Holiday Bazaar Back For Second Year In Temecula Valley

TEMECULA VALLEY, CA — The "Christmas on the Ranch" celebration will be returning to Temecula Valley next week, featuring a holiday bazaar with music, food, hay rides, a visit from Santa Claus and other family-oriented entertainment.

The event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, at Galway Downs, located off of state Route 79 at Los Caballos Road, just east of the Temecula city limits.

Organizers held the inaugural Christmas on the Ranch last December and are trying to replicate that well-received production with this one.

Galway Downs is a 240-acre equestrian facility, and the ranch celebration will occupy most of the space.

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According to organizers, the one feature missing from this year's staging is the 7,100-square-foot ice-skating rink, which they were not able to finagle this time.

Holiday arts and crafts, Christmas music, a host of edibles sold by area vendors and horse-drawn hay rides will be on offer, as well as various Christmas-themed children's activities, including pictures with Santa, organizers said.

Christmas on the Ranch co-founder Nikki Tompot told City News Service during the grand opening last year that the concept was hatched by she and her husband, along with his business associate in the gaming industry, with the goal of creating a "Christmas festival that we can bring back every year" specifically for Temecula-area residents.

More information is available at www.christmasontheranch.com/ .

— By City News Service / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone