* Send AROUND TOWN items to the...

* Send AROUND TOWN items to the Daily Pilot, 1375 Sunflower Ave.,

Costa Mesa, CA 92626; by e-mail to lindsay.sandham @latimes.com; by

fax to (714) 966-4667; or by calling (714) 966-4625. Include the

time, date and location of the event, as well as a contact phone

number.

TODAY

Christopher Hitchens -- journalist, author, critic, and

self-proclaimed political gadfly -- will discuss his new book “Love,

Poverty and War: Journeys and Essays” and the impact of literature in

the 21st century. Hitchens is well known for his iconoclastic

political views. He will be speak at 6 p.m. at the Newport Beach

Central Library in the Friends Meeting Room, 1000 Avocado Avenue,

Newport Beach. Cost is $55 -- includes buffet dinner by Plum’s Cafe,

wine bar and live music. Information: (949) 717-3890.

“The Right to Marry,” is the topic of Cass R. Sunstein’s lecture.

Sunstein is the Karl L. Llewellyn Distinguished Service Professor of

Jurisprudence at the University of Chicago. Sunstein has served as an

adviser in the Office of the Legal Counsel of the U.S. Department of

Justice and has been involved in constitution- making and law-reform

activities in numerous countries. A Harvard Law School graduate, he

clerked for the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

The lecture begins at 7 p.m. at the Beckman Center Auditorium, UC

Irvine Campus. Information: (949) 824-6503.

“All-District Battle of the Bands:” Teens, 18 and younger, can

listen to live music, enjoy food and refreshments, and hang out with

friends in a supervised environment. The event will be from 7 p.m. to

10 p.m. at the Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Ave., Costa

Mesa. Tickets cost $3 pre-sale and $5 at the door. Information: (714)

327-7562.

A campfire program on the special inhabitants of the Back Bay from

7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. at the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center,

2301 University Dr., Newport Beach. Cost is $2 per person, ages 8 and

up. Information: (949) 923-2275 -- pre-registration is required.

SATURDAY

Principles Over Politics will host Bill Simon, who recently

announced his intention to run for Treasurer of the sate of

California, for a breakfast meeting that begins at 8:30 a.m. at the

Balboa Bay Club, 1221 Coast Highway East, Newport Beach. Cost is $20.

Information: (949) 644-7094.

Mystery novelist and TV anchor Kelly Lange will be the guest of a

luncheon hosted by Irvine Barclay Theatre’s Encore Circle at 1 p.m.

at Britta’s Cafe, 4237 Campus Drive, Irvine. Cost is $50.

Information: (949) 854-4607.

The Orange County Women’s Chorus presents its 2005 spring

program, “Carmina,” along with Men In Blaque and the All-American

Boys Chorus at 7:30 p.m. atNewport Harbor Lutheran Church, 798 Dover

Drive, Newport Beach. Information: (949) 451-8590.

The generations of school children who have passed through Costa

Mesa schools will be featured from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Open

House exhibits of the Costa Mesa Historical Society, 1870 Anaheim

St., Costa Mesa. Christening gowns and local sports memorabilia will

also be on display. Information: (949) 631-5918.

The National Keratoconus Foundation is holding a free seminar

about the eye condition from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Beckman

Conference Center Auditorium adjacent to UC Irvine, 100 Academy Way.

Reservations are Required. Information: (800) 521-2524.

The SPON Annual Meeting will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in

the Oasis Senior Center, 800 Marguerite Ave., Corona del Mar. Brunch

will be served followed by speakers with updates on environmental

concerns. Terry Welsh of the Sierra Club will speak on “Saving

Banning Ranch” and water quality advocate Randy Seton will inform the

audience about “Newport Bay and Watershed Issues -- Past and

Present.” There is no charge to attend and all are welcome.

Information: (949) 548-7646.

SUNDAY

A musical show featuring two jazz bands, Monday Big Band and

Friday Big Band, will begin at 1 p.m. in the Robert B. Moore Theatre

at Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Tickets are

$6 in advance and $8 at the door. Information: (714) 432-5880.

