Andy's Updates is the city of Anaheim's monthly email newsletter, bringing the latest Anaheim news right to your inbox.
See the news for October below, and scroll to the bottom to subscribe to the newsletter email alert to make sure you don't miss out!
Rocket Witch, Stumpy, Andy Anaheim and the Modjeska Maiden.
These are just a few of the fan favorites that will be traveling down Broadway on Oct. 26 for the annual Anaheim Halloween Parade.
This year’s parade will include more than 60 floats, along with schools, community groups and bands.
But this isn’t your ordinary community parade.
There are elaborate, nostalgic floats and movie-quality costumes, all made by dedicated volunteers and moonlighting creative types.
During the months before and on the day of the parade, more than community 200 volunteers and moonlighting artists and professionals pour their hearts — and sweat — into building the floats in the parade warehouse.
It’s always a big draw. Each year, tens of thousands of people line Broadway to see community creativity and pride on display.
The parade and accompanying Fall Festival on Center Street Promenade are one of Anaheim’s greatest yearly events.
It all kicks off at 11 a.m. with the 96th annual Anaheim Fall Festival on Center Street Promenade.
The festival includes a kids costume contest, the annual Howl-o-ween Pooch Pawrade, a pumpkin art contest, hand-built Halloween-themed games, magic and puppet shows, live music, kids’ crafts, artist booths, food trucks and a pumpkin patch.
The parade starts at 6 p.m. at Broadway and Walnut Street and travels about 1 mile to Center Street Promenade.
Find more at AnaheimFallFestival.org.
Interested in getting involved next year? Email info@anaheimfallfestival.org.
A historic downtown space that was the starting point for an iconic Anaheim businesses is set to continue serving the community as a youth learning center.
In September, our City Council voted to spend $1 million to fix up the space along Anaheim Boulevard to teach entrepreneurial, business and job skills to kids and young adults.
The space, at 718 N. Anaheim Blvd. just south of La Palma Avenue, is the spot of the first Northgate González Market, opened in 1980 by immigrant Don Miguel González Jiménez.
Today, Northgate Gonzlez has more than 40 Mexican American grocery stores across California with the headquarters of the family business in west Anaheim.
The original store closed in 2017 as Northgate González expanded in Anaheim with a new, larger store on State College Boulevard.
While Northgate González outgrew the 8,000-square-foot space on Anaheim Boulevard, the González family still wanted the original site to serve the neighborhood where the business got its start.
The Northgate Learning Center is set to include an entrepreneurial academy to teach business skills as well as small-business classes, tutoring and mentorship.
This center opens another door for young people in Anaheim, one of entrepreneurship and independent business skills.
Some may use this training to start their own businesses or go work for businesses in the area, using the skills they’ve learned.
Services are set to be provided by the Orange County Small Business Development Center, part of the Orange County/Inland Empire Small Business Development Center Network, a nonprofit supported by the federal Small Business Administration, as well as Youth Interactive, a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit that provides entrepreneurial and business education as well as mentoring for young people.
The $1 million in city funding will help build out the space with work set to start in late 2019. Services are expected to start in coming months and expand throughout 2020.
Anaheim Community & Economic Development acquired the 1.1-acre site in 2017 for $4.7 million, using federal Community Development Block Grant funding.
The story of Northgate González Market is the story of Anaheim, a city that embraces bold visions and entrepreneurial dreams.
The González family, which owns and operates the Mexican-American grocery chain, is part of a fabled Anaheim business history that includes Walt Disney, Carl’s Jr. founder Carl Karcher and Gene Autry, who brought baseball to Anaheim in 1966.
Miguel González, an immigrant from the western Mexican state of Jalisco, started the first Northgate market in 1980 in an Anaheim Boulevard storefront.
Unable to afford a new sign for the store, González took the “Northgate” name from a sign left behind by a previous store at the site.
González and his family wanted to be entrepreneurs, but they didn’t set out to be grocers. They were looking to pool their money and buy and apartment building when their real estate agent showed them the Anaheim Boulevard market instead.
The rest is history, and what a history it is. Today, Northgate González Market is one of the largest Mexican-American grocers in the country, with more than 40 stores across Southern California and its headquarters is in west Anaheim.
González started out providing an authentic taste of home for Mexican Americans in downtown Anaheim. The chain still does that today while serving people of all backgrounds across Anaheim and Southern California.
The company’s store at State College Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue is like a Whole Foods of Hispanic grocery stores, with everything from everyday staples to fresh made tortillas, salsa and guacamole.
The State College store, which opened in 2016, replaced the original 8,000-square-foot Anaheim Boulevard store, which Northgate had outgrown.
With Northgate González Market’s headquarters and three stores in Anaheim, the company is one of Anaheim’s largest employers with about 7,000 employees.
Save the date for Monday, Nov. 11, as we honor those who have served our country at the city’s annual Veterans Day Ceremony.
All are welcome to join city leaders as we show appreciation for members of all branches of the military.
- What: Anaheim Veterans Day Ceremony
- When: Monday, Nov. 11
- Time: 11 a.m.
- Where: Veterans Monument, downtown Anaheim
- Address: 241 S. Anaheim Blvd.
- Free parking: Center Street Promenade or City Hall, 200 S. Anaheim Blvd.
The ceremony will include a special guest speaker and invocation.
There will also be a presentation of colors, a cake-cutting ceremony to commemorate the Marine Corps 244th anniversary and a musical performances.
The Veterans Monument is adjacent to the Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center at 241 S. Anaheim Blvd.
Julianna Park, a neighborhood park in downtown Anaheim, has a new playground!
Last month, more than 300 volunteers came together to build the 5,000-square-foot playground with support from the city of Anaheim, nonprofit KaBOOM!, the Disneyland Resort and the Anaheim Family YMCA.
The playground, built in the span of a few hours, includes a 20-foot monorail, similar to a zip line, a swing set, climbing rocks, play equipment with a slide and a Spinami, similar to a merry-go-round.
While Julianna park is small at about an acre of land, the playground will have a big impact for kids and families who live in the area.
And there’s more to come.
The rest of Julianna Park is being renovated with a field, basketball court, exercise stations, a gazebo, picnic tables and new lights and landscaping.
The improvements, based on input from the neighborhood, are set to be done by spring 2020.
Utilities scams: don't fall for it
The holidays are just around the corner.
Unfortunately, scammers don’t take the holidays off.
While fraud calls can come any time of year, the holidays can be prime time for those looking to take advantage of others.
Utility customers often are the target of scammers, and Anaheim is no exception.
They will call posing as Anaheim Public Utilities employees, and the calling phone number might even fraudulently appear as Anaheim Public Utilities.
They’ll often say your power or water will be shut off and demand immediate payment, typically through a prepaid card.
Don’t fall for it!
- Anaheim Public Utilities will never call you demanding immediate payment.
- Anaheim Public Utilities never accepts prepaid cards.
- Anaheim Public Utilities never solicits payment over the phone or at your door.
If you suspect a call is a utilities scam, hang up immediately, even if the number appears to be Anaheim Public Utilities.
Then call us at 311 from within Anaheim or (714) 765-4311 to report the suspected scam.
Anaheim Public Utilities works closely with the Anaheim Police Department to combat utilities fraud.
You can learn more here.