Tuesday, August 29, 2006

And the Beat Goes On

I am back from my vacation and rested and ready to continue our quest to SAVE the BOOM!!!

There has been a lot going on the past several weeks.

We have surpassed our goal of collecting 5,000 signatures to SAVE the BOOM!!! Thanks to a great effort by volunteer coordinator, jeff delancy and the many volunteers who helped in this effort. We are still collecting signatures thru the Labor Day weekend, and would ask you to please send in any outstanding petitions to: SAVE the BOOM, 1278 Glenneyre, #20, Laguna Beach, CA 92651

We have received a large amount of press coverage on the good news that Mr. Udvar-Hazy has agreed to allow the historic coast inn and boom boom room to remain open for at least one more year. He renegotiated a one year lease extension with hotel and club operators, Patrick O'Loughlin and James Marchese.

Tthere was a big celebration at the boom last weekend. Here is the link to the photos and coverage of the party from the Orange County Register's Laguna Beach News Post on page 13:


And here are some other links to more coverage that we received.

The Advocate's story


and the lead editorial in Friday's Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot



And special thanks to Gregory Stevens who has been one of the best signature gatherers of this entire campaign. He has 7 petition clipboards in his salon and has had a SAVE the BOOM!!! banner up facing busy Pacific Coast Highway for the last month. Thank you gregory for all of your help!!!


And finally, we have been receiving several testimonials and this one was particularly moving from and an anonymous supporter:

"Thank you Fred!
The Boom has been my home away from home since January 1973. I had recently returned from Vietnam and was terrified at that time, all the time, inside. The home culture had changed and I was gay, a Viet vet and there was no place for me anywhere. I remember well that cold and rainy night I wandered in. I immediately felt warm as if I was with an old friend. The juke box was playing He's So Vain, then Tangerine and Green Eyes from the 40's, then a song by WAR. I realized that for the first time in my life I felt safe. A haven. There were pool tables in what is now the dance area and gold fish swimming under the glass on the bar. The guys all seem to know one another and with their flannel shirts and levi's were friendly, handsome and sexy. The seventies, the eighties, the nineties and beyond and I have never found anything quite like the Boom.

The people I have met there were not only from Laguna, but from big cities and small towns all over the world. I fell in love in the Boom in the 70's and it changed my life. I fell in love again there in the 80's during the time of AIDS and again it changed my life. I became an activist. We all did. I have never had as much fun, or learned as much, or had so many dreams come true, or my growth as a man as I have experienced in that sweet fine place.

Thanks again, Fred! I owe you one and big time! "

If you would like to share a boom memory(s), click on comments here in the blog and have at it.

That's it for now, except for a huge thank you to all who are helping in this campaign to protect our history and our future.

Fred

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute Notes Success

From the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute:

Iconic gay bar slated to close granted reprieve
The Boom Boom Room, an iconic gay bar in Laguna Beach, Calif., threatened with closing, has gained an 11-month extension on its lease. The bar, a well-known gay hangout since the mid-1970s that's part of the Coast Inn, was scheduled to be razed to make way for an upscale hotel. Los Angeles Times (free registration) (8/18)

Monday, August 21, 2006

The Advocate Reports the News

Thought that you would be intersted in this story from this week's Advocate, which is the largest national gay magazine:

August 18, 2006

Fabled Laguna Beach gay bar gets reprieve


Fabled gay bar the Boom Boom Room in Laguna Beach, Calif., where the likes of Rock Hudson, Paul Lynde, and Bette Midler once partied, has been saved from closure, at least for now. After it was purchased by a Beverly Hills businessman last year, the infamous Boom Boom Room was slated to close on September 4 to make way for an upscale hotel and restaurant on the South Coast Highway property.

But Patrick O'Laughlin and James Marchese, co-owners of the Boom Boom Room and the adjacent Coast Inn, came to terms with building owner Steven Udvar-Hazy on Wednesday to extend the bar's lease for one more year. "It's like Christmas in August," Fred Karger, who founded the group SAVE the BOOM!!! said in a statement. "This is the best possible news, and we are so grateful to Mr. Hazy for giving the oldest gay bar in the Western United States new life."

