High 70s, heavy snow

NORTHWEST GLENDALE — Best friends Ruby Connor and Juliette Bailey could barely contain their excitement when they saw the snow blanketing parts of Brand Park on Saturday morning.

“I only saw it in the mountains before,” Juliette, 6, said as the girls danced around while waiting in line to race down one of several sledding areas.

“We’re almost to the top,” said Ruby, 5. “Juliette, isn’t this going to be great?”

The two friends and their fathers were among hundreds of families who filled the park Saturday for the city’s annual Winter Wonderland event, sponsored by the Glendale Community Services & Parks Department.

Crews trucked in more than 60 tons of manufactured snow to the park, creating several sledding areas and a general snow play area.

Children donned snow pants, parkas, gloves and hats as they threw snowballs, built snowmen and sledded under sunny skies and a daytime high in the 70s.

“It’s California I guess,” Chris Lee, who brought his 3-year-old daughter Kara, said of snow amid the spring-like temperatures. “It’s nice that they do this. You don’t have to travel for hours to see snow.”

Ivet Samvelyan, who works as the city’s homeless services coordinator, brought her son Aaron. While she has known of the event in previous years, it was her first time attending.

“I think it’s an exciting event,” she said. “Kids always seem to be having a lot of fun.”