Photos by Daniel Deitch
Seasonal cheer — and even some flurries of snowflakes — filled the air along Riverside Drive on the evening of December 1 as community members celebrated Toluca Lake’s annual Holiday Open House. Local businesses opened their doors or set up booths on the sidewalks, offering an array of complimentary food and drink, giveaways, games and other entertainment, discounts on popular items, and festive photo opportunities with Bugs Bunny, the Grinch and, of course, Santa Claus.
With 2023 being Toluca Lake’s anniversary year, the traditional holiday event also doubled as a centennial party, inspiring organizers and participants to go all out in making it a memorable occasion. The merriment kicked off at the Celebration Stage with a program featuring a host of local leaders and luminaries, emceed by honorary mayor Fritz Coleman. Speakers included event chairs Craig Strong and Sheila Melody, Barbara and Kathleen Marshall of the Garry Marshall Theatre, and local resident and beloved radio personality Rick Dees. Past Chamber president and 60-year Toluca Lake resident Tim Hawkins shared some reminiscences about the neighborhood’s history, and proclamations commemorating the centennial were presented by L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Assemblymember Laura Friedman, former Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian, L.A. City Council President Paul Krekorian and a representative for Congressmember Tony Cárdenas. After highlighting community group leaders and giving a hearty thanks to the event’s sponsors, Coleman introduced actors Carolyn Hennesy, Patrika Darbo and Jeremy Miller as special guests, then led the countdown to the lighting of the Christmas tree. The program was followed by musical performances from the John Burroughs Muse Choir, the Toluca Lake Elementary School Spirit Squad and The Jingle Singers. A parade of dozens of classic cars down Riverside Drive, hosted by the Road Kings of Burbank, enhanced the sense of history and paid tribute to the long local tradition of Friday night car shows at nearby Bob’s Big Boy.
“As they say, it takes a village, which is true,” Toluca Lake Beautification Partners chair Ryan Altoon noted in his welcoming speech. As the event aptly demonstrated through its partnerships between the business community, civic organizations and residents, “it’s all the people here who care about Toluca Lake, that invest all their time, their resources, their ingenuity, that make this such a special place.”
“I think the beauty of Toluca Lake is, as we’re celebrating 100 years, we’re constantly celebrating new history every year,” Strong said, crediting the hard work of the many active community groups for making that possible. “We’re always creating new memories.”