Memorial Day Events

A Memorial Day crowd soaks up sun and sound during last year's Community Band performance at Main Beach. Though the summer season officially begins June 20, this weekend's Memorial Day holiday really kicks off the not-so-lazy, but for sure hazy and crazy days of summer.

Given the beach as the venue of choice for celebrating, residents can start Monday with a 7 a.m. pancake breakfast at Heisler Park, attend an 11 a.m. Memorial Day ceremony at Monument Point and continue the celebration with a 12:30 p.m. free concert at Main Beach.

Keep in mind, Lagunans won't be the only ones hitting our beautiful beaches. "It is going to be extremely busy, and the whole summer will be that way," warned lifeguard Lt. Scott Diederich, who will start staffing more beach towers beginning this weekend. Since a day at the beach is a bargain compared to other forms of entertainment, he said that lifeguards habitually encounter big crowds in a recession.

In the off season, lifeguards generally operate on a reduced staff of 12, with two manned towers at Main Beach, one at Treasure Island, and rescue patrol units in the field. With the advent of Memorial Day, they bump weekend coverage up to a so-called skeleton crew of 22, manning 11 towers and three rescue response units in the field. Weekday coverage remains at the reduced staff level, though.

Beginning June 20, lifeguards go into full staffing mode through Labor Day, weekdays and weekends alike. This means a minimum staff of 52 on duty, and often up to 60, with 30 manned towers, four rescue response units on patrol and all beaches covered.

Diederich warns that beachgoers need to be vigilant about their own safety and that before entering the water they should always check with the lifeguards, swim near an open lifeguard tower and never swim alone no matter what the season.

City Hall will be closed for the Memorial Day holiday.

Pancake Breakfast The Laguna Beach Exchange Club is hosting a pancake breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 25, in Heisler Park. For just $5, guests can partake of a hearty meal provided by the White House and Las Brisas, with off-duty firemen flipping the flapjacks, and coffee courtesy of the Laguna Coffee Company.

Breakfasters will be entertained by roving "watermelon faerie" Jessica Destefano, Hawaiian dancing with Linda Haylett of "Miss Linda's Castle," and music by Chip McDermitt on guitar and Doug Miller on violin.

Proceeds from the breakfast benefit the Exchange Club in support of services for abused children.

Memorial Day Ceremony

The Laguna Beach American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars are joining forces for a Memorial Day ceremony at Monument Point in Heisler Park on Monday in remembrance of comrades who died in service to the nation. County Supervisor Pat Bates is the speaker.

The public is invited to come early, as seating is limited. Music will begin at 10:30 a.m. and the ceremony at 11 a.m. sharp.

Organizations planning to place floral offerings are asked to add their name to the arrangement and deliver them by 10:30 a.m. Info: Diane Connell at 494-2065 or Richard Moore at 376-6340.

Main Beach Concert

The Laguna Community Concert Band sets the rhythm with their traditional Memorial Day Concert on the cobblestone area of Main Beach from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday. Grab a lawn chair, a picnic lunch and a spot on the grass.

"Playing at Main Beach brings the band into the heart of the community," said trumpeter Matt Wood, adding that "kids, young and old, just start dancing when we play. It's a lot of fun."

The full concert band of over 60 members will perform a wide variety of music, from Sousa marches to jazz to the cartoon symphony. The Third Street Strutters, a smaller Dixieland group of band members, will also entertain.