* Send AROUND TOWN items to the...

* Send AROUND TOWN items to the Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay St., Costa

Mesa, CA 92627; by e-mail to mike.swanson@latimes.com; by fax to

(949) 646-4170; or by calling (949) 574-4298. Include the time, date

and location of the event, as well as a contact phone number. A

complete listing is available at www.dailypilot.com.

TODAY

The Alzheimer’s Assn. of Orange County and UCI Institute for Brain

Aging host the first research and education conference at the Newport

Beach Marriott May 8 and 9. The conference begins at 8:30 a.m., with

registration and breakfast. Exhibits begin at 7:30 a.m. The cost is

$60 for one day, $100 for two. For more information, call (714)

283-1111.

More than 300 proud parents and 250 children will join Dr. David

Diaz and his staff from West Coast Fertility Centers and Centro

Latinoamericano de Fertilidad to celebrate the joys of parenthood

from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Children who represent the miracle of assisted

reproductive medicine for the one out of six couples that seek

infertility treatment will join Diaz for the 15-year baby reunion at

the Hyatt Newporter in Newport Beach. For more information, call

(949) 215-0417.

Packrats and others who want to get a grip on their inventory are

invited to “Unclutter Your Life” at 7 p.m. in the Newport Beach

Central Library. Personal organizer Kathryn Brockman will present the

free program on how to distinguish between cherished memorabilia and

space-taking clutter. For more information, call (949) 717-3816.

The International Coach Federation will present two workshops,

“Highland’s Ability Battery” and “Applying the Core Competencies to

Working in Organizations,” from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Wyndham Garden

Hotel in Costa Mesa. For registration and pricing information, call

(949) 623-8247.

FRIDAY

A special members-only preview for the Friends of the Newport

Beach Library’s used book sale will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. in the

Friends Meeting Room at the Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave.,

Newport Beach. Membership applications will be available at the door.

Hardcover books will be priced at two for $1 and paperbacks at six

for $1. For more information, call (949) 759-9667.

SATURDAY

The second annual Paws Around the Park fund-raiser, a walk that

raises money to provide dog drinking fountains in Fairview Park, will

begin registration at 8:30 a.m. for $20 per walker. The first 200

registrants for the one-mile or two-mile walks at Fairview Park,

starting at 10 a.m., will receive an event dog tag, a bandana and a

doggie bag. For more information, call (714) 754-5698.

The Friends of the Newport Beach Library will hold a used book

sale, open to the public, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1000 Avocado Ave.,

Newport Beach. Books will be priced at “A Buck a Bag.” All proceeds

are donated to the library system. For more information, call (949)

759-9667.

The executive chef and owner of Apron Strings, Lisa Parisi, will

inspire all attendees to use Calphalon in a 1 p.m. class at

Bloomingdale’s Home Store. For more information, call (949) 729-6854.

The Oasis Senior Center will hold a pancake breakfast from 7:30 to

10 a.m. Sausage, coffee and orange juice will also be served. The

cost is $3 for adults and $1 for children. The center offers the

pancake breakfast on the second Saturday of each month at 800

Marguerite in Corona del Mar. For more information, call (949)

644-3244.

Costa Mesa’s “Women Helping Women” will host its Volunteer

Appreciation Luncheon at Coastal Canyon Park Clubhouse in Newport

Coast from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. It will include a special award

presentation to Stella Gerk for her unending dedication to “Women

Helping Women.” For more information, call (949) 423-0057.

Low-income women 40 and older can receive a free mammogram,

clinical breast exam and information on breast health at the Harbor

Christian Fellowship in Costa Mesa from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. No

referral is necessary, but appointments are required. Call (714)

935-9720 or (714) 806-2037. For more information about breast health,

call the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation at (714) 957-9157.

Sea Yacht Charters is offering a Mother’s Day cruise and buffet

luncheon from 1 to 3 p.m. The cost is $35 for adults, $15 for

children. Another cruise will be held on Father’s Day, June 15. Call

(949) 650-2412 for reservations.

MONDAY

Learn about the Sierra Club and its many activities at its

information meeting for newcomers and members at 6:30 p.m. Meet at

the Costa Mesa Community Center, 1845 Park Ave., for food, exhibits

and table displays. Newcomers can join the Sierra Club for a special

$25 introductory fee. For more information, call (714) 517-2467.

