Lang-Lang plays one of the publicly placed pianos in the “OC Can You Play?” project. That piano will be raffled by the Pacific Symphony League to help underwrite music education in the county.

Upon reading the note, my mom asked me if I would like to play an instrument. Being all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I looked at the list and immediately picked the flute.  My mom checked the box next to “violin,” gave me the note to return to my teacher and thus began my lifelong love of music; a journey that began with 11 years of school-provided, then private music lessons, and countless hours of practicing, recitals, concerts, adjudications, and life-changing, and dare I say, life-saving instruction.      

As a result, I have spent a good portion of my adult life supporting various music education programs because of the importance I feel music played in molding my own life in way that is almost indescribable.  Most recently this included a several-year stint as the president of the Pacific Symphony League, which supports the various music education programs of our own local, world-renowned Pacific Symphony.

So when current League president Janice Smith called to tell me about their latest fundraiser, I was all ears.

Earlier this year, the Pacific Symphony and presenting sponsor Yamaha unveiled “OC Can You Play?” - a public piano project in which 20 colorful pianos, each custom painted by a local recognized artist, were placed throughout Orange County as a way to encourage audiences to reconnect to their musical souls.

Eighteen of the 20 pianos were auctioned online during the last week of the promotion, and only two of the pianos are left, one by artist Carolyn Yarnell (played on by none other than virtuoso pianist Lang Lang), and the other by artists Jack Marko and Eddie de la Barca.

The Pacific Symphony League is selling opportunity tickets until May 2 when the pianos will be raffled off to two lucky winners. Only 1,000 $25 tickets will be sold (or 5 for $100), keeping winning odds high and allowing purchasers the opportunity to buy tickets meant for the piano they prefer.

Additional prizes will be awarded including tickets to Pacific Symphony classical and pops concerts, and all proceeds will go directly to support the Symphony’s children’s education and community outreach programs.

In order to understand why fundraisers like this one are so important, I would be remiss if I didn’t give you an idea of the depth and breadth of the programs they support.  These include:

• arts.X.press - In celebration of Cole Carsan St.Clair, Music Director Carl St. Clair’s late son, arts.X.press is a residential, arts immersion program for 150 middle school students held in three week-long summer sessions at Vanguard University.
• Bass Days – A summer program presented by members of the Symphony bass section, designed to help student string bass players enhance their technical and musical skills.
• Classical Connections - Music Director Carl St.Clair helps the classics come alive in these 90-minute Sunday afternoon concerts and conversations about the composers and their music.
• OC Can You Play—With Us?  Adult amateur musicians rehearse and perform side-by-side with the Pacific Symphony, under the baton of Carl St.Clair on the concert hall stage.
• Concert Previews and Podcasts - Lectures and demonstrations are held immediately prior to Classics concerts.  Podcasts are designed to help audience members develop a deeper understanding of concert programming.
• Family Musical Mornings Concert Series - Five Saturday morning, hands-on programs (10 total concerts) are presented for young concert-goers and their families (recommended for ages 5-11).
• Heartstrings - A major community-wide partnership program providing free concert access, enrichment activities and transportation for a range of underserved Orange County residents.
• Frieda Belinfante Class Act Program – A comprehensive symphonic education partnership between the Symphony and 30 elementary schools throughout the County, serving 17,000 students and 7,000 parents, teachers and administrators.
• Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings – This string orchestra, conducted by music educator Irene Kroesen, provides young musicians (ages 11-15) with quality educational and performance experiences.
• Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra - Conducted by Assistant Conductor Maxim Eshkenazy, this program provides its 100-plus members with an orchestral experience, marked by educational excellence and strong connections with Symphony musicians.
• Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble - Led by Josh Roach, this program provides talented young wind and percussion instrumentalists the opportunity to pursue musical excellence.
• Target Symphony in the Cities Concerts – Free concerts performed in the summer months in casual and inviting settings, usually area parks, for Orange County residents and their families.

For more information about the Pacific Symphony League’s “OC Can You Play?” Piano Raffle, log on to www.pacificsymphony.org or call (714) 755-5788. 

Lynn Selich is a marketing and public relations consultant residing in Newport Beach. She can be reached at LynnSelich@yahoo.com. 

In my book, this time to “spring forward” is at the top of the list of things I most look forward to during the year. This year, DST will begin on March 13 at 2 a.m. (set your clocks forward to 3 a.m.). It will run until Sunday, Nov. 6. 

Each year as I go around the house adjusting our clocks back an hour, I do that little touchdown victory dance in my head, knowing that even though we lose an hour of sleep, the days will become longer and there will be more sunshine to enjoy the day, especially outdoor activities.

