Saturday night, Fresno’s Christmas tree lane opened for its 90th time. Thousands of people turned out to the Old Fig Neighborhood for walk night, covering a 2-mile stretch of Van Ness Blvd.
Christmas carolers set the mood and dazzling lights provided the entertainment.
“It's a great family atmosphere and I enjoy being out here with my son. I enjoying seeing his eyes and how he takes part in what goes on out here,” said Angel Hernandez, a visitor.
We found a mother and son dressed in lights, who looked as festive as some of the yard displays.
“We just decided we wanted to do something different. So we thought, why can't we wear the lights? We get compliments every year. Everybody says where did you get it? We say Wal Mart or Target for $8,” said Chris and Charles McKinney.
This is a great place to create memories for the scrapbook. For the Vera family, it’s a holiday tradition.
“I love this place. It's awesome how it's decorated,” said Geffin Vera.
“It's real cool and there's nowhere else like this,” said Riley Vera.
Last year, two gangs got into a fist fight on walk night which ended with a 17-year old being stabbed. As a security precaution, close to 50 Fresno Police officers and sheriff's deputies were on hand tonight.
“There’s a lot of area in here. It's probably a good mile. There are a lot of dark areas and we want people to feel safe. If you come out here, it may not look like there are a lot of officers, but there is,” said Sgt. Joshua McCahill of the Fresno Co. Sheriff's Dept.
“That’s great. It makes me feel more secure as well as everybody else,” said Hernandez.
There will be another walk night coming up on Tuesday, December 11th. It will run from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
