EXPANDED HOUR: The Crystal Cathedral came up...

EXPANDED HOUR: The Crystal Cathedral came up with something special for March 26, the 40th anniversary of the Rev. Robert H. Schuller’s ministry in Garden Grove. Beginning that Sunday, Schuller’s “The Hour of Power” will be simulcast in both English and Spanish on KCAL-TV’s Channel 9. . . . The Crystal Cathedral has a growing Latino congregation, led by the Rev. Juan Carlos Ortiz, whose own TV ministry recently folded because of production costs.

GOLDEN CHILD: One thing that can make parenting a headache: the youngsters. There’s a new, free lecture series at Golden West College in Huntington Beach--Thursdays at noon through the end of April--to help you get a handle on parenting. It’s put on by the college’s Family Resource Center, and has a special enticement: free day care for those 2 to 12. . . . Says Rita Jones, the center’s coordinator: “Our goal is to build family strengths and reduce tension.”

FLAG IS UP: Once race car champion Mario Andretti agreed to help host their March 31 charity ball, officials at Olive Crest Homes for Abused Children went all out with a racing theme for the black-tie event. . . . Real Indy, Formula and Ferrari race cars--including one of Andretti’s--will be shipped in to the Disneyland Hotel’s Grand Ballroom. “We really wanted to get people excited about the ball,” says spokesman Eric Ottman. . . . The tickets are pricey, $200 each, but the proceeds benefit the group homes, which serve 500 abused children.

CENTER STAGE: One prestigious way for young people in music to win $5,000 college scholarships: the Music Center Spotlight Awards in Los Angeles on Wednesday. . . . Three young county people are among the finalists: ballet dancers Heather McCaleb, 17, of Yorba Linda and Melissa Watson, 14, of Los Alamitos, plus violinist Reina Inui, 17, of Anaheim. Says program producer Walter Grauman: “The pressure is intense, but these are incredibly gifted young people.”