly Favorites
The weekly farmers market and maybe our favorite hour of the week: local produce, flowers, and prepared food. Figs are at their August peak, with grapes, melons, corn, and tomatoes right behind.
Free live music on the resort's patio, every single night, fire pits included. Order a drink and stay a while.
Drop in art classes at the Sawdust: throw a pot, blow glass, print a shirt, and take home the thing you made. Schedule at
sawdustartfestival.org.
Live music at the restaurant's ocean view patio. Go before sunset, thank us after.
Give Back to Laguna
Anytime
The longtime manager of Hobie's Laguna shop is fighting stage 4 cancer. Her GoFundMe is closing in on $50K of a $55K goal.
Saturday 8/15
Willow Staging Area, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park Sat, 8 to 11am
A volunteer morning at the native plant nursery: seed collecting and planting for the canyon's restoration work. No experience needed, and you're done by 11; register ahead.
Sunday 8/16
A volunteer morning of habitat restoration: weeding, watering, and planting in the canyon before it gets hot. Tools provided; wear closed shoes and register ahead.
Weekday mornings
Volunteer shifts at the free grocery pantry: sorting food and handing it out to neighbors. Ages 14 and up; application first.
Coming Soon to Laguna
Bar ízi
Small plates and drinks at 860 Glenneyre St, the old Evan's Gourmet corner at Thalia. The owner is aiming for the end of August.
Truly Bagels
The team behind Truly Pizza is working on a bagel shop for South Laguna at 31727 Coast Hwy, the old Ti Amo space. Still no open date.
Dinner at Kitchen in the Canyon
The breakfast and lunch spot at 845 Laguna Canyon Rd is adding dinner service with bold Mexican flavors. No opening date yet.
Surfing Heritage & Culture Center
The surf museum is taking over 239 Broadway St and its crew is over there building out the exhibits now. Still no opening date.
Local Conditions
Surf
A steady south swell all week: waist high most days with chest high sets, and the best push Friday and Saturday. Water is running low 70s and rip currents are moderate. Heads up: the evening high tides run near 7 feet through Wednesday, big enough to soak the usual low spots around 9pm.
TUE 8/11 2-4ft 13s | WED 8/12 2-4ft 12s | THU 8/13 2-3ft 11s | FRI 8/14 2-4ft 13s | SAT 8/15 2-4ft 12s | SUN 8/16 2-3ft 12s | MON 8/17 2-3ft 12s |
Weather
Fog in the mornings, sun by early afternoon, and a touch cooler than last week: low to mid 70s at the beach with nights in the mid 60s. Inland still runs mid 80s.
TUE 8/11  76° 66° | WED 8/12  74° 66° | THU 8/13 73° 65° | FRI 8/14 72° 64° | SAT 8/15 71° 65° | SUN 8/16 72° 65° | MON 8/17 72° 65° |
Crowds
| The festivals are in their last stretch and school starts next week, so this is summer's final big push. Weekends stay packed downtown and in the canyon; weekday mornings are quietest. | Tourist-O-Meter  |
In Season
Figs hit their August peak this week, joining grapes, melons, sweet corn, and tomatoes all over Saturday's market.
Local Wildlife
The grunion make their last runs of the season this week: Wednesday through Saturday, late night, starting around 9:40pm Wednesday and about an hour later each night after, thousands of little silver fish riding the high tide onto the sand to spawn. Watch quietly from dry sand; if you want to catch them it's bare hands only and adults need a fishing license. Times at
wildlife.ca.gov.
(facts only) Laguna News (facts only)
• The November ballot is set Nine candidates qualified for three City Council seats, including Laura Parisi, the city's elected treasurer since 1999.
• 2,821 rescues in 11 days That's how many people lifeguards pulled from the water during late July's big surf, with nearly 180,000 people on the beaches that stretch.
• EV charger decision pushed to September Council delayed an $8.2M contract for 47 chargers at city facilities, part of moving the city's own fleet electric by 2030, asking for a deeper cost analysis first.
• Promenade update Forest Ave merchants say the build is still dragging; the plan now is to show off the finished promenade at the September 3 Art Walk.
• A HeloPod for South Laguna The county gave the city $50K for one: a portable water tank that firefighting helicopters refill from mid flight.
Laguna Lore
| Laguna's greeter tradition goes back more than a century. The first was Old Joe Lucas, a Portuguese fisherman who, the story goes, washed ashore from a shipwreck in the 1880s and stayed. He greeted the daily stagecoach into town, trident in hand, yelling at ships when storms came, until his death in 1908. Next came Eiler Larsen, who waved at every car at Forest and Coast Hwy for thirty years; the city named him Official Greeter in 1963. Today Michael Minutoli holds the same corner. Give him a wave back! |  |
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