Around Town … with Robert Airoldi: Tickets available for 2022 Garlic Festival events, sponsorships available

Scaled-down Garlic Festival will strive to preserve the spirit of the event that made Gilroy famous

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By Robert Airoldi

Despite the news from a Central Valley farmer who said he’ll revise a garlic festival, the organizers of the Gilroy Garlic Festival are moving forward with plans this year for several events here. The first is a golf tournament scheduled for June 24 at the Gilroy Golf Course. The event features golf, lunch on the course, and a post-play dinner prepared by Gourmet Alley chefs. Single play (includes dinner) is $179 (in honor of the festival’s first year, 1979), while dinner is $43 (in honor of the 43rd year of the festival. It starts at 1 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m., a 50/50 raffle, and fun games. Sponsorships and tickets available at www.gilroygarlicfestivalassociation.com.

Then, the festival presents Nashville Songwriters sponsored by KRTY.com July 13 at Clos LaChance Winery in San Martin. The concert will be held at 6 p.m. July 13, at the winery, 1 Hummingbird Lane (clos.com). Tickets are $60 each and now on sale. It features award-winning songwriters Wendell Mobley and Lee Thomas Miller, who have written songs for country music superstars Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Chris Stapleton and many others.

All seating is first-come, first-served. Seating is limited. Guests can bring lawn chairs or blankets. Table sponsorships with varying levels of sponsorship are also available. The event is for ages 21 and older. No outside alcohol allowed. Food will be available for purchase, but outside food is allowed.

Finally, details will be announced later for a Fall Farm to Table Dinner.

The Santa Clara County Library District recently announced the eligibility expansion of their popular BookDash home delivery service for patrons in South County. BookDash is a home delivery service where library materials are delivered to a patron’s front door. A library staff member will arrange to pick up the materials at the end of the borrowing period. This free service is available to patrons of all ages who are unable to visit a library due to temporary or long-term illness, injury, impairment, medical condition or disability. This also includes the immunocompromised (including children), expectant mothers having difficult pregnancies, new mothers still recovering, and those without transportation. Please visit sccld.org/bookdash or call (408) 883-6959 for more information.

Some changes are coming to downtown. After years of planning, the new downtown parking lot at 7th Street and Eigleberry Avenue was approved by the city council last month. At a cost of $2.3 million, the new lot will include 140 spaces, electric vehicle charging stations, bicycle and pedestrian amenities and Americans with Disabilities Act curb ramps that will help create not only a place for vehicle parking, but an accessible multi-purpose area that can be utilized for potential downtown activities including a farmer’s market and live entertainment.

Secondly, a $3.9 million Clean California Grant will provide funding for activities and infrastructure improvements along Gourmet Alley and Railroad Street. The grant will improve paving, lighting, and waste collection, and develop walking and biking facilities throughout downtown. This project, coupled with the lot, will provide a bicycle and pedestrian-friendly corridor between 4th and 7th streets along Gourmet Alley. Now that’s good news.

Gavilan College was pleasantly surprised when a $40,000 check arrived in April addressed to Dr. Kathleen Rose. The generous donation seemed at first to be made completely anonymously, but after some research it was revealed it was made by a former mentee and long-time friend of Dr. Rose in honor of her 40-plus years in higher education and her upcoming retirement. This is the largest one-time donation received by the college.

“I reached out to the donor, and she made it clear she wanted to remain anonymous,” Rose said. “She was thankful for the guidance I provided in her career and never forgot that. The most important thing for her is for these funds to go to our most in need students at Gavilan. Therefore, it was quite an easy decision to immediately make half the funds available to our basic student needs program on campus, El Centro, and the other half to the Gavilan Foundation for student scholarships.” Thank you anonymous donor.

In other Gavilan College news, trustee Jonathan Brusco resigned from the Gavilan Joint Community College District Board of Trustees April 30. At the April meeting, Dr. Rose and members of the board of trustees thanked him for his decade of service. Trustees will make a provisional appointment to fill this vacant seat. The college invites interested residents of voting age residing in Area 2 to apply. They should be available to be interviewed at the June 14 meeting. Those interested should send a summary of relevant background  and reasons for candidacy to the President’s Office, attention Lisa Scott [email protected]. For more information call (408) 848-4711.