No-show celebrity doesn’t dampen Bluebird spirits

BARBARA DIAMOND

A gala crowd spent most of Saturday at El Morro Elementary School,

enjoying the blue skies and rockin’ music, hyped by the wide-spread

rumor that Paul McCartney would attend the Bluebird Fundraiser.

“We had a small disappointment,” fund-raiser organizer Andy

Allison announced to the diehards at 7:30 p.m. “‘He’ didn’t show.”

But a whole bunch of other people did show. Crowd estimates range

from 400 to 2,500.

Laguna Relief and Resource Center board President Ed Sauls

reported that $40,000 was deposited by Monday and more is expected.

Funds were raised by donations, sales of $25 tickets, proceeds

from a silent auction and the sale of Hobie Sports “Bluebird Canyon

Shall Rise” T-shirts and event souvenir T-shirts.

Performers who donated their services included Toulouse Engelhardt

from The Birds, The Vagenius, Richard Swift, Pawn Shop Kings,

Duo-tones, John Hussenstamm, the Ken Garcia Band and ADD, the

concluding act.

Nikki Robinson served as mistress of ceremonies. She works in the

law offices of Thomas Davis, legal advisor to concert organizer Dave

Vanderveen, owner of a slide-damaged home, and other displaced

families.

“Anyone who lives or works in Laguna gets caught up in a sense of

responsibility,” Robinson said. “I felt a need to volunteer for the

event -- and it kind of snowballed.”

Robinson was ready to do what ever was needed.

“On Friday, I was asked if I would emcee,” Robinson said. “I said,

sure. It was a joy to be part of it.”

The event was put together in just a couple of weeks, Vanderveen

said.

“We started talking about it at the Bluebird Park breakfast [June

4], but we had trouble finding a venue,” Vanderveen said. “The park

was too small and then the city suggested El Morro.”

Use of the playground had to be approved by the school district

and parking was donated by the state, which equaled a $7,000

donation.

Other underwriters include the Davis law firm, Prudential of

California, Wells Fargo Bank Energize Life and Hearts of Montage.

The restaurant HUSH, Dr. Bill Anderson of the Sleepy Hollow

Walk-in Medical Clinic, and Surf Gallery made cash donations.

Anita Rohloff of English Garden donated the flowers that decorated

the stage and she created a flower arrangement that long-time

customer Allison asked her to make for Paul and Heather McCartney.

“Andy gave me discretion for the design,” Rohloff said. “I had

observed their wedding bouquet and that tipped me to their taste.”

Rohloff covered a low vase with raw silk and filled it with

variegated pink and white dahlias and pink peonies she described as

luscious.

“Andy brought me sheet music for Bluebird and I incorporated that

into the design and we delivered it,” Rohloff said. “Andy printed a

letter to Paul and Heather inviting them to the benefit and signed it

with his name and telephone number.”

Delivery was easier said than done. First the driver went to an

address in Pasadena, where he was told that McCartney did not live

there.

“So we went to Plan B,” Rohloff said. “I told the driver to call

Andy and he was told to deliver the arrangement to a restaurant where

Paul was eating. Paul was not there.

“So we went to Plan C, which was get the flowers to Capital

Records in Hollywood and someone would sign for them.

“By this time it was about 8 p.m. and my driver had gone the extra

mile, literally.”

City Manager Ken Frank said someone with an English accent called

and talked to City Arts Manager Sian Poeschl and claimed to represent

Paul McCartney and that they had heard about the fund-raiser.

“We called back the number and it was Capitol Records, but the

person was not available,” Frank said. “We are not looking into it.”

Still, the event could only be called a success, cementing once

again the sense of community that makes Laguna unique.

“This town is what keeps me going,” said Diane Stevens, whose

family was displaced by the slide.

Rick Gold, who chairs events for the Laguna Board of Realtors, was

among the volunteers, hawking opportunity prize tickets. Deputy City

Clerk Mindy LaTendresse sold entry tickets, recruited by Debi Cortez

of the Resource Center. Marcus Noble, whose home is in the slide

area, worked parking control. Attorney Bill O’Hare just turned up and

turned to.

“I’m just helping Dave Vanderveen any way I can,” Noble said.

Laguna Beach Fire Department Reserve Captain John Luna was

available for first aid or to call for backup.

Volunteer Emerald Bay firefighters Joe Emley, a chiropractor, and

David Skarman, whose daytime job is with Prudential of California,

were on hand to provide emergency services, if needed.

“We support every function that El Morro puts on,” Skarman said.

Also on hand at El Morro: school district boss Theresa Daum and

former principal Joanne Culverhouse, now principal of Thurston Middle

School.

Culverhouse could barely take a step without getting a hug from

students. She loved it.

Also seen at the concert: Ernie and Mayor Elizabeth

Pearson-Schneider, Council members Toni Iseman, Cheryl Kinsman, Jane

Egly, and Steven Dicterow; recovery coordinator Bob Burnham, Nancy

and Ken Frank, Annie Quilter, Kimberly and Clay Leeds, Todd and

Stefani McCallum, Betsy Jenkins, former and future Bluebird Canyon

residents John Gustafson and Jim Moore and Vicki Gorham.

Gorham lives in El Morro Village and is involved in putting

families in privately owned motor homes there, rent free.

“We have four in and probably by next week, we will have two more

families,” Gorham said Saturday.

As of Monday, the community’s generosity has built up the relief

fund to $108,911.45 -- that 911 number keeps popping up; it is

coincidentally part of the telephone number of the recovery

coordinator.

The total announced Monday did not include the funds raised at the

Saturday concert, or the $33,000 reported raised at the Board of

Realtors benefit featuring The Blue Offenders Sunday night at the

Sandpiper, or the donations made at the special City Council meeting

Monday by Katie Bick, 11, who presented a check for $200 collected by

the Music Students Service League at a recital, and by Thurston

Middle School student Sarah Proctor, 12, and Top of the World student

Carly Mooshin, 9, who raised $25.37 selling lemonade smoothies.

* OUR LAGUNA is a regular feature. Write to Barbara Diamond, P.O.

Box 248, Laguna Beach, 92652; hand-deliver to Suite 222 in the

Lumberyard, 384 Forest Ave.; call (949) 494-4321 or fax (949)

494-8979.