KAREN WIGHT -- No Place Like Home

Spring has sprung. The garden is beginning to burst. The days are

longer and warmer. The kids are talking about the beach. And I’m in the

mood for a home tour.

Not just any home tour, my home tour -- or I should say Newport Harbor

High School’s home tour. I’m feeling a little possessive this year since

I’m chairing the home and garden event that will be held Tuesday, May 1,

from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This year’s tour is full of surprises. Extra additions to make 2001 a

little different. If I had to sum up the flavor of this event, I’d say

that character and charm are the cornerstones. I think we’ve uncovered

some of our area’s best-kept secrets, and I can’t wait to share them with

you on May 1.

Home Tour 2001 highlights the diversity of area that Newport Harbor

High serves and includes properties ranging from historical cottages to

an equestrian estate.

Have you ever wondered about those charming little cottages on Cliff

Drive in Newport Heights? Wonder no more. Have you ever wanted to explore

one of the fabulous properties at the end of the Back Bay that seem so

reclusive and surreal? We’ve got one.

This year, traditional home styles are sharing the spotlight with

modern, Mediterranean and wacky. Yes, wacky. That’s how one homeowner

defines the mood of her home. I’d prefer to say that the house is bold

and beautiful, full of integrity and sometimes, you just gotta have fun.

Another home has a spectacular backyard built for entertaining. There

is a full outdoor kitchen, a dining area and a “living room” with outdoor

fireplace, pool, spa and waterfalls.

Other previews: an Eastside Costa Mesa home steeped in charm and

European history, a modern home “with a twist” in Dover Shores, and a

classic Mediterranean cottage on Lido Island.

This year’s event offers six homes, a luncheon site on the Back Bay

provided by Plum’s, an “Art in the Garden” venue with breakfast pastries

from Haute Cakes and a reception following the tour at The Butera Home

Collection in Westcliff Court. So, not only will we cruise through some

fabulous properties, we’ll have fun eating as we go.

The Cannery Painters will provide one of the new additions to the

tour. Several local artists will display their works at our garden

location. A variety of styles will be represented -- genre, abstract,

realist, plein-air and contemporary.

The community has enthusiastically supported our efforts as we attempt

to raise money to fund tutoring programs, provide additional classroom

instruction and enhance academic enrichment. I am amazed and grateful for

their generosity.

The same is true for all of the homeowners, sponsors and volunteers.

Thank you Fashion Island; Norm Reeves Honda; Tustin GMC, Buick & Nissan;

New York Hardware and all of the generous families that contribute to the

day. The spirit of community is so great for an event like this; it’s an

honor to be part of the momentum.

So now you need tickets, right? Tickets are $40 and are available

through The Butera Home Collection in Westcliff Court, Atrium Court

Concierge in Fashion Island, Ann Dennis Unique Home Furnishings in

Stonemill Design Center and through the Home Tour hotline, which is (949)

552-2311.

I hope you enjoy this year’s tour. I hope we’ve created an event that

you can share with your friends, an opportunity to spend some time

together, to revel in fine design, to dream about future projects for

your own home and a chance to support our school.

I hope you can share my appreciation of good design, love for the

community and importance of our children’s education.

Enjoy, I plan on doing the same.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs Sundays.