But throughout its long history, Daylight Saving has had some unusual effects on a wide variety of things that I hadn’t even considered - some positive, some not so much. In doing a little research about the origins of Daylight Saving, I came across some little-known, but fascinating and fun facts.

For example, during the Vietnam War, a man born just after midnight DST was able to circumvent the draft by using a Daylight Saving time loophole. After he was drafted, he argued that Standard Time, not Daylight Saving was the official time for recording births in his home state of Delaware. He argued that because of this fact, he was actually born on the previous day, a day that had a much higher draft lottery number, which resulted in him avoiding being drafted.

In September 1999, Israel had just switched back to Standard Time, but the West Bank was still on Daylight Saving Time. When a couple of West Bank terrorists prepared time bombs and smuggled them to their Israel-based counterparts, they misunderstood the time on the bombs. As the bombs were being planted, they exploded one hour too early, killing three terrorists instead of the two busloads of people who were the intended victims.

I found the effect of DST on politics rather intriguing. Through 2006, about a week before Election Day (the Tuesday after the first Monday of November), the Daylight Saving Time period closed on the last Sunday in October. The more recent extension of Daylight Saving Time into November has been thought a way to encourage greater voter participation, the theory being that more people would hit the polls if it was still light when they returned home from work. The law that took effect in 2007 pushed the end of Daylight Saving Time to the first Sunday in November. In some years (2010, 2021, 2027, and 2032) this will fall after Election Day, giving researchers the opportunity to gauge its true effect on voter turnout.

For all you Amtrak passengers out there, you might be interested to know that in order to keep to the published timetables, a train cannot leave a station before the scheduled time. This means that when the clocks fall back one hour in November, all Amtrak trains in the U.S. that are running on time stop at 2:00 a.m. and wait one hour before resuming. Overnight passengers are often surprised to find their train at a dead stop and their travel time an hour longer than expected.

At the spring Daylight Saving Time change, trains instantaneously become an hour behind schedule at 2:00 a.m., but they just keep going and do their best to make up the time. Not exactly an exact science.

For all you opera lovers: the Berlin Opera was among the first institutions affected by Daylight Saving Time. Back on April 30, 1916, the clocks in Germany were scheduled to be set forward for the first time, from 11 p.m. to midnight. With clever forethought, the Berlin Opera changed its schedule in order to begin its performance of Die Meistersinger an hour earlier than usual. This allowed their grateful audience members to catch their customary trains (which did not run past midnight) at the end of the performance.

And finally, an interesting and timely tidbit I think we should all consider to be a valid excuse for extending Daylight Saving Time to the entire 12 months of the year. 

Following the 1973 oil embargo, Congress extended Daylight Saving Time to eight months, rather than the normal six months. During that time, the Department of Transportation found that observing DST in March and April saved the equivalent in energy of 10,000 barrels of oil each day, a whopping total of 600,000 barrels in each of those two years.

Likewise, in 1986, the time change moved from the last Sunday in April to the first Sunday in April. No change was made to the ending date, the last Sunday in October. Adding the entire month of April to Daylight Saving Time is estimated to save the U.S. about 300,000 barrels of oil each year. Beginning in 2007, Daylight Saving Time commenced on the second Sunday in March and ended on the first Sunday in November, thereby saving even more oil.

Perhaps a DST extension could help lower the rising fuel prices we are currently experiencing?  If so, it’s just one more good reason I say, “Hooray for Daylight Saving Time!”

Who’s with me?

Lynn Selich is a marketing communications and public relations consultant residing in Newport Beach. She can be reached at lynnselich@yahoo.com. Follow her on Facebook at Lynn Selich-Columnist or on twitter at https://twitter.com/LynnSelich. 

: Caroline Ross, Peggy Goldwater-Clay and Joann Goldwater with some of their company’s products.

Over the years, especially when media training my clients, I would use that quote myself as a clear-cut reminder that if or when they got into the hot seat, the importance of not losing their cool - that the messenger’s delivery is indeed as impactful as the message itself. I’ve often thought of Goldwater, a five-term statesman, a pretty cool cat himself, articulate and charismatic. I’d watch old clips of the senator’s speeches, noting his choice of words and inflection. He had a singular style all his own. 

It’s funny how life has weird ways of intertwining, threads that weave here and there, crossing sometimes in odd and fascinating ways.  This is how I felt when I met Sen. Goldwater’s youngest daughter and Newport Beach resident Peggy Goldwater-Clay a few years ago. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the daughter of a man I had been quoting half my life, but what I do remember most about our initial encounter was how friendly, warm and engaging Peggy was from the moment we met.

