Roaring Good Time

The event: Midsummer Night in the Garden, the second-annual gala staged by the Friends of the Fullerton Arboretum. Held recently on the grounds of the 26-acre botanical garden, the dinner-dance raised funds for the arboretum’s educational programs.

Roaring ‘20s revisited: In keeping with the party theme, “Great Gatsby, Glitz and Glamour,” many of the 200 guests sported elegant 1920s fashions. Some women looked like characters in an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, with their feather boas, beads and flapper dresses; the men looked dapper in sashes, spats and hats.

“I love the ‘20s,” said Jorice Maag, a Friends board member who wore her mother-in-law’s silk pajamas from the era. “In those days, people became very interested in exotic things and began wearing kimonos.”

Guests spent the evening dining and dancing under the stars to ‘20s tunes performed by the Crazy Rhythm Hot Society Orchestra. During dinner, there was a video tribute to honorary chairwoman Marcy Mulville.

A garden grows in Fullerton: Situated on the northeast corner of Cal State Fullerton, the 20-year-old arboretum has become a welcome oasis in sprawling suburbia. Visitors come to admire the garden’s rare plants, ponds, streams and wildlife, and they can tour the Heritage House, an 1894 Eastlake Victorian cottage.

The arboretum also offers programs on horticulture, history and ecology. “It’s one place that’s keeping history alive in Fullerton,” said Pamela Harrell, who volunteers at the Heritage House with her husband, John.

Quote: “Our Saturday adult [gardening] workshops pull people from all over. We go into schools and teach youngsters about gardening. We’re meeting a need, and we want to grow,” said Thelma Mellott, event chairwoman.

Faces: Earl Mellott; Richard and Linda Ackerman; Don and Carol Bankhead; Richard and Cynthia Foster; Richard and Patricia Hopping; Allan and Janet Bridgford; Kay Foster; Harry and Jill Norman; James and Eileen Rheins; and Gregory and Dana Dyment.

Bottom line: The garden party netted about $20,000 for arboretum programs, including pumpkin patch tours for schoolchildren, a children’s garden, scholarships, summer camp and gardening workshops for adults.

What’s ahead: Arborfest at the Fullerton Arboretum, 1900 Associated Road. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 16-17. The event will feature a cactus show, Ugly Bug Fair, hay-wagon ride, butter making, apple pressing and children’s activities. Call (714) 278-3579.