Karger, a retired Republican political consultant and former actor, gathered close to 5,000 signatures to persuade the city and new owner to keep the bar open. "It's a symbol for us.... This is history, and you don't erase history without a fight," Karger recently told the Los Angeles Times. "This is a battle for the heart and soul of gay life here."

O'Loughlin and Marchese bought the 24-room Coast Inn and the adjoining Boom Boom Room property for $2 million in 2000 but struggled to make it work as Laguna Beach's gay population dwindled. "At the time the demographics were there to support the place, but our experience shows that the demographics have shifted," O'Loughlin told the Times. "I saw a huge decline in the gay population—maybe 50%—and you didn't get more gays in to replenish it. This has become a place where the super-rich live."

O'Loughlin and Marchese sold the property last year for about $10 million to a group of investors who resold it a few months later for nearly $13 million to Udvar-Hazy, a Beverly Hills airplane-leasing mogul. Asked if there were any way he would keep the bar open after that, Udvar-Hazy seemed doubtful. "That's a hard question," he said. "A new hotel would be quite upscale, and I'm not sure from a development point of view that it is compatible with the Boom Boom Room."

But Karger is committed to saving "the Boom." "We look forward to keeping our SAVE the BOOM!!! campaign alive and hope during the next 12 months we can convince [Udvar-Hazy] that these landmark businesses should remain a vital part of Laguna Beach," he said. "This fight is essential to the gay community that live in and visit Laguna Beach. The historic Coast Inn and Boom Boom Room represent our past and our future." (The Advocate)

Saturday, August 19, 2006

More Press Coverage on Save the Boom Success

There were three excellent stories in the news today that I thought I would pass on. Here are the links to the coverage.

Los Angeles Times

Laguna Beach Independent (PDF file)

Coastline Pilot

We are in the final push of our summer petition drive and are nearing our goal of 5,000 signatures. Please help us surpass this number. Simply go to our website www.savetheboom.com and click on "sign our petition" in the left hand column and print out a copy. Then sign in the top box and get four more friends, family members or co-workers to also sign to help SAVE the BOOM!!! Then mail it back to the address at the bottom of the petition. It is easy, will only take a few minutes and will greatly help in our effort to save this gay landmark for future generations.

Thank you for all of your support.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Press Release: Boom Gets 11th Hour Reprieve

NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Fred Karger, Founder 310/666-9119
Robert Gentry, Co-chair 808/923-4060

August 16, 2006

BOOM BOOM ROOM GETS 11th HOUR REPRIEVE

OWNERS SIGN 1 YEAR LEASE RENEWAL -- BOOM IS SAVED!!!

LAGUNA BEACH, CA -- The SAVE THE BOOM!!! organizers received word today that the landmark Boom Boom Room and Coast Inn will remain open for atleast another year.

Patrick O'Laughlin and James Marchese, co-owners of the Boom Boom Room and Coast Inn have come to terms with the building owner Steven Udvar-Hazy.

"It's like Christmas in August," stated SAVE the BOOM!!! founder, Fred Karger. " This is the best possible news and we are so grateful to Mr. Hazy for giving the oldest gay bar in the Western United States new life.

"We look forward to keeping our SAVE the BOOM!!! campaign alive, and hope during the next 12 months we can convince him that these landmark businesses should remain a vital part of Laguna Beach.

"We have gathered close to 5,000 signatures from Laguna Beach residents and visitors alike in the last 2 1/2 months to SAVE the BOOM!!!, and we think our message has been heard. We will turn these signatures into the City Council sometime after Labor Day and hope that the City leaders will help us in our crusade to SAVE the BOOM!!! forever. This fight is essential to the gay community that live in and visit Laguna Beach. The historic Coast Inn and Boom Boom Room represent out past and our future.

