Our Laguna: Top wheels take the prizes at car show

El Hathaway l Hathaway took two of the top three prizes at Rotary’s Classic Car Show Sunday.

Kelly Boyd presented the former school board member with the Mayor’s Award and Rotary President Rick Lang presented Hathaway with the People’s Choice Award for his 1948 Jaguar, which also was selected as the best entry in the European 1946-60 Convertible Class.

“Everyone at the show votes for the People’s Choice, but the Mayor’s Award was all Kelly,” said event Chairman Harry Bithell, who announced the winners and some “Outstanding” runners-up in the 26 categories in the sixth annual show.

The top prize went to a 1956 356A Porsche Speedster, owned by Rick Owens of Tustin.

“It was extremely hard to choose,” Bithell said. “It was a great show this year. Austin Healy turned out to be our marquee class this year. We had an outstanding number of them.”

The class was sponsored by the Austin-Healey Assn.

The Foreign Sports Car class was judged by Dale and Marcy Becker. Marcy is one of the few female car show judges.

“This is not a concours d’elegance, but it is a high-end show,” Marcy said.

And it draws an enthusiastic crowd, estimated by Publicity Chairman John Nootbar at 2,000.

Some participants are invited, others are vetted and approved as entries. A maximum of 220 entries are allowed. There were 11 more entries this year than last. The oldest was a 1911 Mercedes Benz.

The Benz was judged outstanding in the Antique through 1931 class, sponsored by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. The winner was a 1911 Auburn.

All 26 categories were sponsored, most by Laguna businesses.

Other winners included Boyd’s Fiat Jolly, in the American Convertible 1932-42 class, sponsored by the Marine Room. Charles Wigs sponsored the American 1932-42 Closed category, won by a 1939 ford Deluxe Coupe.

A 1959 Aston Martin was named the outstanding entry in the European 1946-60 Closed competition.

David De Peno’s 1946 Ford Convertible was judged best of the American 1946-60 Convertibles in its show debut. The class was sponsored by Ron Roth and Bruce Doole of Permanent Value. Pete and Kathy Hoffman’s 1956 Lincoln won the RTC-sponsored American 1946-60 Closed category.

A 1965 Chevrolet owned by Tony Hernandez won the 1960-72 American category, sponsored by Pete and Helen Maxwell and Ted Alvarez.

Family Classic Cars owns the 1967 Ferrari that won the Ferraris Through 1979 class.

“But they were not the judges,” Bithell hastened to note.

Jaguars Through 1974 was sponsored by Bobbi Cox and Jan Herkelrath and won by a 1958 XK 150.

Corky Fontana won the Porsches Through 1965 category, sponsored by Ward Blackburn’s Tradewinds Publications.

T-Birds Through 1965 was won by Don Hover’s 1956 model. The class was sponsored by Chicago Title and Escrow Services.

Optomistrists David Cler and Michael Cook of i 2 i Optometry sponsored the Custom Car Class. Hot rods were sponsored by State Farm Insurance broker Jim Lawler. John Campbell Insurance sponsored the Woodies.

Other class sponsors included Citizens Bank, Aliso Creek Inn, European Optical, Noel Johnson, Rudy Campos of Wally’s Barber Shop, Midas Muffler of Laguna Beach, Shuster & Sons Auto Repair, Prudential California Realty, Be Perfect Foundation, Barnhoorn Automotive and American Security Bank.

“A big thank you goes to Peppertree Lane for being our returning show sponsor and additional thank yous to Crevier BMW/MINI [owned by Donnie Crevier] and HOM Real Estate for sponsoring our two venues,” Bithell said.

The show was split between the Festival of Arts Grounds and the city parking lot across Laguna Canyon Road.

“The intent of our club is that we have a fun and enjoyable day and raise money for our local charities,” Bithell said.

Rotary is an international organization of business and professional men and women, dedicated to humanitarian service.

The local group has an ongoing financial commitment to Laguna’s Susi Q Senior Center and annually donates more than $10,000 to nonprofit organizations in town.

The locals helped establish a Rotary Club in Herat, Afghanistan, with Khyber Pass owner and local Rotarian Sadiq Tawfiq as its first president.

Support for young people includes honoring 12 student a year, sponsorship of annual District Speech Contest and District Chorale Contest finalists and scholarships in excess of $4,000.

The club meets at noon Fridays at the Aliso Creek Inn and claims to have raised fellowship to an art form

More than 70 Rotary volunteers participated in the show.

Among the volunteers: Rotarians Pamela Pozin, Rosalind Russell, Marianne Raczkowski, Peter Coaggrossi, Doug Easton and Sue White; Josh Meader, Jeremy Milk and Troy Henderson of Chicago Title.

Tom Swimm was the featured artist at the show. Glass artist Patti Starski created the gold-trimmed bowl awarded to the People’s Choice and Best of Show winners.

For more information, visit www.lagunabeachrotary.com or www.rotary.org, e-mail LagunaBeachRotary@cox.net or write to Laguna Beach Rotary Club, P.O. Box 2, Laguna Beach, CA 92651.

ART BY THE DOZEN

A dozen women gathered Saturday on the patio of the Old Pottery Place at the invitation of Studio Arts Gallery owner Rebecca Barber and artist Claudia Olsen to create some art in convivial company and surroundings.

Materials were provided for the art workshop participants to collage create postcards, similar to the Festival of Arts class, Postcards from Laguna. Olsen was one of the teachers of the class. Barber was a student.

“I love doing collage,” Olsen said. “I am a great recycler.”

Vista Paints donated samples from wallpaper boos. Barber supplied scissors, glue sticks and Bellinis — a mixture of champagne and peach juice.

The finished products could be sent as cards or framed and kept as mementos of the day.

Shelly Woodward, who was raised in Laguna, but has moved, brought two guests from Ireland to town for the day.

“We stopped at the Visitors Bureau on Broadway and asked what was going on it town and they suggested the workshop,” Woodward said

Maire and Siobhan Cunningham said they would be taking their postcards back to Ireland when they left Sunday.

Toni Lanning, an art student who recently became interested in collage, read about the workshop in the Coastline Pilot. She also plans to keep her work.

Lagunan Ophelia Lum You said she usually gives away her artwork, but this one she will keep for herself. It was a striking combination of reds and Asian-looking papers that spoke of and to her heritage.

Barber will give her card to husband, John, an award-winning glass artist, for his birthday.

Some of the woman at the workshop had done collage before. But this was an art project that did not overwhelm someone just dipping their toes into the creative process.

“It is so rare that I take the time to do something creative,” said Evonne Kane, a longtime friend of Barber’s. “I want to bring more of that into my life.”

One reason she hasn’t much leisure time is her commitment to the Boutique Benefit, which holds an annual sale of donated new and gently used clothes to raise money for the Laguna Beach Relief and Resource Center. This year the group has added a dinner and silent auction Nov. 1 at Bistro K in Laguna Niguel to their fundraising efforts.

Workshop participants also included Rossandra White, a former Sawdust Festival exhibitor, and Nancy Jumper who serendipitously heard about the workshop from Festival of Arts Exhibitor Betty Haight, whom she met on a golf course.

Also enjoying the creativity endeavor: Leslie Moritz, Connie Beatty-Bean and Sally Whiting.

This was Studio Arts Gallery second collage workshop. Another will be held the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Participants will be making gift cards

For more information, call Barber at (949) 376-1619 or visit the gallery at the Old Pottery Place, 1200 S. Coast Hwy.

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; call (949) 380-4321 or e-mail coastlinepilot@latimes.com