Recently, Peggy and I sat down for a nice visit and I learned that she has been quite the entrepreneur over the years. It all started in 1976, when Peggy started Peggy Jane’s, Inc., a successful specialty foods company that sprang from her famous sweet hot mustard recipe and evolved into an entire line of salad dressings. Back then, women business owners were few and far between. Yet Peggy can boast bringing the very first honey mustard salad dressing to the commercial market, and in 1986, she sold her company to Knott’s Berry Farm Foods.  

With capital to invest, some ground-breaking recipes and their father’s keen sense of the value of the entrepreneurial spirit, in 1989, Peggy and her sister Joann joined forces and co-founded Goldwater’s Foods of Arizona. No stranger to the food biz, Joanne had owned her own catering company in Scottsdale for more than 10 years. The dynamic duo was off on a new and exciting venture.

Together, the sisters Goldwater launched their daring “fruit salsa” concept under the company’s “Goldwater’s Taste of the Southwest” label with the release of their Paradise Pineapple Salsa. The cutting edge formula quickly became a hit, and soon the fruit salsa line grew to include Sabino Strawberry Salsa, Ruby Raspberry Salsa, Mohave Mango Salsa, and Papago Peach Salsa. Not completely bucking tradition, they also produce a line of delicious, award-winning salsas including their Sedona Red, Sedona Red Hot, Rio Verde Tomatillo and Cochise Corn and Black Bean. As the company began to grow, the two were soon joined by Joanne’s daughter Carolyn Ross, who continues to serve as the president of the company. 

And they didn’t stop with salsas. Goldwater’s Foods also offers barbeque and grilling sauces, an entire line of jams, jellies, dips, and my favorite, Senator’s Chili Mix.  I was pleased to learn each of the Goldwater’s Foods products is completely natural, low-fat or fat-free.

This fact made me feel a little better recently when I made one of their famous recipes that includes a nice low-cal wheel of brie. It’s called Fiesta Brie – and I call it one of the easiest, most scrumptious recipes I’ve tried of late. And it’s so easy, yes even a caveman can make it.

Find it and lots of versatile recipes on the Goldwater’s Foods website at www.goldwaters.com. If you want to try a few for yourself, you can pick up Goldwater’s specialty foods at Bristol Farms or Ralphs. 

Oh, and the Trader Joe’s private label pineapple salsa? I’ll let you guess where it’s sourced!

Peggy’s roots in Newport date back to her teenage years. Her parents owned an apartment at the Balboa Bay Club, so the family would spend summers away from the Arizona heat by the pool or on the waters of Newport Harbor. In his later years, Sen. Goldwater moved to Newport Beach permanently. Peggy met her husband Bob here on a blind date in 1975, they got married in 1982 and have been happily together ever since.

She inherited some of her dad’s community leadership skills, lending her time at the board level with organizations including the Air Force Academy Foundation, KOCE/PBS, UCI, Discovery Science Center, Children’s Bureau and The Foundation for the Great Park, to name just a few. Over the years, she has also supported many nonprofits as a member of the media, having written a regular column for Orange Coast magazine entitled “Above and Beyond, People Making a Difference” and as host of the Time Warner show “Eye on Philanthropy.”

As we ended our visit, I asked Peggy what it was like growing up being Barry Goldwater’s daughter, and her answer did not come as a surprise. "My Dad taught me the important fundamentals in life, such as being honest, forthright, sincere, and true to myself. He was bigger than life with a wonderful sense of humor. I am honored to be his daughter."

 Lynn Selich is a marketing and public relations consultant residing in Newport Beach. Reach her at lynnselich@yahoo.com, or follow her on Facebook at Lynn Selich-Columnist or on twitter at http://twitter.com/LynnSelich.            

A book I think of like this is John Steinbeck’s “Travels with Charley: In Search of America,” a travelogue he wrote towards the end of his life that recounts his cross-country road trip with his standard poodle, Charley.

When Steinbeck arrives in California, he returns to a bar in Salinas that was his old haunt and has a reunion of sorts with some friends from his youth, only to find that a lot of the bar regulars and childhood chums he hoped to reunite with had died, or their lives had not turned out the way they had hoped when they were young and the future was full ahead of them. He quotes Thomas Wolfe in this part of the book saying, “You can't go home again, because home has ceased to exist except in the mothballs of memory."

I had such an experience this past weekend, when I met up with my friend and former roommate Robin and some other friends that I knew way back in the ’80s when we were all in our late teens/early 20s. Back then (hard to believe it’s been more than 25 years ago!) life seemed so simple, comparatively speaking. No cell phones, no Internet, we listened to music on vinyl and played beer pong.

To keep costs down and the fun up, four of us lived in a rental duplex on 54^th Street and River less than a block from the beach, which was the center of our lives. Our boyfriends surfed for the Quiksilver team, and we spent endless days hanging out on the beach watching them surf, reading Cosmo and gossiping about nothing important though it seemed so at the time.

