Alpine Village Hosts Second Annual Christmas Faire

By Lyn Jensen, Reporter

Warm up with some holiday beer or Gluhwein (German mulled wine) or shop for German-flavored gifts during the Second Annual Christmas Faire, from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sundays through Dec. 20, at the Alpine Village.

Inspired by the famous Nuremberg Christkindlsmarkt, holiday shopping here offers a distinct German feel. Along with the village’s house­made batch of Gluhwein and holiday beer at the Alpine Restaurant, shoppers may partake of hard­to­find European sweets and a selection of gift possibilities from craft vendors and Alpine Village’s resident shops and market.

Tucked away along the 110 freeway just outside Carson city limits, Alpine Village was established in 1968 as a Bavarian­ flavored destination for shopping, dining and entertainment. Its Alpine Market and Alpine Restaurant have long provided the area with a selection of German and European food.

Alpine Village has for many years hosted an Oktoberfest, touted as the largest and longest-running in the Los Angeles area. Now management hopes to make its Christmas Faire an equally popular annual event.

About 800 to 1,000 people are expected at the Christmas Faire each weekend, according to marketing coordinator Haley Derryberry.

She suggests holiday shoppers may be particularly interested in, “plenty of baked goods made fresh in our bakery, deli meats — our specialty — and many of our craft vendors sell things like jewelry, pottery and … toys.”

Music is part of the fair, too.

“We’re working to involve as many community groups in our program as we can and we’re excited to involve the Narbonne High Key Club and other performing groups from local schools and churches,” General Manager Otto Radtke explained.

Christmas Faire is free but it also offers inexpensive children’s activities. For a $5 ticket, children younger than twelve may get a photo with Santa Claus, a “Snow Zone” play area where ten tons of fresh snow are trucked in every day, a holiday craft corner and a train ride around the Village.

Derryberry points out that, even without buying the children’s ticket, anybody may get their picture taken with Santa for $2.

Cost: Free and free parking
Details: (310) 327­4384; www.AlpineVillageCenter.com
Venue: Alpine Village, 833 Torrance Blvd., Torrance