Out & About - Ranch & Coast

Isabelle Wasserman, Evey Solomon, Natalie Royston, and Judee Feinberg with Lilly Jeans For Genes In a rare fashion statement, San Diegans will don black tie formal wear and their glitziest jeans for a signature benefit gala for the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC) on August 19 at the Del Mar Racetrack. Jeans for Genes will be highlighted by SKCC Day at the Races and will include a cup race at the end of the day. Evening festivities will include a seated dinner and dancing, and guests will have private access to trackside race viewing and valet parking at SKCC's event pavilion. Event tickets are $350 per person for general admission, and VIP seating is available for $500 per person. Honorary Jeans for Genes chairpersons are philanthropist and clothing magnate Sidney Kimmel and his wife, Caroline. Other committee chairpersons include Katy Dessent, Judee Feinberg, Esther Fischer, Karen Kessler, Evey Solomon, and Isabelle Wasserman. (858/410-4211, www.skccfoundation.org) - Jane Shiomi ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carol Warren, Joanne Warren, Martha Longenecker, with Tanya and Charles Brandes Mingei Marks Another Year Of Success A sunset dinner and cabaret performance by Michael Feinstein, held at the home of Charles and Tanya Brandes in Rancho Santa Fe, highlighted Mingei International Museum's 28th anniversary celebration in late May. The gala event, honoring Martha Longenecker, the museum's founding president and director emerita, began with a reception, followed by a tribute, dinner, and the cabaret. Guests reflected on the history of the museum, which opened in 1978 in University Towne Centre with the exhibit Folk Toys of the World. Today, Mingei resides in Balboa Park, hosting some 41,000 square feet of show space. Jean Hahn Hardy and John I. Hardy were honorary chairs of the event and celebration sponsors. Co-chairs Suzanne and Norm Applebaum planned the evening with the help of Elizabeth Yamada and Carol Morrison. The anniversary celebration netted $120,000 for Mingei International's exhibitions program. (619/239-0003, www.mingei.org) - Alicia Garcia ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Switchfoot singer Jon Foreman More Bro Than Pro In conjunction with the second annual Switchfoot Bro-Am surf contest and concert that recently took place at Moonlight Beach, a newly-added, festive auction night event was held at Meritage Restaurant and Bar in Encinitas. Guests mingled with the band and enjoyed complimentary wine and hors d'oevures, bid on silent and live auction items (including surf and music industry swag, hotel stays, spa goodies, and more), and were also treated to an exclusive acoustic performance by Jon Foreman of Switchfoot. A notable highlight of the night was a bidding war that took place on a signed Taylor guitar, which went to guest Jon Sundt, who then donated the item back into the pot to be bid on again. All of the proceeds from both the Bro-Am event and the auction night benefited Casa de Amparo. - Jane Shiomi Save The Date The Fourth Annual Wags For Wishes 7/7-9: The Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego will present the fourth annual Wags for Wishes event July 7-9 at Del Mar Horse Park. Event proceeds will be used to grant wishes to children who are battling life-threatening medical conditions. (858/707-9474) Pirates Of The Caribbean - Annual Dinner Dance/Auction 7/8: To benefit Voices For Children, each year, Makua sponsors a summertime dinner dance and auction as a major fundraising activity. This year's event, Pirates of the Caribbean, will be held at the Kona Kai. The band will be the ever-popular Rockola. Seating is limited to 300 people. (619/840-5741) Relationships - Standing The Test Of Time Or Trading The Old For The New...What Works In 2006? 7/13: Vista Hill's Women's Council on Mental Health presents renowned family therapist, William J. Doherty, PhD, at a luncheon at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine. Doherty is a nationally-recognized authority on male/female relationships and in his newest book, Take Back Your Marriage: Sticking Together in a World That Pulls Us Apart, he dismisses the trade-in-the-old mentality and focuses on restoring relationships, even if it seems too late. (858/514-5153) Patrons Of The Prado Fundraiser 7/15: Casablanca is the theme of this year's fundraising event by Patrons of the Prado, set to benefit the museums of Balboa Park. Guests will enjoy cocktails, silent and live auctions, dancing, games, dinner catered by Pamplemousse's own Jeffrey Strauss, and dancing to Kicks. (760/434-9556) Roll Out The Barrel Food And Wine Festival 7/15: Wine lovers can sample future offerings from wineries at the third annual food and wine festival hosted by Meritage Wine Market in Encinitas, while also benfiting Make-A-Wish San Diego. Tickets are $50 per person. (858/707-9474) Country Friends 46th Annual Day At The Races 7/20: Held at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, all proceeds raised from the event will be donated to The Elizabeth Hospice, which strives to enhance the quality of life for those nearing the end of life's journey and for those who grieve. (858/756-1192, ext. 4) Burn Institute Fire Expo 7/22: Taking palce at Qualcomm Stadium, guests can view live firefighting demonstrations and enjoy fire engine rides, a "kiddie karnival," community pavilion, emergency service vendor booths, live music, food, and more. Admission is free and the event benefits the Burn Institute. (858/541-2277) Fourth Annual ElderHelp Care Walk 7/29: ElderHelp of San Diego presents the fourth annual ElderHelp Care Walk. The 5K fundraiser walk through Balboa Park benefits homebound and isolated seniors. $25 per person. (619284-9281, ext. 22)		email your calendar listings to: calendar@ranchandcoast.com

