* 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

The Mariner’s Elementary Parent Teacher Assn. will host its annual

Fall Boo Fest from 4 to 8 p.m. at the school. The event will include

games, crafts, pumpkin decorating contests, a pumpkin patch and

dinner and bakery items. The school is at 2100 Mariners Drive,

Newport Beach. For more information, call (949) 515-6960.

Martin Lawrence Galleries at Fashion Island will host a Fine Art

Auction at the Marriott Hotel in Newport Beach. A preview of the

artwork will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the auction will start at 8 p.m.

The artwork will include original paintings, sculptures, etchings,

serigraphs and lithographs by 20th-century masters and popular

contemporary artists. The auction can be previewed at

www.martinlawrence.com. The hotel is at 900 Newport Center Drive. For

reservations, call the gallery at (949) 759-0134.

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.

SATURDAY

The fifth annual Caring For Creation conference will be held from

8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Newport

Beach. The conference, hosed by the Orange County Interfaith

Coalition for the Environment, will include workshops on ecology and

spirituality, simplicity, empowering consumers and many more. An

interfaith panel with representatives from the Hindu, Islamic, Native

American and Sikh faith communities will be present. The church is at

2100 Mar Vista Drive. $30, $15 for students. For more information,

call (714) 273-1476, e-mail ecofaith@ocice.org or visit

www.ocice.org.

Mesa Verde United Methodist Church will host its bi-annual holiday

boutique from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the church. The boutique will

include holiday decorations, gifts and home-baked goods. The church

is at 1701 W. Baker St., Costa Mesa. (949) 631-1030.

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 persons

ages 6 and older. 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.

Andersen Elementary School will hold a Pumpkin Patch Carnival from

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Sunday. The event will include a haunted

house and pumpkin patch as well as games and food. The school is at

1900 Port Seabourne Place, Newport Beach. (949) 515-6935.

Borders Books, Music and Cafe at South Coast Plaza will host a

lecture and separate book signing at 2 p.m. The lecture will be given

by Marshal Zaslove, a board certified psychiatrist, author and

meditation practitioner, and will focus on how to achieve inner and

outer peace. The book signing will be conducted by Pulitzer Prize

nominee Gary Margolis, who will also read from his new poetry

collection, “Fire in the Orchard.” Borders is at 3333 Bear St., Costa

Mesa. Free. (714) 279-8933.

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.

SUNDAY

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.

The fifth annual Trick or Treat Festival will be held from 9 a.m.

to 3 p.m. at the Orange County Market Place in Costa Mesa. For the

third year, world-renowned pumpkin sculptor Mike Valladao will return

to create his signature carvings from giant pumpkins weighing 300

pounds or more. The festival will also include the third annual

Halloween Hearse, a Bug and Monster Classic Car Show, free trick or

treating for children in costume, pumpkin related games and much

more. Admission is $2, children 12 and under are free. For more

information call (949) 723-6663 or visit www.ocmarketplace.com.

MONDAY

Authors Linda Trichter Metcalf and Tobin Simon will present their

book “Writing the Mind Alive” and discuss the “proprioceptive” method

they used to write it at 7 p.m. in Borders Books, Music and Cafe at

South Coast Plaza. Borders is at 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa. Free.

(714) 279-8933.

TUESDAY

UC Irvine will hold a presentation on the business ethics from

7:30 to 9:30 a.m. on the UCI campus. The presentation will be led by

a panel of experts to provide guidance on the very timely issue. $35

per person. For more information, call (949)-863-1910.

A community forum with the Newport-Mesa School Board candidates

will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Victoria room at the

Neighborhood Community Center in Costa Mesa. The forum is sponsored

by the Harbor Council Parent Teachers Assn. and the League of Women

Voters of Orange Coast. The center is at 1845 Park St. Free. (949)

645-645-2665.

Borders Books, Music and Cafe at South Coast Plaza will host an

introductory seminar on the teachings and techniques of the

world-renowned Buddhist meditation master Geshe Kelsang Gyatso at 7

p.m. The seminar will be presented by Gen Kelsan Tubpa, an English

Buddhist nun and resident teacher at the Vajrarupini Buddist Center

in San Diego. Borders is at 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa. Free. (714)

279-8933.

