A green monster baring its white teeth over the cart’s windshield was one of the first to arrive at the staging area. Cart riders Glennda Adair and Nancy Bledsoe included some colorful baby monsters held “lovingly” in their mama’s arms, fingernails covered in red polish.

This was their second time riding in the holiday parade, which began during the pandemic as a “safe” outdoor activity.

“It was intended to provide a bit of normalcy,” said Shoon Aung of the Village recreation department, who coordinated this year’s event.

Not to be outdone by their carts, many of the riders were dressed for the occasion as well.

Three black-clad participants with skulls for heads rode in a cart with an orange witch’s hat and large eyeballs glaring from the front. Admitting to being Linda Giss and Annie and Denise Harfield in disguise, the three ghoulish riders were making their first parade appearance.

Related: ‘Golden Bachelor’ is a hit among Laguna Woods boomers

They said they built their theme around the eyeballs they discovered at a dollar store. One of the three was blowing bubbles as the other carts and riders gathered before the parade kickoff at 11 a.m.

Pam Meislahn and Tina Magnuson chose a movie theme, dressed as Cruella de Ville and one of the “101 Dalmations” in a doggy-face cart.

“We planned this for a while and have had the costumes for a long time,” said Meislahn, covered from head to toe in a white fur coat and sporting red high heels. On a very warm Halloween morning, she admitted to being “hot but it’s worth it!”

Monica and Hans Berg were dressed as a nun and a Viking, a couple of costumes they have used since the mid 1980s.

“He’s from Norway so is a natural Viking,” Monica Berg said of her other half. “And I grew up Catholic.”

In addition to carts belonging to residents, at least two clubs participated in the parade. Riding beneath a scary and hairy grouping of huge black spiders were California Club board members Leon and Carol St.Hilaire and Dave and Sharon Peavy. The Light Volleyball Club sported a cart as well.

Although riders were not allowed to throw candy, some still yearned for some trick or treat fun.

“I’m hoping someone will give us donuts along the way,” said one of the ghouls, who did appear rather bony and in need of food.

“Who said old people can’t have fun?” asked another costumed rider as the cart parade set off on its hallowed path through the Village.

When she was 6 years old and living in her native Netherlands, Nasiell saw German soldiers marching past her house singing a song about continuing on to England.

It was May 1940, and the Germans had overrun her country in their bid to dominate Europe and the world during World War II.

“My father told me not to worry, and I was too young to realize the consequences,” Nasiell, 89, said in a recent interview at her home in Laguna Woods, where she has lived for 35 years,

When her mother asked if the family could go to America, her father said it was too late to escape, she recalled.

Soon Nasiell was unable to attend school or play with neighborhood children due to German decrees regarding the treatment of members of the Jewish faith.

“We had to wear a yellow star on our coats, which was sewn on to designate we were Jews,” she said in an account of her life written up by friend and neighbor AJ Lane.

“I had no idea what it was for,” Nasiell said. “I was mad about not playing with my other girlfriends.”

Although they had enough food on the table, her parents, Leo and Sascha van der Horst, had to close the department store they owned in the town of Steenwijk and relinquish their car. Leo was taken away briefly by the Germans but fortunately returned to his family in time for his wife’s birthday.

By 1942, Nasiell’s parents knew it was time to disappear with help from the local underground movement.

“My sister and I were deposited with some former store employees nearby for one night,” Nasiell said in Lane’s account. Strangers from the underground picked her up and took her by herself to the home of a couple named Liefland in Utrecht to go into hiding.

“I wasn’t thinking anything at the time but knew I couldn’t go outside except at night so I wouldn’t be seen,” Nasiell said.

During a necessary visit to a doctor, she was briefly reunited with her sister, Kathy, who was three years older, in the waiting room. She discovered that her sister had been sent to several homes in hiding but was so homesick and depressed, she was reunited with their parents.

When neighbors collaborating with the Germans entered the house where Nasiell was staying and asked her point-blank if she was Jewish, she answered that she was.

“No one had told me to say that I wasn’t,” she said.

Taken in for interrogation, she told the authorities honestly that she didn’t know where her parents were despite threats of having her ears cut off.

She was taken away to Amsterdam and held with other Jews in a theater before they were to be shipped off to Poland. Members of the underground managed to find out that she had relatives in the city who owned a kosher restaurant.

Her aunt and uncle, named Hiechentlich, paid a ransom to have Nasiell freed, and she stayed with them for several months.

Again the Germans were threatening to send Jews on their “last trip.” A member of the underground picked up Nasiell and took her to a drugstore.

“I was sitting in the corner with the Star of David under my coat,” she related to Lane. When a Nazi soldier came in and asked what she was doing there, the pharmacist said she was waiting for a prescription.

An underground worker then spirited her across the Netherlands by train to the eastern town of Nijverdal, where she joined the household of a childless couple named Pieter and Klasien Bakker. Along the way, they passed through Nasiell’s native city, but no one recognized her.

At her new hiding place, Nasiell experienced more freedom of movement. She could go anywhere she wanted.

“The neighborhood knew I was Jewish, but I did not have to display the star,” she told Lane. As the school principal was also hiding a Jewish boy, they both could go to school.

When German troops commandeered the house she was living in, she and the family went to the country, where they lived on a farm in Hellendoren. During the time she was with the Bakkers, Nasiell said she grew so much that she had to cut the toes off her shoes because new ones were not available.

As the Germans retreated toward the end of the war, they became more desperate, even launching a hand grenade through the house where Nasiell was living, nearly striking her.

In May 1945, the Netherlands was liberated. Canadians and Americans on tanks came driving into town, throwing loaves of Wonder Bread at the exhilarated people, who were finally free. When she tasted the bread, Nasiell thought it was cake, she recalled.

A few weeks after returning to the Bakkers’ house, she was reunited with her mother and sister. They had all lived in hiding, including her sister, who had been transferred 16 times.

