* 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

Parent and child are invited to participate in an educational play

time event from 10 to 10:45 a.m. at The Peter and Mary Muth

Interpretive Center. The event, which is geared to 2- and

4-year-olds, will have a butterfly theme and will include some

hands-on activities. The center is at 2301 University Drive, Newport

Beach. $3 per child and parent participation is required. To

register, call (714) 973-6829.

The Newport Harbor Nautical Museum will host a lecture by Mary

Longpre on the 150th jubilee anniversary of the America’s Cup at 7:30

p.m. on the Texas Deck. Longpre is an America’s Cup enthusiast and an

avid photographer and sailor. The museum is at 151 E. Coast Highway,

Newport Beach. For more information, call (949) 673-7863.

THURSDAY

The Orange County Bar Assn. will host an insurance law seminar

from 5:30 to 9:15 p.m. at the Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.

The hotel is at 686 Anton Blvd. For more information, call (949)

440-6700 ext. 4, doc. 217.

The Environmental Nature Center will host a guided tour of the

center with its founder, Robert House, at noon. Guests on the

one-hour tour will learn about the plants of California while

enjoying the beauty of the center. The center is at 1601 E. 16th St.,

Newport Beach. Free. For more information, call (949) 645-8489.

The International Studies Program at UC Irvine will host a lecture

from 3:30 to 5 p.m. by Judith Kipper, co-director of the Middle East

Studies Program and the Center for Strategic and International

Studies. Kipper will discuss combating terrorism and weapons of mass

destruction in the Middle East. The lecture will be held in the

Social Science Plaza A, room 1100. Free. For more information, call

(949) 824-8687.

FRIDAY

To support Smiles Against Hate, a national nonprofit organization,

dentist Nicholas C. Davis will give patients a chance to receive an

entire bleaching treatment for a reduced fee as part of a one-day

fund-raising event from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost will be $200, which

is a 60% discount, and is tax deductible. Davis’ office is at 2503

Eastbluff Drive, Suite 102, Newport Beach. To make an appointment,

call (949) 644-9211 or send an e-mail to Judy@SmilesByDavis.com.

DEC. 4

The Orange County Sierra Singles Club will host a snow sports

training program from 6:45 to 9:45 p.m. at the Costa Mesa

Neighborhood Community Center. The program will focus on how to be

safe and prepare for winter sports such as backcountry skiing,

snowshoeing, hiking and snowboarding. $10. The center is at 1845 Park

Ave. $10. For information, call (714) 963-6345.

ONGOING

The Newport Beach Newcomers Club holds a general meeting on the

third Wednesday of every month. During the November meeting, members

will plan a holiday shopping trip to the Cabazon Outlets. The

organization is open to all Newport Beach residents who have lived in

the area fewer than five years. For more information, call (949)

645-9922, or visit newcomers-newportbeach.org.

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 networking 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.

A brain tumor support group meets the first and third Thursdays

each month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Hoag Cancer Center at Hoag

Hospital, 1 Hoag Drive, Newport Beach. Free. Registration not

required. The group is designed to help patients and their families

understand and cope with the illness. (949) 574-6232.

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church hosts a mental illness support

group from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sundays in Dierenfield Hall C at 600 St.

Andrews Road, Newport Beach. (949) 574-2236.

The Jewish Family Service of Orange County sponsors a discussion

group focusing on concerns and responsibilities of adult children and

their parents from 6 to 7 p.m. two Tuesdays a month at the Jewish

Family Service office at 250 E. Baker St., Suite G, Costa Mesa. $10

per person, per session. Preregistration required. (714) 445-4950.

The Jewish Family Service of Orange County has a weekly parenting

support group to help parents learn strategies for successful

parenting and helping them deal with the feelings and behavior of

their children. The group meets from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays at

Jewish Family Service, 250 E. Baker St., Suite G, Costa Mesa. The

group will cover managing anger, anxiety and peer pressure children

experience. Preregistration required. (714) 445-4950.

The Costa Mesa Senior Center has ballroom dancing with live music

from the Costa Mesa Music Makers from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. every Tuesday night at 695 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa. $4. (949) 548-3884.

Jewish Family Service of Orange County sponsors an ongoing healing

support group for the chronically ill. The purpose is to provide

participants with emotional and spiritual support to manage illness

and its consequences. The group meets at 7 p.m. Thursdays at Jewish

Family Service, 250 E. Baker St., Costa Mesa. Attendance is free, but

registration is required. (714) 445-4950.

Scrabble Club No. 350 meets from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursdays at Borders

Books, Music & Cafe at South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bear St. in Costa

Mesa. $3. New players are welcome. (949) 206-9822.

The Coin and Stamp Club meets from 1 to 3 p.m. Mondays at the

Oasis Senior Center. New members interested in trading, buying and

selling stamps and coins are being sought to join these informal

meetings. There are no fees required. (949) 644-3244.