Lemonade

A group of girls were able to turn lemons into lemonade, and a lemonade stand into a booming business when they raised more than $1,000 for health organizations Feb. 4. National Charity League Juniors' participants fanned out to six different Newport Beach locations and were able to raise the triple-digit dollars for High Hopes Head Injury Program, Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation and Orange Coast College's Harry and Grace Steele Children's Center,...

While many kids dream about winning the big soccer game or starring in a major play, the 15 kids of Book Club dream a little differently. They wanted to meet one of their favorite authors, Kate Klise, and bonded together to make that dream a reality. "We did a lemonade stand/bake sale on Balboa Island this past weekend to raise money," said Jill Fales, a Newport beach mom who formed the book club two years ago. Fales hosts the monthly meetings in her home for second- and third-graders.

Andrew Edwards At 4 years old, Costa Mesa's John Taggart has been battling cancer for about half his life. With help from friends and members of the Newport Beach Fire Department, John's family enlisted Fashion Island shoppers to aid John and other children in their fight against cancer Sunday. The family set up a lemonade stand at the shopping center, and volunteers passed out lemonade and cookies as they collected more than $10,000 in donations to help out young cancer patients.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher's "Winter Newsletter" arrived last week. I'm glad to be on his mailing list and look forward to his newsletters because they always provide some good chuckles and creative writing. His skill -- or that of whoever writes his newsletter -- is especially adroit in converting political lemons into lemonade. The one that just arrived held up this tradition admirably. Example: "Earlier this year we had some good news. The level of deficit spending by the federal government was decreasing due to an increase in government revenues most likely a result from the 2001 tax cuts."

W ith bright eyes, rosy cheeks and wide smiles as they leaned over their little elbows selling lemonade, it was a scene of classic Americana with a twist at the Irvine Spectrum Saturday morning as kids sold the summer refreshment for pediatric cancer research. The group was one of many across the country this weekend inspired by the story of Alexandra "Alex" Scott from Pennsylvania, a little girl who set up a lemonade stand in 2000 to raise money for cancer research. Alex had a rare form of cancer, neuroblastoma, that eventually took her life, but not before she inspired families nationwide.

When life gave John Taggart lemons, he made lemonade. About $10,000's worth. On a warm day in June last year, the 5-year-old from Costa Mesa gathered his friends and family and helped organize a massive lemonade stand at Fashion Island to raise money for a medical charity. It was a cause very close to John's heart. The $10,000 he raised would be donated to Alex's Lemonade Stand, a national foundation committed to fighting neuroblastoma, a rare cancer John had been battling nearly all his life.

I've seen a few lemonade stands in my time at the Pilot but as elaborate as this one. The girls had a song and dance to with their chants of "lemonade," which had people lining up at one point just to listen and grab a cup for a quarter. It was too cute. The girls, Talia Prairie, Donnie Schroth, Reo Nathan, Charissa Kroeger and Reann Nathan, were all friends from the neighborhood. Some parents were nearby to make sure all worked out. While I was there a Harley biker, a letter carrier, some construction workers of various trades, and a few joggers stopped by for a cup. I was on my way to the office when I saw the production at the corner of 20th Street and Orange Avenue, a busy intersection at mid-day.

Lolita Harper NEWPORT BEACH -- They didn't know any of the victims. They've never met the rescue workers. They only know that their country needs their help. Children in the Newport-Mesa area showed Saturday that despite their age, they will do what they can to help to help the country move forward after Tuesday's ghastly East Coast terrorist attack. Two separate clans of children -- none older than 10 -- took to the streets Saturday to raise money for strangers more than 3,000 miles away.

GREER WYLDER South Coast Plaza hosts its summer food and wine festival June 23 from 6 to 9 p.m. The culinary event features samples from more than 25 South Coast Plaza restaurants, nearly 40 vintners and wines and 13 breweries. There's also live music. It benefits the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County and Someone Cares Soup Kitchen in Costa Mesa. Together, these programs help 456,000 people in Orange County each month. A partial list of participating restaurants include Antonello Ristorante, Bluewater Grill, Bodega Chocolates, Champagne French Bakery Cafe, Chat Noir Bistro & Jazz Lounge, Nello Cucina, Patina Group and Quattro Cafe.