When she asked where her father was, she learned that he had died of a heart attack two weeks before the war ended. “I never saw my father again,” Nasiell said.

“If I hadn’t been sent to eastern Holland, I would have starved,” she told Lane. “The western part of Holland had no food. And the fact that I was oblivious to what was happening around me saved my life.”

The reunited family went back to their hometown, where her mother reopened their store.

“Mother had a box of buttons that she displayed in the store’s window,” Nasiell recalled. “That’s why people came back to the store, because they needed buttons!” The store also sold clothing and linens.

Nasiell returned to school, entering fifth grade as if she had never missed any learning time.

An uncle with a store in northern Holland helped the family get back on its feet, and three years later, her mother was remarried to a man named Hans Hartog.

In 1959, Nasiell came to the United States with her first husband, a Dutchman who served in the U.S. Army, and lived in California. They had two sons, Leon and Irvin. Later divorced, she married Gus Nasiell, a Swede, with whom she moved to the Village. He died last year.

Neighbor Lane met Nasiell at the pool three years ago, became fascinated by her story and wrote a short biography for the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, which chronicles the history of the Holocaust.

“You are living history,” Lane tells Nasiell and feels adamant that her friend’s story be told before it is too late, before living witnesses to the horrors of the Holocaust are gone.

Nasiell said she feels great gratitude to the people who risked their lives to hide her.

“I regret that I never went back to thank the families I lived with,” she said. “I never saw them again nor remained in contact.”

She and Lane hope that by publicizing her story, descendants of the families who saved her may reach out and make contact after all these years.

The iconic TV personality was in Laguna Woods on Sept. 23 to present his Backstage with the Beatles touring show at the Performing Arts Center, sponsored by the Boomers Club.

Around 40 show-goers paid $25 a person extra to schmooze with Eubanks for an hour before the show, with proceeds from the meet and greet going to the Florence Sylvester Senior Center.

When Eubanks arrived in one of the PAC dining rooms, a buzz swept the room. Fans lined up to have their photos taken with the living legend, who is best known for hosting TV’s “The Newlywed Game” on and off since 1966. His face and voice are also familiar as the announcer of Pasadena’s Rose Parade with Stephanie Edwards on Los Angeles’ KTLA TV station for decades.

A lesser known fact about Eubanks’ early career: He brought the Beatles to L.A. and produced their shows in 1964, ’65 and ’66. The first two concerts were at the Hollywood Bowl and the third was at Dodger Stadium.

So those who came to meet the man Saturday had a variety of reasons why he meant so much to them.

Jim Cirivello wanted to meet Eubanks because he is an aficionado of “The Newlywed Game.”

“I have some 80 episodes on tape and I watch them every night,” he said with a grin.

Allison Sheets also watched the show for a long time, recalling how “striking” Eubanks was on TV.

Gerry Saunders, an admitted rock ’n’ roll groupie, was thrilled to get Eubanks’ signature on the back of a poster for the PAC show.

“I  love the Beatles and I remember him (Eubanks) from TV,” she said.

Another attendee with a strong Beatles connection was Philip Taylor, a Brit who says he has loved the Beatles since he saw them perform in England in 1962.

He was with friend and fellow Village resident Lynn Cline, who said she is Paul McCartney’s first cousin once removed and communicates with the Beatle regularly.

“My grandmother and her sister raised Paul after his mother died when he was 14,” Cline said. “My grandfather was Uncle Albert of the famous Beatles song.”

A copy of the 1964 concert contract signed by Eubanks and Beatles manager Brian Epstein was available for purchase, along with copies of photos of the press conferences before the 1964 and ’65 shows. Cline said she planned to take those copies to the Beatles office in London to add to their archives if they are not already there.

Shelley Sachs said she not only attended all three of the Beatles shows in L.A. but was able to go to the press conference at Eubanks’ Cinnamon Cinder nightclub with her aunt, who was “in the industry.”

“It was before the first performance, Aug. 23, 1964, and I was driven in a limo with Bob and the Beatles’ manager,” she recalled with a smile.

Bert Ross and Gene Nalbandian munched on meet-and-greet snacks after chatting with Eubanks. Ross said he grew up watching “The Newlywed Game” and saw the Beatles perform in 1965.

Nalbandian labeled Eubanks “legendary” for his TV work and for introducing the Beatles’ shows. “He has a good personality,” he added.

Eubanks proved that to be true with his quips at the meet and greet and lively conversations with the fans, many of whom sat down with him as he signed whatever papers they wished.

Eubanks said what he remembers most about the Beatles is that “they changed the music world.” He didn’t know it at the time, though. “I’m amazed that they still have so many fans,” he said.

In his touring show, Eubanks relates many lesser known stories and remembrances of the group, punctuated with lively performances by Beatles tribute band Ticket to Ride.

“There’s so much serious junk going on in the world right now that if I can make someone smile, I’m happy to do it,” he said of his show.

Eubanks has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his early work as a radio DJ and with a lifetime achievement Emmy award.

He has remained a fan favorite to this day.

Meet-and-greet attendee Leslie Parsons said she was happy to support the senior center but summed up the reason she and so many others came succinctly and simply: “He’s Bob Eubanks!”

As a young boy, he often visited his aunt in the Bay Area, deriving joy from spinning her pottery wheel to turn out ceramic creations.

“She was a potter who threw sculptural forms on the wheel as well as making raku pots,” he said, referring to a type of Japanese pottery.

Rigney’s long and circuitous path through the world of ceramic art has led him to Clubhouse 4 in Laguna Woods, where he is the “kiln man” for the pottery studio, tasked with firing the gas kilns and mixing the glazes.

“Mixing glazes is like following a recipe,” he said.

As a teenager, Rigney pursued his fascination with ceramics at Villa Park High School, then went on to study the art form in college. Along the way, he also learned the medium of blowing glass.

