For years Laguna Beach had an official welcoming committee-a committee of one, that is. "The Greeter" as he was affectionately known, was a old gentleman by the name of Eiler Larsen, a Dane with hair below his shoulders and a great, gray beard. He usually stood around the corner of Forest Ave and PCH, waving to everyone as they zipped past along the highway. Eventually, the city council proclaimed Larsen as the Official Greeter. He is gone, but not forgotten, as he is now immortalized in two statues, one at the Greeter's Restaurant, another in front of the Pottery Shack.

Greeter