Shine on brightly
Participants ooh and aah as the La Jolla Christmas tree outside the Recreation Center at 615 Prospect St. is lit during a Dec. 13 ceremony.
This is the 21st consecutive year that the living tree has been illuminated, thanks to GDC Construction and La Jolla Parks & Recreation Inc.

Polar Bears will take annual plunge
Come on in, the water’s fine ” maybe a little nippy at 58 degrees, but that’s to be expected on New Year’s Day. And that temperature is positively balmy compared to some other areas of the country right now!
The La Jolla Cove Swim Club will hold its annual Polar Bear Swim at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 1.
An expected crowd of 200 swimmers will wade into the water at La Jolla Shores from Kellogg Park. Although some similar events do not allow wetsuits or any other added protection from the cold, the swim club is not a stickler on this point, and wetsuits are OK.
A kayak support crew will shadow the swimmers, and a lifeguard is scheduled to patrol the swim area on a Jet Ski.
Following the refreshing dip, swimmers will gather for hot cocoa, apple cider and Starbucks coffee, along with a hot chili potluck feast.
The La Jolla Cove Swim Club has been taking the New Year plunge for 30 years. For information about the club, visit www.lajollacoveswimclub.org.

Christmas trees can be recycled
Has the tanenbaum turned into a firebomb?
The city has set up a number of Christmas tree collection sites for the beach communities.
Trees can be dropped off for recycling at the following locations:
* La Jolla: Kate Sessions Park, Soledad Road and Loring Street.
* University City: Swanson Pool, 3585 Governor Drive.
* Mission Bay: SeaWorld Drive at Pacific Highway.
* Ocean Beach: Robb Field, 2525 Bacon St.
The recycling sites will continue to accept trees during daylight hours through Jan. 23. Trees from commercial lots or fund-raising projects will be accepted at the Miramar Greenery.
All trees should be stripped of lights, stands, ornaments and other decorations. Flocked trees are acceptable.
The trees will be turned into mulch, compost and wood chips, which are available year-round free of charge at the Miramar Greenery, 5180 Convoy St.
Residents who have curbside collection should place trees on the curb for collection on the regular greenery recycling pick-up day. Trees more than 4 feet in length should be cut in half.
Those with automated containers using the green 96-gallon bin provided by the city should cut their trees to fit into the automated container for pickup on collection day.
For more information, visit www.sandiego.gov/environmental-services/ or call (858) 694-7000.

Animal shelters reduce adoption fees
There are only a few days left to take advantage of the County Department of Animal Services’ half-off offer for dog and cat adoptions.
The adoption fee for cats has been reduced to $29, and for dogs to $35 until Monday, Dec. 31.
The shelter is also waiving fees for any animal that has been at the shelter for more than 30 days. Also, anyone who has adopted a cat from Animal Services within the year can adopt a second “buddy” cat at no charge.
All animal adoptions include spaying or neutering, vaccinations, microchipping and a health examination.
The shelter at 5480 Gaines St. is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
For information call (619) 236-4250 or visit www.sddac.com.

Arts Council honors 18 organizations
State Sen. Christine Kehoe joined the California Arts Council earlier this fall for a grant award presentation to honor 18 arts organizations and to highlight the quality work being done in schools and communities locally.
The event took place at the Malashock Dance Studio at Dance Place San Diego, 2650 Truxtan Road in the NTC Promenade of Liberty Station.
The presentation was co-hosted by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts & Culture and the NTC Foundation.
The California Arts Council honored grantees in three programs: Artists in Schools, Creating Public Value through the Arts and State-Local Partnership.
The City of San Diego Commission for Arts & Culture is the key local agency for the arts in San Diego.
Recipients of AIS grants include City Ballet of San Diego, Eveoke Dance Theatre, Malashock Dance and Company, Media Arts Center San Diego, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, San Diego Ballet, San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego Opera, San Diego Youth Symphony and WorldBeat Cultural Center, among others.
For more information, contact Alan Ziter, executive director of the NTC Foundation, (619) 573-9315.

MCASD spotlights new video gallery
Museumgoers will be wowed now that the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) has completed an expansion and renovation of its video gallery at the La Jolla site, 700 Prospect St.
“MCASD has a strong collection of video works, which we have been growing in recent years.
The previous Video Porch, designed by Robert Quigley, was perfect for works that are displayed on a monitor but was too small for works that are projected on a wall,” said Stephanie Hanor, senior curator at MCASD. “As technology has gotten more sophisticated and cheaper, artists have moved more into the realm of projected video work.”
Designed by Lloyd Russell, the video gallery gives the museum the appropriate space to show larger-scale video projections and sculptural pieces that feature video. The architecture allows MCASD to show several works at once. The museum is currently featuring the work of Kota Ezawa and Tony Oursler.
“The new space will allow us to show more work from our collection,” Hanor said. “We have terrific video pieces that have not yet been shown or are rarely shown, so this is an opportunity to share great work with our visitors, and I think we will have a very positive response.”
For information, visit www.mcasd.org.