Holiday Cheer

Dr. Suess lived in San Diego. Apparently, now that he is gone, the Grinch has stayed behind to stir up trouble. This past weekend the annual event now billed as Holiday at the Park or something like that, formerly known as Christmas on the Prado, was held.

For those of you unfamiliar with Southern California and/or this event, it has been held for upteen years and has always been well attended and a success. Two years ago, the group running it committed a tragic sin. They failed to raise enough money to pay for the event and didn't really tell anyone about the problem until one day when they surprised the city by announcing that the event was cancelled due to a $70,000 shortfall in fundraising. Immediately companies offered the required sum but the group said it was too late. They had already told the entertainers that they were free to go elsewhere.

Long story short, the city stepped in, un-cancelled the event and everything was wonderful.

This problem apparently led to some changes in the organization operating the event and now a big corporate sponsor provides most of the funding. This year it was the Indian Casinos and it will probably remain them for some time. Shortly the name will be the Celebration of the Casinos at the Park but that will take a few years.

I don't think I went to the event last year but this year we got the gang together and ventured forth. One means of entering the Park is to cross a bridge from 6th avenue over the 163. This is an older bridge with 2 lanes for cars (one each way) and sidewalks on each side.

In previous years the bridge was simply a means of eggress. This year they put restaurant tents on the bridge and sold tickets to get samples from the tents. This act eliminated about 1/4 of the bridges width. Now add in several thousand people trying to cross the bridge to get into the park and long lines stretching out from the tents and you suddenly find the bridge locked in gridlock.

Never mind the idiots who decide they need to cover up their young children who are riding in strollers so they stop, turn the stroller sideways across the bridges and then stand in front if it trying to get out a blanket which they then can't seem to fasten around the child adequately. I guess my next topic will be inconsiderate idiots in busy, crowded areas.

This food sample idea is actually a smashingly successful fundraiser for the San Diego Zoo. Their event gets VERY crowded as well. The organizers of Holiday in the Park had to be up to their idiotic standards of two years prior to think putting the tents on the bridge was a good idea. Further, by stealing the idea from the zoo they take one more step towards homogenizing all the events in San Diego, after all, who wants anything unique.

This event has always been crowded, the international houses have always sold food from thier respective countries to raise funds and the lines have always been crazy. There was some attempts to shift some of the country vendors out of the houses and into other areas of the park, I highly commend these attempts as they seemes to lessen the crowds in the houses.

I dealt with the crowds in the past but can't stand the bridge impasse. Like many events it has become a victim of it's own success and I don't anticipate that I will be attending very often in the future. My kids might want the experience when they grow up but until then I can make my own Irish Stew and Swedish Meatballs.