| The
87th Annual Christmas Tree Lane
 |
 See
the photos from 2005 |
|
| Dates |
Dec.
5 - Dec. 26, 2009 |
Walk
Nights
(No vehicles allowed) |
Dates
to come |
| Hours |
Su
- Th, 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Fr - Sa, 6 p.m. - 11 p.m. |
| Donations
benefit the lighting, refurbishment and maintenance
of Christmas Tree Lane and help Tree Fresno, our
non-profit partner. Christmas Tree Lane is a non-profit
event that depends on donations from the community. |
Thanks
to our prior partners who worked behind the scenes
to make Christmas Tree Lane happen:
- Fresno
City Police Department
- Assistance
League of Fresno
- The
California Highway Patrol
- Cocola
Broadcasting
- The
Fig Garden Homeowners Association
- Fresno
City Council Member Henry T. Perea
- The
Fresno County Sheriff's Department
- Fresno
High Marching Band
- Fresno
State Marching Band
- Fresno
State Softball Team
- International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 100
- Lane
Coordinator Dean Alexander
- Tree
Fresno
|
Rules
Walk
Nights belong to walkers only. On
those days, Van Ness Boulevard is closed to vehicles
from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Tree
Fresno will be providing bus rides from
the north east section of Fig Garden Village in the Financial
Center area for the two walk nights. For more information
regarding the bus service, please contact Tree Fresno
at 559.221.5556. All the other December days are open
to vehicle traffic.
The
lane tour of old-fashioned displays is free. Donations
are appreciated along the lane to help pay the cost of
installing the lights along county property, which takes
three months of professional labor by a hard-working guy
named Shawn Caglia. The non-profit lane project is supported
by contributions.
What
is it?
On
the opening night of Christmas Tree Lane, which is located
on Van Ness Blvd between Shields Ave and Shaw Ave in Fresno,
California, millions of lights are turned on at 6:00
p.m. and remain lit until 10:00 p.m. Some 140 homes and
300 trees are decorated and the display spans nearly two
miles. The free event is sponsored by the Fig Garden Homeowners
Association.
Drivers
access Christmas Tree Lane from Shields and drive north
to Shaw.
Holiday
Hours
From
6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday. From 6 p.m. to 11
p.m. Friday and Saturday. During these times, traffic on
Van Ness is northbound only.
Facts
- Christmas
Tree Lane celebrates its 87th anniversary in 2009, making
it one of the longest-running holiday events nationwide.
- It
began in 1920 with the decoration of a single tree in
the memory of a child who died. The lane went dark in
1941 [wartime restrictions] and 1973 [energy crisis].
- The
lane has made the Washington Post as a holiday tradition.
- Lane
coordinators have improved energy efficiency with better
wiring, cutting power requirements by nearly 50 percent
over the past eight years.
- More
than 100,000 people visit Christmas Tree Lane each year.
|
