B.W. COOK -- The Crowd

It was an afternoon of browsing and idea-gathering for more than 1,000

locals who toured Newport Beach in a benefit for Newport Harbor High

School.

Perfect weather aided the nine-stop tour that took guests from Newport

Heights to the tip of the Balboa Peninsula for the Spring Home and Garden

Tour.

Highlights of the event included a garden tour at a residence on

Redlands Drive, luncheon at a beach home on East Balboa Boulevard, and an

afternoon reception featuring the artistic interior design work of Karen

Butera on Westcliff Drive.

Substantial funds raised from considerable effort and planning will

surely be well received by Newport Harbor High School.

*

The gala opening of the Newport Beach Spring Antiques Show on Lido

Isle on Thursday was a smash success. The show is open to the public

through today. Dealers from all over Southern California are displaying a

wide variety of quality wares from very fine to just plain fun.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit charity, specifically Childhelp

USA and the Harvesters Food Bank. Tickets for today’s event at the tent

erected on San Remo park on Lido Isle are $12.

In the opening-night crowd were Diana Miner with her husband, Chris

Miner. Diana devoted countless hours to the event, and coordinated the

project for the Lido Isle Women’s Club, sponsors of the project.

Marion and Brad Smith, underwriters, were on hand with Aimee and Ed

Hookstratten, Sally and Edward Crockett, Thomas W. Barnes, Mary and Peter

Manno, Stevie and David Rhodes, Donna and David Shockley, Greg and Hanna

Skjonsby, Frank and Doris Tunney, Linda Colton, and the gorgeous Anne

Wortmann with best man John Wortmann.

The opening-night party was sponsored by many generous corporations.

Event chair Sharon McKinnon was a knockout, greeting guests along with

her mogul husband Brian, who was doing a little moguling with the high

brow antique-loving set.

Supreme credit for the affair belongs to the ever-elegant Marion

Palley and partner Randa Phair along with Lido Isle Women’s Club

president Nancy Helm. This inaugural show is but a harbinger of bigger

things to come. Also in the crowd were Lido’s Steve and Jan Sutherland,

Joy and David Curtin, and Sharon and Gary Grimes.

*

Newport’s Beth Lane was a smash at the recent annual Las Floristas

Floral Headdress Ball held at Merv Griffin’s Beverly Hilton Hotel,

Beverly Hills.

More than $350,000 was raised at the affair to support children’s

charities through Rancho Los Amigos. Lane has been an active member of

the Mannequins in support of the organization for some 21 years. She

dazzled the crowd with her headdress and managed to even dance with her

husband, Steven Lane.

The flamboyant party was chaired by Carolyn Johnson and Melody

Nishida, with dedicated assistance from Kathy Wills and Michelle Hill of

Huntington Beach and Cathy Zikakis of Santa Ana. Patricia Frandson is the

president of Las Floristas.

* B.W. COOK’S column appears Thursdays and Saturdays.

1. Beth Lane of Newport Beach outdoes them all at the recent annual Las

Floristas Headdress Ball held in Beverly Hills to benefit the children of

Rancho Los Amigos. Lane and her husband, Steven, were among some 500

guests who raised more than $350,000.

2. Top chefs of Newport-Mesa participated in the Wild and Crazy Taco

Night for Share Our Selves’ seventh annual event for the homeless. More

than 300 locals paid $30 or more to support the fund-raiser for SOS.

Participating chefs included Paul Squiccianini, Alan Greeley, Laurent

Mechin, Michael Kang, Jack Kalustian, Franco Barone, Jean Pierre

LeManissier, Denise Baron, Eric Nguyen and Carlito Jocoson.