Out & About - Ranch & Coast

Darran and Ray Grimm Holiday Fantasia You know the holidays are at hand when the San Diego Chapter of Childhelp holds its annual Holiday Fantasia fashion show and fundraiser on December 7 at La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad. The event features one-of-a-kind tabletop trees for sale, along with boutiques selling everything from handbags to handmade goods. There’s a scrumptious lunch, songs by Robbie Britt, and a fashion show by Gretchen Productions. Mary and Gordon Ceresino will receive this year’s For the Love of a Child award for their tireless commitment to Childhelp’s goal of ending child abuse and neglect. Past recipients Daran and Ray Grimm are honorary chairs. Ranch & Coast’s own Andrea Naversen once again is mistress of ceremonies. Doors open at 10am for boutique shopping; the luncheon and program begin at noon. Tickets are $100, and advance registration is required. For tickets or information, contact Jeanette Arthur, reservations chair. (619/295-0121) — Alexandra Allen, photography by Vincent Knakal ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeff Enslin, Jennifer Satz, Gerald Edelman, Linda Satz, and Joe Satz Minding The Arts The Neurosciences Institute was the setting for Minding the Arts, an annual event that benefits numerous arts organizations by making its reception areas and auditorium available free of charge. The elegant fundraiser featured cuisine by fine restaurants, followed by concert performances by Mainly Mozart, the Hendrick-Montano Artist Foundation, and the Darvak Music Ensemble. With excellent auditorium acoustics and scrumptious food, Minding the Arts clearly showcased excellence in every way. Linda Satz chaired again, and she was assisted by an able committee. — Darlene G. Davies ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pro-Am Sponsor Party A delightful mix: tennis with generosity. Rancho Valencia’s courts were the scene of a tournament sponsored by Rancho Valencia, Wilson Tennis, Arnold and Esther Belinsky, Guardian, and Barry and Kathy Nordstrom, who hosted the sponsors’ party the night before. Forty-eight pros and amateurs played in round-robin fashion; sponsors underwrote the teams playing in the mixed doubles. Proceeds benefited the Sean Eduardo Sanchez Tennis Center in Tecate, which affords underprivileged children the opportunity to learn the game, and Empty Cradle, an organization to comfort parents who have lost children in infancy. — Sparkle Stiff Save The Date Strolling For Justice 11/3: Toby Wells Foundation presents a benefit for the San Diego Family Justice Center at the Wells family estate in Poway featuring fall and holiday fashions and a personal appearance by N.Y. fashion designer Nicole Miller. (858/673-9869, ext. 304) Drag Yourself Home For The Holidays 11/3: Hotel Solamar is hosting a benefit for Mama’s Kitchen from 7-10pm that will feature entertainment, a do-it-yourself art experience, a silent auction, and tasty hors d’oeuvres from Jsix Restaurant. Drinks are available for a nominal fee that will be donated to Mama’s Kitchen. A $10 donation at the door is requested. (619/295-8232) San Diego Air & Space Museum’s Hall Of Fame Celebration 2006 11/4: Yesterday and today’s aerospace titans will be honored at this fundraising gala in the museum’s Pavilion of Flight. Net proceeds from the event will help fund the museum’s new Hall of Fame Engineering Scholarship, along with programs, activities, and operations. (619/234-8291, ext. 13, www.sandiegoairandspace.org) The Cadillac Invitational Golf Tournament 11/9: Set to benefit the local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, this event will take place at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. (858/492-1090, ext. 116) 2006 Steps To Recovery 11/10: Project Walk Spinal Cord Injury Recovery hosts its annual fundraiser that aims to assist clients in reaching their ultimate goal of walking again. The event features a silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, and cash bar. (760/431-9789, www.projectwalk.org) The Rare Earth Fashion Show And Luncheon 11/10: The Rare Earth again teams up with Paradise Grille in Flower Hill Promenade to host a fall/holiday fashion show and luncheon from 11:30am-2pm. Tickets are $35, from which a portion will be donated to Children’s Hospital. Reservations recommended. (858/755-7227) Arctic Nights/A Tribute To Senator Dede Alpert 11/11: This special event at Nautilus Pavilion, SeaWorld San Diego will honor Senator Dede Alpert’s years of service to the San Diego community and her support of Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute. (619/226-3881) 28th Annual Charger Blood Drive Fashion Show 11/21: Presented by San Diego Blood Bank at the Town and Country Hotel, this event will feature a fashion show presented by Gretchen Productions with Chargers players and their families as models showcasing fashions from several local area boutiques. (619/296-6393) Gingerbread City 2006 11/29: Held at the newly renovated US Grant Hotel’s Presidential Ballroom, this event will showcase creations by leading chefs, artists, and designers competing in a gingerbread competition; gourmet foods from celebrity chefs; complimentary beverages; holiday music; and a live auction. The event benefits the Epilepsy Foundation of San Diego County. (619/296-0161, www.epilepsysandiego.org) St. Germaine Children’s Charity’s 23rd Annual Holiday Silver Tea 12/5: This signature fundraising event will take place in a private home and will include entertainment, an opportunity drawing, and boutiques with holiday and year-round gifts by talented artisans. All proceeds from this event will benefit the abused and neglected children of San Diego County. (619/722-1247, www.stgermainechildrenscharity.org) The Junior Seau Foundation 6th Annual Teammates Luncheon 12/11: Held to honor Trevor Hoffman of the San Diego Padres, this event will be held at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine. It is Junior’s goal to honor a different teammate each year with a portion of the proceeds being directed to the honoree’s charity or favorite cause. Tables of ten from $550. (858/244-SEAU, www.juniorseau.org)		email your calendar listings to: calendar@ranchandcoast.com

