GETTING OUT/PAGE

The List

What’s going on in and around town this week

THE CAPISTRANO DISPATCH

FRIDAY | 13

FRIDAY NIGHT AT PADDY’S STATION 8-11 p.m. Grab a pint, order some fish and chips, and spend the night at a downtown Irish pub. Cover Fire will perform cover songs, so get ready to sing along with familiar tunes. Paddy’s Station, 26701 Verdugo Street, Suite B, San Juan Capistrano. 949.661.3400. paddysstation.com.

SATURDAY | 14

SEED CONNECTION 9-10 a.m. The Ecology Center is providing this hands-on lab about soil and seeds, so people can learn about gardening, saving seeds, and which food is appropriate to grow in a given season. The event is open to all ages, so you can learn something whether you have a kid just developing a green thumb or you are an adult looking to grow more plants in the backyard. The event is free. The Ecology Center, 32701 Alipaz Street, San Juan Capistrano. 949.443.4223. theecologycenter.org.

DOG ADOPTION OPPORTUNITY 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Promise 4 Paws is hosting

Editor’s Pick

Get some tips on bike safety from experts at Dana Hills High School this Saturday. Photo: Courtesy of Leandro Boogalu/Pexels

SATURDAY | 14 BIKE SAFETY LEARNING EVENT 9-10:30 a.m. Representatives from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) will teach bike safety skills to attendees at Dana Hills High School in Dana Point. CHP members will also check bicycles and helmets. The first 40 children to attend will receive a set of bicycle lights, while the first 50 children to attend will get reflective bracelets. The free event is in partnership with the cities of Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, as well as the Orange County Transportation Authority, CHP, OCSD, and the California State Assembly. RSVP online. Dana Hills High School, 33333 Golden Lantern, Dana Point. sanjuancapistrano.org.

an open dog adoption event. Drop by, check out some cute canine companions, and maybe go home with one. The event will be in the Pets Plus parking lot. Pets Plus, 32022 Camino Capistrano, #A, San Juan Capistrano. 949.248.3400. promise4paws.org.

SUNDAY | 15

SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT SWALLOW’S 2-6 p.m. Come enjoy a drink and enjoy some live music at this famous downtown bar. The Chris Daniels Project Band will perform. Swallow’s Inn, 31786 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. 949.493.3188. swallowsinn.com.

THURSDAY | 19

HORSEMEN HAPPY HOUR 5-8 p.m. Join the San Juan Capistrano Equestrian Coalition and other horse enthusiasts for an afternoon get-together. Free appetizers will be provided by the Equestrian Coalition. Hennessey’s Tavern, 31761 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. sanjuanequestrian.org.

FRIDAY | 20

LIVE THEATER AT CAMINO REAL PLAYHOUSE 7:30 p.m. Have some laughs and watch actors perform in downtown San Juan Capistrano. Camino Real Playhouse is staging Young Frankenstein, an adaptation of the Mel Brooks comedy. The show runs through June 5. Camino Real Playhouse, 31776 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano. 949.489.8082. caminorealplayhouse.org.

SATURDAY | 21

TALK FROM AUTHOR JOE IDE 10 a.m. Crime novelist Joe Ide will give a talk about writing the “killer” crime novel, in an appearance presented by the Southern California Writers Association (SCWA). Ide is the author of the IQ series and also just released The Goodbye Coast, based on the Philip Marlowe detective character. There will be a champagne brunch before Ide speaks and a buffet luncheon afterward. Tickets are available on the SCWA website. Regency Theatres, 26762 Verdugo Street, San Juan Capistrano. southerncalwriters.org.

TUESDAY | 24

FIELD OF HONOR 9 a.m-4 p.m. Mission San Juan Capistrano is again partnering with Homefront of America to display American flags in the Mission courtyard in celebration of Memorial Day. More than 400 flags, each standing at 7 feet tall, will be available to view. Active-duty military, veterans, first responders and Mission Preservation Society members will receive free admission to the Mission during the Field of Honor display, which runs through May 30. Mission San Juan Capistrano, 26801 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano. 949.234.1300. missionsjc.com.

