70th Festival of Arts closes with a gala

OUR LAGUNA

Aglamorous gala Saturday night was a fitting finale to the 2002

Festival of Arts season.

The evening included a reception and entertainment on the grounds,

a sumptuous dinner, an art auction, a performance of the Pageant of

the Masters and a general feeling of bonhomie. There was lots to

celebrate, most especially the closure of the simmering feud between

the city and the festival board on the terms for a lease that would

keep the festival and the pageant in Laguna.

In line with the pageant’s serendipitous 2002 theme of “Heroes and

Heroines” --the theme was chosen well before Sept. 11 -- the gala

honored four fire captains who founded “Project Blue Skies” to raise

funds for families of fallen firefighters, police and port authority

officers.

Festival President Scott Moore presented the fire captains with a

commemorative artwork designed by exhibitor Brenda Bredvik.

“Firefighters enter into an agreement with society when they are

sworn in,” said Fire Captain Gary Walsh. “It is simple: Regardless of

the calamity, we will be there for you. When others are fleeing,

firefighters are going in.”

Scott also announced a $5,000 donation to the New York Art

Recovery Program, created in response to the financial crisis

undergone by artists and arts organizations in the wake of Sept. 11.

About 2,600 people attended the gala. Guests were greeted at the

entry to the grounds by team members who included Fran Hudzinski,

director of administration; Pam Peterson. administrative assistant

and her husband, Randy; Susan Davies, special events coordinator;

Lucia McLeod, director of ticket services; Caren Werfelmann, director

of ticket operations; the Sandies, St. John and Thornton; and Christe

Auerswald and Darren Higuchi, sister and husband of Sharbie Higuchi,

director of marketing.

Sharbie was everywhere. The 4-year-old gala is her baby and she

was on the move, checking every detail, from the artwork to be

presented to the fire captains to the dinners of velvety filets,

wrapped in bacon; mixed vegetables, perfectly al dente; stuffed

prawns and wedges of pure chocolate decadence.

“I’ll eat while the pageant is on,” Sharbie said after taking a

gander at the plates being served to between about 450 purchasers of

$300 tickets at the sit-down dinner at Tivoli Terrace.

“It was the first year we sold out the $300 tickets,” Sharbie

said.

Diners included board member Bruce Rasner and his wife, Helen;

“Mrs. Boardmember,” Lu Campbell, a festival exhibitor; Mayor Wayne

Baglin and his wife, Faye, sporting a new hair style; board members

Ann Webster and Bob Henry and his wife, Annette; and board secretary

Dianne Reardon.

Dianne had arrived at the grounds wearing a white crocheted

sweater, a long, pale, silk skirt and dainty diamond and gold hoop

earrings. She was nabbed almost immediately by lifetime festival

member Ernestine Raab Green, a jeweler.

Ernestine insisted that Dianne add a collar of woven gold wire and

pearls, every bit as elegant as Dianne.

Pageant Director Diane Challis Davy, for whom the gala was a

working night, wore a long black dress with an empire waist and a

family heirloom cameo pinned to the high neckline.

Arts Commissioner Joan Corman Block wore a modern iridescent

acrylic necklace from Wearable Art and her blond hair in a low pony

tail to accent her simple, black, full-length gown. Joanie, who

arrived a tick late, was seated at a table next to Arts Commissioners

Pat Kollenda, stunning in a white suit and pearls made edgier with

strappy high-heeled sandals; Linda Dietrich, who needed only a red

satin blouse to accent her silvery hair; Jan Sattler; and Michael

Tauber; At the same table: Sian Poeschl, city arts coordinator, and

her husband, Troy; Fred Sattler, Jim Kollenda and Bob Dietrich,

festival board member.

Seated at a nearby table: Actress Eve Plumb, whose husband was

ill, was escorted to the gala by Ben Simon, chair of the Design

Review Board, on which they both serve.

The gala was the first time City Councilman Steven Dicterow had

met Eve. But he had seen a documentary the night before on the “Brady

Bunch,” in which Eve starred. Steve was seated with his wife,

Catrina; City Councilwoman Cheryl Kinsman, recently returned from a

vacation in Lake Tahoe; and former Mayor Kathleen Blackburn, a

festival board member, and her husband, Bill.

