* Send AROUND TOWN items to...

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

Costa Mesa, CA 92627; 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

Orange County Sierra Singles will hold a meeting from 6:30 to 9:30

p.m. at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center. The meeting

will include an urban search and rescue slide program, live music and

a potluck. The center is at 1845 Park Ave. $4. For more information,

call (714) 893-2986.

TUESDAY

The Newport Beach Public Library will host two seminars on

identity theft at the Central Library branch. The first seminar,

which is cosponsored by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, will

begin at 5:30 p.m. It will focus on building business expertise and

include a networking mixer. The second seminar, which is cosponsored

by the Newport Beach Police Department, will deal entirely with

identity theft. It will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. The library is at

1000 Avocado Ave. Free. For more information, call (949) 717-3801 or

visit www.newportbeachlibrary.org.

Mother’s Market & Kitchen will host a seminar on how to protect

yourself in the age of arthritis from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Patio

Cafe in Costa Mesa. The cafe is at 225 E. 17th St. Free. For more

information, call (949) 631-4741.

WEDNESDAY

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation will hold a volunteer

orientation from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Orange County offices in Costa

Mesa. Volunteer opportunities include Race for the Cure, Links to the

Cure, Komen Spring Luncheon, BMW Ultimate Drive, Mammogram-a-thons,

health fairs and other Komen-sponsored community events. The offices

are at 3191-A Airport Loop Drive. Reservations required. For more

information, call (714) 957-9157, ext. 27.

The Newport Beach Jaycees will host a workshop on the seven keys

to success from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber is at 1470 Jamboree Road. Free. For more information,

call (949) 735-1036.

THURSDAY

The Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly 90-minute

breakfast boost from 7 to 8:45 a.m. at the Costa Mesa Country Club.

The club is at 1701 Golf Course Drive. $12 if prepaid, $17 at the

door. For more information, call (714) 885-9090.

UC Irvine Medical Center will host a seminar on Medicare benefits

at 10 a.m. in the University Club on the UCI campus. The seminar will

focus on the latest changes in Medicare benefits and supplemental

insurance coverage. It will not cover Medicare HMOs. The club is at

Los Trancos and East Peltason Drive. Free. For more information, call

(877) UCI-DOCS, or visit www.ucihealth.com/events.

The Alzheimer’s Assn. of Orange County will hold two support

groups for caregivers in Costa Mesa. The first meeting will be held

from 1 to 3 p.m. at Hoag Health Center, 1190 Baker St. The second

meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Silverado Senior

Living -- Newport Mesa, 350 W. Bay St. Free. For more information

about the first meeting, call (714) 593-9630, and for the second

meeting, call (949) 631-2212.

Learning Tree University will offer a six-week class titled “The

Fearless Writer” for students wanting to produce polished, strong and

honest fiction and nonfiction. The class is geared toward beginning

and advanced writers. The class will be taught by an award-winning

instructor with a master’s in creative writing who has been published

in the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and literary

magazines. Classes will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursdays. The

university is at 265 McCormick Ave., Costa Mesa. For more

information, call (714) 427-0588 or visit ltuonline.com.

FRIDAY

The Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce will host the Newport Harbor

Christmas Boat Parade Awards Dinner and Auction from 6 to 11 p.m. at

the Four Seasons Hotel. The event will feature parade winners and

have entertainment, a live and silent auction, dinner and much more.

The hotel is at 690 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. Tickets are

$75 per person, $900 for a table of 12. For more information, call

(949) 729-4400.

UC Irvine Medical Center will host a seminar on hearing loss at 1

p.m. at the Oasis Senior Center. The seminar will have discussions on

symptoms and treatments of hearing loss. The center is at 800

Marguerite Ave., Corona del Mar. Free. For more Information, call

(877) UCI-DOCS, or visit www.ucihealth.com/events.

SATURDAY

A workshop for men and women who have just gotten divorced or are

getting divorced will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Maxine B.

Cohen’s office in Newport Beach. The office is at 180 Newport Center

Drive. $40. For more information, call (949) 644-6435.