AT THE MOVIES ‘The Unbearable Weight’ of an Inside Joke

BY MEGAN BIANCO, THE CAPISTRANO DISPATCH I

hate sounding overly dramatic, but the first half of Tom Gormican’s The Unbearable

Weight of Massive Talent almost instantly set off my second-hand embarrassment. For a moment, I was worried it would affect my viewing for the rest of the film. I knew going into Massive Talent that it was going to be one giant, tongue-in-cheek meta joke. But fortunately, Gormican and his muse of sorts, Nicolas Cage, knew exactly what they’re doing with their picture.

As can be seen in all the promos for Massive Talent, Nic Cage is playing Nick Cage in a film about Cage. No, it’s not a documentary, and it’s quite clearly a scripted story.

We see Cage as an actor who was once a superstar and now struggling to land any kind of gig in Hollywood. This Nick Cage has a completely fictional wife and teenage daughter played by Sharon Horgan and Lily Sheen, respectively, while the actor’s real-life legendary showbiz dynasty (the Coppolas) aren’t acknowledged in the film.

But we get plenty of name-dropping, callbacks and references to Cage’s very real acting work.

To make it even more obvious, Cage’s alter-ego is fictional; his on-screen agent (played by Neil Patrick Harris) notifies him he’s been invited to an extravagant birthday party of a very wealthy fan in Mallorca, Spain. Pedro Pascal plays the fan, who actually has ties to arms dealers.

Massive Talent starts out as a self-aware comedy about celebrity life, with Cage even playing a CG de-aged imaginary version of his character in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart (1990), who represents Nick’s conscience.

Once we’re in Mallorca for the rest of Unbearable Weight, it’s a mix of a buddy comedy and a traditional action flick, a la Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder (2008). Gormican and screenwriting partner Kevin Etten don’t break a lot of new ground with their new feature, but it is amusing enough to spend 105 minutes.

Cage—though maybe predictable casting as a famous actor making fun of himself— pulls off the gimmick effectively. Pascal might be the best part of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, with a pleasantly surprising amount of comedic timing.

If silly characters getting themselves into ridiculous situations to cartoony proportions is your bag, then you’ll probably get a kick out of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. CD

GUEST OPINION | Moments in Time by Jan Siegel

A Tribute to Marie Lacouague

The good news about San Juan Capistrano is that many generations of residents stay in our community. The bad news is that many generations of our residents stay in this community. As a result, we have a number of elderly family members living in our town—and, unfortunately, as they age, they also pass away, but we are left with their legacy.

Earlier this year, we lost Ilse Byrnes. She was 94. She had lived in San Juan Capistrano for over 60 years. As we celebrate National Preservation Month, it is important to remember the legacy left by Ilse that will endure forever. Keeping Los Rios Street as the oldest neighborhood in California is just one of her accomplishments.

In April, we lost another longtime resident who made a difference in our community by reminding of us of our farming history and how influential the Basque Community is to our town history and culture. Marie Lacouague passed away at the age of 98. She had lived in San Jun Capistrano for 71 years.

Marie was born near the Spanish border in the French Basque country. In 1939, Hitler invaded France and soldiers took up residence in Marie’s home for the next four years. It was not a happy childhood. After the war, Eugenia Oyharzabal, a San Juan Capistrano resident, returned to her hometown to visit her relatives and brought her daughters Carmen and Terry along. Marie and Carmen met and became friends.

When an uncle who had immigrated to California offered to sponsor Marie to come to the United States, he did not have to ask twice. She was more than happy to leave her troubled country. Although Marie was fluent in three languages—French, Spanish, and Basque—she did not speak English, so upon her arrival in California, the uncle paid for her to go to school to learn English. It was a Catholic all-girls school. The nuns who taught French in the school were not very good, so Marie was able to help them teach French to her fellow students. In turn, they helped her to quickly learn English, which she did.

Once she was able to speak English, she worked as a housekeeper for the Moulton family. She came down to San Juan Capistrano to visit her friend Carmen Oyharzabal, and it was during those visits that she met Jean Lacouague, whose father coincidently had come from the same village

MOMENTS IN TIME as Marie. Jean had BY JAN SIEGEL already taken over the running of his family ranch and became a citrus farmer. Jean and Marie were married in Serra Chapel in 1951. They had four children: Daniel, Michelle, Denise and Renee.

