Another fantastic Laguna Beach Memorial Day celebration kicked off this year with the Laguna Beach Exchange Club Pancake Breakfast. Firefighters, policemen and city workers were up before dawn preparing for the day. The grills were fired up and firefighters flipped pancakes at . Eugene "Diz" D'Isabella (former fire captain) arrived in the department's vintage 1931 Seagrave Suburbanite fire truck, much to the joy of the children in attendance, and musical entertainment was provided by Douglas Miller. All supplies for the breakfast were generously donated by and , and all proceeds will go to child abuse prevention and local youth groups.
Directly following the breakfast, a moving memorial service was held at Laguna's honoring the men and women who died or are/were listed as missing in action while serving the United States Armed Forces. Speeches were given by Councilmember Kelly Boyd and Assemblyman Don Wagner. A 21-gun salute was held, in addition to a remembrance ceremony, floral offerings, a prayer led by Chaplain/Service Officer Norm Abbod, and a closing song of "God Bless America."
The celebration continued at with a performance by the Laguna Beach Concert Band, consisting of 60 memebers from Laguna Beach and surrounding areas. Director Ed Peterson, along with vocalists Linda Hughes, Ginger Hatfield and Lisa Morrice entertained the crowd. The show ended with a George M. Cohan sing-along tribute.
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It was a reflective and celebratory day that brought out hundreds to Laguna. As usual, Laguna Beach did not disappoint.