--end--

The Boom is Saved!

Dear All -

Hard to beat this for great news! Our thanks go out to all who have helped out on
SAVE the BOOM!!! in order to make this possible. And a special thank you to mr. Steven Udvar-Hazy, the building owner for giving us a reprieve and allowing the landmark Boom Boom Room and Coast Inn in Laguna Beach to remain open for at least another year.

We will keep you posted as more announcements take place.

best regards,
fred karger



Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Boom Boom Room to bop for 1 more year
The Laguna Beach gay bar's owner and operators agree on a lease extension.

By LAYLAN CONNELLY
THE REGISTER
LAGUNA BEACH - The Boom Boom Room will continue to boom for another year.
The popular gay bar appeared to be doomed after the beachfront property was sold in April 2005. It will remain open for at least 12 months after Boom Boom Room operators agreed to a lease extension Monday with the new owner, said Patrick O'Loughlin, the former owner who still runs the bar.

Throughout town, a group called "Save the Boom" has been reaching out for signatures during a petition drive to urge the new owner to keep the bar along with the Coast Inn's 24-room hotel as gay-friendly establishments.

The Boom Boom Room's heyday was in the '80s, when the bar became nationally known as one of the few places where homosexual men could let loose, said bar veteran Marty Vert, a Laguna Beach resident who started coming here about two decades ago in his early 20s.

"It was horrible. You kept a secret. You didn't know who to talk to," he said. "When you came here, it was almost like a suit of armor was removed."

The bar in recent years has been mixed with a straight clientele, many of whom showed up Aug. 9 for the popular "Dreamgirls Revue," a female-impersonation show where a group of men dresses up as celebrities such as Cher, Bette Midler and Jessica Rabbit.

"This is the place you can come – no matter if you're straight or gay – you come here to have fun," said Michelle Landley, who counted herself among the straight clientele.

In a back room, the impersonators slathered on the thick eyeliner and shadow, while the crowd filled into the bar area. The male bartenders stripped off their shirts at about 9:30 p.m., and soon the place was packed.

As Dolly Scott, 48, started working the crowd his long blonde curly wig flowing nearly down to his red-and-black sparkling mini skirt the place was bustling with laughter.

"How many newcomers do we have here?" Hands shot up in the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd. "Sacrifice the virgins!" he said, strutting around the stage in his silver high-heel shoes.

The bar is one of Adam Forrester's favorite places to come, but the 27-year-old knows that, "Business is business," and he respects the former owners' reasons for selling.

"If the gay community wants to thrive here, they'll find another place to call home," he said.

O'Loughlin, who bought the property with James Marchese in 2000, said he was "pleased and honored" to continue running the Boom Boom Room. The two sold the property in 2005 to a group of investors, which in turn sold it to Steven Udvar-Hazy. Udvar-Hazy could not be reached for comment.

O'Loughlin received rights to the "Boom Boom Room" name and is searching for other locations in Southern California to start a new bar with a similar atmosphere after it closes next year.

"A lot of people might be upset it's closing," said Vert, a longtime friend of O'Loughlin. "I see it as an opportunity for a new era for the Boom Boom Room."
A farewell bash planned for Saturday is now being dubbed an encore party at the Boom Boom Room.

CONTACT US: 949-454-7356 or lconnelly@ocregister.com

Saturday, August 12, 2006

LA Times Profiles Plight of the Boom

Last Call Nears at the Boom Boom Room
The landmark gay bar's potential closing symbolizes the gradual shrinking of Laguna Beach's gay community. The property's owner has upscale plans.
By David Kelly, Times Staff Writer
August 12, 2006 (See the full article with pictures)


By midnight the drag queens were at it full throttle, strutting about in billowy blond wigs, faces caked with rouge and offering up ample "cleavage" for those generous or inebriated enough to slip in a few bucks.

Women yelped joyfully as taut, leggy guys dressed like Celine Dion and Cher belted out anthems on stage.

