Museum Benefit Gets Some Young Blood

Costumed like kids, socializing like grown-ups, 170 supporters of the Children’s Museum at La Habra crowded Martha and Bob Fluor’s back bay back yard on Saturday night. The $50-per-person Newport Beach house party--the fifth annual gathering at the Fluors’--raised an estimated $10,000.

Playing Dress-Up

For this crowd--many of whom are veterans of the black-tie circuit--a party without a dress code is like a benefit without a bottom line. Pay the price, don the fancy duds, see and be seen: that’s the drill.

At the “Big Kids Party,” silliness invaded the proceedings. As in years gone by, the Fluors’ sprawling yard was strewn with toys. Cheerleading pompons dangled from a huge shade tree. Rainbow the Clown stuck her bulbous red nose into everybody’s business.

Kiddie food included burgers and hot dogs, corn on the cob, burritos, ice cream and cookies (washed down with wine and beer, mixed drinks and margarita Sno-cones--and no, the bartenders did not feel it necessary to check IDs.)

Theresa Goodland, the museum’s resident artist, and La Habra Community Services representative Angie Hutcherson painted balloons and boats and unicorns and the like on guests’ faces.

Party chairwoman Cheryl Turner, like others on her committee, stuck with style basics: a Children’s Museum T-shirt and jeans. Guild president Missy Fleet was dolled up in a yellow pinafore she had borrowed from her teen-age son’s girlfriend. Clutching Cabbage Patch Kids, Carla and Richard Miller of La Habra were a vision in mixed sartorial signals--she in a ruffled mini, knee socks and Bo-Peep hat; he in shorts, a button-down shirt, suspenders and a bow tie.

Games

After drinking like men and women and eating food favored by boys and girls, guests got down to the business of having fun. Karl Giesler--whose wife, Marcia, was a committee member--emceed two rounds of musical chairs. Then 14 teams, one from each table, wrote and performed cheers for the Children’s Museum.

Also Seen

The Fluors mingled briefly at the start of the party but disappeared long before dusk.

Former Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo and his wife, Jodi, ate dinner with Warren Rose of Newport Beach, and his wife, Margarita, who was recently crowned Mrs. All Nations.

The beauty queen, Karl Giesler noted when introducing her to the crowd, is the niece of Nicaraguan President Violeta Barrios de Chamorra.

The party committee included Sally Bryant, Susie Hango, Sallie Cooke, Bobi Hirschbein, Barbee Sutton, Ann Johnson, Cathy Michaels, Rhonda Kitley, Corky Redmond, Ann Pickering, Heidi Pearce and Barbara Oresko.The Old Switcheroo

The only real kids on the scene were Bart Davis, 16, and his brother Brett, 12. The Davis boys, who live in Orange, came partying with their parents, Diane and John Davis, and grandmother, Jeanne Barnes, as “chaperons.” It said so right on their name tags.

Quoth chaperon Bart of the festivities: “This is better than sitting at home being a couch potato!”

BABY TALK: Irvine Co. Chairman Donald Bren and his longtime girlfriend Carol Hayes are the parents of a new baby girl, Whitney, born June 28 in Los Angeles. The baby’s step-grandmother, Claire Trevor Bren (widow of Bren’s father, Hollywood producer Milton Bren), reached in New York, where she holes up in the tony Hotel Pierre, said: “I love children. I’m sure she will bring them lots of happiness.” The baby is Bren’s fourth and Hayes’ first. Trevor Bren declined to comment on wedding plans, but the former Newport Beach resident did say she would visit Orange County on Dec. 1 for the wedding of Donald Bren’s daughter, Ashley.