The Big Shots starring Tony Fabulous, a seven-member group that

plays a blend of swing, rhythm and blues, lounge and jazz music, will

perform at the 6th Annual Strawberry Sunday Funfest and classic car

show at 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. at the Orange County Market Place, the

weekly swap meet at the Costa Mesa Fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive, Costa

Mesa. The festival is in honor of National Strawberry Month and is

open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $2. Information: (949) 723-6663 or

https://ocmarketplace.com or https://www.automotiveroadof dreams.com.

TUESDAY

A free seminar on “Help for the Hyperactive Child” is being

presented by Clinical Nutritionist Judith Todero from 6:30 p.m. to

7:30 p.m. at Mother’s Market,

225 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa. Information: (949) 631-4741.

Learn how to protect your children against abductors and molesters

in a 90-minute program by KidSafe, one of Southern California’s

leading experts on children. KidSafe will provide parents with the

tools needed to protect their children from abductors and molesters

including: learning the 16 common tricks used to lure away children;

teaching your children to avoid dangerous situations; the most common

mistakes parents make regarding their children’s safety; and how to

raise a child that does not fit what an abductor or molester is

looking for. The program will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Killybrooke

Elementary, 3155 Killybrooke Lane, Costa Mesa. Cost is $15 per

person, $25 per couple. Information: (714) 435-9382 or thebeazleys

@sbcglobal.net.

WEDNESDAY

Francine du Plessix Gray will speak about her just-released “Them:

A Memoir of Parents.” The author’s mother, Tatiana duPlessix, the

wife of a French diplomat, was a beautiful, sophisticated “white

Russian” who had been the muse of the famous Russian poet Vladimir

Mayakovsky. Her father, Alexander Liberman, was a gifted magazine

editor and aspiring artist. As part of the progressive artistic

Russian emigre community living in Paris in the 30s, the two were

destined to meet. When Paris was occupied during WWII, they fled to

New York with their daughter Francine. Gray’s parents determinedly

rose to the top of New York City’s high society, holding court to a

Who’s Who list of the midcentury’s intellectuals and entertainers.

She will speak from 1 p.m. to

3 p.m. at the Newport Beach Central Library in the Friends Meeting

Room, 1000 Avocado Avenue, Newport Beach. Cost is $10 for students

with ID, $15 for Library Foundation Members and $20 for general.

Coffee, tea and desserts will be served. Information: (949) 717-3890,

(949) 644-3296 or https://www.nbpl foundation.org.

Robert Corell will present “Rapid Warming of the Arctic.” Corell

chaired the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment -- a four-year study

involving eight Arctic countries. The assessment confirmed that the

Earth’s climate is changing more rapidly and persistently than at any

time since the beginning of civilization, and that these changes are

more severe in the Arctic than elsewhere. Corell is a senior research

fellow in the Atmospheric Policy Program of the American

Meteorological Society. He is a participant in the Initiative for

Science and Technology for Sustainability, and he helped to establish

the U.S. National Assessment of the Consequences of Climate

Variability and Change. Program begins at 7 p.m., with a reception at

6 p.m., at the Beckman Center Auditorium, UC Irvine campus.

Information: (949) 824-7252.

A free seminar on “Energy:

We all want more and run out too soon” is being presented by

Master Herbalist Mark J. Kaylor from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at

Mother’s Market, 225 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa. Information: (949)

631-4741.

THURSDAY

David Markovitz brings Teddy Roosevelt back to life by using

anecdotes, quotes and stories at the Newport Harbor Republican

Women’s luncheon at 11:30 a.m. at Five Crowns Restaurant, 3801 Coast

Highway East, Newport Beach. Information: (949) 644-0539.

Oire Valley is the theme of this week’s wine-tasting Thursday.

Each week five new wines, each highlighting a specific varietal or

wine region, will be introduced for guests to taste, judge and enjoy.

A tapas menu, $4.95 each, is also available. The event is from 5:30

p.m. to 8 p.m. at Bayside Restaurant, 900 Bayside Dr., Newport Beach.

Cost is $15 per person. Information: (949) 721-1222.