Moving to Las Vegas, he found work as a painter and faux finisher, applying raised designs to make objects, walls and surroundings look old. Learning about patterns and textures would serve him well in his later ceramic career.

“We were doing jobs as large as themed interiors for casinos,” he said. An overlay of a steel wall, for example, could be made to resemble natural wood.

After the 2008 recession took its toll on the economy, Rigney returned to his first love, ceramics.

“I got into building wood-fired kilns that could hold hundreds of pieces for a pottery studio,” he said. “But potters are artists, who are not always great with business, and that studio closed.”

Moving back to Southern California, he went to work for a ceramicist aptly named Clay Wood, who owned Clay on First, a studio in Long Beach. Subsequent jobs led Rigney to Muddy’s in Santa Ana and the renowned AMOCA (American Museum of Ceramic Art) in Pomona. There he served as a resident artist in a 12,000-square-foot studio space from 2017 to 2020, when the pandemic brought everything to a halt.

During his time there, Rigney was able to create his own work to sell on a consignment basis through the museum.

Through his years of working with stoneware and porcelain, he developed his signature style of applying slip, or liquid clay, to the outside of his pots to build up patterns and textures with tools such as ribs and trowels.

“I spent the three years as a resident artist at AMOCA perfecting the formula, which allows me to cut so deeply through the porcelain without it cracking or falling off the surface of that or the other clays that I use,” he said

“I like to make large work,” he added. “A height of 24 inches is normal for me.” Often he will create the largest pot that is possible to throw on the wheel.

Lately, Rigney has specialized in pots that can be used for plants, especially succulents. He belongs to the Long Beach Cactus and Succulent Club of America, creating planters to their specifications, including unglazed interiors and holes for drainage.

He moved to Laguna Woods two and a half years ago, and last December went to work at the ceramics studio in Clubhouse 4.

Still passionate about ceramics after more than 50 years, Rigney said, “I love creating textures and colors.”

Besides throwing on the wheel, he also enjoys hand building and sculptural work. Fantastic creatures, including gargoyles, are part of his body of work.

Rigney can be found manning the ceramic kilns at Clubhouse 4 on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“He has been very helpful and willing to share if you have questions,” said Robyn Howland, a member of the Potters and Sculptors Club who does her own work in the studio.

“He loves to teach and has been incredibly helpful,” said Pat Bettendorf, one of the ceramics studio’s supervisors, referring to Rigney’s many duties at the studio. “He’s very knowledgeable about glazes and everything to do with ceramics.

“He’s fantastic and the best tech we’ve had in years.”

Roberts was demonstrating the art of sabrage, a technique for opening a Champagne bottle with a saber, for members of the senior center’s monthly wine club.

“The first night I ever spent in California years ago, I saw someone standing in the setting sun performing a sabrage and I thought it was so fantastic,” she said.

Roberts had won a trip to the Napa and Sonoma wine regions as a working member of the wine industry in Texas at the time. A recent trip to the Champagne region of France refreshed her memory of the showy sabrage, which she thought would be fun to demonstrate at the wine club.

The method is used for ceremonial occasions and dates to the time of Napoleon, when the sword wielder was often seated on horseback, she said.

The person slides the saber along the seam of the bottle to the lip to break away the top of the neck, leaving the bottle open and ready to pour. Glass shards are blown away with the force of the Champagne bursting from the bottle at 60 to 90 pounds of pressure per inch.

“It’s an exhilarating experience,” she said.

Roberts, who has been the senior center director for two years, came up with the idea of the wine club during the pandemic.

“Many of my neighbors in Laguna Niguel were older, and when I asked them what would be a fun activity, they suggested this,” she said.

The activity fit right in with Roberts’ background working many jobs in the wine industry, including earning the designation of certified sommelier.

She was trained by master sommelier Fred Dame, earning her entry level badge in 1999 and the higher level of “certified” in 2006. At the time, it was a male-dominated profession, she said.

Being a sommelier requires a good working knowledge of wines, regions, pairings and wine service.

“It turns out that I have a good sense of smell, which helps,” said Roberts, who now belongs to the wine organization Court of Master Sommeliers.

After moving to California, she worked with fine wines as a salesperson for a large distribution company.

At the same time, she was volunteering with Meals on Wheels at the Laguna Niguel senior center and enjoyed her work with seniors. She was told that the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills was looking for a director.

“I had a strong background in science, and the mission of Age Well (which runs the center) fit in with my personal beliefs and goals,” she said.

So in June 2021, she left the wine industry to join the senior service system.

Birthing the center’s wine club in March 2022 became a way to blend both her passions.

“Since the (Laguna Woods) Village’s Wine Lovers Club focused on regional wines, I decided to focus on varietal wines that come from many regions around the world,” Roberts said.

She started with the major varietals, working her way to the “more nuanced” ones offered lately. At each club meeting, which requires advance registration and costs $25 per person, four samples of the featured varietal are poured for tasting along with a curated selection of cheese, crackers, charcuterie and chocolates.

Roberts offers tasters information and background on the wines, their characteristics, prices, availability and more.

The wines are usually priced at $35 to $55 a bottle and are not found at the typical grocery store. Roberts wants participants to taste special wines that are accessible but of a higher grade than the average.

“I hope it’s fun to have a little more knowledge,” she said. “My experience has been that people are uncomfortable ordering wines, and I want them to feel more comfortable doing that.

“Wine shouldn’t be snobby,” she added with a laugh.

Roberts enjoys the process of planning each month’s tasting, from the research, to picking the wine, buying it and “teaching” about it in an informal and interesting way.

Based on the number of people attending the monthly sessions, the club has been a great success. It has grown from 24 attendees to 48, with a waiting list each time.

“I like to see what people like,” she said, asking at the end of each tasting which wine was the participants’ favorite.

“I tell people that they know what they like and shouldn’t be intimidated by others.”