Bill was not among the men at the gala in black tie. His tie was

printed with surfboards, which drew the attention of fellow surfing

enthusiast John Campbell. John, a festival board member, began

surfing when he was 13. He could identify the different models of

boards on Bill’s tie from his long years of riding the waves.

Among the celebs who attended the dinner: Sally Struthers and

Christa Jackson, stars of “Always ... Patsy Kline” at the Laguna

Playhouse; “The Young and the Restless” hottie Greg Vaughn; and the

delightful Wendy Braun, whose impeccable timing makes the Mervyn’s

television ads worth watching.

And: Veronica Hamel, who played an attorney and love interest on

“Hill Street Blues;” Bill Brochtrup of “NYPD Blue;” Lee Reherman,

sports commentator on “The Best Damn Sports Show Period;” Sean Kanan

from “The Bold and the Beautiful;” Lisa Folies from Nickelodeon’s

“All That;” Kathleen McClellan of “Ladies Man” and host of E!

episodes; Cindy Ambuehl from “Jag;” and a plethora of “Days of Our

Lives” cast members.

Rob Minkoff’s face may not be as familiar as was some of the other

celebrities, but his credentials couldn’t be better. He directed

“Lion King” and both “Stuart Little” movies. Furthermore, he donated

a sketch to the auction.

Sponsors for the gala included Kendall-Jackson Vineyards, KOST

103.5 FM, Mercedes Benz, Ritz-Carlton, Ruby’s Diner and Gelson’s.

SUMMER’S HERE

Regardless of what the calendar says, Lagunans know that summer

begins for us with the annual Exchange Club Pancake Breakfast on

Labor Day.

The breakfast was started as a celebration of the last day of the

tourist season. Nowadays, the season never really ends, though it

slacks off, but Take Back Tuesday is still something to which

residents look forward.

“It’s not the same as it used to be,” said David Schaar, still

willing to give thanks for small blessings.

The weather is better now than in June or July, the beaches are

less crowded and at 11:30 a.m., Monday parking spaces were still open

on Forest Avenue.

One thing that hasn’t changed: The chow at the Exchange Club

breakfast is still $3 for pancakes, sausages, orange juice and

coffee. Reserve firefighters John Lunn, Pat Baughman, Tony Jordan,

Scott Guff and Richard Sutherlin flipped flatjacks and seared

sausages. Bill Morris sold bottles of water and cans of coke to pay

for the rental of the grills.

Cody La Tendresse served syrup and butter. Dewar Scott oversaw the

coffee urn. Councilman Steven Dicterow also was on hand.

Not all the breakfasters were from Laguna Beach.

“We have come every September for nine years,” said Debbie Huber,

standing in line with her 5-year-old grandson, Jared, who wanted

seconds.

Others who feasted: Vesta Curry, Carolyn and Andrew Wood, Walt

Cabanillas, Bill Atkins, City Councilwoman Toni Iseman and Steve

Miller, Gary and Carole Alstot, artist Patricia Turnier, Michael

Myers and Ken Garcia.

Also: Diane and Doug Hand, a 1960 Laguna Beach High School

graduate; Dick and Jane Evans, whose mom bought a summer home in

Laguna in 1943; John Hoover, a candidate for the Festival of Arts

Board of Directors; Coastline Pilot reporter Mary Castillo, spending

a day off with husband, Ryan Gilmore; Sherry Ford, who teaches at the

Laguna School of Art and Design; Yonnus and Robert Weaver; Rick

Evans, a Laguna Canyon wood worker; and Bruce Burr, a local artist

specializing in pencil.

The breakfast was organized by, who else? Sande St. John. She and

sidekick Sandy Thorton had a table set up to raise funds for Joey

Masella, the 10-year-old Laguna Beach boy with an incurable disease.

The Sandies also arranged for young flautist Evren Ozam to

entertain.

Proceeds from the breakfast help fund the Exchange Club’s national

project of preventing child abuse and donations to local community

service organizations.

* OUR LAGUNA is a regular feature of the Laguna Beach Coastline

Pilot. Contributions are welcomed. Write to Barbara Diamond, P.O. Box

248, Laguna Beach, 92652, hand-deliver to 384 Forest Ave., Suite 22;

call 494-4321 or fax 494-8979.