JAN. 21

The Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce will host its monthly

networking luncheon at 11:30 a.m. at the Five Crowns Restaurant.

Reservations are required. The restaurant is at 3801 E. Coast

Highway. For more information, call (949) 673-4050.

Mother’s Market & Kitchen will host a seminar on liver cleansing

and body purification from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Patio Cafe in

Costa Mesa. The cafe is at 225 E. 17th St. Free. For more

information, call (949) 631-4741.

The Surfrider Foundation Newport Beach Chapter will hold its first

meeting of 2003 at 7 p.m. at Margaritaville in Newport Beach. The

meeting will focus on local water issues, including how people can

help preserve the oceans, beaches and surf. Tacos will be provided.

The restaurant is at 2332 W. Coast Highway. For more information,

call (949) 644-7443.

The Zen Center of Orange County will host a series of programs on

Zen today through March 9. Programs will be held the first and third

Tuesday of each month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and every Sunday from 5 to

7:15 p.m. The programs will have lessons on developing a regular

practice, personal instruction and much more. The fee is $150, tax

deductible. The center is at 120 E. 18th St., Costa Mesa. For more

information, call (949) 722-7818 or visit www.zcoc.org.

JAN. 22

The Alzheimer’s Assn. of Orange County will hold two workshops

today at Silverado Senior Living Newport Mesa. The first workshop

will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon and will focus on memory loss.

The second workshop will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and will discuss

how to create a partnership with your physician. Silverado Senior

Living is at 350 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa. Reservations required. For

more information, call (949) 631-2212.

The Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly business

after hours mixer from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Skosh Monahan’s. The

restaurant is at 2000 Newport Blvd. Free for members, $10 for

potential members. For more information, call (714) 885-9090.

JAN. 23

Mother’s Market & Kitchen will host a seminar on how to strengthen

your immune system from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Patio Cafe in Costa

Mesa. The cafe is at 225 E. 17th St. Free. For more information, call

(949) 631-4741.

JAN. 24

UC Irvine will host its 19th annual Martin Luther King Jr.

symposium, “Prayer, Protest, and Peace -- A Leader’s Legacy for

Today,” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The symposium’s keynote speaker will be

Julian Bond, board chairman of the NAACP and professor of history at

the University of Virginia. The symposium will be held in the

Humanities Instructional Building, room 100 at the UCI campus. Free.

For more information, call (949) 824-7215.

JAN. 25

A seminar on long-term care planning, including legal, estate and

Medi-cal issues, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the Orange

Coast Unitarian Church in Costa Mesa. The seminar is sponsored by the

Alzheimer’s Assn. of Orange County and the Orange County Caregiver

Resource Center. The church is at 1259 Victoria St. For more

information, call (714) 578-8670.

JAN. 29

The MOMS Club of Costa Mesa-North is hosting an open house at 10

a.m. at Balearic Park and Community Center in Costa Mesa. Women are

encouraged to bring their children and will have the chance to meet

other stay-at-home moms. The center is at 1975 Balearic Drive. For

more information, call (714) 964-5934.

Mother’s Market & Kitchen will host a seminar on digestion and

elimination from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Patio Cafe in Costa Mesa.

The cafe is at 225 E. 17th St. Free. For more information, call (949)

631-4741.

JAN. 30

Mother’s Market & Kitchen will host a workshop and book signing

with Author Geoffrey Rose from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Patio Cafe in

Costa Mesa. The cafe is at 225 E. 17th St. Free. For more

information, call (949) 631-4741.

ONGOING

The Assn. of Business Services host networking meeting that deal

with education connections from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday

of every month at the Holiday Inn at 3131 Bristol St., Costa Mesa.

For more information, call (949) 805-0011.

The Newport Beach Public Library will host an hour of stories and

crafts for children in kindergarten through the second grade at the

Corona del Mar branch from 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays beginning Jan. 14.

The library is at 420 Marigold Ave. For more information, call (949)

717-3800.

