B.W. COOK -- The Crowd

Two very glamorous Orange County women, Pat Rypinski and Patricia Ann

Marshall, both of Newport Beach, greeted the arriving crush Thursday

evening on the patio fronting the new Bridge of Gardens at South Coast

Plaza.

Some 150 guests converged on the terrace in support of the Candlelight

Concert, a major holiday fund-raiser benefiting the Orange County

Performing Arts Center and presented by the Center’s board of directors.

The terrace was transformed from its stark contemporary landscape into

a magical European topiary garden replete with living statues. It was all

created by sponsors Mikimoto Jewelry Co. and House Beautiful Magazine to

celebrate the success of co-chairs Rypinski and Marshall in creating what

promises to be the evening of quintessential holiday glamour on the

Orange Coast.

This year, the Candelight Concert, known for both its culinary and

entertainment razzle-dazzle, will be fronted by the legendary Harry

Belafonte. Once again, the Four Seasons Hotel will cater dinner on the

stage of Segerstrom Hall, followed by holiday music provided by the

Pacific Chorale, not to mention a nightcap reception and dancing till

dawn in Founders Hall.

On Thursday evening, despite a fall chill, the best-dressed local

crowd turned out to support the Center. Mingling in the garden, the

elegantly attired Suki McCardle with husband Randy McCardle joined

friends Cerise and Laurence Feeley with their beautiful daughter Eden and

her fiance, James Arthur Rock, set to be wed over the Thanksgiving

holiday weekend.

Patti Edwards stayed warm in her loden green wool suit trimmed with

dyed green fur at the shawl-style collar. Husband Jim Edwards was upbeat,

talking life, politics and the latest on his theater business with

colleagues and friends, including Robert Follman, sans wife Carole, who

was busy working on their new home in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

“We’ve been going there for years,” shared Bob, adding, “It has to be

the wildest city on Earth.”

Follman circled the party with his daughter Robin Follman, well known

to Orange County audiences for her exemplary operatic performances in

Segerstrom Hall.

Fortune tellers, palm readers and Tarot card interpreters delighted

the crowd. No one came away unhappy with their predictions.

Center fund-raiser and raconteur Terry Jones, attending the party with

his pretty blond bride, Judy, kept asking if the palm reader advised that

the subject was coming into a great fortune.

Why? Well, the Center is building a multimillion-dollar project. Why

else?

Also in the crowd, on the arm of husband Tom, was Joan Riach, wearing

a black wool winter pants suit trimmed in fur at the collar.

“Patti Edwards is always so well-dressed,” mused Joan, wearing an

almost identical outfit to Patti’s.

Vesta Curry, wearing her signature hat, joined friend Elizabeth

Vincent, who was looking exceedingly snappy in a red wool winter holiday

coat. Big Canyon’s Nancy Sorosky was nothing short of Holly Golightly,

bouncing around the affair spreading smiles.

Also attending were Byron and Ronnie Allumbaugh, Darrel and Marsha

Anderson, Mikimoto’s Bill Thomas, Ruth Ding, Catherine and Jim Emmi,

Gloir and Irwin Gellman, Maralou and Jerry Harrington, Roger and Gail

Kirwan, Donna Phelps, Mary Jean Simpkins, Doti Stillwell, Pat and Gene

Hancock, and the Boyd family, led by matriarch Gail Bronson Boyd of Palm

Desert.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.

Stand Alone Photos and Captions

1. Three Orange County mental health organizations -- the John Henry

Foundation, NAMI Orange County and The Mental Health Assn. of Orange

County -- will benefit from the $60,000 raised at the recent “Get

Involved For Mental Health” inaugural fashion show benefit held at the

Waterfront Hilton Beach Resort, featuring the fashions of Neiman Marcus,

Fashion Island. Pictured from left, Tania Forder Carrel, Susan Smallwodd

and Desiree Peschong were all major organizers of the fund-raiser.

2. Julio Bocca and Ballet Argentino recently performed at The Orange

County Performing Arts Center. At the after-performance reception, Bocca

posed for the camera with a young, aspiring ballerina in the crowd, Alana

Anderson.