On the weekends, we’d reunite, all dolled up with our classic ’80s big hair and shoulder pads and hit the various nightclubs that were around back in those days - Bobby McGee’s, Promises, Tiffany’s, Déjà Vu. We’d dance all night to the music of Madonna and Flock of Seagulls and then hit The Alley restaurant, which was open 24 hours then, and order grilled cheese sandwiches and tacos.

We’d make it to bed around 2 or 3 a.m. and do it all over the next day.   

We took classes at Orange Coast College, and I worked part-time as a receptionist for a local engineer and waitressed on the side at Le Bistro in Lido Village - which is still there today, virtually unchanged.

But so much else has changed, and as I sat chatting with Robin, Steinbeck’s musing kept popping in my mind.

By the time I hit my mid-20s, I had moved away from Newport Beach to attend business school at my Dad’s alma mater, Pepperdine University. Over time, I lost touch with my old roommates and beach buddies. Many had gotten married, had children, and moved on to more complicated situations.

But I always thought about those days on 54^th Street fondly. There, I fell in love for the very first time, finally figured out what I wanted in life, and realized as much as I wanted things to stay the same, that I was going to have to grow up, give up the beach bunny days for good, and do something with my life.   

As Robin and I sat talking this past Sunday, I was sad to learn how many of our old friends had died, or their lives taken dark turns. There were many who had gone on to great success, too – and I groped through the mothballs of my memory to bring forth the fresh-faced kids we were all those years ago in our bikinis and board shorts. She and I have both lost our brothers, and though time has moved us in different directions away from the beach, it is a common thread between us now.

Our get-together was a tender reminder of that fine line we all walk from adolescence to adulthood, fraught with pitfalls, and shimmering with opportunity, just like the ocean that molded our young lives all those years ago.

So Steinbeck was right, “you can’t go home again,” but Robin and I made a pact that we would not let so much time come between us now that we are sliding into middle age. I am looking forward to getting to know her again, and perhaps we’ll hook up with some of our other roomies soon and bring more of those old beach days to life for a little while.

I’d like that.

Lynn Selich is a public relations and marketing communications consultant residing in Newport Beach. She can be reached at lynnselich@yahoo.com. 

During one of our chats, Ruth mentioned a column I wrote about hosting some Marines in our home for Thanksgiving, and told me something interesting I never would have guessed: that she travels each Tuesday to Camp Pendleton, volunteering with the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS). After our brief exchange, I promptly ran up to my office and wrote this interesting little tidbit in my “story ideas” notebook, vowing to follow up. A few months went by and when Ruth and I saw each other at our HOA holiday party, we agreed we should get together so she could tell me more about NMCRS and her work there.

Fast forward to this past Friday morning when Ruth and I finally sat down in her welcoming kitchen over a delicious breakfast of fresh papaya, blueberries and coffee cake. As our conversation flowed, I learned that after losing her husband to Huntington’s disease, Ruth decided to volunteer, but wasn’t sure exactly where, or for whom. After searching along with several similarly minded neighbors, they found that Camp Pendleton offered “a rich tapestry of opportunities” for each of them to apply their various backgrounds and interests to help active and retired service members. Most importantly, Ruth says it brought real meaning to the familiar slogan “Support Our Troops.”

With backgrounds in finance, Ruth and her twin brother decided to join and went together to complete the required orientation and training. Within a few weeks both were traveling to Pendleton regularly to take on financial casework, helping service members with budget counseling, interest-free loans, grants for emergency needs and even a class called “Budget for Baby” to help expecting parents plan ahead. They both loved the work and found it incredibly rewarding.  Sadly though, Ruth’s brother passed away six months after joining NMCRS. But she has carried on to this day, traveling the pleasant 35-40 minute drive down the I-5 to Pendleton, logging over 3,000 volunteer hours to date, and she’s still going.

NMCRS volunteers are regularly treated to recognition luncheons and awards ceremonies, receiving lapel pins for milestone hours worked.  When she first began, Ruth thought the pins were a nice gesture but “a little childish.” Now, having received quite a few, she says with a twinkle in her eye, “I defy anyone to take them from me!”

Founded more than 100 years ago, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society is a nonprofit agency with offices or representatives on every Navy and Marine Corps base, and on most ships in port or at sea.  At Camp Pendleton, NMCRS serves more than 38,000 military families.  When she began her volunteer work there, Ruth tells me that it didn’t take her long to become acutely aware of, and garner deep respect for the many sacrifices the sailors and Marines, their spouses, children and other family members make on behalf of our country. She feels honored to be able to serve those who serve us in so many ways each day.   

Ruth also couldn’t say enough about the Pendleton program director, Vena Fredericks, and her assistant.