The Newport Beach Newcomers Club holds a general meeting on the

third Wednesday of every month. The organization is open to all

female residents in Newport Beach who have lived in the area fewer

than five years. For more information, call (949) 645-9922, or visit

newcomers-newportbeach.org.

Interfaith couples with one Jewish partner are invited to

participate in a discussion group at the Jewish Family Service of

Orange County office. The group is geared toward dealing with issues

between interfaith couples, such as raising children, observing

holidays, symbols in the home and relationships with extended

families. The cost for three sessions is $45 per couple.

Preregistration is required. Call to schedule date and time. The

office is at 250 E. Baker St., Suite G, Costa Mesa. (714) 445-4950.

Women 50 and older can join a discussion group coordinated by

Jewish Family Services to address issues such as anxiety, depression,

relationships, loneliness and family. The group meets from 10 to

11:30 a.m. Mondays at the agency offices, 250 E. Baker St., Suite G,

Costa Mesa. Preregistration required. (714) 445-4950.

Friends of the Newport Beach Public Library Used Book Store are

asking for patrons to donate books to replenish the dwindling stock.

Books may be left at any of the three branch libraries -- Balboa,

Mariners, or Corona del Mar -- or in the book closet next to the

Friends Book Store, at 1000 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach. All

hardcover and paperback donations, with the exception of magazines

and law books, will be accepted and are tax deductible. (949)

759-9667.

The Braille Institute offers free computer classes to people with

fading vision who have difficulty seeing the computer screen. The

Oasis Center at 800 Marguerite Ave., Corona del Mar, offers six

sessions. Call to sign up for classes. (714) 821-5000.

A spiritual care class meets at 7:15 p.m. Wednesdays at 3400

Irvine Ave., Suite 114, Newport Beach. Call to reserve a seat. (949)

263-1462.

The Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce hosts networking luncheon

meetings Wednesdays from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Costa Mesa

Country Club. The cost is $13. The club is at 1701 Golf Course Drive,

Costa Mesa. (714) 885-9090.

A brain tumor support group meets the first and third Thursdays of

each month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Hoag Cancer Center at Hoag

Hospital, 1 Hoag Drive, Newport Beach. Free. Registration not

required. The group is designed to help patients and their families

understand and cope with the illness. (949) 574-6232.

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church hosts a mental illness support

group from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sundays in Dierenfield Hall C at 600 St.

Andrews Road, Newport Beach. (949) 574-2236.

The Jewish Family Service of Orange County sponsors a discussion

group for adult children and their parents from 6 to 7 p.m. two

Tuesdays a month at the Jewish Family Service office at 250 E. Baker

St., Suite G, Costa Mesa. $10 per person, per session.

Preregistration required. (714) 445-4950.

The Jewish Family Service of Orange County has a weekly parenting

support group. Parents learn strategies for successful parenting and

for dealing with the feelings and behavior of their children. The

group meets from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays at the Jewish Family

Service office at 250 E. Baker St., Suite G, Costa Mesa. The group

will cover managing anger, anxiety and peer pressure children

experience. Preregistration required. (714) 445-4950.

The Costa Mesa Senior Center has ballroom dancing with live music

from the Costa Mesa Music Makers from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. every Tuesday night at 695 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa. $4. (949) 548-3884.

Jewish Family Service of Orange County sponsors an ongoing healing

support group for the chronically ill. The purpose is to provide

participants with emotional and spiritual support to manage illness

and its consequences. The group meets at 7 p.m. Thursdays at the

Jewish Family Service office at 250 E. Baker St., Costa Mesa.

Attendance is free, but registration is required. (714) 445-4950.

Scrabble Club No. 350 meets from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursdays at Borders

Books, Music & Cafe at South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bear St. in Costa

Mesa. $3. New players are welcome. (949) 206-9822.

The Coin and Stamp Club meets from 1 to 3 p.m. Mondays at the

Oasis Senior Center. New members interested in trading, buying and

selling stamps and coins are being sought to join these informal

meetings. There are no fees required. (949) 644-3244.