By Vickie Zlatinova
The holiday season has finally arrived with the return of a very special tradition in Downtown Bellevue. Throughout the day, Bellevue Way and NE 8th St seem like two ordinary streets, but when the clock strikes 7:00 pm, holiday magic sweeps over the sidewalks and they transform into the dazzling winter wonderland of Snowflake Lane! The streets come alive every night until Christmas Day with twinkling lights, jolly characters, live toy drummers, and boisterous music, all as glimmering snowflakes float down from the sky. For a closer look at Snowflake Lane, I set out to have a word with a couple of the characters, Ben the Polar Bear and Lynn the Fairy.
Vickie: “Wow, first day of Snowflake Lane! What was your favorite moment of the night?”
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Ben: “The best moment of was definitely seeing the floats come through the streets with the princesses, kings, and other characters.”
Vickie: “How do you prepare for a performance?”
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Lynn: “I actually don’t do much preparation; it’s all in the moment.”
Ben: “Before a performance, I put on a persona and become a whole different person or, in my case, a polar bear! I think about how I came from the South Pole and how Santa delivered me to Snowflake Lane to make kids happy.”
Vickie: “Any funny moments of the night?”
Ben: “Well the funniest moment would have to be when this kid was standing on this rock and decided to jump on me and his parents were so worried I would drop him but thankfully, I caught him in time.”
Vickie: “What’s your favorite Christmas Song?”
Lynn: “Well my favorite Christmas song has to be ‘Baby it’s Cold Outside.’”
Ben: “My favorite Christmas song is ‘Last Christmas.’”
Vickie: “Do you have a special message for your fans?”
Ben: “Thank you to everyone who comes out to Snowflake Lane and I hope you all have a great time this holiday season! It's a great production and I encourage everyone to go because it just gets you into that holiday spirit!”
Lynn: “Thank you so much for all your support! It means so much to someone who’s new to this! Happy holidays!”