Glamour and margaritas at sunset

B.W. COOK

A festive Cinco de Mayo cocktail reception, featuring fabulous food

from David Wilhelm’s Culinary Adventure and a slushy margarita mixer,

brought together the organizers of the Newport Harbor Home and Garden

Tour.

The cocktail reception honored the participating homeowners and

the generous local donors and underwriters who make the

much-anticipated annual home tour possible. The open-house

extravaganza takes place today, affording curious local citizens the

opportunity to explore the incredible interiors of some of their most

private neighbors.

Mardo Ayvazyan, proprietor of the glamorous Jewelry by Mardo on

Lido and society jeweler to the stars, hosted the lively reception in

conjunction with the Newport Harbor Educational Foundation.

The list of homeowners who were sipping margaritas at sunset,

surrounded by Mardo’s fabulous diamond and gemstone creations,

included Dawn and John Ward, Paige and Jay Kunkle, Wendi Young and

John Carrido, Juliana Gambrell, Dana and Gary Ritchie, Alison and

John Mooers, and Danielle and Brad Barton.

Foundation board president John Mooers greeted the crowd and

offered thanks to the major contributors, including Lido Isle and

Brentwood residents Robin and Tipp Tippett, George and Stephanie

Sakioka, and generous committee members including Ann Ranser, Kay

Davis, Lisa Gerson, Nancy Robertson and Pam Nestande. Other

hardworking committee members in the crowd were Stacy Robinson,

Martha Kerstner, Debbie Springer, Shelly Clark, Teri Carlson, Monica

Cottam, Jody Sherman, Jennifer Taylor, Pam Hardenbergh and Betsy

Thagard.

A highlight of the reception was the presentation of home

renderings, drawn by Newport Harbor High School art students, to the

homeowners who made the tour possible. Karen Taylor, the chairperson

of the Home Tour, presented the drawings.

Sponsored by Coldwell Banker Previews International, today’s event

begins at 10 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m. Two local Westcliff stores,

Les Interieurs and A’Maree’s, will host an afternoon reception for

tour enthusiasts from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m.

Tickets for the Home Tour are $50 and can be purchased at the last

minute. Please call (949) 642-9535 for information.

Funds raised from the home tour benefit a variety of programs at

Newport Harbor High School supported by the Newport Harbor

Educational Foundation.

In other home-tour news, the Philharmonic House of Design was

previewed recently for some 250 local guests. The evening reception

at the 2005 Design House in Lemon Heights launched Philharmonic

Society’s annual event, which runs through May 22.

Premiere night was chaired by Susan FitzRandolph, with dedicated

assistance from Mary Park. The Saddleback Committee of the

Philharmonic Society of Orange County hosted opening night, welcoming

Philharmonic volunteers for leading the way for the massive open

house effort.

Spotted in the crowd was Jeannine Matsumoto, benefit chair of

Design House 2005. Also on hand were Dea Stanuszek, Kathy Sabine,

Cindy Kornhaber and Newport’s Sabra Bordas. Also hailing from Newport

Beach was Eleanor Anderson, who mingled with Karen Watkins, Elizabeth

Bueno, Georgia Smith and Kim Weddon.

Proceeds from the House of Design benefit the Philharmonic

Society’s music educational programs for youth. For ticket

information, please call (714) 840-7542.

John DeMain, the acclaimed artistic director of Opera Pacific,

welcomed the social crowd to a luncheon and fashion show last week,

celebrating the 2005 upcoming Opera Ball and the 20th anniversary of

Opera Pacific.

The glamorous luncheon was the formal start of the annual Opera

Ball campaign, unfolding on the Grand Lawn of the St. Regis Monarch

Beach Resort & Spa in Dana Point.

Guests arrived for a late morning wine reception and silent

auction, followed by luncheon and a dazzling fashion show featuring

the fall and winter 2005 Escada Collection. South Coast Plaza joined

with Escada to produce the fashion presentation, which drew

considerable applause from the crowd.

Opera Ball 2005 is set for Oct. 29 at the Disneyland Hotel Grand

Ballroom. The co-chairs of the massive undertaking are Newporters

Paige Kunkle and Katie Ford, who are calling the ball “An Evening at

the Moulin Rouge.”

For information, call(714) 830-6323.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.