RSVP : John Denver Brings His Own Magic to Benefit

With his soaring voice, low-key sense of humor and his guitar, singer John Denver cast a spell over 570 guests who attended Saturday’s “The Magic of Children,” the Orangewood Children’s Foundation’s 10th annual Orange Blossom Ball.

Looking like a country boy among the glitzed-out party-goers, Denver performed before a magic castle set up in the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Irvine. The $300-per-person fund-raiser netted more than $100,000 for the foundation, which fights child abuse and supports the Orangewood Children’s Home, an emergency shelter for young victims of abuse and neglect.

Thank God He’s a Country Boy

Denver, who took the stage in a casual blue nylon jacket with a Southwest motif, said he’s not accustomed to performing “for people sitting in formal wear.”

“It always feels quite stiff to me,” he said.

Denver succeeded in loosening up the crowd by playing many of his best-loved songs, including “Rocky Mountain High,” “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Sunshine on My Shoulders.”

“The last time I was in Orange County I performed with the symphony orchestra. I feel very naked up here,” Denver said.

After he played his funny ode to Toledo, Ohio (sample line: “I spent a week there one day”), Denver described how he was once accosted after a concert by irate Toledo residents:

“They beat me up with their purses.”

The audience sang along to most of the songs, and after the last number, “Annie’s Song,” gave Denver a standing ovation.

“Well you’re awfully nice,” Denver said. “Not at all stiff.”

A Castle and a Home

With the help of underwriter Disney, the ballroom was transformed into a magic castle complete with strategically placed turrets and a colorful fountain. Crystal magic castles sparkled on every table, where guests dined on veal medallions and chocolate mousse. Later they danced until midnight to the Wayne Foster Orchestra.

The evening’s only sour note: Some chatty party-goers could not seem to quiet down when emcee Dave Lopez took the stage to make introductions--even as others gently tapped their glasses to get them to stop talking.

A short video about the Orangewood Children’s Home was shown on two large screens. More than 2,500 children a year who have been removed from their homes by the courts stay at the shelter in Orange.

Event co-chairwoman Shirley Pepys, who attended the ball with husband Eric, told the crowd that “instead of going to have a facial like I should have done” that day, she had gone to visit Orangewood.

“I decided it would make this event more meaningful,” she said. Pepys visited with children and infants, including a 4-month-old baby who had been left “home alone” by her mother.

“It was heart-rending,” she said of her visit.

Honorary chairman Jack Lindquist, immediate past president of Disneyland, called Orangewood “one of Orange County’s success stories.”

Other faces in the crowd were John Hagestad, foundation chairman and event co-chairman, and wife Merry; Judy Nelson, Orangewood foundation’s executive director; George and Judy Argyros, Joseph Gordon and Mary Boyajian, Dennis and Carol Campbell, Lou and Christianne D’Ambrosio, Doug and Kristi DeCinces, Dana Eggerts, Chuck and Carleen Haggerty, William and Willa Dean Lyon, Norbert and Mary Anne Mang, Tom and Lilia Powell, Sheldon and Mary Rubenstein and Kathryn Thompson.