Community / Galas & Events
UPFRONT PLACES | PERSPECTIVES | HAPPENINGS
1 . Auction reception 2 . Rich German , Rob Lee , Ed Almanza , Jim Kempton 3 . Fred Sattler , Louise Thornton , Sonia Terwiske 4 . Opal Almerico , Anjali Figueira-Santos
A SHIMMERING NIGHT BY THE SEA Over the last 20 years , Laguna Ocean Foundation has made a noticeable impact on local waters . To celebrate the milestone anniversary , the group held a special event , A Shimmering Night by the Sea , at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point on Oct . 26 . Along with music and culinary delights , the evening featured a live auction with nearly 30 items donated by businesses like The Ranch at Laguna Beach . During the event , nearly 150 attendees heard from Laguna photographer Rich German , who shared stories about his interactions with whales while on his daily stand-up paddleboard adventures . Then-Mayor Bob Whalen also gave a congratulatory speech following the presentation of a commendation from the California state Legislature , courtesy of state Sen . Janet Nguyen and Assembly member Diane Dixon . The more than $ 26,000 raised that night will support tide pool programming , student education and the Aliso Creek Estuary restoration project ; the group ’ s tidewater docents reach nearly 250,000 people each year from Laguna ’ s coves . ( lagunaoceanfoundation . org ) — Ashley Ryan
NAPA IN NEWPORT Vintners brought their wines out of the vineyards and into Orange County for the ninth annual Napa in Newport fundraiser Nov . 4 at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club in Dana Point . With 400 guests in attendance , Napa Valley winemakers showcased their finest vintages , helping raise more than $ 1.3 million for Newport Beach-based CureDuchenne ’ s efforts toward finding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy . Melka Estates winery from St . Helena helped organize the event , which included sips of worldclass wines and cuisine from Napa-based chef Ken Frank . Hawken Miller , son of CureDuchenne ’ s founders , spoke about his experience with CureDuchenne and the advances being made with gene therapy . An auction was also held to help fund the nonprofit ’ s efforts . Next year ’ s event , which will mark Napa in Newport ’ s 10th anniversary , will take place in the springtime at Pendry Newport Beach ; the event has raised $ 10.6 million to date . ( thenapawineseries . com / napa-in-newport ) — A . R .
1 . Napa in Newport event committee 2 . Hawken Miller takes the stage 3 . Kyslee Greve , Rex Wu , Nate McDonald 4 . Barney and Emma Mulvihill 5 . Andria and Peter Strelow 6 . Paul and Debra Miller 7 . Bryan Driscoll , Brenna Thomas , Jessica and Nick Begg
TOP SECTION : ZACH MCDUFFIE / LAGUNA OCEAN FOUNDATION ; BOTTOM SECTION : MATTHEW MORGAN PHOTOGRAPHY
22 LAGUNABEACHMAGAZINE . COM