Around Town . . . with Robert Airoldi: This year’s Garlic Festival will be held, but it will be different

A drive-thru Gourmet Alley will be held the weekends of July 23, 24, and 25, and July 30, 31, and Aug. 1, at Gilroy Presbyterian Church

By Robert Airoldi

Robert Airoldi

This year’s Gilroy Garlic Festival will see some changes. After last year’s event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, festival officials have announced this year’s festival will be creatively reimagined. There will be a variety of events (socially distanced, virtual, and more) that showcase the distinctive food from Gourmet Alley at a series of drive-thru events at Gilroy Presbyterian Church, a Farm-to-Table dinner at Fortino’s Winery, and a Golf Tournament at Gilroy Golf Course.

This year’s Festival will include:

A drive-thru Gourmet Alley will be held the weekends of July 23, 24, and 25, and July 30, 31, and Aug. 1, at Gilroy Presbyterian Church, 6000 Miller Ave. Menu and drive-thru times to be announced shortly.

The festival is working closely with the Santa Clara County Health Department to get approval for the Gourmet Alley Drive-Thru. Currently, the health department is still not reviewing and/or approving permits for temporary events. It is hoped that by July, the health department will allow the festival to offer this activity to the public.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival will bring the freshness of fields, orchards, and artisanal foods directly to your table, as well as amazing wines. Savor a Farm-to-Table dinner at Fortino’s Winery, 4525 Hecker Pass Highway, the evening of Saturday, July 24. Stay tuned for chef and menu details.

Finally, golf for a cause at the Garlic Festival Golf Classic, which will be held Friday, July 30 at Gilroy Golf Course. Details will be announced in May.

After the tragedy at the 2019 event where four people, including the gunman, were killed, and last year’s cancellation, we are grateful to organizers for pivoting to get something done. We’re looking forward to the events.

India is seeing a huge surge in COVID cases, with possibly one million people dying. An acute shortage of oxygen and other medical help is the leading cause of death. Morgan Hill sleep dentist Kusum Atraya encourages residents to help save lives by donating spare portable Oxygen Concentrators and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines.

“A group of engineers and doctors from multiple universities have found a solution to modify CPAP and BiPAP machines into non-critical use ventilators for patients and respirators for front line workers,” she said. “Data shows that the United States may have around 10 million unused machines.”

If you or someone in you know owns any such spare equipment, call (408) 842-5037 for the collection and shipping of these life-saving devices to India. Include your contact information and the machine’s serial number to receive a donation receipt. So far, 72 CPAPS have been collected.

Mattie Scariot, the director of the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, let us know that the selections of cinematic creations at the 2021 event were outstanding. Films came from all around the world.

Here’s a list of the best of the festival award recipients:

Action: The Scorpion’s Tale  (USA)

Animated: Serendipity (USA)

College: Howling (Iran)

Comedy: The Cocaine Famine (Ireland)

Different Abilities: The Invalid Corps (USA)

Documentary: Invisible (Iran)

Drama : Till the End of the World (Netherlands)

Feature Documentary: Beloved (Iran)

Feature Fiction: Return of the Thumb (Austria)

High School: It’s Not What It Looks Like (Russia)

Horror: Madame (UK)

LGBTQIA: Sparrow (New Zealand)

Local: In the Land of My Ancestors (USA)

Musical Composition: Hapless Hans (Germany)

Sci Fi: Blue Fire (USA)

Woman Directed: Hapless Hans (Germany)

Youth: A Day in the Life of a Pig (USA)

Congratulations to all of our winners!

And there’s more festival news…

PJIFF is thrilled to be named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s Top 50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee for 2021.

South Valley is lucky to hold one of the best film festivals for independence filmmakers in the world.