THE CROWD:Foundation seeks to solve urban runoff issues

As the Newport Mesa crowd arrived at the St. Regis Resort Saturday night they were bombarded by demonstrators making their voices heard concerning democratic issues in Vietnam. The president of Vietnam was in Orange County over the weekend meeting with business leaders promoting trade between the East and West. The local crowd was, in fact, headed to the St. Regis for a benefit dinner on behalf of Miocean Foundation. Guests in limousines and high-profile vehicles became targets for demonstrators as they pulled into the porte cochere of the hotel as it was assumed the shiny black cars might be carrying government dignitaries or perhaps even the arriving president of Vietnam.

It was a little added excitement on the Saturday night social scene in Orange County. Nothing dramatic happened other than the hustle and flow of the media crush mixed with vocal demonstrators, massive security and helicopters circling overhead. Not just another night on the town.

Having set the stage, the Miocean event, which organizers called the Blue 42 Gala, was the third-annual fundraising event for a foundation that joins private and public sectors to bring together local citizens, government officials and corporate activists to solve problems related to urban runoff polluting the Pacific Ocean. The Miocean Foundation seeks to preserve the environmental integrity of Southern California’s beaches and coastal waters. Some of their current projects include North Creek Stormwater Treatment; Restoration and Improvement Project at Doheny Beach in Dana Point; Salt Creek Project at Monarch Beach; Watershed Education Project at the Ocean Institute; and the Back Bay Science Center in Newport Beach. Some 600 guests added to the excitement at the St. Regis on behalf of Miocean, raising more than half a million dollars to benefit the various environmental projects.

Dinner event chair Paul Makarechian, whose family owns the St. Regis, welcomed the crowd in grand style as they converged for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and a lavish silent auction set up on the magnificent lawn of the St. Regis Resort overlooking the pool and out to the Pacific Ocean. Guests mingled in the beautiful setting sipping Ketel One martinis while checking out the live auction items, including a Rolls Royce Phantom Special Edition motorcar valued at $355,000. The car sold to Hadi Makarechian, Paul’s father.

Spotted in the crowd were Kyle and Ami Dorand, David and Kathleen Miller, Michael and Lisa Bartlett, Chris and Frances Britt, Rebecca and Jason Anderson, Simon and Marylou Biddescombe, Rob and Sandie Kobrine, Nicole and Jens von Gierke, Dick and Linda Ackerman, George and Alison Burns, Jay and Cherie Alexson, Kathie and Dwight Armstrong, Jason Liebman, Greg and Jean Baird, Mary Jane, John and Cole Moody, and Cory and Lisa Alder. Also in the crowd were Jeff Bennett of Tiffany & Co., Larry Bridges, Hadi and Barbara Makarechian, Duane and Kelly Roberts, Paul and Marybell Musco, and Stephanie and Jeff Gehl.

As guests were seated for dinner they were greeted by beautiful place settings fronted by the iconic Tiffany blue box wrapped in a white satin ribbon. Host Paul Makarechian asked everyone to open their boxes. One lucky dinner guest discovered they would receive a very fine Tiffany watch fashioned of 18-karat white gold and diamonds and valued at $8,900. All of the other boxes contained a crystal votive candleholder as a party gift for the generous contributors to the Miocean cause.

Following dinner the party moved into high gear as special guest star Chris Isaak and his band started to rock the Miocean Foundation crowd.

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