Around Town … with Robert Airoldi: Concerns raised after farmer vows to transfer Garlic Festival to Stockton

The Gilroy Garlic Festival organizers  felt blindsided by the announcement

By Robert Airoldi

Robert Airoldi

After organizers of the Gilroy Garlic Festival said last month they would scale-down the traditional three-day food event to a series of smaller events, a San Joaquin Valley walnut grower vowed he would keep the world-famous festival going by moving it to Stockton in August.

Tony Noceti was saddened by the canceling of the Garlic Festival at Christmas Hill Park and announced he’ll keep it going. The farmer runs an events group called Tony Noceti Group Inc., which takes credit for reviving the Stockton Asparagus Festival and turning it into the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival.

“We’re farmers, also I farm walnuts but our friends with garlic, asparagus, cherries and other things we’re gonna keep it here, we’re going to bring that one here later this year and make it work too,” Noceti told KCRA 3 News based in Sacramento.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival organizers and its sponsors, including garlic grower Christopher Ranch, felt blindsided by Noceti’s announcement, which was first made on social media.

Festival board members said the promoter never contacted them about his plans. On its Facebook page, they said, “Stockton is not the successor of our community’s homecoming event to support our essential nonprofits here in Gilroy, the Garlic Capital of the World.”

“If they want to have a garlic festival of their own we would’ve been there in a heartbeat to promote and support it, but the fact they kind of went around Gilroy’s back and using our name and our legacy to boost themselves it’s not great,” Ken Christopher, executive vice-president of Christopher Ranch, told KCRA 3 News. “It’s disappointing to see the organizers in Stockton almost prey on the Gilroy Garlic festival a bit like a vulture, because the Gilroy festival’s had a hard few years.”

The Gilroy Garlic Festival board canceled the annual summer event because of several years of financial losses as well as unaffordable insurance requirements as a result of the 2019 shooting that killed three people.

Santa Clara County is once again in a severe drought. This follows the historic drought from 2012 to 2016. The impacts of climate change have had a direct effect on water supplies locally and statewide. It is why conservation has truly become a way of life here.

Facing this reality, Valley Water told us the agency continues to look for ways to increase the use of recycled water throughout Santa Clara County. They said they are looking forward to begin construction on the South County Recycled Water Pipeline.

John Varela

“This project is another way for us to save drinking water,” Valley Water Chair Pro Tem John Varela said. “By expanding the current recycled water pipeline we’ll be able to provide a dependable, drought-proof, and locally controlled water supply for the cities of South County, its residents, businesses and farms for generations to come.”

Working in partnership with the city of Gilroy, roughly 3.5 miles of pipeline will be added. This will enhance the current connection to the South County Recycled Water Authority wastewater treatment plant facility, allowing more farms and businesses to have access to this crucial water supply. The pipeline will reduce the dependency on groundwater to feed the distribution systems for Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Martin. Recycled water provided to users in Santa Clara County meets or exceeds standards set by state and federal agencies for the various uses of recycled water.

Zachary Hilton

As part of May’s Bike Month celebrations, Gilroy City Councilmembers Zach Hilton is asking residents to nominate a local individual as the 2022 Bike Person of the Year.

“Whether it’s a student at a local school who has encouraged biking to school, advocated for safety improvements, or has started a program,” he told us. “Or it could be an adult in the community who  has advocated for better bike parking, organizes events around bike safety, or started any  programs for the community.

Fill out the form at https://bit.ly/GilroyBikePerson and submit it. Nominations are due by 5 p.m., May 15.

We can’t wait for the big reveal of the recipient of this honor. That individual can certainly be called “a big wheel” in town.

The Gilroy Center for the Arts is honoring local painter Sanjay Heera throughout  the month of May in its Artist Spotlight series. The self-taught artist is admired, well-received and respected by many art patrons in Garlic City.

“When you’re in love with art, it takes care of you spiritually. Art speaks an unspoken language that will let you feel everything you’ve ever needed to feel,” he said.  An artist reception will be held for Heera from 2 to 4:30 p.m. May 14 at the Gilroy Arts Center, 7341 Monterey Road.