World AIDS Day marked

World AIDS Day is Dec. 1, but this year the HIV Advisory Committee of Laguna Beach will start things off Thursday by placing memorial ribbons mounted on wooden stakes in the sandy area where Broadway meets Coast Highway.

At 3 p.m., free HIV testing will be available at the cobblestone area of Main Beach. The Laguna Beach Community Clinic will park its mobile unit in plain sight, and Kim de St. Paer and her volunteers will perform the 20-minute test all afternoon.

This “quick” test is provided using funds donated by the city as well as Abbott Laboratories, represented by Rose-Marie Ilano. The test uses a drop of blood from the finger and is widely used at a cost of $50 per test.

At 6 p.m., a nondenominational candle lighting ceremony will mem- orialize those who have died of AIDS.

On Friday, Dec. 1, members of the HIV Advisory Committee will adorn trees in downtown Laguna with red ribbons bearing the names of people who have died of AIDS. These events, approved by the City Council, are intended to foster education and prevention efforts to help keep people safe from HIV infection.