A community presentation will be given at Newport Harbor High

School in Loats Auditorium at 7 p.m. Newport-Mesa Unified School

District administration officials will report on Measure A plans for

the high school. Architects from LPA will also present plans for the

new Robins Hall/Loats Auditorium. A question-and-answer session will

follow the presentation. In attendance will be school board trustees,

high school administrators and Measure A Site-Based Project Review

Committee members.

TUESDAY

A free seminar on “Muscles in Motion” by Judith Todero will be

held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Mother’s Market, 225 East 17th St.,

Costa Mesa. For reservations, call (800) 595-MOMS.

WEDNESDAY

The Orange County Chapter of the California Assn. of Marriage and

Family Therapists will sponsor a workshop called “Chronic Trauma

Disorders: Diagnosis and Treatment” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at National

University in Costa Mesa. The workshop costs $30 for students and

interns, $55 for clinical members and $85 for all others. For

information, call (949) 645-2964.

MAY 15

A free seminar and book signing of “Stop the Clock Cooking” by

Cheryl Forberg will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Mother’s Market,

225 East 17th St., Costa Mesa. For reservations, call (800) 595-MOMS.

Learn about the gynecological and surgical procedures available

for hysterectomies at a free seminar at 6:30 p.m. in Newport Beach’s

Hoag Hospital Conference Center. Reservations are required. Call

(800) 514-4624.

MAY 16

Costa Mesa’s Chamber of Commerce will have its Les Miller

Scholarship Recognition Breakfast at 7:15 a.m. at the Hilton Hotel,

3050 Bristol St. Attendance is $22 per person. Call (714) 885-9090

for details and reservations.

MAY 17

The Starlight Theatre Company will hold auditions for its

all-student summer show, “Mary Poppins,” from 1 to 3 p.m. Children 10

to 14 years old can sing a song from the show or bring taped

accompaniment to a song they’ve prepared. The theater is at 1125

Victoria St. in Costa Mesa. For more information, call (949)

645-7827.

The Costa Mesa Historical Society will host an open house from 11

a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1870 Anaheim St. in Costa Mesa. It includes tours

of the facility and exhibits of photos and artifacts. Free. For more

information, call (949) 631-5918.

“Divorce: A New Beginning,” is a workshop for men and women who

are divorced or getting divorced. It is held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 180 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. For more

information, call (949) 644-6435.

The Newport Harbor Nautical Museum will open a new exhibit

featuring the work of Joe Duncan Gleason (1881-1959), known as the

West Coast’s premiere maritime specialist among early 20th-century

artists. The exhibit will be on display until Sept. 30. For more

information, call (949) 673-8915, ext. 111.

The Newport Beach Library’s Balboa branch will offer a workshop

called “Tools & Tricks: Internet 101,” an introduction to navigating

the World Wide Web, at 9 a.m. For more information, call (949)

717-3816.

The Waldorf School’s annual May Faire, an Imagination Celebration

event, will be from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 2350 Canyon Drive in

Costa Mesa. Admission costs $3, and children younger than 2 get in

for free. Parking is free. For more information, call (949) 574-7734.

Costa Mesa High School’s Cheerleading department is hosting a

one-day cheerleading clinic from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for $18 per

person. Squads and anyone without cheerleading experience are

encouraged to attend the clinic, taught by the United Spirit Assn.

Registration will begin at 8:45 a.m. in front of the high school’s

gym.

MAY 18

To kick off this year’s Festival of Children, a Volunteer Day will

be held from noon to 4 p.m. at South Coast Plaza’s Carousel Court. To

introduce Orange County charities and youths to each other, the

Festival of Children Volunteer Day will allow a variety of nonprofit

organizations to display information about their services. For more

information, call (949) 644-4777.

The Southern California Koi Club will have its annual koi pond

tour from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., including tours of Newport Beach, Laguna

Beach, Corona del Mar and Santa Ana. Cost is $8 per person. For more

information, call (949) 646-1685.

MAY 19

Hoag Hospital’s Cancer Center is offering a presentation by a

group of expert clinicians to learn about the use of surgery for

treating colon cancer. There will be time after the free 6:30 to 9

p.m. presentation to network with other colon cancer survivors and

discuss common concerns. Registration is required. For more

information and to register, call (949) 760-2103.

