During the past few years, the pandemic and then the threat of the pandemic ruled all of our lives.
You could not go into a building without a mask, and crowds were discouraged. Not only did this leave people feeling down, but it hurt many businesses, especially small businesses in Burbank.
As the world slowly heals, the Magnolia Park Merchants Association knew it was time to give the businesses a shot of the vaccine, with the dose of medicine being to bring back Holiday in the Park this past Friday.
Besides the Merchants Association, the City of Burbank also stepped up to support the businesses and the community by helping defray some of the costs of putting on this mammoth operation. Not only were the logistics involved in lining up the events and entertainment by organizations, but the City was also there to help make the event safe with police and traffic controls.
A great deal of planning and execution went into the success of this event by Ashley Erikson (who also is a feature writer for myBurbank). When you think of the entirety of this event, with all the booths, food trucks, event planning, street shutdown, and security, it really was a huge undertaking that was pulled off without a flaw.
And the result?
Thousands of Burbank residents and families streamed out and celebrated everything that is Burbank. They renewed friendships with their neighbors and enjoyed all the sites and sounds. Ume Credit Union and Brad Korb stepped up like always and offered a Ferris Wheel along with some personal interaction with Santa for our younger residents. The line started early and did not end until the night was over.
And the entertainment offered was outstanding. Elevate Burbank, a new grassroots community started by Linda Bessin, supplied the stage and sound for acts like the Dolores Huerta Middle School Choir and other community organizations.
There was something for everyone. The Road Kings brought out an amazing selection of vehicles as they celebrated their anniversary. The police and fire departments had their antique vehicles along with some of today’s offerings.
Merchants had their doors open not only to try and sell some items but to welcome in the public so they could look around and come back again to buy some great merchandise.
We had a booth there ourselves and can not thank enough all the people who came up to say HI! This is even though we had no swag to give away! We promise to come up with something for next year! The comments were outstanding. One person was delighted with the night and said it was the best Holiday in the Park of all time. Hard to disagree with that.
All in all, it was a great night, and everyone celebrated the Burbank spirit.
We are glad that the City supported the event. This, the Burbank Rose Float and Burbank on Parade, are events that define our city. This was a great way to support the Magnolia Park businesses as well as many community organizations.
It was truly a night to remember, and we look forward to many more like it in the future.
