The Crowd

B.W. Cook

The final touches are being handled for the Orangewood PALS Moroccan

Millennium New Year’s Eve slated to unfold Friday evening at Fashion

Island, Newport Beach.

The gala, which is expected to draw some 1,000 guests, is being chaired

by Stephanie Argyros and Susan Carter with a committee that includes

Sabrina Combs, Tammy Ring, Wendy Woleben, Sherri Worth-Nourse, Rene Matz,

Melissa Frank and Jeffrey Best, to name only a few. PALS, which stands

for “providing assistance, love and support” is an organization mostly

consisting of young professional people in the Newport-Mesa community.

The black-tie party at Fashion Island will feature dinner, dancing,

entertainment and a ride home within a 10-mile radius. Now that’s

starting the new year properly, and responsibly.

The PALS board is led by Mitch Jenkins with able assistance from Lori

Junkins, Mark Hales, Tammy Ring, Randy Miller, Mark Young, Keith Bohr and

a host of other locals intent on helping the children of Orangewood.

For last-minute information on the celebration, call the PALs hotline at

(714) 741-9368.

*

If you’ve got any energy left after celebrating the end of the century,

get your high kicks ready for the 2000 CHOC Follies IV auditions set for

Jan. 8 and 9 at the Sutton Place Hotel, Newport Beach. Gloria Zigner will

again lead the charge, serving as executive producer of the countywide

extravaganza for the children of CHOC.

This year’s show is being billed as Fabulous Fables and Twisted Tales,

directed by John Vaughn and choreographer Lee Martino. Doug Austin will

return as music director. Auditions will commence at 10 a.m. both days at

the hotel.

Potential stars of the show must be 21 years of age or better, not older.

The show will debut March 31 at the theater on the former El Toro Marine

Base.

In the past three years, Zigner and Co. have netted in excess of $500,000

for Children’s Hospital Orange County. Not bad. Not bad at all. For more

information, call Lois Augustine at the CHOC Foundation at (714) 532-8690

or Zigner at (949) 720-1665.

*

More than $15,000 was raised at a holiday gathering supporting the

Alzheimer’s Assn. at the home of James and Stephanie Moore of Newport

Beach. The funds will help underwrite the second annual Evening of

Memories black-tie gala planned for Feb. 5 at the Four Seasons Hotel,

Newport Beach.

On hand for the holiday evening at the Moore residence was Alzheimer’s

board member Don Power and event co-chairs Julie David and Linda Lewin.

A goal of $85,000 has been set for the February fund-raiser. Guests of

honor at the evening will be Peggy Goldwater Clay, Orange County

Supervisor Tom Wilson, Carl Cotman of UCI, Jeffrey Cummings of UCLA, and

Arlene Craig of the Hutton Foundation.

For more information, call (800) 660-1993.

*

Childhelp USA, Orange County chapter, held a very successfulholiday

evening on the town under the tent of Cirque Du Soleil.

The organization sold 1,400 tickets and raised more than $60,000, reports

Eileen Saul, longtime Childhelp advocate and former chapter president.

In the crowd were Carol Packard, current president of the Orange County

chapter of Childhelp, along with event chair Barbara Ganahl.* B.W. COOK’S

column appears Thursdays and Saturdays.