LIGHTED DISPLAYS CAST GLOW.Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer By all indications, the holiday spirit is in full swing throughout Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , and true to form, the city of lights, camera and action is turning up the wattage wattage the output or consumption of an electric device expressed in watts. this season. ``There are plenty of lights, which is something we don't have back home,'' said Kathy Charles, a native of Melbourne, Australia on vacation in Los Angeles. ``Australia is not as extravagant as here. Here people go full out, putting lights all over their houses and tree trunks.'' Festive frills Frills see frilled. are everywhere, from the Christmas wreaths planted front and center on the grills of trucks and cars to the imaginative light displays on homes throughout the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large public park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. It is situated in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers 4,210 acres (17 km²) of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America. went the extra mile this year for its 100th anniversary by kicking off a light extravaganza Saturday. In what officials say is one of the biggest displays of holiday lights in the western United States Noun 1. western United States - the region of the United States lying to the west of the Mississippi River West Santa Fe Trail - a trail that extends from Missouri to New Mexico; an important route for settlers moving west in the 19th century , a million lights dispersed throughout 20 seasonal scenes transformed a milelong stretch of the park into a colorful festival. The Centennial Festival of Lights, a gift to Los Angeles from the Department of Water and Power, is open free to the public from 5:30 to 10 p.m. nightly through Christmas Eve. In Northridge, the Toys for Tots Toys For Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which donates toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. The program was founded in 1947 by Major Bill Hendricks. Winter Wonderland holiday display set up at the home of Scott and Sandy Des Marteau features more than 180,000 lights, a mechanical Ferris wheel Ferris wheel, amusement park ride. It consists of a power-operated wheel that is about 50 ft (15 m) in diameter. It has two rims that are parallel to and equidistant from the shaft about which the wheel rotates. , and a display of more than a dozen characters. The light extravaganza is one of the Valley's largest holiday displays and comes complete with Christmas sing-along videos and new characters Buzz Lightyear from the movie ``Toy Story'' and Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan This article is about the former basketball player. For other uses, see Michael Jordan (disambiguation). Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. who star in the film ``Space Jam.'' The Des Marteau home, at 18900 San Jose St., is also an official drop-off point for Toys for Tots. Spectators can deliver toys and enjoy the colorful display from 6 p.m. to midnight daily. Elsewhere, the holiday shopping crunch packed malls and craft shows throughout the Valley, leaving some shoppers with headaches and big bills. But for Judith Collins of West Hills, her shopping spree put her in the spirit. ``I just like everything about Christmas because everybody is usually happier. I love the music. I love everything about it - it's the holidays,'' Collins said. Even after spending the day at Disney's massive craft show in Burbank, it was with feverish enthusiasm that Collins descended on the Festival of Arts and Crafts arts and crafts, term for that general field of applied design in which hand fabrication is dominant. The term was coined in England in the late 19th cent. as a label for the then-current movement directed toward the revivifying of the decorative arts. in Woodland Hills at sunset to sort through the Christmas ornaments. ``I've gone to 20 craft shows since Thanksgiving - it's like a compulsion,'' Collins admitted, as she inspected an angel ornament. ``I just love Christmas shopping; I'm like a little kid. My trunk is full, but I have to stop shopping for myself and get to the nitty-gritty.'' Vendor Judy Atkins had just about sold out on the Christmas decorations in her craft tent and attributed the increase in sales to the improving economy. ``There's a lot of business this year compared to last year,'' said Atkins, who had donned a Santa cap and passed out candy canes to her customers. ``It seems that money is flowing better. The economy has made it easier.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1) Children play in the simulated snow made of foam at the Griffith Park Centennial Festival of Lights. (2) Thousands of lights form a tunnel at the entrance to the milelong display open nightly through Dec. 24. David R. Crane/Daily News |
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