We’ve got some delightful adventures for you and your loved ones to scope out this weekend!

Feeling Festive? Check out Fig Garden Village this weekend.

Saturday & Sunday 1 p.m. til 3 p.m. each day there will be complimentary Horse and Carriage rides and FREE photos with Santa.  Drop off and Pick up location is at Pottery Barn.

Pet Photos with the big man in red this weekend! 
Saturday & Sunday, December 15 & 16 from 11:00am – 4:00pm

Santa and his helpers will be at the Fresno (Blackstone/Ashlan) Petco taking pet photos! The proceeds benefit The Cat House on the Kings Rescue. Click here for the details.

Pet photos with Santa
Sunday December 16th 6-8pm

Sierra Vista Mall will host their pet photo night. Dress your adorable pets up and take a beautiful photo with Santa in front of their stunning holiday display at Center Court inside Sierra Vista Mall. This event is sponsored by Animal Rescue of Fresno. 

Free High Fitness Class!  
Saturday at 11 a.m. 

Synergy Fitness Center:  1021 E. Herndon Ave 

Be sure to wear your ugliest Christmas workout attire and bring a new unwrapped toy or gently used jacket for a FREE High Fitness Class! Get fit and giveback.S

  

Breakfast with Santa on the Lake!

Bring your little ones to Ducey’s on the Lake on Saturday or Sunday mornings in December to meet the white bearded man from the North Pole and his Elf!  Here are the details 

Enjoy a brief visit with Santa, followed by a nice, family breakfast with a view of Bass Lake. Make sure to bring your camera to capture those precious memories! 

Zack’s Brewing Company’s  grand opening event

Live music featuring:

• Llama Boy from 4-6 pm
• Bill Clifton’s Chicken & Whiskey Band from 7-10 pm

Food Vendors:

• Dab Tacos
• Just the Tip
• The Rolling Donut
• Rude Boys Acai’ & more

For more information 

Have fun, Be Merry & Be Safe!

I’m proud to announce FresYes’s star, MacKenzie Hartung, is shining bright! After saying #YestoFresYes, She received a call from her dear friends (and clients!) Craig and Claire Meredith about wanting to start a philanthropic group in support of a local charity. 

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“The premise was simple: gather a group of young professionals for dinner once a month, and add in an element of giving back to every meeting.  Our charity of choice is Terry’s House— a hospitality home for families of critical care patients at Community Regional Medical Center.  Our group is comprised of “millennials” which are broadly known for being the “me-centric” generation.  In hopes to change that narrative, our dinner club was created with a group of like-minded individuals to shift the perception of young people in the community today.”

Terry’s House is growing and changing the world thanks to MacKenzie — check out this news coverage expanding on the home away from home for many:  watch the amazing news coverage here!

Read more about MacKenzie’s adventures on her blog here.

Have a cause or person you want to highlight? Let us know! We say #YestoCommunity at FresYes.

If there are young children in your life, chances are this time of year Santa is a big topic of conversation. If the little ones in your life could use a close encounter with the big guy himself (or some of his merry-making associates) to make their Christmas season extra special, you are in luck!

Fresno has some really special events taking place just for families over the course of the next week, and here at FresYes.com we’ve done the work to list them in one place for your enjoyment – read on for all the details!

Family-Friendly Holiday Events This Week (Featuring Santa!)

Nightly from 5-8pm: Zoo Lights at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo

Come enjoy holiday music, special drinks and snacks and all the glittering lights of the Zoo, decked out for the holidays! Free photos with Santa will be available, too! Tickets for this annual, much-cherished local activity can be purchased online here.

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Tuesday, Dec. 11^th from 6-10pm: 2^nd & Last Christmas Tree Lane Walk-Only Night

Walking Christmas Tree Lane is an annual tradition for many Fresno Families. The second and final night of the year in which the lane will be closed to vehicle traffic will be Tuesday, Dec. 11^th. A shuttle is available if you start at Gazebo Gardens if you prefer not to walk the full length of the lane in both directions. You can also start from Fig Garden Village Shopping Center. Whichever way you go, the glittering lane is sure to delight, and you’ll even see the big guy himself near the halfway point of your walk. Need additional info? Click here.

Thursday, Dec. 13^th from 4-6pm: Cornerstone Coffee Open House

Santa & his buddy Rudolph will be happy to greet little ones for photo ops while grown-ups enjoy a delicious coffee for a cause. Cornerstone Coffee is located Downtown on the SW corner of Fulton and Stanislaus, and the café provides job training and employment opportunities for women who are part of the programs from Light-House Recovery Program. This event is free, coffee is available for purchase and 100% of funds raised benefit Light-House and their community work.

