The next time someone tells you,
”
That idea is crazy!
”
just consider Dr. Rudy Melone.
A relative newcomer to Gilroy, Melone dreamt up the zany idea to
throw an annual party to celebrate the end of the garlic festival
and raise some bucks for local charities.
The next time someone tells you, “That idea is crazy!” just consider Dr. Rudy Melone.
A relative newcomer to Gilroy, Melone dreamt up the zany idea to throw an annual party to celebrate the end of the garlic festival and raise some bucks for local charities.
Garlic grower Don Christopher and farmer Val Filice pronounced the proposal “crazy,” but decided to give it a shot. Hundreds of volunteers chipped in to help.
The result was something I don’t think even Dr. Melone could have imagined.
Fifteen thousand people showed up to party and nosh on garlicky treats. The year was 1979 and the Gilroy Garlic Festival was officially born.
Twenty-five years and 2 million guests later, the festival is still going strong. If you ask me, it gets better and better each year.
I wish I could say “I knew it when,” but in reality my husband, Chris and I are garlic-come-latelys. We attended our first Garlic Festival in 1999 – a year after we moved to Gilroy.
To say our expectations were high would be an understatement. Growing up in San Jose, I had heard about the Garlic Festival ever since I could remember. I could hardly wait to sink my teeth into a peppersteak sandwich and see the world-famous pyrochefs in action.
Luckily, our first Garlic Fest experience did not disappoint.
That first time we just tried to soak everything in, from the garlic delicacies in Gourmet Alley to the rock ‘n’ roll blaring from the entertainment stages.
Needless to say, we had a lovely time. But more importantly, I felt like a true Gilroyan. I was finally part of the garlicky celebration. I could smell and taste the garlic, see our dedicated volunteers at work and help support a festival that has given more than $5 million back to the community.
That feeling was strengthened the following year when Chris and I poured beer next to Gourmet Alley. Last year, while I was four months pregnant, Chris and I served up frosty ones again. We’ve had so much fun working alongside volunteers who have helped out since the beginning and meeting the guests that come from near and far.
This weekend, I’m not volunteering, but you can be sure Chris and I, with our daughter Emma in tow, will be at Christmas Hill Park for the big event.
I can hardly wait to bring Emma through the Children’s Area where she’ll undoubtedly stare, mouth agape, at the magicians, jugglers and puppets. One day, she’ll be among the older kids playing games and making crafts.
But for now, she’ll have her first taste of garlic while hearing the words, “Fire in the hole!” Ah, music to my ears.
I have a feeling I’ll never tire of the Garlic Festival. There’s something heartwarming about watching the entire town bandy together to pay tribute to the stinking rose while raising money for worthy causes and showing thousands of garlic lovers a great time.
And to think the Garlic Festival may have never come to be. It’s hard to imagine Gilroy without the Garlic Festival. It’s also impossible to imagine the Garlic Festival without Gilroy.
It’s a perfect marriage in a town that prides itself on its volunteerism and “can-do” attitude.
You just never know what will come out of one “crazy idea.”
