Montrose, the Heart of the Crescenta Valley

Every community has a heartbeat, a gathering place so to speak that truly represents what the area is all about. And in the Crescenta Valley, that is Montrose.

With our delightful tree-lined streets, wonderful shops and delicious restaurants it is like stepping back in time. When you walk through the town you are reminded of the days when you met at the counter of the local soda shop, walked your mail down to the post office and shopped at the general store for all of your needs. It speaks to an era when life was less hectic and moved at a friendlier pace. This is what you will find when you “Come Home To Montrose.”

And our beautiful town shines its brightest during the holidays. It is so heartwarming to walk down the streets under the trees that are lit up like a picture postcard. Montrose speaks of tradition, family and community. That’s why we kick off the season with the annual tree lighting ceremony followed by a hometown Christmas parade. This Saturday marks the 41st Annual Montrose Christmas Parade. This parade represents the values of our town. This hometown tradition is a family-focused parade with more than 150 community service and youth groups, drill teams and bands from the surrounding cities participating.

Little known facts: it is the third longest running parade in LA, it is one of only 10 nighttime parades in LA and boasts one of the largest number of participants in a parade in LA. Pretty great for a small town! But the absolute favorite part is  looking to the sky at the start of the parade when we have the unique honor of a fly-by from Santa Claus in one of Glendale’s finest police helicopters. Woohoo!

The hometown traditions continue until Christmas day as the Montrose Shopping Park once again hosts Old Towne Christmas in Montrose. This wonderful weekend tradition features horse-drawn trolleys and pony rides, roving carolers, Christmas music and Santa Claus strolling the streets and handing out candy canes to passersby. For all the details log on to www.shopmontrose.com.

Remember, “Shop Local First.” This town depends on it. We all saw the staggering record-breaking stats of the online sales for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We would be remiss if we thought that this did not have an effect on our brick-and-mortar stores in Montrose. It has a huge impact! Remember, when you come to Montrose to shop, you are helping to sustain our area and our local economy. That is why we encourage you to come to Montrose!

  melinda clarke