EDITORIAL

Every year, the sights are astounding.

Incredible homes, lavishly arranged and impeccably appointed. These

are places with master floors, not just master suites. With waterfalls

and original Van Goghs. With knickknacks that knock you out.

For 28 years, Corona del Mar High School and its PTA have put together

a tour of the community’s finest, fanciest homes. They’ve offered carte

blanche, nearly, to snoop through these houses to get renovation tips,

decorating ideas or just plain jealous.

And every year, it seems, they are just more and more successful.

This year, preliminary figures show, Tuesday’s event will raise more

than $80,000, topping last year’s mark. The money will go to the school’s

arts and other cultural programs, which anyone who pays attention to

public education knows needs more money.

Each year, hundreds of volunteers spend countless hours coordinating

the lunches, convincing home owners to open their doors and managing the

thousands of curious bodies who have to be sent from home to home. They

deserve all the praise coming their way.

It’s a good cause they work on -- the well-rounded education of our

children. It’s also a cause that’s proved a winner across town, where for

the past four years Newport Harbor High has been at it, too, with an

equal amount of success.

We’re already making plans for the next ones.