		Alison Figi, Frances Marxen, and Susan Sparks Reach For The Stars The San Diego Chapter of the National Charity League (NCL) held its annual senior presents and fashion show at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine. Titled Reach for the Stars, the event marked the culmination of six years of active community service in over 30 local nonprofit organizations, which received over 10,000 direct service hours from the NCL girls in grades 7-12, along with their mothers. NBC San Diego's Rory Devine presented 23 seniors from local high schools. The festive fashion show, produced by Gretchen Productions, featured models from the sophomore and junior classes of NCL, and several philanthropies supported by NCL were highlighted during the show. - Jane Shiomi

		Mark Pulido and Mary Schulman Supporting Our Kids The Rancho Santa Fe School recently held a Supporting Our Kids reception at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe to recognize the PTO and endowment members' contributions to excellence in education. Attendees enjoyed an evening of wine, entertainment, and hors d'oeuvres on the croquet lawn and an opportunity to win gifts from generous school sponsors. The PTO annually funds art, music, computers, math and science specialists, a literacy coordinator, after-school athletics, and many more programs that the children flourish from throughout the year. The endowment guarantees small class sizes of 20 or fewer students per class and commits to the schoolboard a 3-year funding program for each teacher they support. - Jane Shiomi

		Dick Cheney Cheney Visits San Diego Vice President Dick Cheney made a stop in San Diego in late May to lend support to GOP congressional candidate Brian Bilbray, who went on to win the 50th Congressional District seat in June. Cheney spoke from aboard one of the ships at Naval Base San Diego, addressing the military. "Each of you serves the United States in a period of national challenge, military transformation, and unprecedented threats," he said. Turning his attention to Bilbray at a later luncheon, Cheney seemed to prognosticate the outcome of the election: "I look forward to welcoming him to Washington after a solid victory here on the sixth of June." The event was met with many protestors who said they are unhappy with the war in Iraq and rising oil prices. - Alicia Garcia

		Entertainment chair Susan Leonard, and Dorinda Miller with a Quantum Productions stiltwalker Children's Hospital on the Serengeti If ever an event could take your breath away, the Rancho Santa Fe unit of the Children's Hospital Auxiliary has topped the charts. The party swept guests into the wilds and the magic of East Africa - all to support Children's outreach to victims of autism. Thanks to the support of many, among them title sponsor Kevin S. Smith, MD, host Jim Greenbaum, and co-chairs Allison Stratton and Jill King, and under the guidance of unit chairs Kathy Flather and Michelle Pius, the event became a real-life safari. Set in a gorgeous Rancho Santa Fe home, the affair dazzled guests with African stilt-walkers from Quantum Productions, dancers and drummers from Drums of Fire, a wandering troubadour, and a live elephant and giraffe on display in the back patio area. Dinner was served under an expansive safari tent - the centerpieces were a medley of pheasant and other feathers, and servers wore bright orange Indian sarongs. - Sparkle Stiff