“You can’t imagine how pampered we (volunteers) are,” she tells me. The only paid employees in the office, the two provide capable and friendly leadership in guiding the volunteers and showing appreciation for their efforts.

“These NMCRS leaders really know their business,” said Ruth. “They provide us with well-crafted policies and procedures that effectively assist service members who are stretched financially. And Vena sincerely welcomes each volunteer and provides clear and well-paced training sessions that prepare the volunteers for direct one-on-one communication with their client – a service member in need.” 

This she says makes all the difference for the volunteers and their experience.

If financial casework isn’t your cup of tea but you are interested in helping, NMCRS has no end of different jobs. Volunteers can chose to work in the office or the thrift store, or for all you knitters out there, the “Budget for Baby” program needs hand-knitted layettes for “Baby’s First Sea Bag” which is given to each client in the class (“knit at home and come down for rewards!”).

For more information about the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, contact Base Volunteer Coordinator Yolanda Manning at (760) 725-3856. She can provide information about volunteering with organizations both on and off-base with the Camp Pendleton community.  Opportunities are also posted on the program website at www.mccscp.com.

As our conversation came to a close, I thanked Ruth for opening her home to me, the delicious breakfast and sharing her story, and as I walked the few steps back home I kept thinking about the effect she has had and continues to have on young service members who just need a little help staying on track.

But as Ruth put it, “I believe we volunteers get far more than we give.”  

Lynn Selich is a public relations and marketing communications consultant residing in Newport Beach. She can be reached at lynnselich@yahoo.com. 

You’re traveling back to California for your Dad to receive urgent cancer treatment. You are worried, but focused on the task at hand. As planned, you will be landing back in Orange County in an hour and then off to the hospital for an important meeting with the oncologist.

Suddenly, as you gaze out the window somewhere over Blythe, your arm numbs, starts to twitch and then wrench uncontrollably as if it is detached from your body with a mind of its own. Not wanting to alarm your folks, and not fully comprehending what is happening, you try to relax, passing it off as stress and fatigue.

Little do you know you are in the throes of a stroke.

This is what Cameo Shores resident Lynn Holly-Johnson experienced a little more than a year ago. The vibrant 52-year-old actress and former ice skating star had no idea what was happening to her that day and, worse, no one around her spotted the signs, either.

As they went from the plane to the baggage area, Lynn kept stumbling, then falling as she tried to carry their luggage to the cab area, yet no one approached to see if she needed assistance. Perhaps those in the vicinity thought she’d had one too many martinis during the flight, or suffered from multiple sclerosis? Perhaps they just didn’t want to get involved. Eerily, though she was displaying classic signs associated with stroke, no one asked if she needed help.

By the time the cab got to her home only seven minutes away, Lynn was unresponsive. She was transported to Hoag Hospital where she was rushed into emergency. Later, when her Mom helped her to reconstruct that fateful day, she realized that during the whole episode at the airport she couldn’t speak, and and her Mom recalled Lynn’s face didn’t look quite right; it was strangely drooped on one side.

As it turns out, Lynn had an undiagnosed patent foramen ovale (PFO), a hole in the heart that she had been living with since infancy, which was in part a cause of her stroke.

“Because I work in show business, each time I had a new role the studios would require a physical in order to meet insurance standards. In all my years in the business, only one doctor ever raised a red flag, when he found that I had a slight murmur. Because I was athletic and in excellent shape, they would overlook it and off I’d go. In reality, this stroke could have occurred at any time over the years because I was living with a silent condition.”

In March, Lynn underwent PFO corrective surgery and a cardio seal was set in place. With over a year of speech, memory and physical therapy under her belt, Lynn told me how extremely lucky she feels, especially because most people who suffer the type of stroke she had do not survive.

“God was my co-pilot through that entire time. I am lucky, lucky, lucky,” she says with sincerity.

In an ironic twist of fate, sadly, Lynn’s Dad passed away shortly after her stroke, and because of the damage to her short-term memory she does not recall the painful last days of his life. She also told me that if I had tried to interview her even a few months ago, she would not have yet garnered the skills to form sentences and make enough sense to tell her story.  

  With Valentine’s Day being the focus each February complete with all the commercial zeal promoting love and romance, it’s sometimes easy to forget the importance of the symbol of Valentine’s: our heart.

Why is this important? Because cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, are our nation's No. 1 killer.

Each year since 1963 with the support and encouragement of the American Heart Association, Congress has required the president to proclaim February “American Heart Month” in an effort to urge Americans to join the battle against these diseases.

There is also an emphasis on knowing the signs of a person having a stroke. Like what happened to Lynn, what most people don’t know is that when a stroke is occurring, the victim’s brain is essentially beginning to die. Confusion and disorientation set in, and they typically will not ask for help.

