The 55th annual Christmas Parade and Holiday Festival saw a record number of participants this year with around 250,000 in attendance, 3,000 people marching in the parade, more than 100 parade entries, 80 horses, two stagecoaches, and fire engines, antique tractors, lifeboats and more, announced parade chairwoman Ann Kerr Bache. Despite the record-breaking numbers, there were no safety incidents and the streets were clean within hours of the event, she said. The holiday festival following the parade was also a huge success with the new educational, arts and crafts element that drew children of all ages. “At any given time, we had probably 300 kids here learning about surfing, dogs, the Wells Fargo stagecoach, the Birch Aquarium,” she said. “The kids got the entire spectrum of education, as well as having fun.” Kerr Bache also thanked “Rob’s Riders” — former LJTC trustee Rob Hildt and his band of volunteers — who distribute fliers warning cars before the parade they will be towed. La Jolla Village Lodge owners Egon Kafka and Maureen Murphy also helped notify drivers about the impending parade. No cars on the main parade route were towed. “The parade couldn’t happen without all these people,” said Kerr Bache. • The SDPD Northern Division substation renovation in Pacific Beach will begin in January, announced trustee Nancy Gardner. Sherwin Williams is donating paint for the project, Wurts Carpet is supplying flooring at cost, and numerous other volunteers, including Dewhurst & Associates, have committed their time for labor on the project. Critical funding for HVAC and electrical system is still needed. “We have a lot of people who are volunteering time,” she said. “Moneywise, we have about $17,000, but I need another $12,000 at least for the HVAC and the electrical to make all of that happen.” Checks made payable to the San Diego Police Officer’s Association are tax deductible. For more information about the project or to donate, contact Nancy Gardner at [email protected] or (858) 456-3000. • The LJTC’s much-anticipated “Dancing with La Jolla Stars” will take place Sept. 21 at the La Jolla Financial Building’s outdoor patio on Prospect Street. The event will feature a silent auction, live entertainment and catered food. “There is a groundswell of support from the community. Every time I mention it, it’s thrilling because people want to be involved in it,” said Gardner. “It’s going to be a big deal and you’ll be hearing about it a lot between now and then.” The event committee has been working to get some big names in the community to participate as dancers for the show, including sports figures, politicians and public safety personnel. Organizers hope to raise about $400,000 from the event, all of which will go back to the community through Town Council projects. Organizers invite anyone who wishes to get involved on the committee to join them at their next meeting at Hennessey’s on Jan. 7 at 5 p.m. • The Coastal Access & Parking Board is working on attaining its 501(c)3, announced Gardner. In the meantime, the La Jolla Village Merchants Association has agreed to open an account to sponsor the board’s status. • Newly elected trustee Ramin Porteymour agreed to fund the “Seasons Greeting” sign at the entrance to the Village. • The community’s ever-popular rock band, NeverReady, will perform at the La Jolla Community Center on Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. to raise money for the community center, as well as for the band to create a music video. City and state news • The County Board of Supervisors also acts as the board for the area’s Air Pollution Control District (APCD), announced Supervisor Ron Roberts’ representative Sterling McHale. “We’ve been testing our cleanliness for the last 55 years, and we are currently at the cleanest levels than we’ve ever been before, and we have finally come into attainment with what regulations are expected by the federal government,” he said. “As part of that, APCD has voted to send that new designation application out to CARB [California Air Resources Board] on the state level. They have approved it and now it will move to the federal EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] to get our re-designation.”