Elsewhere in the bar, dozens of men huddled close while others slung an arm around their partner. Women preened, and buff men exchanged smoldering stares.

There are swankier bars in Laguna Beach, maybe more glamorous people, but where else in Orange County can gays, lesbians, housewives, Democrats, Republicans and drag queens drink and dance under four disco balls in the middle of the week?

"This is the heart of the gay community," said Richard Barry, struggling to be heard over the din. "The other gay bars are starting points, but this is where we end up."

Not for long.

The fabled Boom Boom Room is slated to close early next month to make way for an upscale hotel and restaurant on the South Coast Highway property.

The aging building with the enormous bar, the place where Rock Hudson and Paul Lynde once partied, where a guy could inhale a martini beside a big fish tank and check out the bronzed surfers coming off the beach, seems headed for extinction.

The news has been met with anger and despair by those who see more than just a bar closing. For them, it symbolizes the gradual shrinking of Laguna Beach's gay community thanks largely to skyrocketing housing prices.

And they say that as their lifestyles have become more mainstream, gays and lesbians no longer need the protection of their own enclaves and are moving to less expensive suburbs like everyone else.

"Laguna, like West Hollywood, is becoming de-ghettoized," said Kirk Luetkehans, a doctor from Los Angeles, sitting at the bar of the Boom Boom. "It's a double-edged sword. You don't have to look over your shoulder as much, but part of me misses the community the way it was."

Some are trying to save the bar. Fred Karger, a retired Republican political consultant and former actor, is gathering signatures to persuade the city and new owner to keep it open. "It's a symbol for us…. This is history, and you don't erase history without a fight," he said. "This is a battle for the heart and soul of gay life here."


Patrick O'Loughlin and Steve Marchese bought the 24-room Coast Inn and the adjoining Boom Boom Room property for $2 million in 2000 but struggled to make it work as the town's gay population dwindled.

"At the time, the demographics were there to support the place, but our experience shows that the demographics have shifted," said O'Loughlin. "I saw a huge decline in the gay population — maybe 50% — and you didn't get more gays in to replenish it. This has become a place where the super-rich live."

The number of gays residing in Laguna Beach is not easy to estimate. The 2000 census of Laguna Beach lists 310 same-sex couples among the city's 23,727 residents. But gay residents deem this figure too low because it doesn't take into account those not in relationships.

O'Loughlin and Marchese sold the property last year for about $10 million to a group of investors who resold it a few months later for nearly $13 million to Steven Udvar-Hazy, a Beverly Hills airplane-leasing mogul.

O'Loughlin and Marchese are negotiating to extend the bar's lease nine or 10 months after the current one expires Sept. 4.

Asked if there were any way he would keep the bar open after that, Udvar-Hazy seemed doubtful. "That's a hard question," he said. "A new hotel would be quite upscale, and I'm not sure from a development point of view that it is compatible with the Boom Boom Room."

Udvar-Hazy said high commercial rents in Laguna Beach require owners to operate pricy businesses or fail. "We will go upscale, whatever we do, and, whoever can afford it, we welcome them, gay and non-gay," he said.

Gays began arriving in Laguna Beach during the early 1900s when there was an influx of artists drawn to its white beaches, picturesque coves, eucalyptus groves and azure waters. A few lived in seaside cottages built in the 1880s, some of which still stand.

The Coast Inn was built in 1927 by John "Pappy" Smith. His granddaughter, Carolyn Burris, said he got the idea for a restaurant and bar — which is now the Boom Boom Room — from a tropical island-themed eatery in Long Beach.

"He built it and named it the Seven Seas," she said. "He had fish tanks so you could drink and watch the fish."

The Seven Seas was frequented by families and the military. The name Boom Boom Room, Burris said, came from sailors and Marines who used the term as slang for sex. Another patron said it was from the sound of jungle drums, an idea in keeping with the island genre.