Thursday, Dec. 13^th from 4-7pm: Holiday Extravaganza at Pavilion West Shopping Center

Shoppers can enjoy free food and drink samples, sugar cookie decorating at Boo Boo Bean Bakery, special sales, holiday music and of course a meet and greet and photo session with Santa himself this Thursday night in the Pavilion West Shopping Center on the SW corner of Bullard and West in NW Fresno.

Friday, Dec. 14^th from 5:30-8: Ride the Train to the North Pole at Santa’s Sleighland in Playland

This Friday night enjoy unlimited Playland rides a train ride to the North Pole, a visit and photo with Santa and a candy cane all for one price. Tickets are available online (at a discount of $2) or at the gates.

Saturday, Dec. 15^th from 11am – 4pm: Free Train Rides and Cookies & Cocoa with Mrs. Claus in Riverpark

Kids can enjoy live music and free train rides around the Riverpark Shopping Center between 11am and 4pm this Saturday, and from 3pm – 6pm kids can enjoy cookies and cocoa with Mrs. Claus. Look for signs and information near the front of Edwards Cinema.  

Saturday, Dec. 15^th or Sunday, Dec. 16^th from 1pm – 3pm: Free carriage ride and photo with Santa in Fig Garden Village

Families can enjoy a free ride around Fig Garden Village Shopping Center followed by a visit with Santa and free photo by meeting the carriage in front of the big Christmas tree next to Pottery Barn. (Subject to cancelation due to heavy rain, just FYI.)

Lazy Dog Restaurant is a Hit with Humans and Canines Alike.

Many of us treat our dogs like family members. I have seen this firsthand through my dog-sitting business. So it seems like such a pity when you find a good place to eat and can’t share it with your pups, right? The new Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar totally understands this, which is why they have created one of the most dog-friendly dining experiences I’ve ever seen.

The national chain moved into the space formerly occupied by Elephant Bar at the Villagio Shopping Center several weeks ago. They boast a menu with a wide variety of selections, as well as weekend brunch. But what really sets them apart is a large, semi-enclosed, dog-friendly patio and a menu for canine companions.

I took my infamously ridiculous beagle, Grover, to Lazy Dog last week, and the results were predictably entertaining. As soon as we arrived, he was presented with his own bowl of water. I ordered brown rice & veggies for him, and crispy deviled eggs, bison meatloaf, a PB&J burger (you read that right!), and a chicken salad sandwich with butternut squash soup for my parents and me.

Lazy Dog showed that it’s not just a gimmick with the quality of its food. All of our dishes were delicious. I’ve been waiting for another PB&J burger ever since trying one on Colton’s Social House’s specials menu. The problem was that Grover also knew how yummy our food was, so after wolfing down some veggies so quickly that he choked, he refused to eat his plain, appropriate-for-canine-stomachs brown rice. I was irritated in the way that parents probably feel about their picky human eaters. I PAID FOR THAT RICE, dang it!

“Look,” he told me, “How did you think you were going to get away with feeding me brown rice? I CAN SMELL YOUR MEATLOAF. AND YOU HAVE PEANUT BUTTER UP THERE. And I KNOW there was a hamburger patty and chicken breast on my menu and YOU DIDN’T ORDER IT FOR ME!”

I could see his point. So I threw a couple chunks of meatloaf into his bowl. Which he consumed while avoiding the brown rice still, of course. But I didn’t let him eat off my plate, because of the very important rules.

To keep things safe and fun, there are three rules for pups at Lazy Dog—the “three B’s”: no begging, no barking and no biting.

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As for the human rules? Dogs must be on a leash and remain on the ground; servers are not allowed to touch your (adorable) pup while working; and canine friends can’t eat off human plates or drink out of glasses.

Some of those rules are naturally confusing for the dogs. As my friend’s dog Tux told me after his recent visit, “The food was deliciously not the food I have at home, so it was really amazing. I ate it ALL. The only con was that the employees were not allowed to pet me, so lots of wasted potential pets at that meal.”

Tux’s owner actually sprung for the chicken breast, so that’s probably why his review of the food was better than Grover’s. As for the petting, it’s obviously for health code reasons that servers can’t touch the dogs. But ours was super friendly and let Grover lick her face while she put her hands behind her back. They all said it’s a little bit of cute torture working at this job.

