* Send AROUND TOWN items to...

* Send AROUND TOWN items to the Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay St.,

Costa Mesa, CA 92627; by fax to (949) 646-4170; or by calling (949)

574-4298. Include the time, date and location of the event, as well

as a contact phone number. A complete listing is available at

www.dailypilot.com.

WEDNESDAY

A bat-themed parent and child educational program will be held

from 10 to 10:45 a.m. at The Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center.

The program will provide hands on activities for two- to four-year

old naturalists. Pre-registration and parent participation is

required. The center is at 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach. $3

per child. (714) 973-6829.

Author and publisher Douglas Westfall will give a presentation on

two opposing prisoners of the Civil War that united in Orange County

and helped found the town of Orange. The program, hosted by the Costa

Mesa Historical Society, will begin at 7 p.m. . Free, donations

accepted. The program will be held at 1870 Anaheim St. (949)

631-5918.

THURSDAY

The Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce will host a 90-minute breakfast

boost from 7 to 8:45 a.m. today at the Costa Mesa Country Club. $12

if prepaid, $17 at the door. The country club is at 1701 Golf Course Drive. For reservations, call (714) 885-9090.

The Newport Garden Club will hold its monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m.

in the Harbor View Club House. The guest speaker will be Rex Yarwood,

horticulturist and manager at Haster Grove in Laguna Beach. The club

house is at 1900 Port Carlow Place, Newport Beach. (949) 720-1552.

FRIDAY

The Costa Mesa Women’s Club, a 92-year-old club, will hold their

monthly meeting, which will include entertainment and a luncheon.

Free admission, lunch $7.50. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. in the

club house at 610 W. 18th St. (949) 548-7242.

SATURDAY

The Harbor Christian Fellowship Church in Costa Mesa will host a

Mammogram-a-thon from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event, sponsored by

YWCA Encoreplus and The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, will

provide breast cancer screenings to the community. Free. The church

is at 740 W. Wilson St. For more information, call (714) 935-9720 or

(714) 806-2037.

The UCI Arboretum and Orange County Fine Arts will host the annual

Art of Flowers Fall art and flower show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the

UCI Arboretum. The event will include a fine art show and sales by

artists and the arboretum. Admission is $2 per person and free for

children under 12 and members of the Friends of the UCI Arboretum.

The arboretum is just south of the corner of Campus Drive and

Jamboree Road on the UCI North Campus. (949) 824-5833.

The Mariner’s Elementary School Foundation will host a fundraiser

from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Newport Dunes Tent. The event will include

food, music and a silent and live auction. Tickets are $80 per person

and all proceeds will be donated to Mariners Elementary School. The

dunes are at 1131 Back Bay Drive. (949) 650-4187.

The Costa Mesa Senior Center will host a Monte Carlo night from 7

to 11 p.m. at the center. The evening, which serves as the center’s

annual fund-raising event, will include entertainment provided by the

Bob White Trio (a former lead singer for The Platters), gaming,

blackjack, craps, poker, a silent and live auction, and a gourmet

Chinese dinner. The center is at 695 W. 19th St. Call for

reservations. (949) 645-2356.

Bjorn Again, an Australian band that dresses and sounds like ABBA,

will perform at the Orange Coast College’s Robert B. Moore Theatre at

8 p.m. The band is world famous and has glitter-laden Swedish charm.

For ticket information, call (714) 432-5880.

SUNDAY

The 14th annual United Interfaith CROP Hunger Walk will begin at

1:30 p.m. at the St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach.

Registration will begin at 1 p.m. The 5- or 7-kilometer walk along

the Upper Newport Bay is sponsored by the Newport Mesa Irvine

Interfaith Council and the Church World Service. The church is at

2100 Mar Vista Drive. For more information call Rev. Dennis Short at

(949) 645-5781 or Bob Johnston at (949) 644-4949.

OCT. 21

An eight-week course providing an in-depth look at substance abuse

among athletes will be held Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to

1:10 p.m. at Orange Coast College. The course, which begins today,

will be listed as Health Education 138 in OCC’s schedule. $11 per

unit. The college is at 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. For

application or registration information, call (714) 432-5072.

OCT. 23

A mediation procedures workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30

p.m. at Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa. The workshop is sponsored

by the Area Board XI on Developmental Disabilities along with the

Institute of Administration Justice at McGeorge School of Law and

Whittier Law School. Free. The school is at 3333 Harbor Blvd. For

reservations, call (714) 558-4404.

The Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce will hold a business after

hours mixer at the Country Inn by Ayres from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Free

for members, $10 for potential members. The Country Inn is at 325

Bristol St., Costa Mesa. For more information, call (714) 885-9090.

OCT. 25

Project Cuddle will host its second annual Costume Gala at The

Wyndham Hotel in Costa Mesa. Dinner will begin at 8 p.m. preceded by

cocktails at 7 p.m. The event will be held in celebration of Project

Cuddle’s six years of saving babies from abandonment. $75 per person.

The hotel is at 3350 Avenue of the Arts. (714) 432-9681.