The wine tastings take place on the first Friday of each month at a cost of $25 per person, payable in cash or check at the door. Reservations are required; call the senior center at 949-380-0155.

Laguna Woods Wine Lovers Club is for those who love wine and want to learn more

Laguna Woods Village residents who enjoy wine don’t have to venture outside the gates to sample wines from around the world.

Meeting the second Wednesday of each month in Clubhouse 5, the Wine Lovers Club features worldwide regional wines paired with appropriately themed dinners. It seeks to introduce participants to varieties they may not have tried before in the company of people they may not have met before.

The idea behind the club, founded in 2019, is to foster fellowship along with wine knowledge.

“The goal is to meet people, drink wine and break bread together,” said club President Judy Okonski, who has helmed the Wine Lovers Club since its inception.

“We started with 35 people and now have more than 300 members, with more than 200 attending each meeting,” Okonski said. “Our secret is that we give people time to visit.”

The club not only teaches wine education but also sponsors several trips a year to places like Temecula or San Diego wineries and one cruise each year.

Integral to the monthly experience is Jeff Champion, a sommelier and certified wine specialist, who offers information on the featured region of the world and the wines from that locale.

Members receive an email in advance, detailing the wines that will be featured and where to buy them. Attendees can buy those bottles to bring to the dinner or bring any beverage of their choice. Occasionally, a specific vineyard is spotlighted and the club provides the featured wines.

Members usually bring their own appetizers to enjoy and share during the social portion of the evening before Champion’s formal presentation, which is followed by the dinner served buffet-style.

“Usually, I pick a regional wine and then try to pair the food that should be served with it,” Champion said at the start of the June meeting. “This time, however, I started with the food and looked for the best wines to go with it.”

The result was an evening titled “Italy: Through the Eyes of Lasagna.”

Champion described the variations on that classic Italian dish as it is prepared in the Marche, Tuscany and Puglia regions of Italy.

“Every region, and even every family, has its own recipe,” Champion said.

He then detailed varieties of both red and white wines that pair well with the lasagna from each area through a slide presentation before a meal of lasagna, salad and garlic bread was served.

Village resident Ron Askew, attending the monthly event for the first time, said he enjoys wine and fellowship and appreciates the casual atmosphere he has encountered.

Long-time member Jackie Sieber originally joined the club to go on last fall’s sponsored cruise along the California coast and plans to cruise the Mexican Riviera with the group this fall.

She has kept coming back. “The food is good and the price is reasonable, and I like to learn about the wines,” she said as she and partner Tom Mitchell uncorked their own bottle of wine.

“We went to Italy in  2017 and just now opened what we brought back with us,” she said with a laugh.

For information on the Wine Lovers Club, visit the website via lagunawoodsvillage.com or call Okonski at 949-837-2273. Membership is $35 per year, with monthly events usually priced at $15  per member and $20 for non-members, payable in advance.

Since then, he has won a multitude of local and national medals as an individual competitor and a member of the San Diego Swim Masters team.

Just turned 90, the Laguna Woods resident earned four gold medals in swim events in the recent Village Games. While he swam with others in adjoining lanes, no one was competing in his age category, he said.

“I kept one medal and gave a whole box of others away to a woman who works for the Special Olympics,” said Mitchell, who usually retains only one of each type of medal for his personal collection.

Mitchell can usually be found four afternoons a week swimming laps at the Clubhouse 2 pool.

“I usually swim 71 lengths of the pool, since 70 and one quarter lengths equals a mile,” he said.

He prefers Pool 2, he said, because it has lane lines and is usually available without much of a wait.

Mitchell grew up in Northern California, where he learned to swim at age 10. While working at a pool locker room a few years later, he was asked to teach a children’s class, leading to summer jobs as a swim teacher and lifeguard.

“I even taught my mom and my future wife to swim,” he recalled with a smile. “My mom even dove off the diving board,” he added with a touch of pride.

More recently, Mitchell taught his partner of 20 years, Jackie Sieber, 78, to swim.

“She was a total non-swimmer and now regularly swims 60 lengths of the pool,” he said. She has yet to dive into competitive swimming but is thinking about it, he added.

After graduating college and serving three years as an Air Force pilot, Mitchell enjoyed a 60-year career with Bekins Moving Company, where he worked in residential and commercial sales in Los Angeles. He retired eight years ago at age 82.

Through it all, he has remained competitive in his swimming career, holding world rankings in the butterfly and breast strokes.

In July 2022, his team achieved a U.S Masters World Record in the 4 X 100 meter men’s freestyle relay in the combined age category of 360 to 399 years of age. His teammates’ ages ranged from his own 89 (at the time) to 95.

Competitions are run and judged by FINA, the same organization that tracks Olympic competitions, Mitchell said.

In the 2023 Spring Nationals held in Irvine, he scored five gold medals in breaststroke, freestyle and individual medley, which required one pool length each of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. Some 2,500 swimmers ages 18 to 101 entered the competition, he said.

On a more informal level, Mitchell enjoys swimming with his three sons, who all took up the family sport.

“Our pool at home even had lane lines,” he said with a laugh.

Last summer, he swam in a family relay in Mission Viejo that featured four generations, including a great-grandson clinging to his father’s (Mitchell’s grandson’s) chest.

“I  have enjoyed swimming since I first learned but like it now especially because I can still do it despite a metal hip and bad knees,” he said. “It’s a sport you can participate in your whole life.”

Passion for swimming leads to clinic at clubhouse pool

Laguna Woods resident Jan Levinrad was forced to learn to swim at age 5 in her native South Africa.

“My parents picnicked at a river and my mom let me go in the water while my father was 30 or 40 feet away,” she recalled with a laugh. She had no choice but to swim to reach him, she said.

Later in life, she became an ardent advocate for the sport of swimming and a competitor who enjoys teaching the basics to others.

“Swimming is so beneficial as we age and as gravity pulls us down,” said Levinrad, 75. “In the water there is no gravity, and if we breathe properly, we can improve our lung capacity.”

