* 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.

TODAY

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.

A five-week educational support seminar for newly diagnosed lung

cancer patients will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in conference room A

at the Hoag Cancer Center. The class will provide an overview of

emotional responses to a lung cancer diagnosis and suggestions for

coping. The center is at 1 Hoag Drive, Newport Beach. Free. (949)

722-6237.

The Newport Chapter of the National Charity League will host its

annual Philanthropy Fair at 6:30 p.m. at the Costa Mesa Community

Center. The daughters of Ticktockers will be in attendance. The

center is at 1845 Park Ave. For more information, call (949)

759-1856.

Author and publisher Douglas Westfall will give a presentation on

two opposing prisoners of the Civil War who 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.

The International Studies Program at UCI will host a lecture on

Colombia’s wars and the United States’ possible involvement from 3:30

to 5 p.m. in the university’s Social Science Plaza A, Room 1100. The

lecture will be presented by Caesar Sereseres, associate dean of the

School of Social Sciences. Free. For more information, call (949)

824-8687.

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.

A seminar providing beginning Internet explorers the tools and

tricks of navigating through the World Wide Web will be held at 10

a.m. at the Balboa and Central Public Libraries. The Balboa branch is

at 100 E. Balboa Blvd., Balboa and the central branch is at 1000

Avocado Ave., Newport Beach. Free. For more information, call (949)

717-3801 or visit www.newportbeachlibrary.org.

The Center for Spiritual Discovery will hold two ceramic workshops

with Kris Sheldon today and Nov. 9. Two separate sessions will be

scheduled each day. The first session will take place from 9 a.m. to

noon and the second will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. The workshops

will focus on basic ceramic techniques, and each participant will

have the opportunity to make a ceramic box and custom decorate it.

The fee is $40 and includes the clay and tools. The center is at 2850

Mesa Verde Drive E., Costa Mesa. For more information, call (714)

754-7399.

A holiday boutique with more than 30 vendors will be held from 10

a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Eastbluff Recreation Center in Newport Beach.

The boutique is sponsored by The Sylvia & Stacy Team and The

Cinderella Guild of the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. All

proceeds will benefit pediatric cancer research at the children’s

hospital. The center is at 2414 Vista del Oro. For more information,

call (949) 552-6222 or send e-mail to marysaucedo@cox.net.

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 younger than 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.

Macy’s South Coast Plaza and Radio Disney will host a pumpkin

patch event with more than 5,000 pounds of pumpkins for children to

chose from. The event, which will be held in Macy’s Women’s Store,

will begin at 1 p.m. Guests are encouraged to wear costumes. The

store is at 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa. For reservations, call

(714) 556-0611, ext. 4231.

The Mariner’s Elementary School Foundation will host a fund-raiser

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.

The City of Costa Mesa Planning Division will hold an open house

from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The public is welcome. Learn about new resources

and meet city’s planning commissioners and staff. The division is on

the second floor of City Hall, at 77 Fair Drive. Free. (714)

754-5604.

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. 24

The International Studies Program at UCI will host lecture on the

winners and losers of global climate change from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in

the university’s Social Science Plaza A, Room 1100. The lecture will

be presented by Ralph Cicerone, UCI chancellor, and Daniel G.

Aldrich, professor of Earth System Science. Free. For more

information, call (949) 824-8687.

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

The Center for Spiritual Discovery will host an outreach service

day to provide community assistance from 9 a.m. to noon at a local

shelter for abused children and at two convalescent homes. For more

information on volunteering, call (714) 754-7399.

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 Cares 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 petting zoo, pony rides, a silent auction, food and entertainment.

All proceeds will be donated to Corazon 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. 27

The 11th annual Pumpkins & Pancakes Halloween Extravaganza will be

held from 8 to 11 a.m. in the South Coast Plaza Crate & Barrel Wing.

The net proceeds from the event will benefit abused, abandoned and

neglected children being served by the CASA programs of Orange

County. The wing is at 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa. $15 per person in advance, $20 at the door. Children 2 and younger and CASA advocates

are free. For more information, call (714) 780-8733.