About 2,000 people play in the snow in Indio — Fashion Mall site of “snowstorm”
Flying snowballs, gleeful children — and 70 tons of snow — filled the parking lot at the Indio Fashion Mall on Saturday.
The Holiday Extravaganza event, sponsored by Weintraub Financial Services, also featured a pancake breakfast sponsored by the Coachella Valley Lions Club, a petting zoo, hay rides, cookie decorating, puppet and magic shows — and live reindeer.
Richard Weintraub is the owner and developer of the Indio Fashion Mall.
By 11:30 a.m., an estimated crowd of 2,000 were on hand to enjoy the festivities.
Among the holiday revelers was Julia Gonzalez — watching from a safe distance as daughters cqKatareena, 8, and cqSareena 6, laughed and frolicked in the snow while errant snowballs flew wildly around them.
Gonzalez said she found out about the event through a flier. It was the free pancake breakfast that caught her eye.
Unfortunately, they didn’t get what they came for — they were too late for the pancakes — but they ended up getting more than they bargained for.
“We didn’t get to get any pancakes, but they’ve been having fun with the snow,” she said.
Lions Club members Wayne Bowers and Bill cqAuth said about 1,350 people ate in the close to 2,700 pancakes.
“And they’re no small pancakes,” they were all big, said Auth with a chuckle.
Weintraub was in the middle of the action, sporting a red snowball burn on the side of his neck.
“There’s so much negativity about the mall,” said Weintraub. He said he hoped, with this event, to begin the healing process.
Weintraub said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the turnout.
“I wanted to prove to the city that the shoppers are here,” said Weintraub.
“Today’s just about celebrating the future,” he said.