Levinrad competed in high school and university in South Africa, along with participating in netball, trampoline, karate and lifeguarding.

“I gave up swimming after college and didn’t do it again for 30 years,” she said.

After coming to the U.S. in 1986, Levinrad learned to snow ski, but when she injured her knee, she found her way back to the swimming pool.

She joined an aquatics club in West Hollywood and for 22 years competed and won international titles in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly in such events as the Gay (Olympic) Games in the U.S., Germany and Australia. She competed in both individual and relay events.

Levinrad moved to the Village in 2017 and started swimming at the Nadadores aquatic center in Mission Viejo. For exercise, she swims there three to four times a week.

In 2022, her relay team broke the national record for the 800-meter women’s freestyle race in their age group and also won the 400-meter women’s freestyle event. She finished first nationally in her age group in the 100-meter butterfly.

In the U.S. Masters Swimming rankings for the years 1993 to 2022, Levinrad was in the top 10 about 99 times for individual events and 49 times for relays.

Most recently, she helped organize the Village Games swim competitions, in which she won four gold medals.

Early on, when Levinrad swam for recreation in the Village, she would often notice people struggling to go a short distance. As a “lifelong educator,” she saw a need that she could fill.

“I started a free clinic five years ago because I enjoy the sport and love sharing,” she said.

At Pool 2 on Tuesdays from noon to 1 p.m. she teaches beginners and from 1 to 2 p.m. she gives instructions to more advanced swimmers. No registration is needed.

If people learn to breathe correctly in the water, they can improve their physical skills and swim longer distances, she said.

“I get a kick out of teaching, and I’m happy when people learn to swim so it’s a win-win situation,” she said.

Hart will move her base of operations to Arizona, where she plans to use her expertise as a certified travel agent and enjoy a bit of travel herself.

“I may get into some TV work as well,” said Hart, who hosted “ThisDay” for three years.

During that final show, Hart aired a tape of one of her favorite segments – a piece about the Equestrian Center and miniature horse Sebastian, or Little Sebby.

She also chatted with Paul Ortiz, general manager of Broadband Services for the Village, and Michael Taylor, one of two new co-hosts for “ThisDay.” The other is Bobbie Higgins, who will rotate duties with Taylor and on occasion appear with him.

Among her fondest memories, Hart said, was the work she did during the pandemic.

“Because of Zoom, I was able to speak with people I wouldn’t be able to get in here (the studio), such as the emergency room doctor at Saddleback Memorial,” she said.

She also enjoyed talking with residents during the lockdown to see how they were coping.

“There are so many clubs here, and I appreciate their passion,” she said. “People come here to enjoy life and have new adventures.”

In her own new life, Hart said she hopes to travel more and “help people find fabulous vacations.” She plans to post adventures to social media through her company, Hart Adventures.

“I’ve been doing this (at Village TV) a long time,” she said. “Although it will be tough to leave, I will be happy not to get up early each day, put on makeup and rotate my clothes,” she said with a laugh.

In the closing moments of the show, Taylor complimented Hart on the enthusiasm and genuine enjoyment she shows for her interview subjects.

“You are the same person on and off TV,” he said.

The trio closed out Hart’s final appearance at 9:30 a.m. as the camera zoomed out on her Village TV career.

“ThisDay” has aired for around 50 years, Ortiz said, and has had six hosts in that time, one for as long as 35 years.

“The show will evolve again as the new hosts become more comfortable in their new roles,” Ortiz said in an email. Hart’s other show, “Your Health,” will be on hiatus until new employees can get “up to speed,” he added.

Taylor has more than 30 years of broadcasting experience in front of and behind the camera. He worked with PBS SoCal KOCE for more than 14 years, serving as news director as well as producer and reporter for a daily live news program. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in broadcast journalism from Cal State Fullerton.

Higgins also has 30 years of broadcast experience, both in front of and behind the camera, and has hosted a variety of TV programs such as talk shows, corporate videos and sports shows. She also has done voice-over work on commercials and corporate videos. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in communication from USC.

Ortiz credits both with a good working knowledge of the local area and the Village as each has lived in the area for more than 25 years.

After the show, Hart acknowledged the many informative conversations she had with her interview guests.

“I learned something new every day,” she said. “I spoke to so many interesting and educated people, including doctors, scientists, nurses, researchers, executives, business owners and our residents with amazing pasts.”

She is most proud of the work she did during the pandemic, when the Village station was the only one in the area dispensing local numbers for information and instructions.

“We kept our residents informed daily, and I believe that the city of Laguna Woods was the first in the area to have a majority of its residents vaccinated,” she said, expressing pride in the community.

“I have enjoyed this job because I got to be myself on camera,” Hart said. “It’s so much better than acting.”

I took in a couple of these treasure troves of assembled knowledge on a Laguna Woods Chicago Club day trip, while on previous excursions of our own, my husband and I have visited most of the others.

The Petersen Automotive Museum announces itself at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue with a stunning stainless steel-wrapped ribbon façade backed in neon red.

Founded in 1994 by magazine publisher Robert E. Petersen, the museum originally made its home in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, then it moved into its current building, which formerly housed a series of department stores. In 2015, a total transformation inside and out created four floors of venue space to display more than 100 old and new vehicles of astonishing variety and design.

You don’t have to be an auto aficionado to appreciate the design qualities and overall beauty of the displayed cars. I was especially drawn to the earliest vehicles to hit the road, back when the car was a newfangled contraption, and also to some of the most aerodynamic and sleekest of modern conveyances.

Following the advice of the ticket sellers, we started on the third floor, which delves into the history of the automobile with special attention paid to Southern California’s car culture. Then we worked our way down through the second floor displays on industrial engineering and the ground floor’s emphasis on the artistic side of the industry.

