Locals shine at county fair

BARBARA DIAMOND

Thirteen talented Laguna Beach residents brought home a total of 24

prizes from the Orange County Fair.

Gloria Broming collected six prizes -- four in the Floral Pavilion

for dahlias and roses and two in the farm and garden section for her

blackberries.

“I have entered the competition for years with different flowers,

but I always enter my blackberries,” the avid gardener said.

“Everyone told me I was going to be sorry when I planted them, but

they haven’t overtaken the yard, and I have had them in for six

years.”

Broming grows whatever catches her fancy in her 120-square-foot, street-front garden

“It’s a crazy garden -- totally cottage” Broming said.

She spends about six hours every weekend and 1 1/2 hours each

night during the week working in the garden. Husband Richard is

supportive.

“I come home from work and put on my headlamp and go out into the

garden,” Broming said. “People must think I am crazy. Even when I

come home at midnight, I go out ‘slugging.’”

Night time is the best time to rid her garden of night crawlers --

she uses no chemical pesticides.

However, this year, Broming will be trying out Kellogg’s Organic

Natural Mulch, recommended by a co-worker and also used by Rosaura

Ulvestad, Broming’s gardening idol, whose home has been featured on

the annual Laguna Beach Garden Club tour.

Broming, who has lived in Laguna for 14 years, is a Laguna Coast

Wilderness Park volunteer and she also helps propagate and nurture

native plants in the park nursery.

Other local prize winners included photographers Amanda Asch,

David Laurito, George Ramirez, Doug Robertson and Linda Johnson.

Robertson, 35, took a second place in the architecture category

for a color photograph of a translucent, glass-tiled wall at the New

Orleans zoo.

“I shot the picture with my digital camera and transferred it to

my computer,” Robertson said.

He adjusted the color and contrast to his satisfaction and printed

the photograph on his inkjet printer.

“I don’t mess too much with the images,” said Robertson, who works

at Mission Printing in Laguna Canyon.

This was the second year he entered the competition.

“Last year, I did better,” Robertson said. “I won two blue ribbons

and a third place.”

Donald W. A. Smith, a self proclaimed pack rat, was a winner in

the stein division of household collections and memorabilia.

“I collect all kinds of crazy things,” Smith said. “I could put in

a different entry for the next 50 years.”

Smith began collecting steins when he went to Germany in 1961 as a

young second lieutenant.

In his first year competing at the fair, Smith entered steins from

his collection as military memorabilia.

“They were all German regimental steins, from 1880 to 1910,” Smith

said. “Last year, I entered some steins as antiques and won best of

show. This year, I entered half-liter or smaller, women’s and

children’s steins from 1840 to 1910.

“I enjoy doing it. I learn more about steins and I love to share

them.”

Mark Yamashiro was division winner for the ruby slippers he

created and entered in the clothing, fashion accessories -- home and

hobbies section. He also took a first place in emboidery, counted

thread/cross stitch for a sampler.

Margie Bell won prizes in the amateur weaving -- home and hobbies

division.

Will Fletcher, 17, was the winner in the youth, computer-assisted

drawing category, in which he entered only one piece.

“I would have entered two, but the other piece was too big,”

Fletcher said. “It was a response piece to David Hockney, and it was

about six feet long.”

The Laguna Beach native is a student at Sage Hill School. He took

his first computer art class last year as a junior.

“After two years of traditional, I wanted to try digital art,”

Fletcher said.

This was the second year Fletcher entered the competition.

His younger sister, Liz, 10, entered prints in the youth fine

arts, two dimensional framed category for pre-teens.

She is a student at Top of the World Elementary School, which her

older brother also attended. They are the children of Jim and Cindy

Fletcher.

Teenager Sarah T. Davis won prizes in the teen fair theme category

of youth fine arts.

A TAXING EVENING

County Treasurer Tax-Collector John Moorlach was among friends

when he spoke at the Laguna Beach Taxpayers Assn. meeting, held

recently at Aliso Creek Inn.

“He inspires me,” association President Martha Lydick said. “We

are honored to have him as a speaker.”

Ten years ago, Moorlach’s voice was the lone warning cry about the

county’s investment strategies -- a harbinger of the financial

disaster to come. Six months after incumbent Robert Citron defeated

Moorlach for the treasurer’s job, the county declared bankruptcy,

blamed almost entirely on investment practices.

Moorlach was appointed to replace Citron shortly after the

bankruptcy declaration in 1994, a job he has held ever since.

Now, Moorlach is on the warpath again, vehemently opposed to some

county fiscal decisions, including a union contract that expanded

pension benefits for government employees.

“I am so frustrated when the supervisors create a debt of this

measure and push it onto our kids and our grandkids,” Moorlach said.

“Benefit increases should be put on the ballot. It’s done in a lot of

counties.”

Laguna Beach resident Frank Ricchiazzi said due to the landslide

in June, Laguna Beach probably can’t afford to wait for a vote and

asked what could be done right now.

“I think we call that leadership,” Moorlach responded.

Moorlach has announced his intention to be a leader. He is a

candidate for supervisor’s seat to be vacated by Jim Silva in the

2006 election.

Although Moorlach is running in a district that does not include

Laguna, his appearance brought new members to the taxpayers. Sandy

and Ara Hovanesian, Doug Landrum, Sergio Prince and Eliott Alhadeff

all joined that night.

Also at the meeting: Councilwoman Cheryl Kinsman, Ann and Bill

McDonald, Howard Pink, Ed and Angie Peterson, Alex Wentzel, Kent

Russell, Gene Felder, Rick Leckly and Bobbi Cox.

* OUR LAGUNA is a regular feature of the Laguna Beach Coastline

Pilot. Contributions are welcomed. Write to Barbara Diamond, P.O. Box

248, Laguna Beach, 92652; hand-deliver to Suite 22 in the Lumberyard,

384 Forest Ave.; call (949) 494-4321 or fax (949) 494-8979.