After the Smith family sold the bar to Sidney Bryant in the mid-1970s, the new atmosphere quickly attracted large gay crowds from around Southern California. Lines formed down the street. Celebrities such as Hudson, Lynde, Bette Midler and Martha Raye dropped in.

Then came AIDS, which thinned the ranks of the regulars.

"There was a freeness and lack of inhibition there," recalled Jeannie Mallarian, a former Boom Boom waitress. "I quit counting the AIDS victims after 192. I went to a lot of funerals. I quit crying after a while."

The community carried on. Robert Gentry became the nation's first openly gay mayor, eventually serving three terms between 1982 and 1994. Now splitting his time between Hawaii and Rancho Mirage, Gentry, 67, sees a far more affluent city where gay influence is waning.

"We have seen a change, one that started with the AIDS pandemic," he said. "There are people who want to see less gay people here. I haven't seen the city take a stand on domestic partnerships. Ten years ago we would have been the first to stand up for it. We would have sent representatives to Sacramento."

The potential demise of the Boom Boom Room, he said, is another step in the decline of gay life in the city.

"The Boom is a taproot to the gay community in Southern California," Gentry said. "It has a great deal of symbolism, a great deal of history and is an icon for the city because Laguna Beach would not be where it is today if it weren't for the gay community."

Gentry said he expected the exodus of gays to Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City and the suburbs to continue.

"These other cities will reach out and pick up the slack," he said. "There are tons of people from Laguna in Palm Springs now. I am saddened by the change, but I understand it."

Joel Herzel, owner of Woody's at the Beach, a smaller, more upscale gay bar and restaurant in town, said the city would regret losing the Boom Boom Room.

"I don't want Laguna to become like Newport. I don't want it to lose its charm," he said. "People look at the bar and say, 'It's only a bar,' but it's a place that people want; it is part of their lives. It's our past and our future. Assimilation is a great thing, but there is something to be said about knowing who you are."

Fred Karger, 56, who has lived in the city for 10 years, has assembled volunteers, collected more than 4,000 signatures on a petition, talked to the new owner and put together a website (www.savetheboom.com) dedicated to keeping the bar open.

"This is the gayest place in Orange County," he said. "I remember the first time I came here. I fell in love with the place. The Boom Boom Room was in this magical town full of upbeat, attractive, interesting people."

Karger said city officials should help save the Boom Boom Room. "They could use their bully pulpit," he said.

Mayor Steve Dicterow said he would be happy to speak to the new owner, but that's about it. "I do see the Boom Boom Room as important, but I'm fearful of city involvement because I believe in property rights," he said.

Regulars at the bar disagree about what it all means. Some see the scheduled closure as the end of an era; others view it as another storm to weather.

"Laguna Beach doesn't need another bed-and-breakfast or magnificent restaurant," said Bob Wilson, 69, an ex-merchant marine officer who has been a patron since 1978. "I have traveled the world, and you hear about this place in Amsterdam, Hong Kong — wherever you go. For me, after so many years, it's home. And now, something you could count on is gone."

Al Roberts disagreed. "I don't think gays need the protection Laguna offered years ago," he said. "I think it would be great if it stayed, but I wouldn't pressure the property owner. For some people the bar is their life, but it's not mine."

Late into the night, as sea breezes bathed the sweaty club, the drag queens began wrapping up their act. "We only have six more shows left and then we are done here!" one shouted.

The exuberant women with their dollar bills, the bare-chested barmen, the vamping transvestites, the occasional straight guy trolling for the occasional straight girl — they all quieted a bit as the reality sank in.

Happy Laguna, it seemed, would soon be less gay.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

DOT Magazine Highlights Save the Boom Efforts

• o.c. spotlight •
Locals Attempt to Save the Boom
By Tonette Shepherd

After much innuendo, it is now fact that the Boom Boom Room will be closing its doors forever, and if you have not had the opportunity to make memories at the oldest continuously operating gay club in the Western United States, time is running out. As reported in the July issue of dot Newsmagazine, the famed establishment will close on Labor Day, but committed “boomers” are going out of their way to save the historical treasure.

