CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

The Innocence Mission, founded early this year by a victim of childhood sexual abuse, will host its first annual World of Wonderment party next month.

The goal of the party is not only to honor people who have helped other victims or to raise money, but also to create an atmosphere that evokes a childlike sense of amazement.

“I wanted adults to remember that sense of wonderment,” said Elaina Kroll, founder of the Innocence Mission. “Because once a child experiences abuse, that moment is gone.”

Kroll, who lives in Laguna Beach, knows firsthand about childhood abuse. As a teen-ager, her choir director abused her for years before she moved to the East Coast for college. As an adult, she sued her abuser and won a settlement, which she used as seed money for The Innocence Mission organization. Earlier this year, the man pleaded guilty to molestation.

“I got a guilty verdict,” she said. “I also realized that very few people get the opportunities I have.”

The Innocence Mission’s goals are to raise awareness so that victims feel safe in reporting abuse, to create a Survivors Speakers Bureau and to “influence the influencers” by talking to fashion designers, for example, who create provocative clothing for children.

Innocence Mission board member Renee Hoffman Heath, of Corona del Mar, said the initial goal is to educate, inform and force into the open the topic of childhood sexual abuse.

“Breast cancer used to be a taboo subject,” she said. “Now it’s not. We want to create the same openness.”

Kroll agreed. “This is a call to the community right now,” she said. “Come stand together with us.”

The World of Wonderment party will be held at 6 p.m. Friday Dec. 4 at the Grand Californian Hotel. Tickets start at $250. For more information, call (866) 825-8251.

The event will feature the Royal Crown Revue and a silent auction. They group also will honor two Bay Area police officers who helped kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard, and local publisher and author William Lobdell, who wrote a book about religion that examined the Catholic church and childhood sexual abuse.

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Photo courtesy of Corona del Mar Today reader DeeDee.

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1. Hey, Santa! Today, and on Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 20, head to Roger’s Gardens and meet the big guy in person. From noon to 6 p.m., Santa will be at on hand to talk with kids and pose for photos in Roger’s gazebo. After, check out the Christmas train, the gardens and maybe pick up a few ornaments and gifts. Roger’s Gardens is located at 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road. Call (949)
640-5800 for more information.

2. Next, head to Corona del Mar Plaza for a little shopping (who doesn’t want a Sprinkles cupcake?) and live holiday jazz music from noon to 2 p.m. every Saturday through Dec. 19.

3. Five Crowns kicks off the holiday season with its annual Dickens Dinners set for 6:30 p.m. tonight and Sunday. Veteran actors will perform scenes based on “A Christmas Carol” complete with the Ghost of Christmas — perfect for a haunted restaurant, we think. The three-course dinner, served at family-style seating, cost $89 per adult, $69 per child under the age of 12, inclusive of tax and gratuity. The Five Crowns carolers, also will be performing. Five Crowns is located at 3801 East Coast Highway. Reservations are recommended; call (949) 760-0331.

4. The Central Library reopens after the Thanksgiving holiday on Saturday — why not take the kids to the Family Storytime scheduled for 10:30 a.m.? It’s the perfect antidote to rich food, holiday stress and shopping craziness. The library is located at 1000 Avocado Avenue; click here for more information.

5. If you can’t beat them, join them — head to Crown Ace Hardware for holiday lights. It’s the weekend to get started. And apparently in CdM, more is more!

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From $99.99 starter sets of European cascading icicle lights to your basic strands of crystal bulbs — with a few chenille-covered lighted husky dogs pulling a sleigh, and Rudolph and Charlie Brown too — Crown Ace Hardware in Corona del Mar is the go-to place for holiday lights.

Store manager Chad Spragg said the season is about to pick up, big-time.

“It’s better to get in early,” he said. “We usually end up selling out.”

This year, the hottest trend continues to be LED lights, which consume less energy and can be strung together safely in longer increments, Spragg said. Also new this year were the Rudolph, Charlie Brown and husky dogs, which are covered with fabric so they look great during the day and not just when illuminated at night.

Crown Ace also is selling lighted spheres, nets of lights, icicles, stars and bulbs of all colors and sizes. Spragg said they also stock everything from timers, extension cords, hooks and staple guns — all crucial to holiday decorating.

This weekend will be the busiest for holiday-light purchases, Spragg said, with next weekend being a strong second.

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Corona del Mar resident Kimberly Wells was getting a jump-start on holiday shopping at South Coast Plaza recently when she realized someone had walked off with two of her shopping bags filled with $250 worth of merchandise.

“My story has a happy ending — the people who took my bags actually returned them to the valet station where they were taken,” Wells said. Maybe it was an honest mistake, maybe it wasn’t — but dealing with police and mall security guards was not how she wanted to spend her time.