Mature drivers can sharpen their driving skills in an eight-hour

class in two sessions at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in Costa

Mesa. Classes will be from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. May 19 and 20, and are

limited to 30 students. The cost is $10. Advanced registration

required. To register, or for more information, call (714) 557-3340.

MAY 20

A free seminar and book signing of “Why the Weight? Dare to be

Great!” by author Jean Kruegar will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at

Mother’s Market, 225 East 17th St., Costa Mesa. For reservations,

call (800) 595-MOMS.

The Surfrider Foundation Newport Beach Film Night will feature

surfing films, including the newly released “3 Degrees.” It will be

held at 7 p.m. at the Surfrider public meeting at Margaritaville,

2332 West Coast Highway, Newport Beach. Come and learn what is going

on with local water quality issues and see some cool surf flicks. For

more information, call (949) 644-7443.

MAY 21

A free seminar and book signing of “The Digestion Connection” by

Dr. Mark Stengler will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Mother’s

Market, 225 East 17th St., Costa Mesa. For reservations, call (800)

595-MOMS.

Suspense novelist Martha Unikel will speak at a Newport Beach

Newcomers Club meeting at 10 a.m. Unikel is also a member of the

club, which is open to all women living in the area for less than

five years. For more information, call (949) 645-9722.

UC Irvine’s school of biological sciences and the Howard A.

Schneiderman Memorial Bioethics Lecture Series present “The Good Life

at the End of Life,” a lecture by Dr. Joanne Lynn, at 7 p.m. in the

Crystal Cove Auditorium. The event is free, but reservations are

required. For more information, call (949) 824-7252.

Mentor, coach and trusted advisor Dave Gentry will speak at a PCMA

meeting about his search for an authentic life at the Westin in South

Coast Plaza from 5 to 8 p.m. Registration is at 4:45 p.m. For more

information, call (714) 637-5524.

MAY 24

A book signing and personal appearance by author James Balch for

his book “Prescription for Nutritional Healing” will be held from 11

a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mother’s Market, 225 East 17th St., Costa Mesa. For

reservations, call (800) 595-MOMS.

The Newport Coast Cares’ first “Spring Fling” fund-raiser to

benefit the Corazon de Vida Foundation, an organization that raises

money for children in Baja, will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the

Newport Coast Shopping Center. The event will have games and rides

for children. Admission is $10. For more information, call (949)

476-1144, ext. 358.

Three acclaimed authors and scholars will present “African

American Speech in Global Culture,” exploring the effect of African

American speech on modern conversation, poetry and music. The

reception, performance reading and book signing will run from 4 to 9

p.m. at UC Irvine’s Cross Cultural Center and Crystal Cove

Auditorium. For more information, call (949) 824-1948.

JUNE 4

The Friends of the Newport Beach Library will host a complimentary

brunch and annual meeting for members at 10:30 a.m. in the Friends

Meeting Room at the Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave. Local Nancy

Robison, author of more than 70 books, will be the speaker.

Reservations are required and must be made by May 28. Call (714)

596-5276.

ONGOING

Volunteer drivers are needed to help deliver nutritiously prepared

meals to homebound, frail or elderly clients incapable of shopping or

cooking for themselves through “Mobile Meals,” sponsored by

FISH-Harbor Area Inc. and Hoag Hospital. Call (949) 645-8050 for more

information.

The First Page -- Fine Children’s Books, at 270 E. 17th St., No.

10 in Costa Mesa, offers free story time Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays

and Saturdays from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4

to 5 p.m. For more information, call (949) 645-5437.

“Abstract Works on Canvas and Paper,” an exhibit of art by Janet

Rosener, will be on display at the Newport Beach Central Library

through June 30. The exhibit will feature selections from Rosener’s

“Washed Away” series, created by dripping, splattering or pouring

additional paint and mediums onto an original painting and washing it

away to suggest the passage of time. For more information, call (949)

717-3816.

Award-winning works by Orange County artists working in an array

of two-dimensional media will be on display at Newport Beach City

Hall through June 27, for the Spring 2003 Orange County Artists

Exhibition. For more information, call (949) 717-3870.

Registration is now open for runners and walkers of all ages for

the 22nd annual Corona del Mar Scenic 5K Race & two-mile Fun Walk on

June 7. Pre-registration fees are $22 for the run/walk and $12 for

the Dolphin Dash. Registration on the day of the race is $30 for the

run/walk. Separate races for men and women are limited to 1,500

runners. Call (949) 644-3151 to register.