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.

Mother’s Market & Kitchen will host a seminar on the miracle of

coral calcium from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Patio Cafe in Costa Mesa.

The cafe is at 225 E. 17th St. Free. (949) 631-4741.

The Presbyterian Church of the Covenant will host a Harvest Fest

from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event will include a costume contest, face

painting, pumpkin carving, clowns and games. The church is at 2850

Fairview Road., Costa Mesa. Free admission. (714) 557-3340.

NOV. 2

The UC Irvine Arboretum will hold its annual Fall Orchid Festival

from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. The

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

Road on the UCI North Campus. $2 per person, free for children

younger than 12 and members of the Friends of the UCI Arboretum. For

more information, call (949) 824-5833.

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 5 and older. Space is limited. The center is at

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

call (714) 973-6829.

NOV. 4

The Orange County Sierra Singles Club will host a newcomer meeting

at 7 p.m. at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center. The

meeting will include displays, exhibits, demonstrations and

refreshments. The center is at 1845 Park Ave. Free. For more

information, call (714) 963-6345.

NOV. 6

“Look Good ... Feel Better” classes will be held from 10 a.m. to

noon at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach. The classes are sponsored by

the American Cancer Society, the National Cosmetology Assn. and the

Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Assn. They are geared toward

teaching cancer patients makeup, wig and turban tips, and trained

cosmetologists will personally work with each patient. The hospital

is at 1 Hoag Drive. Classes are free but registration is required. To

register or for more information, call (949) 261-9446 or (800)

ACS-2345.

Mother’s Market & Kitchen will host a workshop on aromatherapy

from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Patio Cafe. The cafe is at 225 E. 17th

St., Costa Mesa. Free. (949) 631-4741.

NOV. 7

Mother’s Market & Kitchen will host a cooking class and book

signing with author Rebecca Wood from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Patio

Cafe in Costa Mesa. The cafe is at 225 E. 17th St. $10 per person.

(949) 631-4741.

NOV. 8

A 90-minute lecture on the unique art and architecture from around

the world will be held at the Orange Coast College Robert B. Moore

Theatre. The lecture will be presented by OCC professor, Irini

Rickerson. All proceeds raised from the lecture will benefit AIDS

Charities of Orange County. The theatre is at 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door. For

more information, call (714) 432-0202.

NOV. 9

The 32nd annual Needle Arts Festival and Fall Fair will be held

from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Sunday at Orange Coast College in

Costa Mesa. The festival, hosted by OCC, will offer four 60-minute

workshops and a variety of activities scheduled throughout the day.

OCC is at 2701 Fairview Road. For more information call (714)

432-5880.

The Catholic Daughters of the Americas will hold a holiday fair

from 1:30 to 7 p.m. today and 8 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday in the St.

Joachim Catholic Church Hall. The fair will include handcrafts, a

bake sale, “white elephants” and a food basket raffle. The church is

at 1964 Orange Ave., Costa Mesa. Free. For more information call

(714) 968-2655 or (714) 546-2875.

NOV. 12

Mother’s Market & Kitchen will host a seminar on the time it takes

to be sick from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Patio Cafe in Costa Mesa.

The cafe is at 225 E. 17th St. Free. (949) 631-4741.

NOV. 13

A seminar on eating right while on the run will be held from 6:30

to 8 p.m. at the Patio Cafe in Costa Mesa. The seminar is sponsored

by Mother’s Market & Kitchen. The cafe is at 225 E. 17th St. Free.

(949) 631-4741.

NOV. 14

A seminar on how to avoid stress during the holidays will be held

from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Patio Cafe in Costa Mesa. The seminar

is sponsored by Mother’s Market & Kitchen. The cafe is at 225 E. 17th

St. Free. (949) 631-4741.

ONGOING

The MOMS Club of Newport Coast holds monthly meetings for

stay-at-home mother and conducts various activities such as 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.

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.