Newport Beach police officials say that the holidays are a time when busy people are especially vulnerable to thefts and other crimes. They urge people to take basic steps to make sure they and their belongings are safe, including locking doors, not leaving valuables in plain sight, being mindful of hanging on to wallets and purses and packages and not overloading yourself with packages. Try to put items in your trunk before you arrive at a destination because thieves who watch you load your car can quickly break in, even a locked trunk.

They also advise not carrying large amounts of cash, letting police know about any thefts and making sure to report anyone suspicious hanging around a parking lot or near a store entrance.

“With the holidays, people need to be on guard,” said Andi Querry, a crime prevention specialist. “Don’t be careless at stores. Just be very aware of your surroundings. Be aware if someone bumps you or is in your space.”

For more safety tips, visit the Newport Beach Police Department website.

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The Thanksgiving holiday brings a few changes to city services.

If your trash is collected on Thursday — the date for many Corona del Mar homes — your trash will be collected on Friday; Friday’s normal collection will occur on Saturday.

Also, there will be no street sweeping on Thursday and Friday in Newport Beach, and City Hall will be closed..

All libraries, including Central Library and the Corona del Mar branch, will be closed on Thursday and Friday.

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The Newport Beach Fire Department is offering Thanksgiving safety tips — particularly for those foodies who feel the urge to deep fry their birds this Thursday.

The tips include:

* Use your fryer outdoors only, a safe distance away from buildings and not on a wooden deck.
* Use the fryers on a stable, flat surface.
* Remember that most fryers don’t have thermostat controls, so never leave it unattended or the oil could heat until it catches fire.
* Never allow children or pets near the fryer, even after the turkey is done. The oil will remain hot for hours after use.
* Do not overfill the fryer, and use potholders or mitts when touching the lid.
* Consider safety goggles to protect yourself from oil splatter, particularly if you’ve used a marinade. Water and oil could create an explosion hazard.

Jennifer Schulz, a fire department spokeswoman, said that Newport Beach has been lucky over the years not to have a turkey fryer mishap. But, she said, there typically are about 4,300 fires in the United States on Thanksgiving day, causing 15 fatalities, about 50 injuries, and nearly $27 million in property damage.

Turkey fryers are not the only safety concern, she said. Cooks should be careful in the kitchen, using basic safety measures like keeping pot handles turned inward and making sure their ovens are clean. Don’t wear dangling clothing that could catch fire, don’t leave cooking unattended and keep children out of the kitchen.

Also, make sure you have fire extinguishers on hand, and be careful with decorative candles. And if you have overnight guests, it’s always a good idea to remind them of a fire escape plan and meeting place, Schulz said.

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The new Newport Beach Task Force on Cycling Safety will hold its second meeting at 5 p.m. Nov. 30 in the City Council Chambers.

The first meeting, held Nov. 16, was attended by two police officers, City Councilwoman Nancy Gardner, and cycling enthusiasts who were named to the task force. One member, Frank Peters of Corona del Mar, said that Gardner asked the members to come up with a list of specific examples of roads and intersections that need improvement.

Peters said he plans to include five major intersections along Coast Highway as well as Palm Street near the Balboa Island Ferry loading zone. He also wants to identify safe routes to schools.

“This is a hallmark of other cities’ efforts to improve bike safety,” he said. “If more kids were biking to school think of the advantages: reduced obesity, more alert students in the classroom, and, take CdM High School for example, reduced traffic in Eastbluff which itself would improve safety.”

Members of the public are welcome to attend the meetings.

Councilwoman Gardner proposed the task force this fall following a bicycle fatality last summer in Newport Coast. Read our earlier stories here and here.

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Police continue to seek the third suspect in a string of early-morning car burglaries and thefts that occurred throughout Corona del Mar. Two suspects were arrested early today.

A total of 13 vehicle burglaries and thefts were reported, including some where the thieves smashed windows and others where the car doors were unlocked.

The crimes occurred in the 4500, 4600 and 4800 blocks of Cortland Drive, the 4700 block of Dorchester Road, the 4700 and 4800 blocks of Surrey Drive and the 600 block of Rockford Road — all in the Cameo Highlands neighborhood. Crimes also were reported in the 200 block of Orchid Avenue and in the 200 and 300 blocks of Poppy Avenue, and in the 3900 block of Inlet Isle Drive in Harbor View Hills South.

Police believed the third suspect, a 19-year-old man, had fled into the Shore Cliffs neighborhood. Before dawn this morning, police filled Shore Cliffs, both in cars and stationed on feet in front lawns. A canine unit also was on scene.

Further details about what items were stolen or the property losses were not available immediately. Read our earlier stories here and here.

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