(See the rest of the article here)

Monday, August 07, 2006

Weekend Update August 7


PETITION DRIVE TOPS 4,000 SIGNATURES


As reported in the Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot, we have crossed the 4,000 mark on our petition drive! Volunteer coordinator Jeff Delancy was out and about this past weekend all around town and spent Saturday morning at Laguna's popular farmers market where he received huge support and lots of signatures from many shoppers.

We are in the final month of our signature gathering effort. If you have not signed a petition yet or would like to help gather some signatures on your own, simply go to our website www.savetheboom.com and click on "sign our petition" and print out your very own own copy. Sign the top line and get up to four more signers who also want to save the historic Coast Inn and Boom Boom Room and mail it back to the address on the bottom of the petition. It will greatly help in our efforts.

SAVING THE BOOM IN THE WINDY CITY

Dave Mawer called Saturday to report that he was wearing his bright yellow SAVE the BOOM!!! t-shirt in Chicago and was greeted by throngs of supporters asking "what was going on with the Boom?" and "How can we help?" looks like the campaign is spreading its wings around the country. That along with expanded press coverage in Washington, DC, Houston, San Francisco and San Diego is truly making this a national effort.

Sunday, August 06, 2006

News on the Boom

Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot -
August 6, 2006

CITYSCAPE ROUNDUP:
LA councilman joins Boom fight

Los Angeles' first openly gay city councilman, Bill Rosendahl, has joined the effort to preserve the Boom Boom Room and Coast Inn in Laguna Beach, Save the Boom founder Fred Karger said.

The Save the Boom effort has obtained more than 4,000 signatures on petitions, Karger said. The goal is 5,000 signatures.

Rosendahl joins former Laguna City councilman and three-time mayor Robert F. Gentry as co-chair.

"I am hopeful that we can help create a public private partnership with the city, the property owner and the gay community to preserve not only this building but gay life in Laguna Beach," Gentry said.

"I have been going to Laguna Beach since 1981," Rosendahl said. "I want to continue to come back to the Laguna I know and love just as I have been doing for the past 25 years. This club and hotel are an integral part of the community, and they should be there for future generations.

"The Boom Boom Room is steeped in history. It is the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the western United States and is viewed as a landmark by the gay community. It must be preserved. I hope that Laguna Beach City leaders will help us in our campaign to Save the Boom," Rosendahl said. advertisement


Gentry, who served on the Laguna city council from 1982 to 1994, was one of the first openly gay mayors in the United States.

The Save the Boom campaign was launched June 1. For more information, visit www.savetheboom.com.

_________________________________________________

Additionally, the Laguna Beach Independent ran a story on Bill Rosendahl joining the campaign. You can find a link to the PDF story on their web site here:
LA Councilman Is In On the BOOM

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

LA City Councilman to Serve as Co-Chair (Press Release)


Los Angeles City Councilman to Serve as Co-Chair of SAVE the BOOM!!! Campaign



Bill Rosendahl Joins Robert Gentry in Top Spots


LAGUNA BEACH, CA - Respected Los Angeles City Councilman, Bill Rosendahl today joined the grassroots citizens effort to preserve the historic Boom Boom Room and Coast Inn in Laguna Beach, was announced today by SAVE the BOOM!!! Founder, Fred Karger.

"I have been going to Laguna Beach since 1981," stated Rosendahl, "I want to continue to come back to the Laguna I know and love just as I have been doing for the past 25 years. This club and hotel are an integral part of the community and they should be there for future generations."

"The Boom Boom Room is steeped in history. It is the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the western United States and is viewed as a landmark by the gay community. It must be preserved!"

"I am honored to do whatever I can to help in this campaign. Laguna has always been a special place to me for a lot of reasons. It is known worldwide as a wonderful, compassionate city that has embraced diversity for over 100 years. I hope that Laguna Beach City leaders will help us in our campaign to SAVE the BOOM!!!"