In a quest to help others, Lynn asked me to relay two messages. First, if any heart condition, especially a PFO, runs in your family, get your heart thoroughly checked, and have your kids’ checked.

Second, know the signs of stroke and if you see those signs in someone whom you think may be in trouble, don’t be afraid to simply ask or call for help. Remember, the most critical element in surviving a stroke is how quickly you can get medical attention.

The signs include:

°                Numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.

°                Confusion, disorientation, trouble speaking or understanding.

°                Trouble seeing in one or both eyes.

°                Trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.

°                Severe headache with no known cause.

I’d like to thank Lynn for sharing her story with me, and wish everyone a happy, healthy Valentine’s Day. 

Columnist Lynn Selich is a public relations and marketing consultant residing in Newport Beach.  She can be reached at lynnselich@yahoo.com.

Yet, during those years, her plans for the shop took to the back burner as she gave birth to her fourth child, navigated her way through a complete home remodel, and survived a scary bout with encephalitis. But she never gave up on her candy shop dream.

Brandy Valdez in her element.Fast forward to this last year, when the stars finally aligned and Brandy made the decision that it was time take the leap and make her dream a reality. She searched high and low and finally found the perfect storefront in the corner mall at PCH and Orchid. She signed a lease and got busy planning her build-out, until things stalled somewhere between meeting the demands of the Health Department and the city’s requirements regarding parking spaces.

In the meantime, after a small article appeared on CoronadelMarToday.com announcing that the B. Candy shop was in the works, the Irvine Company contacted Brandy with an offer to open a temporary B. Candy kiosk at Fashion Island during the holidays. Brandy signed a six-week lease and she managed to put together her kiosk in only a few weeks, just in time to take advantage of the busy holiday shopping season.

With no time to waste, her daughter Bayleigh designed her logo and tag line “You Can’t B Any Sweeter” and they quickly sourced packaging and signage. It was a lot of work, and the weather was foul for a good majority of the time, but the experience helped her to plan out her next moves.

After the holidays, Brandy got another call, this time from Andrea Young, partner of the new, super-hip OC Mart Mix in the South Coast Metro area adjacent to the 405, which is now referred to as SoCo. OC Mart Mix is a clever collection of restaurants and vendors who offer unique, quality goods that range from gourmet olive oil, to unique clothing to upscale stationary, and now, a candy store.

A few weeks ago, Brandy agreed to open at the Mix, and in short order got her small but mighty B. Candy store up and running thanks in part to the help of Laguna Beach artist and icon Roark, who created and installed giant colorful lollipops that can be seen from the opposite side of the mall.

“Over the years I was always creating these elaborate candy themed parties for my kids and our relatives. I just love all the colors, textures, shapes and sizes of candy. It nurtures my design sensibilities and brings out the creative side in me.”

When you look around her shop, that certainly shows.

As Brandy gave me a tour of the Mix, she introduced me to fellow vendors, and explained that she hopes to have the Corona del Mar location open by Easter, but that the “process” is taking longer than she planned.

I have to admit the Mix has a great vibe, the shop owners are super friendly and there seemed to be a real sense of camaraderie throughout the building. There are plenty of comfy seating areas and we even had a bite of lunch off the gourmet food trucks that visit the mall each Tuesday.

Back in the shop, I met Brandy’s capable assistant, Brittany McLemore, who pointed out some of the more popular items in the store, including candy scented nail polish, the world’s largest Gummi worms and bears, classics like Sugar Daddy’s, Jolly Rancher, Hot Tamales and Abba Zabbas, an impressive collection of all things Hello Kitty and even a section with more “adult” confections.

In addition to candy, they also carry baked items like Whopper brownies and marshmallow scooter bars, which Brandy purchases from the same source as Dean and Deluca. I noted she also carries the delectable “B-Toffee” made by another Newport Beach local, Betsy Thagard. She even has cute little table lamps that look like large Gummi bears, balloon animals and ice cream cones. It made me want to be a kid again!

As our visit wound to a close, Brandy emphasized that she couldn’t have done it all by herself, and that having the use of the kitchen at seven-degrees in Laguna Beach, which her family owns, has been a godsend. Mark Orgill, who runs seven-degrees has been an invaluable source of support, as has Brittany, Bayleigh and her other children, family and friends and most of all her husband, Arnold, who just so happens to be a dentist.

When I asked Brandy what Arnold thinks about her owning a candy store, she smiled broadly and pointed to a shelf with, no kidding, cupcake flavored dental floss.

The sweet truth!

“Lynn’s Spin” columnist Lynn Selich resides in Newport Beach. She can be reached at lynnselich@yahoo.com. 

