“Plaid Friday” in the Montrose Shopping Park kicked off the holiday season the day after Thanksgiving with carolers and a visit from Santa. The event encouraged people to support local business by shopping locally on Small Business Saturday and also highlighted how unique the shops are in Montrose. State Senator Anthony Portantino, Glendale City Councilmembers Elen Asatryan, Dan Brotman, Paula Devine and Ara Narjarian all wished the audience happy holidays and voiced their support for shopping local.

Rory Campbell, a sophomore at Crescenta Valley High School, his brother Ramsay, a fourth grader at Franklin Elementary, and mom Kimberly have lived in the area for a long time but Friday was the first time they came to Montrose for the after Thanksgiving event. They said they enjoyed the music performances and the lighting of the Montrose Christmas tree.

The Friday event also kicked off the holiday season in Montrose that includes free pony rides for kids, horse-drawn cart rides, holiday music performances along Honolulu Avenue and visits with Santa on the weekends through Dec. 18.

By Mary O’KEEFE

Photos by Giancarlo DIAZ and Mary O’KEEFE