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The August/September Village Breeze celebrates summer with a beautiful cover of Laguna Beach. Inside you will:

• Meet monarch butterfly lovers in the Village who work to preserve the beautiful species.
• Explore the Komedy Klub’s popular shows that offer comedy and camaraderie.
• Understand coyotes and learn ways to keep yourself and your pets safe while coexisting with these wild canines.
• Get to know our VMS welders and the repairs they completed throughout the Village.
• Protect yourself while surfing the internet and keeping searches safe.
• Discover how over 200 VMS employees found out what respect means to all of us.
• Learn ways you can help protect our beloved Aliso Creek.
• Read about Social Services’ and Foundation of Laguna Woods’ team effort to boost residents’ quality of life.
• Learn the latest from your boards of directors and get a behind-the-scenes look at Village departments.
• And much more!

PEOPLE THRIVING IN LAGUNA WOODS VILLAGE:

How Diane Johanson started thriving in the community

Ceramic art slip casting studio, Community Center Gym

Painting Art Studio with Marge Kinney

Bingo, Dance Class, Theater and Cultural

Pickleballer’s Thriving

Thriving Staying Fit in amazing facilities

Laguna Woods Yacht Club

Horse Stables in the Village

Tales From The Woods (Sitcom On Village Television)

ARTS AND CRAFTS CENTER:

Clubhouse 4 Part 1 Jewerly, Art Room, Woodshop

Clubhouse 4 Part 2 Lapidary, Slip Cast, Sewing, Photography, Ceramics

Clubhouse 4 Part 3 Laguna Woods Art Studio

LIFELONG LEARNING, ADULT EDUCATION:

Fall Prevention Workshops

Life Long Learning in Laguna Woods

Emeritus Fall 2019

PING PONG/TABLE TENNIS CLUB:

Play Table Tennis to Enhance Brain Fitness and Mental Health 

90’s PLUS GROUP:

Yearly 90 Plus Luncheon

June 2019 Luncheon

Oldest Dodger Fan lives in the Village

STUDY ON AGING:

Laguna Woods Village Study on Aging

OVER 31,000 IN TREES IN LAGUNA WOODS VILLAGE:

Beautiful Blooming Trees of Laguna Woods

Aliso Creek Tree Walk

Serpentine Tree Walk

Friendship Tree Walk

TENNIS:

Ten Courts you’ll love

GOLF:

Laguna Woods Village Golf

814 SEAT PERFORMING ARTS CENTER:

The theater troupe has over 200 members

The Old Pros “Old Tyme Radio Theatre

COMMUNITY GARDEN CENTERS:

A day in the Life of the Village Gardeners

DOG PARK:

Great Place to make friends at the Dog Park

AREA HOSPITALS:

Saddleback Hospital Across the street from Laguna Woods Village

Mission Hospital a Level 2 Trauma Center 7 Miles from Laguna Woods Village

City of Hope is planning a $1 Billion dollar cancer center close by the Village

EARLY HISTORY OF LAGUNA WOODS VILLAGE:

Laguna Woods Early History

The Towers consists of two 14-story buildings with approximately 320 residents and 45 full time staff members. Membership includes security of a private apartment, the amenities and personal services of a fine hotel, the activities and lifestyle of a California resort, and the affordability of living on a retirement income.  Nightly gourmet dinners, 24-hour concierge service, weekly housekeeping, utilities, on-call maintenance, free laundry facilities on each floor, live entertainment, an adjacent nine hole executive golf course, 10 tennis court complex, 5 swimming pools, social clubs, collage lectures, music concerts and the Village’s free fixed-route bus transportation system. Laguna Woods Village strives to ensure that its residents receive unparalleled opportunities to enjoy the utmost in active living-which includes helping them arrive at local shopping destinations, important appointments, exciting Village events and more. This includes six neighborhood-based fixed routes, commercial route to popular shopping destinations, wellness route to local medical facilites, BOOST on-demand ride service and JOURNEY scheduled service for preapproved riders with medical needs. Bus Rider Information, Bus Route, Bus Route Map and BOOST

The Towers features MindFul, the expert dining services of Sodexo. Residents enjoy fresh variations of food created by the executive chef. Lunch is served daily in the California Dining Room at a cost of $7.50 see California Dining Room Menu.  Dinner is included in your monthly assessment in either the California Dining Room or Crystal Dining Room. See Crystal Dining Room  Menu –  Introduction To Dining Service Guide

The Towers offers three residency options for active older adults: Option 1: Purchase a unit Option 2: Long-term Lease Option 3: Short-term Lease

For Sale or For Lease:

FOR SALE in The Towers

FOR LEASE in The Towers

Floor Plans:

Model A, Studio/1bath, 500 sq ft
Model B, 1 Bedroom/1 Bath, 625 sq ft
Model C, 2 Bedroom/2 Bath, 1200 sq ft
Model D, 2 Bedroom/2 Bath, 1100 sq ft
Model F, 3 Bedroom/2 Bath, 1800 sq ft
Model G, 1 Bedroom/1 1/2 Bath, 975 sq ft
Model H, 3 Bedroom/2 Bath, 1600 sq ft

