San Dimas kicked off the holiday season on Saturday evening as many residents lined up on Bonita Avenue for the city’s annual Holiday Extravaganza, a hometown tradition filled with festivity and community pride.
This year’s parade consisted of a wide range of groups: performers and local organizations. As soon as it kicked off, crowds roared and cheered as local clubs passed by, including the Shooting Stars dance team, Girl Scouts, City Council representatives, and companies such as Raging Waters. All while this took place, sheriffs controlled the route, while more youth groups, clubs, businesses, and nonprofits joined. Near the end, the San Dimas High School dance team made one of the last appearances, just before the man, the myth, the legend – Santa Claus himself – closed out the parade as the grand finale.
After the parade, Bonita Avenue opened back up with the streets filled with vendors. There were booths lined up on both sides of the road. They offered everything from handcrafted goods to holiday trinkets. Shoppers browsed around art, crocheted clothing, custom bags, and fun 3-D printed figures.
As usual, food stands were flooded. The aroma of grilled kabobs, tacos, hot dogs, pizza, mac n cheese, French Fries, and wings filled the air. There were also savory homemade desserts, Tanghulu, and hot chocolate to stay warm and cozy as temperatures dropped. For those of age, people lined up for beer and chugged the night away. The best memories were being made and they were paired with the best food.
Christopher Wilson – a father accompanied by his wife and two children – said, “Man I’m having a blast, it’s a great time to be spending tonight with my family. It’s really festive and we’re all enjoying it.”
Aside from all the stands and vendors, families swarmed meet-and-greets for special guests: Santa and the Grinch. The lines were long, yet people kept on tagging along. Once people got to the front of the line, Santa and the Grinch welcomed them with open arms and had silly little interactions with them while taking pictures.
In the midst of it all, the center of attention was the massive Christmas tree that illuminated with bright lights, casting its warm aura across downtown. Right across the tree was the concert that brought live music, encapsulating the festive atmosphere with a huge crowd cheering and singing along. The streets of San Dimas are filled with joy and excitement, with everyone proclaiming Christmas cheer and are all looking forward to the holiday season.
