Laguna Beach community members of all walks of life came together under one roof Thursday night for the second annual Laguna Achievement Festival, the event hosted by local radio station KX FM 104.7 serving to celebrate the multiculturalism of the town.
A popularity contest of sorts, with the "LAF" awards voted on by the public, the evening saw an assortment of artists, athletes, businesses, musicians, nonprofits, students and local legends honored.
Billy Fried, the executive director of the radio station, said the idea for the festival came from attending a similar event -- the Joshuas Gala -- in Joshua Tree.
"It was very homespun, but so sweet, because it brought the community together," Fried said. "They were primarily celebrating the arts, but they had their own appropriate categories, and I saw it for what it was. It wasn't a competition. It was a celebration. Everybody was very supportive of each other. ... I just thought, 'Wow, this would be so great in Laguna.'"
A lively group of locals piled into the Laguna Playhouse for Thursday's event, exceedingly vocal in their support of each other. Attendees shouted out the names of nominees as presenters held for a dramatic pause before announcing winners.
Roger Jones, a local skateboarder, came flying out of the back row, ran down the steps and hopped on stage when his former employer -- Laguna Surf and Sport -- was recognized as Best Surf Shop.
As it happened, that energy was sustained throughout the show. Fellow musicians high-fived each other when those awards were announced, Andrew Corradini (Best Male Solo Artist), Anesha Rose (Best Female Solo Artist) and Party Foul (Best Band) among them.
Corradini called the environment inside the theater during the event "electric."
"It's for us to sort of recognize each other, sort of touch each other, in a way," Corradini said. "It's a good reason to gather under the same roof, to sort of give acknowledgment and to support each other, to tip our caps to everybody."
Best Bar, given to the Sandpiper Lounge -- known to locals as the Dirty Bird -- received rousing applause as longtime owner Chuck Harrell accepted the award.
Surfing icon Dick Metz received the Laguna Legacy Award and took the opportunity to promote the soon-to-come Surf Heritage and Cultural Center.
More nods were given to the outdoors and board sports, with awards presented for mountain biking, skimboarding, surfing and skateboarding.
Best Male Surfer had a touching moment, as Hans Hagen called up all the nominees before announcing Eli Viszolay as the winner. Viszolay's sister, Marissa, made a GoFundMe to help the family cover medical expenses after he was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer (a non-seminoma germ-cell tumor).
"There's a lot of guys on this list [of nominees] that are the best surfer on any given day," Viszolay said in his acceptance speech. "... Thank you for this award. I just want to take the time to thank the community for all the continuous support. You guys have shown me love, and I really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. ...
"These guys continue to push me, and we spent years chasing moments like this, good sessions, and I'll do it until the day I die."
Even more Laguna favorites shared the spotlight, the program including a performance by local chiropractor Gary Arthur, who had the room moving and shaking with a performance of his song, "Laguna Aloha," backed by Steve Wood on piano.
Michael Minutoli, better known as "the Greeter," was joined by KX FM general manager Jonathan Tufano, dressed as his costumed doppelganger, just before the intermission.
News was shared that Minutoli had moved into his own living quarters with the help of a community fundraiser, and he was then presented with another gift.
"He won all of our hearts," Tufano said. "In fact, he has the key to our hearts, and now he has the key to his very own ADU. But now, he's going to have the key to something else: the city of Laguna Beach."
Mayor Mark Orgill handed over the key. Minutoli got emotional.
"I'm ready to cry, but this gives me a moment to say, 'Thank you very much to Laguna Beach," Minutoli said. I think there's been 510 people who donated to the GoFundMe to get $100,000 to get off the streets and have a room of my own. Now, I can give back to Laguna Beach."
The "LAF" awards moved from Seven-Degrees to Laguna Playhouse this year, and while Fried said they were initially intended to be "tongue-in-cheek," he quickly realized that the honorees appreciated being acknowledged and seen.
"We always honor the arts here, but rarely do we honor restaurants and merchants and nonprofits, and that's the soul of Laguna," Fried said. "I think this really was a pastiche of what our town represents -- athletes, artists, merchants, environmentalists, ... and it really created a picture, a mosaic, of what's special about this town, which was intended, but my god, it really manifested itself."
