The Crowd

B.W. Cook

The Soroptimist International volunteers will converge on the Crean

Estate in Newport Beach this evening to honor six women of distinction.

The Soroptimists are a service organization consisting of professional

women in the local community who assist a variety of worthy causes. Their

party at the Village Crean on the Back Bay is being billed as “An Evening

Under the Stars” and will pay tribute to Jaquelyn Hanson, Wendy Hugstad,

Isabelle Krasney, Toni Lansing, Karen Santa Cruz and the Honorable

Barbara T. Schumann. The women are the 14th annual Women of Distinction

representing the best of the best in the world of the Soroptimists.

Further south on the circuit, the Oaks International Grand Prix

Equestrian Show Jumping Competition and dinner begins at 3 p.m. today

with cocktails and a preview of the course.

The grand prix begins at 4 p.m. with the gala charity dinner set for

sundown at the Oaks Blenheim Outdoor Showpark in San Juan Capistrano.

The Newport-Mesa crowd will be on the Santa Ana Freeway in droves as

more than 1,000 guests are expected to attend this year’s event, which

benefits seven local charities.

Benefactors include: Boys & Girls clubs, Drug Use is Life Abuse,

Mission San Juan Capistrano, National Water Research Institute, the Reeve

Irvine Research Center at UCI, Fran Joswick Therapeutic Riding Center and

the Rancho Mission Viejo Land Conservancy.

Created by Joan Irvine Smith, this event has become one of the most

celebrated on the late-summer calendar. In addition to the impressive

turnout of humans, more than 900 magnificent horses will be showcased.

Anything made by Hermes would be the appropriate choice of attire.

Today is also the date for Shaqtacular 4, the massive event produced

by Athletes and Entertainers for Kids at Universal Studios in Hollywood.

More than 100 film, television, recording artists and professional

athletes will participate in the daylong games that will benefit a

variety of causes. Sports stars from our own Mighty Ducks and Anaheim

Angels will participate along with Newport locals dedicated to helping

children through positive role models in athletics.

Howard Gordon of the Cheesecake Factory and George Grays of the

California Insurance Department join Alyxzander Bear, Starr Allumbaugh,

Diane Barber, Tim Burkart, Debbie Patillo, John Sullivan and a host of

other business leaders in sponsoring and promoting the ultimate sports

team extreme experience for kids.

Shaquille O’Neal will be joined by fellow athlete Tim Brown of the

Oakland Raiders, race car driver Patrick Long, former star athlete and

Fox NFL broadcaster Howie Long, and model-actress-fitness guru Kathy

Ireland for the festivities. Among the charities benefiting from the fun

is Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

Coming up next week, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation hosts

a cocktail reception at the site of Marriott’s Newport Coast Villas on

Newport Coast Drive Thursday evening. The event will honor patrons and

sponsors of the upcoming Sept. 26 Race For the Cure in Orange County.

The reception is underwritten in part with generous contributions from

Marriott, Aysia 101, West Coast Productions, California Cheese and Butter

Assn., and Gallo of Sonoma.

The race itself, with registration planned for Sept. 25 and early

morning Sept 26, will be an all-morning event that will include a women’s

5k run/walk, a coed 5k run, a coed 5k walk, and a family 1 mile

fun-run/walk.

The Costa Mesa-based breast cancer organization will be sponsored this

year by JCPenney, and a host of corporate underwriters. For more

information, call (714) 957-9165.

From running shoes to gorgeous gowns, mark your date book for Sept. 29

as Nordstrom South Coast Plaza joins forces with the Orange County

Performing Arts Center for what is being billed as “a dazzling exhibition

of 100 gowns” from Milan, New York and Paris to kick off the social

season on the Orange Coast.

The event is being planned by Newport’s Dotti Stillwell and Pat

Rypinski with assistance from Penny Newman of the Nordstrom designer

salon on behalf of the Winter Candlelight Concert, which benefits the

Center.

For more information, call (714) 850-2512. * B.W. COOK’S column

appears every Thursday and Saturday.