Wyland

Contest being held to celebrate marine areas Laguna Bluebelt is celebrating the one-year anniversary of Laguna's marine protected areas with its annual photo contest, according to a news release. Contest prizes include: •A helicopter ride along the coast to Laguna with OC Helicopter Tours. •A scuba dive and 2-tank boat trip, plus air from Laguna Sea Sports/Beach Cities Scuba. •Whale and Dolphin Cruise for two with Capt. Dave's Dolphin Safari. •Kayak or stand-up paddleboarding tour for two from La Vida Laguna.

A study on the Laguna Beach art market conducted by a Corona del Mar strategic analyst and venture capitalist has many gallery owners stewing. The study's most contentious finding was that art sales during the summer months were flat; it also found that contemporary art is much more lucrative than Laguna's storied plein-air art. Gallery representatives — none of whom wished to be identified for this story — also claim that the...

"Everything is possible with a water well. " So says Nick Jordan, co-founder of Wells of Life , a nonprofit dedicated to bringing water to impoverished African communities. His organization is committed to drilling 1,000 wells, which would give water to 1 million people by 2018. Jordan was previously involved with Fields of Life, Wells of Life's sister organization, which builds schools in Africa. During a trip there in 2008 with Fields of Life CEO Trevor Stevenson, Jordan realized a lack of water had a real hold on communities and decided to get involved.

Green Day at Sawdust Art Festival The Sawdust Art Festival is hosting its fourth annual Green Day from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The event includes environmentally aware activities like the Wyland Foundation mural project, where people of all ages can paint marine life on a 5-foot by 10-foot mural. The Wyland Foundation supports ocean conservation. "Save the Bugs!" lets children create an insect out of recycled materials, such as egg crates and bottle caps. They can submit their critter to the "Best Bug" contest.

Sunday may have been foggy, but the goal of the Laguna Beach Community Clinic's Cinco de Mayo celebration was clear - raise money. About $53,000 was netted at the annual event, held Sunday on the terraced patio of Ann and Jim Shea's hillside home. The proceeds included the money raised to match Francine and Daniel Scinto's $4,000 challenge grant in honor of Mayor Kelly Boyd . Boyd has made a significant contribution for the past eight years to the clinic, one of the local nonprofits that benefit from the Spring Classic Golf Tournament he sponsors.

First Sundays hosts guitar trio Oct. 5 Laguna Beach Live! Will begin another season of First Sundays, a collaboration with Laguna College of Art & Design to present a free afternoon of music and art on the first Sunday of the month, from October through May, except January. Back by popular demand is the Triada Guitar Trio to open the season from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 5. Brothers Chekardzhikovi ? Nikola, Vasil and Petar ? are from Bulgaria and have studied guitar since early childhood.

“Brain Power” empowers children to start making healthy choices from an early age, one community service event at a time. Together with the Laguna Beach Boys & Girls Club and the Wyland Foundation, the Brain Power program raises awareness on the issues surrounding youth drug and alcohol abuse through community service and educational field trips for children of all ages. For the program’s first event July 17, 10 children with adult chaperons from the Boys & Girls Club met at the Wyland Gallery for an art tour and a lecture on protecting the world’s oceans followed by lunch and a beach cleanup.