P A R A M O U N T
Serving the Community Since 1990
Holidays Bring a Warm, Enchanting Glow to Paramount
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Crews from Paramount’s Public Works Department traverse the City every year setting up holiday decorations to brighten the season.
he holidays are in full swing in Paramount. As is the case every year, the City goes all out with festive touches to brighten the landscape in that traditional way. And it’s a practice that dates back many years. A front page story in the Hynes Journal from Dec. 22, 1932, noted that “Colored Lights Are Now Ablaze On Paramount.” It explained that, for the first time, the Chamber of Commerce had gathered
December 2008 Business Card Directory .........12-13 Business Corner ................... 11 Cityscape ............................. 15 Help wanted .......................... 8 Mayors Corner ....................... 3 Members Only...................... 14 New Members ................ 10, 11 On Patrol ............................... 4 PEP ........................................ 7 Service Clubs........................ 13
local businesses to pay into a fund to string the decorative lights along the area’s main boulevard. These days, there is quite a bit of sparkling going on in town. Many of the ficus trees that green up our traffic medians are draped with atmospheric lights – 2,500 bulbs in all. (Local color also comes from 140 seasonal banners hung along Paramount and Alondra boulevards.) Around City Hall, 42 palms in the Civic Center Gardens are each wrapped in 200 red and green lights for a grand total of 8,400 dots of happy illumination. A wall of City Hall features the largest wreath in town, at 12-feet in diameter. Across Paramount Boulevard at the Pond, the City’s Holiday Tree welcomed thousands of residents and friends last week for the milestone 10th year of its lighting ceremony. (About 5,000 cookies and cups of hot cocoa were handed out to the crowd.) A chorus of oohs and ahhs filled the plaza – after an evening full of musical and dancing entertainment – when the tree’s 3,000 lights were switched on, lending their radiance to the 500 ornaments that share the branches, in a dramatic kick-off to the season.
Paramount Chamber of Commerce
PULSE BEAT
15357 Paramount Boulevard, Paramount, CA 90723
Along with the decorations, of course, the City produces holiday events that everyone looks forward to each year. Already mentioned here was the Tree Lighting Ceremony. Coming up December 8-11 is the Santa Express Christmas Train, which travels throughout town, making 60 stops in every neighborhood to the delight of kids and grown-ups alike.
Then, on Saturday, December 13, Santa will again show up, this time at Paramount Park for his Breakfast and Snow Day. For more details about these events, please refer to the Mayor’s Corner column in this issue. You can also call (562) 220-2121. And everyone have a safe and happy holiday season! BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 4 PARAMOUNT, CA 90723