CITYSCAPE ROUNDUP:Summer water testing to start

The South Orange County Surfrider Chapter is inviting volunteers to test their favorite beach for bacteria this summer.

Test results will be posted in local businesses throughout Laguna Beach, on Surfrider’s website and in local newspapers.

People of all ages are encouraged to participate. High school students will earn community service hours for participating in the program.

Testing takes approximately 30 minutes once a week and will be conducted at 31973 S. Coast Highway, (the house on the south side of the stairs to Thousand Steps Beach).

The program will kick off with training at 4 p.m. June 24.

Testing will take place every Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. from June 26 through August 28.

Anyone interested in participating should contact Marshall Thomas at (949) 415-0417.

For information about helping to fund the summer water-testing program, contact Rick Wilson at rwilson@surfrider.org.

Trash service delay for Memorial Day week

Waste Management of Orange County’s trash and recycling pick-up schedule will be delayed by one day throughout the week of May 28, in observance of Memorial Day.

This means customers should place their bins out for pick-up one day later than usual, beginning May 29 through June 2.

“Customers who usually receive service on Monday will instead receive it Tuesday, and so on throughout the week, with Friday’s customers receiving service on Saturday,” said David Ross, senior district manager. “We appreciate our customers’ cooperation with the holiday schedule so that all of our employees can observe Memorial Day.”

All Waste Management of Orange County operations will be closed on Monday. The hauling operations, customer service center and transfer stations in Irvine and Orange will reopen for normal operations on Tuesday.

Orange County customer service is available at (949) 642-1191, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. For more information, visit www.wm.com.

Concert band performs Monday at Main Beach

The Laguna Community Concert Band will be performing a concert of patriotic music from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday, Memorial Day, on the cobblestones of Main Beach.

A variety of music has been prepared by director Bill Nicholls and the band of 40 members.

Included in the concert will be music honoring all the armed forces, marches by John Phillip Sousa and Edwin Franko Goldwyn, and a song tribute to “The Good Ole USA.”

Community members are invited to bring beach chairs and celebrate the spirit of Memorial Day with Laguna’s community band.

For more information, call Brian Cameron at (949) 499-2883.

‘Island’ party benefits Resource Center

Billed as the “party of the year,” the Laguna Relief and Resource Center will hold a Hawaiian luau at 6:30 p.m. June 2 at the Laguna Beach Woman’s Club, 286 St. Ann’s Drive.

The event features a barbecue, specialty drinks, door prizes and entertainment, including members of Lagunatics, No-Square Theatre, plus hula lessons.

Laguna Relief and Resource Center provides assistance to Laguna’s own residents in need, from victims of fires and floods to low-income residents and the homeless.

Tickets are $50. For more information, call (949) 497-7121.

Residents can get in free at O.C. swapmeet

Laguna Beach residents will receive free admission to the Orange County Market Place, the weekend swap meet at the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, on June 2 and 3.

As part of a “City Days” promotion, a different city in Orange County is recognized each weekend. Regular admission is $2 for people 13 and older. Children 12 and under are always free.

Residents must show a form of identification with current address, such as a driver’s license, to receive the free admittance.

“This is our way of giving back to the residents of Orange County, a place we have called home to the swap meet for 38 years,” said Jeffrey Teller, president of the Orange County Market Place.

Special entertainment is planned for both days, which includes the Mitchell Marionettes Showboat puppet show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Swap meet hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional information may be obtained by calling (949) 723-6660 or at www.ocmarketplace.com.

Community center making progress

Grading and excavation of the senior center and community center site on Third Street continues, with more than 120 truckloads of soil being hauled from the site daily, City Manager Ken Frank announced on May 18.

Approximately 8,000 cubic yards of soil is expected to be hauled off the site by the completion of this phase in early June, Frank said.

The soldier pile component of the shoring is completed. The last of the tie-backs have been installed and will be stressed and tested shortly for durability.

Frank had announced previously that construction of the center would continue through the summer.

Boutique raises cash for Resource Center

A Boutique benefit held May 12 raised more than $10,000 for the Laguna Relief and Resource Coalition, known as the Laguna Resource Center. Proceeds will go toward the salary for full-time caseworker Lisa Hall and a medical emergency fund.

Laguna Beach resident Evonne Kane gathered donations of new and used clothing for six months to stock the sale.

Shoppers lined up to get in the Presbyterian church’s parlor the morning of the sale, and continued to arrive all day to take advantage of deals on clothing, shoes, accessories and small decorative items, many bearing designer labels.

Kane said she’ll hold another sale in the fall; donors may call her at (949) 661-1236. Information will be posted at www.boutiquebenefit.com.

The Resource Center welcomes monetary gifts and donations of clothing, food and toiletries for families and homeless people throughout the year. Go to www.lagunarelief.org for more information.