The Crowd -- B.W. Cook

The Camelot Guild, one of the most prominent chapters of support for

the Orange County Performing Arts Center, invited its membership to a

holiday dinner and a viewing of the Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade.

Arriving at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club in Corona del Mar, guests

were greeted by members of the Camelot family serenading the season with

renditions of Christmas favorites. The carolers were actually longtime

supporters of the Camelot Guild -- Ray DeMott, Sam Stone, and the

much-loved Nora Johnson and her husband, Jim.

As the quartet sang a lively rendition of “We Wish You a Merry

Christmas,” the crowd arrived wearing mostly red attire. There were men

in red vests and women in red suits. There were sweaters galore, of

course all red in color. And along with all of the red attire, the mood

of the evening demanded plenty of holiday sparkle.

Reta Hawkins was a knockout wearing not red, but Christmas green from

head to toe, which coordinated perfectly with her stunning red hair.

Husband Ham Hawkins kept one arm around his pretty wife as the couple did

some Christmas mingling with old friends Rita Gunkel, Joan Williams,

Kathy Rolfes and chairwoman of the evening, Darlene Swearingen, attending

with her husband, Roger.

The Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club has a brand new kitchen and a fabulous

award-winning chef who prepared a Christmas buffet dinner worthy of a

culinary gold star. Local celeb party pianist Jim Roberts kept the season

bright playing the keyboard as the revelers enjoyed a delectable spread

that included prime rib, salmon, duck, chicken and just about everything

else to satisfy the most discriminating diner.

As the Camelot carolers finished their greeting duties, the

entertainment baton was passed to the Old Towne Carolers, performing a

half-hour of a cappella Christmas melodies. In addition to the Old Towne

Carolers, other Camelot members performed Christmas favorites.

Charming vocals came from the talented Anita Tabib, Nancy Thompson and

Barbara Sue Johnson. Bobbie Stahl wowed the crowd on the saxophone, and

Roger Swearingen was a standout on the trombone. Swearingen is a former

Hollywood musician who performed with studio orchestras creating the

soundtracks for many classic films.

In one other nostalgic note, Camelot vocalist Nancy Thompson was

formerly a singer with the USO during World War II and was well-known for

her big band renditions of “London Town” and “I’ve Got a Crush on You.”

The warmth of the season was expressed everywhere you turned at this

wonderful evening of friendship benefiting the Orange County Performing

Arts Center. The $100 per person event will see its proceeds earmarked

for children’s concerts offered at no charge to Orange County

schoolchildren at the Center.

As the boat parade passed by the sparkling yacht club, Camelot

friends, including Camelot Guild President Corinne Black, Fran Applegate,

Ruby Ann Derderian, Joan Levy, Veneta Moreno and Guilds chair Jerrie

Goodreau shared the special seasonal get together with warmth and gusto.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.