		Betty Knight Scripps Candlelight Ball December 2 marks the date for the 77th annual Candlelight Ball, a black-tie evening at the Del Mar Country Club that includes a cocktail reception, dinner, and dancing. One of the longest-running charity events in San Diego, the ball has raised millions of dollars for Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, which provides advanced technology and extraordinary care for the San Diego community with 372 acute-care licensed beds and more than 1,700 employees. It is one of the most memorable social events of the holiday season. (858/678-7357, www.scrippshealth.org) — Jane Shiomi

		Jean Colarusso, Mary Ann Stieber, Marcella Johnson, and Lee Ryan Friendship Tea A Friends of the Poor Friendship Tea was recently held at the home of Marcella Johnson to help raise funds to complete the construction of an AIDS clinic/hospice center in Minna, Nigeria. The project is being headed up by La Jollan Jean Colarusso. Nearly 120 women attended and contributed to the near $30,000 raised, covering the costs of construction for the clinic, which is expected to be up and running by January. The efforts are ongoing, though, as Colarusso believes the long-term solution is education, so she has also set out to build a school for girls in Idah, Nigeria. (858/454-4174, www.friendsofthepoor.us) — Jane Shiomi

		Andrea Naversen and Lezlie Haines Sculpture Show Patron Party Hotel Solamar hosted a cocktail party to thank patrons of the Port of San Diego Sculpture Show. Guests had the opportunity to view some of the sculptures, as well as talk to the artists about their work. Lezlie Haines was chair and Andrea Naversen was honorary chair of the VIP party that kicked off the sculpture show, a three-day arts festival at Embarcadero Park North. It was created by public art director Catherine Sass to showcase local, national, and international artists, and promote San Diego as a center of art and culture. — Alexandra Allen

		Debi Holder with Gordy and Sue Bartow Historical Society In High Gear Rancho Santa Fe’s Historical Society has been celebrating Rancho Days with a fiesta of its own for years now. This year, the weeklong community celebration was on hiatus, and the Historical Society took up a good deal of the slack with its "Fandango." It closed off Via de Santa Fe, put up tables and chairs, fed the masses with scrumptious Mexican fare, and hired the band Prairie Fire to get the couples on their feet. They crammed their courtyard with guests, served delectable appetizers and their trademark margaritas, and put the chili cookoff toward the back, where people could line up to taste and vote. Up front and visible were Gordy and Sue Bartow, Debi Holder, Gene Freeland with his chili, charter members Peggy O’Driscoll and Jean Barnes, and dozens of other members and guests. — Sparkle Stiff