Corona del Mar Today

Home tour tickets on sale now

Tickets are now available for the 37th Annual Corona del Mar Home Tour, which will take place Oct. 26, organizers said.

The tour, which typically sells out, includes tours of seven homes as well as breakfast, lunch and a post-party at Bliss Home and Design.

“As we all are painfully aware, schools in California have seen serious budget cuts this year,� said Marlene Tolfa, the event’s co-chairwoman. “This fundraising event is more important than ever. Why not indulge in a day of beautiful homes and elegant dining, knowing that you’re supporting our students and their education?�

The homes included in this year’s tour include a Bayside Place home that reflects the owner’s vision and need for hypoallergenic and green materials, as well as homes in the Flower Streets, Shore Cliffs, Spyglass, One Ford Road, Harbor View and the exclusive Pelican Ridge neighborhood.

“We are thrilled to have found such beautiful homes for this year’s tour,� said Jane Owen, co-chairwoman of the event. “They are real homes, and they each showcase the owners’ unique viewpoints and design styles.�

The tour begins with a light breakfast at Cafe Beau Soleil in Fashion Island from 8 to 10 a.m. After touring homes, a lunch catered by Pascal’s will be served at Sherman Library & Gardens from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Following the afternoon tour, a reception with refreshments will be held until 5:30 p.m. at Bliss Home and Design in Corona del Mar.

Tickets, which are partially tax-deductible, are $65 apiece and include the tour and meals. Limos for small groups are available for $40 per person. Tickets can be purchased online or at various local merchants. For more information, call the CDM Tour hotline at (949) 721-8220.

The home tour is the only fundraiser for the Corona del Mar Middle and High School PTA, which funds many of the school’s activities, including arts and special academic programs.

Sponsors include South Coast Plaza, Fashion Island, First Team Estates, Fletcher Jones Motor Cars, Tradition by Pascal, Cafe Beau Soleil, Daily Grill, Daily Pilot, Canaletto, Bliss Home and Design and Sherman Library and Gardens.

Editor’s note: Corona del Mar Today’s editor, Amy Senk, has a student in Corona del Mar Middle School and appreciates this opportunity to tell her readers about the event.

Downed power lines cause fire

Downed power lines caused a small fire, a power outage and a small-scale evacuation in the middle of Corona del Mar’s business district, officials and witnesses said.

The down lines were reported at 3:33 p.m. Sept. 27 in the alley behind 3337 E. Coast Hwy., said Jennifer Schulz, a Newport Beach Fire Department spokeswoman.

“Firefighters and police cordoned off a safety area and waited for Edison,� she said in an e-mail. The downed lines caused a small fire in a trash container, she said, but firefighters quickly extinguished it.

Crews with Southern California Edison arrived and cut the downed lines, Schulz said, and firefighters were able to clear the scene three hours later at 6:29 p.m.

Beverley “B.J.� Johnson said her real estate office at Prudential California Real Estate at Marguerite Avenue and East Coast Highway was affected.

“We had to evacuate the block because of wires falling down and the…fire,� she said in an e-mail.

Media representatives with SoCal Edison have not yet been able to provide information about what caused the downed lines.

Firefighters to host two station open houses on Sunday

Fire Prevention Week begins nationwide on Sunday, and two Newport Beach fire stations will open their doors to the public for tours and photos to mark the occasion.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, the Lido Fire Station at 475 32nd St. and the Newport Center Fire Station at 868 Santa Barbara Drive will open their doors. Firefighters will offer tours of the station and equipment plus fire safety tips, and they will pose for photos with kids.

This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme is “Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With!� and is designed to educate people about smoke alarms and how to update and maintain their home smoke alarm systems.

Komen Cancer runners victims of vehicle burglaries

A burglar broke into three cars and stole $2,709 in items from five people who had parked at Corona del Mar High School while they participated in last weekend’s 19th annual Susan G. Komen Orange County Race for the Cure.

The five victims had items in three cars, which were broken into between 8:20 and 10:40 a.m. Sept. 26 at the school at 2010 Eastbluff Drive.

The lot was a designated parking area for the run, according to the event’s website.

Items stolen included multiple purses, cash, ID and credit cards, wallets, cell phones, glasses, checks and Disneyland tickets, said Officer David Sanborn. The burglar also caused about $400 in damage, according to a police report.

The valuables apparently were clearly visible from outside the vehicles, Sanborn said. Police urge people to store valuables in their locked trunks before arriving at a destination, and to make sure cars are locked.

The Race for The Cure had 24,000 participants this year, raising millions of dollars in an effort to end breast cancer.