Besides caring for her immediate family, Marie fed and supported the workers on the farm. She and Jean lived in the same house that Pierre Lacouague had built in 1933. When the Lacouagues sold the farm in 1974, the family retained five acres on the “home-hill,” which included the family home. Jean passed away in 2008, but Marie continued to stay in the house. In 1998, Jean and Marie Lacouague were named Grand Marshals of the Swallows Day Parade as a testament to what they had done for San Juan Capistrano. In her later years, Marie enjoyed her eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Spend a “Moment in Time” reflecting on all the special people in your family and think about how much richer our community is because Ilse Byrnes and Marie Lacouague called it home.

Jan Siegel was a 33-year resident of San Juan Capistrano and now resides in the neighboring town of Rancho Mission Viejo. She served on the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission for 13 years, has been a volunteer guide for the San Juan Capistrano Friends of the Library’s architectural walking tour for 26 years and is currently the museum curator for the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society. She was named Woman of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce in 2005, Volunteer of the Year in 2011 and was inducted into the city’s Wall of Recognition in 2007. CD

PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, The Capistrano Dispatch provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared. The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the columnist alone and do not reflect those of The Capistrano Dispatch or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editorial@thecapistranodispatch.com. Photo: Courtesy of OC Public Libraries

FROM THE ARCHIVES This photo depicts a motorcycle club in San Juan Capistrano in the 1930s.

The Capistrano Dispatch regularly publishes a historical photo. To submit your historical photo for consideration, provide information about the photo along with your name, date, location and a small description to cbreaux@picketfencemedia.com.

ADOPTABLE PET OF THE WEEK

Glenda

THE CAPISTRANO DISPATCH

This is not, in fact, a furry baked potato, but an adorable bunny named Glenda. Glenda is a 6-month-old female mini Lop mix looking for a great home. She is treat-motivated and doesn’t mind being handled. With her sweet personality, Glenda would make a good house rabbit for a loving family. If you are interested in adopting Glenda, please visit petprojectfoundation.org/adoptions/ to download an adoption application form. Completed forms can be emailed to animalservices@scdpanimalshelter.org, and you will be contacted about making an interaction appointment.

Sudoku

BY MYLES MELLOR

SOLUTION: Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9x9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3x3 squares. To solve the puzzle, each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult. Level: Medium

SAN JUAN PRO SPORTS ROUNDUP

BY ZACH CAVANAGH, THE CAPISTRANO DISPATCH

JSerra Graduate, No. 1 Pick Royce Lewis Makes MLB Debut

Five years after graduating from JSerra and being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, Royce Lewis finally rocketed into the big leagues on Friday, May 6.

Lewis handled the first out of his MLB debut for the Minnesota Twins on a ground ball to the shortstop, and in his fourth at-bat, the former Lion collected his first big-league hit, as he laced a single into right field. The Twins beat the Oakland A’s, 2-1, in Minneapolis.

“It’s pretty emotional, because he’s such a good kid,” JSerra baseball coach Brett Kay said. “He meant so much to our program. He’s so close with all of our staff. If you were to create a young man, as a baseball player and a character kid, it’s Royce Lewis. I couldn’t say better things about him.”

Lewis never spent a full season with any team on his rise through the Minnesota minor league system.

After being drafted in 2017, he joined

JSerra graduate Royce Lewis made his MLB debut for the Minnesota Twins on Friday, May 6. Lewis was drafted No. 1 overall by the Twins in 2017 and was the organization’s top prospect. Photo Courtesy of Brace Hemmelgarn, Minnesota Twins

the Twins’ rookie ball team in Florida, and then moved on to the Single-A Cedar Rapids Kernels in Iowa. Lewis began 2018 with Cedar Rapids before going back to Florida with the High-A Fort Myers Miracle. The Aliso Viejo native opened 2019 in Fort Myers before being elevated to Double-A with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

However, it wasn’t always easy sailing to the major leagues for the Twins’ top prospect. Prior to 2022, Lewis hadn’t played a professional season in two years since his stint in Pensacola. The 2020 minor league season was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Lewis then tore his ACL ahead of the 2021 season.

However, Lewis battled back to be ready in time for spring training this season, and he was heating up across the Twin Cities from his parent club with

SAN JUAN PREP SPORTS ROUNDUP

BY ZACH CAVANAGH, THE CAPISTRANO DISPATCH

For in-game updates, news and more for all of the San Juan Capistrano high school sports programs, follow us on Twitter @SouthOCSports.

JSerra Baseball Grinds on to Division 1 Quarterfinals

After an uneven opening to the season, the JSerra baseball team has caught fire over the past month and a half, and the No. 2 seed Lions have ridden their pitching and defense to the CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinals.

