Mission San Juan Capistrano

M. Zuckerman Public Relations and Marketing, a Newport Beach-based firm, has been selected by Mission San Juan Capistrano to handle public relations for the "Romance of the Mission" fundraising gala on Sept. 14. The gala will divert all its proceeds to restoration and preservation of the South Museum Wing of the mission, which was built in 1778 and has remained mostly intact since. Vittorio Grigolo, a world-renowned Italian tenor, will sing at the gala. The firm, founded by Madeline Zuckerman 30 years ago, is headquartered in Newport Beach and has a branch office in Palm Springs.

Children and local history buffs learned how to make adobe bricks out of straw and mud and watched leather workers make tool belts and key chains at the Diego Sepulveda Adobe as part of Early California Days on Saturday. The annual event sponsored by the Costa Mesa Historical Society was a chance this year to show of recent renovations at the nearly 200-year-old adobe. “It’s a good event for public education and raising awareness of local history,” said Terry Shaw, vice president in charge of programs for the Costa Mesa Historical Society.

It is known as "The Jewel of the Missions." And it is surely one of Orange County's most significant cultural and religious landmarks. Mission San Juan Capistrano, the seventh in a chain of 21 California missions under the leadership of Padre Junípero Serra, welcomes some 50,000 area students every year and countless more tourists exploring the mission's history. It dates back to Nov. 1, 1776, which happens to be All Saints Day in the Catholic Church. It's remarkable that, at the same time, 13 former British colonies some 3,000 miles to the east were only months into having declared their independence from Great Britain.

B.W. COOK The young and the restless met the bold and the beautiful for an opening night bash at Fashion Island. Orangewood Providing Assistance Love and Support, the 20-something young professional crowd dedicated to supporting the Orangewood Children's Foundation, toasted champagne flutes at David Wilhelm's latest creation, Rouge. More than 150 PALS and a host of local social movers and shakers filled Rouge to the rafters, sampling mini-quiche Lorraine tartlets and a little oozing brie covered in caramelized onions, as brilliant restaurateur Wilhelm opened Rouge with his customary panache and pure showmanship.

It wasn't just the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano. More than 450 O.C. residents, including a very large contingent of Newport-Mesa residents, returned to San Juan Capistrano for the 2005 mission gala, Romance of the Serra Chapel. The Friday evening under the stars raised $133,000, earmarked to benefit the preservation of the mission's Serra Chapel. An extraordinary gift of $250,000 from honorary chair Richard O'Neill raised the bar to an impressive $383,000.

Deirdre Newman NEWPORT BEACH -- The father of California who established the mission system along the coast made a guest appearance in a fourth-grade classroom at Eastbluff Elementary School on Friday. Father Junipero Serra, dressed in an authentic Franciscan priest frock, captivated the nearly 40 fourth- and fifth-graders who recently completed a study of the mission period. "It makes it more real for the kids," fourth-grade teacher Maggie Kenney said.

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.

Christmas Eve should offer a moment for reflection. When the shopping is done, take a deep breath and listen to the quiet. As the day progresses into night, I have always been awed by the silence of the night. Somehow there aren't as many planes in the sky, cars on the road. The hum of life gives way to a soft Christmas Eve silence, a quiet time for families, for friends, for all. This year, Christmas and Hanukkah share the same special time of year. Perhaps both celebrations will bring light into a mad world.

Three prominent Newport Beach women with hearts as broad as their smiles joined formidable forces to chair "Romance of The Mission," a gala fund-raiser for the preservation of Mission San Juan Capistrano. Cecilia Nott, Ann Raney and Janet Curci Walsh chaired the recent celebration that attracted hundreds of local supporters under the auspices of Friends of the Mission, which is led by the dedicated Electa Anderson. The Mission Preservation Foundation Board considers the task of saving the Mission a project tantamount to preserving what they call "The American Acropolis."

