AROUND TOWN - Aug. 8, 2008

Saturday parade to mark anniversary of Pageant

In celebration of the Pageant of the Masters’ 75th Birthday, a parade similar to the original “Spirit of the Masters” parade in 1933 will be conducted Saturday.

The parade will start at 11 a.m. near the Laguna Art Museum on North Coast Highway at Cliff Drive, which was the Festival’s location in 1935. The route will include stops at some of the Festival’s early locations before moving to 650 Laguna Canyon Road.

The parade will end at the Festival of Arts grounds with a presentation on Center Green immediately following.

Festival of Arts president Wayne Baglin will ring a bell at 11 a.m. to begin the parade, which will march to Ocean Avenue, where the Festival was located in 1934, then to the Hotel Laguna, where it was situated in 1932, 1933 and 1936.

Then the parade will march up Forest Avenue to City Hall, where the Festival was located from 1937 through 1940, and then proceed to 650 Laguna Canyon Road, where it has been since 1941.

On the Festival grounds, a presentation will be conducted with Mayor Jane Egly.

The cast of “The Last Supper” will march in costume, without their headdresses.The parade will include volunteers, artists, board members, and staff.

AIDS garden in need of tending for restoration

The Garden of Peace and Love, a memorial to those who have lost their lives to AIDS, is in need of restoration.

A garden work party is planned for 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Volunteers should meet on the steps to the beach at Mountain Road, 1400 S. Coast Hwy.

ACTION O.C. hosts celebration for outreach

Business and community leaders will gather Sept. 13 at the Laguna Beach Woman’s Club to celebrate ACTION (AIDS Care Teams in Our Neighborhoods) OC, one of the Outreach Ministries of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church of Laguna Beach.

The Cajun-themed annual soiree commemorates ACTION’s ongoing commitment to create and nurture communities of care that support the more than 3,500 people in Orange County living with the life challenging illness of AIDS/HIV. The event will include a silent auction, dinner, dancing, and live Dixieland jazz.

ACTION will honor Dr. Jorge Rodriguez of Newport Beach at this event. One of the first local physicians to dedicate his practice to this speciality, Rodriguez has worked tirelessly to promote the health and well being of people suffering with this illness.

The Mary Wood Compassionate Presence Award, named for the champion of the ACTION ministry at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, will be presented to Trudy James, MRE, hospital chaplain, and AIDS CareTeam Specialist for Multifaith Works in Seattle. James is being honored for her long record of assistance to those with HIV and AIDS and as the pioneer of the concept of Care Teams through which a team of volunteers become a surrogate family to those who have lost their own through death, distance or estrangement.

Tickets to Ragin’ Cajun are $100 per person and may be purchased online at www.actionoc.org. Revenue from the event will benefit ACTION’s community education and social service programs.

ACTION is a nonprofit organization committed to cultivating compassion, understanding, and education about the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. The name, the group says, reflects a dedication to provide caring support and train and sustaining people who want to reach out to this population.

For more information contact Julio Rodriguez, Program Director, Julio@actionoc.org or call (949)494-5165.