The brand-new Rendez-Vous cafe will be open during Sunday’s Corona del Mar Christmas Walk, but owner Olivier Bocchino is new to town and not quite sure what to expect.
“Is it like a parade?” he asked during a recent interview. “Do they close the streets? My customers keep asking if I know about the Christmas Walk. We want to see what it is.”
The 34th Annual Corona del Mar Christmas Walk will take place throughout town from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. There’s no parade and no street closures. This year’s walk will stick to tradition and feature live music including a dozen bands placed throughout town, the Fireman’s Grill barbecue located near the Bandera parking lot, bounce houses, a petting zoo and a beer and wine garden with the Pinch Me! band playing nearby. Toys For Tots will be collecting donations, and tickets will be available for an opportunity drawing with more than $15,000 in prizes donated by local businesses.
The event typically draws thousands of visitors to Corona del Mar, said CdM Chamber of Commerce President Linda Leonhard.
“It’s the most popular event of the year,” she said.
Chris Yould, a lifelong Corona del Mar resident whose wife, Karen Yould, owns Corona del Mar Florist, said he has been attending Christmas Walks since they began.
“I’ve been going every year,” he said. “Five years ago it changed from us walking one end of town to the other and eating all the food and seeing all our friends to having all our friends come to see us at the shop. It’s kind of nice to be host.”
New business owners Bill Coleman of Pedego electric bicycles agreed that it felt different to switch from visiting the walk to being a host.
“We’ve attended every year since we’ve lived here,” he said. “It’s always a great day to people watch, listen to music and eat a little more than I should. But having a store this year obviously makes it quite different. I’m hoping to get a lot of exposure for the store that will lead to a great holiday shopping season.”
For more information, visit www.cdmchamber.com/events/christmas_walk.asp.
– By Amy Senk
Reprinted with permission from CoronaDelMarToday.com.