Las Commodoras past presidents panel, from left: Jeannie Kovacs, Ruth Montgomery-Cicchese, Doretta Ensign, Jeanie Lowry, Terese Ivory, Suzanne Savary, Carole Crowley and Judy Kane.In this day and age, it’s hard to believe that there was a time when women yacht club members throughout the country were allowed in only as part of their husbands’ memberships. The men held all voting rights and ran the clubs. Some clubs would even discontinue membership for the wife if their husband passed away. Thankfully, things have come a long way, baby. 

Las Commodoras was started in 1985, when club member Mary Harvey and a small group of other women members decided the club needed a women’s group of its own. They started off casually, contributing to the club by industriously taking care of the landscaping around the entire property, thereby saving gardeners fees.

The activity also gave them a collective activity they enjoyed and camaraderie quickly grew among the group. Soon they were planning bingo games and boutiques. They became more organized and sophisticated, eventually working their way to hosting monthly speaker luncheons and offsite outings. 

As the club membership expanded, so did Las Commodoras - membership in the group is automatic for all female members.

During the luncheon, a panel of past presidents each gave entertaining anecdotes about their turn at the helm and some of the initiatives and events they spearheaded.

Jeanie Lowry, who served as president in 1987, talked about how the group’s original intention was not to raise any money, just do the gardening and have fun. But soon, taking care of the landscaping turned in to passing the hat to purchase the club a beautiful wall clock ($182) for the enjoyment of all the members.

Today, Las Commodoras has blossomed itself to become an integral part of BCYC. Over the years, they have raised money for other charities, and their contributions to the club have grown, with highlights including 2009, when they proudly purchased the club a baby grand piano, and last year when they donated $5,000 worth of new signage.

Among some of their signature efforts, each year, Las Commodoras officially hosts the BCYC’s Opening Day ceremonies on the second Saturday of May. I will be including this event in a special feature I’ll be writing about opening day at each of the yacht clubs throughout the harbor.  Stay tuned!

The second luncheon was held by the Angelitos de Oro, in part to recognize their new members, which this year, I am proud to say, includes me, thanks to a nomination by my darling friend and Angelitos member Judy Brady.

Angelitos de Oro is a dynamic volunteer women’s auxiliary of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County with a rich history that began in 1961 when Robert Guggenheim, who was then serving on the organization’s Board of Directors, asked Mrs. Spencer Honig and several of her friends to form an auxiliary in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters. To date, Angelitos de Oro has generated more than $4 million for the organization through their fundraising efforts.

During the luncheon, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County CEO Keith Rhodes addressed the group, thanking them for their tireless efforts in continuing to raise money to help the organization serve over 1,500 children throughout Orange County each year.

He noted that as he travels around the country, he frequently cites Angelitos de Oro as a shining example of auxiliary leadership and fundraising ability.  Mr. Rhodes also pointed out that in 2010, the local Big Brothers Big Sisters served the most children in its history, and that the number of matches would rise in 2011.

The primary annual fundraiser of the organization is its popular “Angelitos Card” promotion, now in its 10th year. For a modest donation of $60 (which goes directly to Big Brothers Big Sisters Orange County), shoppers receive a 20 percent discount at an impressive lineup of South Coast Plaza stores and restaurants for an entire week.

For more information on purchasing cards, log on to angelitosdeoro.org. 

The shopping card makes a great gift, especially for all the power shoppers and diners on your list. And since my birthday is in November, I’ll be buying one as a subtle hint - I mean encouragement - for my sweet husband. 

 “Lynn’s Spin” author Lynn Selich resides in Newport Beach. She can be reached at lynnselich@yahoo.com. 

I am curious because it seems like lately there has been a glut of them, and I just wonder if this is due to them having success in our community, or if in fact it is more of a front to see who is home and what goodies might be had when we’re not.  

Personally, I find solicitors unnerving and have yet to even be the slightest bit motivated to purchase whatever it is they are offering. This is especially true when they come knocking at the door right as I am sitting down for dinner, or worse, in the middle of the day while I am entrenched, totally focused on work, and particularly if I am home alone.

I know that most are just out trying to make a living selling magazine subscriptions or gourmet meats, or trying to make a religious convert of me, but I find it truly annoying and a little unnerving.

With home invasion robberies on the rise, I am surprised anyone would open their door to a solicitor, ever. I read all the time about robberies that start out like a solicitation and end up as a crime, which makes me especially wary. I used to feel like Newport Beach was immune to some of these societal maladies, but alas times have changed, and while I don’t believe in being paranoid about it, the fact is that no matter where you live, even in a gated community, you have to think of safety first when someone comes knocking.

