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APRIL 26, 2024 | Volume XXI, Issue 17
Laguna Photographer to Share Personal Retrospective of California Music Festivals
Above left: Will Rogers State Beach in Los Angeles during an anti-war/ music “Be-In” in the summer of 69. Right: The Newport Pop Festival, Costa Mesa held on August 3 and 4, 1968. Photos courtesy of Jan Nichols
By Clara Beard | LB Indy The Music History Hall Foundation, a local nonprofit dedicated to preserving American music, will celebrate the music, fashion and culture of Southern California Music Festivals from 1968 to 1971 in a special one-night-only event at the Rivian Theatre on May 3.
Through never-before-seen personal photographs by Laguna Beach resident Jan Nichols, a unique story unfolds about the Southern California festival experience at the height of the counterculture movement. Nichols attended every music festival and “happening” in Southern California,
including a few up north like Altamont during the counterculture explosion. With the eye of an artist, Nichols captured intimate and arresting photographs of concertgoers, musicians and not-so-undercover police officers as the country grappled with the youth-led PHOTOGRAPHY, PAGE 20
Drone Light Show to Replace July 4 Fireworks By Clara Beard | LB Indy The Laguna Beach night sky will look a little different this Fourth of July as the city council unanimously approved a drone light show instead of traditional fireworks at Tuesday’s regular meeting. The July 4 drone show will be on a
one-year trial basis, allowing the city to return to fireworks in 2025 if the drones are deemed an unsatisfactory replacement. “At the end of the day, this comes down to protecting our environment, veterans and our wildlife,” Mayor Pro
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Tem Alex Rounaghi said. “I’m willing to try this drone show out for this year. Hopefully, going forward, we can design this show to make it a really cool experience for residents and visitors.” A drone light show performs customizable synchronized patterns, shapes and FIREWORKS, PAGE 18
Forest Avenue Promenade Plan Ignites Debate Over Resident Inclusion By Jackie Connor, Special to the Independent Despite some dissent, Laguna Beach City Council agreed to a final plan from April to November to move the $2.7 million Forest Avenue Promenade project toward a more permanent state. However, some councilmembers expressed concerns about the level of community involvement and a lack of data-driven decisions. The plan, presented by the new Promenade ad hoc committee made up of Mayor Sue Kempf and Councilmember Mark Orgill, will focus on securing the project as a permanent pedestrian plaza. “Our effort and intent when we put this [the plan] together was to provide the community with as much detail as possible…and make sure at this juncture, that the community was going to be included,” said Orgill. The ad hoc committee’s proposed scope involves collaborating with various stakeholders, including community members, city staff and consultants via workshops, focus groups FOREST, PAGE 20
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