Big Event

While Eli Manning and Tom Brady battled for Super Bowl supremacy and a win for their respective teams, at a Newport Beach lounge the beginning of the game already marked a victory. Tentation Ultra Lounge hosted a Super Bowl party Sunday that benefited Orangewood PALS, an affiliate of Orangewood Children’s Foundation, with part of the proceeds of the event going to the organization. “It really is a big event,” said Marty Dutch of Orangewood PALS. “(Alan Freeman)

We asked OCC students: Will you watch the 2000 Olympic Games now that Newport Beach swimming star Aaron Peirsol will be competing at Sydney, Australia?--Compiled by Amy R. Spurgeon Photos by Marianna Day Massey 1. I wasn't really interested in any of the swim events until I heard that locally based people will be competing. I'd like to see how they do. LAURYN MAYO, 19 Costa Mesa 2. I'm definitely going to be watching volleyball. I probably won't watch the swimming.

Danette Goulet FAIRGROUNDS - After 67 years of marriage, William and Anna Schaefer still gazed at each other longingly as they renewed their wedding vows with 17 other couples at the Orange County Fair on Thursday. It was the fifth time the lovebirds stood before a preacher and vowed to cherish each other forever. Time has just strengthened their bond, they said. "It brings us closer together," said William Schaefer, 88. And they still remember the first fall.

City work crews recently came out and planted three trees on the barren parkway in front of Costa Mesa resident Kevin Doane’s house. This ordinarily would not be a big event — the city does it all the time — but in the past few months the out-of-work contractor has thrust himself into the public spotlight as “that guy with the dirt lawn.” In the past few weeks he has even told his story to television news crews from big networks and has been blogged about from Los Angeles to San Diego.

OK, so pull out your "summer to-do" list. Have you checked much off yet? Maybe "see Shakespeare in the park" or "eat too much at the fair" just got crossed off. Possibly the big family vacation happened in July. But what about everything else on there? We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but check the calendar: We're midway through August, way past midway through summer, and the big event on the horizon? It isn't setting off fireworks in the streets (if you live in Costa Mesa, anyway)

Deepa Bharath NEWPORT CENTER -- For Matthew Aston, waiting isn't a chore. Every second is fun. Every minute is laced with merry anticipation. And every hour that passes snowballs into a gigantic force, charged with thrill and powered with excitement. Aston, a Santa Ana Heights resident, is one of several "Star Wars" fans who have pitched tents outside the Edwards Big Newport theater at Fashion Island hoping to snag some of the best seats for the first screening of "Episode II: Attack of the Clones" at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

One of Kelly Taggart's fondest memories of his son John was seeing how thrilled he was at the lemonade stand he organized to help raise money for cancer research. "He was so happy that day," the 33-year-old Costa Mesa man said. "To see him hand out lemonade and see so many people come and support the cause … it was amazing." John was following the lead of Alexandra "Alex" Scott who, also battling cancer, started up her own lemonade stand in Philadelphia. John, who was diagnosed shortly after his second birthday in 2002 with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer, suffered a relapse in the fall of 2005 and died in October of that year.

Jim Scott, who helped to launch the campaign more than a decade ago to bring a stadium to Costa Mesa, spends much of his time in a wheelchair and walks only with assistance. But when the Newport-Mesa school board opens the stadium this spring with a community run, Scott’s family wants to see him on the track. The Estancia High School stadium, the first project under the Measure F school bond, is set for dedication April 25. The day after, the district plans to host 5K and 2K runs that finish inside the stadium, and Scott’s son, Jim Scott Jr., would like nothing better than to see his father — who suffered a stroke two years ago — take a victory lap. “Maybe we’ll be able to put him on his little scooter and have him ride around the track,” Scott Jr. said.

Brian Lieberman had a thick packet of vocabulary words to help him prepare for his school's spelling bee, but he didn't study it very much -- just a few minutes at lunch and recess before the big event. The Adams Elementary School fifth-grader also said that despite being a gifted student, he isn't an avid reader. At the end of Adams' third annual spelling bee on Friday, however, Brian emerged as the school champion. So what was his secret to success? "I'm kind of on the computer a lot," said Brian, 10. "On the Internet, they have a lot of words."

Elia Powers Not since a 1980s run of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" has the Orange County Performing Arts Center seen a production of this magnitude. "Usually a show comes in a few days before it opens to set up," said Jerry Mandel, Performing Arts Center president. "For this one, we are closing the theater down 10 days before opening night. "It's our biggest undertaking in years." Disney's "The Lion King" is coming to Segerstrom Hall for a six-week run, beginning March 10. Inside Segerstrom Hall, employees are rolling out the red carpet -- and clearing room on the theater floor -- for the production, which hit Broadway in 1998.

