Press Coverage

Record crowds

Fresno Bee
December 12, 2005

A cold and hard rain battered the participation of walkers on opening night of Christmas Tree Lane on Dec. 1. But the second -- and final -- walk night of the year, held on Dec. 7, shattered all attendance expectations.

The Fresno Police Department told us that the walk night crowd was the largest since the walking tradition began more than a decade ago. An estimated 25,000 walkers journeyed the two-mile span of Van Ness Boulevard in Fresno's Old Fig Garden neighborhood. It was more than double the usual attendance.

Our thanks to families from throughout the Valley and the mountain communities, not to mention San Francisco and Monterey, who came to celebrate. Thousands of people waited patiently and graciously for buses to carry them to the start of the lane. The wait was longer than expected and the scene was just plain crazy.

We are grateful for the support of our efforts to keep the tradition alive.

Dean Alexander,
Christmas Tree Lane Coordinator
Fresno

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