"Belle de Jour," the 17th annual mother-daughter fashion show and luncheon produced by National Charity League Juniors, Newport Chapter, attracted more than 500 women and children to the Palm Garden of Newport's tony Four Seasons Hotel. Centerpieces of fondant iced cakes set on clear domed pedestals wrapped with ribbons and gerberas set the feminine tone of the day. A palette of pink, black and white transformed the garden room, giving the party a very upscale feel.

A group of girls were able to turn lemons into lemonade, and a lemonade stand into a booming business when they raised more than $1,000 for health organizations Feb. 4. National Charity League Juniors' participants fanned out to six different Newport Beach locations and were able to raise the triple-digit dollars for High Hopes Head Injury Program, Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation and Orange Coast College's Harry and Grace Steele Children's Center,...

COSTA MESA - When Melissa Myers was out of work, she found her silver lining in the form of a metal baking sheet. The Huntington Beach Marina High School alumna and former interior designer never planned on opening Three Hearts Bake Shop, an online cookie and pastry store, but now she finds herself baking 10 to 12 hours a night in a Costa Mesa commercial kitchen. "If you told me a year ago that I would be doing this, I would have just laughed," Myers, 28, of Costa Mesa, said of the business she launched in February.

W ith bright eyes, rosy cheeks and wide smiles as they leaned over their little elbows selling lemonade, it was a scene of classic Americana with a twist at the Irvine Spectrum Saturday morning as kids sold the summer refreshment for pediatric cancer research. The group was one of many across the country this weekend inspired by the story of Alexandra "Alex" Scott from Pennsylvania, a little girl who set up a lemonade stand in 2000 to raise money for cancer research. Alex had a rare form of cancer, neuroblastoma, that eventually took her life, but not before she inspired families nationwide.

Kelly and Tamara Taggart, who hosted Saturday's "Alex's Lemonade Stand" fundraiser at Fashion Island in memory of their son, John, reported that the event had raised $8,754.08 as of Tuesday. John Taggart was 5 when he asked his parents to help organize the first lemonade stand in 2005 in memory of Alexandra "Alex" Scott, who died from the same rare form of cancer he was diagnosed with in 2000. He had read a book about Alex titled "Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand." John died in October 2005.

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.

The Taggart family of Costa Mesa will honor the legacy of their son, John, who at the age of five lost his battle with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer, by hosting another Alex's Amazing Lemonade Stand from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday in front of the Babystyle store in Fashion Island, 1103A Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. Alexandra "Alex" Scott was a 4-year old cancer patient who opened a lemonade stand in her front yard in 2000 to help raise money for childhood cancer research, and it was John Taggart's idea to host the first Alex's Lemonade Stand in her memory in 2005.

When life gave John Taggart lemons, he made lemonade. About $10,000's worth. On a warm day in June last year, the 5-year-old from Costa Mesa gathered his friends and family and helped organize a massive lemonade stand at Fashion Island to raise money for a medical charity. It was a cause very close to John's heart. The $10,000 he raised would be donated to Alex's Lemonade Stand, a national foundation committed to fighting neuroblastoma, a rare cancer John had been battling nearly all his life.

While many kids dream about winning the big soccer game or starring in a major play, the 15 kids of Book Club dream a little differently. They wanted to meet one of their favorite authors, Kate Klise, and bonded together to make that dream a reality. "We did a lemonade stand/bake sale on Balboa Island this past weekend to raise money," said Jill Fales, a Newport beach mom who formed the book club two years ago. Fales hosts the monthly meetings in her home for second- and third-graders.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher's "Winter Newsletter" arrived last week. I'm glad to be on his mailing list and look forward to his newsletters because they always provide some good chuckles and creative writing. His skill -- or that of whoever writes his newsletter -- is especially adroit in converting political lemons into lemonade. The one that just arrived held up this tradition admirably. Example: "Earlier this year we had some good news. The level of deficit spending by the federal government was decreasing due to an increase in government revenues most likely a result from the 2001 tax cuts."

Andrew Edwards At 4 years old, Costa Mesa's John Taggart has been battling cancer for about half his life. With help from friends and members of the Newport Beach Fire Department, John's family enlisted Fashion Island shoppers to aid John and other children in their fight against cancer Sunday. The family set up a lemonade stand at the shopping center, and volunteers passed out lemonade and cookies as they collected more than $10,000 in donations to help out young cancer patients.