Michelle daMotta of Burbank and her husband, Ronnie daMotta along with their son Christiano, 5, and daughter Dominique, 12, came to Magnolia Park to share in the revelry of free food, gift items, bands and other entertainment.
“We come every year,” Michelle daMotta said. “Honey, why do we keep coming back to this?” she asked her husband as he wrangled their son outside an antique store.
“We’re Burbankians,” Ronnie daMotta said.
“That’s what Burbankians do.”
Hundreds of Burbank residents and visitors to the city meandered up and down the sidewalks Friday evening with their maps of the street in hand.
The event was set up as an exploration of the shopping area. Patrons received a pamphlet with 10 boxes reserved for stamps from different businesses on the street.
At the end of the night, people with 10 stamps on their pamphlet could enter a raffle for free goodies.
But free food was in high supply at the Holiday in the Park.
Michelle daMotta said the free food was a draw for the family every year along with the community closeness of seeing friends and co-workers out and about on the street.
People ate cotton candy, chips, chocolates and cookies given out by the businesses on the street.
Porto’s Bakery provided free pastries and coffee to customers.
The line around the Magnolia Boulevard location of the popular Cuban eatery went around the block as people waited for their sample of something sweet.
Next to the Autobooks-Aerobooks store, an ice sculpture artist took a chain saw to blocks of frozen water, shaping them while children lined up to frost and decorate their own cupcakes.
“This is a good family night,” said Leane Hepburn of Glendale. “Safe, fun, lots for the kids to see and eat.”
She came to the Holiday in the Park with her two children, Hope, 2, and Xander, 3.
The children sat, cupcakes in hand, icing on faces, in a double stroller while Hepburn watched the ice artist.
“This is very generous of everybody,” Hepburn said. “My kids will be on a sugar high for a week.”
