SkyPark at Santa’s Village was a true winter wonderland following the series of winter storms.

The parking lots at SkyPark were filled with vehicles from SoCal Gas and a variety of fire agencies.

CalDART landed helicopters at SkyPark, bringing needed supplies to mountain residents.

The trail out into the Meadowlands is somewhere under all that snow.

Frozen Falls climbing tower was aptly named.

(Photos: SkyPark at Santa’s Village)

Santa comes to the rescue

By Mary-Justine Lanyon

When Bill and Michelle Johnson were finally able to leave their house following the series of storms in late February and early March, they hitched rides to SkyPark at Santa’s Village to check on the property and start the recovery process.

“We were approached by SoCal Gas,” said Michelle, “asking to use the park as a command center for their operations.”

She added that one of the supervisors told her they had had to evacuate their offices and their yard in Rimforest due a collapse caused by the weight of the snow.

“I had no idea how badly they needed a place to stage their crews,” Michelle said.

SkyPark had, of course, made plans to clear the park for such an emergency use. “We knew there was going to be a critical need for staging in our lots and also that our heliport might be needed as well,” Michelle said.

“We were also contacted by fire agencies to stage snow removal equipment and eventually by CalDART to obtain permission to land at our heliport for vital food and supply donations. Of course we were more than willing to help in any way we could.”

While the various agencies waited for their assignments, they helped clear even more space for the ever-expanding crews, Michelle noted.

“We have been feeding between 40 and 200 SoCal Gas employees every day since March 5,” she said. “They will continue to occupy the property until March 24.”

Meanwhile, SkyPark continues to remove snow to open up the attractions and has also been repairing damage from the blizzard.

“We can’t wait to welcome guests back to the park,” said Michelle.

For more information on SkyPark, visit www.skyparksantasvillage.com.