Toys

GLENDALE — Guadalupe Herrera, his wife and three children were considering leaving California to look for cheaper housing and jobs until they got a generous donation Thursday from the Glendale Police Department. In the spirit of Christmas and the season of giving, the department gave the Glendale family clothes, toys and shoes and will be delivering a futon bed and two nightstands next week. For Herrera, the donations — given through the police department’s Cops 4 Kids program — were a ray of hope in the family’s grim reality that was plagued with poverty.

Burbank resident Scott Wilkinson put on a Santa Claus costume and performed holiday songs Sunday with about 250 other tuba, sousaphone and euphonium players at the Alex Theatre for the annual Merry Tuba Christmas event. He has been playing the tuba for 40 years and has performed with the Merry Tuba Christmas Los Angeles group for 25 years. “The camaraderie of tuba players is second to none,” he said. “The sound of a bunch of tubas is so mellow.” Wilkinson and the other musicians played Hanukkah songs and traditional Christmas songs, such as “Silent Night,” “Adeste Fideles” and “Jingle Bells.

Children sitting on their parents’ shoulders waved and yelped gleefully Friday night as the festively decorated Metrolink Holiday Toy Express rolled into Burbank and Glendale, bringing with it some visitors from the North Pole. The 450-ton train was decked out in more than 50,000 twinkling lights and nine animated reindeer heads that talked and sang holiday music. Despite the chilly weather, hundreds of people went to both train stops to get a glimpse of the brightly lit train and watched a free holiday show featuring a singing “Santa hog” and holiday carolers.

Monte Vista Elementary students proved that charity begins at home by donated 3,000 cans of food on Nov. 25 to the Crescenta Valley Sheriff Volunteers Toy and Food Drive. For eight years the school has been a strong supporter of the drive that helps feed families in need throughout the foothills. The large donation was collected in only 10 days, with each classroom participating. ?It is pretty impressive that such young kids take advantage of the opportunity to help other kids,?

Christmas toy donations began pouring in Thursday night at the New Horizons Family Center. Community members carried unwrapped toys that will be donated to needy Glendale children for the holidays. Mae Abouchakra, Glendale Latino Assn. director, donated a game of “Go Fish” and a Strawberry Shortcake doll set Thursday at the “Gifts on the Horizon” event, kicking off the 14th annual Toy Donation and Volunteer Drive. Donating toys keeps “the Christmas spirit alive for children whose parents can’t afford toys,” she said.

It seems as though everyone wants a piece of the midway this year. Last week, the “Simpsons’ Ride” at Universal Studios Hollywood was reviewed, and now it’s Disneyland’s new midway-style attraction, Toy Story Mania! On June 17, the Disneyland Resort unveiled its most technologically advanced attraction yet. It is at Disney’s California Adventure, under the California Screamin’ roller coaster. Toy Story Mania! is a 4-D ride where guests are shrunk down to the size of a toy and ride vehicles situated back-to-back with mini cannons on the front of each side and 3-D glasses in hand.

Susan Fuller was like many shoppers on Friday at the grand opening for Babies ?R? Us on Los Feliz Boulevard. The expectant mother slowly pushed a cart of baby clothes and accessories down narrow aisles, as she eyed shelves stocked with strollers, furniture and other items. ?I used to have to go to the Van Nuys [Babies ?R? Us] one to get all this stuff, but it?s much more convenient coming here,? said Fuller, a Glendale resident. ?I?ve been very impressed with them. The selection is smaller, but hands-down they have the best customer service.

Kindergartners at Valley View Elementary School went shopping for toys on Thursday, and they didn?t have to leave their classroom to buy what they wanted. Students went to a makeshift general store in the center of the classroom where a set of toys and a cash register awaited. There, they sat with volunteer Mary Empey, who taught students about money, its value and how to count out change. ?Everybody at the table, find 40 cents,? Empey instructed. Students looked for the change in the container they each received, which contained quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies.