The Crowd:

California history comes to vivid life in September each year as Mission San Juan Capistrano hosts its annual Romance of the Mission benefit gala.

The party is one of the most beautiful and romantic evenings on the Orange Riviera. Set within the courtyard of the Old Stone Church, benefit sponsors mingle in the gardens.

They find themselves surrounded by the ancient walls topped at center with a simple cross set against the glow of the evening sunset, descending in the costal hills as it has done for centuries. It is the same twilight that Father Junípero Serra witnessed in 1776 when the mission first was erected.

Guests gathered at 6 p.m. for a cocktail reception prior to being seated in the ruins of the Great Stone Church for a 7 p.m. concert before dinner.

Museum Executive Director Mechelle Laurence-Adams welcomed guests and introduced museum preservation foundation board member George O’Connell. O’Connell and his wife, Eden, have been ardent and longtime supporters of mission preservation.

George O’Connell then introduced the crowd to fellow preservationists and donors including such Orange County notables as Joan Irvine Smith, Mozelle and Myron Sukut, Rachel and Jim Everett, Melinda and Tony Moiso, Jane and Warren Siegel, Connie and Peter Spenuzza, E.J. Tracy, and Janet Curci, to name a few.

The gala’s executive committee included Diana Arrigoni, Barb Beier, Georgianna Hales, Mozelle Sukut, and the beautiful and classy Madeline Swinden, who served as the 2009 founding benefit gala chairwoman of the evening.

The music of a Spanish guitar performed by artist Benise captivated the crowd with his remarkable traditional Flamenco interpretations. The handsome entertainer with the flowing brown hair and contagious smile melted the hearts of the ladies in the crowd as he performed his music with grace and passion, transcending all cultural barriers and preconceived notions about the Spanish guitar.

Benise was accompanied by a troupe of beautiful women dancing to his music.

It was all part of his performance that is gaining national attention via public television productions that are called “Nights of Fire.” The shows began airing in 2007 featuring a unique blend of music and dance combining Spanish flamenco, Cuban salsa, African rhythms, Argentine tango and Brazilian samba.

The romantic mood of the party was firmly set before dinner was served.

After the concert, patrons were escorted into the Mission Courtyard for dinner, awe struck by the beauty of the setting created by Newport’s talented designer Andrew Gromek and his company, Couture Flowers.

The Mission Courtyard was ablaze with candlelight coming from hundreds of wrought iron candelabra at different heights. The trees in the courtyard sparkled with white lights and tables were arraigned in rectangular banquet formation, probably just as they were set up in centuries past in simpler times.

Gromek chose a palette of rich earth tones that began with chocolate brown chiffon table coverings with flowers arraigned in earthenware pots, different on every table but carrying the same color theme representing early fall.

A magnificent dinner featuring a lamb entree was served with the compliments of the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel. The hotel was a major underwriter of the evening.

Wine pairings were provided by Ignatius Cellars and Clare Valley of South Australia.

Spotted in the dinner crowd were platinum sponsors and much loved Orange County philanthropists Marybelle and Sebastian Paul Musco.

Also front and center were major donors Wylie and Bette Aitken, Lula Halfacre, Mary and Walter Frome, and Heidi and Rick Sherman.

Supporting the Mission and enjoying the company of friends were Gilbert Aguirre, Bill and Joan Cvengros, Dennis and Jane Galligani, Peter and Signe Keller, Anita Ziebe, and Msgr. Arthur Holquin with his mother and sister, Bertha and Melinda Holquin.

The elegant and inspirational evening paid special tribute to Orange County Supervisor Patricia Bates.

Bates obtained a $1-million Capital TEA Grant to be used for the stabilization of the Great Stone Church and other construction upgrades for the mission.

She commented: “Mission San Juan Capistrano, the birthplace of Orange County, is a cherished historical landmark that, for a region on the cutting edge of the future, offers a window to our remarkable past.”

Some 400 guests raised more than the $430,000 earmarked for continued preservation funding.

Mission San Juan Capistrano receives no financial support from either the U.S. government or the Catholic Church.

THE CROWD runs Thursdays and Saturdays.