Bill Rosendahl is the first openly gay man elected to the Los Angles City Council and is currently the only openly gay elected official in the city of Los Angeles - see photo attachment. He is serving in his first term and was elected in 2005. Bill Rosendahl joins former Laguna Beach City Councilman and 3 time Mayor, Robert F. Genty as Co-chair of this effort.


"I am so pleased to serve with Bill Rosendahl," said Bob Gentry. "He is a bold, courageous and decisive leader and I am honored to serve side by side with him to help preserve this landmark. I am hopeful that we can help create a public private partnership with the city, the property owner and the gay community to preserve not only this building but gay life in Laguna Beach."

Bob Gentry served on the Laguna Beach City Council from 1982 to 1994 and was the first openly gay Mayor in the United States.

Weekend Update from July 24

We have had another busy weekend out campaigning in Laguna Beach to SAVE the BOOM!!! Just about every night this week under the supervision of volunteer coordinator, Jeff Delancy signature gatherers have been in front of the boom boom room, woodys, coast liquor, the koffee klatch and main street.

We had tables set up on Saturday in north Laguna at pavilions and at ralphs supermarkets. unfortunately we hit some unpleasantness at pavilions. some very hateful remarks were directed at jeff followed by an individual heaving his coffee at him out of his speeding car. we have been hitting pockets of homophobia throughout laguna with some comments and rude behavior, but never anything like this. jeff was shaken up, but said that for this one individual there were hundreds of positive comments and lots enthusiasm for the SAVE the BOOM!!! throughout the day.


Blogs

on a brighter note, many blogs and regional gay newspapers have started to pick up our story and are spreading the word of our effort to save this gay landmark. not to be outdone, we have launched our own blog on the new and improved SAVE the BOOM!!! website. check it out:

http://savetheboom.blogspot.com/


Letters to the Editor

and there were some excellent letters to the editor in last friday's Laguna Beach Independent. here is the link to page A4. they are entitled "raise the boom" by c. bjork and "laguna beach a gay and lesbian friendly place" by roger carter (no relation).

http://www.lagunabeachindependent.com/INDY_ASEC_071406.pdf

if you would like to write a letter to the editor to help the cause, just go to our new and improved website and click on "write a letter to the editor." it will explain how to go about this. keep your letter short and sweet and make sure you include your name and phone number. lots of papers like to call and confirm with the writer after they receive the letter.

Petition Drive

The petition drive is going extremely well and we are proud to announce that we have over 3,000 signatures on hand from laguna residents and visitors alike. the awareness and interest has really soared and it is very gratifying to see the community get behind this effort.

Share Your Boom Memory

I had the pleasure of meeting two incredible women at the boom a few weeks ago who were so happy to sign our petition, here's why:

"On a warm late summer day in September 1999, we had our wedding ceremony outdoors on the back deck of the Coast Inn. It was a beautiful day with lots of people down on the beach enjoying the ocean. Our wedding video is filled with sounds of the waves crashing on the beach.

"We had a wonderful ceremony with lots of music. Some of our friends and family members contributed their voices and their piano, flute, and harp for the occasion.
The music ranged from hymns to show tunes. We even sang a song to each other as we were lighting our candle - From This Moment.

"Since there were beautiful flowers surrounding the deck, we didn't even need to bring in any flowers for the ceremony -- that was a blessing since neither one of us is gifted at floral arranging. The Boom Boom/Coast Inn chef prepared all the hors d'oeuvres for our 50 guests. Besides our guests, there were many other folks who stopped on the beach to listen to our music, or who watched the ceremony form the upper decks above!

"We will always remember that day when we said our vows before our family and friends. We are committed to a long and lasting relationship. Thank you BoomBoom and Coast Inn."

Shauna and Shanna

and if you have any stories, photos, comments, etc., that you would like to see on our blog, please send them to me by return email and we will try to put them on our site.

thank you so much to all who are helping on this campaign to SAVE the BOOM!!!

best regards, fred karger