I recall growing up, the signs my vociferous grandfather, who felt strongly about his privacy and property rights, had posted along his long driveway. In deep red letters, they screamed “Keep Out! Private Property!” and “No Soliciting!” and “No Trespassing!”  If anyone brave enough to venture past those signs actually made it to the door, they were met with a series of expletives I shan’t repeat here. But I will say he made his point very clear.

With solicitors protected by First Amendment rights and existing ordinances that allow them to knock on doors from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., I decided to take things in to my own hands. Besides plans to re-install a gate in front of the entry, preventing anyone from getting to the door in the first place, I put up a “No Soliciting” sign. It’s ugly, but it makes the point in advance of me having to firmly state from behind the door that we are not, and never will be, interested. The law on the matter makes it illegal for anyone to solicit your home or business if the sign is clearly posted, so be sure the hedges are trimmed and the sign is lighted at night.

According to the city’s “Frequently Asked Questions for Solicitors” there are few ways to protect yourself. If you have a sign clearly posted and someone knocks anyway, you can let the solicitor know that they are breaking the law, that the authorities have been called and a citation is possible. By calling the Newport Beach Police Department’s non-emergency phone number (949) 644-3717 (which I suggest you program in to your phones as I did) you can easily report the nuisance, especially if someone is inappropriately rude or aggressive.

And be sure to add your address to the “Do Not Solicit” registry by logging on to https://www5.newportbeachca.gov/do-not-solicit/register.aspx.  This Do Not Knock list expires each calendar year on Dec. 31, so be sure to re-register each January.  

We look out for our neighbors and they look out for us and it makes a difference. I’ve called that non-emergency number a few times to report suspicious cars or characters that are clearly out of place or look menacing. When a motorcycle was stolen out of our garage a few years ago, the police were pretty certain that the thief or thieves had “cased” the garage and knew what they were going for ahead of time. 

Don’t be afraid to help the police do their job by reporting anything that makes you feel uncomfortable in your neighborhood or around your property. All calls and tips are anonymous and they could make all the difference. 

Read “Lynn’s Spin” by Lynn Selich every Friday in the Newport Beach Independent and online at www.newportbeachindy.com. You can reach her at lynnselich@yahoo.com. 

We are lucky here in Newport to have so many wonderful public parks from which to choose. There is nothing like watching the start of the Newport-to-Ensenada Race from the lawns at Lookout Point, or biking the paths around Upper Newport Bay Regional Park with the lovely views of the Back Bay.

I know some locals like to call the Back Bay View Park at Jamboree and PCH a “weed park,” but I find the indigenous landscaping to be interesting and different.  The trails and views of Castaways Park take my breath away.

I could go on and on - there are so many wonderful parks all over our beloved community, and truly they are one of a long list of reasons why living, working and playing here is so special.

So when I heard from my friends Robyn Grant and Chris Trela, both members of the Newport Beach Arts Commission, that Peter Walker, the landscape architect chosen to design the landscaping for the new and somewhat controversial Newport Beach Civic Center and Park was coming to speak, I was intrigued. 

They were happy to fill me in on the details, since the Commission is sponsoring the free presentation to be held at the Newport Beach Central Library on Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.

As I found out, Walker is quite an accomplished artisan with a career spanning more than five decades. He was educated at UC Berkeley and Harvard University Graduate School of Design, is the principal of Peter Walker Partners in Berkeley, and has taught, lectured, written and served as an advisor to numerous public agencies.

He is a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Institute for Urban Design, and among his numerous awards, was granted the prestigious Honor Award by the American Institute of Architects.

His firm is known worldwide for its design projects, which range from sculpture gardens to whole new cities. A visit to his website revealed the stunning work his has done on The Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Pixar Studios in Emeryville, and the National September 11 Memorial Park in New York. No stranger to Southern California, he even designed Town Center Park in Costa Mesa. He has collaborated with countless renowned architects, including Bohlin, Cywinski, Jackson, the architects of the Newport Beach Civic Center.

His lecture, “Landscape and Art: In, Of and For,” will take a look at ways art has influenced his work and that of his firm. The Civic Center and Park which we all know is currently under construction on Avocado Avenue, adjacent to Central Library, is designed to integrate art with the natural features of the site. 

And because Walker has a reputation for challenging traditional concepts of design by exploring the relationship between art and culture, his presentation is sure to be pretty fascinating - especially for those of us who love parks, and who are looking forward to the Civic Center and Park completion, and experiencing what he will create there. 

The free lecture presents residents with a rare opportunity to meet Peter Walker and ask questions about his vision for Civic Center Park. For more information go to the “Special Events” page at www.newportbeachca.gov/culturalarts or call (949) 717-3870. 

Lynn Selich is the author of the Indy’s “Lynn’s Spin” column, associate publisher of Newport Beach magazine, and society editor for both publications.  Contact her at lynnselich@yahoo.com.