CALABASAS : Youngsters Get First Chance to Play in Snow

Three-year-old Scott Thompson of Calabasas did a double take Tuesday when he got his first look ever at snow during a preschool field trip to Gates Canyon Park, where two small knolls were blanketed with snow.

“We got off the school bus, and he looked at it, and he said, ‘Hey, what’s this white stuff?’ ” said Christi Cane, director of preschool activities for Kids Club, a Calabasas after-school program.

It wasn’t long before Scott discovered that the snow--created by a snow-making machine hired by the city--could be rolled into balls and thrown, and that it made a nifty splat when it bounced off another kid or adult.

“He got us all,” said Cane with a chuckle.

Scott’s adventure was but one small sidelight in the three-hour event, part of Calabasas’ third annual “Let It Snow” day. Kids were charged $3 each to help pay for the snow machine’s rental, which cost about $1,000, according to city officials.

The rest of the proceeds will benefit the park.

Throughout the morning, hundreds of youngsters accompanied by their parents brought plastic saucers and sleds to enjoy a rare activity for Southern California children, especially on so sunny a day as Tuesday.

It was controlled chaos as children lined up to make trip after trip down the snow-covered knolls, as laughter and snowballs filled the air.

“I played with my friend, Jessica, and I threw snowballs at her,” said Erit Keisari, 8, of Calabasas. “Throwing snowballs is fun, because you get to throw them back at all your friends and stuff.”

Kathy Blore of Woodland Hills said the event offered a convenient way to let her children, Vanessa, 7, and Krista, 3 1/2, experience snow.

“Krista has never been to the snow, and they have been wanting to go,” said Blore, cradling her 10-month-old daughter, Veronica, in her arms. “We didn’t want to drive three hours to the mountains so we figured we would give this a shot.”

The event is becoming well established as word spreads, said Heather Toma, a recreation specialist for the city.

“A lot of them brought their saucers, which is great,” Toma said. “Last year, a lot of them didn’t and we were loaning out cardboard.”