Dec 12, 2023 | Local, Los Angeles, Valleys

Chillin’ at Winter Wonderland at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza

A large group of kids and their parents gathered at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall on Saturday, December 9, from 12pm-4pm. This was another beautiful day in Southern California as Council President Pro Tempore Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw, and It’s Bigger Than Us, hosted the largest Winter Wonderland Celebration in South LA, on the upper deck of the Plaza.

D Smoke and Santa (Photo by Ricky Richardson)

By Ricky Richardson | Contributing Writer

        (Los Angeles, CA)- A large group of kids and their parents gathered at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall on Saturday, December 9, from 12pm-4pm. This was another beautiful day in Southern California as Council President Pro Tempore Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw, and It’s Bigger Than Us, hosted the largest Winter Wonderland Celebration in South LA, on the upper deck of the Plaza.

        Attendees were thoroughly engaging throughout the afternoon. Everyone enjoyed a fun-filled day of festive, family-friendly activities. Laughter of joy and glee and contagious smiling faces were seen as kids enjoyed playing in real snow, sledding, arts and crafts, face painting, as well as a toy giveaway, free churros from La Española and other delightful treats from Southern Girl Desserts.

        Grammy nominated artists D Smoke was the perfect person to emcee the program. He addressed the diverse, multicultural crowd in English and Spanish.

        Cougar Marching Band and Voice Ensemble dazzled the crowd with some seasonal selections. Shoni Bennett was awesome as her angelic voice captivated the crowd.

        Old School Skinny- Eric Luckie, Janelle Luckie and Dorene Neal led the crowd in an engaging cardio workout to the sounds of classic holiday tracks. Who knew that you could tone up your body with sounds of the season?

Fernando Pullum Jazz Ensemble (Photo by Ricky Richardson)

        Fernando Pullum Jazz Ensemble thrilled the crowd with a set of jazz standards that contributed to our enjoyment of the festivities.

        Mariachi Las Catrinas closed out the show on a rousing note with a set of popular Christmas songs that members of the audience were happy to sing along to.

        The 8th Annual Winter Wonderland was brought to you by Council President Pro Tempore Marqueece Harris-Dawson, It’s Bigger Than Us, and Community Builders Group.