CITYSCAPE ROUNDUP: Annual pancake breakfast marks end of summer

Laguna Beach Firefighters will be flipping flapjacks on Labor Day, Monday, at Heisler Park.

The Exchange Club is hosting its annual Labor Day Monday Pancake Breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the park, Cliff and Myrtle Streets, Laguna Beach.

The cost is $5 per person, and proceeds go to programs to prevent child abuse.

Trash pickup delayed by one day next week

Waste Management of Orange County’s trash and recycling pick-up schedule will be delayed by one day throughout the week of Sept. 4, in observance of Labor Day. This means customers in Laguna Beach should place their bins out for pick-up one day later than usual, beginning Tuesday through Saturday.

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, Sept. 5.

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.

New senior services coordinator joins city

Patty Koss has joined the City of Laguna Beach as senior services coordinator, City Manager Ken Frank announced Friday.

Koss worked for the City of Irvine for the past five years at that city’s two senior centers and also has worked at the Regents Point care facility.

“She brings strong experience in developing and managing recreational, therapeutic, leisure, fitness and social programs, planning special events and coordinating senior classes,” Frank said.

Koss lives in Irvine and will start her new job on Sept. 11.

Turnabout Thrift Shop reopening Tuesday

The Assistance League is stocking the shelves of its Turnabout Thrift Shop with new arrivals of stock for the shop’s grand reopening Tuesday. As a special event that day only, the shop will be open for extended hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The season will continue with regular hours thereafter: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Donations are always welcome during shop hours. The shop is located at 526 Glenneyre St. Information: (949) 494-5977.

Garden Club hosts Fegraus on wild plants

Laguna Beach Garden Club will launch a new year of speakers at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 8, with Mary Fegraus from the Laguna Canyon Foundation. Fegraus will discuss plants to be found in the area’s wilderness park system.

This meeting is geared to those who wish to find out more about the Laguna Beach Garden Club. In addition to presenting a broad range of speakers on gardening, landscaping, live table arrangements, and nature throughout the year, the club also provides fundraisers such as the annual Valentine’s Basket Silent Auction and annual Garden Tour in May.

The meeting will take place at the Neighborhood Congregational Church, 340 St. Anne’s Dr.

For more information, visit www.lagunabeachgardenclub.org.

Pet Parade, Chili Cookoff set for Sept. 10

The Laguna Board of Realtors® will be holding the 10th annual Chili Cook-off and Pet Parade Sunday, Sept. 10 from noon to 3 p.m. at Tivoli Too!, 777 Laguna Canyon Rd.

It is anticipated that 10 teams will be cooking up their best chili concoctions to win the coveted perpetual trophy given to the chili voted the best by a panel of judges.

Judges this year include Police Chief Mike Sellars; Fire Chief Mike Macey; Assistant City Manager John Pietig; chef Yuji Hiraoka; and Liz Comerford of Coldwell Banker Previews. Expect some surprises that include white bean and chicken chili, vegetarian chili and, of course, the more traditional chili made with beans and meat.

The Pet Parade will offer prizes for Most Handsome Male, Prettiest Female, Best Costume, Best Trick and Best Baby Pet. This year, a new category has been added — Most Gorgeous Senior — for animals that are at least 10 years old. The panel of judges include Councilwoman Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider; Pat Kramer of the Zoning Department; Michael Gosselin, president of the Laguna Board of Realtors®; and veterinarians Dr. James Levin and Dr. John Hamil.

Additional entertainment includes music by Tyler Murray, balloon art by Cathy Torlage and face painting by Mary Shafizadeh.

Several vendor booths will have a wide variety of pet supplies and services available.

Admission is $3, and children under 12 are admitted free. There is a $10 fee to enter a pet in one of the categories and a $50 entry fee to become one of the chili contestants.

All funds raised will be donated to three local charities: the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter; the Bluebell Cat Foundation; and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. For additional information, call (949) 497-2474.

Conservancy dinner meetings resume Sept. 11

Laguna Canyon Conservancy dinner meetings will resume Sept. 11.

Orange County 5th District Supervisor Tom Wilson, who will be leaving at the end of the year due to term limits, will be the special guest and honoree.

Wilson has helped obtain the County’s assistance in building the Nix Nature Center in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. The center will be dedicated Nov. 4.

This meeting will be held the second Monday of the month, instead of the usual first Monday, due to Labor Day. The meeting will take place at Tivoli Terrace on the Festival of Arts Grounds, 650 Laguna Canyon Rd.

The no-host bar opens at 6 p.m., with dinner served at 6:40 p.m. and the program following. Dinner tickets are $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers. Reservations are required, and those planning to attend should call Ed Drollinger at (949) 494-6465.

Dunbar to lead Assn. of Sanitation Agencies

Mike Dunbar, general manager of South Coast Water District, was elected the 2006-2007 president of the California Assn. of Sanitation Agencies recently at the organization’s annual conference in Monterey.

The group is a nonprofit industry association that consists of 115 public agencies that collect, treat, dispose of and/or recycle wastewater. Member agencies are responsible for wastewater management for more than 90% of the population in the state served by public sewer works. Dunbar lives in Laguna Niguel.

South Coast Water District provides water and sewer services to residents in South Laguna and adjacent cities.

For more information, visit www.casaweb.org.