* Send AROUND TOWN items to the...

* Send AROUND TOWN items to the Daily Pilot, 1375 Sunflower Ave.,

Costa Mesa, CA 92626; by e-mail to lindsay.sandham @latimes.com; by

fax to (714) 966-4679; or by calling (714) 966-4617. Include the

time, date and location of the event, as well as a contact phone

number.

TODAY

A Computer Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in building 12

of the Orange County Fair and Exposition Center, 88 Fair Dr., Costa

Mesa. Admission is $5. Information: (800) 800-5600 or

https://www.lacomputerfair.com.

A Malibu Cat Show will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in building

10 of the Orange County Fair and Exposition Center, 88 Fair Dr.,

Costa Mesa. Admission is $5, $4 for children and seniors.

Information: (909) 372-9079.

A guided tour of Fairview Park will be offered by the city of

Costa Mesa’s Fairview Park Friends Committee. The tour will highlight

the ecological significance of the park’s vernal pools, which are the

sole habitat of San Diego Fairy Shrimp. The hike will begin at 9:30

a.m. at the picnic shelter on the west side of Placentia Avenue,

Costa Mesa. Information: (714) 754-5698.

“Prelude to Spring,” the UC Irvine Arboretum’s annual winter bulb

festival will feature wild garden species and a plant sale of rare

and unusual plants. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the

UCI Arboretum, on the corner of Campus Drive and Jamboree Road at the

UCI North campus, Irvine. Information: (949) 824-5833.

Pacific Northwest Ballet School will hold auditions for its

five-week summer course. Auditions will be held at 3 p.m. for dancers

12 to 15 years old and at 4:30 p.m. for students 16 to 18. The

sessions will be at the Jimmie Defoe Dance Center, 151 Kalmus Drive,

Costa Mesa. Information: (206) 441-2435.

FEB. 27

A Computer Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in building 12

of the Orange County Fair and Exposition Center, 88 Fair Dr., Costa

Mesa. Admission is $5. Information: (800) 800-5600 or

https://www.lacomputerfair.com.

A Malibu Cat Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in building

10 of the Orange County Fair and Exposition Center, 88 Fair Dr.,

Costa Mesa. Admission is $5, $4 for children and seniors.

Information: (909) 372-9079.

The American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Newport Beach

kick-off rally will teach attendees and participants how to start a

relay team, grow the one you already have or become a sponsor of

Relay for Life. The rally will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. at Newport

Rib Company, 2196 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa. Information: (949)

567-0635.

FEB. 28

The Great Decisions group will discuss Sudan’s crisis in Darfur

from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at St. Mark Presbyterian Church, 2100 Mar Vista,

Newport Beach. Information: (949) 760-1691.

MARCH 1

“Ask the Epileptologist,” presented by Hoag neurologist and

epileptologist Dr. Barbara Swartz, is a question-and-answer session

about the research and treatment options for persons with epilepsy.

The event will be held at the Hoag Conference Center at Hoag

Hospital, 1 Hoag Drive, Newport Beach. It is free and open to anyone

who has or knows someone with epilepsy. Information: (800) 514-HOAG.

MARCH 2

A kindergarten information night for parents is being hosted by

College Park Elementary School. Parents will have an opportunity to

meet the teachers, visit a classroom and be oriented to the

registration procedures from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the school’s

multi-purpose room, 2380 Notre Dame Rd., Costa Mesa. Information:

(714) 424-7960.

MARCH 3

“Children are Angels,” a luncheon hosted by the Adoption Guild of

Southern Orange County, will raise money to benefit Holy Family

Services, a non-denominational adoption agency. The luncheon will run

from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Balboa Bay Club, 1221 W. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach. Tickets will cost $125. Information: (949) 645-6755.

Franz and Kurt Wisner, collaborators on the book “Honeymoon With

My Brother,” will speak at Sage Hill School at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5

for students and $10 for adults. Information: (949) 219-1395.

MARCH 5

A wedding open house will guide prospective brides through the

selection of wedding stationery and help them explore the latest in

bridal trends. Brides-to-be can also enter to win a dream honeymoon

in Los Cabos or Cancun, Mexico. The event will be held from noon to 4

p.m. at Crane’s Paper Makers in South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St.,

Costa Mesa. Information: (714) 979-1828.

MARCH 6

“Bach Vespers for Lent,” a concert, is being hosted b St. Michael

and All Angels Episcopal Church. It begins at 5 p.m. at 3233 Pacific

View Dr., Corona del Mar. Information: (949) 644-0463.

