* 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 Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce will hold a Newport Referral

Breakfast at 7 a.m. at The Pacific Club. The event will focus on

protecting trade secrets and confidential information. The club is at

4110 MacArthur Blvd. $15 for members with a reservation, $20 for

members with no reservation and nonmembers. For reservations, call

(949) 729-4411.

The Oasis Senior Center will host a hand bell concert by Chime, a

premiere senior hand bell choir in Anaheim, at 1 p.m. at the center.

Dessert will be provided by Five Crowns Restaurant. The center is at

800 Marguerite Ave. The event is free and seating is limited. For

reservations, call (949) 644-3244.

The Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce will host its Christmas

networking mixer from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht

Club. The club is at 1601 Bayside Drive. For more information, call

(949) 673-4050.

A seminar on how to have healthy holidays will be held from 6:30

to 7:30 p.m. at the Patio Cafe in Costa Mesa. The seminar, which is

hosted by Mother’s Market & Kitchen, is free and open to the public.

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

THURSDAY

The International Coach Federation will hold a seminar on building

business and personal relationships from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the

Wyndham Garden Hotel. The hotel is at 3550 Avenue of the Arts, Costa

Mesa. $35 pre-registration, $45 at the door. For more information,

call (949) 623-8247.

Mother’s Market & Kitchen will host a workshop and demo on how to

let gravity work for you 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.

A mother-daughter book club will meet at 7 p.m. in the Newport

Beach Central Library to discuss Bruce Hale’s “The Big Nap: From the

Tattered Casebook of Chet Gecko, Private Eye.” All girls in fifth

through seventh grade are invited to attend with their mothers or

favorite female grown-ups. The library is at 1000 Avocado Ave. Free.

For more information, call (949) 717-3801 or visit www.newportbeachlibrary.org.

FRIDAY

The Costa Mesa Senior Center will hold a holiday program with the

Page School choir from 11 a.m. to noon at the center. Lunch will be

served after the program. Reservations are only necessary for lunch.

The center is at 695 W. 19th St. For more information, call (949)

645-2356.

Estancia High School will perform a rendition of “On the Razzle”

by Tom Stoppard at 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday in the Barbara Van

Holt Theatre at the school. The play is a farcical comedy with plot

twists that turn that gives audiences a joyful ride. The school is at

2323 Placentia Ave., Costa Mesa. Tickets are $7 presale and $8 at the

door. For ticket information, call (949) 515-6537.

SATURDAY

The 2002 Holiday Snow Hill Day will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at

Balearic Community Center in Costa Mesa. The event, presented by the

City of Costa Mesa Recreation Division, is being co-sponsored by

Torelli Realty Company, which will donate 55 tons of blown ice to

create five snow runs and a play area for toddlers. The event will

also have hayrides, arts and crafts, caroling and a visit from Santa.

The center is at 1975 Balearic Drive. For more information, call

(714) 754-5158.

Sherman Library and Gardens will host a class allowing children a

chance to decorate a living tree planted in a terra-cotta pot to take

home at 9 a.m. All materials will be supplied. Registration for

parent and one child is $45, $20 for each additional child.

Pre-registration required. Sherman Library is at 2647 E. Coast

Highway, Corona del Mar. (949) 673-2261.

MONDAY

Hornblower Cruises & Events will offer a holiday preview cruise

from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. today and Tuesday. The cruise will consist of

a three-course meal, on-board entertainment and water views of the

seasonally decorated shorelines. Tickets are $64 for adults and $32

for children ages 3 to 11. Reservations required. For more

information, call (949) 646-0155 or visit www.hornblower.com.

The Costa Mesa Senior Center will host a Christmas program from 11

a.m. to noon. The program will include a performance by the Page

School Choir. The event will be followed by lunch. Reservation for

lunch only are necessary. The center is at 695 W. 19th St. For more

information, call (949) 645-2356.

TUESDAY

The Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce will host its Christmas

networking luncheon at 11:30 a.m. today at the Five Crowns

Restaurant. Reservations required. The restaurant is at 3801 E. Coast

Highway. For reservations, call (949) 673-4050.

Pacific View Memorial Park will host a celebration of life candle

lighting service at 6:30 p.m. in the chapel. The event will include a

choral group performance and speeches given by Rev. Stan Harris and

Rabbi Jay Levy. The chapel is at 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona del

Mar. The event is free and open to the public. (949) 644-2700.

DEC. 18

Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning author Wendy Wasserstein

will be at the Newport Beach Public Library from 7 to 9 p.m. to give

a presentation chronicling the challenges facing American women.

Wasserstein will also be available to autograph copies of her latest

book, “Shiksa Goddess (Or How I Spent My Forties).” The library is at

1000 Avocado Ave. The event, which is sponsored by Fletcher Jones

Motorcars, is $36 and includes a complimentary copy of the book. For

more information, call (949) 717-3890.

The 94th annual Christmas Boat Parade will be held from 6:30 to 9

p.m. today through Dec. 22 along the Newport Harbor. More than 100

boats will be decorated for the holidays for the two-and-a-half-hour

parade. Free for spectators, $25 for boat participants. For more

information, visit www.christmasboatparade.com.

DEC. 23

The Holiday Market Place, also known as the Orange County Market

Place, at the Orange County Fairgrounds will offer free admission

today. Santa will be around for photos. The Market Place at the

Orange County Fairgrounds is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

DEC. 31

The Oasis Senior Center will host a Monte Carlo Casino Night from

6 to 10 p.m. at the center to ring in the new year. A light meal and

wine will be provided. The center is at 800 Marguerite Ave. Advance

tickets are $25, $30 at the door. For more information, call (949)

644-3244.

ONGOING

The Newport Beach Newcomers Club holds a general meeting on the

third Wednesday of every month. 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 for three sessions is $45 per couple.

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 can join a discussion group coordinated by

Jewish Family Services to address issues such as anxiety, depression,

relationships, loneliness and family. The group 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 -- 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 of

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 for 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. Parents learn strategies for successful parenting and

for dealing with the feelings and behavior of their children. The

group meets from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays at the Jewish Family

Service office at 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 the

Jewish Family Service office at 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.

Jewish Family Service offers ongoing bereavement support groups

for adults at all stages of loss. Group members share experiences,

hear how others deal with grief, receive support and learn ways to

cope with sadness and loss. One group meets at 7 p.m. Tuesdays at

Beth Jacob in Irvine. The second group meets at 10 a.m. Tuesdays at

Temple Judea in Laguna Hills. The third group meets at 1 p.m.

Thursdays at the Ezra Center in Anaheim. Free, but advance

registration is required. (714) 445-4950.

Jewish Family Service of Orange County provides a support and

discussion group for persons recovering from childhood or teenage

sexual abuse. The group meets from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays at 250 E.

Baker St., Costa Mesa. Advance registration is required. (714)

445-4950.