‘Men of Laguna Beach’ calendar on sale

The Men of Laguna Beach 2008 calendar has been published and can be purchased online at www.menoflagunabeach.com, said Fred Karger, founder of Save the Boom, an organization seeking to keep the legendary Boom Boom Room gay bar open in Laguna Beach. The bar closed Sept. 3.

The calendars will initially be sold online, and soon will be sold at some in stores in Laguna Beach. The calendar retails for $14.95.

“Our calendar is showcasing one of Laguna’s best natural resources, its great-looking men,” said Karger. “We are extremely proud of how well it came out, especially because it was an all-volunteer effort. All proceeds from the sales of the calendar go to support our efforts to Save the Boom and toLaguna Beach charities.”

More than 50 people volunteered their time and talent to make the calendar, Karger said.

The final 12 were selected from 35 men who tried out at an open casting call for gay and straight men on July 7. The field was narrowed down to 20 finalists and then to the final 12 as a result of a posting on AOL’s QueerSighted.com, which had 1.2 million page views and 350,000 votes cast in three weeks. The Coastline Pilot also featured the contest in print and online.

A panel of judges then picked the 12, one for each month, and awarded the top finishers cash prizes. Caleb King was the 1st place finisher and won $1,000 and is featured on the cover. Second place went to Gustavo Marzolla and there was a five-way tie for third place.

“We want to give a huge thank you to celebrity photographer Cris Lapp who took all of the photos, and to our graphic designer Brad Mayo,” Karger said.

For more information, visit www.savetheboom.com.