Rhinestone Cowpokes Are Out to Bust Disease

C lose only counts in horseshoes, or so they say.

If so, then the horseshoes highlighting the Southwestern decor at the Cystic Fibrosis Guild of Orange County’s Rhinestone Rodeo Saturday night turned out to be particularly appropriate, because close was the word of the evening.

“They are so close to finding a cure,” said Heidi Miller, who co-chaired the event. “It’s really exciting. The results the researchers are coming up with just make you want to go out and try that much harder to raise money for them.”

How close? The No. 1 genetic killer of children and young adults may be heading for its last roundup. National Cystic Fibrosis Foundation President Robert Dresing, who flew in from Bethesda, Md., to attend, says the genetic disease has now been corrected in the test tube and that soon there may be a therapy available that can repair the defective genes children are born with.

Finishing the Puzzle

“We’re really down now to putting the last few pieces of the puzzle together,” Dresing said. “How much time it will take will depend on how much money we have. But when you can show results, that’s the easiest money to find.”

The net proceeds from the contributions of the nearly 300 guests came to about $180,000. Those include a $50,000 donation from presenting sponsors Ralph and Evan Mann.

“This chapter does more for us than any chapter in the country,” Dresing said.

Dresing came to present the 1991 Breath of Life award to longtime Cystic Fibrosis Guild supporters Carl and Margaret Karcher. “They’ve supported us for more than 10 years,” said guild president Sue Hook, also a co-chair for the event.

The guild chose the Southwestern theme a year ago, Hook said, before the Karchers were chosen for the award. The current Carl’s Jr. restaurant advertising campaign has a southwestern theme, so “it just turned out to be a perfect tie-in,” Hook said.

Although Karcher left his cowboy hat at home, Hook and many others there took advantage of the “Western black tie” option to dress in keeping with the rodeo theme.

No Southwestern Cheeseburgers

Hitched to the Southwestern theme were a life-size fiberglass horse standing at the door to the silent auction room at the Newport Beach Marriott and a smaller one that was sculpted in ice. The menu was nouvelle Southwest, with salmon over black bean sauce with tomatillo relish, and jalapenos showing up in everything from the corn muffins to the salad dressing.

After a performance by an ensemble of foot-stomping dancers, the guests had the chance to try out some of the same moves to the sounds of the Western Union Band.