OCT. 26

Christ Lutheran Church and School will hold its ninth annual Fall

Festival from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Members of the Costa Mesa Police

Department will be in attendance to show some of their equipment and

answer questions. The festival will consist of old-fashioned carnival

games, a boutique with unique and holiday gifts, home baked candies,

treats and dishes and live entertainment throughout the day.

Admittance is free and open to the public. The church is at 760

Victoria St., Costa Mesa. (949) 548-6866.

A program on how predators capture their prey and how prey avoid

being captured will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at The Peter and

Mary Muth Interpretive Center. The program is best suited for ages

six and up. Space is limited. The center is at 2301 University Drive,

Newport Beach. $3 per person. For reservations, call (714) 973-6829.

The 10th annual Top Dog Fashion Show will be held at 11 a.m. at

the Newport Dunes Resort. The categories will include of best formal

wear, best casual wear, best lingerie/pajamas, best swimwear and best

master/pet look-alike. Proceeds raised from the event will benefit

the Orange County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

and Companion Pet Retreat. Participants should check in at 9:30 a.m.

Registration is $8 prior to Oct. 25 and $12 on the day of the event,

parking is $8 per car. The resort is at 1131 Back Bay Drive, Newport

Beach. (949) 729-DUNE or visit www.newportdunes.com.

The second annual Newport Coast Halloween Carnival will be held

from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Newport Coast Shopping Center parking lot.

The event will include costume contests, a haunted house, games, a

silent auction, food and entertainment. All proceeds will be donated

to Corazun de Vida, a charity that helps needy children in the

orphanages in Baja California. Pavilions is on the corner of Newport

Coast Drive and San Joaquin Hills Road. Tickets are $15 per person

and may be purchased at the Toy Boat Toy Store, In A Flash One Hour

Photo or at Pavilions on Newport Coast Drive. For more information

call (949) 476-1144. ext. 358.

OCT. 30

The Hoag Cancer Center will hold a lung cancer support group from

6:30 to 8 p.m. The speaker will be Robert. O. Dillman, the center’s

medical director, who will present valuable information on advances

in the treatment of lung cancer. Free. The meeting will be in the

center’s auditorium at One Hoag Drive in Newport Beach. (949)

760-5542.

NOV. 3

A program exploring the games Native American children of the Back

Bay might have played will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon at The

Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center. The program is best suited

for children ages five and up. Space is limited. The center is at

2301 University Drive, Newport Beach. $3 per person. To register,

call (714) 973-6829.

ONGOING

The MOMS Club of Newport Coast holds monthly meetings for the

stay-at-home mother of and conducts various activities, which include

Park & Pool Days, MOMS Night Out, field trips, walking groups and

playgroups. The general meetings are held in the clubhouse at the

Newport Ridge Apartments. Membership is $30 per year. The apartments

are at 1 White Cap Lane. For more information, call (949) 715-3129 or

e-mail npc.momsclub@cox.net.

The Costa Mesa Chapter of Ali Lassen’s Leads Club holds a weekly

meeting for business professionals to improve their networking skills

and learn how to obtain new contacts. The meetings are held Tuesdays

from 7:15 to 8:30 a.m. at Mimi’s Cafe in Costa Mesa. The cafe is at

1835 Newport Blvd. (800) 767-7337.

Interfaith couples with one Jewish partner are invited to

participate in a discussion group at the Jewish Family Service of

Orange County office. The group is geared toward dealing with issues

between interfaith couples, such as raising children, observing

holidays, symbols in the home and relationships with extended

families. The cost is $45 per couple for three sessions.

Preregistration is required. Call to schedule date and time. The

office is at 250 E. Baker St., Suite G, Costa Mesa. (714) 445-4950.

Women 50 and older may be part of a discussion group coordinated

by Jewish Family Services to address issues such as anxiety,

depression, relationships, loneliness and family that meets from 10

to 11:30 a.m. Mondays at the agency offices, 250 E. Baker St., Suite

G, Costa Mesa. Preregistration required. (714) 445-4950.

Friends of the Newport Beach Public Library Used Book Store are

asking for patrons to donate books to replenish the dwindling stock.

Books may be left at any of the three branch libraries at Balboa,

Mariners, or Corona del Mar, or in the book closet next to the

Friends Book Store at 1000 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach. All hardcover

and paperback donations, with the exception of magazines and law

books, will be accepted and are tax deductible. (949) 759-9667.

The Braille Institute offers free computer classes to people with

fading vision who have difficulty seeing the computer screen. The

Oasis Center at 800 Marguerite Ave., Corona del Mar, offers six

sessions. Call to sign up for classes. (714) 821-5000.

A spiritual care class meets at 7:15 p.m. Wednesdays at 3400

Irvine Ave., Suite 114, Newport Beach. Call to reserve a seat. (949)

263-1462.

The Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce hosts networkers luncheon

meetings Wednesdays from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Costa Mesa

Country Club. The cost is $13. The club is at 1701 Golf Course Drive,

Costa Mesa. (714) 885-9090.