After leaving her position as a physical education instructor at Orange Coast College — where she joined the faculty in 1949, a year after the college's founding — Beverly Barck had some trouble getting used to her new, relaxed schedule. So she got involved in the women's division of the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce, and the position soon became a considerable commitment. When the Segerstrom family donated a five-acre piece of land to the city in 1963, Barck was eager to participate in the restoration of the adobe that stood on the property, a project that served as a jumping-off point for the establishment of the Costa Mesa Historical Society.

It is one of the most beautiful annual events on the California Riviera. "Romance of the Mission," held on the ancient grounds of the historical Mission San Juan Capistrano, brought together more than 400 guests for an evening of fine food and wine, incomparable entertainment and, most importantly, a spiritual connection to the religious and historical pasts of early California. Special honors of the evening were bestowed upon Gilbert Aguirre, honorary event chairman representing the Mission Preservation Foundation.

It is known as "The Jewel of the Missions." And it is surely one of Orange County's most significant cultural and religious landmarks. Mission San Juan Capistrano, the seventh in a chain of 21 California missions under the leadership of Padre Junípero Serra, welcomes some 50,000 area students every year and countless more tourists exploring the mission's history. It dates back to Nov. 1, 1776, which happens to be All Saints Day in the Catholic Church. It's remarkable that, at the same time, 13 former British colonies some 3,000 miles to the east were only months into having declared their independence from Great Britain.

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.

Children and local history buffs learned how to make adobe bricks out of straw and mud and watched leather workers make tool belts and key chains at the Diego Sepulveda Adobe as part of Early California Days on Saturday. The annual event sponsored by the Costa Mesa Historical Society was a chance this year to show of recent renovations at the nearly 200-year-old adobe. “It’s a good event for public education and raising awareness of local history,” said Terry Shaw, vice president in charge of programs for the Costa Mesa Historical Society.

It’s one thing to admire our beautiful community, but don’t you sometimes just want to record it so you can share it? You could always snap away with your camera phone, but it’d be a lot cooler if you knew what you were doing. Well, Ralph Velasco, who leads photo walking tours here and elsewhere, has you covered.   Tell us about your tours and background. I teach travel photography in a classroom setting throughout Southern California, and my students said that although they enjoyed the classes very much, they wanted to actually get out and shoot with me, as well, so I resurrected the idea of taking people out on walking tours to photograph in great locations, which I started developing back in Chicago, where I’m originally from.

M. Zuckerman Public Relations and Marketing, a Newport Beach-based firm, has been selected by Mission San Juan Capistrano to handle public relations for the "Romance of the Mission" fundraising gala on Sept. 14. The gala will divert all its proceeds to restoration and preservation of the South Museum Wing of the mission, which was built in 1778 and has remained mostly intact since. Vittorio Grigolo, a world-renowned Italian tenor, will sing at the gala. The firm, founded by Madeline Zuckerman 30 years ago, is headquartered in Newport Beach and has a branch office in Palm Springs.

After leaving her position as a physical education instructor at Orange Coast College — where she joined the faculty in 1949, a year after the college's founding — Beverly Barck had some trouble getting used to her new, relaxed schedule. So she got involved in the women's division of the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce, and the position soon became a considerable commitment. When the Segerstrom family donated a five-acre piece of land to the city in 1963, Barck was eager to participate in the restoration of the adobe that stood on the property, a project that served as a jumping-off point for the establishment of the Costa Mesa Historical Society.

I missed it. I was in Seattle, which is way up and slightly to the left. Last Saturday, the Costa Mesa Historical Society threw a big birthday bash for itself at the Diego Sepulveda Adobe. The Costa Mesa Historical Society, an outstanding organization that is 40 years old and I wish I could say the same, was formed largely due to the dedication of the Diego Sepulveda Adobe in August 1966. I missed that too, come to think of it. In August of 1966, I was driving from New York to Arizona, heading for college, to become a highly educated person.