The Crowd

B.W. Cook

More than 500 guests boarded the yacht Don Juan (not all at once,

thankfully) in the Newport Harbor to share a sunset cocktail, the music

of Reunion, formerly the Lettermen, and plenty of memories Thursday

evening.

Actually, the evening began with an open house reception on the Don

Juan, followed by a party at the Balboa Pavilion for the entire crowd.

The Balboa Performing Arts Foundation -- represented by its support wing

known as the Divas, the organization set to restore the old Balboa

Theater -- produced an end-of-summer party to bring back some of the

glory days of the past on the peninsula.

Today’s Lettermen, Jim Pike, Bob Engermann and Ric de Azevedo created

plenty of nostalgia with their performance of songs such as “Hurt So

Bad,” “I Only Have Eyes For You” and “Shangri-La.” Engermann and Pike, as

original members of the trio recording under the Capitol Record label,

received five Grammy nominations and produced 11 gold records, 46 hit

albums, 20 hit singles, with a worldwide sales volume of more than $100

million.

De Azevedo is a also a member of the King Family, one of the popular

groups on television and stage during the 1960s. Despite the emergence

and development of rock, both the King Family and the Lettermen represent

the world of the romantic ballad. There was plenty of swooning at the

Pavilion to prove that the romantic ballad is alive and well. Even

better, more than $25,000 was raised to keep both the music, drama, and

performance art alive in Newport when the Balboa Theater is rebuilt and

reborn.

Orange County Sheriff Mike Corona will be the guest of honor at the

seventh annual La Dolce Vita to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Antonio Cagnollo, owner of Antonello at South Coast Plaza Village, will

host the Sept. 26 dinner.

“Sheriff Corona has established himself as one of law enforcement’s

most powerful leaders in the state of California,” Cagnollo said. “His

hard work and dedication to children everywhere makes him an even

stronger leader.”

The evening, one of the more festive late-summer social events in the

county, is held on the Antonello patio under a canopy of lighted trees.

Featuring live music for dancing, an incredible dinner prepared and

served under the direction of Chef Franco Barone, and both live and

silent auctions benefiting Cystic Fibrosis, La Dolce Vita is a slice of

the good life on the Orange Coast.

Organizers have secured a trip to Paris and celebrity items provided

by Hollywood actor Lou Diamond Phillips, a supporter of the Cystic

Fibrosis cause, the most fatal genetic disorder striking children in the

United States. Call (714) 938-1393 to help find the cure. Tickets are

$135.

The incomparable duo Margaret Burke and Marilyn Hudson, producer of

the popular Round Table West book club, are busy preparing their fall

schedule in Newport Beach.

The first luncheon of the season premieres Sept. 23 at The Balboa Bay

Club. Authors set to address the crowd include the best selling Richard

Paul Evans (“The Christmas Box”) with his latest book “The Dance” from

Simon and Schuster.

Also at the podium will be actress and writer Diana Douglas Darrid,

the first wife of Kirk Douglas and the mother of Michael and Joel

Douglas. She has written a book titled “In The Wings” as a very personal

memoir of her life, “so that my grandchildren can enjoy their

grandmother’s heritage,” Darrid said.

Janet Fitch, author of the acclaimed “White Oleander,” the story of a

young girl’s journey through a line of foster homes and families

following the imprisonment of her adored mother for the murder of her

lover, is also on the impressive roster.

To join the Round Table West luncheon forum, call (323) 256-7977 to

reserve your spot.

* B.W. COOK’S column appears every Thursday and Saturday.