If you find yourself without a canine, you can still sit in the patio and enjoy all the furry goodness. The atmosphere and bar inside Lazy Dog are also great, and there’s an awesome happy hour that starts at 3 p.m. both inside and out. You can check out their menus on their website.

So get yourself out to Lazy Dog soon! And if you see me and Grover out there, be sure to say hi. I have a feeling we’ll be regulars. And I’ll probably be conned into ordering him the hamburger next time.

Christmas is just around the corner and we have all the hot spots up for your consideration… Ho! Ho! Ho! 

FRIDAY

If you haven’t made it to Zoo lights at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, you still have time! This magical winter wonderland runs December 7th-9th, 14th-23rd, and 26th-30th. Festivities begin at 5 p.m. This annual event features miles of holiday magic and beautiful lights, holiday music, live entertainment, holiday eats and beverages for the kiddos and adults!

Find more info on this fabulous event at the link below

ZooLights

Tony-award winning Broadway sensation “The Lion King” brings the savannah to life at the Saroyan Theatre and this is the last weekend to catch it! Enjoy leaping gazelles, stunning visual effects, and Oscar-winning music score! Buy your tickets now by clicking the image 🙂 

Escape the hustle and bustle and take in the spirit of the Holidays this weekend with Horse Drawn Carriage rides. Drop into Kuppa Joy to grab your holiday favorite coffee or Cocoa then head down to 5th street across from Madeleine’s Bridal Boutique to board the beautifully decorated carriages for a scenic ride around Old Town Clovis. This family favorite tradition is FREE and takes place every Saturday and Sunday from 1-4pm, now through December 30th.   

Looking for a festive stroll through lights… well, make your way to Cindy Lane aka Candy Cane Lane! Every night is a walk or drive night so you pick your transportation style! Enjoy beautifully decorated homes and cheerful laughter and music every weekend now through December 25th from 6-10pm!  

“FRAGILE (FRA-GEE_LAY) it must be Italian!” Our FRESYES favorite line from ‘A Christmas Story’! A family tradition to watch every year and you can see a live production of this iconic show! Central High School’s Industrial Theatre Company is proud to present ‘A Christmas Story’, based on the beloved holiday movie classic featuring Ralphie Parker and his quest for the ultimate Christmas present. This fun for all ages play is guaranteed to be the highlight of your holiday season: be sure to buy tickets here https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3816128 and skip the line! Cost is $5 for students and $10 for adults.

SATURDAY

Double header at the Save Mart Center for the Bulldogs! At 4pm the Men’s Basketball team takes on the Long Beach State 49ers. Click for ticket info! https://www1.ticketmaster.com/fresno-state-bulldogs-mens-basketball-vs-long-beach-state-mens-basketball/event/1C00554BA75B81DB  Then at 7pm the Men’s wrestling team takes on No. 8 Minnesota. Ticket info here https://www1.ticketmaster.com/fresno-state-bulldogs-wrestling-vs-minnesota-golden-gopher-wrestling/event/1C0055667EA2322E . Go Dogs!!!

The Downtown Fresno Christmas Parade is at it again in it’s 89th year of festive parades! Join them on December 8th a 1:00 PM on Fulton St. in Fresno, CA. Bring a chair and you favorite snuggle blanket and enjoy a “Future Christmas” themed display of floats!

Head out to Clovis for the Enzo’s Table Food Truck Fair from 10:30am- 2:30pm. This fair is a foodies must! Enjoy delicious eats and experience tantalizing tastes from Ricchiuti Family Farms’ finest. You can’t miss the gathering of your fellow foodies at 1959 N Willow Ave Clovis CA 93691. More info available here https://enzostable.com/events/food-trucks.html

The new DR. SEUSS’ THE GRINCH is playing at Edwards Theater, Riverpark Shopping Center and is sure to please the littles. Get your reserved seating tickets and enjoy a stress-free movie experience! Click the image for more info.  

Want a break from all the Holiday festiveness… Well here is the fix for you! Metallica is rocking the Save Mart Center THIS Sunday, December 9th @ 7:30pm! Tickets are selling fast so hurry and get yours now 

Taking it back to 1945 at the end of the war… families were reunited and cheer filled the air what better way to celebrate than with A Fabulous Forties Christmas Celebration! Kearney Mansion is bringing back the spirit of love and family with their Fabulous Forties Christmas Celebration from  1-4pm. Swing music will delight your heart and get your feet moving while you nibble delicious bites. For more ticket info click the pic!