The City of Arcadia’s annual free Holiday Snow festival, featuring sledding and playing on real snow, and breakfast with Santa for $8 per ticket, will be Saturday, Dec. 3 at the Arcadia Community Center, 365 Campus Drive.

The Holiday Snow Festival, which runs free to the public from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., features holiday entertainment, crafts, trolley train rides, dual sled runs and two snow play areas (see highlight videos from previous years below). Carl’s Jr. food and drinks will be available for purchase from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (More information about Santa breakfast and parking below videos…)

Santa will only be present at the Breakfast with Santa event, which is $8 per person and includes breakfast, photos with Santa and holiday entertainment. There are two options for breakfast: 8:30-9:30 a.m. (#6096) or 10:30-11:30 a.m. (#6097). Space is limited. Registrations are now being accepted at the City of Arcadia’s website (download the registration form) or stop by the office, 375 Campus Drive.
Free parking is available at the Centennial Way Entrance to Santa Anita Race Track. There will be shuttle service to transport participants to and from the Community Center from 8 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. In the event of rain, the Snow Festival will be held Saturday, December 10th. For more information please call 626.574.5113.
– By Scott Hettrick

Westfield Santa Anita begins weekly free outdoor movies on Wednesday nights from July 13th-August 17th.
There will be pre-show entertainment and activities with Radio Disney at 6 p.m. followed by movies starting at dusk. There will also be exclusive dining discounts and fabulous prizes.
Movies begin at dusk.

* July 13th Shrek (PG)
* July 20th Yogi Bear (PG)
* July 27th Shark Tale (PG)
* August 3rd Tangled (PG)
* August 10th Toy Story (G)
* August 17th High School Musical 2 (G)

Titles subject to change. Log onto westfield.com for more event information.

Frequently Asked Questions

What: Family Flicks are weekly outdoor movie screenings at the Promenade Shops.

Where: The Promenade, 2nd level outside of Macy’s.  Located off Baldwin Ave.

When: Wednesdays, July 13th through August 17th.  Preshow entertainment with the Radio Disney Street Team begins at 6pm. Movies begin at dusk (approx. 8pm).

How much does it cost?  Free to Westfield customers.

How will the films be shown? We project our movies through a high quality, digital rear projection system onto a 16′ x 9′ screen.

What time should I arrive? As seating is limited, it is suggested that you arrive well before the screening begins. You can arrive as early as 5 p.m.  Westfield will provide seating, but remember space is limited and offered on a first come, first serve basis.

What happens if it rains? We hope for no rain, however if rain or high winds occur, we are unable to screen the movie outdoors and we will do our best to reschedule that film.

Where can I park? There is plenty of complimentary parking available in the Promenade subterranean parking garage between Nordstrom and Macy’s on the southwest side of the property.

What food, beverages, and merchandise will be available? Westfield will have a brochure with discounts to the Food Court, selected restaurants and eateries.

What items are not permitted? Alcoholic beverages and smoking are prohibited.

What are the seating arrangements? Westfield will provide padded folding chairs in the event area along with limited bean bags for the children. No outside seating is permitted in the event area. (i.e. folding chairs, lawn chairs, etc.)

What if I am planning to come with a large group? We are not able to reserve space for groups. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Where are the restrooms? The restrooms are located on The Promenade near California Pizza Kitchen.

It’s been almost three weeks since the County closed the pool at Arcadia Park but even as the summer is winding down officials still have no information as to when it might re-open.

Tony Bell, assistant chief deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, told ArcadiasBest.com today that there is “no info” about re-opening the pool even though there are only about three weeks left for summer student swimming, including those who had several weeks of unfinished swimming classes. He offered no timetable or even how many more days kids and parents could expect the pool to remain closed at a minimum.

The Arcadia Park pool and most others in the County were ordered closed after an excess of chlorine made its way into the pool at Arcadia Park on July 19, causing the pool to be evacuated and 34 kids between the ages of 6-11 to be decontaminated, 17 of which were hospitalized, none of which suffered serious injuries.

– By Scott Hettrick

When’s the last time you could go see a free movie at the mall, especially with pre-show entertainment included?
Westfield Santa Anita is making that happen every Wednesday evening for six weeks this summer with “Free Family Flicks on the Promenade” starting at 6 p.m. this Tuesday, June 23 and extended through Friday, Sept. 1.

Classic family PG-rated movies will be shown free preceded by a Radio Disney pre-show.

Special discounts and promotions tied to the movie nights will also be available, and Westfield Santa Anita is also offering a $500 Westfield shopping spree to guests who enter the contest — no purchase required.

The schedule:
•    June 23 – “Kung Fu Panda”
•    June 30 – “Bee Movie”
•    July 7 – “The Wizard of Oz”
•    July 14 – “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
•    July 21 – “Madagascar”
•    July 28 – “Happy Feet”

• August 4 – “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” (PG)
• August 11 – “Astro Boy” (PG)
• August 18 – “Toy Story” (G)
• August 25 – “Up” (PG)
• September 1st – Your Choice

“It’s a pleasure to provide great entertainment for the entire community,” said Amanda Glover, Director of Marketing for Westfield Santa Anita. “There’s something special about watching a movie outdoors, under the stars, surrounded by the center’s beautiful landscaping.”

– By Scott Hettrick

Bryan Wen, John Greenwood, Lee Hollman and Pieroro Santoro, will represent the City of Arcadia in the “Mayor’s Cup” pool tournament against other players in the city.

L-to-r: Bryan Wen, John Greenwood, Lee Hollman, Pieroro Santoro

The four men were winners of the City of Arcadia Senior Services Division’s senior pool tournament May 25 at the Arcadia Community Center. The tournament was held in preparation for the San Gabriel Valley Senior Center Tournament, which is set for Thursday, June 24th in the City of La Puente.

For more information about the tournament or the upcoming Valley tournament, please contact Arcadia Senior Services at 626.574.5130.