At the time we visited, there was a special exhibit of Andy Warhol’s stylish renderings of a variety of Mercedes-Benz automobiles, commissioned by the car company, as well as his own personal Mercedes in the flesh, or should I say metal, the one he owned, although he was not licensed to drive it.

Also of great interest was a collection of “famous” cars, such as Lightning McQueen from Disney’s Pixar films, the Batmobile from “Batman Returns” and a DeLorean seen in “Back to the Future.”

The basement houses a vault with hundreds of treasured cars that can be viewed for an extra fee. We have not yet taken advantage of that opportunity.

Across the street from the Petersen is the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which opened in 2021 after several delays due to the pandemic. It inhabits the former May Company building on the corner of Fairfax and Wilshire, renovated and redesigned by architect Renzo Piano.

A spherical extension to the back of the building features two movie theaters used for special events. It also offers a spectacular view of the Hollywood Hills and its well-known sign on a clear day.

Permanent exhibits show off some of the Academy’s iconic items, including Dorothy’s ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” Shirley Temple’s tap shoes from “The Little Colonel” and the only remaining shark mold from “Jaws.”

When we visited during the museum’s earliest days, I was thrilled to see an exhibit on the making of “The Wizard of Oz,” my all-time favorite movie. Other visitors may well find exhibits of their favorite movies as well.

Movie-making magic, colorful costuming and the intricacies of technology are all displayed in an array of permanent and temporary exhibits pertaining to the history and current state of filmmaking in Hollywood and beyond.

Moving on down Wilshire Boulevard, we arrived at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, currently repositioning itself into a cutting-edge building that will span the street with an amoeba-like form designed by prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor.

The 1960s-era buildings that previously housed the extensive art collections, touted as the largest in the Western United States, were torn down to make way for the new construction. It is fascinating to observe the building under way, with cranes and towers as far as the eye can see, as it creeps across Wilshire to the other side of the street.

Meanwhile, the Broad and Resnick buildings on the museum’s lower plaza are filled with much to see and savor.

I especially enjoyed the large abstract paintings that formed part of the “Another World: The Transcendental Painting Group” exhibit, new to my knowledge of the art world. The colorful and ethereal designs shown in this gallery by artists centered in Santa Fe in the early to mid-20th century captured my fancy and imagination in wonderful ways. This exhibit runs through June 19.

And the Japanese pavilion, with its fascinating glimpses into the country’s art and culture, is always one of my favorite places to visit and remains happily untouched by current construction since it is perfect just the way it is.

Just past the pavilion sit the La Brea Tar Pits and Page Museum, displaying fossils collected from the nearby pits reconstructed in their original configurations, with explanations and background material about the animals when they were alive. We left the exploration of this museum and its odorous black pools for another visit as time was running out.

As an add-on to any visit to Museum Row, however, I love to visit the Craft Contemporary Museum, across from the Page Museum. Formerly known as the Craft and Folk Art Museum, it features unusual and thought-provoking exhibits as well as a gift shop that could double as a museum exhibit itself.

If you are needing a meal break in between or after all this museum hopping, a quick jaunt up Fairfax Avenue brings you to the Original Farmer’s Market, where the choice between French, Cajun, Irish, Middle Eastern and other fare boggles the stomach.

After I  had a delicious falafel wrap for lunch, my best discovery of the day was a cappuccino in a waffle cup lined with dark chocolate – the perfect punctuation to a day that satisfied all the senses.

Correspondent

The aroma of Jewish foods and the lively sounds of klezmer music will fill Clubhouse 1 in Laguna Woods as the Jewish Food Festival returns Sunday, April 30, with a cornucopia of traditional and favorite palate pleasers.

The third edition of this popular fest is back after a three-year pandemic hiatus. It was last held in 2019, with more than 1,200 hungry eaters in attendance. The festival takes place from 5-8 p.m. in the Clubhouse 1 Main Lounge and patio.

Sponsored by the Reform Temple of Laguna Woods, the festival includes the participation of other Village Jewish organizations such as ORT America, Hadassah, the National Council of Jewish Women and the Shalom Club, as well as the Chabad Jewish Center of Aliso Viejo and Laguna Woods and the Laguna Woods Friends of Jewish Federation of Orange County.

“It’s an opportunity for all the Jewish organizations in the Village to cooperate in providing a good three hours of food and fun,” said Lynne Rosenstein, chair of the event.

Diners can nosh on delicatessen delicacies to the upbeat music of the Shtetl Menschen Klezmer Band from Long Beach. Close-up magician Nate Kvetny, a temple member, will also entertain the crowd, with intervals of Israeli dancing led by temple member and dance instructor Rebeca Gilad.

A silent auction will feature around 100 gift cards for restaurants, stores and markets as well as donated artwork and jewelry.

Rosenstein, former president of the Reform Temple, participated in a similar festival in her previous home in Bakersfield.

“It was fun and successful and served as an introduction to the Jewish community in a place where not many Jews lived,” she said. “Here it provides an opportunity for all the Village Jewish groups to do something cooperative and makes for a wonderful feeling of togetherness.”

It also introduces people not familiar with Jewish food to a great variety of it, she said.

The sandwich menu includes brisket on a Kaiser roll and pastrami on rye, both served with coleslaw and dill pickle. Lox with a schmear of cream cheese on a bagel is dressed with tomato, onion and coleslaw. Barbecued kosher-style hot dogs will be accompanied by chips.

The brisket and coleslaw are being purchased from Jolanda’s Cafe & Catering. Kosher Bite Deli is donating the pickles.

Home-baked goods will feature traditional rugelach (rolled pastries filled with fruit), sour cream coffee cake and Mandelbrot (sweet crispy biscuits) made from recipes provided by temple members.

Also for sale will be chicken soup with matzo balls and small challahs (braided breads) made by Chabad, noodle kugel (pudding) from ORT, halvah (a sweet, sesame-based dessert) from the National Council of Jewish Women, and traditional East Coast egg cream drinks from the Shalom Club. Hadassah members will be selling the club’s signature Jewish cookbook.

