Lead story: South Valley celebrates ‘stinking rose’ at 38th annual festival

Garlic festival expected to exceed $11 million in funds raised since 1979

Published in the July 27-August 10, 2016 issue of Gilroy Life

By Marty Cheek

With sunshine temperatures predicted in the low to mid 80s, the 38th annual Gilroy Garlic Festival weekend should be comfortably warm for the expected 95,000 visitors enjoying three days of tasty garlicky food, live entertainment, cooking contests, arts and crafts, and fun family-friendly attractions.

The “ultimate summer food fair,” as organizers call the world’s most famous garlic gala, opens 10 a.m. Friday July 29, the day most locals attend because of the smaller crowds. It closes 7 p.m. Sunday July 31, with more than 4,000 exhausted volunteers happy to have given their time and energy to make sure visitors had a fun time celebrating the “stinking rose” at Christmas Hill Park.

This year organizers expect to cross the $11 million line in the total amount of money raised since the festival started in 1979, said Dave Reynolds, president of the board of directors of the nonprofit Gilroy Garlic Festival Association. The number of visitors — and amount of money raised — depends on what temperature setting Mother Nature selects for the South Valley region during the last weekend of July.

Photo courtesy Gilroy Garlic Festival
At the 2016 Gilroy Garlic Festival, you’ll find garlic in everything — from calamari to kettle corn.

“Weather has a big impact on the festival,” Reynolds said. “When it comes down to it, the weather is uncontrollable and at this time of the year, we’re down to the point where everything has to happen, everything has to fall in place, and people have to come. All the planning is wonderful, but if the weather is really hot, then that’s obviously going to impact how many people come.”

This year’s festival will include many of the favorite attractions that draw people back – including the professional chef cooking demonstrations and the free garlic ice cream samples. But there will also be all-new attractions, including the inaugural Champions for Charity cooking contest that feature teams of local first responder heroes – firefighters, police officers, and EMTs – competing in a three-round cooking challenge to win $3,000 for the charity of their choice. This competition takes place Friday, July 29 on the Great Garlic Cook-Off Stage.

Photo courtesy Gilroy Garlic Festival
Visitors to Gourmet Alley get an up-close look (and sniff) of garlic scampi.

Also new this year is the Gilroy Garli-Que BBQ Challenge, which is really two BBQ contests, the first officially sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. On Saturday, July 30, seasoned professional competitors will face off in the Gilroy Garli-Que BBQ Challenge to win points to go to the national KCBS competition. Sunday July 31 will be the Gilroy Garli-Que Backyard BBQ Rib Challenge that is open to amateur grillers and local residents who want to show off their best garlicky rib recipes.

The festival will salute the famous SakaBozzo comic cooking demonstration’s 25 years of entertaining visitors with garlic puns and jokes. Close friends Gene Sakahara and Sam Bozzo, the tireless “twins separated at birth,” will make their final appearance together on the Great Garlic Cook-Off Stage on Friday morning, July 29. Both longtime Gilroy residents served as Gilroy Garlic Festival presidents in the 1990s and their hilarious banter has opened the door for them to represent the festival on countless radio, TV and live appearances around America and across the world. Don’t worry, SakaBozzo fans… these two hilarious Gilroy guys will continue serving as garlic ambassadors and cooking up fun at the Gourmet Alley Demonstration Stage.

Photo courtesy Gilroy Garlic Festival The combo plates are a great way to sample Gourmet Alley favorites.

And what’s a Gilroy Garlic Festival without top-notch rising music artists? Country radio station KRTY will continue its tradition of introducing some of country music’s hottest new acts. The lineup planned for Saturday on the Amphitheater Stage will be Brooke Eden (performing “Daddy’s Money”), Drew Baldridge (performing “Dance With Ya”), and The Lost Bandoleros (performing “Where Do You Go?”).

Garlic festival goers north of South Valley will also be able to avoid the heavy traffic on the roads and highways by getting onboard the inaugural Garlic Train for a fast and fun ride by rail to downtown Gilroy, Reynolds said. Ticket packages range from $40 to $58, which includes the admission costs to the festival, and can be purchased online by going to www.eventbrite.com/e/2016-gilroy-garlic-festival-tickets-21073214552?aff=ggfafaq.

“It’s something that we’ve been working on and off for many years trying to coordinate between Caltrain and VTA and our site,” he said. “And this year, for whatever reason, all the pieces came together and work finally paid off, whether that’s the involvement of the City Council in Gilroy being part of the VTA board, or whatever. We look at it as a godsend to get people from San Jose and ultimately from San Francisco to get to the park without having to drive.”

The Gilroy Garlic Festival brings people from around the world together to celebrate the best in garlic-laden cuisine while raising money for local nonprofit organizations and school activities, Reynolds said.

“There is nothing like I’ve seen like it. I don’t know how to describe it other than it’s amazing to know that there are that many people in the community who are willing to sacrifice for the greater good in putting on one big event,” he said. “Everyone works together to have a good time and give back to the community.”