Primary sponsor
Snow was falling and carolers dressed like Dickens’ characters were singing Satuday night at the first Arcadia’s Best Foundation’s Downtown Christmas Market, which continues again this Saturday, Dec. 14, from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
The event on First Avenue, which is closed off between Huntington Drive and Wheeler Avenue, is sponsored primarily by Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, with Forest Lawn also a major sponsor, among others.
Sponsor
Attendees on the first weekend enjoyed all manner of offerings from more than 40 food and retail vendors offering delicious and exotic foods and desserts and unique gift items as rockabilly music filled the air.
Children played on inflatable slides and jumpers amidst the blowing snowflakes and posed for photos with carolers and a life-size mechanical singing Santa in front of the Arcadia Shoe Repair.
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Lending additional support to the first-ever European-style Christmas Market in Arcadia is the City of Arcadia, Matt Denny’s Ale House Restaurant, NAI Capital’s Marie Taylor and Dan Bacani, Attorney at Law April A. Verlato, and Arcadia Downtown Business Assocation.
The festive Christmas environment, including lighted palm trees, blowing snow, and projected snowflakes on buildings and the street is created by Wayne Tay with the support of Town & Country Event Rentals & Services.
The event is produced by Family Festival Productions, which also produces the weekly popular Family Fun Nights in Monrovia.
Local vendors on First Avenue with booths at the Market included The Book Rack, 1st Avenue Salon, Robusto Cigars, and VJ’s Auto Service, the latter offering free cinammon-spiced hot cider. 24 Hour Fitness and Spa Xanadu were also in attendance.
Expected new vendors this week will feature special gift items from local merchants such as bicycles and related gear from Helen’s Cycles, elegant collectibles by Christine’s Gifts & Collectibles, Magnolia, and Pok-A-Dots, the latter also offering all manner of Santa costumes.
Edible Arrangements on Foothill Boulevard will also offer holiday gift creations, as will deCroupet’s the Cake Sisters, and Majestic Design Florists (MD’s).
Among the additional local food vendors over the next two Saturdays are expected to be Claro’s Italian Market and the new Korean Hot and Sweet Chicken, both on Huntington Drive, with Stacked Sandwich staying open late on the same block as the Market.
Volunteers for Arcadia’s Best Foundation sold more than 60 cups of hot cider, hot chocolate, and coffee for only $1 per cup last Saturday. Serenading attendees last weekend was a professional quartet of Christmas Carolers who perform at The Grove and the Americana at Brand called Southen California Entertainment and Musical Concepts.
The Christmas Market, patterned after the centuries-old annual Christmas Markets in Europe that have recently become enormously popular in North American cities such as New York, Chicago and Vancouver, will showcase the plethora of services available within walking distance in Downtown Arcadia, all of which continue to be open for business during construction of the much-anticipated Gold Line light rail line to be ready for riders in 2016.
In addition to responding to the request of local merchants to spearhead a street market during construction work – the Gold Line Construction Authority is the primary backer of the Christmas Market — the Authority has also funded a new Visitors map for Downtown Arcadia featuring ads funded by the Gold Line for many local businesses, hung banners in the construction area to remind drivers that businesses remain open during construction, and has arranged for a valet service on Huntington Drive this month to offset the temporary reduction of parking spaces behind Matt Denny’s Ale House & Restaurant.
Work is well underway on the train bridge over Santa Anita Avenue, the crossing gate at the location of the station at First Avenue and Santa Clara Street, and is just beginning on the widening of the tracks behind the shops on the north side of Huntington Drive and the bridge over Huntington Drive at Second Avenue.
Plenty of free parking for the Christmas Market is available in several public lots off of Wheeler Avenue east and west of First Ave. Attendees should enter Wheeler from Santa Anita Ave. or Second Ave.
Publicity and coverage of the event has already been strong. In addition to articles, e-newsletters, calendar listings, and Facebook and Twitter postings from ArcadiasBest.com and the non-profit ArcadiasBestFoundation.org, the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce has done the same on the web, social media and e-newsletters; the Gold Line Construction Authority has sent e-mail blasts and posted on the Metro’s I Will Ride Facebook page; the City of Arcadia has posted Tweets; and the Arcadia Police Department and Arcadia Unified School District have shared Facebook postings.
Arcadia Weekly ran the media release in their publication on Thursday, and Arcadia Patch ran the Gold Line’s media release Friday and has tonight’s event posted on their calendar.
About Arcadia’s Best Foundation
Arcadia’s Best Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community events organization dedicated to creating events and experiences that bring te community together.
About Forest Lawn
For more than a century, Forest Lawn has been an integral part of Southern California. Since its founding, Forest Lawn has committed itself to providing outstanding service and beautiful environments for family outings, remembering loved ones, and commemorating holidays. Our locations in the Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties, as well as the Coachella Valley, serve all faiths and cultures, and offer a wide range of memorial services.
Whether you are planning how to help your loved ones remember you, memorializing someone special in your life, or enjoying holiday events like Easter or Memorial Day, Forest Lawn invites you to come see all Forest Lawn has to offer.
The company is preparing to open its first office in Arcadia on Huntington Drive in January.
About April A. Verlato
April Verlato specializes in auto/motorcycle accidents, wrongful death, wills, trusts, and probate, Her office is at 33 E. Huntington Drive where she is also one of the leaders of the recently created Community Benefits District to revive the Arcadia Downtown area centered at First and Huntington.
– By Scott Hettrick