Cruise for a Cure, a cruise around Newport Harbor to raise cancer

awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life,

will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. on the Endeavor, 2901 Pacific Coast

Highway, Newport Beach. There will be appetizers, music and the

opportunity meet fellow relayers and supporters. Registration is $20.

All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. Information:

https://www.acsevents.org/ relay/ca/newportbeach.

The Florestan Trio will make its concert series debut. The

ensemble was awarded Britain’s Royal Philharmonic Society Award and

will perform Mozart, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff. The concert will

begin at 4 p.m., with a preview talk by Herbert Glass beginning at

3:15 p.m., at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Founders

Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tickets will cost $58.

Information: (714) 556-2787 or https://www.ocpac.org.

The Global Poverty Gap will be the topic of the Great Decisions

discussion. The promise of globalization is that it will benefit poor

countries through trade and close the poverty gap. The discussion

will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at St. Mark Presbyterian Church,

2100 Mar Vista, Newport Beach. Information: (949) 760-1691.

MARCH 14

The Middle East will be the topic of the Great Decisions

discussion. How will the war in Iraq and the creation of a

transitional government transform the Middle East? How will a

democratic Iraq relate to its neighbors and regional partners? The

discussion will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at St. Mark Presbyterian

Church, 2100 Mar Vista, Newport Beach. Information: (949) 760-1691.

MARCH 17

The 10th annual Shamrocks and Rainbows spring fundraiser presented

by the Assistance League of Newport-Mesa will feature silent and live

auctions, a luncheon by the Balboa Bay Club and a performance by

Patrick Cassidy. The event will start at 10:30 a.m. at the Balboa Bay

Club, 1221 West Coast Highway, Newport Beach. The cost is $75. All

proceeds benefit the philanthropic projects of the Assistance League

of Newport-Mesa. Information: (949) 645-6929 or https://www.alnm.org.

MARCH 21

Global Water Issues will be the topic of the Great Decisions

discussion. Scarcity of water in many regions creates problems and

conflict for large numbers of the world’s population. What policies

should be adopted to ensure water quality? What international actors

or governments will make the greatest impact on improving water

governance? The discussion will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at St.

Mark Presbyterian Church, 2100 Mar Vista, Newport Beach. Information:

(949) 760-1691.

MARCH 25

Senior Insurance Specialist Sue Tarvin will lead a discussion

about Medicare 2005 deductibles and copayments, the new Medicare

supplement (Medigap) plans, senior HMOs, and Hoag’s Golden Health

PLUS program. The free event will begin at 1:30 p.m. in Hoag

Hospital’s conference center, 1 Hoag Drive, Newport Beach.

Information: (800) 514-HOAG.

ONGOING

“Dr. M.P.” will discuss love skills at 7 p.m. on the first and

third Tuesdays of the month at University Towers, 4199 Campus Drive,

Suite 550, Irvine. Information: (949) 725-3366.

Life drawing workshops are held from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to

4 p.m. Saturdays through Dec. 11 at Orange Coast College, 2701

Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. The cost is $5 per session. Information:

(714) 432-5880 or https://www.occtickets.com.

A “Financial Strategies for Successful Retirement” workshop will

be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Nov. 16 at Orange Coast

College’s Science Room 169, and from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursdays through

Nov. 11 at the college’s Business Education Room 102, 2701 Fairview

Road, Costa Mesa. The cost is $69. Information: (714) 432-5880 or

https://www.occtickets.com.

The Inter-generational Troupe of Actors workshop meets from 3:15

to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse, 611 Hamilton

St., Costa Mesa. The free workshop is comprised of people of all ages

who want to perform and study drama. Interviews are required.

Information: (714) 841-1733 or https://www.friendsofoasis.

org/tsplayers.

The Newport Beach Cake Decorating Club meets at 7 p.m. Thursdays

at the Versailles Apartments, Hospital Road and Superior Avenue.

Information: (949) 650-1332.

The Newport Beach Spanish Club meets at 1 p.m. Mondays and

Saturdays at the Versailles Apartments, Hospital Road and Superior

Avenue. Information: (949) 650-1332.

“Storytime with Miss Kathy” begins at 10 a.m. Mondays at Borders,

1890 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa. Information: (949) 631-8661.

Champagne brunches are held from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays at

the Sutton Place Hotel, 4500 MacArthur Blvd., Costa Mesa. The cost is

$39, plus tax and gratuity, and the price includes house champagne.

The champagne of the month is an additional $15. Information: (949)

476-2001.