COSTA MESA — During its meeting Tuesday night, the City Council lowered the personnel rates the city charges organizations to bring special events to the city. Effective immediately, the new rates are about 27% lower and remove overhead and indirect costs from the city's bill to event organizers. The move is an attempt to attract new businesses, but runs the risk of decreased city revenues. The council approved the measure with a 3-1 vote, with Councilwoman Wendy Leece dissenting and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer absent.

As thousands descended upon Newport Beach’s coast last weekend, public safety personnel found themselves unprepared for the gridlock and how it could affect their response to emergencies, city officials said Friday. High surf, warm weather and media hype about the waves lured many to the city’s beach fronts last weekend, many of them to the tip of the peninsula. “We were simply overwhelmed by the huge numbers of people coming into these areas, and it was far worse than anything we envisioned or were prepared for,” City Manager Homer Bludau explained to one resident in an e-mail.

City work crews recently came out and planted three trees on the barren parkway in front of Costa Mesa resident Kevin Doane’s house. This ordinarily would not be a big event — the city does it all the time — but in the past few months the out-of-work contractor has thrust himself into the public spotlight as “that guy with the dirt lawn.” In the past few weeks he has even told his story to television news crews from big networks and has been blogged about from Los Angeles to San Diego.

Jim Scott, who helped to launch the campaign more than a decade ago to bring a stadium to Costa Mesa, spends much of his time in a wheelchair and walks only with assistance. But when the Newport-Mesa school board opens the stadium this spring with a community run, Scott’s family wants to see him on the track. The Estancia High School stadium, the first project under the Measure F school bond, is set for dedication April 25. The day after, the district plans to host 5K and 2K runs that finish inside the stadium, and Scott’s son, Jim Scott Jr., would like nothing better than to see his father — who suffered a stroke two years ago — take a victory lap. “Maybe we’ll be able to put him on his little scooter and have him ride around the track,” Scott Jr. said.

While Eli Manning and Tom Brady battled for Super Bowl supremacy and a win for their respective teams, at a Newport Beach lounge the beginning of the game already marked a victory. Tentation Ultra Lounge hosted a Super Bowl party Sunday that benefited Orangewood PALS, an affiliate of Orangewood Children’s Foundation, with part of the proceeds of the event going to the organization. “It really is a big event,” said Marty Dutch of Orangewood PALS. “(Alan Freeman)

UC Irvine’s Bren Event Center was filled with cheers Sunday: cheering in the stands, cheering out the door, and cheering on the floor. That was the point, as Cheersport Irvine Grand Championship had hundreds of kids and teens from across Southern California tumbling, jumping, kicking and making formations for a crowded stadium. Teams from as far away as Camarillo and Bakersfield showed up to compete for top prizes in numerous events, with age groups ranging from elementary age to high school.

One of Kelly Taggart's fondest memories of his son John was seeing how thrilled he was at the lemonade stand he organized to help raise money for cancer research. "He was so happy that day," the 33-year-old Costa Mesa man said. "To see him hand out lemonade and see so many people come and support the cause … it was amazing." John was following the lead of Alexandra "Alex" Scott who, also battling cancer, started up her own lemonade stand in Philadelphia. John, who was diagnosed shortly after his second birthday in 2002 with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer, suffered a relapse in the fall of 2005 and died in October of that year.

It will be difficult not to change the plan at the starting line. Up until the point Ceci St. Geme toes the line at the 15th annual Komen Orange Country Race for the Cure, her motivation will be charity. The race is at 7:30 a.m. today starting at the Newport Beach Marriott. But when St. Geme takes a gander at her competition in the five-kilometer race, in all likelihood thoughts of winning will rush into her mind. The plan for the race is to focus on a time, not the competition.

OK, so pull out your "summer to-do" list. Have you checked much off yet? Maybe "see Shakespeare in the park" or "eat too much at the fair" just got crossed off. Possibly the big family vacation happened in July. But what about everything else on there? We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but check the calendar: We're midway through August, way past midway through summer, and the big event on the horizon? It isn't setting off fireworks in the streets (if you live in Costa Mesa, anyway)

Brian Lieberman had a thick packet of vocabulary words to help him prepare for his school's spelling bee, but he didn't study it very much -- just a few minutes at lunch and recess before the big event. The Adams Elementary School fifth-grader also said that despite being a gifted student, he isn't an avid reader. At the end of Adams' third annual spelling bee on Friday, however, Brian emerged as the school champion. So what was his secret to success? "I'm kind of on the computer a lot," said Brian, 10. "On the Internet, they have a lot of words."