A Blooming Good Show at Art Museum

The 550 guests at Tuesday’s preview of the sixth annual “Art Alive” floral extravaganza at the San Diego Museum of Art found themselves confronted by vibrant collations ranging from the Lilliputian to the monumental, all designed to echo the themes of selected works of art in the museum. Blossoms turned up in the most unexpected places--even, by Chairman Barbara Malone’s fiat, in the champagne flutes.

Three dozen floral designers, interior decorators and garden clubs joined forces to make spring bloom indoors. The show, organized by Mary Allan, continues from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. today. Admission is $6. At noon, New York floral designer Ronaldo Maia will autograph copies of his work, “Decorating With Flowers.”

Saturday’s Orient Express Gala, the fifth of these annual 1920s-style hoedowns for the benefit of the local branch of the National Kidney Foundation of Southern California, was not as wild as the one given last year.

No, indeed--this one was wilder.

Wildlife invaded the 1986 event, in the form of cheetahs and other critters brought by the San Diego Zoo’s Joan Embery, and friendly beasts under Embery’s tutelage again showed up Saturday at the U.S. Grant’s Grand Ballroom.

But the real wildlife stalked the turf on two legs. When Chairman Michael Corrigan thanked the crowd of 300 for “dancing between the courses,” he may have been thanking them for not dancing in the aisles. Certainly, the waiters who served the meal of crab-stuffed pasta, duck breast and chocolate marzipan torte were grateful for this small display of restraint.

Orient Express always follows a certain course (quite literally), in that it takes its guests on an imaginary trip on the legendary Venice-Simplon Orient Express, for nearly seven decades known as “the train of kings and the king of trains.” It is a likable fantasy: Guests check in at the London station, where they receive their passport-programs, then journey on through dinner and dancing to a Monte Carlo casino and, finally, Istanbul’s Marrakesh Market, where belly dancers and fortune tellers wait to tease and tantalize.

To lend authenticity, the party had always been given at the Santa Fe Depot, but several factors persuaded the committee to shift this year’s site to the U.S. Grant, a locale that provided several unexpected blessings. Among these was the cavernous Presidential Suite, which housed an early VIP reception and proved a suitable embarkation point for the seven-hour-long evening.

The reception was co-hosted by Keith Rennison of the Orient Express (the railway company always donates a trip for two to the party), and by San Diego Charger Eric Sievers and his wife, Diana. The Sieverses did their best to live up to the party’s Jazz Age and black tie-with-ribbons (military, of course) dress code, but they said it was not easy. Eric replaced medals with a pair of crutches, earned valiantly enough upon the turf of a dozen stadiums, and Diana, unable to find a flapper-era maternity outfit, contented herself with a vintage, feathered headache band.

Co-chairman Don McVay, on the other hand, met the dress code, and then some. His gold-brocaded crimson tunic, borrowed from the Old Globe Theatre (it was used to costume the character of Benedict in last summer’s “Much Ado About Nothing”), caught the eyes of hotel guests as well as of partygoers, to the point that he was asked to carry bags and fetch taxis. Others at the VIP reception were local Kidney Foundation President Michael Weaver and his wife, Valerie; Rolf Benirschke; Norma and Sam Assam; Katherine L’Hommedieu; Jennifer Wilson; Pat and Frank Montalbano, and Julie and Tom Hall.

Casino games, played for chips redeemable for raffle tickets on a New Orleans travel package, bracketed the dinner. But much action took place in the ballroom, given an unusual configuration by placing the orchestra to the side of the stage, rather than upon it.

The purpose behind this aberration became obvious after dessert, when the curtains parted to reveal an amazing tableau vivant of the Marrakesh Market, replete with belly dancers, costumed peddlers, soothsayers and exotic animals. (A boa constrictor found master of ceremonies Bill Griffith’s shoulders a comfortable perch, and the creature proved such a general favorite that local foundation Vice President Lenora Shaw suggested that snakes should be distributed as door prizes.)

In keeping with the ‘20s theme, the entertainment also included an attention-grabbing series of tangos performed by a pair of professional dancers.

Among guests were Christie and John Faires, Debbie and David Hawkins, Joan and David Ward, Chargers coach Al Saunders, Virginia Butterfield, Pat and Jim Babcock, Martha Hall and Marlee Ehrenfeld.

CORONADO--Attorneys have been known to make waves, but the “Attorney Fees ‘Waved’ ” item, donated by legal eagle Mike Johnson to the auction at Friday’s “All That Glitters” was a little out of the ordinary.

Johnson, staff attorney at the Assn. for Retarded Citizens-San Diego, recently bought a nifty little yacht, and his donation to ARC’S second annual fund-raiser was of a candle-lit dinner cruise for six. It was one of 50 items offered at the dinner dance, attended by 250 in the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel del Coronado.

The party attracted quite a mix of supporters, ranging from those whose families include developmentally disabled members, to others who believe that contemporary society offers a role to every citizen. If they all had a common goal at that moment, though, it was to enjoy the evening’s major elements--the silent and live auctions, the lobster bisque and prime rib dinner, and dancing to a lively group called In Full Swing.

ARC tapped Sea World President Jan Schultz and his wife, also named Jan (friends say that they find this unity of nomenclature convenient) as honorary party chairmen. The honor followed on the heels of the organization’s recommendations that Mr. Schultz be named Employer of the Year by both the President’s and the Governor’s Committees on Employment of the Handicapped.

Because Sea World employs more than 50 handicapped people, Schultz took both honors, receiving Gov. George Deukmejian’s award in 1986, and the President’s on Thursday, the night before “All That Glitters.” Acceptance of the latter required a trip to Denver, which Schultz said was more than worth the effort, especially because it became something of a learning experience for him.

“You don’t get the insight into these peoples’ lives when neither you nor anyone close is handicapped,” he said. “What I learned by spending several days with 3,000 handicapped people was just amazing. They were so enthusiastic, and so into what they’re doing. The best thing is that these people learn to be independent. They learn how to take care of themselves, and this lets them live lives of their own.”

During brief dinner remarks, Schultz pledged to involve other major San Diego businesses in employment programs for the disabled (there is quite a pool from which to draw; ARC alone serves 1,500 clients in several programs).

Formalities, however, engaged but a fraction of the party’s several hours. Master of ceremonies Jim Laslavic (the KFMB-TV sportscaster), reprising a role he played last year, led the evening speedily to its main event, the live auction.

Veteran gavel-wielder Chet Whalen presided over this segment, and hammered down impressive sums for items ranging from a massive, 45-inch television set (Mayor Maureen O’Connor bid mightily, but lost this item), to a 1930 Model A Ford that brought the sum of $4,750. Among other items were a San Francisco landscape painted and donated by singer Tony Bennett, and a trip for two to Anchorage.

ARC Executive Director Richard Farmer and his wife, Shawna, headed a guest list that included Channel 10 newscaster Bree Walker and her husband, Bob; Mim and Al Sally; Norma and Ray Johnson; Kathy and Dick Curran; Jackie and John Einhorn; Mike Jamison; Marianne and Ron Blair; Jean and John Groebli; Pat and Bob Lijewski, and Eleanor and Carl Lasiter.

Chairman Char Nordell led a committee that included Leslie Autry, Bobbi Paturel, Dona Mara, Jennifer Parrish and Barbara Ramsey.