Senior Staff Writer

Arroyo Grande residents Jim and Anya Bergman will take a back seat to Santa Claus during the annual Village Christmas Parade this Sunday.

But for the Bergmans, who have been named parade grand marshals, playing second string to the jolly, fat man in a red suit isn't going to be a problem.

“Santa is a big deal,” Jim Bergman said with a hearty chuckle about not leading the parade, which will instead be led by Santa.

Bergman, an assistant planner for the city of Arroyo Grande, has participated in the parade in the past with the Arroyo Grande Valley Kiwanis Club, but he's never been at the center of the festivities, until now.

“It's very exciting,” Bergman said about being named grand marshal along with his wife. “It's a huge honor for us. We feel like this is our home. We're going to be here forever.”

He added the community spirit present in the Village is what drives him to generously give back to his community and help make it the best it can be.

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The Bergmans have lived in Arroyo Grande for less than a decade - they moved to the county in late 2000 to complete master's degree programs at Cal Poly - but it seems fitting they've been named parade grand marshals.

The couple, who were married in 2003, are very community-minded and spend a lot of their free time giving back to the place they call home and they people who live there.

Bergman is a member of the Arroyo Grande Valley Kiwanis Club and co-chair of Arroyo Grande in Bloom, a community project aimed at sprucing up the city and its historic Village. He also volunteers with the South County Historical Society.

Anya, an academic adviser at Cal Poly, also occasionally volunteers with the Arroyo Grande in Bloom in project, and helps with the Cal Poly student club Latinos in Agriculture.

During the summer months, Bergman helps local students rebuild tractors that are entered in the annual J.B. Dewar Tractor Restoration Contest at the Mid-State Fair. Anya also often helps her husband with the restoration work.

“We really enjoy (our volunteer work),” Bergman said. “If you support the community, the community will support you back.”

He added, “The holiday season is about giving back and thinking of others. The parade is a way to extend that.”

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The Bergmans met more than 10 years ago in Ojai, Anya's hometown. Jim, who's originally from Lakewood, was working as a paramedic there, and Anya was working as a cashier in a small grocery store.

They attended community college together, and then transferred to California State University, Chico, where they earned degrees in political science.

Bergman joked that the couple moved to San Luis Obispo County to attend Cal Poly so they could earn degrees that would land them jobs.

During their studies at Cal Poly, Anya interned at the university and Jim interned with the city of Arroyo Grande. Both internships turned into full-time jobs, and Bergman has been working for the city for almost four years.

“It worked out perfect,” he said.

With the title of Village Christmas Parade grand marshals now under their belts, Bergman also joked that the next step for the couple is to be named grand marshal of the city's annual Harvest Festival.

“Maybe in another 30 years,” he said with a big laugh.

Senior staff writer April Charlton can be reached at acharlton

@santamariatimes.com.

More parades on the way

This weekend's parade

in Arroyo Grande rings in

the holiday parade season, with more Christmas cheer scheduled to march through several communities in

December.

Future parades include the Santa Maria Parade of Lights, Grover Beach Holiday Parade and Solvang Winterfest, all set for Dec. 1; Lompoc's Christmas parade on Dec. 7; and Orcutt's and Guadalupe's parades on Dec. 8.

November 24, 2007