The Crowd -- B.W. Cook

John Crean celebrated an all-American birthday on July 4 at his Back

Bay estate. How appropriate that Orange County’s very own Horatio Alger

would be born on the Fourth of July.

Looking dapper in red, white and blue, Crean and his wife, Donna,

hosted friends and family for an afternoon barbecue of hamburgers and hot

dogs at the estate. Spotted in the crowd were Newport Beach’s Mary

Roosevelt, Link Mathewson, Gloria Zigner and Irv Goldberg, Richard

Moriarty and fiance Lauren Blackwood, and Barbara Venezia with husband

Stan Tkaczyk. Also in the crowd was a radiant redhead named Vida Dean,

former society columnist for the Daily Pilot and other publications.

* * *

Generation X was at it again for the cause of helping those afflicted

with Alzheimer’s disease in Orange County. An organization known as

Team-X-Treme hosted its sixth annual benefit, attracting a handsome group

of young professionals from Newport-Mesa and beyond for a Mardi

Gras-style casino night at Tim Yale’s Easter Hill estate in Cowan

Heights.

The party raised more than $25,000 for the Alzheimer Assn.’s Help Line

Program. The generous catering company Bedazzled helped to sponsor a

Louisiana-style buffet dinner and martini bar for guests attired in an

abundance of purple, green and gold beads and feathered masks.

The evening was chaired by Amy Daugherty, with assistance from a

committee of dedicated volunteers led by association board member

Jacqueline DuPont, who founded Team-X-Treme more than six years ago.

Costa Mesa’s Jessica Keller was one of the generous event sponsors,

joining Newport Beach committee members Lacey Mullaney and Tim Nash,

helping to make the evening a success.

Linda Scheck of the Orange County’s Alzheimer’s Assn. shared that the

Help Line is receiving an average of 500 new callers each month.

“Alzheimer’s disease is on the rise, and more Orange County families

are using the Help Line to give them support and direction,” added

Elizabeth Eastin, Alzheimer’s Assn. communication director.

For more information on Team-X-Tream, call (714) 283-1111. To reach

the Alzheimer’s Assn. Help Line, call (800) 660-1993.

* * *

Nordstrom at South Coast Plaza will present designer collections for

fall in a spectacular show set to unfold at the St. Regis Hotel at

Monarch Beach. The July 31 event will begin with a cocktail reception at

7 p.m. in the evening, followed by a runway fashion show at 8 p.m.

Nordstrom’s Kylie Allensworth reports that the show, which is in its

third year, will preview both day and evening looks from European and

American designer collections for fall 2002.

Kylie also shares that decadent desserts will be served to the svelte

crowd after the presentation.

For more information on the fashion event, call (206) 373-3036.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.