NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Oct. 23, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The excitement is building among the close to 50 young girls planning to walk the runway with their dolls in matching period and contemporary costumes in the American Girl Fashion Shows(r) at The Christmas Company. This popular feature of the Junior League of Orange County, California, Inc., (JLOCC) annual fundraiser will be held on Saturday, November 17 (1 p.m. and 4 p.m.) and Sunday, November 18 (10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m.) at the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center located at Fair Drive and the 55 Freeway in Costa Mesa. Tickets ($27) include a meal or snack from Panera Bread and can be purchased in advance online by following the links at www.jlocc.org.
Girls sized 6X and 10 from around the county will have their first fitting at the Junior League headquarters on Thursday, October 25. The girls reside in a cross-section of towns which reflect the broadening membership of the JLOCC, to which most of the mothers belong. The youngsters include Caroline Harris (Laguna Niguel); Morgan Radzins (Coto de Caza); Ashley & Maddy Finlayson, Maria Haskell, Marie Beld, and Slater Cummings (Irvine); Julianne Bartz, Mia Matsunami, and Hanna Leigh (Newport Beach); Kathryn Krebs (Hungtington Beach); Coco Stewart (Rancho Capistrano); Ashley Bergen, (Rancho Santa Margarita); Brooke Granger (Brea); Montana Tobler (Tustin Ranch); Bridget O'Brien (Fullerton); Chloe Goble (Anaheim Hills); Vargas Muzzy (Ladera Ranch); Tiffany Shafer (Dove Canyon); Kaylen Weiss (Buena Park); Lauren Mercado (La Palma); and Jamison Kent (Trabuco Canyon). (Girls from additional cities such as Aliso Viejo are also participating.)
Goody bags for all participants and their parents will include gift certificates and merchandise from Cookie Lee, Timree, Lawry's Carvery, and American Girl. Bombshellz Hair Studio is donating its services to the models on event day.
The overall event, themed "The Spirit of Christmas," which takes place Friday-Monday, November 16-19, attracts as many as 20,000 attendees to its four-day shopping extravaganza. It will feature more than 100 unique and one-of-a-kind retailers from Orange County and around the country. On opening day, Friday, November 16, the Preferred Shopping Breakfast ($30) will take place from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. From 10 a.m.-10 p.m., general admission is priced at $10 per person. An Evening of Food & Wine ($75), 6 p.m.-10 p.m., will offer a wine tasting courtesy of Gallo Family Vineyards, Napa Valley Vineyard, Ghost Pines, Gascon and Frei Brothers Reserve accompanied by small-plate dining contributed by restaurants such as Bluewater Grill, Five Crowns, The Cannery, Villa Nova, and more. Saturday, November 17, Early Bird Shopping ($20) is scheduled for 8-10 a.m. Tickets to the breakfast and wine tasting can be purchased online at www.jlocc.org or by calling (949) 263-3785. General Admission ($10) shopping will be held 10 a.m.-9 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday; tickets can be purchased at the door.
This year marks the 32nd anniversary of The Christmas Company, which has raised more than $6.5 million for the benefit of JLOCC's charitable projects including the Orange County Bar Foundation, Orange County Children's Therapeutic Arts Center, Casa Teresa Inc., Girls Inc., Orangewood Children's Foundation's Bridges to Higher Learning, Impact Orange County, and Bear Hugs. The organization also awards thousands of dollars in grants and scholarships each year. As a solely educational and charitable organization, the JLOCC's trained volunteers actively support the community through collaboration with organizations that promote and support the health, safety and education of women and children.
About the Junior League of Orange County, California, Inc.
The Junior League of Orange County, California, Inc., is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and the leadership of trained volunteers. JLOCC has contributed to Orange County by helping found organizations such as Orangewood Children's Home and the Volunteer Center of Orange County, among others. JLOCC's purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. A 501(c)(3) organization, the JLOCC reaches out to women of all races, religions, and national origins. Originally founded in 1956 as the Newport Harbor Service League, the JLOCC is a member organization of the Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. To learn more about the JLOCC, call (949) 261-0823 or visit www.jlocc.org.