May also brings community events that complement...

May also brings community events that complement city-sponsored

Heritage Month activities and bring alive the unique history of

Laguna Beach.

Orange County Beaches and Parks, 6 p.m., May 2.

The Laguna Canyon Conservancy will host a special oral and filmed

presentation on the acquisition of county beaches and parks, a

project of Laguna Beach residents and county officials Harry Huggins

and Eric Jessen. Jessen will retire this year as chief of Orange

County Harbors, Beaches and Parks department.

Many of the county’s most beautiful beaches and parks are in

Laguna Beach.

The conservancy dinner presentation will be the preview of the

Jessen/Huggins project.

Dinner is $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers, payable at the door

with required reservations, which must be made before Saturday.

For more information, call (949) 497-1884. To make reservations,

call (949) 494-6465 and leave name, phone number and number in party.

Garden Tour, May 5.

The Laguna Beach Garden Club selected Woods Cove for the annual

walking tour.

Seven gardens will be featured on the “Wood’s Cove Gate and Garden

Walking Tour,” which will encompass the area generally bounded by

Bluebird Canyon to the north, south to Moss Street, Santa Cruz Street

to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

The cost is $25. Tickets must be purchased in advance at website

www.lagunabeach gardenclub.org or at Laguna Drugs. Tour brochures

listing the specific gardens will be available at Bluebird Park,

where the tour begins.

Coffee Mornings With Hortense, 9 a.m.-noon, May 7 and 14.

The Friends of the Hortense Miller Garden will host two coffees at

the gardens, a 2.5-acre parcel in North Laguna.

Attendance is limited to 25 per day. Docents will conduct small

groups through the classic 1950s house and gardens to the gazebo for

refreshments. If all goes according to plan, 96-year-old Hortense

Miller will join the guests.

Suggested donation is $30. Proceeds support the garden.

The garden was established in 1959 and has more than 1,500 plants,

with an emphasis on South African and California natives. Miller has

deeded the gardens to the city.

For more information, visit website www.hortensemillergarden.org.

For reservations, call (949) 499-5518.

Laguna Wilderness Hike, 8-10 a.m., May 14.

See what Laguna was like before development, sparked by fantastic

ocean views. Laguna Greenbelt Inc. docents will guide hikers through

Laguna Canyon to Bommer Ridge and down Willow Canyon.

Sturdy shoes, sunscreen and hats are advised. $2 donation for the

hike. Parking is $3.

Reservations required. For more information or to make

reservations, call (949) 923-2235.

Step Back In time, 10 a.m.-noon, May 14.

A Crystal Cove State Park volunteer and former resident of the

Crystal Cove Historic District will conduct a guided tour of this

wonderful example of an early California beach settlement.

Meet at Los Trancos parking lot on the inland side of Pacific

Coast Highway, one mile north of El Morro Elementary School. No

charge for the tour. Parking is $10.

For more information, call (949) 4977647.

Charm House Tour, noon-5:30 p.m., May 15.

The 33rd annual Village Laguna Charm House tour will be held May

15. Five special homes ranging from Laguna charmers to modern

masterpieces will be featured.

The first chartered city tour tram will leave at noon from the bus

stop in front of the Festival of Arts Grounds at 650 Laguna Canyon

Road. Trams take participants to each home, but the tour includes

some walking and stair climbing, and comfortable shoes are a must.

Community leaders serve as guides on the buses and hosts at the

homes.

Tours take between two and three hours, with tour-goers setting

their own pace.

The last bus will leave the starting gate at 3:30 p.m. Homes will

be closed at 5:30 p.m.

Advance tickets are $35, available by writing Charm House Tour,

P.O. Box 1309, Laguna Beach, 92652 or at selected Laguna Beach shops

and offices. Tour day tickets will be $40, if any are available.

Proceeds benefit Village Laguna projects, which include student

scholarships, charitable donations and financial support for endorsed

City Council candidates or initiatives.

For more information, visit reilly@cox.net or call (949) 494-4137.

You Gotta Have Art, 7:30-9:30 p.m., May 20.

The Laguna Beach Historical Society will host an illustrated talk

on the Laguna Art Museum by Janet Blake, collections curator.

The presentation will be held in the City Council chambers, 505

Forest Ave. Refreshments will be served. No charge.

Visit the Historical Society headquarters at the Murphy-Smith

Bungalow, 278 Ocean Ave., open from 1-4 p.m., Fridays, Saturdays and

Sundays. No charge.

Society membership fees are $15 per household, $50 per business.

Proceeds support the all-volunteer society projects.

For more information, e-mail gene@felder.net or call (949)

939-7257.

Laguna’s Hidden Treasures, May 1-31.

Visit the Laguna Art Museum to see “Laguna’s Hidden Treasures: Art

from Private Collections. The museum is at 307 Cliff Dr. on the

corner of North Coast Highway. For more information, call (949)

494-8971.