A 1959 Cadillac convertible, white with red leather seats, top
down, greeted patrons of the 2002 Candlelight Concert at the front
door of the Orange County Performing Arts Center. It was nothing less
than a kitsch interpretation of Santa's sleigh.
Many in the arriving crush of some 500 major donors to the Center
posed for a photograph in front of the sleigh before entering for a
dazzling evening.
Candlelight Concert, now 29 years running, is a tradition started
by founding patron Tom Moon in a empty Kresge store in a mall, where
patrons were served a spaghetti dinner. Some in the glittering
black-tie crowd remembered the simpler times, while others could not
even imagine the way it used to be.
Chaired by the very lovely and talented Marsha Anderson, attending
the gala dressed in a spectacular French couture gown on the arm of
her dashing husband, Darrel Anderson, the Candlelight Concert was
considered by many to be the best event of the year on the Orange
Coast.
Anderson and co-chair Elizabeth Tierney, who will rise to the task
of chairmanship in 2003, placed a major emphasis on fun this season,
taking what has in recent memory been a very glamorous evening and
adding a number of ingredients to make the party swing.
The evening began with the customary cocktail reception on the
second tier of the Center foyer with creative holiday decorations
putting everyone in the proper mood to mingle.
Patrons Pat and Richard Allen, Roberta and Howard Ahmanson,
Barbara and Alex Bowie, Karen and Michael Carroll, Sally and Randy
Crockett, Eleanor and Michael Gordon, Ninetta and Gavin Herbert, Dr.
Howard House and Elizabeth Colyear Vincent, Jeri and Danny McKenna
and Irene and William Mathews shared holiday cheer.
As the Center bells chimed, the dedicated ushers in their burgundy
blazers opened the doors for the patrons to be seated in Segerstrom
Hall and partake in a private concert delivered by singer/songwriter
Kenny Loggins and his band.
Loggins began his career with former partner Jim Messina and
rocketed to fame in the early 1970s with hits that included "Love
Song" and "Your Momma Don't Dance." Loggins struck out on his own in
1976, recording such songs as "Footloose," "Whenever I Call You
Friend," and "Heart To Heart."
Loggins and his band rocked Segerstrom Hall with these and other
songs familiar to most of the audience. By the end of the very
personal hour-and-a-quarter concert, Loggins had many of the patrons
dancing in their seats.
