Correspondent

Penny E Schwartz

Follow the red cobbled road to new adventures at the Museum of Make Believe, an enchanting place of magical realism in Laguna Beach.
(Photo by Penny E. Schwartz)

Enter the land of make believe in Laguna Beach

November 23, 2025 at 7:34 p.m.

Museum invites kids and adults to a fairy tale land with magical characters and fanciful stories

A trout created by Cheryl Garcia in a Saddleback College Emeritus glass class is on display at Saddleback College. (Photo by Penny Schwartz)

Saddleback College Emeritus glass exhibit showcases denizens of the deep

November 8, 2025 at 5:30 p.m.

Ocean creatures of all kinds made of stained and fused glass are on display through Dec. 3

Sharing a cultural dance, members of the Korean Club perform at the Unity Festival. (Courtesy of Penny Schwartz)

Villagers celebrate their diversity at inaugural Unity Festival

October 4, 2025 at 10:54 a.m.

The brainchild of village leaders, the festival aimed to be a lively celebration of the Village community's breadth of diversity, talents and traditions.

The terracotta warriors how they may have looked when originally painted. They are part of the new exhibit, “World of the Terracotta Warriors: New Archaeological Discoveries in Shaanxi in the 21st Century,” at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.
(Photo by Penny E. Schwartz)

Terracotta warriors occupy the Bowers Museum

September 20, 2025 at 8:29 a.m.

World-famous life-size clay soldiers discovered in a burial pit in Xian, China, plus newly discovered ancient artifacts are on display

Laguna Woods resident Doris Eiler and Micky Mouse celebrate her 10-year anniversary working at Disneyland. Eiler worked at the theme park first as a switchboard operator, then as a salesperson in the gift shops.
(Courtesy of Doris Eiler)

At age 90, Laguna Woods resident retires from ‘happiest place on Earth’

September 2, 2025 at 6:56 a.m.

Former Disneyland employee has fond memories of working the switchboard back in the day

The 59th annual Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach is open daily through Aug. 31, 2025. More than 185 artists are participating in the show this summer. (Courtesy of Penny E. Schwartz)

More than 185 artists showcase their work at Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach

July 19, 2025 at 5:40 p.m.

Many artists have shown their work at the festival for decades, while each year new participants present their artistic vision to the public.

A store employee arranges food items in the farm store at the Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano.
(Photo by Penny E. Schwartz)

An ecological oasis sits in the center of San Juan Capistrano

July 13, 2025 at 3:40 p.m.

Fresh produce is ripe for the picking year-round at the Ecology Center

Attendees line up for brisket sandwiches at the Jewish Food Festival, sponsored by the Reform Temple of Laguna Woods, on Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Clubhouse 1.
(Photo by Mark Rabinowitch, Contributing Photographer)

Nosh, natter and dance in Laguna Woods

July 3, 2025 at 9:11 a.m.

Jewish Food Festival to bring deli delights and lively music

Diana Sherrod displays her fused glass lanterns at the Laguna Woods Village Art Affair in Clubhouse 2 on Saturday, June 7, 2025.
(Photo by Mark Rabinowitch, Contributing Photographer)

An art affair to remember in Laguna Woods Village

June 15, 2025 at 11:37 a.m.

‘Found, formed and fashioned’ is one focus of Laguna Woods artists’ works

David Nichols, a docent at the Moulton Museum in Laguna Hills, Calif., unfurls a Union flag given to the Moulton family by George Washington. The flag is on display at the museum, which tells the history of South Orange County and the Moulton family, who developed the lands beginning in the late 1800s.
(Courtesy of Penny E. Schwartz)

Museum celebrates pioneer spirit in South Orange County

May 19, 2025 at 7:31 a.m.

Displays tell history of area's development in late 1800s by Moulton family

All Stories