LAGUNA BEACH : Arts Events to Mark Anniversary of Fire

With the first anniversary of last October’s firestorm three months away, local groups and relief organizations are planning four days of activities to mark the event.

Dubbed a celebration by some and “a healing process” by others, the activities will begin Oct. 27, exactly one year after fire ripped through the area, damaging or destroying more than 400 homes in the Laguna Beach area.

While the itinerary is still fuzzy, activities downtown will likely include music, dance, poetry readings and exhibitions of fire-related art.

Planners say they are taking care to respect the feelings of those directly affected by the blaze and may schedule more serene activities for fire survivors who wish to avoid the hoopla.

“Part of it will be a celebration that we’ve made it through a year, but some people won’t want to deal with that yet, and that’s fine too,” said Marsha Bode, Laguna Fire Relief Coalition director. “We’re not going to push anything on anybody.”

Bode said the coalition may schedule a retreat for fire survivors the week before the city activities. Mental health workers are expected to put on a series of workshops before the event for residents who still need emotional support.

“It could be a very stressful time for many, many people,” said David Sabaroff, manager of the state’s Office of Emergency Service Community Liaison Office, located in the Boat Canyon shopping center next-door to the coalition’s office. “It’s not just a big party.”

Sabaroff said as many as nine committees are helping to plan the event, which will likely begin in front of City Hall with “a moment of silence” for the city.

City arts commissioner Jim Lashley said the commemoration will also offer an opportunity for artists to display work they created in response to the blaze.

“It seems like everybody’s very interested and wants to get it going,” Lashley said. “We hope we can have people come from outside the community come and see the fire-related art.”