A great picnic in the future Great Park

If they build the park with the same enthusiasm and planning that went into the party to launch the park, the so-called “Jewel of Orange County” will indeed be a community treasure.

The launch party for the Great Park Conservancy was one of the biggest events in recent Orange County history, and it enjoyed a suitably grandiose stage: the runway of the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. Organizers Janet and James “Walkie” Ray, along with Teddie and Michael Ray, pulled out all the stops to throw a wild party that attracted nearly 800 guests. The Friday evening extravaganza had cars streaming in from all parts of the county, with an enormous showing of support from Newport-Mesa.

Credit for the massive turnout belongs to superwoman Teddie Ray, well known in civic, charitable and business circles. The conservancy board is composed of some serious local leaders. Tom Nielsen, John Sullivan, David Horowitz, John Katkish, Marian Bergeson, Tim Paone, Rick Hume and Michael Pinto are working with the Ray brothers to create the largest urban park to be developed in the United States in more than a half a century.

Given the scale and cost of the project, the launch party was appropriately large. Guests arrived in the middle of the old runway to find a white tent the size of some small cities. Under an adjacent canopy, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and an auction of jewelry welcomed the massive assemblage that included conservancy committee members Peggy Goldwater and Bob Clay, Catherine and Jim Emmi, Lana Chandler, Mary Buckingham, Diane Cotton, Michaele Hall, Debra Gunn Downing, Carmela and Malcolm Phillips, Robin and John McMonigle, Sherri Worth Nourse, and Michelle Janavs and Kathryn Glassmyer.

Newport caterer and party designer Brian Dobbins transformed the interior of the tent into an upscale picnic in the park. Long tables draped in white cloths surrounded by wooden camp chairs fashioned from tree bark set the tone. Candles flickered everywhere. Enormous centerpieces and hanging baskets added warmth and intimacy. Wine flowed, poured into huge, colored, hand-blown goblets, and the dinner menu was a winner, with the enormous crowd: a bibb lettuce salad followed by a stuffed chicken breast and a dessert of organic California berries.

As the crowd ? including local VIP guests Dennis Morin, Ana Chu and George Wesley, Tina and Bob Cook, Monu and Jeanie Joseph, and Ondria and David Kernan ? toasted the future park with after-dinner frosted Limoncello shooters, the guests were introduced to master designer Ken Smith.

Using big screens positioned on either side of the tent, Smith took the crowd on his design path, explaining the formidable project. Smith and his team have moved to the area from their New York headquarters to create the park.

Following Smith’s talk and a few words from the Ray brothers, the Dave Mason Band took the stage and rocked the party into the night.

Jill Hankey, Sheila and James Peterson, Nicole and Brad Morrice, Susan and Henry Samueli, Donna and Rick Cohen, Madeline and Stephen Gordon, Melissa and David Arnold, Caroline and John Davenport, and Brandy and Arnold Valdez were also among generous donors supporting the conservancy.