JSerra (20-10) has won 14 of its past 15 games after a disastrous start to Trinity League play, where the Lions lost six of their first seven games.

JSerra’s pitching staff set the tone in the Division 1 opener on Friday, May 6. Oregon State-bound senior Tyler Gough opened with two perfect innings, striking out the first six batters in the game. JSerra went on to ring up 13 total strikeouts in a 4-1 win over West Ranch.

The Lions’ defense was the catalyst in the second round on Tuesday, May 10. JSerra turned two double plays early to allow time for the offense to get the big hit, and it did with a bases-clearing double by junior Jonathan Mendez in the fifth inning. JSerra beat Capistrano Valley, 4-2.

JSerra now travels to Harvard-Westlake in Studio City for Division 1 quarterfinals on Friday, May 13. Harvard-Westlake beat JSerra in the Division 1 final last season, 2-0.

In other local baseball results, Capistrano Valley Christian was the No. 3 seed in Division 3, but the Eagles lost in the second round at Downey, 7-3.

Capistrano Valley Christian, St. Margaret’s Boys Volleyball Set for Division 4 Title Game

championship will be played in and won by a San Juan Capistrano team on Saturday, May 14, as No. 1 seed Capistrano Valley Christian drives down Del Obispo to take on league rival and No. 3 seed St. Margaret’s.

The Eagles took both meetings against the Tartans this season—a sweep at St. Margaret’s on March 17 and a five-set match at CVCS on March 29.

St. Margaret’s will be playing for its third CIF-SS title in its sixth CIF-SS championship game. It’s the Tartans’ first CIF-SS Final since the 2015 Division 4 title game, which was also an all-San Juan Capistrano match against then-Saddleback Valley Christian. SVC won that match—its third of four consecutive titles—with head coach Ryan Van Rensselaer, who is now the head coach at Capistrano Valley Christian.

Rensselaer led CVC to its first ever CIF-SS championship last season in Division 6, which was the Eagles’ first Finals appearance.

CVC swept Katella, beat Calvary Chapel and Bolsa Grande in four sets and swept Portola to reach the title game. St. Margaret’s swept Hemet, University the Triple-A St. Paul Saints. After an injury to the Twins’ big free-agent signing Carlos Correa last week, the door opened for Lewis to get the call, drive across the river and make his MLB debut.

In his first four games with the Twins, Lewis had three hits in 13 at-bats, including a double. Lewis had a hit in each of his first three games.

San Juan Hills’ Rhyan, JSerra’s Wattenberg Selected in NFL Draft

Two San Juan Capistrano high school-produced offensive linemen were selected out of the Pac-12 and into the NFL last month.

San Juan Hills graduate Sean Rhyan was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers out of UCLA on April 29, and JSerra graduate Luke Wattenberg was selected in the fifth round by the Denver Broncos out of the University of Washington on April 30.

Rhyan, San Juan Hills Class of 2019, was a three-year starting left tackle at UCLA. The 6-foot-4, 321-pound lineman was All-CIF in football for the Stallions in 2018 and CIF-SS champion in the shot put in 2019. Rhyan is the first-ever NFL Draft selection out of San Juan Hills.

Wattenberg, JSerra Class of 2016, played in the interior offensive line positions at Washington. Wattenberg is set to sign a four-year, $3.99 million contract with the Broncos. Wattenberg is the fourth JSerra player in the past five years to be selected in the NFL Draft.

and Oak Park before beating Long Beach Millikan in five sets in the semifinals.

San Juan Hills’ Schmitt, Fox Win CIF-SS Swim, Dive Titles

San Juan Hills junior David Schmitt led a strong contingent of Stallions in the CIFSS championship pool on Friday, May 6, as Schmitt won the boys 100-yard butterfly title in Division 1 to become one of seven San Juan Hills boys entries to qualify for the CIF State Championships.

Along with Schmitt, senior Jake Redman qualified in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle events, senior Artem Kiryukhin qualified in the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle, and the Stallions’ 200yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay teams also qualified.

Also in Division 1, JSerra qualified seven girls entries and one boys entry into the CIF State Championships.

On the diving platform, San Juan Hills sophomore Taylor Fox won the CIF-SS Division 1 girls diving title on April 29, and placed first in the CIF-SS state qualifier on May 4. Fellow sophomore Avery Giese also qualified for the state diving championships.