The La Jolla Christmas Parade is being thwarted this year by a bitter green gremlin who despises the cheeriness of the village people. The Grinch will ride into town on an antique truck for the annual parade on Sunday, Dec. 6, starting at 2 p.m. The Old Globe is loaning the Grinch to the parade since the theater is staging Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” through Dec. 27. The parade is pulling from all corners of the community. The Montessori School of La Jolla is sending two horse-drawn wagons. The La Jolla Country Day Madrigals ensemble will sing along the route. The Old Mission Beach Athletic Club will arrive on fire engines. The Antique Aircraft Association will fly its planes overhead. In keeping with the theme of the parade —”Through the Eyes of a Child” — Michael Glancy is piling his float with giant bears, seahorses and seals. Glancy, who owns Earling Rohde Plumbing on La Jolla Boulevard, is marking his 26th year in the parade and his family’s 99th year in business. The Christmas tree lights will be turned on at 4:30 p.m., and Santa Claus will pose for photos at the subsequent holiday festival, which includes caroling and games, held at the La Jolla Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St. Food will not be served this year. The La Jolla Town Council is hosting the parade, which is an all-volunteer event that costs between $45,000 and $55,000 to stage. The town council is still trying to raise $7,000 in funds (visit www.ljparade.com). District 3 County Supervisor Pam Slater-Price provided the lion’s share of the donations with a $7,500 grant. La Valencia Hotel donated $5,000 and District 2 Councilman Kevin Faulconer brought in $2,000. “The vast majority of contributions come from local La Jollans in small amounts,” said parade chair Ann Kerr Bache, who has volunteered for the parade for the past 11 years. “We’re able to do it because of the hours the volunteers put in of their own time.” Marshalling the La Jolla heroes Every year the parade honors La Jollans as marshals, but this year rings in a new tradition wherein each school nominated a student to be named a Youth Marshal. The principal at Bird Rock Elementary chose Dominick Wallace as its youth marshal because of his exemplary leadership skills. Fifth-grader Wallace is president of the student council, which raises money for projects like additional bike racks and benches. Wallace also helps students cross the street each morning and afternoon as part of the safety patrol. Eleven-year-old David Bache — son of the parade chair, Ann Kerr Bache — was nominated for youth marshal by the La Jolla Town Council due to his work creating the Website for the parade, ljparade.com. This year’s Civic Marshal will be Deva Richards, who represents the La Jolla Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The parade committee chose Anne Otterson to act as Grand Marshal because of her compassion for others, in particular through her sponsoring of the Responsibility School for children who live in a dump in Tijuana. Founder of the school, David Lynch, will also ride alongside Otterson in a convertible. “[The parade committee] got together in early spring to discuss what we would like to highlight and decided that giving back to the community and service is a good thing to remember at Christmas,” Bache said about nominating Otterson for Grand Marshal. A La Jolla resident of 40 years, Otterson was born in Minnesota and spent 15 years in San Francisco. She attended LaVarenne Cooking School in Paris and later taught at the Perfect Pan School of Cooking in San Diego, where she solicited famous chefs like Jacques Pepin and Julia Child to visit. “I’m doing this only because they’re focusing on children,” Otterson said about the parade. “And they wanted the Responsibility School to have some recognition. And I’m a woman who lives in La Jolla. The honor really belongs to David and the children.” The Goodwill Marshals The parade also honors longtime La Jollans who have given back to the community, including: • Ginny Andrews and Aurelia Brown, who taught children and the blind how to swim in their backyard pool and later designed a swimming program for the YMCA in La Jolla. The Browns have lived in La Jolla for 50 years. • John and Virginia Andrews. John is a former insurance and real estate business owner. These days, he is famous for his prize-winning orchids and his support of the Torrey Pines Golf Club. John celebrates his 100th birthday in January. • Bill Gibbs, who first began teaching Air Force pilots how to fly in the late ’30s at what is now called Montgomery Field. Gibbs has become an iconic figure in the aviation community. He will turn 100 years old next year. Former Air Force pilot and retired Brigadier General Van Weegan will drive Gibbs during the parade. For more information, see the parade guide inside the Dec. 3 issue (pull-out section pages 7-10) or visit ljparade.com.