Common Area Floor Plan:

First Floor

Financial Qualifications Policy:

Financial Requirements in The Towers

Community Bus Tour:

Community Bus Tour Schedule

Known for his warm baritone vocals, Gregory Porter rose to acclaim in the 2010s with his earthy, cross-pollinated brand of jazz, soul, and gospel. A gifted singer of standards as well as more contemporary soul material, Porter has earned favorable comparisons to his idols Nat King Cole, Donny Hathaway, and Stevie Wonder. He announced his arrival by picking up a Grammy nomination for his 2010 debut, Water. After signing to Blue Note, he gained even wider notice for his third album, 2013’s Liquid Spirit, which hit number two on the jazz charts, and won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Although his original songs are his main focus, Porter often returns to his roots, such as on his 2017 tribute album Nat King Cole & Me.

Born in Los Angeles in 1971, Porter grew up in Bakersfield, California, where his mother was a minister. It was through his mother’s record collection that he fell under the spell of Cole, learning early on how to imitate him. Along with singing, he was also a gifted athlete, and left high school with a football scholarship to San Diego State University. However, after an injury to his shoulder derailed his sports career, he moved to Brooklyn where he worked days as a chef while performing in local jazz clubs. It was during this period that he met saxophonist, composer, and pianist Kamau Kenyatta.

Kenyatta quickly became Porter’s mentor, introducing him to flutist Hubert Laws. Laws then featured Porter on a track on his 1998 album, Hubert Laws Remembers the Unforgettable Nat King Cole. Laws’ sister, Eloise Laws, also heard Porter during the sessions and cast him as one of the leads in the musical It Ain’t Nothing But the Blues, which eventually enjoyed a run on Broadway. In 2010, Porter released his debut album, Water, on Motéma Music. Well-received, it picked up a Grammy nod for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Be Good followed two years later and further showcased Porter’s growing confidence.

In September of 2013, Porter issued his third album and Blue Note debut, Liquid Spirit. Produced by Brian Bacchus, the album was a huge success, landing at number two on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart, and scooping up the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. It also became the one of the most streamed jazz albums of all time, with over 20 million streams. His second effort for Blue Note, Take Me to the Alley, was released in early 2016, and featured Porter’s own version of “Holding On,” a track he co-wrote and previously recorded with electronic act Disclosure. Also in 2016, Porter delivered the concert album Live in Berlin.

The following year he released an album that paid tribute to the artist who had been most influential on his own music. Nat King Cole & Me featured Porter’s versions of some of Cole’s most treasured classics, including “Smile” and “Mona Lisa.” The concert album One Night Only: Live at the Royal Albert Hall arrived in 2018. ~ Matt Collar

Gregory Up Close

Sting Take My Breath Away in 1982

Gregory Performs “No Love Dying”
José Feliciano read the citation for Sting

Gregory performs for Singer, songwriter, and The Police frontman Sting and jazz musician Wayne Shorter, two artists who have spent a lifetime crossing borders and blending genres, found their paths merging on Thursday, June 15, 2017 when both accepted the prestigious Polar Music Prize from the hands of His Majesty King Carl XVI of Sweden at the Stockholm Concert House in Sweden.

Sting and Shorter are the latest Laureates to win the prize founded by ABBA manager, music publisher and lyricist Stig “Stikkan” Anderson. First presented in 1992, the Prize has gone to many of the world’s greatest pop and classical artists, including Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Emmylou Harris, B.B. King, Ennio Morricone, Renée Fleming, Elton John, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Yo-Yo Ma, Max Martin, Stevie Wonder, Patti Smith, and Isaac Stern.

“I am well aware of the prestigious history of this award, the extraordinary talents of those who have preceded me and their significant contributions to the world of music,” Sting told the assembled guests and the royal family at the afternoon ceremony.
 “So I am both grateful and somewhat bemused by my inclusion here. I’m standing alongside Wayne Shorter, a man whose music and philosophy I have admired for many, many years.”

Shorter paid tribute to Sweden in his acceptance speech: “My appreciation for the knowledge of your country’s contribution to humanity awakened when I was quite young. While watching the films of Ingmar Bergman, and the artistry of your great actors and actresses, I realized how freely your country opened its heart to the world long before the phrase, ‘artists and doctors without borders’ came into being.”

The ceremony traditionally features Swedish artists performing the Laureates’ music. That was true for the 2017 edition, but in addition, several international artists traveled to the Scandinavian country especially to honor Shorter and Sting. José Feliciano read the citation for Sting and performed “Every Breath You Take” with Serbian-born singer Jelena Krstic. Gregory Porter impressed with “It’s Probably Me” from Sting’s 1993 album “Ten Summoner’s Tales.” Jazz singer Esperanza Spalding read the citation for Shorter and performed her own lyrics to his “Endangered Species,” originally recorded by Shorter on his 1985 album “Atlantis,” at the evening banquet, held at the Grand Hotel immediately following the ceremony at the Concert House.