Around Town: New neighborhood beach trolley begins operations in Laguna Beach

A new neighborhood beach trolley program got underway Friday in Laguna Beach, giving residents in the North Laguna, Top of the World, Bluebird Canyon and Arch Beach Heights communities another option to get around town.

The summer beach trolley service will run until Aug. 21 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and from 3 to 6 p.m. at 45-minute intervals.

“What we decided to do is just to target the community areas where kids want to get on the trolley and get to the beach,” Mayor Sue Kempf said on the Laguna Beach City Chats podcast. “And instead of running trolleys continuously up and down the hill, we’ll do it several times a day — give everybody an opportunity to know the schedule and to get to where they need to get to.

“Our whole transit program, I think, is quite good,” the mayor said. “There’s always room for improvement, but that Laguna Beach Local service has been very successful. I haven’t had one complaint … about that service.”

Laguna Art Museum weekend events

Laguna Art Museum is hosting an exhibit called “Striking Figures: Francis de Erdely.”.

Art enthusiasts can listen in to a critical conversation of de Erdely’s work in an event Saturday at 6 p.m. Southern California Portraits: Francis de Erdely and John Sonsini will invite the public to gain perspective on de Erdely’s creations from another artist well-versed in the practice of portraiture painting.

Laguna Art Museum’s curatorial fellow Rochelle Steiner and Sonsini will be in discussion for the event, and Sonsini will also present some of his own work for comparison to what attendees will see when viewing the portraits of de Erdely.

Tickets for the event are $7 for museum members and $14 for the general public.

On Sunday, the museum will host Books and Bubbly: A Workshop with Artist Jean Lowe. The event will run from 10 a.m. to noon, and ticketed guests will join the artist with the chance to create their own piece of art. Mimosas will be provided.

Tickets for Sunday’s event are $50 for museum members, and for all others, admission is $60.

Wanda’s World at Laguna Playhouse

“Wanda’s World” hits the stage, as Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre will put on the production for two shows this weekend.

The show will go on Saturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. Tickets for the show are available at lagunaplayhouse.com.

This is also the closing weekend for “A Chorus Line,” with the last performances set for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Laguna Playhouse.

Laguna Beach Business Club to feature Denise Di Novi

Denise Di Novi will be the featured guest of the Laguna Beach Business Club at its upcoming meeting on Thursday, June 16 at 7:30 a.m. at Seven7Seven.

Di Novi has enjoyed a decorated career in film and television as a director and producer. She was the recipient of Women in Film’s 2016 Crystal and Lucy Award for Excellence in Film.

Her work has been associated with movies such as “Little Women,” “Crazy Stupid Love” and “Focus.” Di Novi also worked with Tim Burton on some of his projects.

Laguna Beach 95th anniversary celebration

Laguna Beach city officials have announced plans to celebrate the seaside community’s 95th birthday on Wednesday, June 29 at the cobblestone area of Main Beach Park.

The celebration will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. and include live music from local bands and an ice cream social. For those who are unable to attend in person, the event will be livestreamed on the city’s Facebook page.

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