The festival is open to all Village residents and their guests, and admission is free, with food tickets sold at at the event for $1 each for purchase of items ranging from $1 for a soda to $14 for a sandwich.

Food tickets are also being sold in advance. Get them at the Clubhouse 1 Drop-In Lounge from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. today, Thursday, April 27. They’ll also be available there from 10 a.m. to noon. Friday, April 28. Menus from which to choose will be available.

Parking at Clubhouse 1 during the festival will be at a premium. The Reform Temple has contracted with Age Well for a bus to shuttle attendees from the Clubhouse 4 parking lot to Clubhouse 1 at no cost to riders beginning at 4:45 p.m. The bus will run a continuous loop, with the final run leaving Clubhouse 1 at 7:45 p.m.

The inaugural festival in 2018 drew about 1,000 people, much to the surprise of the organizers, who ran out of food.

“In 2019, we made sure to have enough food for everyone,” Rosenstein said.

The committee is preparing for the numbers that showed up that year. “We are very conscious of not running out of food,” she added.

Around 130 volunteers from the temple will help staff the event, each wearing a distinctive gold T-shirt with the festival logo.

“Some volunteers may have signed up just to get the T-shirt,” Rosenstein said with a laugh.

This festival serves as a major fundraiser for the temple, Rosenstein said, promising it “should be a fun-filled, feel-good event for all.”

For questions, call Rosenstein at 562-773-5107.

RECIPES

Rugelach, from Susan Gaile Bain

DOUGH

½ pound cream cheese (room temperature)

½ pound unsalted butter (room temperature)

Cream together in bowl with beaters until well blended.

¼ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt (use coarse salt)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Add these three ingredients and mix in.

2 cups flour

Add flour and mix in until mixture pulls together.

Dump onto a lightly floured board, flour hands and gently make a large ball. Flatten somewhat. Cut in quarters and roll into four balls. Chill dough for about a half hour (will be easier to roll out).

FILLING

1 cup well-chopped walnuts

6 tablespoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¾ cup dark raisins (If doing log-shaped dough, raisins will need to be chopped or cut in half.)

While the dough is chilling, mix the walnuts, brown sugar cinnamon and dark raisins together and set aside.

Prepare the jam* and set aside, the cinnamon sugar mixture* and set aside and the egg wash*and set aside.

*Apricot jam: Mix about ¾ cup jam and 1 teaspoon water combined with a fork until smooth enough for spreading.

*Cinnamon mixture: 1 teaspoon cinnamon mixed with 3 tablespoons white sugar for sprinkling. (I put this into a jar that sprinkles.)

*Egg wash: Crack egg and put in bowl. Add about half a shell filled with some water. Beat with a fork. (This is used for brushing onto prepared rugelach.)

Once the dough is a little firm, roll into approximately a 9-inch circle on a floured board.

Spread on apricot jam gently so as not to tear dough. (If jam needs more thinning so as not to tear dough, add a little more water.)

Sprinkle nut mixture over top. Gently press into dough.

Sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar mixture on top of that.

Cut a circle of dough gently in half and each half in half.

Then each quarter gets cut into three pie-slice shapes (triangles.)

The fun begins. Roll up from outside edge to middle.  Curve ends a little (kind of like a crescent) and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and chill.

Brush egg wash onto each piece. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture on top.

Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 25 minutes, maybe a little more. Rotate cookie sheets if the top is browning faster than the bottom.

Remove from cookie sheets and cool on racks.

*****

Mandelbrot, from Lynne Rosenstein

INGREDIENTS

1 cup oil

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1tablespoon almond extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup toasted slivered almonds

Mixed cinnamon and sugar

PROCEDURE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and almond extract.

Add dry ingredients and mix well at low speed.

Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour or overnight.

With floured hands, shape three logs 2 inches wide on a lightly greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Cool for about 15-20 minutes.

Cut ¾-inch slices and place on side on cookie sheet and bake for an additional 10 minutes on each side.

Watch to make sure they don’t get too brown.

*****

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Use three 8” x 8” square foil pans

Or one tube pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups sour cream

2 teaspoons baking soda

½ pound butter = 2 sticks (room temperature)

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

3 cups flour

FILLING

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoon cinnamon

4 tablespoons chopped walnuts

Mix sour cream and baking soda together and set aside.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla together. Add eggs one at a time and sour cream mixture.

Sift flour and add to creamed mixture.

Mix filling together.

Fill each greased pan half with the batter; sprinkle half the filling on top, fill with remaining batter and top with remaining filling.

With a knife cut through batter to swirl.

Bake Tube pan at 350 for 50 minutes or until done.

Bake 8-inch squares at 350 for 30 minutes or until done.

These words ringing through the Elm Room in the Laguna Woods Community Center on Tuesday evenings don’t mean that food is on the table.

Rather, they’re rhythms that help members of the Drum Circle keep the beat as their lively sounds meld together.

The Drum Circle is one of several groups in the Laguna Woods that make their own kind of music. The Ukulele Club does it with the ever popular stringed instrument, while the new Yankee Doodlettes will soon be setting the tone with their buzzing kazoos.

Gayle Slaten, who leads the Drum Circle with partner Don Celestino, said she finds it easier to remember rhythms when words are attached to them.

Celestino prefers to let his hands do the talking as he beats out intricate patterns and rhythms for the group, which numbers from 15 to 20 members at any given gathering.

Celestino views drumming as a great stress reducer and a good health inducer.

“You don’t need to bring anything but your hands, and you can’t play the wrong note,” he said with a laugh. “You can relax and get rid of excess energy.”

Slaten emphasizes the communal aspect of the group.

“The drum was the very first instrument,” she said. “It echoes our heartbeat.”

The couple usually set up their Native American “Mother Drum” in the middle of the circle and bring a variety of other drums, shakers and noisemakers for members to use.

