La Jolla News Nuggets

Organ replacement

The Congregational Church of La Jolla is upgrading its organ to the tune of $43,000.

“We’re replacing mechanical things that are old enough that they make all kinds of noises if they work at all — with electromagnets that are silent,” said church organist Nina Gilbert, who said she couldn’t be happier.

“Switching from strings playing something to flutes playing something, you here a big thwack! in the process. Father, Son and the Holy thwack! while I’m trying to set up for something.”

Dale Sorenson of L.A. Blackinton & Associates Pipe Organ Builders of El Cajon will handle the revamp, which will also allow guest organists to set their own combinations of sound. (The current pre-sets have been locked into place since the 1980s.)

“We haven’t been able to invite guest organists to play until now,” Gilbert told the Light. “It would be like inviting a guest conductor to our orchestra without having any woodwinds there.”

Sunrise Rotary swim raises $3,500 for youth

The annual La Jolla Sunrise Rotary Club’s Litchfield Swim took place Sept. 5, raising $3,500 for San Pasqual Academy, a residential education center for foster youth in Escondido. The annual event honors Robert Litchfield, a former La Jolla High School teacher and Dawn Patrol swimmer who died of cancer in 2001.

“It is great to honor a dedicated humanitarian who gave so generously of his time and talents,” said La Jolla Sunrise Rotary Club president Mark Powell. “His inspirational teaching and compassion inspired thousands of students to become caring, considerate and contributing members of society.”

More than 40 swimmers, from their 20s to their 70s, made the mile-long round-strip swim from The Cove to La Jolla Shores.

Town Council won’t see you in September

The La Jolla Town Council has canceled its Thursday, Sept. 12 meeting, folding its agenda into the following meeting, which will take place 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10 at the Rec Center, 615 Prospect. St. That meeting’s topic will be “Living in a Hazard Zone.” (Disregard the listing in this week’s calendar, A14.)

Cable series spotlights La Jolla murder

The second season of the cable television series “Dirty John” will star actors Amanda Peet and Christian Slater as La Jolla resident Betty Broderick and her ill-fated husband Dan, whom she shot dead — along with his new wife (his former legal assistant Linda Kolkena) — on Nov. 5, 1989.

The series, which is currently filming, originally appeared on Bravo but has jumped to the USA network.

Broderick is serving 32-years-to-life at the California Institution for Women in Corona, from which she was denied parole in 2017.

Environmentalist group to encourage student walkout

Environmental activist group San Diego 350 says “an event” will be held sometime on Friday, Sept. 20 at La Jolla High School in conjunction with Global Climate Walkout, a worldwide effort to coax students out of their schools and adults away from their workplaces to demand more aggressive climate action from world governments.

When reached for comment, a school spokeperson said “it’s very possible,” but it would be a student-generated event and they didn’t have any information about it yet.

Another climate walkout is scheduled for UC San Diego’s Geisel Library, 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 27, according to San Diego 350. climatewalkoutsd.org

“There’s something on the order of 10 years left to turn around greenhouse gas emissions and start having an impact on climate change,” said San Diego 350 executive director Masada Disenhouse.

“Students realize that their futures are at stake, and they’re taking leadership on this because adults have basically failed them.”

On Sept. 10, after the Light went to press, San Diego Unified School District voted on whether to officially support the walkouts.

Rady health and fitness fair coming to La Jolla

The La Jolla auxiliary unit of Rady Children’s Hospital will hold its second beWELL Fitness Fair, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 29 at the La Jolla High School Stadium, 750 Nautilus St.

This family-friendly fundraiser features a fitness boot camp, yoga class, local vendors and live entertainment.

Net proceeds will benefit the new Copley Psychiatric Emergency Department and affiliate programs at Rady Children’s, the region’s first emergency facility dedicated to children experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis. The facility is scheduled to open in 2020.

“We want to help end the stigma around mental health care so that every child facing a crisis is able to receive the care they need,” said Mary Stopler, co-chair of Rady Children’s Hospital La Jolla auxiliary unit.

The fair is $20 for adults, $10 for ages 13-18; free for those under age 12. bewellfitnessfair.com

— Compiled by Corey Levitan from local reports