Fountain Hills Stroll in the Glow
Avenue of the Fountains glows with color, charm and holiday cheer!
Overview
Every year the town of Fountain Hills spends weeks putting thousands of lights up on the Avenue of the Fountains for the holiday season. On the first Saturday of December all of this preparatory effort culminates in a much-loved event called "Stroll in The Glow." After dark, a brief ceremony ends with the master switch being thrown, bathing the Avenue in a multicolored glow of holiday cheer!
The Avenue of the Fountains is closed and shops stay open late and serve holiday treats and beverages, musicians play holiday music on the sidewalks, Santa arrives by fire truck to take requests from hopeful children, and tons of artificial snow makes this event treasured by those of all ages!
Lights and Glow
The Avenue of the Fountains has numerous tall, decades-old trees that are lit by strings of thousands of lights for this event and throughout the holiday season. Many holiday light displays are set up in the median also – Santa’s sleigh, reindeer, trains and other holiday objects are illuminated by colorful twinkling lights. In 2008 over 60,000 lights were used for the occasion and remained lit every night from the Stroll in the Glow event until New Years. Even when the Stroll in the Glow event is over you can walk down the curving path in the median of Avenue of the Fountains and enjoy the lights.
Some come to stroll in the glow, others come to throw the snow!
The Fountain
The Fountain runs for 15 minutes at the top of each hour and is beautifully illuminated so it can be seen from most places on the Avenue during the event. The Avenue of the Fountains was lined up for the Fountain view by design and this event is a great chance to see it in its glory!
Santa Claus
About a half an hour after the light switch is thrown, the main draw for many young children arrives: Santa Claus! He leaves his sleigh and reindeer at the North Pole for this event, and instead hitches a ride on a decorated Fountain Hills fire truck. As the convoy of emergency vehicles slowly crawls up Avenue of the Fountains with lights flashing and horns blaring, the chant of “SANTA CLAUS!” is repeated over and over by dozens of exuberant kids. Santa exits the truck and waves to the crowd for a minute before he settles down. Then for the next hour and a half he listens to hundreds of requests from starry-eyed hopefuls pouring out their wishes.
Snow!
A huge draw to this event is the artificial snow brought in for it. The 40 or so tons of snow is made from ice that is fed into a mechanical snow-making machine that grinds and fluffs the ice to a slushy snow-like consistency. A fenced corral measuring about 30 by 30 feet is setup around the snow pile. The snow is mounded at the center making for some short but fun slides, however, the favorite activity seems to be flinging snowballs and howling with delight. At the start of the event there are many very young children and snow is tossed gently. By the end of the event the teenagers often are the majority and the velocity of thrown snow increases a bit. The last of the snow usually disappears four to five days later, and often even days a later a few children can be seen having fun with what is left.
Art of Music provided delightful holiday ambience in 2008.
Shopping
The Avenue of the Fountains has a number of unique shops, art galleries and dining options. Many of these businesses stay open throughout the Stroll in the Glow and serve delicious holiday treats and beverages. Some of the shops sponsor musicians to play holiday music on the sidewalk. Some have great sales or special events such as book signings or local artists. It is a great time to meet the local business owners and see what they have to offer.
Other Activities
Depending on the year there are often other activities at this event. During some years Hot Air Balloons are inflated in the park and add to the glow with the illumination of their gas burners lighting their colorful translucent envelopes. Many years there is a nativity scene with bunnies, goats, and sometimes even a donkey that children can pet. Carolers and other musicians are also common.
Stay for Dinner
The Stroll in the Glow is a great way to get into the Holiday spirit! Typically the event lasts from 6pm to 8pm, although many parents bring their kids earlier to enjoy the snow or walk around nearby Fountain Park. There are dozens of restaurants nearby (some right on the Avenue of the Fountain) to get a warm meal after the festivities and complete the perfect evening!
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