Around Town … with Robert Airoldi: Holiday family fun starts in downtown Gilroy with parade, events Dec. 4

The parade starts at 5:30 p.m. and the big dude from the North Pole will arrive at the end to light the downtown Christmas tree at around 6:30 p.m.

By Robert Airoldi

Santa Claus is coming to Garlic Town. Head into the festive season with the Gilroy Holiday Parade and other downtown events Saturday, Dec. 4. It’s organized by the Downtown Gilroy Business Association.

The elfish fun starts at 1 p.m. with the free Doggie Dress Up Contest at Martin and Monterey streets. Show off your canine showing off their cutest holiday costume for a chance to win a prize. The first 25 sign-ups will get a goodie bag. Go to the business group’s webpage to sign up your furry friend for festive fashion fun.

The festivities continue with local stage performances from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Main Stage at Fifth Street and Monterey Road. While listening to the music, visit the various vendor booths for holiday gifts. Photos with the Grinch will start at 4 p.m. The parade starts at 5:30 p.m. and the big dude from the North Pole will arrive at the end to light the downtown Christmas tree at around 6:30 p.m.

For more information, email [email protected] or call (408) 842-0005 or visit the association’s social media site at www.facebook.com/DowntownGilroy.

Enjoy this season celebrating peace.

Congratulations to five Gilroy Unified School District teachers who are making a difference. Late last month, the district honored the educators at the annual Santa Clara County Office of Education’s Teacher of the Year celebration. They are Ana Benich (GECA), 2022 Teacher of the Year; Amber Bruce (GECA) Civics Leadership Award; Yesenia Campuzano (South Valley Middle School), Civics Leadership Award; Eric Davis (Mt. Madonna High School), Civics Leadership Award; and David Salles (Christopher High School), Innovations in STEM Teaching.

If you see smoke coming from the west, don’t be to alarmed. CalFire will be conducting a series of controlled burns during the coming months in Henry W. Coe State Park in an effort to reduce fuels and preserve the diversity of vegetation within the park.

The burning will last through April 30, 2022 in the Manzanita Point area of the park, according to a press release from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Piles of vegetation will be burned during appropriate weather windows during these dates.

“Not all piles will be burned at once and it may take multiple days and multiple good weather windows to consume all the piles,” according to the release.

Smoke may be seen from Morgan Hill and Gilroy during the controlled burns, authorities said.

Crews created about 280 piles to burn during the project, CalFire said.

The Manzanita Point Group Campground will have limited closures while burning is in progress. The upper section of the China Hole Trail may also have temporary closures when piles are being burned near the trail.

For the most up-to-date information on closures, contact the Henry W. Coe Visitor Center at (408) 779-2728.

Sixty acres of prime farmland are now protected at Laguna Avenue and Santa Teresa Boulevard in the middle of Coyote Valley. With this latest addition to Coyote Valley’s growing network of protected lands, the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority is working to establish sustainable, local climate-smart agricultural practices.

“The protection of Mid Coyote Valley farmland supports the long-term economic and environmental viability of local agriculture,” said Andrea Mackenzie, general manager of the OSA. Working with public and private partners, the OSA protects natural and working lands through conservation easements and purchases with willing sellers.

In the past 40 years, 45 percent of Santa Clara County’s prime farmlands have converted to urban sprawl. To help slow this trend, the OSA is working with local, regional, and state policymakers and programs to develop a growing body of research about the benefits and ecosystem services these natural and working lands provide.

“This acquisition is a win-win for our community — preserving farmland and securing open space,” said Mike Wasserman, President of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.

It has been more than two years since the 2019 Garlic Festival tragedy and Gilroy police are looking for the owners of some personal property left at the park. If you lost property that day, contact the Gilroy Police Department Property Unit at (408) 846-0361. Most of the property consists of inexpensive personal items to include water bottles, shoes, and hats. This property will be disposed of if not claimed by Dec. 31, 2021.

It’s that time of year when scammers step up their game. One scam sees them preying on consumers’ desire to find their child the perfect toy.

You are looking for these toys, but they are sold out at every store. So you decide to look online. A quick search takes you to a page that miraculously has the toy in stock. The site may look professional and have original images of the product. It may even offer the product at discounted prices, claiming a “last-minute deal” or “flash sale.”

Unfortunately, many such offers are fake. In many cases reported to BBB Scam Tracker, buyers thought they were ordering a high-quality, animatronic toy. Instead, they received a cheap counterfeit. In other cases, the products never shipped at all and the websites vanished.

To avoid scams, only buy toys from reputable stores and websites. Don’t  be fooled by extra-low prices. Do your research before you buy.