Participants join in enthusiastically as Slaten intones her food-related rhythmic words or Celestino demonstrates catchy beats for members to replicate. Often, these take the form of “call and response,” where he plays first and members drum the beat back to him.

Participant Rich Levy has wanted to play drums since childhood, he said.

“I find the drumming meditative, both stimulating and relaxing,” Levy said after beating the Mother Drum through a five-minute number.

“Drumming connects me to the earth,” said Olivia Batchelder, who also enjoys seeing everyone joined in a common endeavor.

New group member Chuck Marlatte said he enjoys participating in the rhythm.

“I like seeing other people enjoying themselves,” he said, adding that he hopes to drum a lot more with the group.

Slaten and Celestino settled in the Village last June after spending the previous summer here. While visiting, they drummed with a group led by Jerry Self, but that circle had disbanded during the pandemic by the time they moved in permanently.

Celestino had been drumming for around 15 years, starting with his participation in drum circles at Glen Ivy Hot Springs in Riverside County.

“A close friend who was a master drummer died and left all his stuff to me,” he said.

The friend asked him to carry on the tradition, which was easy for Celestino, who had fallen in love with the sound of the djembe, or African drum. Celestino perfected his skills through the many circles he joined and the accomplished drummers who led them, he said.

Slaten came to the drum after playing Native American flute for a while.

“With flutes, usually only one person at a time can play, but with drumming, everyone plays together and there is more community building,” she said.

Slaten led a women’s drum circle in Tucson, Arizona, before meeting Celestino there about five years ago.

“People would gather in a Tucson park, where there was a lot going on, like drumming, dancing and even stilt walking,” she said.

“All the eclectic people that enjoyed music and art showed up,” Celestino added. “Everybody loved it.”

Slaten closes each drum session in the Elm Room with a beat to the catchy tune of “Funga Alafia,” an African greeting song that means “peace” in the Yoruba language of Nigeria.

Drum Circle members leave humming the tune as they head out into the night.

Full-out singing can be heard at Clubhouse 6 on Friday afternoons as members of the Ukulele Club gather to play.

One of the oldest continuous music clubs in the Village, the ukulele group has gone through many incarnations since being founded in 1968 as the Hikers’ Ukulele Band. Original players were members of the Hiking Club, but those who were not hikers broke away to form the Ukulele Club, with the purpose of teaching and entertaining residents and community organizations.

Through the years, members have performed in many venues and have focused on different types of music, including an emphasis on Hawaiian melodies.

Current club President Jay Miller joined in 2015 and participated via Zoom during the COVID shutdown. This year, he and his wife, Marquita, reestablished the in-person group.

“We now have a nice little group,” he said of the dozen or so people who show up each week.

Miller hopes the membership will grow to at least 17 regulars so that a minimal membership fee, not being charged at present, can cover rental and registration costs.

No performances are planned at this time, but Miller hopes to reinstate those as the group grows in size and proficiency.

“We used to play in the Clubhouse 3 lobby before performances, and it was very successful,” he said,

No experience on the uke is necessary to join the group, Miller said, and there’s no pressure.

“It’s fun to sing songs,” he said, pointing to the extensive offerings in the music books members use.

The club’s own songbook has been updated twice since Miller joined and features many tried and true folk songs and popular melodies that members know and love from their younger days.

Peggy Edwards, the club’s publicity director, has been with the group for 17 years. She has played guitar but finds the ukulele more portable.

“It is relatively easy to learn and sounds beautiful,” Edwards said.

Tom and Lynn Finkelor can attest to that. They came to the Ukulele Club six or seven years ago knowing nothing about the uke, but they quickly learned to play.

“We learned from being in the club and from DVDs and YouTube videos,” Tom said.

“It’s a forgiving group,” Lynn said with a laugh.

Tokyo-born Mike Amemiya learned ukulele from a Hawaiian student in Japan and loves to strum and sing out with his strong melodic voice.

Also singing out, especially on the Hawaiian numbers, is “Uncle” Harry Akioka, a Hawaii native who has played the ukelele since age 7. Music is integral to his life, as he also plays guitar, bass, drums and keyboard.

“Everybody at home used to play the uke, but not anymore,” Akioka lamented. “Now everyone’s got a phone in their hand instead.”

Besides Hawaiian songs, Akioka plays church music, jazz and standard American uke music, depending on which group he is playing with.

“Music is music,” he said, adding that he enjoys singing as well. “It’ll take a while for our group to get back to performing,” he said.

But when they’re ready, he plans to take them to as many local venues as possible.

One of the newest Village groups to make music is the Yankee Doodlettes. The kazoo band formed last July to enter the Village’s Fourth of July Golf Cart Parade.

“We played a lot of patriotic songs and had a lot of fun,” said founder Karen Hunt. “It was nothing serious, but we got a lot of notice.”

The group numbered about a dozen women last year, and Hunt said she hopes to accrue more members as the kazoos begin tootling together again in late March.

“I would love to have members with marching band experience and some cymbals and snare drum players as well,” she said.

“It would be great to have hundreds of people and maybe be recognized as the kazoo band with the oldest members in the country,” she added with a laugh.

For more information

The Drum Circle meets Tuesdays from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m. in the Elm Room at the Community Center. Bring your own drum if you can. No club dues at this time, but donations for snacks and room rental are welcome. For information, call Gayle Slaten at 818-564-9457.

The Ukulele Group meets Fridays from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in Clubhouse 6. No club dues at this time. Bring a music stand if you have one. For information, call Peggy Edwards at 949-707-5156.

The Yankee Doodlettes will begin meeting this month in the Los Olivos Room at Clubhouse 2. Open tryouts are Friday, March 31, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Practice kazoos will be provided. Snacks provided, but BYOB. For information, contact Karen Hunt at 970-744-8523 or Karensbiz@msn.com.