Age Barrier Down, Party Count Up for Center 500

Guests at the Center 500’s Christmas party this year were still young but perhaps not quite so young as they used to be. The support group for the Orange County Performing Arts Center, originally billed as “young professionals under age 40,” had some representation from the “Over 40 Set” at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club last week.

“We removed the age restriction about a year ago,” said Nancy Kidder, a board member who serves on the membership committee. “We wanted to concentrate on young professionals, but we realized that it takes people a certain length of time to become a professional--and then there’s the issue of what’s young. There were many people we wanted to include who were older than 40.”

As one result of the new policies, the group doubled in Christmas party attendance this year, according to vice president of communications Vicki Stowe, who counted reservations at 200. “More people, less elegant” she said by way of description. “Casual attire with warm jackets” rather than fancy dress had been suggested for the event, and with good reason--watching the annual Newport Harbor Boat Parade was on the party agenda.

“It is amazing,” said event co-chairman Karen Kennedy in her crisp British accent. “There are an awful lot of people who’ve never seen the boat parade, despite the fact that they live here. “ (She also said that she is a private investigator, with her experience including a three-day speedboat chase up the Colorado River.)

In keeping with Center 500 tradition, the party also featured a performance by the St. Joseph Ballet Company. Said co-chairman John Garakian: “Our primary function is to support the Arts Center by raising funds, but our secondary focus is to educate our members in the arts. We try to include something related to the arts in all our events.”

The dancers--the smallest costumed in red leotards, sequins and white fluff--had been trained by the Sisters of St. Joseph in Orange. Under the direction of Sister Beth Burns, the company provided the evening’s highlight, the timing unfortunately coinciding with the boat parade’s start. (Some revelers on the boats were loud enough to be heard above the Mannheim Steamrollers’ new-age rendition of “Deck the Halls,” which accompanied the dancers.)

Dinner was a buffet of salads, including one with fruit and mini-marshmallows, roast beef and “turkey a la 500” so-named by Dr. Ivar Vasco. It wasn’t exactly a gourmet feast, but then food has not seemed a priority at Center 500 fetes of late, a fact that several members mentioned. (After the group’s twilight picnic last summer, more than a few members were spotted at the Irvine Ranch Market, “gathering sustenance,” as Elliott Wagner described it.)

Wagner called the Christmas spread “a false appearance of plenty,” as he pointed out the slightly more sumptuous buffet set out for the private party next door, a buffet that some members had nearly mistaken for their own.

But the group had reason to celebrate the holidays nonetheless. Before the party ended, Center 500 president Denny Freidenrich had announced that this spring the group would sponsor another Triathlon, an event that raised $65,000 for the Performing Arts Center last year.